#no mic needed and ready to make any accommodations if you need them.

[thefirstknife]

How's the difficulty on this season's exotic mission vs last season's? Especially for solo runs?

I think it's a little bit easier if anything then for being shorter. Some people might have an issue with it being timed; you only get 10 minutes and if you don't do it, you go to orbit which means doing the Deep Dive again (though you don't have to do the hard version of the Deep Dive).

Avalon was a lot because it took so long and it could become exhausting especially on the final boss where there were no checkpoints. The whole thing was a lot of stuff to do so I think that was a bit harder. There were also points in that mission where the combat would become quite overwhelming, especially on legend difficulty.

This mission is also overwhelming and this week's modifiers are tough (chill touch which means that if you're touched by any melee ability, you get slowed by stasis + no radar). Next week it might be easier modifiers though! Also since it's only 10 minutes (+ around 10 minutes of Deep Dive), you won't ever lose more than 20 minutes on an attempt. The problem is that the boss has a lot of health and it can seem super demoralising when you run out of time and the boss isn't even half health. I highly recommend running Divinity and machine guns (if you're in a group).

I haven't tried this one solo yet. It might actually be harder in solo because of the health pool of the boss, since you're limited by time. It mostly means that it will take more dps phases which increases the chances of running out of time or getting killed. Both returns you to orbit. I'd recommend running it with at least two people, but if you really don't have anyone, you can give it a go solo and check online for what builds might be helpful for soloing. I think it needs far less overall endurance to solo a shorter mission, even if it takes more attempts, but that will depend on a personal preference. Give it a try for sure.

[sandcobangevent]

I Got You

by cup1ds_lover and @atlitudes

John notices the absence of the steady weight in this jacket pocket as he’s chasing Sherlock (who’s chasing a criminal) in a dead sprint down the Thames bankside.

He can feel his heart beating in his temples, in time with his shoes pounding into the damp cobblestone pathway. The chill of the night air numbs his fingers and the ends of his ears sting red.

The case had been a long one, following unreliable witness accounts, blurry security footage, and the tedious paper trail of jewelry smugglers moving valuable gems through the prop department of the Globe Theater– an engaging adventure for the listeners for sure. This is what John had been thinking of, imagining how worth it this all would be when he realized.

He couldn’t believe it. He forgot. He forgot the mic.

The worst part is that he knows exactly where he left it. He can see it in his head, sitting on the curb outside the theater where he and Sherlock had paused before the detective suddenly spotted their primary suspect, back to revisit the scene of the crime.

Said primary suspect has just… jumped into the river. And oh– ohhhhhh Sherlock is going in after him into the pitch-dark water.

“Sherlock! Sherlock! Hold on a second–  oh dear god–”

Bollocks.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Tell me why you thought it would be a good idea to jump into the bloody Thames?”

Sherlock’s clothes are sopping wet as he speaks with a shiver he’s clearly trying (and failing) to suppress. The thin blanket the Yard handed over when taking away the smuggler is not doing him any favors. The flashing lights of the police vehicles bounce off the wet cement and illuminate the distant figures of officers in the dark.

“Well Watson, our suspect intended to get away.”

“You look like a cat that’s been forced into the bath.”

“ Watson!”

The detective’s offended expression fails to cover for his fond smile. John chuckles to himself, reaching into his pocket to address the–

“Bugger. I forgot the mic outside the theater, maybe we could–”

Sherlock shivers pointedly and pulls the blanket further over his shoulders. The water from his clothes has started soaking through, leaving damp patches across his back, and dripping where he steps.

“--Err yeah, no chance it’s still there. I’ll call and see if the theater picked it up tomorrow, or get a new one altogether. Besides mate, we need to get you warmed up.”

“Please.”                        

Comfortable silence accompanied by two sets of footsteps fills the space around them as they make their way back to 221B. John peeks his head into the flat below to see the lights out; Marianna wasn’t waiting on them, good. He stops suddenly at the foot of the stairs. 

“Alright, you wait here and I’ll grab you a towel, then you get straight in a warm bath. I’ll have tea ready when you get out, we can’t have you getting hypothermia.”

He looks back, half expecting some form of stubborn protest from Sherlock, only to see him meekly removing his shoes and socks without a word. Good.

Bounding up the stairs as quietly as he can, John quickly walks into their shared bathroom, grabs a towel, and runs the faucet, putting the thermostat up a couple of degrees before padding back down to Sherlock, who’s sat on the first step, curled around himself. His eyes snap to John as he lands beside him, and a shaky dark hand meekly reaches out for the towel.

“You alright mate?”

Sherlock doesn’t respond immediately, standing on shaking legs before hobbling his way up. John follows at a slower pace, concern growing for the state of his friend. After checking that he made it to the bathroom, John moved into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

Two mugs from the second cabinet on the left above the stove. Sherlock had seemed… oddly despondent. Two tea bags into the mugs, one of which was taller than the other to accommodate longer hands more prone to fidgeting, a dash of milk into each. The least John could do was provide some warmth and some sort of congratulations– they had solved the case after all. He reached back into the pantry, and with an affectionate eye roll grabbed a bag of marshmallows, sprinkling a few in the first mug and leaving the bag clipped on the counter in case more were required. Coasters set out on the coffee table in front of the couch, both stained with the vague chemical residue of Sherlock’s experiments that couldn’t be washed out.

John was bringing their two favorite blankets out of the closet and arranging them into their spots on the couch when he heard the shower shut off. He wandered into Sherlock’s room, grabbing a clean pair of his most frequently worn sweatpants and fuzzy socks, and a sweatshirt from his own room– Sherlock found them comforting, for whatever reason– with the seams adequately worn down. He knocked gently on the bathroom door before cracking it open, setting the clothes down on the counter, returning to the couch, and putting on the Discovery channel.

A Mythbuster’s rerun had returned from a commercial break when Sherlock wandered out into the lounge and unceremoniously flopped onto the couch and began to make his blankets into a sort of nest.

“Kettle’s on.”

“Mmm.”

“This the one where Adam burns his eyebrows off?”

“No. That’s the Hindenburg.”

“Ahhh, yup, the Hindenburg episode. That’s a good ‘un. Classic.”

Sherlock was leaning his head on the arm of the couch, lazily watching the screen with tired eyes.

“You warm enough yet mate?”

“Getting there.”

The kettle reaches a whine from the kitchen and John starts to stand.

“Don’t fall asleep yet, alright? Got a little bit of a treat for you.”

Hearing a faint “oh?” from Sherlock’s swaddle, John retreats to the stove and pours their tea. When he returns, Sherlock is upright, turning off his phone to watch John eagerly when he returns and presses the warm mug into his hands.

When he sees the marshmallows he almost looks surprised at the thought of the gesture, blinking for a moment as John sits back down beside him and wraps his blanket around his shoulders, before smiling, and looking at his companion beside him.

“Watson?”

“Oh? What’s up, mate?”

“Thank you. For looking after me.”

It’s now John’s turn to be surprised as Sherlock’s head comes to rest on his shoulder. He can feel the warmth of his arm against his own as Sherlock presses insistently into his side. He responds after some seconds of quiet:

“Of course. Anytime.”

He rests his cheek atop Sherlock’s head, the soft silk of his bonnet smooth against his smile lines.

------------------------

Two empty mugs sit next to each other on the coffee table, and the TV has long since gone black when the thump of Sherlock’s footsteps coming up the stairs wakes John from sleep.

He’s still on the couch– at some point in the night, he and Sherlock laid down, with Sherlock’s head still nestled into his shoulder, both of their blankets covering them. At some point though, his companion had risen, and as John blearily blinks his eyes open to their dim lounge, he sees Sherlock set a package down on the table. 

“You forgot your mic. I uh– I got you a new one. Varying modes, extra strength casing. Warranty in the event that it gets damaged. Figured you might be in need of an upgrade. Priority shipping, of course, can’t be missing any new adventures. Receipt emailed to Marianna.”

He has the gall to almost look sheepish, his smile small, and his hands fidgeting in front of him.

John beams.

“Ohhhh you big lug, get back over here.”

And he does.

___________________

Check it out on AO3 too!

[wenellyb]

Why Stackie is the greatest bromance of all time

Well for starters, they’re hilarious, so there’s that!

What I also like is their ability to make any interviewer go “???”, wonder what they’re doing there and reconsider all the life choices they made that led them to that very moment in front of the Stackie Duo, including their decision to study journalism.

But one of the things I really like about Sebastian and Anthony's relationship is that you can really see the evolution of their friendship throughout the years, and how they adapted to each other's personalities.

Everyone has their own way of expressing their love, including these actors: like Paul Bettany is a kisser, Chris Evans is a toucher I guess ( I don't watch enough of non-Stackie interviews to draw conclusions), and Anthony is a joker/comedian, if he likes you, he will tease you, make fun of you and make it his personal mission to make you smile/laugh. He doesn't seem to like being affectionate type etc, he looked like the kind who would accept affection but doesn't really initiate it. He would rather make jokes,  hit your arm playfully or do a fist bump with you. 

Sebastian is a little bit more "Extra" when expressing his love: we all remember the Instagram birthday post, his unprompted "I love you" in the middle of an interview, "Why aren't you looking at me as much in these interviews?" "I want to spend all my time with Anthony" and he also seems to be a little bit more affectionate, and also like to touch his friends (at least the way I see it).

At least that was the situation in the beginning: Anthony, the hilarious guy who had all the jokes and all the punchlines, and Seb the shy guy who liked affection, and adored Anthony for making him come out of his shell.

And as the years passed, we saw a shift in their relationship, where both of them made efforts to go in the other's direction and accommodate to the other's personalities.

During the first years, Seb wasn't even that funny. A lot of Sebastian Stan stans get mad when I say this but Seb was only funny when Anthony was around to make the jokes. I'm sorry and I love Sebastian but that's the truth.

Now, he's much more comfortable, and is so open when joking with Anthony and has a few punchlines on his own:

First we had successful attempts: "which way is the beach Seabass, which way is the beach" "Down there" "PapiChulo".

And now, he's much more confident in his jokes and always manages to make everyone laugh, even Anthony, "You ready for the Falcon?", "I'm sorry but Chris Evans he ain't got nothing down there".

Sebastian is almost a comedian now!

One thing I've also noticed and I love is that whenever Sebastian starts making a joke now, Anthony will start laughing even BEFORE Seb starts talking, as if he already knows what Sebastian is going to say or as if he knows that whatever Sebastian, it’s just great to see how they’re used to each other now.

And from Anthony's side, he also seems more in touch with what Seb likes and doesn't like: 

One example that comes in mind is that I've noticed that fist bumps aren't really Seb's thing 😂, so'll he'll fist bump Anthony if  Anthony initiates it, but other than that, he'll prefer hugs or literally anything else, and I've noticed that Anthony doesn't really do the fist bumps with Seb anymore and will adapt to Seb's needs, praising him or touching him.

Also Anthony seems to be more affectionate with Seb: Seb recently complained that Anthony doesn't show his soft side with him, but Anthony disagreed. And I kind of agree with Anthony because it looks like he shares his soft side with Seb all the time. 

Side note for Seb: For you to know that Anthony has a soft side, he would have had to share it with you in the first place!

Why I think that Anthony is super affectionate with Seb:

Exhibit A: He'll put his hand around Seb because I quote " [Sebastian] likes to be close"

Exhibit B. Anthony will put his arm around Seb so they can walk together for literally 10 meters.  (The gif quality is bad but after a panel, Seb really waited for Anthony, even though they were probably headed in the same way just so that they could walk away together, top right of the gif). Why do they have to be this dramatic all the time?? 

Exhibit C: Anthony putting his arm around Seb to share a mic (I don't know Sebastian personally but I know that that man pretented his mic was broken so he could share it with Anthony. I just know it)

He's also more expressive in his love for Seb: “I love you man” "I want to keep Sebastian all to myself" in the Kelly Clarkson interview.

I don't really know if Seb is Anthony's best friend because Anthony looks like the kind of guy who can get along with anybody, and has a lot of friends but it sure looks like Anthony IS Seb's best friend.   

They really brought out the best out of each other, and maybe Sebastian wouldn't even be where he is today without Anthony. Who knows if he would have had a leading role in a Marvel show with Anthony if it weren’t for their dynamic. 

But also maybe Anthony wouldn't be here today without a friend who hypes him up and makes him laugh so much that their friendship became iconic and inspired a multi-billion company to make a show about them.

I think one other reason I like that duo is that in friendship, I'm both of them at the same time! I will tease my friends whenever I can but I also need to be hugged at all times.

I won't pretend I know them or their personalities, I'm just sharing what I think based on the interviews I've watched, so, of course I could be wrong. This is just an observation.

I love to tease Sebastian on his "extraness" with Anthtony (and i’ll never stop), but the truth is the two of them adore each other and it's very heartwarming to see a friendship like theirs!!!

[bakugohoex]

hi love 💖💖 again congrats so much on 1k, you deserve it + the world!!! may i please request nsfw #10 with eren? heheheh thank you 🥰

“my mics on baby, let them hear your moans”

pairing: eren yeager x female reader

cw: modern au, language, nsfw (voyeurism, choking, nipple play, thigh riding (slight), kissing, daddy kink, degradation, praise and unprotected sex)

word count: 1800+

a/n: hey baby, thank you so much, i hope you liked this my lovely, next one coming up is some levi fluff

summary: in which a night of boredom, waiting for eren to finish his game, leads you to finding yourself sitting right on his lap, letting all his friends here your moans

1k event masterlist

↞ back to attack on titan masterlist 

Eren’s voice boomed throughout the apartment, you had only just put away the dishes and wanted to spend some quality time with your favourite boy. But it seems that he had other ideas in mind, with the sound of his shouting at Jean and Armin to give him some backup. You didn't ask about the game, refusing to even bother to understand the entertainment of the shooting game. 

Normally, you wouldn't question it but the long stares you'd been giving him since you both came home, the small touches on his shoulder and arms. You had been craving his touch ever since he left in the morning, his wandering hands having done nothing but your heart pulse for more contact.

You were irritated, wanting to have him inside of you but all he seemed to care about was how Jean had left to get some other items instead of saving Eren. You found yourself watching him shout for a moment before finally going to the sofa where he sat with the controller in hand. The loading screen was up, knowing he was about to start a new game, his headset across his head and a slouched position allowing his arms out across the sofa as he was ready to be sat on.

“You okay, baby?” He spoke muting his mic for you to say whatever you wanted. Instead of speaking you sat right on top of him, legs kneeling beside his own as you faced him straddling his lap. His face looked confused, but he loved seeing you needy and wanting to be held so kept you on him. 

Your arms moved to his neck as you rested your head against his shoulder, you heard Armin shout to press the play button, Eren putting his mic back on as he continued to shout to Armin to tell him to fuck off. “Y/n, baby you okay?” He softly spoke into your ear as you continued to rest on his lap.

Your actions spoke louder as you began to grind against his clothed cock, you gave him the sweetest look filled with heart eyes but the way your body rutted against his own made him let out a groan. “B...baby.”

“Eren what the fuck, Jean just got killed again.” You heard through the mic again, knowing Jean would get pissed at Eren being distracted, Eren tried to keep a much calmer composure, but your relentless movement across his semi hard cock made his mouth water. 

“I w...want you, daddy.” You moaned into his ear, away that his mic was on the other side of his face, if your voice had been any louder, you knew the two boys on the other side would’ve heard you in an instant. 

Eren’s eyes widened at the sound of your moan, having an idea in mind, probably a terrible on at that. He grabbed your jaw, letting the controller fall to the side as he let his thumb play to at least do something without Armin and Jean shouting at him. Your breath fanned his own as he gave a soft kiss, his hand still holding your jaw in place, you continued to try to grind against him already feeling your coated underwear. Slick ready to engulphed Eren’s own cock. 

“Such a little cumslut, waiting all day for Daddy to fuck you.” He whispered through the kiss, he was almost glad Armin and Jean were arguing knowing his voice was inaudible. 

You gave a hefty moan, before Eren moved his fingers away from your jaw and down to his joggers. Quickly untying his joggers and lifting your ass up to take his joggers off, you could see the hard indent of cock, your mouth already waiting. “You're going to just stare at it baby.” He teased waiting for you to take his boxers off yourself.

The way you bit your lip in hesitance made him go wild, watching as your fingers brushed against his cock, urning a low groan. His eyes had moved back to the game, starting to properly play it as you grabbed the waist band, moving his boxers away in a swift move. His cock curved upwards, already hard and the precum oozing out ready to feel your insides. 

His fingers went under the hoodie you were wearing, the shorts being ripped apart in an easy aggressive move. His finger skimmed across your underwear, the slick already dampening the pair before he motioned for you to lift yourself up for him to get rid of the item of clothing. “Aren’t you a good little slut?” He whispered, making you become weak at the feeling of your clit against his exposed thigh. 

“I’m a good s...slut.” You moaned through Eren’s shaky leg, he paid little attention to your movements, concentrating on killing the person about to attack Jean. Even with his cock hard and dripping for your cunt, he couldn't just leave his friends to die. 

He heard you continue to whine before moving closer to his cock, you pulled the hoodie away from your body, leaving you in your bra, his hand moved behind your body quickly undoing it as he watched you toss it to the side. “Use me up then.” He kissed your neck watching how your naked frame was for his eyes. Your hand gilded under his shirt, he quickly took it off with one hand letting your hands roam up and down his chest. Your mouth moving to his neck, to suck at it, the swell of your clit just touched his cock, feeling the urge to put himself right into you. 

You sucked at his neck, a feeble moan coming from his lips, “Eren what the fuck was that?” You both heard Jean’s question choosing to ignore it, you came up on your knees and Eren knew exactly what your next move was going to be. 

He saw your hand clasped his cock, cum falling onto your fingers, he already knew he was going to make you suck it. “Wait.” He muttered.

He took the headset from his head and put it on your own. You gave a hazy look, confused, before gesturing for you to carry on. You assumed it was just for him to be able to kiss your shoulder more easily, with the mic muted.

You ignored the metal on your head, sinking into his cock, a loud moan erupting your mouth. “Da...daddy.”

Armin and Jean were in shock at what they had just heard, your whimpers and moans coming from Eren’s headset. They could barely speak, and even if they wanted to stop listening, their bodies refused to turn the game off, listening into the whole ordeal. 

“Taking me so well babygirl.” Eren watched as you came back up struggling to fit all of him inside of you. You had sunk back down your thighs being able to touch his own knowing you’d reached his base with a soreness. “Good girl, aren’t you?”

“I’m a g...good girl.” You moaned again, his hands firmly on your waist as he began thrusting back and forth into your cunt. “Ple...please more, daddy...f...faster.” 

“Suck your fingers.” You complied whining and whimpering at the taste of his cum coating your throat and mixing with your saliva. 

Your moaning was heaven to his ears, loving the feeling of your tight cunt around his thick cock. “Such a fucking slut, you want me to go deeper, you want my cock to s...split you open.” Eren’s pace quickened continuing to thrust upwards to accommodate for your needs. 

“F...faster, pl...please.” You whined with the mic still on, the sound of your mewls and whimpers increasing. Eren’s hand moved to grab your throat, making you face him with a sadistic look on his face.

“My mics on baby, let them hear your moans.” You were too far in to even care if Jean and Armin were listening in, the two boys had definitely heard the statement, becoming flushed at how they had been listening in. “Moan my name baby.”

You reciprocated, “Ere...Eren.” 

His voice rolled off your tongue, his hand still around your pretty little neck, he loved the feeling of his firm veiny grip across your smooth neck. Every night he would leave more and more bruises across your neck, make everybody see the marks he gave you. “Tell them who you...belong to.” He grunted, sweat mixing in with every thrust.

Your chest was right in his eyeline, beginning to skim his tongue around your nipples. A coat of his saliva across each nipple before he began sucking on the spots just above your nipples. Harsh red and purple forming as heard you speak, “you, da...daddy, I’m you...yours.”

“My little cumdump.” He groaned at the taste of leaving bruises against your skin but also the feeling of cum build up. 

“C...cum, please, da...daddy.” You spoke breathlessly, almost pleading with the tears filling your eyes. He watched as your chest heave, wiping the stray tears before he spoke. 

Eren became quicker in his thrusts, grabbing your waist for more access to each inch of your warm cunt. “Cum for daddy.” He commanded and in an instant the coil in your stomach fell, cumming right on his cock. Eren could see the cum seep out of your cunt, your loud heavy moan being music to his ears. After his own couple of sloppy thrusts through the cum, he gushed right inside of you. 

Your cum mixing together inside of your stomach, seeing a slight bulge at the feeling of being entirely stuffed. Eren looked at you, your tired and tear-filled eyes, you remained on his cock, shuffling on his soft cock. The smell of sweat and cum mixed through the air as Eren took the headset off your head. 

“You enjoy the show then.” Eren cocked his head back, letting your head rest against his shoulders, one arm firmly on you and the other talking through the mic. The game had been disregarded by the loading screen on the television and the sighs of heavy breaths coming from the other end. 

“Fuck.” You both heard, you assumed it was Jean going from how loud he normally was compared to Armin. 

“Eren, you should let us join next time?” Jean proposed, Eren’s jaw clenched at Jean’s action, glad that the boy hadn't been in the room to actually see the events that occurred.

Eren gave a loud scoff, “you fucking wish Kirschtein, she’s all mine, aren’t you.” He put the mic to your tired mouth as you gave a low grumble.

“All yours.” You whispered tiredly, your sweaty hair going across his own chest, his own hair having been tied back but the stray strands that encased his forehead stuck across. Eren didn't bother listening to the rest of the heavy breathes from his two friends. 

He wanted to know if the events that had just occurred made you feel embarrassed or hate him but at his question you gave him a lazy look, “i don't care, it was fun.”

He shook his head, kissing the top of your head. He knew the two of you should probably get cleaned up but with you in his arms he felt at peace. Resting his head against your own he felt comforted with your presence and the true knowing that you were his entirely.

i’d really appreciate if you guys could leave a like, reblog or comment, thanks x

if you guys want to be a part of a tag list, just reply to any post and i’ll add you xx

@samusimp @alainarose13 @crispychannie @underratedmage @jennammaee @cathy8taffy @sugacious @moonlightaangel @kat-sukis-hoe @effmigentlywithachainsaw @swankiifiied @maat-the-prescriptive @missmultifangirl @tvwhoresblog @kuroos-world @chrrylevi @katsuhera @answer-the-sirens @animexholic @wapbenders @the-shota-king-masayuki @bakugousmrs @crystal-lilac @dai-tsukki-desu @fandomsinthegalaxies @crimsonbows-and-arrows @admin-in-residence @otterlockholmes

[notchesandbullets]

A Soft Confession Draped in Ivory and Silk (Pro-Hero!Bakugou x Pro-Hero!Reader)

Warnings: cursing, sort of domestic fluff in the snippet of the future Bakugou sees with you, mentions of alcohol, Aged-Up!AU, suggestive themes, implied smut, mutual pining, there's a lot of fluff in this one.

Synopsis: It’s been a few years since you’ve graduated UA. This was supposed to be a trouble-free reunion, except your reservations got screwed up and now you have to room with someone else while you're staying for the entirety of the trip. The weird thing is, everyone seems to have some kind of excuse as to why they can't let you sleepover in their room for the night. So, you decide on Bakugou's, the only person who can't say no because he hasn't arrived yet. But your actions have consequences and now you need to deal with all the feelings that you've been frantically suppressing as they resurface.

Words: 19.2k

"What the fuck are you doing in my room?" Bakugou seethed hotly, vastly annoyed with the sight that greeted him.

He had kicked open the door to his allocated hotel room, exhausted from the long drive and wanted nothing more than to flop on the comfy bed and just fall asleep but that couldn't happen if you were here.

Of course it had to be you. Of all the shitty extras, it had to be you.

Fuck.

Rolling your eyes at his angry exasperation, you continued stirring the pot on the stove without paying him any attention, which you knew irritated him greatly. Free hand planted idly on your hips, your brow scrunched up as you caught a whiff of burning potatoes and quickly turned off the fire.

Alright, so you weren't the best at cooking, but that wasn't going to stop you. A girl's gotta eat.

In hindsight, you could've just picked up some food on the way or been smart and packed a lunch before you left but in your defense, you were running late. You blamed being completely unprepared on Mina, who failed to inform you in time so you would have enough time to appropriately pack and not panic about seeing all your old classmates from your UA days.

By the time she told you of this little trip, you had exactly seven hours to get everything in order and head up north to the high-end hotel Iida and Yaoyorozu, the old class representative and executive officer, reserved for the group of 22.

They had decided to hold a reunion of some sorts since it had been a number of years since you guys all graduated. Really, you suspected it just to be an excuse for all of you to get drunk but you weren't complaining.

Hero work was taxing.

Even Aizawa, Present Mic, All Might and Midnight had come along for the weekend getaway. Though they were stuck in traffic and wouldn't make it until the next morning.

"The reservations got mixed up when Midoriya called in." You said over your shoulder to the grumpy man pouting in the corner, scooping out the soup in the pot into bowls and you ignored how Bakugou growled when the name of his rival passed through your lips. "It was either share a room with you or Mineta, so..."

Bakugou glowered at you from the other side of the room but he didn't argue. That little pervert might've grown up a bit since he actually transformed into a decent hero who was a feminist and advocated for women all the time instead of trying to touch them constantly without consent, but that didn't mean he wanted you to sleep in the same bed as the fucking grape head.

Weirdly enough, everyone you asked seemed to have an excuse as to why they couldn't let you sleep over with them for a night until the mistake was sorted out. The guys you could understand but the girls?

Something was kind of off there.

So then it was just down to Mineta, who was an absolute no in your book, and Bakugou, who was the only one who hadn't arrived yet.

Knowing that you'd be completely screwed over if he said no too, you made a choice, figuring he could kick you out if it really was too much of a bother.

At least the accommodations were nice.

The room was a luxurious suite, more than big enough to hold you both without getting in each other's way.

Rich, velvet curtains hung from the valances and a small crystal chandelier hung above the mahogany table. The kitchen was fully equipped with the latest line of appliances in Japan and stocked with utensils and stainless steel cookware. The room even came with French doors that separated the bedroom from the cozy living area and kitchen parts of the suite, giving it a secluded but romantic feel.

You ignored the latter portion of that vibe.

The two of you were friends at best and you were still wondering if you could even call him a close friend when most of your interactions happened on the job in joint operations that required both of your quirks.

It was hard to ever find to get out and see your friends, let alone even consider dating. You had given up that dream after some sleazebag tried to get into your pants after one date. When your team figured out he was after your fame, that put the nail in the coffin and you hadn't tried to see anyone else since then.

For a time there, you had thought you had some potential for a relationship with Shindou since the two of you held mutual attraction for each other but that was over when he started seeing one of his old classmates.

You were happy for the both of them but it didn't dull the ache in your heart for someone who understood the life that you lived.

And not in a platonic way.

Shindou being in a relationship honestly didn't come as a surprise to you, he had feelings for her since the provisional licensing exam and besides, your heart was set on someone else.

Someone you could never hope that they would return your feelings.

Breezing out of the kitchen with two portions in hand, you passed one to the grumpy ash-blond's way.

Bakugou scoffed haughtily as he left his luggage by the door and threw himself down into the sofa positioned behind the TV, completely ignoring your peace offering. "What the fuck makes you think I want to eat your shitty cooking?"

"Suit yourself."

You shrugged your shoulders and set it down on the coffee table, undeterred by his crude yet muffled language. Something things never changed, you could still read him like a book. His temper was all a front.

Had been since high school. Now you both were pros, constantly out on the streets and saving the day. It was rewarding work but it was also exhausting.

You couldn't put into words how much you were looking forward to this getaway trip, where you didn't have to worry about appearances or the media catching you off guard.

You don't know exactly how, but somehow Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and Iida managed to pay them off or something to get them to leave you alone for the blessed three days this reunion was going to span.

And you have to say, you had never been more grateful to have rich people as friends.

Leaving to go change so that you were ready for the dinner tonight with all of your old classmates while simultaneously chowing down on your delicious (somewhat burnt) food, the corner of your mouth quirked up in a smile as you heard the bowl scrap against the table as the grumpy hero begrudgingly pulled it toward him.

Unable to resist, you tossed a lighthearted jab over your shoulder without looking at him. "Aw, you do have a heart~"

"Fuck off, dumbass." Bakugou spat from around a mouthful of potato, yet making no move to set down the food you had spent so much time making before he arrived.

Even though it was a little overcooked, it tasted better than any of the shit he had been forcing himself to eat recently.

Being a pro was no fucking joke, not that he ever treated it like one before, but it sure as shit seemed a lot easier when they were students and had fucking adults to rely on.

It was still fucking weird to him to think of his old homeroom teacher as a colleague.

