#she claims he has never done such things at school. neither at home

[lostinatrainofthoughts]

please dear god just can i just take a time out from living like sincerely im so done with this job. a mediocre life a mediocre job what a joke

[torukmaktoskxawng]

run away with me

Pairing: Nor/Sarentu!Reader

Warnings: Spoilers for Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, fluff, angst, mentions of brainwashing and residential school trauma

Taglist: @mooniequeen

A/N: No one has requested me to write for AFoP so I decided to take matters into my own hands *cracks knuckles* Let's get to work.

This is basically my rendition of the cutscene you see when playing the game, after the title card. I made it lean more toward the angsty, romance play that we were robbed of when the game finally came out XD Enjoy!

Part 2

When So'lek told you that Nor had left Resistance HQ to have some time to think, you knew you needed to seek him out.

Using your new abilities and talents to track him down, it didn't shock you when you found Nor on one of the highest cliffs near the base of their new home. You remember he made a comment earlier about how there were more colors on Pandora than he remembered and how he had no names for them. You suspected he'd be all the way out here, admiring those colors and maybe trying to invent new names for them.

He didn't react when you approached the small fire he made, likely expecting you to come find him. He turned to face you with lowered ears and a forlorn look in his eyes, "What must our ancestors think of us? Do you think they pity us? Sad to see what we've become?"

"We're still Sarentu."

"Teylan barely speaks our tongue, but then... he always preferred human words."

"Alma says we all need time to adjust."

"Alma is not Na'vi." He growled lowly, turning away to kneel down in front of the fire.

You weren't deterred by his attitude, knowing Nor better than you sometimes knew yourself. He felt things stronger than most. He was passionate about what or how he felt and he wasn't afraid to admit it, hence why he didn't shy away when he proudly proclaimed his feelings toward you. It was years ago now, just the night before Alma snuck you and your friends into cryosleep to wait out the war. All that time you could've been with Nor... lost to cryosleep.

Nor felt the same loss as well, and that is why he wasn't wasting any more time. When neither of you are out on missions, you're with each other, safe at HQ, making up for lost time. Your relationship is technically still new and can easily be chalked up to young love, but Nor didn't see it that way. He claimed that was the way only Sky People saw it, but not the Na'vi. He wanted to do this right, and in his mind, the only right way was the Na'vi way.

So he asked So'lek for advice, on standard Na'vi customs and what the older man might know about the Sarentu ways to court someone. Nor was determined and straightforward about what he wanted to make sure you only got the best treatment. The Na'vi treatment, something that you deserved to have when you were younger but it was taken from you.

That's what you loved about him, growing up beside him. He reminded you so much of your sister at times with their shared determination as kids, though you refused to continue making that comparison after she died... afraid that if Nor acted too much like Aha'ri, then he would die just like her. You couldn't bear to lose him, too, not after everything Mercer and TAP have done to you.

Even now, as you two stood on top of that cliff, you were afraid of losing him, either to death or to life, should life and fate decide to tear you two apart. You wished you could vocalize your fear to him, but you were never as brave or as straightforward as Nor. You were grateful he had approached you about his feelings first, or else neither of you would've ever known.

Although you were not one with words, you were one with actions, and even Nor knew that you communicated with deeds.

Walking up to him, you slide your hand over his shoulder, and while he doesn't say a word, trapped with the demons in his head, he places his own hand on top of yours, a gesture of gratitude. He was thankful for your comfort, knowing that your way of communicating stems from being touch-starved and you would rather voice your thoughts through your actions instead of just saying them because, to you, that means so much more.

You keep your hand on his shoulder, the warmth of his palm bleeding into your skin while you look up and over the cliffside, admiring the scenery with a sad tone in your voice, "Why did the RDA come back?"

"They wanted more of Pandora," he responds with defeat, "They always do."

"Then we'll need to fight," you express with determination, squeezing his shoulder, "Aha'ri would have wanted us to fight."

You try to pull away, but Nor is suddenly too fast. He grasps your hand, gently, and you pause in your movement. He stands to his full height to gaze into your eyes, trying to relay what he's thinking without saying a word. But he wasn't like you. He wasn't good at sharing his thoughts through actions. He was better at it by talking, so that is what he did.

"Or we could run," he suggests and is quick to continue when the expression on your face falls, "Leave this place. Find somewhere else to call home."

"We've talked about this, Nor," you sigh tiredly, recalling not long ago when you, him, Ri'nela and Teylan were all sitting around a fire as Nor suggested they could all run away together. You express the same thing you said back then, too, "Alma brought us here for a reason. She believes in us."

He snarls, though there isn't much heat behind it, "Alma just wants to control us."

Not even you believed what he was saying, lowering your voice to a comforting whisper, "Alma is not Mercer. She actually cares about us as People."

"She left us."

"She thought we were gone."

He steps closer until he's nearly pressed against your chest, his hands sliding up to gently grasp both sides of your face, entwined in your hair. His voice wavered, desperate eyes staring back into yours, "If it were me instead of her, I would've clawed through the rubble of TAP, and I would've looked forever. Un... until I knew for sure if I lost you or not."

You wanted to be touched by the statement, your heart fluttering in your chest while Nor could no doubt feel your heartbeat, pumping through his hands as they rested near both sides of your neck. You shake your head slightly, "That is different. What Alma feels for us is not the same as... as what you feel for me. For all of us."

He shivered, almost proud that you managed to admit your confidence in his feelings toward you. He leans his forehead against yours, breathing in the same air as you while he matches the intimate moment with a whisper, "Exactly. I can't trust Alma with my family. I can only trust myself or you to take care of the four of us, to ensure we stick together."

You wet your lips when they felt dry, deciding to play into his dream for a little bit, "Suppose we did run away... where would we go?"

'Wherever we want! All of us,' he wanted to say the same thing he told Teylan down by the campfire, but he says it differently with you, "Anywhere, far away from here."

"Just the four of us?"

"The four of us," he confirms with a nod, thinking that he had you convinced, "We'll start our own clan. We'll renew the Sarentu."

"And what will happen when the war eventually finds us?"

Your question drives Nor to freeze, and so you continue, "Either Mercer, RDA, or TAP, it won't matter. They'll find us. You know they will."

He unfroze finally, huffing with determination, "Then we will fight."

"But if we fight now, and we win, then we can leave and we will never have to worry about the Sky People again," your hands moved until they were wrapped around Nor's waist, a bold move to match his own, his fingers still wrapped up in the hair on the back of your neck,

"We would never have to keep running or look over our shoulders ever again," you continue, "If we can end this sooner than later, I will go with you. I'll go wherever you want. But... But I can't leave now knowing what the Sky People are capable of. I can't leave knowing that there would be another child out there whose clan was wiped out and I wasn't brave enough to stop it from happening. I would never forgive myself."

Your words stun him into silence, and the intensity of his gaze causes you to feel shy and embarrassed, lowering your head to avoid him until his hands pause your movement. He gently uses his thumbs to push your chin to tilt back up, and when your eyes meet, he pauses for a moment, his intense eyes scanning your expression before his lips twitch up into a small, fond smile, "Heh."

"What?" You tilt your head, hesitant but smiling as well.

"Nothing. It's just... Aha'ri would be proud of you."

He says it so confidently that you know you believe him, and his words make your heart swell with pride and grief, missing your sister. Nor leans back and digs in the pocket of his pants, "I have something for you."

"What is it?"

He provides a carved stone, bearing the mark you both have on your face to signify your long-lost clan, "It's something to remind you of me, whenever you leave HQ and I cannot follow you. It's also a promise."

"What promise?"

"That if I ever leave, it will only be when you are ready to come with me," he leans back into your space, pressing your foreheads together once more as he closes his eyes, taking in your scent, "This time, my love, I go wherever you go."

You clutch the stone in your hand, wanting the carved mark to brand into your skin as you close your eyes as well. You already plan to tie Nor's stone into the songcord So'lek had given you, and you hope that in time, the songcord will grow, and there will be many more milestones to signify. Milestones that you hope that Nor and your friends will share with you, as Sarentu and as your family.

MASTERLIST

REQUESTS

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[just-some-guy-at-shiz]

Okay, so I’ve got the stupidest AU idea:

When Boq encounters Elphaba after the intermission she became the “Wicked Witch,” he’s spooked and looking around for a weapon. But as soon as she says she won’t hurt him, and appeals to having known him in school, he jumps at the chance to get away from Nessa, and begs Elphaba to let him work for her instead. She’s a little offput and unconvinced by how quickly he’s willing to switch his political alignment, but he manages to convince her that he’s secretly harbored sympathy for her cause. He reminds her how much he admired Dr. Dillamond and his teaching back at Shiz, insists he’s helped an Animal or two on the run in some small ways, says he wished he could do more but he doesn’t have a head for organized protest and doesn’t know how to truly be of use, but if only he had Elphaba to rally behind. And besides, surely she could use a companion that didn’t fail Home Ec, but in fact aced it and knows lots of helpful farming trivia and can totally do her laundry without messing up the intricate beadwork on that fancy new Broadway-costume-cloak she’s got on. What’d’ya say? Need a lackey?

Elphaba agrees on the principle that the more people on her side the better (and also being reminded how long it’s been since she’s done laundry), and having helped Nessa, she sets off with Boq as her new sidekick. Nessa is dumbstruck and heartbroken that Boq is so eager to leave her (and with her own sister!!), but she doesn’t get a chance to cast any ill-advised magic. Boq gets to keep his flesh another day.

This is not the stupid part of the AU. So far this is actually rather plausible.

Anyway, Boq helps Elphaba for a little while. It doesn’t bother him at all, because he has about zero political opinions, and is neither supportive of Animal-racists nor quite as critical of them as he should be. Trying to help the Animals’ cause serves him well at the moment, so for self-preservation’s sake, he gives it his all. Boq’s motto for life is to just survive in whatever situation he’s stuck in, and do whatever emotional labor is necessary to be convincing(ish). So sure, he’s a passionate activist, abso-totally-lutely 👍. But then he gets the chance at a better position, and decides to flip his political opinions again and talk his way into somebody else’s good graces.

Actually, Elphaba goes straight from Nessa’s to the Wizard’s place, so either we change things so there’s more time in between events (my preference), or there’s no “illegal Animal-helping montage” and Boq never has to prove his commitment to being Elphaba’s not-so-evil henchman. But at some point, Elphaba goes to the Wizard to rescue the winged Monkeys and give him a stern talking to, and Boq sees his chance to be protected by the most powerful person in Oz. Boq, morally grey as he is, doesn’t hesitate.

Elphaba tries to sneak in and set the Monkeys free without anyone noticing her until it’s too late. Boq was instructed to go around to the other side of the cage to help her, or he snuck off, or something else happened that separated them, but as soon as he’s out of Elphaba’s sight, Boq runs to the nearest guards and the Wizard and raises the alarm. The Witch is here! Elphaba barely escapes being caught, but doesn’t manage to free the Monkeys. She doesn’t realize Boq is the one who alerted the guards, and assumes he’s been captured and arrested and imprisoned, and makes plans to free him when she comes back for the Monkeys.

Boq, meanwhile, is pleading his case to the Wizard. He claims that he was imprisoned by the Wicked Witch and forced to serve her, do lots of horrible anti-government things, but he never forgot his true loyalty. As soon as he had a chance to betray the Witch, he took it, risking his life in the hope that he might provide some small bit of aid to the wonderful Wizard who has done so much in the fight against wickedness. If the Wizard would have him, Boq would like nothing more than to enter the Wizard’s service as a way of repenting for the deeds he did at the Witch’s bidding, and to join the fight against evil by helping the most good person there is. :3

The Wizard, a seasoned conman, sees right through the flattery. And he’s impressed. It’s clumsy, of course, ameturish and obviously over-exaggerated, but it has potential. Boq reminds the Wizard of himself. Only acting in his own self-interest. Just clever enough to convince people to like him. Just a good enough actor to seem happy and admiring when he’s not. Just a straight liar when it comes to flattery, and good enough at bending the truth to fit his cause the rest of the time. Above all, they’re both opportunists. The Wizard hires Boq as a personal attendant (aka do whatever random tasks boss needs at the moment), but secretly the Wizard is considering Boq as a sort of successor. If he can train that natural talent as a conman, and get rid of the few morals that might interfere with things, then in time, Boq might be exactly the person he needs. He’ll promise Boq power, which equals safety, and that’s all he’ll need to say.

So Boq gets a snazzy green uniform and works for the Wizard for a while. He hopes he’ll run into Glinda now and then, considering they work in the same building for the same person, but tough luck, buddy.

Before long, Elphaba comes back trying to free the Monkeys again. She expects to have to rescue Boq too, so she’s surprised to be met upon arrival by Boq himself, looking like a very green bellhop. She initially thinks he might have been pressed into service, but the look on his face tells her all she needs to know. Sellout. It’s like Glinda all over again, groveling in submission to feed ambition and all. She’s furious that he betrayed her, and swears never to give anyone the benefit of the doubt ever again. 🎵 No benefit of the doubt / Will I giiiiiive / Agaaaaaaiiiiinnnnnn 🎵 and all that jazz. Boq says sorry not sorry, the fugitive life isn’t for me, I saw my chance and took it, and you’re stupid if you wouldn’t have done the same in my shoes. I work for the literal Wizard now. I have a snazzy uniform and health insurance. It doesn’t get better than this. lmao you wish you were me. ;)

Anyway. The Wizard was expecting Elphaba to return for the Monkeys, and Boq was sent to meet her when she snuck in and bring her to the Wizard’s throne room so she and the Wizard could chat. He does just that, with Elphaba fuming at him all through the hallways until they get where they’re going, which makes it a really awkward trip.