Bakugou lazed around for a couple hours after he finished eating your food. He wasn't ever going to admit it, but your home cooking hit the spot. His own cooking was still better but yours wasn't shit. At least, not compared to that fucking Dunce Face's.

He still remembered when you and Sato would make dinner back when they all lived in Heights Alliance. Of course, Emergency Exit had a fire extinguisher handy anytime you were in the kitchen because you had a habit of lighting things on fire.

A lot.

Flipping through the channels on the TV boredly, Bakugou blankly stared at the screen with moving pictures that he couldn't care less about as his mind wandered back to you.

When Kirishima first told him about the trip, he flat out declined coming with.

There was no fucking way he was going. Why the hell would he want to see all their annoying faces and shit?

At least, that was all that was running through his mind until the idiot slyly mentioned how you were going to be coming along.

Bakugou honestly didn't think you would be one for all this shit. According to his agent, you had been so swamped with work in your district that you hadn't been taking proper care of yourself. Not that he cared or anything.

But it was going to be a fucking inconvenience for him if you suddenly fainted on the job and was rushed to the hospital, leaving him to pick up all your damn slack.

Because your agencies were sort of near each other, he thought he couldn't take the time off if you were going, but his PR team had insisted, practically shoving him out the door so he could pack seven days early.

He had a sinking suspicion that his absence would allow them to curb the damage done after that stunt he pulled last month at the middle school they made him talk at.

It wasn't his fault!! Those damn kids had too many fucking questions!!

Alright, so that wasn't really it. He had overheard one of the teachers spewing shit about heroes and how useless they were so of course he was fucking angry. To have the fucking nerve to not even lower their voice in front of him was a trip but the last straw was when they carelessly brought up your name in the conversation, haughtily claiming that you didn't know how to do your job properly.

And he fucking lost it.

The entire security team had to pry him off of the wailing teacher when they arrived and once the facts were cleared up, no one could say that they really blamed him for reacting the way that he did but still, the press was going to have a field day when this got out.

Bakugou had clicked his tongue angrily and stormed the other way while the police got the situation sorted out.

He would own up to what he had done, he wasn't fucking afraid. He would kill them any day of the week.

But he halted in his tracks down the dreary and empty hallway when he saw a little boy sitting alone outside the classroom. He recognized him. He was inside during the meet-and-greet but the teacher that he had just got into a verbal battle with had sent him outside for some reason.

The child whimpered and curled into a tighter ball when he came closer and Bakugou cursed himself for not having the same calming effects on kids like Deku had.

"Oi, brat. What the hell are you doing sitting out here?" He asked abrasively, crouching down a little ways away to give him some space.

The kid sniffled loudly and raised his head, his eyes swollen and bloodshot from how hard he had been crying and Bakugou's heart twisted painfully.

"M-Mister?" He stammered out in a small voice. "Wha...?"

"You're crying."

Since no one else was around, Bakugou's guard dropped a fraction and his eyes softened slightly.

"Want to tell me what's wrong?"

After six minutes of the kid stuttering to find his voice in front of his idol, he managed to tell him a little bit.

And if Bakugou was mad before, he sure as hell was livid now.

Because this kid was being punished by his teacher and his peers for something he had no control over. His quirk.

His teacher hated him and would often send him outside because it would go off at random times and distract his classmates. And while everyone pointed fingers at him and laughed, he was left all alone to deal with a power that was too big for him to control.

Labeled a villain, he was cast out and even though the pro-hero could clearly see how kind his heart was just in the few minutes he'd interacted with him, no one else seemed to care enough to give him the time of day.

Bakugou offered out his hand and demanded that he get up. Timidly, the little kid did so, exclaiming out in surprise when he dragged him towards the direction of the classroom.

The hero could sense his rising fear and anxiety so he stopped just outside of the door where the police had been filing out of a minute ago and turned to him, squatting down to his level.

"Listen, brat." Bakugou barked out, but not unkindly. "Those extras don't mean a damn thing. You're fucking strong and you're going to be a great hero when you grow up."

He rapidly blinked his eyes and they sparkled. "Really?!"

Bakugou snorted. "Yup. Now, come on. It's storytime."

When he entered, he was disgusted to see how the teacher and the kids recoiled back from the boy hiding behind his legs. And while he couldn't necessarily fault the kids as much as their teacher because they were being taught that this little guy was a monster, to see a grown-adult grooming them to judge people like this was fucking wrong.

He would know.

Sitting down, he patted his thigh once to invite the little boy to take a seat on his lap. When the boy finally scrambled on and got comfortable, even though he was still clearly nervous about being in front of his class like this, Bakugou started his tale.

The few security officers who were standing by the teacher for safety should he launch at them again and his own agent were wary of his intentions, but all that diminished when he opened his mouth.

The calm hero told the wide-eyed kids how he was a bully to someone who had the true heart of what it took to be a hero and how he was able to grow by recognizing his mistakes and taking action. He told them that it was hard to change but that it was a good thing even though it felt weird and felt like the world was against him at times.

He told them that it didn't matter whether they had a strong quirk, a weak quirk or no quirk at all, at the end of the day, they were all the same: imperfect humans just trying to live and find happiness. And that everyone was deserving of respect.

Even the little boy they had casted out from their social circle.

Bakugou could see some things start to click in their minds and while he knew that most of this would fly over their heads for now since they weren't at an age where they had to think about all these things on the daily, he hoped that it would stick with them and come back to them when they needed it most.

The teacher's jaw had gone slack in shock and Bakugou glared at them, sending them one last pointed remark about how it was important to ensure the future generation had the tools they needed to thrive in this world and they gulped, averting their eyes as they were thoroughly intimidated by the way his burning eyes scorched into them.

Throwing his head back with a heavy sigh, Bakugou closed his eyes.

He needed this weekend to get the fuck away with everything that was wrong in this world and accept that he could only change the things he could control one at a time.

But patience was never his strong suit.

Growling, he pushed himself off of the too-comfortable couch and stormed his way to the front door to grab his luggage he had discarded to the side earlier before heading to the bedroom. He paused at the closed door for a second, briefly debating if he should knock or not but shook his head.

Fuck it. It's my fucking room.

He kicked open the door despite it being made of glass and he froze in place as his eyes landed on your form standing in front of the full-length mirror with your bare back to him.

Your eyes shining in the reflection of the polished mirror snapped to where his figure was still frozen in the doorway and you rolled your eyes, not even bothering to cover yourself up or anything.

It honestly wasn't anything he hadn't seen before, your hero costume had your back exposed all the time but you were damn annoyed that he had burst in when he did because he startled you and dropped the thing you had been playing with for a good half an hour now.

You were halfway to getting that tricky zipper to cooperate with you when he interrupted you. His timing literally could not be worse.

Sighing, you motioned him in, a bit confused why he cleared his throat and looked away from you as he set down his suitcase and strutted over without a fight.

"Make yourself useful and help me." You demanded with a slight pout. It was his fault the stupid thing was now all the way down again. Who made these things?!

You didn't have enough hands for this task.

In order to zip up the complicated dress, you needed to simultaneously hold together all the lace that crisscrossed near the neck while your other hand tried to wiggle up the zipper.

All while defying gravity and attempting not to twist your arms off.

Bakugou came to stand behind you and he exhaled frustratingly at the mess you made. The whole thing was tangled in the back, there were too many pieces for him to know what was supposed to go where.

"What the fuck did you even do, dumbass?" He muttered, more to himself than to you as he crossed over and pulled through the complicated design to get it to lay flat, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

You giggled, gathering your hair in one hand and sweeping it to one side so that it was off the nape of your neck and wouldn't get in the way.

You swallowed when his fingers brushed over your skin as he undid the damage you dealt to this fancy article of clothing and tried to ignore how your heart skipped a beat.

Honestly, you hated parties and fancy gatherings like the one tonight was going to be, but Mina and Ochako had begged you to wear something nice for at least one of the days, hence why you were now in this predicament.

Because you had absolutely no idea how to put on a dress this fancy.

Yaoyorozu had bought it for you last year when all of the girls from the former Class A and B went on a shopping spree, claiming it brought out your eyes and was such a perfect fit for you that you had to have it, regardless of how many zeros there were on the tag at the time of purchase.

You thought your eyes were going to fall out of your head the second she swiped her platinum credit card without so much as batting an eye.

You haven't gotten a chance to wear it yet. It really was a special occasions gown since it was floor-length and wouldn't be appropriate for any modern day clubs or work parties. So when the girls told you the dress code for this weekend, you were secretly a little excited, the inner child in you skipping around in circles at the notion of getting to play dress up.

According to Mina and Tsuyu, the ballroom that dinner was going to be served in tonight was supposed to be extravagant and you couldn't wait to see what it looked like.

The Solaria Hotel was one of Japan's finest and most exclusive establishments and had a five star rating from over hundreds of thousands of pro-heroes.

And you could certainly see why.

Just the size of the bedroom itself was already twice as big than your apartment that you rented out.

The king-sized bed was ridiculously huge and you were pretty sure the comforter was lined with genuine velvet. Silk sheets for the mattress and the pillow had your heart jumping for joy at how soft and silky it felt against your skin.

Aside from the bed, which also had a sheer white canopy draping down, the ceiling was ten feet high and rose petals were scattered around the huge room.

If you didn't know any better, you would think that this was a love hotel instead of one that they geared towards a resting spot for heroes. But you supposed you could understand why they had set it up the way they did.

Even heroes needed that kind of relief.

But luckily, the hotel business was slow this time of month and you didn't see many other guests when you came in, so the lack of bustle was a nice change of pace from your everyday hectic schedule.

Twisting around to see what was taking Bakugou so long to figure out the lace back, you yelped when he harshly pushed you back so that you were facing forwards.

"Hey!!" You protested indignantly and you swayed on your feet. It was a good thing you weren't wearing your heels yet.

He scoffed, deft fingers continuing to work at the knots as he repeated his earlier words. "What the fuck did you even do?"

"I didn't do anything!!"

This time, he snorted in disbelief. "Yeah right. This shit looks worse than Deku's hair."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" You shrieked.

After arguing back and forth for a few minutes, you began to grow anxious as the time started to tick by. You had to be down there for dinner in less than an hour and you even though you had already done your hair and makeup, mostly, you still weren't really prepared for this.

Crowds weren't your thing, which made being a pro hard sometimes, but the work you did was worth that particular downside.

Your eyes widened and you hopped in place when Bakugou finally zipped you up. Spinning around and being careful not to trip, you beamed at him as you threw your arms around his neck.

"Thank you!!!" You squealed gratefully.

He clicked his tongue and huffed. "Yeah, yeah. Get off me now, dumbass."

You clambered off of him albeit ungracefully since this gown was pretty heavy thanks to the many layers of fabric and you flailed your arms like a baby bird as you lost your balance.

Bakugou's hand shot out to catch you before you fell but before you could thank him, he was already turning away and going to his side of the room.

But tried as he might, he couldn't stop staring at you even as you turned away.

As soon as he collected his luggage once more and dragged it over to his side of the bed that wasn't claimed by you, his thoughts drifted back to you once again as you twirled in the mirror, giggling to yourself as you remained completely oblivious to the vermilion gaze burning into your back.

He swore in his head. It was much harder to stop them from going rampant with that intoxicating scent of banana and citrus that came from a specific kind of lotion he knew you always put on ever since he got it for you.

It was a gift for the last Christmas your class shared in your third year in high school. And the only reason he bought you that was because fucking Raccoon-Eyes thought it would be a good idea to put a limit on the gift giving since Iida had gone all out last year and nearly flooded Heights Alliance with an obscene amount of presents.

Shinsou might've had a hand in helping deliver them.

But of fucking course you would be wearing it right now. He could smell it so clearly, it was so fragrant it was making his head go foggy.

Bakugou tried to concentrate on something, anything really that would get his mind off of you but to no avail.

Everywhere he looked, there was evidence of you and your light.

Your clothes folded neatly in the walnut dresser on the top drawer, your books on the nightstand, even all those bottles on the vanity in the joined bathroom that was connected to the bedroom that he didn't really think was necessary unless you were trying to scrape off your skin.

In the small walk-in closet, if it could even be classified as such, was filled only with your empty luggage and the hanger in which probably hung up the dress to prevent it from wrinkling before you put it on.

And now that he wasn't fucking fighting a battle with your stubborn zipper, Bakugou really got a chance to take you in.

The layers of pale green chiffon flowed around your ankles when you moved. Paired with billowy sleeves made from that same sheer material, it made you look ethereal. The bodice flattered your figure and the sweetheart neckline skimmed just below your collar bones, making you appear soft and pure, like a fairy who could bend nature to her will with just a kiss.

The lace back was beautifully intricate and the golden zipper was barely noticeable when you let go of your hair.

It cascaded down, the soft curls brushing against your shoulders and a glass butterfly clip was nestled in your hair to keep most of it away from your face, save for a few curled strands that framed your face.

You were breathtaking.

You raised an eyebrow curiously when Bakugou suddenly started to cough violently and worried that he had somehow managed to choke on his own spit, you gathered up your skirts and rushed over to him.

You weren't insulted when he brushed you off, shouting at you that he was fucking fine, but you didn't push the issue.

He grabbed his things from his suitcase and stomped off into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him and you were left wondering what all of that was about.

Shrugging to yourself, you figured that he would either deal with it himself or go to Kirishima if and when he needed help.

Now, you were faced with a completely different dilemma.

There was about fifteen minutes before the scheduled time to report downstairs and you still needed to put on your shoes. But it was nearly impossible to see over the poofy skirts of this dress.

Groaning in frustration, you threw your hands down exasperatedly from trying to get it on for the fourth time. This was getting old.

Then, your whole face lit up when you got an idea.

Practically throwing yourself face-down on the bed, you squirmed and wiggled around on the king-sized bed until your back was flat against the cushiony mattress and you huffed, blowing the hair out of your face as you stuck your legs up in the air, grabbing for the shoes to put on as you bent your knees.

It was an awkward position as your skirt obeyed gravity but it worked.

Two minutes later you had both of the heels on the right way and did up the laces properly.

Inwardly, you were wondering why you were even bothering to teeter on these stilts for the entirety of the party but they completely the look. Besides, you were almost sure that you guys were going to take pictures later, even if Bakugou would only join you guys for one.

You hummed to yourself, standing up and smoothing out your skirt. You were in the middle of fixing your hair when the lock to the bathroom clicked and out stepped Bakugou.

Your eyebrows shot up to your forehead. Damn that man can clean up nice when he wasn't busy murdering villains.

A pressed suit adorned his broad frame and you had to swallow to stop yourself from drooling at how good he looked.

The suit was a classic black, with a crisp white shirt on the inside and his pants were clearly ironed before coming here. A red handkerchief peeked out from where it was tucked into his breast pocket and you swooned.

He had gotten everything right, right down to the shiny black dress shoes. You didn't know how it was possible to not have any wrinkles or a hair out of place as he slid up his embroidered tie with an irritated scowl, making the lapels lay flat with an aggressive swipe at the offending material.

You barely noticed his rising aggravation as they kept popping back up and he adjusted the cufflinks before jerking at the collar again.

"Here," You giggled. "Let me help."

Bakugou grumbled but lowered his hands and let you do as you pleased as you tucked it in further to get it to straighten out without popping back out.

"Thanks." He said gruffly and you flashed him a bright smile.

"Anytime!!"

Bakugou groaned quietly as you flounced out of the room. "You're too fucking cheerful."

You threw a charismatic smile his way as you skipped to the front door, making sure to grab your clutch on the way out. You didn't necessarily need your wallet tonight as you weren't planning on getting drunk but you weren't exactly comfortable leaving it in the hotel room.

Years of training had taught you that there were flaws in even the most advanced security systems.

"I didn't think you were going to dress up tonight." You commented casually as you waited for Bakugou to finish grabbing his wallet and phone before locking the door behind you two.

You were leaning against the glass barrier that surrounded the halls.

The Solaria Hotel was more than 100 floors, reminding you of the tower at I-Island that time you guys had to beat those villains to save the professor and restore order to the island. Bakugou's room was on the 80th floor, so you could see everything.

The layout of the circular building had basically ensured that it was hollowed out, rooms circled each floor and had an elevator on the north and south points of the building. In the empty space that you could see below as far as the eye could see, they had crystals suspended in the air that changed color periodically.

He scowled, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he fell in step beside you and you tore away from your admiration of the ingenuity of the architecture.

"Shitty Hair made me fucking wear this shit." Bakugou said through clenched teeth as he recalled Kirishima begging him to wear it so they could match tonight. He wasn't going to cave but then fucking Raccoon-Eyes threatened not to feed him.

That wouldn't bother him except for the fact that he wouldn't be able to see you and all the shitty extras would be free to hit on you.

Not on his fucking watch.

Of course, this was decided before he knew you were going to be crashing in his room. He could cook for himself just fine, he didn't need to eat that overpriced shit that Ponytail Girl and Emergency Exit fucking paid for but now he was going anyways because there was no way in hell you were attending alone.

Covering your smile behind your hand, you teased that no matter what he said, he would do anything for Kirishima if he asked and Bakugou exploded at you, right there, in the middle of the hallway.

You shrieked as he launched himself at you and you ran for your life, panting hard as you reached the vacant elevators in the nick of time, frantically pushing the button to get it to close before Bakugou caught up.

Hope swelled in your chest when the doors started to close but it plummeted when a hand stopped it just before it shut completely.

Bakugou licked his lips as he pushed them back open and you backed into the corner to get as far away from him as possible as he advanced.

You gasped when his hands slammed on either side of your head, the soft ding of the elevator doors closing lost on both of you as his eyes bore into yours.

"Time to fucking pay, dumbass." He smirked, leaning in close.

You glanced over his shoulder, quickly concluding that you wouldn't reach the first floor for a good minute and decided you needed to come up with a distraction to ensure you would live to eat at least a morsel of the heavenly food that awaited you.

Bakugou's eyes flew open as you boldly took a step forward, pressing yourself against him and he swallowed hard when your finger teasingly trailed down from his shoulder to his chest. He swore that even though he was wearing two layers, he could feel your touch as though there were no clothes between you two.

The glass of the elevator was transparent and if anyone were looking closely enough, they would be able to see how he was pinning you to the wall with no space between the two of you.

"Aw~" You cooed, batting your lashes at him prettily. "That's such a shame... I was really looking forward to tonight."

He fucking knew you were toying with him, making it sound like a implication that you wanted him to take you back to his room but he fucking knew that you loved food more than any other shit so you had to be messing with him.

But it was pretty hard to believe when you looked up at him so innocently.

Bakugou's mouth pulled back in a heated snarl and it took everything in him not to close the distance and crash his lips onto yours, claiming you for himself tonight, tomorrow, and every other night that was to come.

Your expression cleared as the elevator came to a halt and Bakugou, who had been bracing himself over you, was thrown off balance.

"We're here!!" You announced excitedly, skipping past him for the second time that night.

He slapped a hand to his forehead and rushed out of the elevator into the lobby to catch up with you.

Fuck, what was wrong with him tonight?

The layout of the first five floors were a bit different than the residence area since those were designated for recreational activities and an extensive training gym.

The lobby was beautiful, even though you had skimmed by it earlier just to figure out where you were going to stay since the reservations had been messed up but now you got a good look at it.

A huge crystal chandelier sparkled from the ceiling and your heels clicked as you walked across the polished marble tile.

Everything was gold and white, clean and shining so bright that you could see your reflection in all the surfaces that you looked in. The golden edging along the wainscot and the Victorian details in the carvings along the panels of the ceiling were incredibly well done.

It branched off into several sections, the ambiguity of the lobby enabling them to have several private rooms covered with a heavy velvet curtain to maintain complete privacy.

The only thing that distinguished this floor from looking like a private establishment altogether was the very noticeable front desk in which the staff were stationed.

You were told that there was minimal staff to ensure the utmost respect and privacy but you were glad to see human faces as opposed to all the high-tech the hotel had ingrained into it to make the stay as pleasant as possible.

You didn't know why but it was nice to have a human touch in a world advancing so fast that artificial intelligence and robots were becoming more and more prevalent.

At least you could soak in that hot tub later to forget about anything and everything, relaxing in a blissful state until they kicked you out.

You could sort of recall Mina telling you about it over the phone but you were busy packing so you couldn't pay too much attention to her. But you were pretty sure she said something about a state-of-the-art pool and made another mental note to check it out later once you got out of this ridiculous getup.

Your confidence and schoolgirl excitement that came from dressing up dwindled bit by bit until you were left standing outside of the ballroom in a nervous wreck.

Judging by the music you could hear inside and all the lively chatter, most if not all were already there, and now you were having second thoughts as you anxiously played with your sleeves.

It wasn't that you didn't think you looked good, you really loved how you looked, it was just... you were feeling a bit self-conscious now that you were about to go in.

It was the same feeling that you had right before you had to try out for the hero agency of your dreams right after graduation. You were a bundle of nerves that day but at least then you could prove yourself by using your quirk to fight and take out bad guys.

You highly doubted that Yaoyorozu or Mina would be amused if you took on that same attitude and ripped the dress to shreds.

Regardless of the fact that it was expensive, you really wanted to follow through with this despite the anxiety you were feeling right now.

Bakugou hung back once he caught up to you, chest heaving slightly. You were faster than he remembered. But as he noticed that you were fighting with something internally, he arched an eyebrow and argued with himself about whether or not it was a good idea to ask what shit was stopping you from going in.

By the time he told himself to fuck off and just do it, you had straightened your shoulders and opened the doors yourself.

A wide grin split across his face and he shook his head, in a mixture of begrudging admiration and a hell of a lot of disbelief.

You were fucking strong. No doubt about that.

He knew how much shit you had been through in high school. Your social anxiety was no fucking joke, you had real reactions to situations that stressed you out, but you were dealing with it time and time again just to push through and do what you loved.

That wasn't to say that you didn't fail at times but he was so fucking proud of you for asking the shitheads for help when you needed it.

Because you deserved it.

None of them judged you for it. Hell, Shoji had anxiety just like you, Ponytail Girl still had issues with her self-esteem frequently when her ability as a hero was being called into question by the press who often brought up her revealing hero costume as though that was the only thing that defined her, Icyhot was still dealing with the aftermath of his own trauma when something triggered him and Deku wasn't perfect either.

Your class had been through everything together. You guys were each other's family and were there for each other. Always.

You guys trusted each other with your lives and it was safe to say that you would go to bat for any of the others should they ever be in danger.

Bakugou was broken out of his thoughts as an all-too-cheerful voice shattered his trance.

"Bakugou, lookin' sharp!!" Kirishima called out, cupping his hands over his mouth so that his voice carried further.

Unfortunately, it caused a lot of other people to look his way and Bakugou's face twisted into a scowl.

"Fuck off, Shitty Hair."

Kirishma laughed, the bright sound relaying just how much his language never bothered him and he skipped over to loop his arm through the grumpy ash-blond's.

"Aw, what's got you so angry?" Kirishima teased with a grin, coming around on his other side to sling his arm around his shoulders when Bakugou threw him off.

Bakugou scowled, refusing to reply and his best friend's grin grew.

"So..." He drew out smugly. "I see you arrived with Y/N. Does that mean you finally manned up and told her how you feel?"

You whipped your head around in shock, breaking off your conversation with Jirou when you heard the explosion, and fell into a fit of giggles as the smoke from Bakugou's quirk cleared. Iida and Midoriya were doing damage control to a pent-up Bakugou and Todoroki was standing off to the side for moral support.

As for Kirishima and Kaminari, who had happened to be on his way to greet the pomeranian when the explosion occurred, were slapping their thighs and howling obnoxiously, tears leaking out of their eyes from laughing so hard.

Yaoyorozu shook her head. It was too early in the night to deal with all of this.

She sighed, gracefully putting a hand over her heart. "It seems like Bakugou-san's temper has not changed."

You snickered along with Jirou, who was covering her mouth with her hand in an attempt to stop the fit of uncontrollable laughter that had taken over her body when she saw Kaminari's hair sticking straight up due to the fire.

"Oh no, that definitely hasn't changed." You giggled, biting your lip to curb your smile when Bakugou glared at you as if he had heard you even though you were too far away to be within his earshot.

His vermilion eyes narrowed accusingly and you held up your hands in surrender, an innocent expression painted on your features.

Your giggle came out muffled when your teeth clamped down on your bottom lip and you ducked to hide behind Yaoyorozu when Bakugou started stomping over in your direction.

"Hide me!!" You yelped and Jirou rolled her eyes.

"He's already seen you." She pointed out, forgetting her earlier uncomfortability when you first sought her out upon your arrival.

The two of you tended to stick together for these kinds of things, since you both were equally out of your element when it came to formal wear and all things classified as girly.

And the dress code for tonight was a strict one. Girls had to wear dresses and guys a suit. The only exception was Shoji and that was only because no company could ever tailor a suit right to accommodate his dupi-arms.

You hunched down further, trying to make yourself smaller but it didn't do any good as a firm grip encircled your wrist and yanked you out from your terrible hiding place.

"I can still fucking see you." Bakugou seethed, sparks popping in the palms of his hands and you smiled nervously.

"Uh... Ah!! Wait—" Your objections were cut short when he dragged you away from the others. "Where are we going?!"

Yaoyorozu and Jirou exchanged a sympathetic look with each other.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Yaoyorozu asked softly, her eyes worried.

Todoroki appeared beside her and sighed, closing his eyes momentarily. "They will be fine but perhaps we should give them a minute so Bakugou can collect himself."

"Iida-kun, is dinner ready?" Midoriya asked to take the attention off the two of you as the prospect of food was brought up and the former class rep vigorously nodded.

"Affirmative!!" He shouted, thrusting his hand high in the air to gather everyone as his old classmates started to drift towards him. "Let us sit in groups of four to make it easy for the staff to clean up, Class A!!"

Kaminari elbowed Shinsou in the ribs, interrupting his conversation with Tsuyu. "Do we still have to do what he says even though he's not the boss of us anymore?"

Shinsou sighed, running his hands through his hair and Tsuyu had a suspicion that it wasn't the first time he had asked this. "Yes, Kaminari. Because if you don't, you probably won't get to eat."

Kaminari's jaw dropped all the way to the floor but he recovered in a second, racing to his seat.

Tsuyu tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully as she and Shinsou began to follow the overzealous blond to the tables that Iida was seating everyone at. "Do you really think Iida-chan would stop him?"

Shinsou chuckled, giving her one of his rare smiles as he pulled out the seat for her before sitting down himself at the table that held a fidgeting Kaminari and nervous-looking Kirishima.

Crooking a finger, he motioned her to come closer so he could whisper it without him hearing. "Nah, but it's fun to mess with him."

Tsuyu giggled, waving at Ochako and Mina from the other table since the six round tables were set up relatively close to each other in the huge ballroom, forming a circle.

They were currently towards the front where all the appetizers on tables lined with white cloth were served before the main course. Then, there was some kind of game set up on the adjacent side that looked like beer pong and the empty space at the back took up the majority of the ballroom was left alone as a dance floor for the upbeat music that would resume later on.

With a flick of her earphone jack, Jirou changed the playlist to classical and lowered the volume just as the food was coming out.

Mineta complained that the music was too slow and boring for his taste but he didn't argue anymore when Jirou silently threatened to electrocute him. Shoji coughed into his hand and grinned at the girl's spunk while Yaoyorozu just smiled.

Koda was signing to Aoyama. Even though he had gotten more comfortable talking with all of them, everyone's chatter was making it hard to hear, so as he relayed details about his latest mission, Ojiro was engaged in a discussion with Sato about whether or not food coloring was necessary in modern day society when more and more ingredients were being revealed to be unhealthy in nature.

Sero was trying to teach Hagakure how to fold a napkin into a swam while Todoroki and Tokoyami talked about the latest hero news after exchanging pleasantries.

And Midoriya, Ochako, Mina and Iida filled up table five. Which left just the one for the two who had yet to sit in their seats.

Iida shook with restraint before abruptly standing up to shout for you and Bakugou who were still talking in the far corner about something he couldn't hear but Midoriya caught his arm and eased him back down.

The food had just come out and it was hot. He had helped Iida order food for tonight so he knew it was going to be good.

Each table got five different kinds of entrées to share, hence why they could only fit four people at each table instead of five like Iida had initially planned since the piping hot food coming out from the kitchen was monstrous and would take up a ton of space.

Wagyu beef, fugu, kujira, basashi, otoro, fresh-steamed vegetables and even yubari melon for a refreshing taste was set down on gold-rimmed platters and left to be ravished by the hungry people eyeing it like some sort of animal.

Everyone was hungry, and Midoriya knew you wouldn't mind if you guys started ahead so he opened it up to his fellow heroes, and even though he knew Kacchan might say something about it later, he still clapped his hands together and dug in.