The following encounter goes roughly the same. The Wizard does a more professional version of Boq’s “put a nice spin on the truth to win them over” tactic, and almost convinces Elphaba to trade her rebellion for the Monkeys’ freedom, but then she sees Dr. Dillamond and tells the Wizard no, I’m nothing like you, I’ll never join you, as protagonists do, and makes her exit.

When Boq is summoned back in after this disappointing (to the Wizard) result, he’s more than a little horrified at seeing what Dr. Dillamond has become. Boq may be self-serving, but he’s not heartless (ha), and he may not have cared that the Wizard was behind the whole silencing-Animals thing, but he had yet to be asked to actually interact with the Animals the Wizard has captive. Maybe he didn’t think the situation was that bad for the Animals, or maybe it’s just harder to ignore injustice when you have to look it in the eye, but the Wizard notices Boq’s weakening resolve.

Boq knows that the conversation with Elphaba was supposed to go a little differently, and asks what now? The Wizard sighs all regretfully, in the way that’s very ominous coming from villains like him, and looks at the cage where his winged Monkeys used to be. He says that he had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, because he had such high hopes for Boq (another ominous thing for a villain to say). Given more time, Boq could have learned to shut away old ideals and become powerful, influential, etc. etc. etc. But the Wizard has become a little desperate, and it’s time for the backup plan, and Boq is the perfect, candidate (because… I don’t know, some reason ¯\_(ツ)_/¯).

Madame Morrible shows up, standing behind Boq so he can’t try to leave. Ominous trifecta!!!

The Wizard tells Boq that nothing is going to change, not really. Boq can still have all he’s ever wanted… as long as he continues to do as he’s told.

This. Is where it becomes stupid. I mean, I like it, but so far this AU has been fairly well-thought-up. The last bit is the part that makes me cringe self-consciously a little. But good news, cringe culture is dead, so I’m just gonna keep going.

Soon after the last, there’s some kind of third interaction between Elphaba and the Wizard. Don’t ask me how they get in the same space, they just do. Also Elphaba is hovering on her broom out of reach. She has the high ground!!! The Wizard says something to the effect of “you stole away my spies. So I had to make a replacement.” And Elphaba is like “more spies?” thinking oh man how many rescues am I gonna have to do in one week? Then the Wizard says “better than just spies. I have created the perfect soldier… for catching witches.” A blur flies out from behind a curtain and straight towards Elphaba in midair. She’s shocked to find her hands being tied by Boq, still wearing emerald city green, but having a pair of feathery wings and looking very ill at ease with the whole situation. Also in pain, very much in pain. This isn’t the result of a magic spell, not with Elphaba on the opposing team. This whole (literal) operation was like 20% Morrible magic tops, and the rest was questionable mad science. The Wizard didn’t even give Boq three full days to recover, and Boq is not only in pain but terrified he’s gonna pull out the stitches on those wings and plummet to his death, or bleed out from his back if the fall doesn’t kill him.

Suffice to say that working for the Wizard no longer feels like a “safe” job.

Elphaba basically says just that, trying to convince Boq to let her go by asking him if he’s really willing to suffer like this for the Wizard’s sake of all people. Stop making your “I’m on the clock” decidedly neutral face and answer me honestly, do you want this? Because you look miserable.

She can see that she’s winning him over. He loosens his grip on her.

Elphaba then launches into her recruitment campaign. She tells Boq to think of everything he’s been through, and how the winged Monkeys were forced into this exact same scenario before she rescued them, and that Animals are suffering like this or worse every single day, and if he would want someone to help him when he’s suffering than surely he can do the same and support the Animals’ efforts to push back against—

Elphaba is then interrupted by the Wizard, who put a lot of effort into this hyperobedient flying soldier of his and doesn’t want to see all that psychological manipulation go to waste. The Wizard talks again about how Elphaba is evil and he’s good, and how Boq is just like him and he’s proud of all the Boq has done, and if Boq stands by the Wizard, he can have power and fame even, everything he’s ever wanted—

And this is where Boq interjects to say that he’s never cared about power or fame or saving anybody. Literally all he’s ever wanted is to just get on with his own life like a normal person, without having to do weird and difficult things like this! Neither Elphaba or the Wizard care about him, they just care about how they can use him. And, you know, fair enough, because that’s exactly how Boq thinks of them as well. Glad we’re all on the same page.

Boq unties Elphaba’s hands, but makes no further move to do anything helpful to either side of this argument. He glides to a landing, exhaling in relief at no longer having to put stress on wings that haven’t even healed yet, and says that he’s not going with either of them, please and thank you. He’s going to leave right now, and don’t they dare try following him, or… else! In the short term, he is going to find someplace to get a decent coffee, and in the long term he is going to find a nice quiet farm to work on or a tradesman to apprentice for or perhaps even risk trying to fly over the great desert at some point just to get away from ALL THE CRAZINESS AROUND HERE. GOOD DAY TO YOU BOTH. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR REBELLION OR ATTEMPTS TO DEFEAT SAID REBELLION. BOQ OUT!

And he throws up his hands in exasperation and turns on his heel and marches away.

This isn’t bad. It’s just the wings bit that’s a little badly written, because it’s sort of unnecessary. I think I just like it for the drama. We can’t have (musical) Boq without a little transformation-related body horror at some point, now can we? He’s just lucky it’s not as all-encompassing this time.

Really though, the fact that it’s unnecessary and dramatic maybe just adds to the humor. Like, wow, good job giving me wings and making me look like a super powerful protagonist, I’m going to squander that immediately by wanting nothing to do with flying or protagonist-ing. You chose the wrong test subject, loser.

[batmanfruitloops]

Can you guess who's next? Eddie, our favorite riddle-spewing gremlin!

Eddie was born to two parents where neither wanted to take care of him so that's pretty unfortunate, but it wasn't too bad at first. His grandma, Emily Nashton, happily raised Ed from a baby when her son Elliot (I'll be referring to him by his middle name as Eddie is actually a jr. - also he really hates the name "Edward") unceremoniously dropped him off at her house. She'd have preferred to just dote on and spoil him, but she'd rather Ed be taken care of properly.

Eddie has always been very blind, so he's had glasses for pretty much forever.

Eddie got to stay with his grandma until he was about 6 (I'm still not too sure, he's pretty young at least) when his dad randomly showed up again claiming he was going to take over raising Eddie from then on. He was confused, but he figured it was just for a visit. However, Eddie rarely got to go back to his grandma's from this point. His dad barely took care of Eddie either, mostly ignoring or berating him. The dad lived off of Eddie's child support and spent most of it on booze and rent.

Eddie missed having a full stomach, being able to ask all the questions he wanted to, and knowing he was loved. He got used to sneaking around to get things done, like scarffing down food when his dad was out of the house or asleep, or quickly taking a shower, or even sneaking out to visit the library and do laundry.

He also got to attend school and while his grades were impeccable, he wasn't able to make any friends. They all thought he was too loud, too annoying, too angry. His teachers also scolded him for causing disruptions, when they usually only started because other kids were being mean. Sometimes it's because of Eddie's OCD and OCPD, as that makes it hard to not have things a certain way, or more specifically how Eddie perceives it should be. Again, I'm by no means an expert on such topics, but that's to my best understanding. Eddie was also on edge a lot at school because of his dad. His dad was bitter and jealous about how smart Eddie is, and so he accused him of cheating a lot. For context, this Riddler is NOT a cheater as a know some versions are willing to do so.

There were three good things during Eddie's school years. He had one teacher who understood him well, and so Ed was behaved in that class. As mentioned in my previous post regarding this au's Joker, Eddie got to see Arthur at Cobblepot Park most days of the week, and they also understood one another very well. They could just talk and talk about whatever and not have to worry about their home lives. Eddie also got birthday cards from his grandmother every year, and got to visit occasionally. He often found them stuffed into the garbage and the money she had sent with it was never in there, but he cherished them all and still has them to this day. His grandmother also liked to slip him money during his visits, which Ed hid under his floorboards along with her cards.

When Eddie was 12, Arthur stopped showing up. Eddie assumed Arthur was just sick or something, but he never showed again. It made Eddie feel betrayed. From this point, Eddie is a bit more skeptical of people, but he does still try and remain optimistic that good people are out there. Most of them are just lousy, it seems.

Eddie's senior year, he got a job as a cashier at one of the local grocery stores. He liked asking customers riddles when they went through his isle. He came off as rude to a lot of customers and some of his coworkers, but he still defended them when a customer was wrong. This is also where Eddie learns how to speak Spanish, although it's very little. When Eddie turned 18 though, his father and him got into a fight that led Eddie to being kicked out. He had to scramble to pick his few things out of his room, load them into a suitcase and go. Eddie never told his coworkers that he was now one of the many homeless of Gotham. They weren't close enough for that. So Eddie's bedraggled state from sleeping in abandoned buildings and eating little from his paychecks seems a bit out of nowhere. Eddie also finally gets fired. He's just had too many incidents of fighting with customers, even if he's always remorseful afterwards. Now with no income, Eddie is panicking. He'd also be becoming more and more upset with those in power, and the rich class. They were bad people and yet they got to get away with it. Can't hand them over to the police since the whole district is corrupt. What else can be done about it? Why, expose it of course. And so Ed takes on the role of the Riddler, every waking hour spent coming up with traps and riddles and clues on who to go after. Luckily there's plenty of abandoned tech and whatnot around. His physical health would continue to decline though. This is about where the au starts. Eddie is already an established villain and is enjoying his time harassing bad people and getting Batman's attention.

- Sarsee

[schrijverr]

Page 44-45

[Page 44 has one horizontal photograph on it beneath it is text. The image is of the Munson trailer, a beat up couch standing in front of it. On the couch are Eddie and Wayne, Eddie is shirtless, only having his jewelry and plaid pajama pants on as he is slouched down. Wayne just came from his shift. They’re smoking together. On the door is spray painted ‘Satanists’ in bold letters, both men seem to ignore this.]

Necessary Oblivion

Jonathan Byers, 1989

.

As much as we want to tell you the good parts, show you all the highlights, the victories. We can’t. Our joy was reserved for private moments and we were watched for signs that could be used against us. Being queer isn’t easy. Not now, not then. You learn to ignore stares and hateful words, to clean off the spray paint and wipe off the dirt when you’re pushed down. However, there are some things that aren’t as easily ignored.

Steve got written out of the will in 1988, replaced by his younger cousin, who was already engaged to his high school sweetheart. His parents only returned to Hawkins for one day and that was to kick him out and inform him of the change. He moved into the trailer with Eddie and his uncle Wayne, like Eddie had done years before that, fleeing for his parents. And like Wayne had done before both of them, a few decades earlier.

Robin got disowned in the summer of 1989, betrayed by a pin that was left on her floor after it fell of a jacket, usually hidden in the back of her closet. She stayed in Jonathan’s old room for the weeks between that happening and moving to Boston too along with Eddie and Steve.

Mrs. Mayfield never knew her daughter had a girlfriend as well as a boyfriend, Max told her grave in 1997. While, Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair only learned that their son’s girlfriend had a girlfriend too in 2008.

Mike didn’t invite his parents to his wedding day, Nancy never brought Argyle home. Both of them stopped speaking to the people that raised them when Mike went to college in 1989. Neither of us know what kind of person our little sister grew up to be. Holly Wheeler, if you are out there, we hope you’re okay, we hope you grew up kind.

But we had each other, we were lucky with the support we had. The people that did accept us, are worth their weight in gold. Together we ensured we all made it. Yet none of us can deny there are losses in growing up queer, there are experiences that you don’t get to have, lessons only you have to learn, parts of yourself you can’t share.

Life isn’t a highlight reel, but we try to remember the good parts too.

.

[Page 45 has three photographs. Two next to each other, with one beneath them. The first image, upper left, is of Robin. She is sitting in the hallway of the Hopper-Byers house, hugging her knees close to her chest and crying. Next to her sits a stuffed duffle bag.]

Disowned

Jonathan Byers, 1989

.

[The photograph next to it is of the same image, this time Steve is kneeling in front of her, wiping away her tears and smiling softly. Robin returns it with a watery smile of her own.]

Claimed

Jonathan Byers, 1989

.

[Below it is another horizontal image, again of the trailer. This time Wayne is gone from the couch, as is Eddie. Instead Eddie and Steve are working together to clean the paint of the trailer, both having a little bucket and sponges. Eddie is still dressed the same as in the first photograph, Steve is wearing the unbuttoned matching top and just a pair of boxers, his chest and leg hair on full display. Both their scars can be seen.]

Cleaning Up after Hate

Jonathan Byers, 1989

~~

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[threewaywithdelusion]

Stiles Gets Hurt

Melissa is behind the desk, pulling up a patient chart, when Stiles stumbles into the waiting room. She doesn’t notice him for a moment, focused on her work. It’s only when he thuds into the desk in front of her that she looks up, eyes immediately widening in alarm. 

Stiles is bleeding. He’s clutching his forearm with his opposite hand, and blood is seeping through his fingers. 

“Stiles,” she says, horrified. 

His face is scrunched in pain, but he still tries to give her a smile. “Hey, Mrs. McCall. Mind stitching me up?”

She’s not supposed to do this — this isn’t how protocol goes — but she drags him into an empty room and makes him lift his hand off the wound so she can take a look. 