Some of them, like Kaminari, Aoyama and surprisingly Tsuyu followed his lead and tore in right away, while others like Tokoyami, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu were too busy with their own conversations to be bothered with the food at the moment.

Kaminari stopped stuffing his mouth long enough to glance at Kirishima out of the corner of his eye.

"What's the matter?" He asked and with his cheeks stuffed full it was a little hard to hear him but Kirishima got his point.

His brow drew together worriedly. "They kind of look like they're arguing."

It was true. You did look like you were engaged in a heated spat with Bakugou, but Kirishima was way off.

Ten feet away, you planted your hands firmly on your hips and glared at him as your voice rose an octave. "Excuse me?!"

Bakugou barely stopped in time from snapping his teeth at you. At this point, he was going to rip out his hair if you didn't concede and admit that he was right. "You fucking heard me."

Your mouth pressed in a hard line. "I can't believe you would say that."

A beat of tense silence passed and then you exploded.

You threw up your hands in frustration. "Aizawa's would clearly beat All Might in a battle, he can erase his quirk for crying out loud!!"

"All Might was the Number 1 Hero." Bakugou ground out angrily through gritted teeth. "And he's as strong as shit even without his quirk."

"Not everything is about strength!!" You fired back but he wasn't done.

He continued to go on a rant just to prove to you that All Might would be the one to fucking beat your old homeroom teacher if they ever versed each other in a one on one battle.

How you got here, you had no idea.

It started with him dragging you away and before he spun you around and backed you into a corner, demanding to know just what was being said about him.

After dangling tease after tease at him, the stiffness in his shoulders wasn't lost on you and you told him flat out that you three had just been commenting on his temper when he looked your way, making the timing seem like he had heard you and you found it hilarious.

Bakugou's expression crumpled as he realized he had gotten it wrong and let insecurity get the best of him, to which his eyes shot open when he realized he had said that last part out loud.

You were faster than him though, as you reassured that it was okay to be feeling that way and apologized for teasing him before he could even say a word to amend his mistake.

It had then transitioned to him quietly asking why you stopped outside of the door before you went inside and you paused before hesitantly revealing that it was because you had a fleeting thought that you didn't actually look as good as you thought you did and he frowned.

Your eyes rounded as wide as saucers as he went off on you, fucking you over for thinking that and telling you straight up that you were fucking stunning.

It was doing bad things to your heart as it flopped pathetically in your rib cage and your hands automatically went up to cover your cheeks which you were sure were bright red.

Bakugou didn't touch you but his eyes scorched into you with such conviction that you eventually lowered them yourself and thanked him softly for saying that to you.

To which he scoffed and said it was obvious and that he'd have to be fucking blind not to see you.

Cue more blood rushing to your face.

From there, the conversation went from insecurities to a short story you brought up when Aizawa had helped you boost your self-confidence and Bakugou retorted with his own story of All Might when he stopped him from annihilating Deku in Ground Beta in your first year of high school.

Things only got more competitive as you shot back that Aizawa had helped him too on countless occasions, the hothead countering by bringing up the time All Might saved you single-handedly when you had gotten captured in a fight.

Knowing your hands were tied for that particular instance, you shifted it back to Aizawa's strengths and Bakugou retorted with All Might's own.

And that's where you ended up. Having a staring contest while the rest of your old classmates watched raptly from the sidelines and wondered just what had got you both so worked up.

"Admit your defeat, dumbass." Bakugou grinned cockily, sticking his face in yours. "And then you can fucking get your shit."

Your eyes flickered up to his since even though you were wearing heels, you were still shorter than him. A hint of mischief glimmered in your eyes as a smile played upon your lips.

"Actually, I think you lost this round, Boom Boy."

Before he got a chance to open his mouth and object to that ridiculous nickname you had given him from your youth, you ducked under his arm and made a break for it towards the tables.

"Fucking— GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!!" He yelled after you, breaking into a sprint but you were too far ahead of him.

You ducked behind Iida for protection and he stood up tall, unwavering as Bakugou skidded to a halt.

"Bakugou!! That's enough!!" Iida shouted, holding his hand out for him to stop as he tried to get around him.

The whole class watched and waited to see what he would do, slurping on food obnoxiously while they all waited.

"Tch." Bakugou smirked, grounding his fist into the palm of his hand as it lit up. "Is that a fucking challenge?!"

"NO!!!" Iida thundered, clearing his throat and repositioning his glasses as he collected himself. "Now, the two of you need to sit down and eat. We are behind schedule."

"There's a schedule?" You whispered to Bakugou as you crept out from behind the safety of Iida's back. "Did you know about this?"

He snorted, putting out his explosion with a huff. "Damn right."

You tilted your head but followed him obediently to the only available table piled high with food that had luckily not gone cold.

Bakugou hid a smile as he saw you wiggle in your seat out of the corner of his eye, clicking his tongue in annoyance when you happened to look his way.

Of fucking course you would still look so damn cute when you were excited.

Since he was fucking starving, he ate with gusto, but only after he made sure you were actually going to eat.

Due to the side effects of using your quirk, it sometimes made you nauseous and you have had trouble keeping food down ever since you threw up on the first day of school.

He knew that most heavily seasoned dishes you had more of a difficulty keeping down so he wasn't surprised when he saw you go for the soup out of all the things you could've picked from.

Lively conversation filled the air, gossip and talk about the latest modifications to your hero costumes all the rage as topics blended into everyone's tables since they were all in close proximity to one another.

At least, most of them.

Since you had come late to dinner, you had a gut feeling that your classmates all ganged up on you and Bakugou, shoving the two of you here together.

The girls knew of your crush on him. It came out one night when you guys were playing truth or dare, like everyone did back in the day, and Hagakure and Mina hadn't let you forget it since then.

But what you didn't know was that the same could be said for Bakugou.

Fucking Shitty Hair did this on purpose. Bakugou raged inwardly while you remained blissfully unaware of the rampage going on beneath the surface. I fucking knew it was a bad idea to tell him about it.

He had asked his best friend for advice on what to get you for your birthday when you were in your second year and to say the very least, it wasn't hard for Kirishima to piece it together.

Fucking hell. The shit he gave him for it made him instantly regret it and he stormed out with pink cheeks, determined to find you the perfect gift on his own, thinking that this year would finally be the year that you noticed him and saw him in the same light that he saw you in.

Nope.

You had gotten sick on your birthday and by the time you healed, your birthday had come and gone and nobody said anything about it so he never gave it to you, throwing it away after another week passed and it was clear he didn't have the courage to give it to you.

You looked up at him, mouth resembling a chipmunk's as you chewed on the food you had been looking forward to all day. "Whasthematferwifyu?"

Bakugou choked. "What the fuck?!"

When you opened your mouth to speak again, he snapped at you, "Fucking finish chewing or you'll choke, dumbass!!"

"You mean like you just did?" You asked cheekily as you swallowed and he glared at you.

"Shut the fuck up."

"M'kay~" You sang.

Banter between you two was few and far in between since you two had bickered already for a good portion of the evening. The fight was called a draw for the time being as it was put on pause to fill your bellies with good food and you had to say, you were glad you came.

Dinner wrapped up after another hour and one by one, everyone started to trickle onto the dance floor.

Everyone except for Bakugou, who was at the drinks table and glaring at each bottle of alcohol that he picked through, and you and Kirishima, who had halted you when you moved to join Ochako and Tsuyu, was breaking it down to Jirou's EDM music she put together for tonight.

Kaminari was already drunk. You didn't know how that was possible but based off of the way he was playing with Ojiro's tail, refusing to detach from it even after he politely asked him to let go, you could conclude as such pretty confidently.

You followed Kirishima curiously as he led you away from everyone else, interest piqued when he brought you to where the appetizers that were previously were being replaced with desserts and your confusion grew when he inched as far to the wall as he possibly could.

"Kiri?" You questioned. "Why are we—"

"Shh!!!" He shushed quickly, waving his hands frantically, his eyes darting everywhere as though he was about to tell you something that could land him in jail.

Or worse.

He motioned you to come closer so that nobody else would hear and you scooted towards him, until his mouth was right by your ear.

And then, your jaw dropped in shock.

"WHATTTTT?!?!" You shrieked and Kirishima hushed you hurriedly, smiling apologetically at a skeptical Bakugou who looked your way due to your volume.

You took a hint but your outrage didn't fade. "What the fuck, Kiri?! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?!"

Red Riot had just oh so kindly informed you that it was in fact, Bakugou's birthday.

Today.

If what he told you was the truth, which at this point you really didn't know, Mina, Sero and Kaminari were the only other ones who knew. You wouldn't put it past Midoriya to also be included in that group, seeing as how they were childhood friends who moved past their intense rivalry stage and developed a decent amount of healthy competition as pros.

But that still didn't explain why he was telling you this now.

Oh wait.

Shit.

If that was true, then you had barged into his room uninvited because you didn't want to sleep in the same room as Mineta, on his birthday.

You cursed yourself under your breath and without another word, you tore past Kirishima with a hurried apology and a half-assed excuse to pardon your abrupt exit and sprinted towards the elevators, your heart pounding. You didn't stop running until you reached the room, grabbing all your things and throwing them in your suitcase, thoughts running wild at how stupid you could be.

You hadn't even bothered to take off your dress before gathering your things hastily, you were that distracted.

As you stuffed the last of your things in your bag, you circled the room, realizing you now didn't know the next step to this plan of yours.

You really should've thought this through before you came upstairs and talked to one of the receptionists downstairs to see if another arrangement can be made. Or maybe you could persuade one of the girls to let you crash for one night until you could figure things out for the next day.

You were sure Yaoyorozu would concede if you begged hard enough.

But you didn't want to take a chance of Bakugou seeing you so you didn't linger in the lobby, which was in clear view of where the party was being held.

This was bad, you didn't have anywhere to go. You would need to go talk to someone for another room which means you have to go back downstairs.

Well, maybe not. Maybe you could call downstairs and have them—

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

You froze at the temperamental voice seething with fury and dropped the hotel phone you had grabbed in the heat of the moment, squeaking when you saw how livid Bakugou looked and tripped over your feet, falling backwards onto the bed.

Your body bounced as it hit the mattress and you covered your face as he strode toward you, and you bolted back up to your feet, mumbling through your fingers.

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea it was your birthday today!!!" You squeaked, mortified you had been acting so casually on such an important day. You didn't even have a present for him and you gave him overcooked food after trampling on his privacy!!

Leaning against the doorway, Bakugou raised an eyebrow and scoffed irritably as he put the pieces together for himself. "Shitty Hair should've fucking kept his mouth shut."

"I didn't know!!" You cried out, mistaking his rage geared towards his best friend for barging in on his personal space even after he so clearly told you off when he first saw you. Like an idiot, you had thought that he really didn't mind.

Maybe you couldn't read him as well as you thought you could.

"I don't care." Bakugou snarled, annoyed that you didn't seem to get it after all this time as he stomped forward, closing the door behind him and clicking the lock with finality as you tried to scramble past him. "Where do you think you're going, shithead? I didn't say you could fucking leave."

You did a double take and blinked slowly, unsure you really heard him right. It was true you hadn't considered that a possibility, this was Bakugou you were talking about. He hated everybody.

Well, not really, but close enough to make it so that you were sure that he wanted his privacy.

Especially on his birthday.

"I-I—"

Bakugou rolled his eyes irritably. You didn't get it. Fucking fine.

Your eyes shot open as he smashed his lips onto yours but before you even had a chance to do anything about it, shove him off or pull him closer, though it was more likely the latter, he was gone.

Standing with an indifferent expression on his face, he loomed over you and your heart leapt in your throat.

"Holy— Is this real?" You asked breathlessly, fingers tentatively reaching out to run over his tie and make sure you weren't dreaming.

Bakugou smirked at the awe in your voice and it only grew bigger when he noticed how glassy your eyes looked. So he did have the same fucking effect on you that you did on him.

Good.

"Tell me to stop and I will." He declared, crowding you closer as he stepped forward, hot breath puffing out against your lips and you shivered.

You blinked slowly, looking up at him from under your lashes. "... And if I don't want you to?"

"Fuck—" Was all Bakugou got out before he was surging forward, grabbing your shoulders so you couldn't escape.

A muffled squeak tumbled from your lips before it was smothered and you gasped into his mouth as your knees hit the edge of the bed.

As you fell, Bakugou climbed onto the bed and pinned you to the mattress, never once breaking the kiss as he cushioned your fall. His hands fell to your waist as the other entwined in your hair and he let out a groan as you playfully nipped his bottom lip.

"Shit," He breathed when you broke away first, lungs burning with the need for oxygen but you had barely taken a breath when he tilted your jaw back towards him and connected your lips again, harder this time.

It was hot, too hot and he moved languidly in a way that contrasted so starkly with his short-tempered personality that it made your head spin.

"W-What?!" You exclaimed in shock as soon as he drew back to let you breathe, your hands covering your flushed cheeks despite the fact that he could still see you due to the proximity. "Where did that even come from?!"

You were all flustered now and your dress had slipped down a bit further, giving him a peek of what was to come if he didn't stop soon.

Bakugou rolled his eyes. If you didn't get it now, you were even more of an idiot than he thought.

"You can stay." He mumbled gruffly, dropping his gaze from yours.

It took a minute to understand what he was saying.

Coming to your senses, you grinned as you processed his words. He didn't say no outright to what you asked directly so you would take it. The hesitance had all been reduced to a trickle as it caused a hiccup in your thoughts but you tried to see it in a different light.

Maybe he really didn't mind, he wasn't one to lie, especially for no reason. Maybe he was feeling lonely and wanted company for tonight.

Maybe... he liked you too? Was that too far-fetched to believe?

"Really?" You smirked as you waggled your eyebrows at him. "You want someone to keep you warm tonight?

Bakugou flipped you off and you burst out laughing. Wiping tears from your eyes as you calmed down after a few moments, you grinned.

"I had no idea you could be so soft, Bakugou." You teased lightly.

He scowled angrily and sat up, folding his arms over his chest as he stared down at you. "Shut up, you don't make it fucking easy."

You were being such a fucking nuisance. He regretted saying anything in the first place. Who had so many questions after somebody kissed them?

Your eyes glinted mischievous. "Oh yeah?"

He did something you didn't expect.

"Yeah..." Bakugou trailed off quietly, something resembling fondness flickering in the depths of his vermilion eyes.

Your heart started to beat faster and you swallowed. His face was a millimeter away from yours and it was getting harder to breath. His body temperature was so high that you could feel the heat emitting from his form and engulfing you like a warm hug.

"When did it start?" You asked softly, curiosity winning out against the flutter of embarrassment you felt in your chest.

He didn't say it out loud but he didn't have to. You could see it in his eyes that same love that you held for him. How you went all this time without seeing it, you didn't know.

Bakugou's throat bobbed as he dodged your inquisitive gaze, his eyes only darting back to you when you sat upright and smoothed your dress as best as you possibly could to prevent it from wrinkling.

"I dunno." He mumbled quietly. "Since high school or some shit."

"High school?!" You shrieked in disbelief, nearly falling over as you realized it had started around the same time your feelings for him developed. You expected him to say within the last few months when you’ve been working together more frequently, not that he started liking you back at UA!!

He groaned at your grating volume against his ears. Too loud.

"Well hell if I know, shitty woman." He growled loudly. "I can't fucking remember everything."

You grin widened. "That sounds like denial~"

His mouth twisted back in an irritated frown. You were crazy. But somehow, that didn't put him off as much as he claimed to believe.

"It was after the training camp."

You bolted upright at that. You were not expecting him to say that.

After you two were stolen by the League right out from underneath your classmates' noses, you two were put in separate rooms until it was clear you refused to listen to what you had to say until you saw that Bakugou was okay.

He knew, the second they brought you in all chained to the chair and shit just like he was, that he was going to raise hell and murder every single last one of them.

He couldn't go ballistic yet, because as your tired but alert eyes met his from across the room, he knew that this setup increased your chances.

All you needed was an opening.

Shigaraki and Dabi had turned their attention on your first, trying to recruit you and you had tricked them, pretending to sympathize with their cause and got them to trust you by feeding Shigaraki's dark nature and Dabi's sadistic side.

You took their attention off of him and damn it, if it wasn't the bravest and baddest fucking move he'd ever seen.

The both of you had your own nightmares from that terrifying experience.

You couldn't stand to be restrained after that, even if it was only for a second, and Bakugou hated having anything touch his neck.

After he finished telling you all of that, you tackled him in a hug.

Bakugou's hand shot out to catch himself as the two of you toppled over before you crashed to the ground and he muttered a curse into your hair when you nuzzled into his chest.

"Dumbass." He remarked under his breath, hoping you couldn't hear how fast his heart was pounding. "What about you?"

"Hmmm?" You hummed, momentarily forgetting what it was that you were talking about since all you could think about now was how his eyes shone with unshed tears as he relieved that terrible memory. But the fact that you were able to give him some small sense of comfort even though you were truthfully freaking out on the inside at the time, was the best thing he could've ever told you.

Well, right next to the depth of his feelings for you.

Bakugou scoffed and scooted forward so that the two of you were teetering on the edge of the mattress. A concussion was not how he wanted tonight to end.

"Tell me when all of your shitty feelings started." He demanded with a blush present on his cheeks and you bit your lip to contain a giggle.

Laying your head on his chest, you idly traced patterns on his shirt since he had shed it outer jacket. "I don't know exactly when it turned from a crush into actual love, but when you got hospitalized, I supposed I realized it then."

Bakugou jerked, stiffening as you mentioned the incident no one ever brought up.

Taking note of his reaction, you affirmed quietly. "We don't have to talk about it, but that's when it started. When I saw how close I could've been to losing you."

Bakugou's heavy breath eased up bit by bit as those words fell from your lips and he closed his eyes. He wasn't ready to talk about it now, but he thought that he would like to one day. If you were still by his side.

The next twenty minutes were spent entangled in each other's embrace as you two made up for lost time, talking about anything and everything came to mind.

Your old infatuation with Shindou that was short-lived because of your feelings for him and Bakugou couldn't help gloating that you were his even then.

How much he longed that he had confessed sooner. Maybe then you would've had those years together.

But he didn't dwell on it, he knew that it would become one of his demons if he lived in the past instead of the present and instead focused on combing his fingers through your hair, reveling in your closeness.

He hummed lowly as he caught a whiff of your fragrance. "Banana and citrus, huh?"

You beamed up at him, twisting around to look at him properly. "You gave it to me!!"

Bakugou smirked, hooking a strand of hair behind your ear. "Damn right I did."

After realizing that the two of you couldn't cuddle forever in your formal wear, you reluctantly untangled from him and started to take off your dress, only to find out that you couldn't do that without his help.

Your breath caught in your throat when he came to stand right behind you, just like before, only this time he was much closer to you, fingertips ghosting over your bare skin in the zipper's wake as he trailed light kisses down your back until he reached the curve of the small of your back.

You whined when he stopped and a smirk curved against the juncture where your shoulder met your neck and you swatted at him playfully.

Bakugou made you sit down so he could take your shoes off before you fell and broke something.

You pouted but did as you were told, quite liking how his calloused hands skimmed over your shins and ankles, and you gasped when he pressed a chaste kiss to your knee.

"Stop teasing me." You whined and he flashed you a grin, tossing your shoes somewhere else.

Bakugou relished in your flustered state, loving how he could make you like this with barely any effort. "It's your fucking turn now, shithead."

"Hey!!"

It was only until after Bakugou had gotten dressed in comfy clothes of his choice, a pair of sweatpants and a tight-fitted long sleeve that left absolutely nothing to the imagination, did you realize it was getting colder and colder by the minute.

The heater was broken and after multiple attempts of tinkering with the settings to get it to start, Bakugou was about to set the thing on fire, but you stopped him just in time.

"Shitty heater." He muttered frustratingly, his palms still popping with sparks. "Fucking five stars my ass."

He threw a tantrum for another minute before giving up, not even bothering to call downstairs to get them to fix it because he didn't want anyone in his 'personal space'. Oddly enough, you felt kind of happy that he was letting you in his personal space without any a fight.

You giggled and he raised an eyebrow at you after throwing you his hoodie, begrudgingly, but he still did it so you weren't complaining about the temperature. "It's just, I never imagined you'd be the one to confess."

He turned to you, a mix of irritation and poorly suppressed puzzlement on his face. "Hah?"

You bit back a smile at his tamed reaction. How cute.

"It's just in all the scenarios in my head," You drew your knees up to your chest and rested your chin on top. "I was always the one confessing to you and then getting rejected."

Bakugou scoffed, stomping over to you with a slight pout that would've been unnoticeable if the light was any dimmer. The curtains had been drawn, basking the room in a warm glow that came from the fairy lights strung around the room that had you failed to notice earlier.

"Yeah, well, now fucking look what happened." He grumbled, flicking a piece of lint off your head. "You invaded my room like a cockroach or some shit."

You were sitting upright against the headboard on top of the velvet comforter without a care in the world as your sweater paws flapped playfully. In such a high-end hotel room, the two of you in casual attire looked sorely out of place but it didn't matter.

You were happier than ever before.

"Uh, excuse me, I take offense to that analogy." You teased back with a cheeky grin, shoving his shoulder when he crawled on the bed with you, abandoning his quest to fix the heater. "And I do recall mentioning how it was either this or Mineta's room, so it's not my fault."

Bakugou's mouth twisted into a scowl as you said the pervert's name and he huffed before looping his arms around your waist and laying flat on your legs. His head buried into your stomach, your eyes softened and you brushed the hair back from his eyes, his eyelids closing at the soothing sensation of you carding your fingers through his hair.

You hummed to yourself as he started drifting off. "Soft..."

"Fuck off." He mumbled into your waist but there was none of the usual venom to it.

Your chest shook with laughter at his unusual response but when you moved to stop just like he had ordered, he caught your wrist. You raised an eyebrow as he looked away from you, the red tint adorning his cheeks giving away what he wanted you to do and without a word, you obliged without so much as a hidden smile.

Bakugou sank into you, his broad shoulders going lax as all the tension melted from his body and he sighed peacefully. He hated socializing. The only good part of that reunion Raccoon-Eyes had coordinated was seeing you all dressed up.

He didn't tell you at the time, he honestly couldn't say it. He was fucking speechless the second you stepped out of the room.

But you looked like a vision underneath those flashy lights that hurt his eyes in the ballroom. You were absolutely stunning and put all of those other extras to shame. He didn't even spew an insult he was going to when he overheard Raccoon-Eyes squeal and proclaim how gorgeous you looked because she wasn't wrong.

You were beautiful. And way out of his league.

It was all he could think about all the way down the elevator and into the party, even after you broke off from him. At least, it was all he could think about until Dunce Face decided to make a move on you, being all suave and slick.

At the time, he was ready to storm over there and break it up until you laughed at something Kaminari said and he was painfully reminded of how you weren't his.

He then proceeded to drown all of his sorrows at the bar but cursed his inability to get shit-faced due to his high tolerance.

Exploding in a fit of rage over the culmination of how dazzling you were, how some guy was probably going to get lucky tonight and it wasn't going to be him, and how fucked up the situation was that you were going to be staying with him while he had a raging boner for you 24/7, he stalked upstairs to go pout in the corner only to find you stammering out apologies and packing your suitcase.

He vaguely remembered something about you saying something about his birthday and that's when he snapped.

To put it bluntly, he had never been a fan of celebrating useless holidays. People ate food and used it as an excuse to all gather in one place and socialize with all their fake friends, he hated scenes like that.

Which is why he was against this reunion at first but something in the back of his mind convinced him to come. Something that said that if he showed up, there was a good chance that you would be here too and it would make all of this worth it.

And that was only confirmed when Kirishima slipped that little tidbit of information in his invitation via text.

Bakugou couldn't believe his luck when he walked into his hotel room and you were standing right there. There was something so soft, so domestic about it that had him dropping his bag instantaneously and he fought to rein in his instincts to stride over to you and hug you from behind. He would rest his chin on your shoulder and ask what you were cooking, his fingers toying with the hem of your shirt as he hinted at what he wanted to do before the kids came home.

That was the type of future he had always envisioned with you. The one he always thought would be unobtainable. The one that he constantly dreamed about anytime he got a break from the nightmares and darkness that plagued his thoughts constantly.

And now you were all his. All of that was suddenly possible. He had a chance with the best thing that ever walked into his life and he wasn't going to screw it up.

Realistically, and he was a very realistic person despite being short-tempered, he knew he was getting ahead of himself. Take it slow, he had to tell himself to take it slow.

You hummed, bringing him back down to reality. "Where's that head of yours at?"

"Fuck off and die."

But his threat came out muffled as his face was currently nuzzled into your stomach and you couldn't stop the fit of laughter that burst out as you giggled uncontrollably, laughing even harder when he looked up to glare at you, only for his eyes to be so glazed over from how relaxed he was that you would've mistaken it for subspace if not for his mouth twitching irritably.

"Aw, is baby maybe a little comfy?"

He hissed and untangled himself from you, pouting like a little kid as he created some distance between you two. "I'm not a fucking baby."

You cooed and pinched his cheeks, pulling them apart slightly and giggled at how squishy he looked in that moment. "Dummy."

Bakugou snorted arrogantly but didn't shove you off despite his hard glare. "The only dumbass here is you."

"I didn't say dumbass, I said dummy." You corrected matter-of-factly. "And besides, it's a term of endearment, Katsuki."

He rolled his eyes but his heart trembled dangerously as he heard his given name fall from your lips so sweetly for the first time. He would never get tired of hearing that.

Bakugou cleared his throat and removed your hands from his face, your forlorn pout not passing by unnoticed.

"Fucking idiot." He mumbled under his breath, bringing a hand up to rest it on your head briefly as he leaned his forehead against yours for a second.

You grinned, a full-blown smile that caused his heart to skip a beat at how radiant you were. And then, he got an idea.

But you were surprised when he suddenly got up and tilted your head curiously when he exited the room.

Unlike before when you were so quick to jump to a conclusion, you assumed he had a reason for leaving so abruptly without explanation.

The gears turned in your head as you followed him out, bringing the blanket with for good measure because you were freezing. Until the maintenance could get here, you would have to deal with the chill. Apparently this was an issue that didn't just pertain to you.

Todoroki had texted you and said he was having issues with his too, along with some others who had filed out from the ballroom to crash in their own rooms for the night.

But waiting wasn't too hard. Perhaps you could persuade your new boyfriend to cuddle you.

You poked your head around the corner, growing even more puzzled as Bakugou stomped around, grabbing his keys first before hunting for something else.

"What are you doing?" You asked, unable to quell your curiosity and bewilderment.

He threw an embellished pillow back down on the couch as soon as he checked under it. "I don't know where I put my fucking wallet."

You laughed at his grumble and patted his chest with a wink. "Wait here."

Bakugou eyed you suspiciously as burrito-you darted off back towards the bedroom but his expression cleared up when you came racing back with the slim wallet in your hand, thankfully leaving behind the blanket as you caught onto what he was doing. He took it silently, frustrated with himself for not checking his coat pocket first to save him of this embarrassment.

"Thank you." He mumbled as he turned away. He felt like he was ten again, that's how damn shy he was when it came to you.

A broad grin spread from ear to ear on your face.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" You asked cheekily and he scowled.

"I didn't fucking say anything!!" He exploded, grabbing your wrist and stomping towards the door. "Hurry up, we're leaving."

"Eh?!" You protested but didn't fight him. "Where are we going?"

You were only wearing shorts and his hoodie over your thickest thermal. Since it was warm outside, you hadn't bothered to pack any extra layer and you shivered as a chill ran down your spine. Yup, definitely couldn't wait to go back outside.

"None of your damn business." Bakugou spat as he dragged you out of the room and locked the door.

You continued to pepper him with questions, increasing your pitch when you saw how his nose twitched every single time you annoyed him.

Adorable.

By the time you got back down to the first floor, you were clinging to his arm, teeth chattering from the air conditioning, and he was facing away from you in a manner that clearly stated he regretted bringing you along.

"You love me~" You teased.

"Shut the fuck up. Like hell anyone would like a dumbass like you." He seethed but still didn't pry you off despite him claiming all those things.

You giggled, skipping on ahead. Once you got outside, you spun around on your heel, jutting out your hip. The warmth of the night air was refreshing and you took in a deep breath, smiling widely.

"Where are we going?!" You asked excitedly, trailing behind him as he started walking away, catching up and almost tripping in the process.

Bakugou caught your arm in a flash as you tipped forward, an angry frown etched on his face but you merely beamed at him and thanked him for catching you.

He turned away with a scoff but grabbed your hand to make sure it didn't happen again. "You're fucking clumsy."

Your smile widened as you detected the tiniest bit of worry underlying his sharp tone and you squeezed his hand, heart skipping a beat when he tucked you underneath his arm.

For safety purposes, you assumed.