It’s not good. Three long scratches run down the length of his forearm, curving around slightly. They’re deep, especially the middle one, and she doesn’t know how much blood he’s already lost but it must be a lot, especially with how pale he looks. 

“Was this another animal attack?” she asks, because those are definitely claw marks on his arm. But she just saw him, only a few hours ago, letting himself into her house with the key he’d had made and claiming he and Scott were going to work on a school project. How could he have gotten mauled inside her house?

Stiles looks at his arm for a moment, like he’s surprised by the scratches, then says, “Yeah, yeah, animal attack. I was, uh, driving home from Scott’s and I stopped on the side of the road, by the woods, because I thought the Jeep was making a funny sound. So I got out of the car. In the middle of the woods. Alone. At night. Like an idiot. And uh, I didn’t see what the animal was, exactly, but boy was it fast! You know how it happens sometimes, when things just go so quickly and you can’t even remember and-“

“Stiles!” she interrupts, because Stiles can go on forever if not interrupted. Scott always manages to follow along, even when Melissa can’t, and she knows Stiles loves him in part for being one of the few people who never interrupts him. But Melissa can’t wait for Stiles to finish — not when he’s bleeding out on her exam table. “Let me get a doctor to do your stitches.”

Stiles grabs her arm before she can leave. “Wait! Can’t you just do it?”

“I’m not a doctor,” Melissa says. 

“Yeah, but there’s no need to make a big deal out of this,” Stiles says. “It’s just a few scratches from a wild animal. You can just bandage it up — I don’t need a real doctor.”

“Stiles, these are too deep for a band-aid,” Melissa says. “Let me call a doctor.”

“Please don’t,” Stiles says. Those big brown eyes look pleadingly up at her. He’s looked at her like that so many times over the years — when he broke her kitchen window by throwing a lacrosse ball through it, when he was begging to sleep over for the third night in a row, when Scott was grounded and she’d caught Stiles sneaking in through the back door — but she’s never quite managed to become immune to it. “We can’t handle another hospital bill, okay? We’re still paying off Mom’s. Please. Can’t you do it for me?”

Stiles never mentions Claudia. Neither of them do, and that’s how she knows that he’s dead serious. 

It sits uneasily in her stomach, but Melissa has watched the doctors do stitches a hundred times. She’s practiced them before and even done them in a few emergencies — when there was no one else who could possibly attend to a patient. 

She shouldn’t do it off the books when there are doctors available. She should put Stiles’s name into the system and page a doctor to come take care of him. 

But it’s Stiles and he mentioned Claudia and Stiles asks for a lot of things all the time, but he’s never serious like this. 

“Fine,” Melissa says. She grabs gauze, antiseptic, a needle and thread, and butterfly bandages and arranges them on a tray next to the hospital bed. The gauze comes first — she presses it over his wound and holds down to stop the bleeding. 

“Have you called your father?” she asks Stiles. 

“Not yet,” Stiles says. “He’s at work tonight. But I’ll tell him when he gets home. I didn’t see anything useful, but the animal attacks are an open case and maybe he’ll finally let me help now that I’m a witness.”

Melissa should push further, but if there’s one thing Stiles can’t resist it’s an open case. She’s sure Noah will be hearing about this as soon as Stiles leaving the hospital. Stiles is not above leveraging his injuries to bully his way into his father’s case. 

She peeks under the gauze. The middle cut is still oozing slowly, but the other two have stopped bleeding. 

She grabs the antiseptic and starts cleaning out the wounds. Stiles yelps in pain and almost yanks his hand away, forcing her to grab his wrist to hold him in place. 

“I can’t get you proper anesthetic without a doctor,” Melissa says as she disinfects the cuts. “Are you sure you don’t want one?”

“I’m fine,” Stiles says tensely. His face is pale, so Melissa tells him to wait right there and goes to the storeroom. She can’t give him the good stuff, but a topical anesthetic should help. She knows Stiles has a fear of needles and adding pain to that equation seems like a terrible idea. 

He smiles gratefully at her when she returns. “You’re my hero, Mrs. McCall.”

She spreads the gel over his arm and looks at it critically. The two outside cuts can probably be closed using butterfly bandages, but the center one definitely needs stitches. 

Stiles sees her thread the needle and goes a little green, looking away. 

“How’s Scott?” she asks, to distract him. 

“Scott?”

She starts sewing and he flinches, eyes screwing shut. 

“My son, Scott. Your best friend. He wasn’t with you, was he?”

“When the- when the animal attacked? No, Scott was home.”

Melissa hums. She has to focus on the stitches, but there’s something tugging at the corner of her mind. Something not quite right about this. 

“Noah and I are both working tonight and you and Scott didn’t spend the night holed up together? I was expecting to find you both asleep in his room in the morning.”

Stiles doesn’t say anything, so she looks up to check his expression. It’s pained yes, but there’s something underneath. Something complicated that she can’t name. 

“Stiles?”

“We fought,” Stiles says slowly. 

“Oh,” Melissa says, actually shocked. Scott and Stiles squabble like siblings sometimes, but they rarely fight for real. Scott never gets mad at Stiles, no matter how many times Stiles lands them in detention or how many times he drags Scott on harebrained adventures that get them grounded. And Stiles occasionally gets mad over petty things, but never anything they don’t talk through in a day. They only have each other, as far as Melissa can tell, and they’re too codependent to go long without talking. “What did you fight about?”

“A girl,” Stiles says. He sounds like he’s actually furious.

“Allison?” Melissa asks. “Do you like her too?”

“No,” Stiles says, but doesn’t add anything else. 

Melissa ties off another stitch. “Are you jealous?”

Stiles smiles bitterly. “Despite what the rumors say, Scott and I aren’t actually dating.”

Melissa laughs. “I know that. But I’m around Scott half as much as you are and when he brought up Allison at dinner I had to resist the urge to throw my bread roll at his head. He’s got a bit of a one-track mind when it comes to her.”

“Yeah, he’s been a real pain in my ass lately,” Stiles says. 

Melissa ties off the last stitch. “She’s his first love and they’re in the honeymoon phase. I promise he won’t be this insufferable forever.”

She snips the thread then leans in close, like she’s sharing a secret. “But I won’t hold it against you if you aim a few lacrosse balls at his head.”

Stiles smiles weakly. “My aim isn’t good enough for that.”

Melissa nods sagely as she pulls out the butterfly bandages and starts taping up the other cuts. “That’s why they’ll believe you when you say it’s an accident.”

She’s expecting a laugh but the sound Stiles makes is almost a sob. She looks up, alarmed to find tears in his eyes. He’s pressing his good hand over his mouth, like he can keep himself from making another sound. 

“Sorry,” he says, after a moment. “It’s been a long day.”

Melissa places the last of the butterfly bandages on his arm and then pulls him into a hug. 

Stiles melts into her arms, burying his face in her shoulder. He crushes her tightly to him with his good arm, clutching the back of her scrubs like he needs her to keep from falling apart. She rocks them side to side, rubbing up and down Stiles’s back and making comforting noises. 

She hugged Stiles like this a few months after Claudia died. He’d fallen apart in her arms, and she’d realized that she was the closest thing this boy had left to a mother. Since then, she’s given him dozens of hugs. Hello hugs and good report card hugs and you’re-both-so-tall hugs. But she hasn’t hugged him like the world is ending in seven years, and now she wonders if he’s been missing that. 

Without a mother, whose arms does Stiles crawl into when he needs to fall apart?

“It’s okay,” Melissa whispers, over and over. Like she can make it real. 

When he finally pulls back, his eyes are red. He wipes them quickly, like every teenage boy who is embarrassed by crying. 

“Do you want me to call your dad?” Melissa offers again. 

Stiles shakes his head. “I’m heading straight home anyway. I’ll see him there.”

“Okay,” Melissa says. “You’re not in too much pain, right?”

Melissa remembers when Scott was little and learning how to walk. Her heart would crash through her ribs every time he fell and started crying. She always wanted to pick him up and fuss over him to make sure he was alright. It was Rafe who had said that making a big fuss over every injury would only scare Scott further. That sometimes, children cried because they were scared of falling and not because the fall had actually hurt. 

Rafe had been a terrible father, especially after the drinking had started, but he’d been right about that. 

Melissa’s not sure how much that logic applies to sixteen-year-old boys, but she hopes Stiles is crying because he’s scared that he was attacked by some wild animal and not because his arm hurts. 

“Nah, you fixed me up,” Stiles says. “I’m good as new.”

“Okay then,” Melissa says. She gives Stiles a few more instructions about taking care of his stitches and which pain medications to take and then she sees him on his way. 

She returns to a full ER and she curses the full moon for bringing out all the lunatics. 

[eddieschains]

Since everyone is sharing their end of the year thoughts i suppose i’ll share mine since i am in fact a follower and not a leader.

TW: mentions of drug use, parental issues, abandonment issues, depression, anxiety

I keep saying that this year started out being the best year of my life, and ended with being the worst. But, now that i think back, i honestly think that’s the farthest thing from the truth. This year has brought me some of the best memories of my life and has really changed me and molded me into the person i’ve dreamt of being for the last 22 years.

So for those who don’t know my personal life story, which is almost all of you, let me indulge a little bit.

My mom is a dr*g addict and left me when i was 10 years old, and i never knew my dad. I was practically left to raise myself and figure out life on my own. I was able to move out when i was 16 and have been on my own ever since. It was a struggle of course, but i made it by as well as i could. Unfortunately, when i was 13 i fell into the same habits as my mom. I lost a lot of friends and people in my life, but i was able to pull myself back together and get sober. At 16, i was constantly working and doing my best to graduate school early and start living a life i always dreamed of. And it happened. I found the best group of friends i could’ve possibly asked for, who now have become my family.

Fast forward a couple years, my brother and his wife divorced and neither of them were doing well mentally or physically. They couldn’t take care of their daughter anymore, and growing up the way i did, i couldn’t bear to see her end up in foster care or have her childhood thrown away like mine was. So i agreed to take her. As a 20 year old who swore she would never have children, i was now left to provide for myself and an 8 year old child. And it was honestly great. Until one morning at 2am i got a call from someone claiming to be my mothers fiancé.

He told me my mom was in the hospital with liver failure and a blood disease and wasn’t going to make it til the end of the week. Now, i made a pact with myself when i was 17 that i wouldn’t let her back into my life unless she was clean and sober. I told myself that i wasn’t going to allow her to hop in and out of my life like she had done prior. But in the end, she’s my mom. And i knew i would regret it if i saw her obituary on facebook and didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. So i went to see her.

Her fiancé had over exaggerated the whole situation. She wasn’t dying, but she was sick. So i visited her everyday until she got out. I knew she was homeless, so brought her care packages of everything she might need when she left. When she was discharged from the hospital, i had no idea. I showed up one day and the staff told me she was gone. She did it again. She abandoned me without a word. So i moved on with my life, and made another pact not to let her in.

I focused on myself, my work, and my schooling until it got to be too much for me. I was constantly thinking about her, wondering where she was, if she was alive or dead. I dropped out of school to focus on my mental health and it slowly started getting better and better. And then last year, it happened again.

Another call that she was in the hospital. I didn’t visit her, but i did call her. I wanted to make sure she didn’t feel alone, but also wanted to keep my distance. She asked if i could drive her back home when she got discharged and while hesitant, i agreed. I drove her to a friends house that was very clearly not a sober house. And that was the last time i saw or heard from her.

It’s been a year since then, and it was really really hard in the beginning. It was hard to get her out of my head. It was hard to stop worrying. I was having panic attacks multiple times a week until i had to just let it go. I let her go and really started the work on myself. I checked myself into a behavioral health center and really pulled my shit together.

This was the first year that i barely thought about my mom. And when i did think about her, it didn’t send me down a spiral. I was living every day in the moment, and enjoying nearly every second of it.

I logged back into my old tumblr only about 6 months ago as a joke to be honest. Just like you guys, i fell down the Eddie Munson/Joseph Quinn rabbit hole and wanted to see if people still write fan fiction in 2022. And thank god they do. I found some really good friends on this app and i am so so happy and grateful that i did.

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend of 3 years broke up with me. While it was incredibly painful, i think i actually dealt with it EXTREMELY well. Maybe a little too well honestly. I gave myself a few days to process, and then i just… moved on. And it sounds crazy but i think a lot of that is because of this app and because of you guys.

This place has become my safe space and you guys have genuinely become my friends. It’s a place for me to speak whatever silly little unhinged and horny thought i have in my head, and i know you won’t judge me.

Well, this was a lot and it probably makes barely any sense but long story short, im so proud of myself for who i’ve become this year, and i’m so glad i found this little community. I’ve finally become the person i always wanted to be and honestly you guys are a huge part of it, as stupid as it sounds. So thank you thank you thank you for allowing me to be part of this whole thing and accepting me for who i am. I love you guys. Happy 2023 🤍

[rosesunnn]

[Ramona Young, Cisfemale, 23, She/Her]. Whip off those shades, cool cat! Looks like [ROSE SUN] or better known by their friends, [THE WORRYWART] just hit the sand, ready to enjoy their summer of relaxation. Word around Vortex is that they are [EMPATHETIC AND CARING], [IMPULSIVE AND STUBBORN], and are typically described as [2 BAGS OF FRUIT SNACK IN HER GLOVE COMPARTMENT, EMERGENCY MEDICAL KIT INCLUDING A LOT OF TYLENOL AND JUDGES PEOPLE FOR SMOKING AS SHE HITS HER VAPE ]. Hope they’re ready for the summer of a lifetime!

Profile

Full name - Rose Sun Date of Birth - July 13th, 2001 Age - 23 Gender Identity - Female, She/Her Sexualitly - Pansexual Residence - Vortex, South Carolina Face Claim - Ramond Young Zodiac Sign - Cancer Positive Traits - Empathetic, Responsible, Caring Negative Traits - Impulsive , Stubborn, Pessimistic

BACKGROUND

Rose has always felt being born on a Friday the 13th was a sign that her life would never be “normal”. Rose was born to Kevin and Yui Sun on July 13th, 2001. Rose was never in the plans for either of them, a night of too many tequila shots lead to her existence. Kevin thought by marrying Yui he was doing the right thing but neither of them could ever truly run away from the type of people they’d always been. After 2 years of pretending to be someone she wasn't, Yui left, leaving Rose alone with her father. Rose always knew one day she would be left to her own devices, she just thought it would be her parents choice not hers. After ten blissful years of her living without a care in the world her father decided she was grown enough to start helping around the house. For most kids that meant chores, but for her that meant everything. She started cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, and even budgeting with the little money they had. She always knew money was tight but it wasn’t until her sophomore year that she learned how tight it really was. She came home one day from school to find some man who she had assumed was one of her father’s drinking buddies rummaging through her things. When she tried to confront him, he went on and on about her father owing him money. She determined rather quickly that this would be her burden as well. In an effort not to let this affect her family further, she got a job soon after and worked to pay off every cent her father owed. This went on for four years. 

Once she graduated high school she knew leaving would be the only way for her to get out of having to take care of her father, so she applied to as many colleges as she could afford as far away from her father as possible. Before she got any letters back she left home, believing that enough was enough and taking her life into her own hands. 

She quickly found a new job and a place to live in this new city, where she knew exactly zero people. She thought she had fully escaped, until she got a call from her hometown police department. It had only been five months since she’d left, when she was informed of the accident. Her father had gone out, assumingly to get yet another case of beer. If they’d asked her (which they didn’t), she could have told them he was probably already drunk. But they claimed he had “fallen asleep” at the wheel. Why were they lying to her? She knew better. He had done this countless times before but needless to say she wasn’t interested in having anyone lie to her face about how sorry they were for her loss. He passed peacefully they told her, she cynically would have been fine with worse, but at least now he was finally gone and out of her life for good. She felt a sense of freedom, not pretending to be devastated for the sake of others, she decided not to attend the funeral, or even plan anything. He wasn’t her problem anymore.

Rose met several friends throughout her time in college classes, found people who made her feel like she finally belonged. She might not know what she wants to major in, but at least she’d found people. Her people. She instantly clicked with them and became very protective of each. Taking on a motherly role in their friend group, she was always there for her friends. Vowing to give them the kind of love and support she spent so many years without.

[infinitelistofcreations]

Conner Abbott

Basics: Age: 30 Sexuality: bi-sexual Current Residence: England Height: 6′1″ (185 cm) Nationality: British Face Claim: Sousuke Yamazaki (Free!) Occupation: internet cafe owner

Personality: Laid back and easy going about life. He doesn’t take things too seriously but he isn’t gullible or naive. He has a very big brother type of way of acting around others younger than himself, teasing them to the point of annoying them but also trying to help them grow as a person and encourage them however he can. He takes great pride in his job, giving only his best efforts into anything it needs. Being seen as a manly man is also a point of pride for himself- being strong, assertive, macho and the like are things he often keeps tabs on, as it’s something everyone compliments him on regularly and he enjoys that praise. But he’s still kind and looks after others, too, taking no shit from anyone and standing up to those who try being bullies.

Appearance: Short, styled black hair and deep blue eyes, he keeps his body in shape and has a toned body though not overly muscular, either. He will wear anything that’s comfortable when not at work, be it shorts, jeans, sneakers or sandals. His fashion sense isn’t terrible but not great, either. Basically, whatever he sees in fashion/clothing magazines that are being worn by men his age, he’ll wear and buy.

Background: Growing up in England as an older brother wasn’t an easy thing, but Conner made it look it. He never knew his father, instead having his mother bring various men into the home as he and his little brother grew up. His mother, while not the cruelest woman around, also wasn’t the kindest. She often complained to her sons about their fathers and how they were great men despite neither staying around when the boys were born, and Conner quickly learned to be independent from her to escape her daily whining.

Of course, he didn’t leave Cody behind in this, often taking his kid brother with him any time he went out for jobs, giving Cody his own little tasks to keep him occupied. It had been this way since Conner could remember- taking on a parental role in the household because their mother refused to be one herself. So he took it into his own hands to all but raise Cody himself, not wanting Cody to go through the irritation that had been listening to their mother.

The moment he turned 18, he moved out of the house from his mom, though gave his brother a spare key for when Cody wanted to get away from their mom as well. Conner also continued making sure to spend time with Cody, bringing him out to various places and just trying to help the guy expand his social horizons, since it seemed Cody was just shutting himself in his room all the time. At the same time, Conner worked his ass off and eventually graduated high school with near honor grades, and he balanced his business class for a degree with helping Cody out when he got into high school as well.

After working his way through various mind-numbing jobs and internships, Conner managed to finally get the money he needed to start up his own company, something he’d wanted since he was young. Just being able t run his own company and call the shots himself was more appealing to him than having to listen to someone else, really. And when he noticed people in the surrounding areas talking about spaces where they could go to just be online but also still socialize with others, it gave Conner the idea of starting an internet cafe- an old school idea but it seemed the concept was coming back in fashion. And before long, it was a success! Conner was the owner of his own internet cafe, and after Cody got his own schooling done for general IT, he gave his brother work at the cafe as well. Something like a family business, but not.

Relationships: Cody -  younger half brother through their mother Violette - friend

Tag

[adelheidvonschicksal]

I could do a scenario where reader loves to mess with megumi's hair, but suddenly she stops because she thinks she's bothering him.

The first time you notice how soft his hair is was when you were returning to school after a long mission.

You were riding in a car with the entire first-year gang. Nobara sat in the front seat next to Ijichi while you were placed in the back between Yuji and Megumi. The ride back was a long one. After an exhausting day of exorcising curses, you were all tired. Nobara and Yuji ended up falling asleep minutes into the ride, leaving Megumi to watch the sights passing through the window and you shyly trying to make conversation with him.

It's hard considering the strong crush you have on your fellow classmate. He was intelligent, kinder than he really let on, and fairly mature (at least compared to the people you’re usually around). His good looks were the cherry on top of the entire package. Everyone knew Megumi was a pretty boy and often teased him about it. He had fair skin, long, thick eyelashes, and your favorite being his dark hair. It looked so soft whenever your teacher would pat his head, flattening out the black tresses and ruffling them, much to Megumi’s chagrin. But you really wished you could feel as well.

You were the type of person to show your fondness for others through touch. Some people liked it, and some didn’t. For example, Yuji normally had no problem with you touching him, even welcomed it. You weren’t brave enough to ask someone like Megumi for the same sort of relationship, so you kept your hand to yourself when it came to him. At least until Megumi fell asleep, leaning against the car door for support. It’s then you saw your chance and carefully reached to touch one of the longer spikes.

The little black point wavered at your poking, lightly curling around your index finger as you swirled it around. You giggled to yourself about it. It’s thicker and fluffier than you imagined and also incredibly soft, proving Kugisaki’s theory about a ton of hairspray wrong.

Suddenly, a bump in the road cut your touching short, and you quickly jumped away when Megumi’s eyes began to flutter open.

Suspicious, he asked, “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” you said calmly despite your heart thumping under his gaze, but he dropped his interrogation as you all pulled into the school’s parking lot.

That was three months ago.

Now, the two of you were dating, and you saw that as permission to continue your physical intimacy with your more introverted boyfriend.

“Good morning, guys,” you greet your classmates and teacher with a wave, saving your happier actions for Megumi as your hand immediately goes towards his head to ruffle his hair. You pull your hand away but not before letting your fingers clasp your favorite cowlick. Giving a gentle tug, you let it bounce back into place with a smile.

Megumi groans softly, his mouth pursed into a slight frown as he goes to fix his hair back into its normal disarray.

Gojo claps, bringing your attention towards him. “Well now that everyone’s here, let’s go shopping.”

With that, the five of you head to the shopping district despite the heat bearing down on the city. You spend about an hour walking around before deciding to take a break so Nobara and Gojo can catch their breath in the shade while you return some clothes you bought a few weeks earlier across the street. Megumi and Yuji go to buy all five of you drinks, but it isn’t long before you hear Yuji yelling from outside the store.

“Sensei! Kugisaki! Fushiguro is getting hit on! We have to protect (L/Name)’s relationship!”

Before you could even stop them, they’re already up and running in Fushiguro’s direction. Sighing, you grab your card from the store owner and run to catch up with your group.

When you arrive, Kugisaki and Itadori are already clinging to him and ranting something about being in love with him before Gojo saunters up in his best casual wear to challenge them. You have to stifle back a laugh as he goes on about music practice and homewrecking before the event ends with Megumi smacking Yuji in the head as Nobara and Gojo stalk off, defeated.

Hearing your laughter, Yuji cowers behind you with tearful chibi eyes. “Do you see that, (Name)? Fushiguro is so mean. I was only trying to help him and that's the treatment I get .”

“You didn’t help at all. You were nothing short of embarrassing.”

You giggle at the two before reaching out to your silently fuming boyfriend. “No need to be so grumpy, Megumi-kun, or did Gojo give you too much violin homework,” you sing out teasingly, earning a growl about how it isn’t funny as you playfully scramble his hairstyle.

“And that! Will you stop with that?” Megumi demands and forcefully shoves your hand away. “It’s so annoying. You don’t see me petting you all day like some damn pet.”

“Oh,” you say, stepping back from him in your shock. This is the first time Megumi has brought up how you chose to dote on him. Yes, he’d quietly grumble about it from time to time like most things, but he never yelled at you about how you chose to display your affection. You guess you never really realized how much it truly bothered him. Biting back the hurt in your voice, you apologize. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

Megumi grunts softly in response, and Yuji decides it’s probably best to ask Gojo to take you all home for today.

It isn’t long after that Megumi begins to notice your interactions with him starting to change. He apologized for yelling at you soon after the event, but you were still much less touchy with him even after accepting his apology.

Normally, you’d grab onto his hand without so much as asking or surprise him with kisses on his cheek. Now, you only hold his pinky from time to time and only if he asks. You also stop your go-to of rubbing his head when you’d greet him or playing with the ends of his hair when you were bored.

Megumi thought maybe something was bothering you, but then he noticed how you’d still laugh and joke around with Yuji and Nobara, your hand gripping onto their shoulder when they’d tell an extra funny joke or affectionately patting them on the back. That wasn’t the worst though. The worst was when you’d absentmindedly sweep Yuji’s hair back into place when it got messy from training. The jealousy it sparked in Megumi was the last straw that makes him decide to ask you what was wrong.

You’re surprised when he tugs on your sleeve, interrupting your conversation with Itadori and Kugisaki. “Hey, can we talk?”

“Sure,” you say, nodding off to Itadori and Kugisaki before following Megumi to the waterspouts outside. You both sat together on the brick square surrounding the structure. It’s a few quiet seconds of you staring at Megumi as he folds his hands in front of him and lazily taps his foot. Dark blue eyes stare at you before dropping back to the ground.

“Are you still mad at me for yelling at you the other week?”

You shake your head. “I told you it’s fine. I’m not mad at you about that.”

“Then, it’s something else,” he decides, and he desperately tries to rack his brain for what else he could have possibly done wrong, “I’m sure I didn’t forget your birthday or anything. Do you not like me anymore or something?”

Gasping, you deny his claim, “Of course I like you, why would you think I don’t?”

“Because you’re not so friendly with me anymore like the way you are with the others, so either you’re upset with me, or you don’t have the same feelings for me as you do with them.”

“It’s neither of those things. With Yuji and Nobara, they’re both sociable people, but you aren’t like them. You don’t like all that kind of stuff, and I don’t want to annoy you by doing things you don’t like.”

Megumi scowls at your confession, sighing because he remembers exactly why you must be talking like this so suddenly. He specifically called your touches annoying, and he inwardly curses at himself for it. “You’re wrong. It’s not that I don’t like it…” he begins unsurely then pauses.

“Then, what?”

Megumi groans softly, an embarrassed heat starting to build in his cheeks as he quietly croaks out, “Feels good.”

“What’s that?” you ask, scooting closer so you can hear him better.

Megumi blushes lightly and cranks his head to look away from your cutely confused blinking. “It feels good when you do it,” he repeats robotically.

“When I do what?”

“When you play with my hair,” he hesitantly explains in more detail, “When Gojo does it, it’s aggravating, but I don't mind so much with you.”

Hesitantly, you ask, “So is it okay if I do it now?”

Megumi nods. “If you want.”

Cautiously, you lift your hand, pulling back in doubt a few times before ultimately sliding your fingers through his hair and rubbing. Megumi groans softly at your touch, and you realize that all those rushed noises of aggravation were actually him moaning from how light and comforting your touch was. You move your hand forward and backward some more, massaging his head until his head starts nodding and his eyes flutter a bit.

You giggle at him. “Are you falling asleep? You’re such a kid.”

“This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.”

You laugh louder as he scoffs to hide his embarrassment.

“In that case, you can sleepover with me tonight, and we can do this if you want,” you offer sweetly, and Megumi glances at you, thinking it over. As your smile grows and your hand hits that sweet spot right at the nape of his neck, he couldn’t deny that he liked the idea of falling asleep with you playing with his hair.