You snuggled into his side with a blissful sigh. He was so much warmer than you were, it felt so good.

Bakugou spared you a glance out of the corner of his eye and his chest swelled with pride at the eyes that turned, undoubtedly seeing how unashamed you were to be with him. Holy All Might, you were perfect.

The Solaria Hotel was only a five minute walk away from Lunchrush's Grocery Store, a rather huge chain store that had establishments all over Japan, owned by the hero himself. The same hero whose delicious cooking you guys had lived off of for a blessed three years.

"What are we doing here?" You quipped as your eyes widened the moment you strolled in and took in the vibrant colors of all the produce and many packages that lined the shelves.

"I'm not paying shit for that overpriced room service." Bakugou stated flatly as he tossed you a bundle of carrots he just selected.

Your eyes widened as you quickly caught on. "We're going to be cooking?!"

He snorted, sifting through the produce section to find what he was looking for, weeding out the ones that were no good. "No shit, dumbass."

"Hey!!" You protested but carried on without complaint.

The kitchen in your room was fully equipped with all the amenities. Top of the grade appliances and sterling silverware made you feel like you were going to break something initially but that faded pretty fast as your excitement won over. The only thing it was missing was the food.

You had bought ingredients to make a simple stew on the way to the hotel and stored the leftovers in the large fridge.

The Solaria Hotel did offer pre-organized food boxes that came with various delicious ingredients to make it easy on whoever bought it but they were outrageously priced. Hence why you were now browsing the aisles with a disgruntled Bakugou instead of just purchasing one of those.

But you were definitely not going to complain. One of those boxes could drain your entire month's rent in one go and you were told that the portion sizes weren't very big either.

Definitely not worth it.

You would think that since he was the one to bring you here, he would be more enthusiastic, but no. He was more interested in having a staring contest with the brat at the end of the aisle who was making faces at him as soon as he grabbed the last of the things he needed.

You tugged on his arms, trying and failing to get him to break eye contact with the little boy he was glaring to death.

"Katsuki, c'mon," You begged, losing a battle against that ridiculously fit physique of his. You guys were attracting all kinds of unwanted attention from other shoppers and the mom of the little boy was getting a little curious as to the silent competition going on. "Let's just go."

"No way." He gritted out, never once looking away. "This damn brat needs to learn his f—"

He didn't get to finish the rest of his sentence as you forcibly dragged him away to the cash registers. You shook your head as he scowled and crossed his arms stubbornly. He was such a child sometimes.

Bakugou was so busy pouting that you had dragged him away and made him lose by default that he didn't notice you were already paying for the groceries.

"Oi." He barked at you as you hustled outside with the sky painted dark as night. Only the street lamps and lights hitched up outside the strip mall illuminated the area. "Oi!!"

You flashed him a grin. "Yes, Katsuki?"

He rolled his eyes at the innocent lilt in your voice, acting as if you didn't know exactly what you did. You weren't supposed to pay for anything, he was supposed to be treating you.

"But it's your birthday~" You sang. "And I wanted to!!"

"Tch." He whipped his head around, dodging you as you followed him around playfully.

You were like a dog and he was the bone. He wasn't sure he liked that analogy as much as what it implied.

As soon as you pushed through the grand doors of the lavish hotel, you bumped into someone and sent them crashing to the ground.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry— Wait," You gawked in astonishment at the wasted man before you. "Kirishima?!"

He groaned and rubbed his head. He was sent sprawling after you bumped into him, catching the attention of Mina who was strolling by with a half-conscious Sero on her arm.

"Kirishima, what are you doing?!" Mina exclaimed as she bounded over just as you were helping him up after setting Sero down and making sure that he wasn't going to move. She looked the most awake out of all of them. "Don't run off ahead like that!!"

Bakugou didn't do a thing, choosing to only tap his foot impatiently while he waited for you to be done attending to his shitty best friend.

"L/N!!" He slurred and it was then that you realized he was more than a bit tipsy. "I'm soooooo sorry for not telling you about Bakugou's birthday earlier, it was totally my bad."

You raised an eyebrow at hearing him speak in such an unusual way. Alcohol certainly did things to the brain.

Kirishima clapped his hand on your shoulder, ignoring Sero's whining for him to come back as he peeled Mina away from you three, telling her that he was fine.

Lowering his voice, Kirishima wiggled his eyebrows at you comically and caused you to giggle.

"So... how did Bakugou react when ya told him?" He asked in a whisper that was a lot louder than his drunken mind probably intended.

You flushed as Bakugou's inquisitive gaze fixated on you.

"I'm right here, Shitty Hair." He droned, completely uninterested in the way that this conversation was going.

Kirishima's head snapped up at hearing his voice for the first time and though his dilated pupils had a hard time focusing, he eventually managed to do it and a wide, toothy grin spread from ear to ear.

"Bakubro!!" He drunkenly cheered, throwing his arms out and running towards him.

Bakugou scowled, shoving him away as he went to hug him. "Don't fucking call me that."

Kirishima pouted and whined sadly.

"Awwww but you call me Weird Hair all the time." He complained.

Bakugou grinned. "That's because your hair is a shitty color."

"Hey!!" Kirishima's eyes watered and his lower lip trembled. He burst into tears, clinging to you as you drifted back to Bakugou's side.

Mina's golden irises glinted. "Sooooo, does this mean you guys are together?"

You blushed at the brazen implication and sheepishly nodded, unsure of what else to do.

Bakugou stepped in. He slung his arm around your shoulder, uncaring that he now had a much larger audience now that Midoriya, Iida, Ochako, Tsuyu, Shinsou and Shoji decided to venture outside, others coming out in a steady trickle as the night wrapped up.

You huddled closer to his side, hiding your face in his shoulder, growing nervous at all your friends gathering for reasons you'd rather not voice. You weren't sure how Bakugou would take this, if he would deny you in front of all of them.

He didn't seem like the type but a previous ex had been ashamed of you before so now you were wary. Rightfully so, the guy was a complete prick.

You hadn't dated for very long but it was impactful. The guy hadn't gotten close to your heart but the fact that he wasn't big on physical affection and never wanted to hold your hand in public sent the message that he didn't want to be seen with you.

That had never really sat well with you.

You didn't mind at first. After all, you understood that people had different love languages but he put in absolutely no effort to understand yours. But after a while, it was tiring contributing to a relationship that wasn't reciprocated.

You glanced up at Bakugou as he pulled you in tighter to his side.

"Listen up." He stated roughly, making sure everyone was paying attention. "She's my girl now, so don't you extras try any shit."

Bakugou practically smirked proudly as he stared pointedly at a sheepish-looking Kaminari hiding behind an indifferent Jirou. He was rubbing it in his face for the balls he had to flirt with you earlier.

But that didn't make his declaration any less true or genuine. He was proud to have you by his side, even now more than ever as the two of you explored this new part of your life together.

Hagakure and Ochako squealed at his declaration of love and if it was possible, you reddened even further. But you couldn't kid anyone. You felt like you were flying.

Hiding your face in your hands, your embarrassment came out muffled. "Katsuki..."

He snorted at your shyness, then steered you towards the elevators with you tucked under his arm without so much as a wave of farewell to your friends. He saw your knees knocking together, he knew you were fucking cold, so time to go.

You wiggled, shooting the girls an apologetic smile and laughed loudly as Sero and Kaminari obnoxiously whooped and hollered after you two.

Bakugou flipped them the bird, hiding a proud smile when their drunken cheers only grew louder as Kirishima and Shinsou joined in.

"Oi." He poked you cheek as you didn't lift your face away from your new hiding spot to spare you of any more mortification. "Wake the fuck up, shithead."

A cheeky mumble emerged from where your cheek was ordered up against his shirt. "Is that any way to treat your girlfriend?"

"It is when you're being a dumbass." He retorted flatly.

"Hey!!" You cried out indignantly.

You rode the elevator up, squabbling incessantly the entire way there, drawing odd looks from a few of the other guests that you passed but that paled in comparison to your wide smiles and the satisfied smirk permanently plastered on Bakugou's face.

You were having way too much fun to care about anything else.

Once you made it back to your room successfully, you got to work right away.

Giddy over the fact that he had shown you off and high on the endorphins him claiming you in front of all your friends and fellow colleagues brought you had made you extremely hungry. Keeping up with all of Bakugou's newfound love that he was expressing had zapped your energy far more than you were willing to admit.

"Oi, you're shit at cooking." Bakugou said after a minute of watching you wreck everything in the kitchen.

"Don't yell at me!! I already know I suck at it!!" You whined childishly, throwing up the spatula in frustration.

Bakugou chuckled, plucking the wretched thing from your fingers and took over. You had managed to make soup earlier and not burn down the place in the process so he wasn't sure why stirring the pot was now such a big deal.

But he shook his head as he caught the glint of mischief in your eye. He knew that look. You knew exactly what you were doing to him.

Fuck, he was screwed. He never should've told you how long he had pined after you. But it was no use, he was too weak for you.

You balked at the soft expression on his face. He had never looked at you like that before.

Before you knew what you were doing, you were blurting out how him declaring that in front of all of your friends had made you so happy and at the downward curve of displeasure on Bakugou's face, you elaborated that you had someone who didn't make you feel very loved in the past.

You weren't sure why you were telling him this. It wasn't like it was exactly easy to say all of this out loud but after years of knowing him, you knew he was the last person who would judge you for feeling the way you were feeling.

So you spilled it all.

You squeaked in surprise as he caught you off guard once you finished, crushing you to his chest. Your hands lifted up and automatically looped around his neck, stumbling a bit as he backed you up against the counter.

"Katsuki?!" You exclaimed in astonishment at the sudden display of affection from the normally so standoffish guy.

"I will never be ashamed of you. You're stuck with me for fucking forever and I'll kill you if you say any other shit." Bakugou muttered into the crook of your neck.

You were moved at his expression of the feelings he had for you and clutched onto the back of his shirt, hugging him tight.

He stayed there, in the same position, pinning you to the counter of the kitchen in the hotel room you had come to share and embraced you until you peeled away.

Bakugou's eyes softened when you looked away from him and sniffled. It could be classified as very unladylike, the way you wiped your nose with the back of your hand, but he didn't give a damn.

You were his.

After all these years of pining after you, thinking that he would never be enough to have you, thinking that he would never amount to someone who deserved you, you were finally his.

His heart was going to explode but if he let that happen, he would have to deal with Shitty Hair, Dunce Face, Raccoon-Eyes and Flat Face for the rest of his fucking life and like hell he would put up with those irritating extras.

Even if they did kind of manage to bring you two together.

The table for two at dinner, your messed up reservation that left you without a place to crash and that dress Ponytail Girl had bought for you, it all added up. They had been planning this for years since they knew of the feelings you both held for each other.

All you needed was a push.

Whatever. There was no way he was going to give them credit for this. They would probably use it as blackmail at some point and he was not going to tolerate that.

He quickly finished up the home cooked meal, flipping open the cap to the soy sauce you bought and drizzled it on top, adding a few drops of sesame oil to complete it and shoved a plate in your direction to bring into the bedroom while he quickly did the dishes.

The midnight moon's light spilled into the room as you danced around Bakugou, carrying two plates full of warm food to the bed after you were done goofing around and pretending to drop them. Sheer silk curtains hanging from the canopy of the bed swished in your wake as you breezed by to open the french doors, setting the plates down on his nightstand before gliding across the balcony that you had missed upon your initial exploration of the room.

This place was so big, you wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of secret passageway in the closet that led to the other rooms.

The night air was pleasant and a welcome change of temperature as it soothed your chilly skin.

You smiled to yourself as Bakugou came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, burying his face into the crook of your neck and inhaled deeply. His heat encompassed you as he hugged you from behind and lightly kissed the spot just below your ear.

You giggled at the ticklish sensation and gasped when he pinched your side in retaliation.

"Katsuki~"

His given name still felt foreign on your tongue but you'd be damned if you didn't get used to it with the flustered reaction he never failed to give you.

"Don't fucking start with me, dumbass." He smirked, growling lowly. "I don't have a fucking problem with putting you in your place."

You cocked your head to the side, playing dumb, pretending you didn't know what that insinuation meant. "Oh?"

Bakugou groaned as the mood suddenly vanished. "Piss off."

Bakugou cracked a smile though when your easy laughter rang out. Yeah, it wasn't fair that he was left in a now uncomfortable situation but it was worth it to endure if he could hear that sound again.

Fuck, you were so precious.

The late night room service dished out by yours truly was served on the bed while you giggled underneath the covers, hiding from him and shrieking when he found you.

It was warm and fuzzy, the atmosphere easy and relaxed as you cuddled up to him and ate the food he made for you specifically so that it wouldn't make your stomach hurt.

Initially, he had declared that eating on the bed was going to be fucking dirty and messy if you spilled anything, which he was almost 100% sure you would, but gave into you when you transfixed your wide eyes on him, pleading for this one thing.

The two of you didn't look at each other while you ate, you didn't need to. The stolen glances between bites of food were enough as you shared idly and informal conversation to get to know each other better now that your feelings had been aired and returned by the other.

The quiet confession that rang out from you both was almost tear-jerking as he confessed he never thought he would get a chance to be with someone like you and you pressed a sweet kiss to his cheek, telling him that he deserved the world and more, and if one day you could give it to him, you would.

The heater had yet to be fixed but that didn't bother him anymore as he used the opportunity to gather you in his arms and hug you tight.

Yeah, you two needed to make up for lost time but for now, he was more than content to just let it be. Tangled with you, under the moon and the stars as he kissed you, he swore that he would never stop fighting for you, to protect you always and cherish you with all that he fucking had.

Because Bakugou Katsuki, the man who didn't need anything or anyone to go up against the toughest villains to date, fell to pieces when it came to you.

Bonus:

"I still can't believe you told me that so late. I could've gotten him a gift!!" You complained to Kirishima on the second day when he was hungover and groaning, throwing pillows at you to get you out of his room.

You managed to dodge every last one.

"I mean, I don't get it." You tapped a finger to your chin coyly as you smoothly sidestepped and twirled around two more he launched in your direction. He was going to run out of ammo at this point. "Why tell me so late? And if you guys already knew, then I'm surprised you didn't get anything for him or throw a party or something."

Sero groaned painfully in the corner, his head felt like it was going to split in two and he was quite certain it would if you didn't stop talking soon. "Y/N, it's so early."

"It's noon." You deadpanned, only for Sero to slap a pillow over his face and promptly fall back asleep.

"Y/N!!" Mina called out as she bustled back into the bedroom with a tray of tea. "Where did that boyfriend of yours run off to?"

You blushed as she said it so bluntly and coughed to hide it. "He's trying to get the heater thing sorted out."

Last night, you had been shivering so much that he had taken to warming you up other ways just to get your teeth to stop chattering. And let's just say it was a little harder to walk today because of it.

This morning when you woke up, he had been yelling into the phone that they needed to bring more blankets up right fucking now or else he would explode off their arms since they couldn't do the most fucking simple of tasks and you swiped the phone from him, rapidly and profusely apologizing for his brash language on behalf of the angry pomeranian simmering beside you.

You threw in that you would be grateful if they could spare more but if others needed it more than you told them you two would be fine and could make do before thanking them for their time and hanging up.

And since Bakugou insisted that the heater needed to be fixed today or else you were going to get sick, he allocated you to Kirishima's room, one of the only ones not having any problems while he demanded some answers from the hotel staff and got someone to fucking fix the shitty thing.

So now, here you were. And you had a score to settle with Kirishima anyways, so you weren't bothered.

Mina had already told you everything. Everyone had been in on it.

You weren't shocked by Kaminari and Shinsou and most of the others' involvement in this little scheme but you were surprised to hear it had been Iida's idea to make both of you sit at the same table with no other company.

You'd have to thank them all later.

An hour and several more pillows thrown later, you and Mina had managed to drag down the two sleepy boys just in time to greet your old teachers alongside the rest of your peers as they stepped through the door.

"Aizawa-sensei!!" You cheered, launching yourself forward so that he'd have to catch you.

He did so without much difficulty, his tired eyes brightening up a little bit as you hugged him tight. Out of all his students, he had the closest bond with you.

"Hey, kid." He greeted tiredly, tugging along his sleeping bag and you lifted an eyebrow when you realized that while Midnight and Mic rolled in their luggage, he only brought his trademark yellow sleeping bag. All Might was parking the car and would be come inside within the next few minutes.

"Where's the rest of your things?" You asked just as Yaoyorozu and Iida greeted Midnight and Mic was tackled in a hug by Jirou.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before yawning. "You really think I'm going to do anything else besides sleep this weekend, kid? Nah."

You frowned at him. "You can't just sleep the whole day away."

"Uh uh," He tutted, wagging a finger in your face for a second before yawning again. "Not day. Days."

You pouted at the correction and he rolled his eyes, resting a hand on top of your head to let you know that he was just kidding and you smiled brightly.

"Here, at least let me help bring it upstairs." You bargained, taking it off his hands.

A smug voice stopped you dead in your tracks.

"Hey, Y/N, why you walking funny?" Kaminari said with a shit-eating grin and it took every fiber of self-control not to freak out.

"Uh, I'm not?"

But your high pitch due to your embarrassment and mortification at being called out won over and Shinsou sniggered in the background.

"Classy." He teased, crossing his arms over his chest. "Didn't peg you for the type to do it on the first date."

"Oh hush, show some respect!!" Yaoyorozu chastised but your dignity was long gone.

Your face broke out in relief though when the elevator in the lobby dinged and a disgruntled Bakugou stepped out, his vermilion eyes widening a fraction when you sped over to him.

"Whoa— What the, why the hell are your eyes red?!" He rushed out, gripping your shoulders and pulling your close to make sure he saw that right. His eyes narrowed angrily when you sniffled. "Tell me who the fuck made you cry."

"Oh shit." Kaminari and Shinsou swore under their breath as your enraged, extremely protective boyfriend stormed over to them with a deadly aura rolling off him in tsunami sized waves.

Midnight held up her hand, stopping him dead in his tracks at the authority his former teacher held. "Hold on please, just a second."

Everyone waited with bated breath to see what she would do. Would she defend you? Tell off Kaminari who had embarrassed you? Or would she let the hothead hell bent on vengeance regain your honor?

She didn't do any of those things.

Instead, Midnight smirked and held out her hand with the palm upturned to Aizawa with a sly smile. "Pay up. I called it."

Your mouth dropped, along with everyone else's as Aizawa forked over 10,000 yen. Even Koda, Sato and Tokoyami looked shocked, which was so rare, it scared you.

Todoroki was the only one who looked confused but Midoriya was right there to explain what was happening and why the sum of money so significant as you shrieked, shrill and high, thoroughly put off.

"What?!" Your embarrassment long forgotten, thankfully, by everyone else as this new revelation hit them like a truck. "You bet on us?!"

"Just you." Aizawa yawned nonchalantly, blinking his eyes wearily. "C'mon L/N, I thought you would turn him down."

"What?!" You screeched as Bakugou narrowed his eyes at his former homeroom teacher, taking that as a challenge.

Aizawa rolled his eyes as Bakugou got all up in his face, demanding to know just what he meant as Mic threw his head back and announced for all to hear.

"Y/NNNNNNN'S GOT A BOYYYYFRIENDDDD!!!!!!"

Clapping your hands over your ears as every single glass thing within the vicinity shattered, you grinned as the tremors passed by within a few seconds. One perk of having time as a teacher who used his quirk so often on accident, all of you learned how to mitigate the most damage he dealt to your surroundings and deflect it.

Jirou shook her head at you in amusement as Bakugou, who was the closest to Mic aside from Kaminari who had taken up refuge from behind Midnight, flatly stated that he could no longer hear.

To which, Mic screamed even louder.

"I CALLED IT FROM DAY ONEEEEEE!!!!"

"That's enough, Mic." Aizawa said, rubbing his temples to ease the headache that had just come on and offered up a slightly reassuring smile to Tsuyu who hopped over to check on him.

Mic pouted dramatically. "But Shouta—"

"Stop it, you're embarrassing them." He sighed, reining in the energetic blond. "And you embarrassing them is embarrassing me."

Midnight cooed. "Awww, he's happy for them."

"Shut up, Nemuri."

You giggled as the three of them began to bicker amongst themselves, who called it first, who saw the chemistry you two had, who was the first one to realize that it was more than just a school crush, all of it.

After beating up Kaminari and Shinsou behind their backs, Bakugou made his way over to you, wiping his hands on his pants and he smiled at you cockily.

"Heater's fixed."

You raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He hummed. "Mmhm, so wanna get out of here?"

You laughed lightly, being careful not to draw too much attention to yourselves as you slipped away when Mic let out a particularly piercing shriek that he should've gotten the money because he paired the two of you for a project when you were in his English class.

Classic Mic.

"What about breakfast?" You asked as you two took the emergency stairs, at least, just for the first couple of floors until you were clear. You weren't sure your legs would survive the 80 flights just to reach your room.

Bakugou smirked and his mouth ghosted the shell of your ear. "Don't need that shit, I got something better."

Something told you that you weren't going to be leaving the bed for the rest of this trip.

Oh well.

You supposed this was one way to exercise.

[cloudywriter]

camp staghorn - 1

Okay here is the official first chapter of Camp Staghorn! I know it’s long and maybe not the most entertaining but gotta have that building up first. Now things will start to pick up just you wait. Thank you for all the love on the snippet too! Let me know if you would like to be tagged!