“I’d like that.”

[bnha-more-like-bnh-gay]

Rarepair headcanons because I am ignoring my problems

Serodeku:

Izuku reenacts the Spider-Man movies with Sero. Izuku is MJ. They also alternate being Spider-Man sometimes

They skate together

They get very protective when people call their boyfriend “plain”

They play dnd together

Sero tries to make sure that izuku gets some rest

They’re both kinda insecure, izuku more than sero, but still; and they make sure to reassure each other as often as possible

Sero likes listening to Izuku’s ramblings and finds them cute. He has told izuku this, only for the poor boy to imitate a tomato

After Izuku has been particularly reckless, Sero takes advantage of his quirk, wraps Izuku in bubble wrap, and tapes it there

Tokodeku:

Jocknerd bf and goth bf, we love to see it

Tokoyami teaches izuku how to sword fight

They start a dnd club at U.A.

Izuku talks to dark shadow a lot, Dark Shadow approves of him, and has claimed the spot of best man at their wedding

Izuku comes up with ideas to help Tokoyami gain control with Dark Shadow

Dark Shadow is very protective over Izuku, no matter how many times Tokoyami tells him that he can take care of himself, Dark Shadow will put himself between Izuku and any form of danger as often as possible

Dekoyama??? Aoyama/izuku:

Aoyama gives him makeovers, obviously

Aoyama drags izuku to the mall and tries to revamp some of his wardrobe, but he actually finds the “pants” and “flannel” type shirts cute

They help each other train their quirks

Aoyama is trilingual, and teaching izuku English and French.

Izuku always brings Aoyama home some new cheese

Y’all, I love them so much. There needs to be more aodeku content

Monoshinsou:

They have people watching dates. They come up with stories for the people they’re watching; their job, family, background, etc.

They judge people together

They call each other “love”

They’re both dramatic bastards, who will flop onto their lovers lap and proclaim their death due to a minor inconvenience

They jokingly sh*t-talk class A

Shinsou said “I love you” first, and it was because Monoma brought him coffee to class

Monoyama:

Like monoshinsou, they’re both dramatic bastards, who will flop onto their lovers lap and proclaim their death due to a minor inconvenience

They go shopping together and pick out the most dramatic pieces of clothing for each other

I love them so much, please 😭✋

They have tea parties every week, where they sh*t talk everyone else and gossip

They are both fancy bastards, and they wear the most exquisite outfits to go grocery shopping, and the outshine everyone

They both actually make clothing, they’ll go fabric shopping together. Gift exchanges are often articles of clothing that they’ve made for each other

Momomei:

They work on gear together!!!

Momo makes sure that mei gets some sleep

Mei helps redesign momo’s suit

They often work together with izuku to work in gear and such

They actually got together after izuku introduced them. He had been working on gear with mei, and studying with momo and he thought they’d hit it off. He was correct

Shintsuyu:

Dude they’d be so cute

Tsu is a vent gremlin, and you can’t change my mind. So she and shinsou will play a game where they try to find each other. Tsu is in the vent and shinsou is in the classrooms. Shinsou will try to find whichever vent she’s in, or she’ll find whichever classroom he’s in, in 20 minutes or less

I always headcanoned tsu as a dog person, so they’d have two cats and two dogs, and a bunny that they named Deku

They like comparing their friends to animals, hence the bunny, Deku

Kamideku:

Kaminari is a flirt, and izuku does n o t know how to handle it

Kaminari likes listening to izuku’s ramblings, and can keep up with them. He’ll ask questions on things too, and Izuku has never felt more appreciated

I don’t know why I feel like they’d have so many animals, but I do. They’d have so many, man. Three cats, two dogs, four sugar gliders, a hamster

Adhd power couple. They hyperfixated on complimentary things at the same time one time

Kaminari tutors izuku in English, and izuku turots kami in some other subjects. He’s also teaching kami JSL on the side. Kaminari has a live of languages

Momochako:

Study dates, Momo asks ochako to quiz her a lot

Ochako takes to floating momo’s things when she wants attention. Especially when Momo is studying. She makes a game out of how many things she can float until the other girl notices

Uraraka’s confidence does wonders for momo’s. Uraraka always makes sure to reassure momo that she is strong and that she can do this

Momo makes Uraraka whatever her heart desires. Uraraka blushes all the time, and momo takes great pride in getting her girlfriend to blush

Minatoru:

Mina clings to everyone, but especially to toru

They give each other stuffed animals so often. They’ll go to the store to get food, and come back with three stuffed animals that reminded them of each other

Please, they’re so cute 😭✋

They will play hide and seek, I stand by this.

Mina helps toru design a new costume. I hate hers, it’s horrible, and sexist, and not suitable for a fucking child

Toru says that pink is her favorite color

They flirt with each other all the time. Half the class thinks it’s cute, half of them used to think it was cute.

Iidamomo:

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but study dates. they quiz each other, and it actually gets pretty competitive

They also have rage room dates. I will not budge on this. Iida tried to murder someone, and I am excited to see momo finally snap. She deserves it

They alternate paying for dates, don’t try me.

The go hiking a lot

They started liking each other after one late night, both having nightmares. Momo had tea, and offered some to Iida. They talked until the early hours of the morning

They can’t flirt. They try. But they’re horrible at it. They’ll compliment each other all day long, but they cannot flirt.

KIRIDEKU, MY BELOVED:

Y’all,,, y’all, I love them so much

They train together, obviously

They ran into each other one night in the common room after both having nightmares. They talked about middle school, how they were both bullied, izuku’s quirk coming in late, katsuki being abusive, kiri being bullied because his quirk wasn’t “cool.” After that, they were practically inseparable.

They started going on dates, not that either of them knew they were dates. The entire class knew, so did the teachers, so did the rest of U.A. Kirishima picked up on it first after a comment from Mina, he had is realization.

So, he started courting Izuku. Not thag izuku realized this. He brought him flowers on most ‘dates,’ he bought him hero action figures whenever he could, he complimented him until Izuku was red in the face (which was honestly very easy.) Still, izuku remained ignorant to the fact that he was indeed dating Kirishima.

The final tipping point, was due to Uraraka’s help. She was quite tired of watching the two of them pine for each other. It was amusing for the first couple months, watching Kirishima try so hard, and Deku being totally oblivious. However, she took pity on her friends after a while.

So, Uraraka devised a devilish plan to get the two together. She involved Mina, Sero, and kaminari in this plan. What was the plan, you ask? Oh, simply to trap the two in one room until they broke through izuku’s obliviousness.

Kirishima finally “straight” up admitted his feelings, to which Izuku had the sudden realization of “oh my gods, have we been dating this whole time??” Yes, Izuku. Yes you have.

They have two anniversaries after that.

Let’s be honest, they are really, annoyingly, horrifically lovey dovey. Kirishima brags about having “the manliest and bestest boyfriend in the world.” Izuku flaunts his many PowerPoint presentations on how talented and incredible Kirishima is

Uraraka doesn’t know if she did the right thing by helping them. She is so tired

Tsujirou:

Jirou makes playlists for tsu

The few sane ones in class A, I swear

They go on walks in the rain as often as they can

They go for dates in the bookstore too. They each pick out an album and a book for the other to listen to and read

Y’all, they make so much sense togetherrrrr, I’m love them 🥺

Jirou started liking tsu after the crew saved bakugou. Jirou sat with tsu after momo, Iida, kirishima, Todoroki, and izuku apologized and sat with her. They had movie night, and Jirou joined the Bakugou saving crew and tsu with taking well into the night. She just appreciated how much tsu cared

Tsu started liking Jirou after she helped Iida, momo, and izuku try to keep the class in order. She appreciated how diplomatic and calm she was

Jirou would talk to izuku all night long about how gay she was, and how adorable tsu was. So, izuku decided to try and suggest ways for Jirou to ask her out.

She did not end up getting to ask her out though, as Tsu walked up to her the next morning f and asked if she wanted to go on a date. Jirou said yes. Izuku cried

Izujirou:

They make playlists for each other

They go for runs on the beach a lot

They both have insomnia, and often spend time making blanket forts and talking, or FaceTiming and listening to music

Jirou walks into the common room once a week looking for new music. She started liking Izuku after he made a playlist for her for one of these occasions.

They’re both quite awkward when it comes to romance, but neither of them will shy away from facing the truth. So, Jirou made izuku a playlist filled with love songs that reminded her of him and sent it to him. Sadly, izuku is dense as hell.

So, then Jirou wrote a love song and told izuku that the song was for him. Sadly, izuku is dense as hell.

So, then Jirou write analysis about izuku’s quirk for him. Sadly, izuku is dense as hell

So, then, after thinking that Jirou had done so much for him, izuku made her a playlist filled with love songs. Jirou took this to mean that izuku had finally picked up on her feelings, and accepted them.

So, they started to go on dates. Not that izuku knew this, as he is dense as hell. All leading up to izuku finally confessing his feelings on one of their ‘dates,’ to which Jirou responded, “dude, we’re already dating? Aren’t we? I- I thought that was obvious??”

May this awkward couple be forever blessed

Tokoyama:

Goth/prep boyfriends, we love to see it

At least once a day, Aoyama will proclaim that Tokoyami “shines almost as bright as he does, in his fabulous emo way”

They sword fight, and come up with really dramatic scenarios and scenes that they’re in

They bond over being in the izucrew and their shared love of swords. Aoyama took fencing classes in middle school, and Tokoyami got into sword fighting after watching it in pirates of the Caribbean as a young child. He is self taught and watched countless videos on the art of sword fighting

Tokoyami asked Aoyama our by dramatically presenting him with a dagger and going “will you accompany me on a formal outing as my lover?”

Shinyama:

They flirt constantly

No really, it’s getting quite annoying. Someone please stop them.

They both plop down in random areas and proclaim their deaths, the difference between them, is that Aoyama will burst into shinsou’s room, and yell “love, I’ve been murdered. Mourn for me” while plopping down on shinsou’s lap. Shinsou can be found laying face down outside aoyama’s door, and when Aoyama goes to open the door, he just goes “I’ve been murdered.”

^^ one time, shinsou did a very fun Halloween prank for this, where he poured fake blood all over himself for Aoyama to find him an hour later, asleep.

Nap dates. Aoyama get glitter all over shinsou’s room

Iiyama:

Aoyama enjoys making Iida blush, obviously. But he takes joy in doing it specifically when class is about to start. Aizawa is tired of his shit

Here is how I think an iiyama conversation might go:

Aoyama: I ask for one thing in this relationship-

Iida: Aoyama, you know that’s a lie-

Aoyama: for my boyfriend to carry me around all day-

Iida: Aoyama, I cannot feasibly do this with class-

Aoyama: and I don’t think that’s too much to ask for 😤

Anyway, Aoyama got carried around all day that day, despite Iida’s blush and Aizawa’s eye twitch

Everyone in the izucrew is close, but Iida and Aoyama started to get close after Iida told the crew about Stain. Aoyama wanted Iida to know that he wasn’t alone, and that he wanted to help him. So he started packing extra cheese for lunch and giving it to Iida. Iida was very confused at first. But this was Aoyama trying to court him. This was only made apparent by momo and Jirou telling Iida that this was aoyama’s attempt at expressing romantic interest.

Aoyama flirts with everyone, that’s just who he is. But with Iida? Oh it was tenfold. The poor boy was red in the face constantly. Aoyama was a persistent little bugger too, following him around and calling him ‘mon amour’

Kirikamideku:

My dearest traffic light trio, I’m love them

They train together, and kiri and kami always appreciate izuku’s analysis snd ideas

Kiri falls even more in love with izuku and kaminari when they go off on rants. Izuku rants and kami can keep up with him so he asks questions about it. Kiri loves to watch his boyfriends go on rants, I don’t make the rules, but I do enforce them

They started to get closer after kami and kiri found bakugou causing a ptsd flashback (could be on purpose of an accident, up to the reader.) they stated with him and tried to talk him through it. After this, izuku started to tell them about having been a “late bloomer” and being bullied, etc. (I don’t know, man; I tend to over share after flashbacks and after panic attacks)

Izuku tutors them in several subjects, but kami tutors them in English. Kiri just falls in love with his smart boyfriends

Izuku is teaching kami JSL and kami is helping izuku with English and Italian (personal headcanon that Italian has been one of kami’s special interests) kiri loves to listen to them, and finds it relaxing and calming to hear them do this. When he has panic attacks, he’ll ask them to tutor each other in different languages

[miekasa]

Mie, I’m begging for some Jean college au bf hcs - im literally so down bad for this man and the way you write men is just 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

Absolutely, not a problem 😌 I saved this ask as a draft a while ago when you sent it, sorry for just now getting to it. Anyway, I love Jean with my whole heart, best boy, best boyfriend <33

King of forehead kisses, and not even just because of his height in comparison to yours; he just likes it. He likes the feeling of pressing his lips against your skin, and making you feel safe.

Brings you tea or coffee however you like it every day without fail. If he can get it to you in the morning before work/school then he’ll do that, if not he’ll meet you some time in the middle of the day to drop it off. Your own personal courier just for drinks.

He… has a thing for long(er) nails. He loves the feeling of them against his skin, even if you’re not scratching to apply pressure—just you holding his hand them grazing his skin is enough for him.

That being said, he will pay for you to get your nails done. Actually, he’ll pay for… almost anything you want, but the nails benefit him as much as they do you so feel free to ball out.

He never blowdries his hair because he doesn’t... know how to do the back of it. You did it for him once and he hasn’t stopped thinking about it since, but he’s also too embarrassed to ask you to do/style it again.

On the subject of hair, he does do his best to style it and take care of it, but he’s a sucker whenever you play with it. Sometimes he feigns like you’re messing up all his hard work, but he’ll literally crane his head into your touch. He loves it. 

The first time he lays on top of you and you run your hands through his hair... top 10 most euphoric moments of his life. He tries to fight off the sleep threatening to take over him, but it’s futile. Give it 15 minutes at most before he’s knocked out like a baby. 

Dogs love him. Anytime you’re in a park or just taking a walk and there’s a dog around, it’ll come up to him and he looks adorable leaning down to pet it. He loves dogs, too! So he’s always happy to stop and pet them. He’d be a 10/10 dog dad. 

Has your name saved in his phone with two hearts at the end. Do not point it out.

Loves taking pictures together and if you guys are on a date, he’ll ask someone to get a picture for him. He just likes having them to look back on (and to send to his mom, later).

He doesn’t mind painting classes or videos or tutorials, but he hates paint by numbers kits. He claims that they have no sense of color theory and that it takes the originality and fun out of painting. Not to mention the quality of the paints isn’t great to begin with; all of which he takes very seriously.

It’s pretty cute actually, to see him get worked up over the paint kits. He claims that painting and drawing isn’t even something he takes “that seriously,” it’s just a hobby for him (one he’s insanely good at); but in moments like these, you can tell that he’s way more into art and art theory and history than he lets on. 

Huge movie guy, from animated movies to martial arts movies, Jean is usually willingly to give anything a watch at least once. When he’s high, he can go on about his favorite directors and art styles and movie details for hours if you don’t stop him. It’s super cute. Just don’t bring up Moana, because he’ll start crying. 

Arm around the shoulder kind of boyfriend for sure. It’s a casual way of keeping you near him and letting everyone know that you guys are together. Plus it allows for him to easily pull you into him for a quick forehead kiss when needed.

Listen. If you hug his arm, he’s on cloud nine. He tries to be nonchalant about it but he’s about three seconds away from his eyes rolling back in his head it feels that good to him. Bonus if you lean your head on his bicep a little—then he’s a goner.

He takes his bagels very seriously and believes that both you and him deserve nothing but the best quality bagels. He’ll grumble if a bakery gives you guys a less than favorable one and make a note that taking the long route to get to his favorite place is much more worth it.

Always makes you walk on the side furthest from the cars. If he notices you’re not, he’ll just shuffle behind you until he’s shouldering the street and you’re on the inside. 

He grew up on a kind of modern ranch situation; not exactly all the way in the countryside, but not isolate from the city, either. Because of this, he knows how to ride horses, take care of smaller farm animals, tend to plants, and yes he knows how to use a lasso. You wouldn’t know any of that though, because he never ever talks about it. The only way you find out is when he takes you to visit his mom’s house for the first time, and she asks him for a hand around the place. 

(He’s got a cowboy hat, too, but refuses to put it on. He got it when he was, like, nine, okay, leave him alone). 

When he thinks you look tired, he’ll wrap his arms around your shoulders to hug you. It’s usually followed up with a kiss to your head, and a promise that you guys will go home soon and get food on the way. 

He’s a really good cook. He just understands and flavors and pairings really well, so he doesn’t need a recipe to make something that tastes good; he just kind of knows what to add to get the balance he’s looking for. 

Naturally, he’ll cook for you. Especially if he finds out that you haven’t eaten all day/in a long time. He doesn’t care if it’s 11pm and it might seem excessive to make steak and potatoes with a side salad at this hour, he’s gonna do it to make sure you eat, and you are going to sit there and watch. 

He also bakes pretty well, though he isn’t as experimental with his baking as he is with his cooking. He usually sticks to what he knows, and it’s not cupcakes and brownies and cakes; he’s better at croissants, and cheesecakes, and canelés. 

Dating Jean means getting along with his friends. If you guys didn’t know each other before you started dating, be prepared to be ambushed by Connie and Sasha (after Jean stops hiding you away and gives them the green light lmfao). Neither of them waste time with the small talk and formalities; straight into mini golfing and beer pong. They make you feel welcome right away.

Sasha always teases that you’re too good for Jean, and that she might just steal you away for herself some day. Sasha is also Jean’s main confidant, so she really knows just how much he loves you, and yeah, she teases him for being lovesick, but really she’s happy for Jean. And proud of him for facing his feelings like this. 

Connie adores you, and you know he trusts you when he starts going to you for advice/help. Could be anything from schoolwork, to what color he should get his new shoes in. He’s also the one who, surprisingly, you have the sentimental talks with about your relationship with Jean. It’s easy to overlook, but Connie loves Jean, and he’s come to love you too; he just wants you both to be happy, so he’s there to listen when you need it. 

Jean waits outside of your classroom after you’ve had a test or presentation, usually with a drink or a snack, or the promise of taking you out as a treat. Always tells you he’s proud of you, and is there to comfort you if you think you didn’t do too well. 

He does not shut up about whatever major you’re in. It could be the same as his; it could be the complete opposite as his. He thinks it’s so sick that you’re doing it, you make it look cooler, you make it look better, and he’s certain you’re the smartest person in your program. 

He’s pretty serious about his studies, too, so he’s always down to study with you in the library whenever you’re both free. More often than not, he shows up after you, usually with food or extra chargers. He greets you with a kiss on the forehead, and asks you how you are while massaging your shoulders gently. If it’s been a while since you took a break, that’s the first item on the list, after that, he gets to work and stays with you until you’re ready to go, even if he doesn’t have as much work to do. 

He always sits across from you. This goes for when you’re in the library, or out to eat at a restaurant; Jean loves sitting across from you. He gets to see your face the best that way, and he adores looking into your eyes when you talk. 

He’s not... not a morning person. He’s not up at 6am ready to grind, but he wakes up before noon; let’s say 10am is his happy medium. That being said, if you wake up before him, regardless of the time, there’s a 9/10 chance he’ll lay on your back and tell you to hush so you guys can sleep for 10 more minutes. 

If you’re (close) friends with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, Jean is... happy you’ve got people to rely on, but, “Of all people on the planet, you put your trust in Jaeger?” He acts so bitter (because he is), but deep down inside, he’s glad you have Eren to rely on if you need to. 

(Also, you have to humble him and remind him that he and Eren aren’t all that different. If you like him, why wouldn’t you get along with Eren, bye). 

Turns out though, that it’s not Eren who threatens to beat him up if he breaks your heart. It’s not even Mikasa, although, her threat goes without saying; it’s Armin he’s terrified of.

The last time Armin hated someone, it was this guy in your program, who happened to share a few mutual classes with him, too. Jean never knew the full story, just that he’s pretty sure that kid dropped out the following semester. 

If you have a job on campus, Jean usually doesn’t show up while you’re working (knowing how embarrassed he would be if you did that to him), unless you work the night shift and it’s dead. Connie, however, does show up; usually in some kind of crisis (“Please help me, I don’t know what the fuck APA formatting is and this is due tonight, please, please, please!!”). Your coworkers actually thought Connie was your boyfriend for a minute. That’s when Jean starts showing up more lmfao.

He makes it a point to go on a scheduled, night out, kind of date at least twice a month. He knows life gets busy with school and work and midterms, but he always makes sure you both set side a time to take a well-deserved break and be with each other. 

He’s the romantic type, so these dates are pretty swoon worthy, too. Drive-in movies, nice dinners, classy art exhibits, Jean plans it all. On that note, he really likes planning dates; he just doesn’t like talking about them with his friends beforehand. 

All in all, very romantic, very precious boyfriend. He’s always thinking about you, what you need, and how he can help you out. You’re one of his main priorities, and he just wants to treat you right. 

[scarlettriot]

Along for the Ride PT 1

Pairing: KirishimaxF!Reader

Summary: A drunken mistake had you marking the little Plus One box to your snobby cousin's wedding. Kirishima told you not to worry, if you couldn't find a date, he'd go with you. When the wedding gets moved up, there's absolutely no time to find a date and you're now about to be traveling to America with Kirishima on a private jet no less, dreading having him meet your rude and impossibly arrogant family.

Contains: Kirishima and Reader both come from very well-off families. Plus-Sized Reader. Fluff. Hurt/Comfort.

Warnings: Kinda smutty for a minute. Minors DNI. Drunken Sex. TW: Manipulative Family Relationships. TW: Body Image Issues

A/N: This story has been rolling around in my head for a while now. I might rewrite this and repost. Or I might just post the whole thing soon. I dunno yet. It does get smuttier.

Word Count: 4,974

"What's up with Y/N?"

Eijiro stepped out of the locker room with a towel slung over his shoulder and made his way into the kitchenette where Mina was chugging a bottle of water before getting back to her patrol. His eyes were trained on their mutual friend out on the patio, pacing.

You had your phone pressed to your ear, the high neck of your hero costume unzipped to your collarbone and he noticed your gloves discarded on a chair.

"No clue." Mina shrugged. "She got back from patrol and she noticed a bunch of missed calls from her mom. She's been out there, flailing on the phone for the last fifteen minutes now."

The three of you had met in your second year at UA when you transferred into their class and were quickly accepted by their little squad of friends. You were a bit quiet at first but quickly found comfort in the group. Eijiro had grown especially close to you when you both interned with Fat Gum.

Late nights traveling on the train back to school, a few close calls while helping patrol, and days spent playing cards while you both healed up in the hospital left plenty of time for Eijiro to get to know you better than most. It was how he knew you had a pretty bad relationship with your family, why you hated returning home for the holidays almost as much as you hated any and all forms of tomatoes.

He considered going out there just to see if there was anything he could do but before he had the chance, you were sliding the glass door open. "Oh, good, you're back." He offered you a bottle of water for your throat that he assumed was sore after that argument. "I- um- can I borrow you for a second? Alone?"

Mina snorted a laugh. "If you guys wanna bang it out on the counter you can just say so. I gotta go to work anyways."

Eijiro threw the towel at her as she left the room leaving you two alone. "What's goin' on?"

You hoisted yourself up on the countertop while he leaned against the fridge. "You remember my cousin's wedding that's happening this winter?"

He nodded. He vividly remembered the both of you getting waste a few weeks ago when you were filling out the RSVP and accidentally marking 'plus one'. Then you ran around trying to find White Out but he'd told you if you didn't find a date or have a significant other by the time of the wedding, he'd just go with you.

You argued that your family was bat shit crazy, had more money than they could spend in their lifetime and because of that, they were among some of the rudest people you knew, and you didn't want Eijiro or anyone else around that.

The thing was, Eijiro already knew that and was still okay with going. He came from money too. A lot of it. His family was just more welcoming than yours, the wealth never really going to their heads. But, he reminded you that he'd ran into enough people like those in your family that he knew how to handle them. You finally agreed to let him accompany you, leaving the plus one box checked but the name line blank.

"Well, my cousin just found out that surprise, she's pregnant! And, obviously, she can't have a wedding while seven months along so they've decided to move the wedding up to this weekend."

He nearly choked on his own spit. "This weekend? As in four days from now?"

"Yup! Saturday at 4 in the evening. Oh! No one's supposed to know she's pregnant either. So, I'm just supposed to compliment her on how flattering her dress looks, how thin she is," Your hands strangled the water bottle between them, "And I have to find something flattering to my figure because my mother has seen me in my hero outfit and she's so glad I wear a mask because if anyone knew her daughter ran around looking like I do, well, it'd ruin her!"

You massaged your temples circling back to the actual point, "Anyways, I just wanted to bitch for a sec and let you know you're off the hook since four days is just a little short notice and I told her my plus one wouldn't be able to get the time off that fast."

He pushed off the fridge. "Well, wait, hang on! I'm not letting you go in alone to deal with them! Hell no! You need backup!" You looked almost taken aback by his abruptness, "Yeah. I can work this out. Is the wedding at the same place it was supposed to be or has it moved?"

"No, it's still that fancy lodge in California. I was planning on leaving Friday morning and then coming back either Sunday night or Monday morning since my mother insists I go to their brunch the following day. But, Eijiro, I already have this weekend off..."

"Denki owes me a favor or twelve. He's supposed to be off this weekend too, I'll just see if he can cover me."

"And if he can't?"

"Then..." He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, "Y/N, am I feeling warm to you? I think I might be starting a fever!"

You folded your arms, shaking your head, "Thought you said lying isn't manly."

"Technically, correct. But, what would be real unmanly is for me to let you deal with your family's bullshit all alone." You watched him closely, "To be honest, I'm sure we could just explain you had a family thing come up and asked me to come along for moral support. I don't really think anyone would think twice about it. Hell, you took a few days off to console me when my turtle died suddenly!"

"Eiji, you refused to eat."

"And you brought me my favorite dumplings! Same thing!"

You might have shaken your head at him but your arms opened wide. The telltale sign you wanted affection. He walked forward, consuming you in a tight hug. Your arms latched around his neck, face buried in the hollow of his throat. "You're the best."

"I just do what I can."

>>><<<

You should have canceled. Instead of Eijiro faking sick to get out of work, you should have faked it with your mother so you didn't have to go in the first place. You crumpled to the floor of your bedroom in pure frustration amidst the twenty or so outfits and dozen pairs of shoes you'd thrown out of your closet trying to find something that your mother would deem appropriate.

It wasn't your fault you had a fuller figure. You worked out, ate right, not to mention your job kept you very active, and yet your, hips, ass, and breasts were by no means subtle.