my masterlist

~~~

Aelin sighed as she finally got off the bright yellow bus, her three bags weighing heavily on her arms and shoulder. The sun was already high in the sky and beating down despite Terrasen’s usually mild temperatures. Lysandra hopped down on the gravel path the bus had stopped in front of with a huff, Dorian and Elide followed. 

They were all about to spend the next week as camp counselors for a huge group of kids all in 1st-6th grade. She was just glad they had 6th graders. While Aelin loved kids but she wasn’t particularly looking forward to what she knew would be a long and tiring week. But, being a camp counselor would look great for her college applications. It was the summer right before their senior year, school had ended only a week prior. 

A number of other people who looked around her age shuffled about the area already convening into their respective friend groups. A few sat around old wooden picnic tables that were set up outside of the camp’s entrance. A huge sign was erected overhead with the words Camp Staghorn painted in white block letters. 

Chaol finally exited the bus and came to stand by Aelin.

“Really, Aelin? Three bags?” Chaol commented, shifting his singular black, duffel bag on his shoulder. 

Aelin shrugged, “I didn’t know what all I would need.”

Chaol only half-heartedly shook his head. Although Aelin and Chaol had broken up in the middle of junior year their relationship was still relatively amicable. 

Lys quickly shoved between Aelin and Chaol. “Aelin, look!” She whispered loudly into Aelin’s ear, pointing towards a group of boys occupying the grass near the entrance. 

At that, Aelin perked up, especially when she laid eyes on the group. Seriously, four of some of the best-looking high school boys she had ever seen were huddled there. 

A boy with tan, golden skin and blonde curly hair piled on his head seemed to be the focal point of the group, Aelin could hear his voice all the way where she was but couldn’t discern what he was saying. The boy immediately next to him looked to be his brother but with a brown mop of hair instead. Two other boys were there too, one with long, straight brown hair and a grumpy demeanor radiating off of him. The other boy was who Aelin really noticed though, his hair was a unique blonde, it appeared almost silver and was cut shorter, his skin had a healthy glow. He was in the circle with the other boys but she could tell his mind wasn’t. He was looking out at the expansive, blue lake that could be seen just through the trees with a thoughtful, pensive stare on his features. 

Dorian stepped up behind Aelin, following Lys’s finger to the gathering of boys. 

“Oh, they go to Mistward High. Chaol and I have had a few lacrosse games against them,” Dorian offered nonchalantly. 

“They’re gorgeous,” Lys giggled. 

Aelin shoved Lysandra’s shoulder playfully, “You’re dating my cousin!”

“I know, I know, but maybe you could have a summer camp fling. Oh, my gods! Like Camp Rock, you hear him singing your song, or whatever happened, and boom it’s love at first sight.” Aelin laughed and rolled her eyes. 

At her laugh, the silver-haired boy turned his eyes in her direction and they made brief eye contact, Aelin gave him a small smile and the boy looked away immediately. Well, that was rude. 

A man suddenly stepped up onto one of the empty picnic tables, a clipboard in hand. His hat was embroidered with Camp Staghorn and he wore a matching t-shirt in a deep green hue. 

“Alright, everyone listen up please!” He clapped his hands a few times to grab everyone’s attention. 

“My name is Gavriel, I’m the director of Camp Staghorn so if you have any questions, comments, or concerns I’m the guy to come to. Now, you all have signed off on behaving and being camp counselors who will set a good example but let’s just go over a few ground rules. First, no funny business between boys and girls camps especially at night, stay in your cabins after lights out. Second, remember to clean up after yourselves and your campers. Third, stay on top of your respective schedules. And really, just use common sense please, you’re all seniors you know the difference between right and wrong I don’t want to have to stand up here and list out a bunch of rules for a bunch of hypothetical scenarios, understood?”

A few head nods and murmurs of yes rippled through the crowd. 

“Great, then I’ll skip over that, you all know what’s expected of you. I’m going to call up names and give you a packet and a t-shirt. In that packet will be a list of your campers, your camp number, your cabin number, a map, and your camp’s schedule for the next week. The schedules are very packed so remember to stay on top of things, okay?”

More nods and murmurs of acknowledgment. 

Gavriel began to call names and people milled up to him to grab their new belongings. 

“Fenrys Moonbeam.” A few snickers went through the group and the blonde boy from earlier proudly made his way up to Gavriel. 

A few more names were called, Aelin remembered hearing the other two boys were named Lorcan and Connall but she was focused on learning the silver-haired boy’s name. 

“Rowan Whitethorn.” At that, the boy - Rowan - approached the table. Aelin thought the name fit him. 

“Elide Lochan.” Elide quickly made her way to Gavriel as Dorian, Chaol, and Lysandra got called too. 

“Aelin Galathynius.” Aelin made her way up, her heavy bags hitting her legs as she walked. She acquired the packet and shirt from Gavriel. 

A list of around twelfth names of girls looked back at Aelin. She skimmed them and saw written across the top was her camp number and cabin number with her schedule and map attached. Camp number 6 and cabin 3B. Lys peeked over Aelin’s shoulder.

“Oh, good you have 3B, Elide has 2B and I have 4B.” 

Aelin smiled but the three girls were a little put out when they noticed their schedules didn’t really align besides the designated meal times. “What are Dorian and Chaol’s cabins?”

“I don’t know they were in the E ones, they put the boys and girls on opposite sides,” Elide answered. Aelin nodded her head. 

“Okay, everyone should have everything now. The kids should arrive in about an hour, so make your way to your cabins and get dressed in your camp shirts. Then we will have a get-to-know-you activity and a little kick-off game when everyone arrives,” Gavriel spoke again.

Once they were dismissed everyone headed towards the cabins and mentally prepared themselves for an incoming army of children. 

+++

The introductions had gone fairly well, Aelin could probably name at least seven of the girls’ names off the top of her head. They all appeared friendly and like they would be a solid group, Aelin found herself looking forward to the week surprisingly. 

The girls and Aelin had all gotten settled in their cabin and were dressed in matching deep green shirts with the number 6 printed largely in white on the back. They made their way to the center of the camp which accommodated a large wooden stage and matching benches lined up around it in a semi-circle. It was clear at some point the stage and benches had been painted with bright colors and patterns but the paint had begun to peel off with time. 

Aelin directed the girls to all sit on the middle bench in the third row as she surveyed the area, looking for any sign of Elide and Lysandra. Most groups were finishing up their introduction games and convening in the main area now as instructed. 

Elide appeared from around a group of trees, her girls trailing closely behind. Aelin smiled when she saw her and waved her over. They all quickly settled in and waited for the second part of the day to start. 

“I’m already sweating through this shirt,” Elide sighed, fanning herself with the packet given to them earlier. 

“Do you know what the kick-off game is?” Aelin asked Elide curiously. 

Elide only shook her head.

A few minutes passed and the benches started to get pretty packed with people all chatting noisily. 

A cough into a mic alerted everyone, a dozen heads shifted towards the stage. 

“Alright, I believe we have all the 6th-grade groups here so why don’t we get started,” Gavriel spoke with enthusiasm. 

“So, get ready boys and girls for the great Staghorn mud race! Groups will be pinned against groups, boys vs. girls until there’s only one undefeated girl’s team and one undefeated boy’s team remaining and then we will have the final throw down!”

A few whoops went through the crowd. Fenrys was close to the stage pumping his arm in the air, hyping up his collection of young boys. 

“Follow me to the track and we will announce the beginning brackets!” Gavriel hopped off of the stage, he and a few other officials of the camp led the way down a dirt path steering away from the stage. 

They all stopped after a short trek, huddled around a middle strip of field complete with obstacles. 

“Here you can see what you’ll have to face. First, you have to high knee through the tires, then climb up the wooden wall using the rope and slide down the net on the other side, next crawl through one of the tunnels, and hop from log stump to log stump and book it to the finish line! Of course, you have to do all of that in slippery mud, it will be messy. The first team to get their counselor and all their campers through wins and moves on to the next round,” Gavriel explained. 

Aelin could feel the anticipation and eagerness radiating off of counselors and kids alike. Even Aelin was feeling excited, her overly competitive nature boiling to the surface. 

Aelin swiftly turned to her small army of 12-year-olds. “Okay, girls, I want every single one of you to be booking it the whole way through, we will come out the winners at all costs, I don’t do losing.”

The girls looked up at Aelin with wide eyes, many nodding their agreement.

“Oh, I forgot to mention the overall winning camp gets ice cream after dinner tonight!” Gavriel interjected.

The stakes were high, not only was Aelin competitive to a fault but she also loved sweets. “Yup, that only confirms it, no losing!” 

“We’ll give it our all, promise,” spoke one of her campers. A girl with long brown hair contained in two long braids named Borte, if Aelin remembered correctly. 

Aelin smiled, “That’s the spirit,” and offered Borte a high-five. 

Gavriel called out the first two camp numbers, both boy groups, that would be competing. 

Aelin watched the match closely, noting areas she thought seemed best to avoid and strategizing in her mind. After the race concluded two other camps occupied the starting line, those being made up of girls. 

A few more matches came to a close when Dorian and Chaol’s respective groups were called up. Aelin, Lys, and Elide all gave a little whoop, Aelin patted Dorian on the back as he passed her, he flashed back a dazzling smile. 

Unfortunately, one of the boys on Dorian’s team fell in the mud and tripped a good number of his fellow campmates, wrecking Dorian’s chances of winning as Chaol and his boys slipped by. 

“C’mon Dorian!” Aelin screamed, cupping her hands around her mouth. A few of her girls did the same, encouraging them to get a move on despite them not knowing Dorian; it made Aelin smile. Chaol’s team took the victory and Dorian trudged past Aelin in defeat, his body covered in mud. 

At one point Fenrys’ camp and Rowan’s camp went against each other. Aelin subconsciously watched that match like a hawk. Rowan was fast despite the mud and the t-shirt he had changed into seemed to be a bit small, it clung to his upper body, highlighting his muscles. Not to mention, the green complimented his hair and skin tone beautifully. 

Rowan was effective in herding his campers through the course, offering a helping hand and encouragement the whole way through unlike Fenrys who completed the obstacles first and resolved to yell at his campers to hurry. Unsurprisingly, Rowan and his camp crossed the finish line as a unit, Fenrys did not look happy but Aelin saw Rowan crack a smile, it was small but it was there.

As time went on both Lys and Elide had gone. Elide’s group had lost against a random camp while Lys had won. 

“Alright, last up for the beginning bracket we have camp 6 and camp 9!”

Aelin cracked her knuckles, she had been waiting for camp 6 to be called impatiently. 

“Okay, girls, now is our time to shine. Get out there and make me proud, remember stick to the sides, the middle seems to be the most slippery. If you slip it's okay just get right back up, don’t leave anyone behind.” All of them nodded in response. 

“Hands in,” Aelin said, sticking her hand in the middle of the huddle, “On 3, 1, 2, 3!”

As Aelin yelled three she and all her campers screamed camp 6 and raised their hands in the air and then took their spot on the starting block. 

The counselor of the opposing team seemed snooty, her nose was upturned as if she couldn’t believe she would have to get dirty in a few seconds. Her bright, almost white, blonde hair was braided down her back and she had her arms crossed. 

Aelin didn’t have a chance to say anything before Gavriel blew his whistle signaling the start of the race. 

Aelin exploded forward, focusing on her footing as she went. Luckily, she was athletic and had played a multitude of sports, including track, throughout the years. Aelin easily made her way through the rows of tires, turning back to check her girls’ progress. They all were keeping up and moving as a unit. Aelin didn’t waste the time to check the other group’s position. 

Aelin made it to the wall and grabbed the thick, coarse rope now caked with mud. Her hands slipped but she gritted her teeth and made it to the top of the platform. Borte was right behind her climbing, Aelin reached and grabbed Borte’s hand pulling her up the rest of the way. 

Aelin continued that cycle with the rest, offering support when the girls struggled with their grip on the rope then she slid down the net once they were all over the top. 

“You got it, girls, keep going!” Aelin encouraged. 

Aelin crawled through one of the large, black, plastic tunnels, getting covered with mud in the process. Then she jumped from log to log though they too were coated with mud. Aelin finished off strong, leading the last of her girls across the finish line. Aelin turned her attention back to the course and saw the other camp’s counselor still on the track. 

She was truly taking the time to scrap some of the mud off her shoe on the edge of one of the log stumps. 

“Remelle! It’s a race, you have to run!” Fenrys screamed from the side. Remelle, apparently, didn’t deign to respond, she only wrinkled her nose. 

“Well, camp 6 will be moving on!” Gavriel declared. 

Aelin and her girls cheered, jumping at each other forming one big mud hug. 

The cycle continued, camps faced off until the brackets grew smaller and smaller. By the time Aelin and her girls went for a second time, the mud on her body was drying uncomfortably. 

They succeeded in beating the other group once more using the same strategy. 

Before Aelin knew it Gavriel was announcing the final match-up. 

“Let’s get a drumroll please for our final throw down,” Gavriel stated, drumming his hands on his knees along with the crowd. 

“Representing the boys we have camp 12 and representing the girls we have camp 6!”

The crowd yelled and clapped wildly, Aelin knew she was smiling uncontrollably and was ready to claim her sweet, cold prize. 

“Aelin! Aelin! Aelin!” She heard Lys, Elide, and other girls screaming rhythmically. 

The boys started up their own chant, which Dorian and Chaol joined, Aelin would punish them later. It was then Aelin fully realized who she was facing: Rowan. The adrenaline had blinded her the last few rounds and she had barely processed who was winning and losing. Now, Rowan Whitethorn was staring back at her from the opposite side of the start. 

Even with mud covering much of his body and splattered across his face he was still insanely hot. Aelin hoped the same could be said about her. 

Too soon Gavriel announced the beginning of the final race, a loud whistle filled the air and they were off. 

Once again, Aelin and her girls stuck to the less muddy sides, navigating the course expertly but it seems Rowan and his boys were doing the same. Aelin didn’t spare much time analyzing their positions but she could tell it was much closer than the previous races. Once again, Aelin fought her way up the rope and dangled off the platform to pull up strugglers. She spared a glance at Rowan, he was doing the same. She huffed, “C’mon girls, it's the last time you have to climb this, you’ve got it!”

Aelin finally got the last one over and flopped down the net which was saturated with mud at this point. Aelin was really looking forward to washing this all off later while she ate her ice cream. She then dove into the tunnel, slithering through at a record speed. Next came the home stretch, all she had to do was jump across the logs. She hopped from one stump to another until she was almost at the end. But on the second to last log, the mud that gathered atop it faltered and she stumbled. Cursing, Aelin regained her footing and prayed it was still enough.

Little did she know Rowan had had his own little tumble. Now, they were neck and neck making a final dash to the finish line. Rowan was probably a bit faster than Aelin and she panicked, her instincts to win at all costs taking over. It just so happened that Rowan was just close enough for her to give him a little nudge, to maybe upset his balance just enough that she could pull ahead. Aelin did just that and Rowan went down, his foot slipped into a small ditch of mud water. In hindsight, Aelin felt dirty but not enough to feel particularly remorseful when she heard the roar of victory from the crowd and her camp. 

Aelin turned back and saw Rowan was glaring at her, his foot still submerged in mud. She halted her victory dance and made her way over to him, offering him a hand.

Rowan took it, his large hand dwarfing hers but the feeling of mud squishing between them did ruin the moment for her a bit. Instead of using her hand as leverage, Rowan pulled Aelin towards him and she stumbled, slipping back until she was next to him in his mud pit. 

Aelin saw red, although she realized she probably deserved it and was already covered in mud anyway her temper rose. Aelin was just naturally wired to explode at any moment like a nuclear bomb. 

Rowan, however, kept his grip firm on Aelin’s hand and he drew her forward until his mouth aligned with Aelin’s ear. 

“You’ll pay for that one, Aelin.” Rowan’s breath caressed her ear and a shiver traveled down her spine. Despite the fact he was literally threatening her, Aelin’s heart skipped a beat and her breath hitched.

She kept her bravado about her though and only smirked in response, “It’s on.”

~~~

Hope you’re as excited as I am! All comments, likes, and reblogs are greatly appreciated, thank you. 

taglist: @live-the-fangirl-life

[losingitinjersey]

To follow-up from my post this morning regarding the walking group fears/anxieties...

I leave my house at 8:13 a.m., giving me 9 minutes to get to the meeting spot (for a 4 minute walk).  I arrive at the address and see no one around, so I sit at the empty bench thinking how this must be the right place since there’s a bench.  At 8:21 a.m. (one minute before the start of the walk) I text the realtor lady to double check I’m in the right place since I see no one else.  She responds asking if I’m in the back parking lot?  Um, no, you never told me that’s where to meet the group, so of course that’s not where I am.  I get up and start walking around the block to find the parking lot.  She then texts and says that she isn’t going to make it this morning and she meant to text me.  WHAT.  

I get to the parking lot and see no one around and I instantly feel like sobbing and running away simultaneously.  I’m texting with the realtor letting her know I don’t see anyone back here but it’s fine!  It was a good opportunity to get up and out the door and I’ll go exploring on my own - already deciding that I want nothing to do with this group and I need to bolt immediately.  The next text is her telling me that someone is coming to find me.  NOoooo!  I can’t leave now!  I wait around and a woman comes out of the building asking if I’m here for the walking group and then we proceed to walk FAST to catch up with everyone else.  

Turns out, the group that showed up today was five women all in their mid-late 70s!  Ha!  And they are MOVING.  Definitely not a meandering pace here, but going every which way, up and over the curbs, in the middle of the streets, turning on a dime to try a different direction, going up and down trails and all over the place.  Soooo glad I didn’t bring erp with me.  Since there were five of them plus me we pretty much paired up into groups of two and walked, socially distanced.  When I arrived in my mask the lady who found me asked if I was vaccinated, which hooray! I am!, and that the entire group is too, so no masks are required with the group so that was nice to know they took it seriously and were being careful.  She said they never do the same route twice and that they go wherever their interests take them.  Fun!  But also, soooo not me who never once deviated from the path I plotted out back in my old neighborhood.  

While it was an awkward beginning, and a super fast paced roughly 2 mile walk (I started my tracker late), I’m ultimately glad I didn’t run away like I wanted to.  This was good for me.  And while I 100% prefer to walk on my own so I can stop and take all the pictures, listen to my books and escape in my head, this is a good option and something I need to figure out if I want to commit to, especially since I don’t think it’s a good idea to bring erp.  Although, I’m sure they would accommodate me if I did.  

Before I left, I woke Kevin up to take over erp duty while I was gone and when I came back an hour later I found him sleeping on the couch with the house destroyed.  I explained to him that I can’t go on these walks if this is what happens and he said that he wants me to keep going and he’ll make it work, he’ll not fall asleep again and will make sure this is something I can keep up with.  I appreciated his insistence and commitment to be a more alert parent next time, but also - I’m only going to get more pregnant and slower!  I’ll give it another go and see how it is once I get more practice in.  I need to remind myself that I really haven’t done any exercise or gone on a walk in a few months so of course this winded me.  

A few hours later we head out to the farmer’s market!  Ever since moving to VA we’ve attempted several farmer’s markets and they’ve all sucked big time - being mostly craft based with not much produce or products.  Thankfully, this one was more up to speed with what we’re familiar with and we had SUCH a great time walking around as a family!  I had to get erp up from a nap to make it in time before the market closed an hour later, but she was so good just looking at everything from her stroller!  This was, by far, the most people she’s ever been around.  We did the first loop to check out what was there then during our second loop around we made all the purchases of all the things including some cold brew that so hit the spot.  

Please keep in mind that my legs were already dead from this morning’s activities.  Then I wore these sandals that, while cute and chosen specifically for their ability to support my feet better than flats or flip flops, weren’t nearly as supportive as tennis shoes.  Pair those two aspects with the fact that the ground wasn’t flat and had either gravel, dirt, grass or uneven cobblestone and I was a slow, careful walker who was ready to sit at any moment but didn’t for the entire hour and a half we were out.  

We walked around the market twice, then decided to stroll around the area since it looked so cute.  And omg, it was SO CUTE. So many little shops and restaurants.  There was even a dude with a mic singing songs on the street and people sitting at tables enjoying the day.  Soooo many people were out but everyone (including us) were all masked up so it felt okay.  Can’t wait to come back and take the in-laws to the area when they visit in a few weeks!  

Such an active, fulfilling morning!!  Now please excuse me while I sit and never get up again.  

[adventuresinwonderlust]

Title: Serious Inquiries Only: PART 2 

*FOR PART 1 CLICK HERE or SEE MASTERLIST*

Pairing: dom! yoongi x reader ft. Hobi

Warnings: Talk of sexual favors, flirting, crack, humor, Solo Masturbation (M) (F).

Rating: 18 and over

Yoongi:

Yoongi sits at his computer browsing through his ‘SIO' page when a notification pops up. A new subscriber has signed up for a yearly membership but didn’t submit a request for their welcome gift. “Hmm, strange.” He clicks on the new subscriber’s user name ‘WildGoddess11'. He hums again. “OK wild Goddess, let’s get you set up shall we.” He shoots a private message to the user.

‘Hello WildGoddess11,

Welcome to my page. I hope you find everything you’re looking for here. I noticed however that you didn’t send in a request for your personal gift. Please be sure to choose from one of the two categories I work in and submit before midnight. I look forward to creating content for you.

All the best,

Gloss93'

Yoongi waits a moment to see if he gets a response. Just as he is about to sign off, his computer pings with a new message.

‘Hello Gloss93,

Thank you for the warm welcome. I imagine though, that you do this for all your customers. I know I was supposed to submit a request but honestly, I had a bit of an unconventional one. I was hoping you would accommodate me. I don’t normally surf these sites but you come highly recommended from a very close friend who says you are someone who is incredibly trustworthy. I’ll gladly pay extra. Please let me know if you’re interested. Thanks.

WildGoddess11'

Yoongi chuckles at the message. “Unconventional. What the hell does that mean?” He mumbles to himself. He hums again, sending a message back.

‘WildGoddess11,

I don’t normally take special request. I prefer to stay within the realm of what I normally offer. I am however, intrigued and willing to hear what you have to offer.

Gloss93’

He sits back in his chair, waiting, the anticipation killing him. He shakes his leg frantically, looking at his phone, then putting it down, then picking it up again. Finally, after what feels like forever, his notifications rings. He clicks it immediately.

‘Gloss,

I want, nay, need you to feed a darker side of me. Complete anonymity, 1000 dollars a month for sexual asks. Photos, videos, and phone calls. We don’t need to show our faces, since I can see that’s not your thing and honestly, I prefer that as well. I also ask that you not provide this service to any other clients. I can be a little jealous lol. Like I said you came highly recommended so I trust that we can work together. It won’t change my subscribing to your page if you say no. I understand if this isn’t for you. So, if you do say no, I am down to just submit a normal request. Let me know if you need time to think it over. Thanks.

WildGoddess'

Yoongi’s eyes widen as he reads and re-reads the message in front of him. He doesn’t know how to respond. He has never wanted to delve into this type of thing. Feeling confused, he picks up his phone and calls Hobi. “Hey, I need your advice.” “Sure. What’s up?” “I got a new subscriber today and they are making an unconventional request and I don’t know what to do because I mean, I’m intrigued. No one has ever come to me with something like this before.” “What was the request?” “Sexual asks. 1000 bucks a month.” “Get the fuck out of here! Are you serious? I didn’t think... I mean… I… that’s nuts!” Yoongi’s brow furrows. “Hobi, something I should know? Did you give out my code?” “Uh, no, it’s just that’s a lot of money, I was taken aback. You should just do it.” Yoongi sighs. “I don’t know. I don’t want to get caught up in this type of shit.” “Look, you wouldn’t have called me if you weren’t thinking about it already. Just trust me, you won’t regret this.” Yoongi grunts in frustration. “I better not.” “I’m excited for you.” Yoongi chuckles at Hobi’s comment. “What does that mean Hobi?” “Uh…. nothing…. just that it’s cool you know. 1000 bucks, I don’t even make that much!” Yoongi decides not to question further, instead thinking about Y/N. “Hey, how did the gift go over with Y/N?” “Aw man, she thought it was a prank from me. She freaked! Then she comes out of her room wearing it! Anyway, great choice because she looks great in it.” “She put them on for you?!? What the fuck?” Yoongi whines. “Not for me. In spite of me. Anyway, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.” “Yeah alright.” Yoongi hangs up and types a response. “Here goes nothing.”

Y/N:

Your computer pings with a notification and you jump out of your bed and to your computer. It’s finally a response from Gloss.

‘WildGoddess11,

Let’s do this as a one-month trial period. Like I said before I don’t like to do this type of thing but I have to admit you are the first person to really pique my interest. I’ll allow you to submit me a special request and I’ll send it back to you via private messaging. I encourage you to review some of my past videos, perhaps it’ll motivate you. Happy hunting.

Gloss93'

You squeal, excited that he accepted your request. You had already been looking over his page, making yourself horny watching his hand kink videos and ASMR. He was hot and you had never even seen his face. You had already known exactly what you wanted to ask for. You bite you lip, typing your request.

‘Gloss,

Now that we are nice and established, let’s move past the niceties. I would like to request a dual hand kink/ASMR of you masturbating, I want to hear you moan my name while watching you grasp your sheets for me. Please send soon. My greedy little cunt can hardly contain herself. Also, please send me your information so I may transfer your extra funds. Happy stroking.

WildGoddess'

You bite your lip, excited to see what he has in store for you. “Y/N, I ordered Chinese. You hungry?” Hobi calls to you from behind the door. “Coming.” You respond, closing your laptop and walking out to have dinner with Hobi. “So, did you use that code I gave you?” Hobi ask. “Uh, yeah actually I did.” Hobi’s brows shoot up. “And, how did it go?” “I don’t know what you mean. It’s pretty basic honestly, although not having to pay the yearly membership frees up my funds. Who is this guy anyway? Why do I feel like you’re up to something?” Hobi shrugs. “No one special. Someone I know from the site. Trust that I always have your best interest in mind.” You nod. “Well, I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.” You inform him. He smiles wide, shoving food in his mouth. Your phone vibrates and you look to see a notification from ‘SIO'. You hop in excitement and click it to see a message from Gloss.

‘WildGoddess,

I think that’s the hottest thing I’ve ever read. I’m hard just imagining what your greedy little cunt looks like. You can send me money to my PayMo account, same username, Gloss93. I look forward to working with you. Look for me in your inbox soon enough. Goodnight.

Gloss'

“Good news?” Hobi wiggles his brows at you. “Shut up Hobi. Why don’t you explain to me why you bought that lingerie?” Hobi chews quickly. “Woah, woah, woah. That wasn’t me. I am not your secret admirer ok, I actually voted against you getting that gift.” Your eyes pop open. “Yoongi, that piece of shit!” “What,” Hobi chuckles nervously, “No, who said anything about Yoongi. I didn’t say anything about Yoongi.” Hobi turns pale, eating quickly. “You know Hoseok, you’re a terrible liar. I’m going to kill your friend.” “Come on Y/N, he really likes you. He may be a little, I don’t know, bad, with his approach but he has the best intentions. Give him a chance.” You roll your eyes. You did have a huge crush on him but giving in now would be bad. You just weren’t ready. “Hey, since you’re now a part of ‘SIO’ you wanna come to the annual meet and greet bash they throw?” “Hell no. Isn’t that just some orgy fest?” Hobi laughs loudly. “Well, it can be don’t get me wrong but it’s more so to gain more subscribers and get to know creators you already follow.” “Will Gloss be there? Like does he go?” Hobi’s eyes light up. “Gosh Y/N, you’ve only been subscribed an hour and already you’re addicted huh? He has that effect on people. It’s his voice, I think. Unfortunately, he doesn’t go to any events, he likes anonymity.” You pout a bit. “Well, then, no. I’m good thanks.” “Suit yourself.” You both finish dinner, helping each other clean up. You head off to your room, your phone vibrating. You look to see a notification from ‘SIO’, you plop onto your bed, hands shaking as you open the message.

‘WildGoddess,

This is my first time doing this so I hope it’s good. I must admit I rather enjoyed myself. I hope you will too. Again, welcome to my page. I look forward to working with you. Talk soon.

Gloss’

You grab your headphones, plug them into your phone, and click on the video attached to the note. The camera is pointed at what you imagine is his bed. The sheets are a crisp white. You swallow, your eyes frantically scanning your phone screen when his hand suddenly appears, gliding up the sheet, followed by strained sigh. You feel yourself strain a bit, trying to hear every little thing. Soon, you can hear the sounds of his stroking, the lurid fapping filling your ears, followed by his soft pants. The fingers on his left hand spread wide across the sheet. “Fuck, this feels so good.” You moan at the deep silky sound of his voice filling your right ear. He chuckles into the left ear and you feel a chill travel down your spine causing your back to arch. You focus heavily on the wet sounds filling his room and your ears. He’s stroking so fast now, his breath quickening, pants becoming more desperate. He is sure to move between mics, stimulating both of your ears.

You don’t know when but your hand has made its way into your panties and you whimper touching your swollen bud. “God, I hope you’re touching yourself,” He soon says into your left ear, “filling your tight little cunt up, pretending it’s me. I bet your pussy is so wet right now.” He sniffs into the right ear and you moan loudly into your room. “I bet that cunt smell delicious.” “Fuck!” You cry out, shoving two fingers into your clenching core. You begin to thrust in and out of yourself in conjunction with the delicious sounds of his stroking. He growls into your left ear. “I’m going to cum soon.” Moving to the right ear. “Is that what my greedy WildGoddess wants, my hot cum all over her?” “Yes, yes,” You pant, swirling circles around your bud before returning to your sopping hole, “Please come for me Gloss, please.” You watch as he grips the sheets hard, his veins bulging wildly from the top of his fist. His breath quickens and a relieved groan escapes his throat “Fuuuuuck!” He moans. His climax shooting from off camera onto his clenched fist. The sight causing your cunt to seize wildly around your fingers, your orgasm hits you in a hard crash. You cry his name into the room, your eyes tightly shut, only white bubbles floating in your vision. You soon open your eyes, coming down from your high, the sounds of him giggling gorgeously into the right mic. You look at your phone to see him release his messy fist from around his sheet. “Till next time my WildGoddess.” He declares, shutting the camera off.

Yoongi:

Yoongi rubs his eyes, exhausted from staying up late, hoping to hear from his “WildGoddess” about his video. She never replied, leaving him stuck in his own head all night, tossing and turning. “ICED AMERICANO.” The Barista shouts. Yoongi walks over grabbing his drink with a nod and heads over towards campus kicking himself for agreeing to meet Hobi this early. “Wow! You look like shit.” “Thanks, Hoseok. Not all of us can be a ray of sunshine like you.” “How was last night?” Hobi inquires, wiggling his brows. Yoongi shrugs. “What are you talking about?” “Oh, uh, nothing. Just seeing what you were up to.” Yoongi chuckles, sipping from his drink. “Nothing, I stood up all night, thinking about that goddamn subscriber. She never responded to her video.” Hobi looks at Yoongi with wide eyes. “You sent her a video?” “Yeah, like I do all my subscribers. A welcome video but hers was a little more tailor made if you will. Anyway, she never responded if she liked it or not. I guess I shouldn’t care. She would’ve complained if she didn’t like it.” Hobi nods, then tilts his head, then shrugs. “She liked it.” Yoongi eyes him suspiciously. “Yeah, I guess. Like they say, no news is good news.” “Hey, are you going to go to the Annual meet and greet for ‘SIO' this year.” Hobi asks. Yoongi scoff. “No, I never go to that shit.” “Well, maybe now that you got this mysterious stranger, you know, you would be more interested in it.” “No, we are keeping things anonymous. Just like I like it.” Yoongi clips.

“Well, if you change your mind, I’m going to be going this year.” “You go every year Hoseok, nothing has changed.” Yoongi says. “So, did you happen to take any pictures of Y/N in her gift?” Yoongi asks now. Hobi laughs heartily. “I was in shock at how amazing she looked to be honest. I mean, her ass, AMAZING!” Hobi shakes his head. Yoongi groans, jealous that he wasn’t there to witness her in all her glory. “Why didn’t you drag her along with you today to collect your schedules and pay your school tab off.” “Honestly I don’t know how I can face her after last night.” Yoongi’s ears perk up. “Why? What happened?” Hobi freezes in place, “Uh because of the lingerie thing of course. Why? What did you think?” Yoongi licks his lips, watching Hobi shuffle into the office of the main building. “Hobi, you’re a terrible liar. Did something happen?” “No, of course not. Honestly, it was that. I’ve never seen her so, uh, nude. Yeah, that’s it.” He walks to the secretary at the front desk and asks to pays his student fees. “Cash please and may I have a receipt?” “Sure thing.” She takes his money and prints him a receipt. “Where to now? Breakfast?” Hobi turns to face Yoongi. “How about your place?” He drawls. Hobi chuckles nervously but nods.

Y/N:

You were a panting mess after your third time getting off to the video Gloss sent you. You had been happy when you heard Hobi leave this morning, knowing you could be as loud as you wanted to be. Now, however, you dropped down on your side unable to moved, your battered pussy throbbing, finally allowing your eyes to flutter shut. You feel the edge of your bed shift and you moan unhappily. “You look spent, one would assume you had company last night.” Your eyes pop open to find Yoongi smirking at you from the foot of your bed. You jump up suddenly, tucking your phone and headphones away. “What the fuck are you doing in my room Yoongi?” You seethe, watching him as he eyeballs everything in his surroundings.

“I brought you lunch. Thought you might be hungry.” “OK well, you don’t need to be in here for that so please go.” You wave him off. He smiles seductively, looking at your exposed legs, then up your oversized shirt to your face. “Do you always wear a garter to sleep?” He tilts his head to the side, biting his lip. You look down and quickly tuck the belt under your shirt. “Is that your business Min Yoongi?” He shrugs, dropping his eyes to the ground, bending forward with a suck of his teeth. “They look better with these on.” He whispers, licking his lips. You yank your thong from his fingers, and shove him away. He chuckles, getting up now and moving towards the door. “Has anyone ever told you that you are the most beautiful woman in the world?” “Get the fuck out Yoongi!! HOBI! Come get your friend.” He pouts at you and walks out of your room. You release a sigh, moaning into your hand as you feel your juices coat your cunt. “Fucking Min Yoongi.” You whisper to yourself.

Yoongi:

Yoongi hits refresh for what feels like a hundred times on his ‘SIO' account and nothing. He releases a sigh, whining when Hobi comes around and punches him in the arm. “What was that for?” “Why do you insist on torturing her?” Yoongi can’t help but smile. “She was still wearing the lingerie, well some of it anyhow. Did she have someone over last night? She looked…I don’t know. Satisfied.” Hobi scoffs and shakes his head nervously. “She hasn’t been with someone in a long time. Now please let’s eat.” “I mean you’d tell me, right? If I was wasting my time?” “Oh, so are we now admitting that we have feelings for her and are actively pursuing her?” Hobi snips. Yoongi shrugs. “I’ve always said I had feelings for her. I just never thought I was her type. Not being the point, I don’t want to get involved if she’s involved already.” Hobi shakes his head again. “She’s not. I’d tell you.”

Yoongi sighs in relief, standing straight when Y/N exits her room to join them. She is fully dressed now causing Yoongi to chuckle. “You didn’t have to get all dressed up for me you know. I am all for oversized shirts and no panties.” Yoongi comments. She flips him the bird and walks over to fridge for a beverage. She joins them at the table and they begin to dig into the food. Yoongi watches as Y/N pulls out her phone, stretching a bit as she types, trying to see who she could be texting. “Did you have company last night?” Yoongi inquires. She looks up from her phone at him and smirks. “And what if I did Yoongi?” He shrugs. “Then they are lucky.” She simply laughs but Yoongi feels the sting of jealousy at the thought. He watches as she looks down at her phone. “He would’ve had to crawl up the side of the building because I was right in the living room the whole night.” Hobi interjects. Yoongi’s phone buzzes suddenly and he pulls it out of his pocket. He sits up straight, seeing a notification from SIO.