Your mother had also insisted on the dress being floor-length and modern, "Do try not wearing all black. It's a wedding, not a funeral. And, get your hair looking natural, please." And, just like that, 70% of your wardrobe was out the window!

"It's open!" You called from the floor when the doorbell rang.

"You really should lock this." Mina tutted, walking through the door with a bag full of takeout.

"I do. At night."

"Honey, it's 9 PM."

"Night like bedtime."

Mina just rolled her eyes and walked into your tiny kitchen. "I see the dress hunt is going well."

"I actually figured it out!" You got off the floor, careful not to step on a heel as you made your way to the pink haired woman, "I'm just gonna go in my birthday suit. I figured, my mother made my body technically therefore she can't disapprove of it. Because, you know, she's never done anything wrong in her life!"

Your best friend snorted out a laugh and passed you the take-out container stuffed full of stir fry. "you're a wonderful person, you know that?" You loved the fact Mina didn't even have to ask what you wanted.

"If you'd just move closer to work then you could pick it up yourself and I wouldn't have to bring it to you."

"Too expensive." You declared after a mouthful. "You pay almost twice as much as I do per month and I just don't see the point. I have damn near the same amount of space you do for half the cost!"

You adored your small one-bedroom apartment. It was perfect. Right above a bakery that you visited each morning after your run and a little balcony that provided you with the most stunning view of the sunset.

"You and Kiri, I swear." Mina just shook her head and curled up with her food on the loveseat. "I thought he'd end up with the biggest house out of us all the moment we started making that real Pro money. You've seen his parent's house. It's massive! You could get lost in that place!"

Eijiro's place was barely bigger than your own. He lived in the same condo he had since you'd graduated UA, claiming it was perfect for him in each and every way. But, you knew that he donated a sizable amount of his paycheck every month to charities, the same as you. With savings to spare, neither of you saw the point in hoarding it and therefore the small condo was all he could afford with what he actually kept.

"Just don't understand how a guy that big can live in such a tiny little space. At least with you, it's you know, physically feasible."

Eijiro's bedroom was barely large enough to fit the king-sized bed the man needed to sleep comfortably and even then, his feet were dangerously close to dangling off the bed. And, as if the man's ears were burning, your cell phone went off under a pile of discarded shoes.

Shark-E: Figured out your dress situation? If not, I'm just gonna pack like ten different ties and hope for the best.

You: Yeah! I totally did! I'm just gonna wear this birthday suit I got and call it a night.

You chuckled at your own joke all over again. Watching the grey ellipses appear and then vanish, appear and vanish again. After a third time, you took pity on the man.

You: Joking, Ei. I still don't have it figured out but Mina's over so, hopefully, she can help.

Shark-E: Gonna give me a damn heart attack! Seriously, I wouldn't put it past you just to see the look on your mom's face. Tell Mina hi and good luck to you. I vote the dress from the Hero Gala two years ago.

You: Hi from Mina. Can't. Too much boobs.

Shark-E: You take that back right now! There is NEVER such a thing as too much boobs!

You chuckled to yourself, putting your phone down, and then finished off the last of your delicious dinner, thinking about the dress Eijiro mentioned.

You wondered if maybe there was a way you could make the thing work but it was so very low cut. So much tape had been used to make sure no slips happened but damn was it worth it! The beaded bodice with the sparkling long sleeves, gods, how you loved that dress.

"I'm inclined to agree with our shark boy. You're busty, who gives a damn. You looked hot as hell in that dress."

"My mother, that's who. As much as I'd like to not give a flying fuck what she thinks, for some dumb reason, I do. On top of her telling me that the amount of cleavage I would show would be vastly inappropriate for a wedding, she'd also say the way it hugs my hips makes them look too fat."

Mina rolled her eyes. "She's such a piece of work." Pushing herself up, she held her arms out to you, wiggling little pink fingers for you to take. "Come on then. Let's get you sorted."

"What about that one you wore to the charity art thingy with Kyoka last winter? The one with the silver top."

"Silver is too close to white." You called out from within your closet.

"What! Not true!"

"You know that. I know that. Every person with two brain cells knows that, which is why most of my family does not know that."

"Fine..." She whined and started sifting through the opposite end of your closet. "Oh, what about this?" Mina waved about the blue and green plaid skirt that made up your uniform from your middle school days when you lived in America. "Please try this on. I'm begging!"

You were pretty sure it wouldn't even go over your thighs anymore.

"It's got a better chance of fitting you!"

Mina threw it at you anyway. Slipping off the sweats you wore, somehow, someway, you were able to tug it on AND get it zipped, barely. It no longer covered your ass but you still enjoyed the way it swished around when you wiggled your hips.

"You could be fulfilling so many people's fantasies right now." Mina mused.

You pulled the skirt off and sweats back on, throwing the former back at her. "Yeah, you can take it and go fulfill Hanta's fantasies if you like. Not like I've got anyone to impress." You pulled down a dress you bought on sale a year ago but Mina was quick to dismiss it.

Too puffy, she said and then held up one that was from Momo. "I needed to get it shortened and I don't have time for that now."

"Wait..." She hummed and dropped the Momo dress. "I know what it should be!"

Mina hurried through the closet, grumbling about not finding it. "Just tell me which dress and I can tell you where it's at."

"It's that one you got for grad night and then you got sick and couldn't go!"

"Mina, Mina I can't wear that! That's actual vintage, not like, made-to-look-vintage!"

"But it's so elegant and has that off-the-shoulder sleeve thing. The wedding is at a damn sky lodge! It'll look so pretty in the snow! Ah! Found it!"

She yanked up the long, elegant gown from the garment bag you'd never removed it from. There wasn't a single wrinkle in the burgundy fabric. It looked just as beautiful as the day you found it in that second-hand store, on a mannequin with gaudy stage jewels that you just had to buy so the look was complete.

You ran the back of your hand over the velvety fabric, soft to the touch. "It'll be too tight now. If I was the same size I was at graduation-"

"Bullshit!" Mina cut you off with a dismissive hand, "You've got hips now. We aren't 18 anymore! It's not like it's some clubbing dress. And I bet no one would say a damn thing about your figure if they knew how easily you could crush them with those thighs!"

A smirk tugged at the corner of your lips. Without quirks, you gave every single one of your classmates a run for their money in hand to hand. Most were fairly easy to beat. You could usually take down Eijiro in about five or six minutes and Katsuki in half the time. Funny enough, it was Ochaco that gave you the hardest time.

"I'll consider it. But help me find something else just in case."

>>><<<

It was another two hours before you finally agreed on an a-line, empire waist green and gold number that had been the bridesmaid's dresses for Tetsutetsu's wedding. Mina thought they were a crime the first time they had to wear them, she had no idea what you were thinking.

That's why the moment you were preoccupied with trying to find yet another dress for the Sunday brunch, Mina pulled out her phone.

You: DO NOT, under any circumstances, allow Y/N to wear the green dress. She's bringing two because she can't decide. Red is the winner!

Jaws: Aw, come on. If she likes it, let her wear whatever she's comfortable in. She'll be under enough stress already.

You: Kirishima, it's the dress from Tetsu's wedding. The one that looks sparkly baby food.

It took him a second to respond.

Jaws: Alright. Understood. I thought you guys looked good but damn, she hated that dress.

You: We all did.

Mina looked at the message chain again and couldn't help but asked, "Are we just gonna ignore the fact that you and Eiji are flying all the way to America, last minute, to attend a wedding together, even though you're not together?"

"We've flown to the states before."

"For work!" She sat up eagerly. "This is different, Y/N! This is a date and not just a, like, casual date but a wedding date!"

You poked your head out of the closet. "No, it isn't. This is a friend helping another friend who stupidly mismarked an RSVP." You corrected very plainly but Mina wasn't one to give up so easily.

She whined, dragging out your name, "You guys have been doing this thing for ages. Why do you have to be so stubborn about it all!"

"What's that supposed to mean!"

Mina started ticking off points on her fingers. "He was the first person you opened up to at UA. You saved his life when he was busy saving Katsuki's life second year. You spent all that time interning together, became sidekicks together. Went to America together for three whole months, ALONE, and you honestly expect me to think there's nothing between the two of you!"

The truth of it all was simple really; 17 year old you had a massive crush on Eijiro Kirishima. He was sweet, always listening to you, providing comfort when you needed it, and always encouraging you to push your limits. He was bright and honest, a little slow in the head from time to time but that made him all the more endearing.

He was also head over heels in love with Katsuki Bakugo.

It was why you never made a move. Never spoke a word of the feelings you harbored. You didn't dare to cross that line with him because you couldn't ever hold a candle to the explosive man.

In the three years Eijiro and Katsuki spent together, your brain finally started registering Eijiro as just a friend, nothing more, and certainly nothing less. You thought your heart had followed suit but it was becoming more and more apparent that wasn't the case. Because the night he showed up at your door, tears in his ruby eyes, every lock you put on your heart broke open.

The same way you couldn't hold a candle to Katsuki, Eijiro couldn't hold one to Izuku. You knew exactly what he was feeling even if you never intended to tell him. Too overcome with fear. If Katsuki came back... that'd be it. Eijiro would go back and you wouldn't even blame him!

Still, the redhead consumed a decent chunk of your heart though, you couldn't deny that after the three months you spent together in America, gathering intel on a smuggling ring, living in the same apartment. The groggy, 'good mornings' when his voice was still scratchy with sleep, hair falling in his eyes. The late nights bandaging wounds and killing cheap bottles of wine while watching terrible American reality shows.

It was those bottles of wine that did you in on your second to last night in America. Supplying you with courage and draining your sense of reason, allowing you to crawl onto his lap, into his arms. You could still remember the pressure of his lips on yours, those sharp teeth gently dragging along your lower lip.

Scared hands tracing the curve of your ass before taking handfuls to squeeze. The laugh that came from you was unlike anything you heard before, something so genuine that you couldn't reproduce.

How it felt when he lifted you up and took you to his bed, laying you down taking his time removing your clothes, and watching with awe as you pulled away his own. The way he looked over top of you, his hair a curtain of red around you just before you closed your eyes, gasping while he filled you.

You also remembered the guilt that crept into your head during the wee hours of the morning, the doubt that was louder than the snores coming from behind you.

It made you slip from under his massive arm, gather up your clothes from his floor, you tucked the blanket around him, and pressed a kiss to his temple before padding out of the room.

You told yourself you'd talk to him about it if he brought it up, but he never did. Not the next morning, or night, not on the plane ride back home, nor anytime since. It was a memory you'd hold close to your heart, one you wouldn't let slip away or share.

"There's nothing there, Mina. We're just good friends is all." You lied with a smile on your face, something that had become surprisingly easy to do.

If only you knew that Mina saw right through it. That Mina already knew the truth of it all.

>>><<<

It was nearly one in the morning when your phone rang. The goofy picture of Eijiro with face half painted at a festival a few years back never failed to make you grin.

"It's a little late." You answered by way of greeting.

"Don't pretend like you were anywhere close to sleeping, you little night owl."

Chuckling at the nickname that had followed you since high school, "What's up, Eiji?"

"I was going over flights. You said in the office that you wanted to leave on Friday?"

"Yeah. I have patrol tomorrow and I didn't find any flights after 6 PM so, Friday is the earliest."

He was quiet on the other line for a moment. "Yeah, you don't have patrol tomorrow, or work at all for that matter."

You sat up a bit straighter in bed. "Um, yes I do."

"No, you don't. I called Mina, asked her if you'd mind taking that shift for you and, since she knows what's happening, she agreed the extra day for travel would do you some good. So, she's covering you tomorrow then you're off work until next Wednesday. As for me, thanks to all that overtime I put in when Denki, Kyoka, and Hitoshi got married, the three of them are splitting up my days so I have until Wednesday too."

Eijiro sounded impossibly proud on the other line, you could almost see the smirk on his face. "You've got this all planned out, don't you?"

"And a bag nearly packed. Just need you to tell me what ties to bring."

"Gold, burgundy, and black."

"Thought your mom said no black for you?"

"She said no black for the wedding. She said nothing about black at the brunch!"

You couldn't wait to put on the tea-length dress that had been a favorite for years. Satin with a lacy top and, best of all, pockets.

He let out a rumbling laugh that fell off into comfortable silence as you laid back in your bed, lights still on, the room still a mess. You tapped the speaker icon and laid the phone on the pillow right beside your head, listing to the various sounds of Eijiro moving around.

A door creaking open, a hanger clattering against another, and a zipper. "And just like that, I'm all set."

"Don't forget your passport or hero license."

"I have one in my wallet and the other in my backpack."

You swiped up on your iPad, off Netflix, and going to google, lazily searching through flights. "So, did you find any good flights since you've clearly been looking?"

Another chuckle, "Eijiro, why are you laughing?" More stifled giggles had you sitting up in bed again. "Just tell me a site you were on. They're just flights, what's so funny?"

"There isn't a site."

"You said you were checking flights."

"And I was... on my family's jet."

"Eiji! No! No, no, no! That is supposed to be for their business or hero things! My stupid cousin's wedding is neither of those things!"

"Relax, Y/N. My family has multiple and they don't have any business trips planned right now anyways. I already cleared it with my mom. Seriously, I just mention your name and she's likely to let me have it for a whole year at least. Plus Todoroki's is back up in working order so the agency is covered too."

Damn, why'd he have to be so good at planning from time to time! You'd completely forgotten about the second jet his family had. Always opting for the larger one since the few missions they needed it for required them to bring fifty or so heroes along.