‘Gloss,

My god! That may have been the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. Is it possible for me to think you are so fucking hot without me ever having seen your face? You may or may not have me sprung. I mean, if beating this pussy 3 times can be considered sprung…. what do you think? Sprung off you?

WildGoddess.’

Yoongi chuckles in shock at the message, looking up suddenly at Y/N. She munches away at her lunch and soon realization hits Yoongi. His heart races and he takes to writing a response to confirm his theory.

WildGoddess,

3 times huh? Someone must be spent today. I’m honored. You should be too; They say third time is the charm. I look forward to making all your filthy dreams come true. Sprung on you too?

Gloss.  

Yoongi hits send, waiting anxiously. Suddenly, Y/N’s phone buzzes and he feels the bile rise in his stomach. He shoots a look at Hobi who locks eyes with him in confusion. Yoongi gives him an angered look and Hobi’s face drops. Yoongi turns to face Y/N when he hears her giggle. “Thanks for lunch guys. I gotta go.” She walks off to her room staring at her phone. Once out of ear shot, Yoongi slams his fist on the table making Hobi jump. “What did you do Hoseok?” “I…. I don’t know what you mean?” “Don’t fuck with me. Is it her? The new user? Is it Y/N?” Hobi drops his fork, looking to her bedroom to ensure the door is closed. “She needed a distraction Yoongi.” Yoongi growls at Hobi’s confirmation, dropping his head in his hands. “I didn’t want to connect with her this way. We have to tell her.” Yoongi gets up and walks towards her room. “No, no, no,” Hobi almost shrieks, yanking Yoongi back to the table, “Look you said you like her. She likes you. She’s just scared ok. This is the perfect opportunity for the two of you to get to know one another without any pressure involved.” “No, only the pressure of a 1000-dollar payment every month.” “Ok, I didn’t anticipate that. Just don’t accept the money. She doesn’t know it’s you she’s talking to. Take her on some dates, then spill the beans but don’t do it now. She’ll kill us both!” “The longer I wait the worse this is Hobi. It’s betraying her trust.” “No, no. Look you’re getting caught up on semantics. I know her best ok. It’s better if she slowly comes out of her shell and this is the perfect way to do that. Trust me. I know what I am doing.” “If this goes south Hobi and believe me it will. I’m throwing you under the bus, better yet, driving it over you.” Yoongi declares in a huff, storming out of the apartment before he changes his mind.

[arhvste]

☼just until i win☼

WRITTEN CHAPTER - WILL CHECK SPELLING ERRORS LATER

an - i’m sorry but things reach their lowest here, grab your knives and get ready to aim at sakai <3

another big big thank you to @totorosleaff once again you’ve been a star and pulled through and helped make my smau so much better i love you wife 💞💖💕💗💘✨

-

oikawa shut his phone off and threw a black t-shirt and some jeans on. luckily he had training at 4pm so he still had time to clear up any miscommunications with sakai and hopefully stop his girlfriend from fretting.

swiping his keycard to his room to lock it on his way out, oikawa swifty made his way to the elevator and slipped out the front entrance. thanks to his choice of lowkey clothing, the setter looked like any other citizen just wandering the streets of tokyo. nobody was paying any mind to him as they went about their own business and let him walk past. he pulled out his phone as he checked the time.

the hotel he was accommodating at with his team wasn't too far from the streets he had agreed to meet sakai at outside the training grounds. he had 5 minutes to get there and he didn't intend on looking stupid and being late so he picked up the pace and walked a little faster to his destination.

-

oikawa arrived 3 minutes later and waited for the girl to arrive. curiosity got the best of him and he ended up pulling out his phone and scrolling through some of the tweets he was mentioned in claiming ridiculous accusations and false stories.

he was so immersed by his phone he didn't noticed the bleached pale blonde approach him.

“hi oikawa! it’s great to finally meet you!”

oikawa put his phone away and nodded at the girl.

“lets go somewhere a little more private.” he said and he pointed towards a more secluded area by a wall that cut the street off slightly.

“i thought the whole reason of us meeting was to stop whatever was going on between us not encourage it ~”

oikawa cringed and turned to glance at the girl who was typing away on her phone paying no mind to his cold stare.

“that's my point, there's nothing, never has been and never will be anything between us. the whole point of us meeting was for you to apologise for all the damage you’ve caused.”

sakai feigned a shocked expression as oikawa turned to face her once they reached the more secluded area.

“damage? oh please it was harmless.”

“harmless? you don't even know what you’ve done do you?”

was this girl for real?

“sorry sorry i just did what i needed to do, since the olympics became the talk of everyone it’s been hard to grab a modelling job. sure i’m well known in the industry but right now agents are looking at pro athletes to model and advertise for them as i suppose it’s a good way to get attention.” sakai explained as she finally put her phone away.

rolling his eyes oikawa stared down at the model.

“that’s not my problem. please stop associating with me you’ve caused a lot of stress and trouble with me and some others.”

“others? oh you mean your little girlfriend? that's partially your fault though, you should've told me you had a girlfriend and maybe things would've been different.”

“i shouldn't have to tell you about my business. i said no the first time you offered your proposition that should've been enough to tell you i wasn't interested in being associated with you.”

oikawa couldn't understand why this girl was being so difficult. the whole reason he’s agreed to meet up with her was for her to apologise in person but he was yet to receive it.

“are you gonna apologise or not? actually don’t bother, it’s not sincere coming from you this is a waste of time.”

sakai sighed and looked up at the athlete.

“no i am sorry i didn't mean any harm. at the same time though, this is your fault for not speaking up about your girlfriend. are you embarrassed by her or something? surely you’ve only been dating a week or something.”

every time this girl opened her mouth, oikawa had to hold back the urge to not uppercut her himself. she was impossible.

“it’s been over a year actually and the happiest year of my life at that. and as for not speaking up about her, i did so in order to protect her from psychos like you.”

“ouch, oikawa you’re meant to be charming no? it seems i’ve been deceived.”

“yeah, just like the media have been by your shitty stirring. look, just give it a rest please, i’ve got enough on my plate in fact i shouldn't even be here now. i was looking forward to coming back, being reunited with old friends and rivals and most importantly my girlfriend. i should be spending as much time as i can with her but no. right now i’m stood here listening to you chat utter shit.”

growing impatient oikawa decided it was probably best to leave it. there was no getting through to sakai she truly was impossible.

“you and your girlfriend are being a little selfish. oikawa listen to me, since we’ve been associated, we’ve been trending more than ever. isn't that great! just hold this up a little longer and then we can stop this but please i’ve been getting all the attention i should've been getting from the start!”

had everything he’d just said gone over her head?

oikawa scoffed and glared down at her through his glasses.

“it seems i have no other option. if you want to act like a simple minded child ill treat you like one. i’ll shut everything down on twitter and just have to publically expose you for what you really are; a liar.”

not bothering to wait for a response, oikawa went to turn to leave the premises and return to his hotel to think about what he was going to say.

not even a split second later a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

oikawa looked ahead of him and saw a stampede of cameras and mics charging their way towards the pair.

not given enough time to process what was going on sakai had him pushed up against the wall he had initially been using to shield himself from the media.

she gripped his shirt and pulled her face close to his before whispering quietly to him.

“yeah? and i’ll have to expose you for what you really are to your girlfriend, a cheat.”

and with that she forced a kiss onto oikawa giving the cameras the show they’d been dying for.

oikawa’s mind went blank and he felt light headed. surely this wasn't happening. he must be going crazy under the stress.

after a few seconds sakai pulled away and winked at the shocked boy as she waved her phone.

so that's why she’d been tapping away on her phone when they met up.

after giving one last sly smile, sakai took her leave with the reporters mindlessly following shouting a million questions at her as the girl bathed in all the new found attention.

oikawa didn't even have the words to call out and object.

he wiped his face and began to process what had just happened.

it couldn't have happened. he was delusional. or so he hoped.

oikawa pulled out his phone and countless notficcations flooded his lock screen as his heart dropped.

he felt sick to his stomach and refused to even try and read them.

unlocking his phone he immediately made his way to his favourite contact list praying that the person he trusted the most would answer.

the phone didn't even need to ring longer than 2 seconds before the line was picked up.

“oikawa, don't speak just listen. i’ve seen it already okay? don't move i’m coming to get you i’ve got you okay just stay calm.”

letting out a small sob, oikawa dropped to his knees as his thoughts began to overwhelm him.

“haijime, what the fuck have i done?”

-

just until i win

oikawa tooru x reader

masterlist

part 18 - stirring

part 19 - sakai

part 20 - iwa to the rescue

PLEASE SEND AN ASK TO BE ADDED TO TAGLIST

☽ taglist ☽

@hakawa24 @cuddlesslut @jinaigoo @lovedanii @anime-simp @ilovesupersoldiers @chaelysian @dawnsbaby @nerdynstoned @totorosleaff @toepetalz @scftsugawara @cuddlyroger @yeahhemmings- @lovinnoya @peachiikichu @fijiangecko @animatedrapture @caramel-chuuya @angrylittlezizi @cloudykarasuno

[prorevenge]

Coworker tried to get me fired over breast implants, so I pulled a reverse uno card.

4 years ago now, when I was 24, my mum died of breast cancer, and as both my grandmothers had also died of it I saw a specialist for a screening. I found out I had some cells in one of my breasts that could have turned cancerous at any given moment.

I was told I had a few options:

I could have regular screenings every 3 or 4 months until it does develop into cancer (I was told the risk of the cells becoming cancerous was very high due to family history) but it could also potentially never could turn so I'd just be getting these screenings for no reason

I could get a single mastectomy on the breast with the bad cells, but they'd need to keep an eye on the other one, so I'd still need regular checkups for the other breast

I could get a bilateral mastectomy and remove all of my breast tissue, basically eliminating the risk.

I went for the bilateral mastectomy. It was admittedly the most drastic option but after seeing what cancer did to my mum and grandmothers I didn't want to risk it.

I was warned about scarring but told it should be fairly minor. It wasn't and I was left with 2 huge, pink, jagged scars on either side of my chest, each about an inch long and half an inch wide, and it caused me to go into a severe depression, where it got to the stage of me not even leaving my flat because I didn't want people to see me, throwing out my mirrors, and getting physically sick looking at myself.

I went to a therapist, who suggested a plastic surgeon. The therapist said they'd never normally do that but it was clearly something I was struggling with and I might never get over it, and the therapist could see why I struggle with it. Although I'll admit the therapist did send me to ask about scar reduction. The plastic surgeon suggested a cream, a laser or implants. The cream didn't work, and the laser was both expensive and risky, so I went with the implants. My natural boobs were an F cup so I went with a slightly smaller DD. Since then my mental health has improved and I feel a lot better about the way I look. My confidence has gone up, as has my self esteem. I know I shouldn't put so much into my appearance but I wasn't exaggerating about these scars. Huge, bright pink, jagged, raised, just really awful to look at and I hated seeing myself, and they are now nicely hidden away and you can barely feel them.

​

In the present day, I'm 28 years old and working in an office. I'm doing a lot better than I was. My coworker, Jill, found out I'd had a boob job (but not about the cancer thing), when myself and my friend from years before the mastectomy were planning a holiday and she made a joke about me going on a plane with my implants, and Jill overheard. By the end of the day, the entire office knew I'd had a boob job, but not why, and half a dozen people confirmed Jill had told them.

Over the next few months Jill made many "jokes" and comments about my chest to coworkers when I was in earshot, at one point saying I had "more plastic than Barbie" and calling me "fake in two ways". I didn't hear this one myself but a friend in the office told me that Jill had at one point referred to me as a "sack of silicone".

IDK what her problem was exactly but at one point she mentioned the NHS so I assume Jill thought that I'd got my tits done for free on taxpayer money (I'd gotten the mastectomy on NHS but gone private for therapy and implants).

I asked her to stop more than once, but unfortunately the places I'd talked to her were places like the lift and the women's bathroom, where there weren't any cameras, and Jill just kept making comments no matter how often I asked her not to. I wouldn't say it was every single day, but I heard at least 3 comments per week for 3 months.

I hit my breaking point when me, Jill and a few other coworkers were having lunch, I referred to something as being shallow and Jill said "you'd know all about being shallow" while gesturing to my chest. I snapped.

I said "do you know why I have these? A few years ago the doctors found potentially cancerous cells in my breast tissue, I was advised to get a mastectomy and was left with huge ugly scars on my chest. I went to see a therapist who sent me to a cosmetic surgeon, who advised me to get implants to hide the scars, and I did just so I could look at myself in the mirror without crying. So maybe next time you want to judge someone for having cosmetic surgery, you should ask them why they had it first". And feeling like that was a mic drop moment I picked up my food and left.

For the rest of the day I had about 1/3 of my office come up to me and offer support, and the rest tell me that Jill was just joking around and I was being a bitch. I replied that Jill was being a bitch long before I was.

I then got an email from HR saying they wanted to talk to me the following day, and when I called for clarification they mentioned a "hostile work environment" (note: this is apparently an American term and holds little weight in England but it's what was said over the phone). I knew the person who signed off the email and I'd spoken to. Her name was Debbie, and she was Jill's friend in HR so I was fairly confident on who had reported me.

​

I realised that if this was already being sent to HR, I needed as much ammunition as possible, so I went about collecting my information.

As Debbie had dealt with me so far, it was safe to assume she would be the person reviewing the complaint with me, and if that was true I was fucked. However, I vaguely remembered a section on complaints that was in my contract when I first signed with the company. I flicked through the contract and there was a part in complaints section that said I was contractually allowed to request a change of reviewer if I felt my allocated reviewer was biased. It was called an "impartial overseer". I photocopied the page and highlighted that part.

Then I messaged the people who had offered their support over facebook, and said basically "HR have asked to see me. Do any of you remember Jill insulting me to your face and are you willing to write and sign something saying what you heard and when?". Not everyone was willing to help as Jill is somewhat feared in the office due to her befriending HR and management but about 20 people were willing to help me.

I guessed roughly when I'd asked Jill to stop previously (the 4 asks over the last few months, some timings were easy to guess as they'd happened on my break or when I'd first arrived at work) and I wrote them all down, along with a rough time of when the lunchroom confrontation happened and a list of names of who was there for the lunchroom confrontation.

​

I got to work slightly early the next morning. I went round everyone who had messaged me and most of them managed to give me a printed and signed letter (some didn't manage to write one but nbd). This isn't exact words as there's 16 letters to sum up here but the gist was:

"My name is [their name]. I work with Jill Lastname and OP. On [date] at [time] (approx), I spoke with Jill Lastname, during which she referred to OP as [quoted insult]. I felt this was inappropriate as it directly related to OP's appearance and am willing to go on record further to establish that Jill Lastname has been discussing OP in the workplace in the same manner for 3 months now, causing me discomfort and creating what I feel is a hostile work environment. Signed [their name]"

I wound up with about 16 letters, all from different people, and one of them was in the lunchroom for my conversation with Jill. Some even had bulletpointed lists of everything Jill had said to them about me or other people, as it turns out Jill has issues with a lot of people's appearances. She apparently made comments about one coworker's weight, and something antisemitic about a different coworker's nose, all of which were put in these letters. There are about 45 people in the office so while 16 wasn't a majority, it's still a decent amount. The letters weren't hugely long, most were only a paragraph, but they had all the necessary information.

​

I was asked to come to HR at 10am. I took the letters from coworkers, the photocopy of the page in my contract, and my dates and times in a little folder with me.

I got there and Debbie was the one overseeing the interview. She got up from her desk, ready to lead me into another room.

I immediately turned to the other HR worker that was currently there and said "so is my meeting with you, then?"

Debbie said "no, you're with me."

I replied that this wouldn't sit well with me, as "my contract states I have a right to an impartial overseer" and as I said this I took the contract page out of my folder. Debbie read it (I wouldn't let her take the paper when there was a shredder so close by) and said she could be impartial. I replied that I really didn't mean to be a pain, but I had it on good authority that the person on the other end of this complaint is her friend, and my contract does say I'm allowed an impartial overseer.

Debbie stomped off to get Supervisor. Supervisor asks how I know she can't be impartial and I tell him that I have it on good authority that the Jill, who was on the other end of this complaint, is a close friend of Debbie. He asked Debbie if this was true, to which she only replied "I can be impartial".

Supervisor took a deep breath, asked the other HR rep to come with him, and the four of us all went to review the complaint. I thanked them for being so accommodating (I was worried I'd annoyed them), Debbie took out the complaint and all 3 of them went through it with me. Debbie looked homicidal the whole time the interview was happening, as she had clearly anticipated firing me (or at least recommending me being fired).

​

The interview went something like this. It took like over half an hour and they kept asking me the same questions but phrased different ways so this is a really drastically condensed version.

Q: You said outside that you think Jill Lastname reported you. Why is this?

A: Jill has had an issue with me for about 3 months now

Q: Why didn't you come to us when you realised Jill had an issue?

A: I had no issue with her

Q: What issue does Jill have with you?

A: Four years ago a specialist identified potentially cancerous cells in my breast tissue. I had surgery to remove my breast tissue, thereby removing the cells and the risk. After the surgery I was left with large scars on my chest. I went to a therapist for low self esteem and depression. The therapist suggested a plastic surgeon who suggested breast implants to cover my scars. All of this is in my medical history which you have a copy of in my file and my full permission to review. Jill found out about my breast implants but didn't know about the cancer. Jill had a problem with my breast implants, and decided to communicate this problem to our coworkers.

Q: Why do you feel this is true?

A: Here's 16 signed statements all from different coworkers, all testifying that Jill told the entire office I'd had breast implants on the day she found out and has since made comments about these implants frequently. They have quotes of what Jill said to them about it and rough dates and times.

Q: Rough dates and times?

A: No one knew this would be escalated to such an extent so no one really took notes as and when it happened.

Q: What event or events do you think directly led to this complaint of harassment?

A: For me harassment began when Jill told everyone about my breast implants without my consent, but as to the complaint placed against me, it would probably be what happened at about [time] yesterday in the lunch room. Jill made a comment about me being shallow while gesturing to my breasts and I replied by giving her an abridged version of my relevant medical history and ending with a comment about the importance of getting the full story. There are cameras in the lunch room, so I'm sure you'll be able to find that conversation. I'll admit I could have handled the situation better, but after 3 months I felt I had to put my foot down. Here's a list of names of people who were also present. There were 6 people at the table, including myself and Jill. One of these people is also in those letters, and has written their account of the conversation and signed it.

Q: Had you had a conversation with Jill prior to this regarding her comments about you?

A: Several, spaced out over the last 3 months. Each time I communicated to her that I felt uncomfortable and upset with these comments she was making and would appreciate it if she were to stop.

Q: To your knowledge, was Jill made aware of your former cancer at any point in this time?

A: No. It wasn't mentioned in the conversation with my friend she overheard and I didn't tell her because frankly it's none of her business and I did not feel the need to detail my medical history to a coworker in order to avoid further sexual harassment.

Supervisor stands up and says "well I think we're done here". He shakes my hand and sends me back to my desk saying that I'd hear from them after they reviewed the evidence (letters, CCTV, medical history and anything they had already) and made a decision on the case.

​

I got back to my desk, pulled up my CV, and prepared to start the job search again.

About an hour goes by, then the person who wrote the letter and was there for the lunchroom conversation gets called for a meeting with HR. They come back 10ish minutes later.

The other people who were also there for the lunchroom conversation get called one by one, except Jill. All of them are gone for about 10 minutes then come back, find a coworker, and say that HR wants to see them.

Then the people who wrote letters but weren't there yesterday are also called one by one and are each gone for about 10 minutes each, some longer, some shorter. By about 3:30 it looks like everyone who wrote a letter or was there in the lunch room has been interviewed.

Then, finally, Jill gets called in. She's gone for about 30 minutes and comes back fuming. She glares at me while I work, but I ignore her.

4:30ish, Jill gets called into HR again. 5 pm rolls around, everyone is either leaving or getting ready to leave, when Jill storms back into the office. She glares at me the whole time she packs up her desk. She then starts telling anyone who will listen that I got her fired before shoving her way onto the lift.

An email comes in from HR. My case is closed.

(source) story by (/u/3240278189)

[greymattermaelstrom]

Ozlander Fan Gathering 2020  -   The Rik and Sophie Show

I attended Ozlander in Melbourne. What an incredible weekend so would like to share my Ozlander experience with you. Of course, it was during the very early days of covid-19 which I’ll address shortly. I’d never met any of the cast before, nor any group of like minded fans. Of course, you are usually lucky to know anyone who watch the TV show (not counting a partner) in your circle of friends let alone personally know a group of fans to chat with. It’s funny though, I’m not sure what I expected, but I thought people would have in depth discussions about OL characters/plots during coffee breaks or in line ups for autographs/photos. I didn’t experience that. I think it was a given that we were all deep into OL. Instead, I found we just chatted and got to know each other, ‘Where are you from?’ etc. As this was the first formal Outlander convention held in Australia, this was big news. I bought my ticket the day they were available (Nov 2019). It was a long way off but I knew the gathering would occur a short time after the first few episodes of Outlander S5 were broadcast, so when S5 started airing, my anticipation grew. Prices were steep admittedly, but a number of us felt it may be the first and last opportunity to meet a cast member, so we did what we could to get there (i.e. sell the healthiest child, blackmail the rich, etc).

Article from “The Scottish Banner” Feb 2020.

Unfortunately, 4 weeks out, Ed Speleers withdrew due to work commitments but local, David Berry, was announced as his replacement on the same day. Then 10 days out, Graham McTavish withdrew due to work commitments in Slovakia. No news of a replacement was announced (I learnt at the event that organising a visa etc with Covid-19 developing had made it nigh on impossible to organise a replacement in time). Ozlander organisers revisited the program and added extra value features to the various tiers. The gathering weekend was so close, yet seemed so far away in these uncertain times. Every day, I anticipated receiving an email stating it had been cancelled. I knew the organisers must have been pulling their hair out. Selfishly and as long as it was safe to do so, I was hoping it would still go ahead. The virus was not as advanced in Australia. Most of our relatively low number of cases were brought in by travellers (residents returning or tourists) from Europe/Asia before flying was cancelled. The Federal Government had restricted public gatherings to less than 500 at the time. Attendance was actually under 200.  FYI, below are the global covid-19 stats as of 19 April 2020, a month later. Australia’s population is 25 million.

A few days after the Ozlander event, only crowds of less than 100 were permitted by the govt. We were so, so lucky!! Of course, that reduced further as precautions were implemented over time. We have self-isolation and a lot of business closures, cancellation of sports/entertainment etc. It is dreadful, but not a total lock down in Australia. We could walk dogs and make necessary trips to the supermarket, pharmacy, doctor or special court appearances. Anyway, just wanted to address this concern. ~ Tickets sold well (premium tickets sold out). I saw fans on sm stating the date of the event clashed or it was a bit expensive so I know more wanted to come. Yes, the cost was relatively high. Return airfares for cast, accommodation, plus I assume their appearance fee was always going to be an expensive venture, especially as our AUD had been declining sharply against the USD for some time. Australia can miss out on some things because of distance and a relatively small population, but overall, I think we have done well over the years. ~ Rik (Richard) and Sophie posted IG photos from Melbourne a couple of days before the event. Yay!! They were in the country at least, enjoying the sunsets, cuddling koalas and hypnotising wallabies lol. Sophie posted a selfie from a public toilet (bathroom) - as you do. See Sam’s comment below. Toilet paper was becoming a precious commodity....🤔

So the odds looked good and finally, Ozlander arrived.🥳 Before we took our seats, a lone piper slowly walked into the throng playing Waltzing Matilda (iconic Australian bush ballad) which segued into Outlander's theme song. Goosebumps! Applause all 'round. The piper was a big fan too.

What a thrilling start to proceedings. We took our seats and Meagan Taylor (the one who dared dream the dream), welcomed everyone. The age range of fans was predominately 40-65. We were excited and expectant. Housekeeping announcements focused on coronavirus precautions of course. Wash hands, use hand sanitiser when you can't, no handshaking and no touching the cast. This last request was a little disappointing after seeing photos from other OL cons, but it was quite understandable. I think we were just over the moon Ozlander went ahead so we were more than happy to comply and consider the health and safety of others. Then Meagan had the unenviable task of informing us David Berry had unfortunately cancelled his appearance due to health reasons. Yikes! What a shame. (David released a press statement 15 March(?) outlining his difficult decision. Sydney is Australia's Covid-19 hot spot, so David being a Sydneysider, had to consider this I guess). There are IG photos of David, Rik and Sophie together in Australia, just not sure where. So of course, it surprised everyone that David wasn't attending. Refunds of his meet and great and the re-jigging of tiers was to be announced on the fly. Then there were two, Rik and Sophie (and no pressure whatsoever!)🤪. Meagan then advised that the five panels across the weekend would be all audience Q & A which got a loud cheer. On with the show! The Rik and Sophie show! 🎉 They came on stage ready for a good time. Rik opened with 'G'day'. Great start I thought and continued his half decent Australian accent. It's a hard accent to imitate as we know. Rik's was a bit exaggerated but that was part of the fun. 

‘G’day. ‘How are ya’?’

Sophie in an outfit she bought here. Same brand as Saturday’s dress that she brought with her.

Roger Mac is in da house.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I have seen Rik and Sophie in a lot of interviews, OL promos (talking to camera) and taking part on OL panels on YouTube. I can find their rapport a little strained and snarky at times. Luckily, I was very pleasantly surprised that their 2020 version was very endearing and entertaining. I think they’ve worked on this. I also think, that the spectre of Sam and Cait, through no fault of their own, does loom large at cast events. Therefore, it was great to see Rik and Sophie rise to the challenge of working the room in the absence of their cast mates. And I think they really relished this (albeit exhausting) opportunity and the small theatre made it a casual and intimate affair. They answered questions in an engaging manner and often expanded on it, citing on set examples, many I’ve never heard before, and I’ve seen a lot of OL interviews. Almost as soon as they came on stage, Rik was asked if he would play his guitar and sing for us. While flattered, I think it was too early in the piece and he said maybe he would do so during the weekend sometime. Alas, time wasn’t on our side so it didn’t eventuate. ~ Rik was asked if his hair ticks were under control (ep 501)😂. Combing his fingers through his hair, he replied in his strong Scottish brogue that most of them were gone now. Good sport. ~ He was told the OL bts photos he posts on sm (taken on set) were great and much appreciated and to keep them coming to which the audience applauded. I think he quietly enjoyed that moment. All creatives will take that, knowing their skills and hard work meant something to someone, much like our appreciation for OL and these sorts of events!

Then on to costumes, wigs and make up. It was thought that it must be nice to have your scalp/hair attended to in the makeup. ‘No, it’s not’ R&S said in unison.😂 Verra uncomfortable process apparently. The hair is flattened and held down with clips. The hairline edge of the wig is ‘glued’ to the top of your forehead and then alcohol is used to get the glue off after shooting, which dries the skin. Some hair falls out over time with this process also. We know this has happened to Sam to an extent.😬 Rik is hoping to grow his hair long enough so he doesn’t need a wig, which accounts for his current hirsute glory. ~ Sophie said they both share a make up trailer and added that Rik has a magic make up chair. Being early morning, he often goes to sleep in it and upon waking up, hey presto, it’s Roger Mac. At make up time, they do know if the other is a bit touchy, so they try not to annoy each other. Too much.😂 ~ At one stage, we were a bit shy in asking questions. Meagan said if this was in the US, there’d be a line up for the mic.😂

Ozlander Fan Gathering 2020 selfie. 

~ Sophie responded to a geeky question about wearing wireless mics secreted in their costumes or hair as well using the usual overhead boom mics you see on bts videos. She was asked about her experience with ADR which she’s not a great fan of it. The audience asked, ‘What’s ADR?’ There are a few accepted terms in the industry, Additional Dialogue Replacement is one. It’s when some dialogue needs to be re-recorded late in post production if the original dialogue audio recording at the time is less than optimal for a variety of reasons (thanks Google). Sophie gave an instance when in S4, Bree told Claire she had been raped. The stream in the background got into the dialogue mics too much in this particular outdoor location, so Sophie had to re-record her dialogue (like lip syncing) saying exactly what she said at the time, whilst watching the scene on a screen in a recording studio. It’s hard to get the context and emotion of the scene back into your voice and that’s why some actors hate doing it and plead to have the original dialogue kept as much as possible. But ADR happens more than you realise and for various reasons (see Google). It is impossible to tell when you watch the show, what scenes have had ADR done, it’s blended so well. They would record the stream/ ambient sounds separately at some point and then mix it in lower against the dialogue after ADR is done. 😅

 ~ Sophie talked about her audition process and was sat down in an exec’s office and was told OL fans are very passionate! (we are?🤔😁). They have an idea of how book Brianna should look and Sophie confirmed she wasn’t tall enough, eyes the wrong colour, etc and that yeah, as expected, she received some not so nice things on sm. But she tried not to read too much of it and pressed on with the role of Bree. Her tone wasn’t sarcastic or indignant at all, but humble. I was impressed. 

Queuing for photos with Rik or Sophie on this occasion. We weren’t allowed to touch but we all had a squirt of hand sanitiser (just to be super safe?).🤔            

There were a few photo opportunities over the weekend and a bonus or two thrown in make up for the cast that couldn’t make it. A refund was offered for people with meet and greet tickets for David. However, R & S kindly offered to do a meet and greet for David’s fans instead and they happily accepted. Legends! I don’t know where they found the energy to be constantly ’on’ with so many people over the weekend. Chocolate? Youth?  ~ As it was a small event, there weren’t any extra security staff that I could see. I think it was only the Museum staff and the security cameras which were hardly noticeable. ~ When getting my autographs, Rik and Sophie didn’t ask for my name, but when I read their personal messages, they had used my name (which they’d seen on my Ozlander lanyard. How cool is that? Very slick!). There were assorted costumes, the de rigueur wedding dress of Claire’s which added to the ambience. Of course, most of the audience were women but good to see a handful of men there, some even in kilts! Saw some Aussie Peakers in their MPC tees too. Cool. 

To settle a pronunciation question, Sophie asked the audience after lunch, ‘Is it scone (as in, phone) or scone (as in, shone)? 

An emphatic SCONE (shone) came back. Rik said “Oh, wow, a shouting(?) majority?’ 

Just to be sure, someone asked who lost, Rik pointed at Sophie. He didn’t gloat too much. Poor Sophie!

Of course, what would an OL event be without the cast having a drink or two to lubricate the tonsils (as we say).

Here are a few more tidbits. All the info I’m sharing has been gleaned from the panels and time spent with Rik and Sophie over the weekend as my tier allowed (which was a lot). ~ Yes, they had tried Vegemite (similar to marmite/promite), courtesy of David Berry. Sophie has some in Scotland. Onya Davo! (good on you David). Incidentally, Sam tried some when he was here in 2016 on Studio 10 (morning talk show - March 2016, his interview is on You Tube). It’s a thing. ~ Rik didn’t know if Sam’s whisky would be his cup of tea, but said it was ‘good actually’. ~ Rik was sometimes surprised by the particular take post production used for the show, but was more surprised by what was edited out of a scene (to add dynamics or guide the narrative a certain way which would apply to all productions everywhere). ~ The pyre scene with the Jesuit Priest at the Mohawk Village Ep 412 was hard to watch on TV. He said it was hard to watch them shoot that scene on set as it was so dangerous!😬 ~ Sophie very occasionally discussed the historical accuracy of things in a scene with directors ie. birthing stool or not in Ep 413 and 1960′s The Mashed Potato moves in S5 are different to how we know them now. She convinced the director’s on those 2 occasions. To me, it shows her passion for the show! ~ When asked about Bree meeting Jamie for the first time in S4, Sophie was asked about the eww factor but didn’t think about Jamie’s hand touching her face after he had relieved himself as he had only used a fruit juice bottle.🤣 ~ R & S were asked to respond to: ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!’ And with relish they replied: ‘Oi, Oi, Oi!’. Someone did their homework. Cool. It’s a parochial call and response thing some aussies do at sporting events etc. ~ R & S often went for an early morning run. Before Sunday’s program began, Meagan asked us all to be very quiet. ‘That sound’, she said, ‘is Rik having his hair blown dry backstage.’ Laughter at Rik’s expense all round. Sophie came on with her’s still damp.

Graham McTavish ‘popped’ in from Slovakia to say hi and sorry I can’t be there. Rik and Graham had a good rapport. After some banter, the audience was now supposed to ask a question and GM rolled his eyes as he heard Rik’s voice again, this time asking him what he conditioned his beard with? ‘Well”, said GM, ‘well Richard, um, I, ahh (chuckle), I condition it with...., obviously a little bit of your love ..’. Much laughter in the theatre.

Then GM commented further, (which I missed, sadly), to even more laughter.

Who knows what would have happened had GM been at the event in person?! There is so much more I could share, but you get the idea. 

Sophie wasn’t feeling the best during the last panel just before the close of the event, but she pushed through like a trooper. Rik said she had eaten too much chocolate. A weakness of Sophie’s. I think fatigue was catching up with both of them. They did so much.

Meagan presented Rik and Sophie with an Akubra (pron. uh·koo·bruh) each (iconic Australian outback hat) as a memento of their time here at Ozlander. Rik had the Crocodile Dundee style whilst Sophie’s was more demure. In his best aussie lingo, Rik said: ‘I’m Richard Dundee and this is my partner, Skippy (Sophie).’ (Referencing Skippy the bush kangaroo ? - a much loved Australian TV show 1968-1970). 

The Scottish Banner article promised an intimate relaxed chance to get to know stars from the Outlander TV series and I’m happy to say that this is exactly what we got. Whilst it’s a shame we didn’t get to know Ed, Graham or David better, we certainly got to know Rik and Sophie better than we had ever anticipated. As a result, I see Rik and Sophie in a new light, esp in S5, where they have more scenes together. In a small way, I’ve gotten to know a little of the person that inevitably informs their TV persona (ie facial expressions, mannerisms, speaking cadence and inflections). What a memorable time I had (can you tell?). Thanks to Rik and Sophie, the gathering organisers (who got a special mention on stage at the close) and the other fans I met there. Thanks for reading this far on a rather lengthy post.😊 I know it’s my take on the weekend, but I’ve tried not to editorialise it, but present it, as accurately as I can, hence, it may be a bit dry to read.😅  I think Ozlander is a great name and I look forward to Ozlander Fan Gathering 2021.  

Ozlander graphics: Ozlander Fan Gathering (I tweaked the circle logo in the title)

Ozlander Fan Gathering 2020 selfie: Ozlander Fan Gathering

other photos: all permissions obtained    

Ozlander Fan Gathering article: The Scottish Banner February 2020

Sophie Skelton post: Instagram

global covid-19 cases stats: Wikipedia

[cmzucchero]

i have no ‘sick days’

summary: it’s flu season, and the bau has a sick garcia on their hands

requested: yup! :) (requests are still open!!)

warnings: normal criminal minds stuff

———————————————————————

“Good morning, all of my wonderful-“

Garcia’s welcoming was interrupted by her loud sneeze, causing Spencer to scoot a bit closer to Morgan and away from Garcia.

Hotch, Rossi, and JJ all said “bless you” in unison without looking up from their files.

“Excuse me, thank you- wonderful crime fighters. We have a new case- someone horrible is hitting Atlanta Georgia.”

“Why are they calling us? This looks like any usual gang kill.” Derek pointed out.

“Because...” Garcia fidgeted with the remote and pulled up a set of photos the city’s M.E. had taken. “All of the victims have had an itsy bitsy little number on their arm. The first time the M.E. noticed it, the number was already at 8...now it’s at 11. She located most of the other victims.”

“What on earth would cause someone to murder 11 kids?” Emily asked with a look dusted with disgust.

“Why did it take so long for the police to contact us?” Derek asked

“Well, one police captain thought they were all kids from the same gang- which they are- but after poking around the other captain noticed not everyone had a number...only the victims. I do want to wa-war-“ another sneeze came from Garcia making everyone jump, and Spencer inching even closer to Morgan.

“Garcia, are you feeling okay?” JJ asked, worry starting to fill everyone’s faces.

“-warn you that the two captains are butting heads. Yes I’m fine, I must have allergies or something, I’ll go take some allegra.”

After some more questions and statements, hotch told everyone they’ll be leaving in 30 minutes.

Derek and JJ followed Garcia to her ‘bat cave’ after grabbing their go bags.

“Garcia, are you sure it’s allergies, nothing is in season.” JJ asked

“Yeah, it’s probably dust.” Garcia said, taking her seat in her ‘throne of all knowledge’.

“Baby girl, they clean and dust this place every night.”

“Actually, our janitors come in about every week. There are seven floors, so they do a floor every night.” Spencer chimed in from the door, not daring to come in any closer.

“Yes, exactly, allergies! Thank you boy wonder.”

“But, with that being said, this year the flu has a sudden spike. People are twice as likely to get it. Because of the lack of cleaning, anyone who has it can spread it to an entire floor.”

Everyone in the room slowly started getting farther apart from each other.

“But I don’t get sick.” Garcia said defensively.

“Actually-“

“Save it boy wonder. I break statistics. I haven’t gotten sick in 15 years. Strep was the last thing I got. Damn you Terry.” Garcia said the last part more towards herself but everyone shared glances and raised eyebrows in response.

“Garcia I think you should probably still sit at home.” JJ offered

“If i’m infected I won’t infect anyone else, I’m in my own bubble.”

Spencer was about to respond with another technicality, but Hotch interrupted his thought stating the plane was ready.

After the team landed and everyone got settled into their new office accommodations, Emily called Garcia for any new background information on their victims.

“Hey Garcia,” JJ started.

“Hello my lovely lady and gents, I assume you’re calling for some background info on our victims.”

“You read our mind” Emily said smiling, looking over the file once again.

“Aw are you still surprised by that, darling?” Garcia quipped. “Well their backgrounds are all tragically similar. They all have absent parents, all failing or dropped out of school, most of them have criminal records- theft, fights, vandalism- all that. It’s the make-up of any stereotypical gang member.” After Garcia said all of this, she muted herself before letting out a series of coughs. She knew if Hotch suspected her of being sick, him and all of the other members would insist on her going home. 

“Thank you, Garcia.” Hotch answered stone faced. 

Garcia went to unmute her mic when she noticed the red light wasn’t on. ‘shi-’ 

“You’re welcome, sir. Call me if you’ve got any more questions!” Garcia quickly hung up, hoping, miraculously, they did not hear her coughs. That hope was quickly disappearing when a string of knocks interrupted the silence of her dark room. 

She stumbled up from her chair and made her way to the door, swinging it open. Anderson stood there smiling.

She let out a huff, and turned her back. He followed her in and shut the door behind him. 

“This is not necessary, I’m not sick.” Garcia said, still not turning around.

“My orders come from Agent Hotchner, I’m sorry Garcia, but he insisted.” 

Penelope let out another huff and started looking around the room for all of her belongings she will need for the time out. 

“Fine, but you tell agent hotchner that I will still be assigned to this case. I can do every bit of it from my humble abode as I can here.” Garcia said with a persistent and annoyed tone. 

Anderson put his hands up, and stepped aside so Penelope could walk by. 

After Anderson escorted Penelope into her apartment, he left her feeling annoyed, although, deep down, she felt very warm and cheerful, knowing how much her team cared for her. 

After setting up her makeshift computer station, she went to the kitchen.

“Hmm... well Penelope, if you are sick, I guess you need some food, don’t you?” Garcia said to herself. 

“Okay, but I’m not really hungry...” Garcia stood in front of the open fridge, contemplating her options. 

Sergio came up and rubbed up against her legs, hoping to get a special treat he knew garcia kept in the fridge- but to no avail.

Garcia shut the door and made her way back to her living room, where she will be conducting her magic. 

Hours went by of Garcia looking at the victims, their families and friends, and records of the gang they were a part of. Finally, her phone rang.

“Oh, I thought you guys forgot about me!” Garcia said exasperated.

“Who could ever forget you, baby girl?” Derek quipped. 

Garcia let out a soft chuckle, focusing on the topic again when she heard Reid start talking.

“Do you have any information on the gang leader’s right-hand man, Emmett Mundane?”

“Yes, I do. I did some research while waiting in my jail cell.”

Rossi’s voice suddenly happened into the call. 

“I hardly think your apartment would be as bland as a jail cell.” 

“You would be correct; however, that does not mean I can’t get claustrophobic.”

“Garcia, you work in a dark room for 40 plus hours a week.” Emily said, leaning towards the phone. 

“It’s different when you’re forced into isolation, Em. I just sent all of the info on Mundane. Does he look good for it?”

“We think so- Thank you Garcia.” derek ended

There was some more downtime, now being spent watching doctor who and supergirl reruns. 

Garcia decided she should probably check her temperature just in case, since she was starting to heat up.

“jeez, 101!” Garcia started to feel a bit guilty going to work with a fever, possibly infecting others. She started cleaning up her small apartment, knowing she will not be feeling up to doing much of anything in the following days. After she finished sweeping, she made herself a cup of water and a smoothie filled with super fruits and kale, then, once again sitting down to watch her tv shows.

The team called Garcia when they got onto the plane. It turns out that Emmett was the unsub. He started picking off all of the kids that he thought could threaten his attention from the gang leader. The numbers turned out to be how he thought the were kids ranked, in his eyes. 

After some time and a quick nap later, Garcia heard a knock coming from her door. She checked the peep-hole and saw the morphed and funny-looking versions of her team. She unlocked the door and slowly started to open it.

The team was welcomed in by Garcia covering the bottom half of her face in her shirt she pulled up in hopes to block any virus from coming out. They filed in, each holding something to help Garcia get up to her usual perky self. JJ brought some brownies, Emily brought wine, Rossi brought a pasta dish that supposedly cured his grandmother’s cancer, Hotch brought soup, Spencer brought some health juice that was jammed packed with carefully chosen healing super fruits and ingredients, and Derek brought a huge stuffed animal and a peach smoothie. 

Garcia’s heart swelled and her eyes started to swell up with tears. She met the faces of her team, all looking at her with sympathy and wishing they had their Garcia back. Not a second went by before Garcia’s eyes grew and she started ushering her friends out of her “infected apartement”. She thanked all of them, sincerely and shut the door. 

She walked to the kitchen where everything was left, cupping her hands over her heart. 

‘I really do have the best people, don’t I’ she thought to herself before digging into all of her goodies.

AN: I hope you guys enjoyed this! To anon, I really hope I fulfilled the request! It was so much fun to write! I just got my old laptop to start working again so I can write more often, so keep sending those requests!! Thank you for reading! Love you guys!! <3

[chilly-me-softly]

Your very shy daughter from another relationship finally meeting Ben, as you have been dating for a while now and Ben does his ultimate best to break the ice between the two, constantly asking you if he is doing something wrong as you have to convince him it's all fine and your little girl just needs time to adjust to a new person in her life

“Sweetie” you whisper, stroking your little girl’s back, she’s lying on top of you watching cartoons. A little hum makes you realize that she’s listening to you even though she only has eyes for those weird shapes that move in your television.

Suddenly it’s as if you don’t know any English words anymore, scared of what you want to say to her. Emma is three years old and practically since she started walking it’s always been just the two of you, between you and her father there was no longer a relationship as there used to be but he still wanted to be there to raise his daughter.

And just when she was with her father, you started taking time for yourself. At first it was just catching up on sleep when Em was little, then it had become an opportunity to be alone to go for a walk or look for a place to work that wasn’t home. And on one of those occasions, you met Ben.

That diner was really intimate, you could stay there for hours doing whatever you wanted - helping the economy of the place obviously - and it wasn’t the meeting place for teenagers after school or noisy groups so it was a great place.

You’d met Ben by chance, he was sitting at a table not far away from you and for some strange reason you kept getting curious looks at each other. Until he mentioned if he could approach you and the chair in front of you was occupied for the first time in months.

Talking to him was easy, you hadn’t had contact with the male world for a long time and you had met Emma’s father at school so you thought you were a bit rusty. But to your great surprise you felt immediately at ease, something in his expression or the way he laughed struck you.

Then he asked if he could see you again, and that’s when you knew it could became a thing. The weight of your life had suddenly returned to your shoulders again. For those hours in his company you had even forgotten you had a daughter and you don’t know if it’s a good thing or not. You try to explain your situation to him without going into details - not wanting to scare him right away - and he’s so sweet and accommodating that you give him a second date.

During the week you think about it a lot, so for obvious reasons he’s the first guy you’ve felt something for since things with Em’s father ended and you didn’t want to misunderstand how you feel. Just because a guy’s taken an interest in you doesn’t mean you have to fall in love with him.

But the more you get on with Ben, the more your heart starts feeling things you thought you’d never be able to feel anymore. You decide to tell him about Emma when he offers to walk you home after a night together, making sure your feelings are real it’s time to drop the bomb.

Ben’s surprised, he can’t help but be surprised, but that’s not the end of the night. What was supposed to be just a walk to get you home, find yourself on your couch talking about the little girl. Ben seems really interested in her, in your story, but still he never pushes you to say what you don’t want.

You act like a proud mother, showing him pictures and videos and laughing all of a sudden because ‘maybe I’m talking too much’. But he shuts you up right away with a kiss, and it’s not that you haven’t already kissed on your other dates but this is the most special of all.

That night you invite him to stay over, sharing a bed with someone other than a three-year-old is comfortable in a way. Being there in Ben’s arms is familiar, his perfume cradles you until you fall asleep and for the first time in years you allow yourself to relax.

“Mommy would love to introduce you to a friend of hers, would you like that?” after almost six months of dating, combining the days when you don’t have Emma and his busy schedule, you feel quite ready to take that step. Obviously you didn’t want Ben to feel like he had to, but apparently he’s been dying to meet her since you told him she existed. He didn’t hide the fact he’s scared because it’s a big deal, but he loves you and she’s a part of your life so he wants to do it.

Emma doesn’t like to socialize much, it took you two whole weeks to get her to stop crying every time you had to drop her off at kindergarten. You can’t hide the fact the first week you spent whole minutes crying in the car after leaving her with her teacher, her sobbing red face haunting you all day.

She doesn’t like drastic changes, she needs a few days to absorb everything herself so she talks to her days in advance.

Your heart almost runs away from your chest the moment the doorbell rings, you take a quick look at the little girl who is playing in the living room with a teddy bear and you go to open it.

“Hey”

“Hey” Ben takes a quick look around before wrapping his hand around your waist.

“She’s in the living room” you giggle before grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and kissing him on the lips.

“Oh my god I’m nervous”

“Don’t be. I mean I am too, but don’t be. I’m sure it’ll be fine”

As you take his hand, you drag him into the living room and when you get to the door, you catch the little girl’s attention. Her little eyes immediately catch the newcomer’s and although Ben has had the opportunity to spend time with the children of his mates, he now feels embarrassed.

He admits it, he himself is sometimes the most embarrassed person, but with those of his age it’s easier to break the ice. Nevertheless, he lowers himself to the height of the little girl when she approaches and introduces himself, but she hides between your legs and you caress her head encouraging her to tell him her name.

The little girl shakes her head and presses her face between your legs even more, “Sorry, we girls make ourselves desirable”

“I get it” Ben reassures you giggling, wanting to make that sorry look off your face.  

You sit in the living room, Emma immediately takes the stuffed animal in her arms and holds it to herself.

“Oh how cute is this teddy bear, does it have a name?” he tries again to make a contact and the little girl looks for you, before lowering it onto the white bear. "Twinkle" her voice comes out soft and tender.

He smiles softly, repressing the urge to caress her cheek at the moment. "Twinkle? It’s a beautiful name. Did you pick it out yourself?“ she nods and you smile as you get off the couch. 

“Okay Em, it’s snack time. Be good to Ben for a second, all right?” she nods back playing with one of the puppet’s ears and the two of them are alone. Ben tries to ask more stupid questions so he can get answers but the girl answers monosyllables and after a while she finds some of the toys scattered around the living room more interesting than him.

So he finds himself joining you in the kitchen, wraps his arms around your waist and hugs you from behind. "Am I doing something wrong? Maybe I should try to-”“Ben, no hey. I told you it would be hard at first, but hey, at least she’s not crying. It’s a win” he laughs with one cheek resting on your back and holds you tighter before leaving you.

“She’ll like you, just the way I like you”

“Ew I hope not” you hit him in the chest before you get help bringing the snack into the living room.

And that day, Ben leaves your house with a smile on his face. Of course, Emma didn’t speak most of the time he was there except to say something to you and didn’t run around the room excitedly seeing him there. But that’s not like her, several times you told him she’s a quiet little girl who needs her time and today he saw just that.

Surely he wouldn’t have expected a video call from you a few days later, your figure in tears had alarmed him immediately and caught the attention of some boys in the locker room.

“What’s going on? Is Emma okay? Are you okay?”

“Yes I-” your voice comes out strangled from the phone mic while you wipe away tears that won’t stop coming down, “It’s just… it’s your fault”

“Me?” he replies confused and surprised and amused because now you’re laughing in tears.

“Emma recognized you on TV”

“You were looking at me mh?!” he interrupts you by making you roll your eyes and you’re a beautiful sight even like that, with red eyes and tear-soaked cheeks but he’d like to be close to you to hold you in his arms.

“She asked me when you were coming back to see her because, and I quote, Twinkle likes you. I had to lock myself in the bathroom so she wouldn’t see me like this, so yes, it’s your fault”

“Oh” you catch him by surprise, and he starts giggling because his eyes are watering now too. “Do you realize I’m about to cry in front of my teammates because Twinkle likes me?”

“I’ll wait for you tonight, if-if you want”

“I will definitely come around”

Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

[unfunny-quips]

Midoriya is more than a head shorter than Shinsou and yet never fails to put his smaller frame between the tall boy and the rest of the world. He does the same for Hastume from support as well - the only two friends the green haired boy seems to have - though it’s not nearly as obvious with the pink haired girl when they are so close in height.

Sometimes it's a subtle thing, just a boy standing close to his friend, shoulder’s barely overlapping with Midoriya only just ahead of his companion. Sometimes - like now, as Hizashi calls to his two students and strides over to them in the hall - it’s far more obvious.

Midoriya shifts, movements flowing like water to stand between Hizashi and Shinsou like the boy has spent a lifetime practicing putting himself bodily between threats and those he cares for. The green haired boy looks relaxed to the untrained eye. Hizashi has had years of training though, he knows what to look for.

Midoriya’s hands are untucked from his pockets, not in fists but loose and ready at his sides, stance relaxed but precise, balanced. Prepared to absorb the force of a blow or redirect a hit. Hizashi watches green eyes shift quickly and efficiently over his own taller form. The glances so quick that even he nearly misses the way they linger just barely on all the teacher’s most vulnerable spots, taking stock of how well they are protected.

In moments like these - when the warmth that Midoriya shows his friends fades and there’s only a skittish, half feral child left behind - Hizashi becomes far too aware of the spider web of scars that traces above the boy’s left eye.

A collection of scars that are only mostly hidden by wild green curls. They shine silver where the light hits them. One line stretches down to touch the corner of Midoriya’s eye, another down the boy’s cheek and all the way down his jaw. When Midoriya smiles the scar makes his crows feet stretch awkwardly to accommodate, making him look older than he is. Hizashi only knows this from seeing it happen at a distance. Midoriya has never once smiled at a teacher in his time at UA.

He makes a note to talk to Hound Dog later, it’s only been two weeks and already he sees far too many warning signs in the freckled boy.

“Hey Listeners!” He greets, careful not to let himself get too loud. Both boys are prone to flinching at raised voices. “Glad I caught you before lunch! I was hoping I could go over the requests you made about auditing the Hero Course.”

---

A bouquet of flowers arrive at the school addressed to Midoriya after the Sports Festival.

As with everything that arrives at UA, the flowers are checked carefully for anything that might cause the students harm but nothing is found. Just a lovely collection of White Anemones and Daffodils with some Bluebells tucked into the mix. A small envelope with a note tucked inside, and though carefully checked for anything dangerous, the note itself was left unread out of respect for the privacy of the student receiving it.

The flowers were sent from the office to Class 1-C, interrupting Present Mic’s long winded explanation on why English is just like that to his students before releasing them to their lunch.

Teacher and class alike were delighted by the flowers, though the green haired boy they were meant for blushed furiously as they were presented to him. Mic, content to let the last few minutes of class slip by in exchange for seeing Midoriya get the chance of admiration from a fan - he’d earned first place at the festival with blood and sweat and a determination that made the blond hero proud - flashed an encouraging smile and earned a smile back for his trouble.

He was making progress with his two soon-to-be Hero Course students. Slowly, but still, progress.

Shinsou urged his friend to read the note, joking that the other boy had gotten a secret admirer after showing off so much at the festival. Mic was half convinced that it was the taller boy himself that had sent the flowers. It wasn’t quite Shinsou’s style - he seemed a bit too shy for such a bold, public confession - but the flowers’ meanings made Mic lean that way anyway. Sincere respect and gratefulness certainly aligned with what Mic saw in Shinsou’s feelings towards Midoirya. Along with a healthy dose of affection that neither boy seemed aware was mutual. They were adorable.

Midoriya, blushing so hard that his freckles nearly disappeared, gently pulled the small envelope from the bouquet and fumbled to open it. A sheaf of paper lay inside, folded up neatly to fit, the printer paper at odds with the fine stationery of the florists envelope.

The boy unfolded the letter with gentle care - and even from the front of the class Mic could see that it was a full blown letter rather than a short and simple note - and began reading.

The flush of excitement and delight drained from Midoriya’s face as he did.

The boy’s expression went flat and cold as he stared at the words before him, mouth pressed into a thin line. Beside him, Shinsou - always atuned to his friends’ moods - tensed, brow furrowing as he asked Midoriya what the letter said.

Midoriya didn’t answer.

Instead the boy abruptly rose from his seat and marched dutifully towards Mic, mouth a hard line as he held out the paper to him, careful to only touched the barest corners - worried about fingerprints.

Mic needed only to scan the letter before dismissed the class and calling an emergency meeting.

---

Midoriya had received a letter.

From Stain.

With flowers.

A gushing, overly wordy missive that bordered on sappy in places. Waxing poetic on the boy’s strength of character, his awareness of how broken the system was, his potential to be a hero.

The only thing Hizashi can find himself even remotely thankful for in the wake of the letter is that - for all its purple prose - it doesn’t cross the line into love note territory. He could not, under any circumstance, handle one of his students having to face that without running blindly into the night and attempting to find and murder the madman in a protective feral rage. He still might do that. Stain had gone after one of his kids.

The other tiny silver lining was that the flowers and letter came to the school rather than being delivered to the boy’s house. Flowers delivered to Midoriya’s house would mean that the serial killer knew where he lived. Flowers at the school - terrible as it was - at least gave some hope that Midoriya and his mother were marginally safe in their home. Hopefully.

It didn’t stop Hizashi from going at least a little insane with worry for his student anyway.

“Stop pacing.” Shouta snapped, not for the first time since the emergency faculty meeting had been called. Hizashi might have taken offense if it wasn’t for how tense Shouta’s body was, how absolutely furious he looked.

In the short time since the school year started both Midoriya and Shinsou had found themselves the cause of a soft spot in Shouta’s usually gruff personality. They were the exact kind of kids Hizashi and Shouta had been at that age - determined, underestimated and undaunted by how hard the road ahead of them was. It didn’t help that the two boys were marked by a trauma he and Shouta could understand all too well.

Trauma that would not be helped by Midoriya having a not-so-secret admirer in the form of the fucking Hero Killer.

[lovemesomerafael]

A Little Too Undercover

Source:  @minidodds

I don’t know.  A little one-shot.  For no apparent reason.

Ella sat at the bar, wishing Carisi would hurry up.  

“Hit me again,” she called out to the bartender, who poured her drink from a specially-marked bottle.  She looked around, trying to look like she was scanning the bar for potential dates.  She swept her eyes past Benson and Rollins at one table, and Fin and another SVU Detective at a table across the room.  Then she turned around, remembering to look just a little woozy, since she was supposed to have had two drinks so far.  In the mirror behind the bar, she saw Carisi arrive, scan the room as she had just done, “notice” her, and come to sit on the barstool next to her.  

He ordered a drink, which was poured from another specially-marked bottle.  When his drink arrived, he took a sip and turned to her.  “Hey,” he said to Ella.

“Hey yourself,” she said, smiling coyly and looking up at him from under her eyelashes.  

“Crowded tonight,” he commented, looking around.

“Yeah?  You come here a lot?”

“I thought that was my line,” Sonny said, with a grin. She laughed a little too loud.

For almost an hour, they pretended to flirt, gradually moving closer together and finding reasons to touch each other briefly, the way people do when sizing eachother up for a pick up at a bar.  They both found themselves getting a little too into the moment from time to time.  Both were experienced flirts, and they really did like one another.  Sonny told himself it didn’t matter; the others were doing the real work.  He and Ella were just the bait.    

“Buy you another one?”  He asked her.  

“I don’t know, this was number three,” she said, slurring her speech just a little.  

“Three?”  He asked, looking surprised.  “Then you’re ahead of me.  I’m gonna need to catch up.”  He signaled the bartender, who poured them each another drink, and poured Sonny a shot of something from the last specially-marked bottle.  Sonny took it with salt and lime, as if it was tequila.

“Olé,” he laughed.  She laughed, too; a real laugh at how corny that was.  She wondered if Sonny would really say that, drinking real tequila, on a real date.  

He lifted up his glass for a toast.  “What are we drinking to?”  She asked.

“The prettiest girl in the joint,” he answered, and took a drink while looking into her eyes.  She actually shivered.  In response, she gave Sonny a smile that sent a jolt through him, and took a sip of her own drink.  

“Thank you,” she said, and leaned against him, putting her face close to his.  “You’re pretty hot yourself,” she whispered, and kissed him on the lips.  Ella couldn’t believe she’d done that.  It really wasn’t necessary; anyone would believe the ruse, even without it, but she hadn’t been able to resist.  

He smiled at her, equally surprised.  He moved closer to her and began playing with a lock of her hair.  At that moment, both heard Fin’s voice in their earpieces.  “You’re gettin’ a lot of attention from a dude on my three.  White guy with brown hair.  Red sweatshirt.  Time for your close-up, Mr. DeMille.”

Ella hopped down from her barstool, pretending to lose her balance and fall into Sonny.  She laughed at her apparent drunkenness, and he put his arms around her as though taking advantage of the moment.  “You all right?”  He laughingly asked, doing a good job of seeming similarly tipsy.  

“I’m good,” she said, leaning in.  She couldn’t stop herself from kissing him again, this time a bit longer.  “Be right back,” she told him, tottering somewhat on her heels as she made her way to the restroom.  

“I think we have a winner,” Rollins said into the tiny mic in her sleeve.

“Oh, yeah,” Fin agreed.  “He’s definitely too interested.”

Sonny ordered two more drinks, and a shot for himself and Ella.

When she returned, Sonny made a show of helping her up onto her barstool, and she loudly exclaimed about the “tequila” shots. Sonny pretended to show her how to do the salt and lime while drinking his.  He then took her hand and flirtatiously licked it, pouring salt on the wet mark. He gave Ella a wicked look and put her lime, rind first, between his teeth.  She laughed, licked the salt, tossed off the shot, and leaned in to take the lime from his mouth.  

The hook was set.  Now it was time to reel in the fish.  

Sonny leaned close to Ella and, pretending to whisper something sexy in her ear, whispered, “You ready?”

She looked at him as though she might tear his clothes off right there.  “Definitely,” she said, her voice audible to those nearby.  The pleasant surprise of her kisses earlier had started him thinking. If she was willing to go for a few kisses for the sake of realism, he was not going to miss his chance to kiss her back.  That look was too much.  Sonny pulled her to him and pressed his lips to hers, giving her a full-on, open-mouthed kiss that left her breathless.  

“Let’s get out of here,” he said, showing her a hotel key with what looked like a clumsy attempt at drunken subtlety.  

“He sees it,” Rollins told them in their earpieces.

Sonny and Ella got up and left the bar arm in arm, wobbling noticeably.  They made their faltering way across the parking lot to the cheap motel next door, where Sonny let them into a second-floor room at the back, facing away from the street and casual witnesses.  

Earlier, Sonny had made sure the curtains were poorly closed, so that the bed could be seen by someone who, like the motel rapist, tried to look in.  He had pulled the bed linens out, rumpling them to look like a couple had been going at it in the bed.  He and Ella stood awkwardly as they waited for the signal from one of the Detectives watching the suspect.  

“Showtime,” they heard Fin’s voice in their ears a few minutes later.  

“Ready for this?”  Sonny asked.

“Born ready,” Ella told him.  

They began to laugh loudly, drunkenly, and put their arms around each other.  They made a show of bumblingly removing one another’s shirts, and falling on the disheveled bed.  

“He’s checkin’ things out,” Fin’s voice came again.

Ella wasn’t sure what to do.  She didn’t want to take any more of Sonny’s clothes off, but when the suspect peeked in the window, they had to look like they were well on their way to having sex.  The motel rapist broke in when his victims were very much preoccupied, tied up the man, raped the woman, and robbed them on his way out.  

Sonny was having concerns similar to Ella’s. During the planning stages, even though there had been some pretty raunchy jokes about it, he hadn’t actually figured out what, exactly, they would be doing while they waited for the suspect to bust in on them.  The situation was especially touchy because it was Ella he was with.  Under normal circumstances, he would like nothing better than to have her in bed next to him, lying on her back in her bra and a very short skirt.  But not with his boss and ten other cops watching and listening.  Still, they had to make the rapist think his moment had come.

Sonny leaned on his elbow and looked down at Ella.  He caressed her arm and her hair, safe places that he thought might still look convincing.  She smiled up at him, one hand exploring his chest.  

“OK, he’s coming to the window now – make it good,” Rollins’ voice said in their earpieces.  

Sonny put his free arm around Ella’s waist, leaned down, and put his lips to hers.  The way she instantly responded sent a shiver down his spine.  He quickly deepened the kiss, forgetting about everything but Ella. He unconsciously rolled her toward him.

Ella was astounded at how quickly her mind fogged over with desire.  Suddenly, all she could think about was Sonny’s soft lips, and the way he was using them on hers.  Almost immediately, the kiss turned serious.  Soon, Ella felt Sonny’s tongue tentatively flicking her lips, and responded eagerly, opening her mouth to him and deepening the kiss.  

His hands began to roam.  She needed no encouragement to start exploring him with her own.  Before long, without either of them planning or meaning to do it, he had rolled on top of her and she had moved her legs to accommodate him.  She felt the delicious moist heat between her legs and her nipples hardening against him.  She wished her skirt was less tight so she could wrap her legs around him.

He was already hard.  Her authentic response to him was intoxicating; he began to rub himself against her and felt a spasm of pleasure as she moved her hips with his. Completely forgetting the situation, he reached up and cupped her breast.  She moaned.  

“I don’t know, guys,  He’s just standin’ there, watchin’ and rubbin’.  I hope we don’t just have a peeper here,”  Fin’s voice said.  

It dampened the mood, but not enough.  “Take my skirt off,” Ella murmured to Sonny.   Catching herself just in time, she added for the other cops watching and listening, “That oughtta do it.”

He slid his hand down her body to the hem of her skirt. He then slid the hand and the skirt tantalizingly up her thigh, before pulling it downward.  He really, really wished this wasn’t all for show, especially when he kissed his way up her abdomen and chest, getting a good look at her in nothing but her bra and panties, flushed and panting.  

She pulled him back on top of her, now that her legs were free of the skirt and she could wrap them around him.  She felt him, heavy and hard against her pelvis as he reclaimed her mouth and again began kissing her ardently.  As he teased her tongue with his, she hooked her heels over his calves, sliding them up his legs until…

“Get up!”  They heard a male voice, low but urgent.  They instantly broke apart, genuinely surprised.  They had been so distracted they hadn’t even heard him unlock the door. A man in a red sweatshirt stood just inside the door, aiming an old-looking revolver at them.  With his other hand, he pulled several zip ties from the pocket of his baggy jeans.  

“You,” he waved the gun at Carisi.  “Get off the bed.  You stay there,“ he told Ella.  

At that moment, they began to hear running feet approaching.  BAM! The motel room door burst open and slammed against the wall.  Ella thought that the five police officers, all in bulletproof vests with guns drawn, were in the room almost before she had even registered what was happening. Then again, she thought, most of her blood was far south of her brain at the moment.  She felt disoriented by the hormones still pumping through her, coupled with the sudden noisy and frenzied activity in the room as the suspect was quickly taken down and cuffed.  Sonny was equally dazed, and for the same reasons.

“Nice job, you two,” Olivia said offhandedly to Sonny and Ella as she supervised the arrest.  “Go ahead and get dressed.  We’ll debrief back at the station.”

Ella moved to scoot to the edge of the bed, but noticed that Sonny stayed still.  She turned back to him and asked with quiet concern, “You OK?”

“Ahh, I can’t really… get up right now,” he said softly into her ear.  He looked chagrined, but Ella wouldn’t have dreamed of needling him about his predicament. In fact, she felt instantly guilty for causing it.  

“I got you,” Ella said as she casually grasped a handful of the sheets and bedspread and draped them over Sonny’s lap.  She distracted attention from that action by making a show of holding her head as though having some kind of problem.

Olivia noticed her rubbing her forehead, then running a hand through her hair and leaning toward Sonny as though for support. “You all right?”  She asked.

“Yeah, Lieutenant, I’ll be fine.  I just need a minute,” Ella answered in a voice that shook a bit. “Adrenaline shakes.  You know.”

“Gotcha,” Olivia responded, nodding.

“I’ll sit with her,” Sonny said, looking with concern at Ella.  

“Take your time,” Olivia told Ella, then turned and left the room.

As several of the other cops left with the suspect, others stood together reviewing what they’d just done.  Ella took advantage of the moment to grasp the fingers of Sonny’s left hand under the sheets.  “Don’t make any noise,” she whispered, and twisted his fingers with a practiced jerk.

“Ow!”  He hissed. She didn’t let go for long moments, and nothing he could do would dislodge her grip without causing more pain. He tried to remain quiet so as not to attract the attention of the other cops still in the room, but sweat broke out on his upper lip.  Only after a significant, painful time did she release his fingers.

“What the hell!  That hurt!”  He whispered harshly.

“Sorry.  But I bet you can get up now.”  Ella smiled conspiratorially.  

Sonny furrowed his brow for a second, then smiled. “Son of a bitch.”

“I figured that’d work.”

“Don’t ever do that again.  But, ya know…  thanks.”

“Anytime,” she said, scooting to the edge of the bed and reaching for her shirt.

 Ella sat slouched, staring into space.  She was so deep in thought that she jumped at the knock on the door of her apartment.  It was very late, but she smiled despite herself to see Sonny through the peephole, shifting from foot to foot.  There was no way she was going to be able to go to sleep without at least talking to him about what had happened at the motel earlier.

“Hey,” she said, letting him in.

“Hey.”  His voice was flat and tight as he passed her and headed into her apartment.  

“You OK?”

“I need to talk to you.  About what happened at the motel.”

“I thought that might be it.  Have a seat.”  

Sonny sat at one of the stools at the kitchen counter. Ella stood behind the stool next to his, suddenly as on edge as he was.  

“Listen, Carisi, I know I messed up.  I mean, it was a weird assignment, but I got really carried away and I owe you a big apology.  I took advantage of the situation.  It was unprofessional and inappropriate.  I know I made you uncomfortable, and I’m very sorry.”

“That’s not how I remember it.”

“I don’t…  What do you mean?”

“I mean, I was uncomfortable, but it wasn’t your fault. Well, it was, but…”  They shared a tense laugh.  “Look, it’s me who owes you an apology.  That’s why I’m here.  I was way out of line.”

“No, you weren’t.”  Ella sighed.  “I was the one who…  I mean, at first, I was just playing, and I thought it would look good to the guy. And then, when we got to the motel, we had to make it look like we were really into it, so I knew we’d have to take off some clothes and kiss and stuff, but I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”

“But it was?”

“I didn’t expect to get so, um, into it.  You, um… you were…”

“What was I?”  

“No, no.  I’m not saying it was in any way your fault.  It was mine.”

“Tell me what you were gonna say.  I was what?”

“It’s just gonna make it worse.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“You were, um, well…”

“Say it.”

“Hot, ok?  And a good kisser.  I should’ve expected that, but I didn’t think it through.  And it’s… been a long time for me.”  

Sonny looked at her for a long time, his expression serious. “So it was just physical?”

She was able to maintain eye contact for a few beats, but then lowered her eyes and sighed.  Her voice was low and shaky.  “Carisi, please don’t ask me that question.”

“I’m asking.”  

“Shit.”  She turned away from him and took a few steps into the living room.  She stood with her back to him.  “No.  It wasn’t… isn’t just physical.”

She turned back to him then.  “I’m so sorry, Sonny.  I didn’t mean for this to happen.  I’ll completely understand if you want a new partner, and I’ll say whatever you want me to say to Liv, including the truth.”

“Ella…”  

“But I wish you’d at least consider giving me a chance to be an adult about this.  I’m perfectly capable of controlling myself, and being entirely professional until I get over it…”

“I don’t want any of that.”  

“I mean it.” She looked pleadingly at him.

“So do I.”  He walked over and took her in his arms, placing his face very close to hers to look into her eyes.  “I don’t want any of that,” he repeated, softly.

Ella could feel herself responding to his nearness, to the heat in his voice.  “What do you want?” She whispered.

“I want you out of control, like you were last night. God knows what I want is anything but professional…”  

Sonny pulled Ella to him, pressing his lips to hers in a surprisingly gentle kiss, given the passion in his voice.  Ella flattened her hands on Sonny’s chest, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss him back.  This embrace was different from the ones at the motel.  There was the same intense heat, but here, alone, with their mutual attraction spoken out loud, the sensations went far deeper than lust.  

Sonny slid his hands under the hem of her hoodie, spreading them out on the bare flesh of her back.  He felt a twitch in his rapidly-hardening cock to feel that she wasn’t wearing a bra.  Ella moaned into their open-mouthed kiss.  

“Carisi, I…”

“You what?  Hmmm?  Tell me.”

“I want…”

“Tell me.  Tell me what you want.”

“I want you to take your fucking coat off,” Ella gasped. Sonny laughed.

It broke the mood a little, and Sonny unbuttoned his peacoat and took it off, stepping away from Ella to lay it across the back of the nearest chair.  They were both breathing hard.  He looked at her, lust darkening his so-blue eyes.  She expected him to step back over to her and take her back into his arms, but he stayed where he was.  

“What happens now?”  Ella asked softly.

“Let’s figure that out.”

[papasquatte]

Urbex Summoning

“Guys, I can’t tell you how bad of an idea this is.” the whine in my voice was evident, even to me. But I couldn’t help it considering what they intended to do. I passed the bag of equipment to Susan and climbed through the window, determined nonetheless to see this debacle thought to the end. Tony played his flashlight over the graffiti scared walls of our surroundings and spared me a withering glare. 

“ For the last time, shut the fuck up dude.” 

“Look, even if you don’t believe in the supernatural there could still be druggies or scrappers in here.” Susan handed me the bag back with slightly more force than was necessary, momentarily driving the breath from what I would call my lungs. As I staggered back I was unceremoniously shoved forward by Dan as he came through the broken window. He was carrying our sound equipment and was probably the most burdened of all of us and in no mood to dodge around people. 

“There’s four of us” he pointed out as he pulled his bag through.” Any drugie or scrapper’s probably not going to come here in more than one’s or two’s. Worse they’ll do will try and scare us off.” He glanced around the room and frowned. “That might be for the best, or we’ll have to stage something to make it more interesting.” 

Ryan stuck his head back into the room. “I’d prefer not to have to. Hallway’s clear this way of crap and the floor's still sound.” 

“Well spirits aren’t always accommodating when it comes to filming.” Dan walked over and stuck his head out to look the other direction. "We could split off into teams tonight.”

Susan crossed her arms and glanced at me. “Doug’s got a point. I’d rather stick together.”

Dan waived dismissively back at her. “ It’ll be fine.”

Thwarted in my attempt to logic us back out the window I cut to the heart of what was actually getting my hackles up. “It’s not just druggies man. You’re messing with things you don’t understand.”

Susan punched me in the arm. “What’s this ‘you’ stuff? Why the hell did you even come if you’re not going to participate?”

It was a good question, and one I did not want answered truthfully if I could help it. Instead I hefted the camera bag and muttered, “ you’ll need a cameraman.” 

She took the bag from me and unzipped it. “Any of us could

have been the cameraman. But fine, if you want to then here’s the rig. Get it set up and for the love of all that is holy, stop bitching. I had to hear this for two hours on the car ride here, and I swear if you open your mouth to whine one more time I’ll shove that GoPro so far down your throat you’ll have to drop your pants to record anything.” 

    I busied myself getting the GoPro into the steadicam rig while everyone else was issued mics by Dan and got themselves set up. 

    “Alright lads and ladies, here’s tonight’s agenda.” Tony clapped his hands together in an unnecessarily business like fashion, “We’ll be doing the introduction here.” He waived vaguely around the room. We’d picked a first floor window that had been broken for years as our entrance. It was screened from the outside by a hedge and led into a fairly unobstructed patient room. It was clear we’d not been the only ones to favor this entrance as the graffiti lay thick and graphic on the walls. “Then we’ll break off into two teams and shoot some investigation work for about forty five minutes.”

    Dan put up his hand. “ I thought we were doing voice over.”

    “We can decide that for sure later. But I’d like us to have an in person introduction ready in case we go that route.”

    “It’s easier than driving back two hours to shoot it later.” Susan put in.

    Tony nodded, “the voice over is mostly for the B roll stuff anyway. Maybe narrate some of the history of the place over less than interesting footage.” He played with his clip on mic, adjusting it in some tiny way that was more nerves than necessary. “ Anyway, I see us doing about forty five minutes of investigation shoots in teams of two. EVP work, that sort of thing. That should put us at about 11:30. That gives us about ten minutes to head down to the morgue in the basement and be set up by midnight.”

    My gut twisted into knots.

    “Can’t we just do a seance or a Ouiji board session? Why does it have to be demon summoning?” The words were no sooner out of my mouth than I knew I’d lost this argument. It was one we’d have several times while on the way over here and I’d lost every one of those too.

    “Because everyone does seances or plays with that damn spirit board.” Tony snapped. “ If we want anyone to watch our videos we need to up the ante.”

“Must we up it that high?”

Susan put her hand on my shoulder. “It’s just pretend man, none of this is real.”

I bit back my first response. These idiots were about to die over a Youtube video and here they were telling me to calm down. 

“Hey,” Tony smacked me on the chest, as if that would improve my mood. “ film me doing the intro already.” 

“Hey, why do you get to do the intro?” Dan crossed his arms and postered in what he clearly thought was a ‘badass’ pose.

“Oh for fucks sake,” Susan muttered by my arm, “here we go again.”

“What?” Tony faked a nonchalant attitude. “I didn’t know you wanted to do the intro. Why don’t you do the voice over stuff later?”

“Oh and let you edit it with your own audio?”

I shifted position and recentered the camera on both of them. “Guys, why don’t you just do the intro together?” I may not have been able to get them to give up this fool’s errand, but I could at least keep them from fighting, again. Plus their gormless expressions as they realized they’d not rehearsed the intro in tandum gave me a warm fuzzy feeling.

Tony glanced between themselves. “Wait, who’ll say what?”

Susan for her part, could think on her feet. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a steadying breath. “Dan, you do the intro, Tony you come in for the history and then I’ll step in for the ritual.”

    Tony had enough sense to defer to her. I centered Dan in the shot and counted him in.

    “Hey guys,” he threw a causal and not to code salute at the viewers, “it’s us, the Bootectives, and we’re here at the Pendleton Mission Hospital with another great video for you.” I could just catch Tony putting his face in his hands off camera. If Dan noticed, he was at least professional enough to ignore it this time. “Pendleton Hospital is about twenty five miles north of its namesake city. This whole area is saturated in psychic energy and we’re here to investigate it.”

    Susan signaled Tony as I paned over to him. “In its heyday Pendleton Mission was a tuberculosis hospital so,” he hefted one of our dust masks, “we brought ourselves some protection. Even if there’s no latent TB bugs, Pendleton Mission has been abandoned for the last thirty years, so black mold is a real possibility and we want to be safe.” I caught Susans eye and she got herself into position, sliding in next to Dan off camera. “And guys, we’ve got a real treat for this investigation.” He did unnecessary finger guns to point me towards Susan. I caught the tale end of Susan’s glare in the video, which, I felt the viewers would appreciate. 

        She hefted a book that made my insides turn to water. "We’re going to try and summon a demon.”

    The book itself wasn’t the problem. It was a rather unassuming brown cloth book printed probably in the late eighties. It wasn’t bound in human skin like some of the more ostentatious occult books I could name. Nor was it written in virgin blood. Which, lets face it, clots far too quickly for that sort of macabre gesture. No, it was typed with sensible margins, copy edited, and published by absolute frothing madmen. 

 Not cultists mind you. No, you could alway rely on cultists to get something wrong. The worst they could usually accomplish was to summon some Carrion-class table shaker and strand the poor thing here. But this book. This had been written by sensible men, in sensible shoes, who didn’t actually believe in any of the stuff they were writing about. It wasn’t real. So what did it matter to them if they wrote down and published the exact steps for summoning a Slaughter-class demon. And wouldn’t you know it? My group of would-be ghost enthusiasts just happened to find it in the dirt smelling, used book shop down the street. I could have slapped the authors. 

 Susan went on, oblivious to me mentally running in circles, waving my arms and screaming.I thumbed the record button again to end the clip and nodded at Tony. Thinking about the book again was giving me a headache.  

“Alright,” Tony clapped twice as if the act alone would turn off the recording I’d already stopped. “Check your mic’s and lets get exploring.”

“Be careful out there guys.” I couldn’t help myself, I’m a worrier at heart and I did like these idiots. “ Try and stay within line of sight of your buddy at all times. We don’t know who else is here or how stable the building is the further in we go. I don’t want to see anyone showing up on the evening news.”

The others rolled their eyes and gave the same badgered “ok’s” my mother henning always got at this point. Thankfully no one argued with me. I guess since I wasn’t actively trying to end the investigation, they couldn’t fault my better judgement.  We paired off and moved out. 

By mutual consent and habit Tony and Dan paired off while I joined Susan and headed out. Dan and Tony both held a flame for Susan so I tended to be her exploration buddy so she didn’t  have to put up with their antics. It was an arrangement I was quite happy with to be fair. 

I held no particular interest in her, not that she wasn’t nice, she was just overly young for me. I simply preferred her cool headed skepticism. She always tried to find the rationale behind an event, looking for the logic in the situation. This was in stark contrast to the boys who’d feed off each other's paranoia and jumped at every shadow. Better for the audience, but more frustrating for me who was just there to enjoy the scenery. 

As we headed out Susan turned to me. “ Do you want to film or be in the shot?”

“Film,” I thumbed the record button again, “it’ll be easier to keep the ghosts out of the shot then.”

She laughed and I smiled like I was joking. “Right.” Susan started off down the hall. “We’ll shoot some B roll stuff for them to narrate over, and then I’ll jump at a few shadows and say I’m walking through cold spots or something. By then we can head off and meet them for the ritual and be out of here in time to do a sunrise shot.”

“Oh Gods, don’t remind me about the ritual.”

Susan glared back over her shoulder at me but softened, my face must have been paler than I thought for her to notice in the wane light of our flashlights. “Come on dude, it’s not real. We’ll be fine.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Because,” She shrugged, “we’d have gotten evidence of it by now.” We continued down the corridor as we talked, passing decrepit room after decrepit room. I panned the camera into each to give the futur viewer a look at the horrible conditions of the place. It was about what you’d expect from an abandoned building left to the elements. The floor was covered in a mix of waterlogged carpet and ceiling fragments. The corridor and rooms choked with the detritus of years, either left to rot or thrown here by later generations. Graffiti "artists” had redecorated the walls in the sort of school yard vulgarity that was somehow universal in these places. Nothing the viewer hadn't seen in hundreds of other Urbex videos online, but I panned around none the less.

There was a lot of decay to take in, but the panning actions I was doing were for another reason. It was the perfect cover for my erratic movements as I stepped around the Blind Spirits and other spiritual flotsam. They were too weak to affect the material world. They were even too weak for the electronics of our equipment to pick up, being mostly echos and psychic imprints. They were however, unpleasant to step through if you were sensitive to the paranormal. Like stepping on an melting ice cube in a sock, they didn’t hurt but left an unpleasant lingering feeling.  Susan barged right through them, apparently numb to the spiritual realm. Personally I think she’s a younger soul, probably hasn’t gone around the bend too many times and been steeped in the supernatural. Old souls tended to resonate more. 

“What?” I raised her an eyebrow. “You mean dick heads like us? Or ‘real’ paranormal investigators?” A shadowy hand reached out of a crumbling doorway towards her. I angled the camera so it stayed out of shot and glared at it until it went somewhere else. 

“Anybody.” She waived her hand about, going right through an orb. I shrugged. In the end, I’ve always thought it was better that people didn’t know what to expect.

“If it was easy, would it be fun?”

    She snorted and shined her flashlight into another room. I almost recorded it, but caught myself just in time. There was a shadowy figure in a nurses outfit in the corner. Her eyes appeared to have been hollowed out and the look on her face told me she was reliving some terrible thing she’d probably done to someone. I turned and let her get on with it. “All I’m saying is that it’s better not to poke things we don’t understand.”

    Susan turned back to look at me. “Fine, would it make you feel better if I messed up the ritual?”

    “Really?” I must admit the prospect cheered me greatly.

    “Yeah,” Susan stopped and turned to look at me. “It’s not like it’ll make a big difference. I’ll smudge something or other.”

    “I’d like that a lot actually.”

    “Fine then, let’s go fake some ghost shit.”

    We spent the next forty five minutes doing just that. To be honest, I missed it more than I’d like to admit. In our early days the gang just went to “creepy” places, few of them ever really haunted. I’d rig up some  wires and mechanisms to make chairs rattle and items fly off shelves. While the others jumped and pointed. I’d been damn good at it too. But then our channel had blown up and the guys kept pushing us into deeper and darker places where some real serious shit had taken place. The culmination of all this was their insistence on this damnable ritual.

I’d missed just going through abandoned places and enjoying the scenery. There was something about urban decay that cheered me up. Maybe it was just that, after everything that had been done to this planet, it was nice to see nature gently taking something back. Eventually it would reclaim it totally, and the psychic energy could dissipate. 

We wound our way around to the basement slowly. Not really talking too much, just enjoying the stillness. We eventually ended up in the basement, and Tony's ritual site.The boys had beaten us there and started setting up. It was depressingly gothic. All it needed was a ram’s skull to complete the image of satanic barbarism. Susan picked up one of the jet black candles.

“Really?”

“Hey, Hey, Hey,” Tony scuttled over from where he’d been drawing glyphis, in red chalk no less. He snatched the candle from Susan and crouched to put it back. “I had those precisely placed.” He repositioned the candle along some invisible mark only he could seem to see. 

Despite Susan’s assurance, apprehension twisted my gut again. I’d have preferred it if we didn’t complete this farce at all if I was honest. Something of my mood must have shown in my face because Tony looked up at me.

“If you touch something I’ll break your hand, just go in the corner and film us.”

I nodded silently. All I was pray to whatever Gods were listening that what Susan planned on doing wouldn’t summon something equally likely to get them killed. I really should have known better, nothing in the ethereal helps without a price, and many of the Gods have a disgusting sense of humor. However, at that moment I was unaware of what that night would cost me and simply stood by to let them get on with it. 

It wasn’t until they started chanting that I felt something was wrong. It was when they were casting the words of binding, to be precise, when the circle flared into life. It pulsed with a malevolent red energy that overwhelmed our flashlights and threw disturbing shadows against the wall. 

“Cool!” Tony seemed overjoyed. I could have killed him, if I could move. The other two looked more than a little startled that anything had happened at all. I abandoned the camera and tried to move from my spot against the wall, but my feet were cemented in place with a force I could not break. From my vantage point I tried to read the glyphs that had been chalked out in the circle. It wasn’t long before I saw what had happened.

It had been Susan after all. They say if you give a monkey a typewriter and enough time it will eventually produce Hamlet. That sort of one in a million luck had apparently just happened. Susan had been as good as her word and messed with one of the glyphs. However, the particular glyph she had chosen to deface was a very delicate one. 

The light from the circle snapped from bright red to a sullen garnet. Shafts of sparkling light lanced up from the now open portal like demonic sparklers. I felt the pit of my stomach drop out as the three of them scrambled for cover.

The rune Susan had chosen to play with had ment “strongest”. It was, in-fact, the rune that had scared me the most. But with one extra stroke in exactly the wrong place Susan had completely changed it. Instead of “strongest” it now stood for “closest”. 

The world dropped away as if I’d fallen through a trapdoor, closely followed by the feeling of being slammed against a wall. This wall, was the inside of the circle. I had just enough time to look up at my friends pale faces before the next bit of unpleasantness started. The sparking bars of light began to bend inward. Where they touched me, illusion was stripped away and my true self was forced into the material plane.

This was unpleasant for all present. Besides feeling like my skin had been ripped off like an all-over bandaid, even the prettiest of celestial beings was never meant to be seen by man. Let’s just say there’s a reason the standard angelic greeting is ‘Be Not Afraid’. Infernal on  the other hand, we took it to another level. Lovecraft didn't capture half the unpleasantness with his fiction.

I could see their minds begin to crack as I unfurled and roiled outwards, slamming into the psychic bars of my prison. I attempted to use my ‘hands’ to cover the more unpleasant bits of my anatomy and tried to ‘turn’ away as much as I could. It wasn’t much, but it helped enough. 

“What the FUCK happened?” of course Susan was the first to recover. Maybe she wasn’t as young a soul as I’d thought. 

“Uh,” I rumbled in my manifold voices. “Look, I said I couldn’t tell you how bad of an idea this was.”