"Besides, if we fly private, we can land at an airstrip closer to the venue and won't need to drive four hours on top of a ten-hour flight."

"Alright, okay, thank you but, let me take care of the rental car, please. It's the least you can let me do."

"Deal. I just have one more question for ya."

"What's that?"

"Wanna leave tonight?"

You nearly dropped your damn iPad in shock. "Eijiro! What the fuck has gotten into you! It's the middle of the night!"

"I'm excited!" He boomed, "I haven't had a vacation in months!"

"I hate to break this to you, buddy, but this isn't going to be a vacation. You really shouldn't get your hopes up. This isn't going to be a good time with laughs and fun memories... my family, they just, they aren't those kinds of people."

"But we are." He stated matter-of-factly. "If they want to have sticks up their asses then let them! We'll have a good time on our own, laugh and make fun memories! So, what do you say, Y/N? I can be at your place in fifteen. I just gotta put shoes on and grab my keys..."

"Wait, hang on. Are you forgetting that we need someone to, oh, I dunno, FLY THE PLANE! Actually, we need two someone's, can't forget about a co-pilot!"

He hummed happily and you rubbed your temples. "You, you have a pilot and a co, don't you, Eiji?"

"Mhm! There is a company we use. Two can be at the hanger in an hour and every hour after that. I just have to make the call and get the flight plan approved which will be done before I even get to your house."

There was literally no reason to say no. You had mostly everything packed, nothing you needed to get from the store, all you had to do was put on pants and pack up your hygiene bag and you were ready too. Maybe getting there quicker and getting the whole thing over with would be better than staying home dwelling on everything.

"Better put your shoes on."

The glee in his voice, that was enough to make this whole thing worth it, "I'll see you soon."

>>><<<

Eijiro reached into the backseat and plopped a bag down on your lap the very moment you were buckled in. "Had to make a pit stop." He explained.

"It's after two in the morning, where'd you have to..."

"Just open the bag and don't complain."

You found it filled to the brim with all your favorite snacks.

"I'm sure the plane will have a bunch of snacks we can raid but I know for a fact they don't have these." He held up a pack of cookies and creme flavored pocky that had been his favorite for as long as you'd known him, quickly followed by your favorite flavor too. You also found a massive bag of gummy worms and jolly ranchers.

"So, what you're telling me is our teeth are going to rot by the time we land? Not that I'm complaining."

You ripped open the bag of ranchers knowing that was what he'd go for first and sure enough his hand dove inside just as he pulled away from the curb. You could hear his dangerously sharp teeth biting through the rock candy like it was nothing while you still rolled one around your mouth.

Eijiro asked you about the resort you'd be going to, wondering if you'd been there before or what other stuff you guys could do when you weren't dealing with your family. "I figured we could fly back Monday night or Tuesday morning, you know, just play it by ear in case there was anything else we wanted to do."

More than anything, you wished you could just leech a little bit of that excitement from him. The glimpses of his smile you caught as you drove under the street lights made your heart ache.

"What?" He asked with that wide smile of his. You'd been caught staring, red-handed.

"I, uh, I just don't know what to tell you."

You could see the subtle change of his grin, watch as it softened and his hand came to rest on your thigh. "Hey, it's gonna be fine! And if we run into them while out doing stuff, you can just avoid them or hide behind me!" At least hiding behind Eijiro is an easy thing to do, damn mountain of a man.

His thumb slowly brushed back and forth. "'S gonna be okay. I'll beat 'em up if they're assholes!"

You snickered at his Katsuki impression and let the drone of the radio fill the air around you both. Enjoying the silence the rest of the way to the hanger with Eijiro's hand atop your leg.

[somethingclever666]

More byers family headcanons!!

-will missed castle byers and eleven missed her blanket fort, so they make a new and improved castle-fort in the backyard and go out all the time to read comics (El has been reading lots of Wonder Woman comics)

-every time Jonathan gets home, he checks on Will, to make sure he’s still there

-Joyce didn’t have a lot of money to take El clothes shopping, so Nancy and max gave her some of their clothes to give to her

-argyle always brings a pizza when he comes over after a shift, and always dares el to try a slice with something like ice cream or mustard or some other weird ingredient. She always believes he means it’s supposed to be good, and her brothers can’t stop her from trying

-Joyce picks them up from school on fridays, and lets them pick out a movie to watch

-El is part of her first family fight when they lose the remote and Jonathan claims he saw her sitting on it (it’s a good thing she didn’t have her powers)

-Will has to wrangle the remote from her hands on saturdays because she is a chronic channel surfer and he wants to see cartoons

-Joyce comes into wills room with some fruit or leftovers when he hasn’t left his room in a couple hours and asks what he’s working on

-Jonathan jokingly suggests El should learn some magic tricks but this backfires when she perfects the quarter-behind-your-ear trick and performs it approximately 7,000 times

-will painted butterflies on El’s walls because she thought they were pretty

-El picks flowers for Joyce and she has several vases full of bouquets now

-El forgets about money sometimes and has to be supervised or else she starts shoplifting

-one time when Jonathan is high he offers the blunt to El and she inhales a little too much and starts crying because she’ll never have hair as pretty as argyle’s, which is all the colors of the rainbow and swishing all around the room

-El has her first inside joke with the byers when she announces excitedly that all their names start with j (Joyce, Jonathan, Jane), with Will going “oh so guess you can call me Jill now” and they proceed to call him Jill for a month

-this includes a letter to Mike that confuses him deeply

-Joyce loves coffee and accidentally got Will hooked on it when neither of them could go to sleep cause of nightmares. They have lots of long nights drinking coffee and watching tv or talking together

-When Jonathan tries to get will to quit, eleven chimes in “mornings are for coffee and contemplation” and will high fives her

-the byers go all out for Christmas and El especially loves putting up ornaments on the tree that are handmade

-for Halloween, eleven wants to match with will, so they go as luke and leia

-one time Joyce picks up the phone and it’s Mike, but she’s so tired and in Customer Service mode, can’t understand that he’s trying to talk to will and instead talks him into buying some product before hanging up on him. He cries for half an hour after that.

-Jonathan tries to compensate for the lack of pictures of El by having her do a daily outfit picture (fit check) and dedicating a scrapbook in her honor

-when Nancy visits, she always brings some stuff of hers she thinks El will like, and El slowly builds something akin to a Nancy shrine because of this

-Nancy also gets art books for will, and he makes sure to get her a snack that they don’t have in Hawkins, which always makes Jonathan complain that Will is outshining him (Nancy laughs and Mike is jealous he didn’t get anything)

-Joyce says hello to the neighbors three weeks after moving in, and manages to actually make some neighbor friends despite the late greeting

-will is a really good presenter and helps El practice all of her presentations

-El and max have another sleepover and el made them matching Wonder Woman crowns

-El likes to brush Joyce’s hair, and she always tells Joyce she looks pretty when she’s done

[fruti2flutie]

luca (2021) post-credits+

massimo cries once the train is gone. so do daniela & lorenzo. "it gets better with time," giulia's papà tells them. it still hurts; alberto stays in the rain until he can't hear the wheels on the tracks anymore.

giulia & luca talk all the way to genoa. about motors, about cars, about classmates, about uniforms, about weasels - seriously, about things luca has no idea what to even imagine! "my mamma will love you," she gushes, and then she talks about her mamma, about paint, about clay... luca sits, heart pounding but thrilled nevertheless.

luca tells giulia's mamma his secret the night they arrive. whether she knows already or not, it doesn't matter; he wants to tell her himself anyway. she holds onto him, strokes his hair, and it's just like he's with his own mamma.

the school in genoa is incredible. luca learns a countless number of things: geography, literature, chemistry, architecture, food... the world is so much bigger than the waters below portorosso. he finds more friends he can count on, and telling them his secret is hard but gets easier. giulia is there when he needs her, and he's there when she needs him. luca still dreams of the vespa & alberto, and he wonders what else they can do for their adventure to come.

alberto does well in portorosso, all things considered. at first the cityfolk are awkward, the fishermen especially wary, but the children know alberto as alberto, regardless of his skin or scales, and they love him for who he is. the sea monster posters are pulled off the walls & the harpoons are put away. after some time, it feels like not much has changed at all in the city - though ercole's insults for him become exclusively fish-related. alberto looks the other way because he knows that there will always be people who don't want to change.

massimo teaches alberto about human living. he learns how to cook perfect pasta, how to count coins & bills, how to get machiavelli to purr. the days are spent in the sun making deliveries & on the waters catching fish. less & less alberto thinks, silenzio bruno. he gets comfortable, he feels safe, and the tally marks on the island become so faraway.

(and alberto gets his own knife!!!)

in turn, alberto teaches massimo about the sea. there are beaches with the softest sands, jagged rocks with the most unforgiving edges. small sea monster villages, crab contests, fish farms... massimo asks about the sea monsters who raised him, and alberto gives him a lie. but the lie doesn't last long, isn't meant to; alberto tells massimo about a mamma he's forgotten & a papà who forgot him. massimo doesn't say much, he never really does, but he always keeps the tableware set for alberto, always greets him with, "buongiorno," and when alberto loses his way, massimo tries to find him.

daniela & lorenzo visit the city often. grandma paguro comes ashore, too, usually to play scopa with the other elders. lorenzo talks for hours about crustaceans with the fishermen; daniela plays ball with the mothers & children in town. they have dinner at massimo's house, whatever pasta alberto is attempting to make & whatever massimo cooks just in case. they talk about the land & the sea, the weather & the seasons, about giulia & luca. luca's parents claim they don't miss him terribly, but alberto knows it's a brave front because he does, too.

there are birthdays. there are anniversaries. there are letters. there are phone calls. there are two calendars that are marked every morning until summer arrives. there is longing.

the train brings giulia & luca back to portorosso a year later. both of them are taller but so is alberto, freckled & tanned by the sun. alberto boasts that he's now the tallest of the bunch, and giulia bets she'll at least outgrow luca by year's end. defensively, luca says she's the smallest when they're in water; she can't refute the statement. still, the three's welcoming embrace is as warm as the summer breezes.

luca has missed his family. he returns to the water & sees his mamma, his papà, and even his uncle ugo. the fish & crabs welcome him home as well, and the water has never looked bluer. he tells them every story he can, and it still doesn't feel like enough. they tell him stories, too, and he feels whole.

when staying in portorosse, luca & alberto sleep outside. giulia's room had turned into alberto's while she was away, but he gladly gives it up to sleep beside luca atop the tree. they talk underneath the not-anchovies, and the conversations never seem to stop. it feels just like last summer, but when they awaken to dewy mornings they no longer hide their tails.

massimo lets them take the boat to sea. giulia paddles while alberto & luca guide her from the water. she only accepts a helpful push from the boys when her face gets as red as her hair. and then they arrive at the island, untouched for months, and alberto sheepishly shows her what used to be his home. there is the collection of human items, the spare parts to the vespa he & luca built, the tally marks. giulia, being giulia, tells them everything about the items, how the tower must've been a lighthouse, how the tree must be decades old.

alberto listens to her speak, how excited she is to teach them, how thoughtful she is to hear him, and he says, "sorry." she doesn't understand; neither does luca. it's all in the past, but alberto wants to own up to it. "i wasn't fair to you back then. i thought you were gonna take him away," alberto says. "i didn't want to be..." alone, he doesn't say, but they hear it.

"stupido," giulia remarks, but there are tears in her eyes as the word leaves her lips. her arms wrap around him in a tight hug. "you're my fratello now, okay? luca, too."

"is luca my fratello?" alberto jokes & giulia laughs, "only if you want him to be." and luca hugs them both, even tighter. when they return to land, they sit on the pier & eat two-scoop gelato.

eventually, alberto apologizes to luca, too. "i shouldn't have done that to you," he says. they are on the beach, facing the night sky, the shore keeping their feet webbed. luca doesn't know what he's talking about, doesn't realize what he means.

"that time when i biked us into the sea, and then we... we fought," alberto continues, and luca remembers. of course he does. the dread, the frustration, the shame... the fear of being different, and the regret that he didn't say he was. alberto being his true self while luca just couldn't bear revealing his secret.

"hey," luca says. "it's okay. i'm okay." because alberto never said i forgive you to him either, but he was okay then, and they're okay now.

the summer goes on.

they enter the portorosso cup race as a team of three (granted alberto & luca don't swim) and they win - fair & square. giulia doesn't throw up along the way & no rain comes down for any surprises. the prize money doesn't go towards another vespa but to a new boat for the marcovaldos. granted, the underdogs would need to win a dozen more cups to buy the entire thing, but it's a start.

[soranis-sunshadow]

I think people forget that context and tone are key to storytelling. Like if She-Ra did take it's war elements seriously and show Catra and Hordak burning villages, taking mass prisoners and using slave labor in the Horde, it would have been SUPER HARD to accept both characters having "Happy endings" because people would be like "What about the slave camps".

Hence why they didn't show that stuff and made the Etheria War more like a school clique war. Because you want to be believable enough for Catra and Hordak to have happy endings at the end.

That's why they gave Horde Prime most of the horrible atrocities both on and off screen since he wasn't getting redeemed and he was the ultimate evil. So they could go full blast with showing Prime geocoding worlds and what not.

Tonal context is key to any type of story i think and She-Ra's both light hearted nature mixed with scary moments is key to the success. Or any successful series really.

SPOP did take the war seriously - in season five that is.

We see refugee camps, we see people being displaced, terrorized, controlled and even harmed in Horde Prime’s effort to gain control of Etheria.

We see Horde Prime committing genocide on a planetary scale,

and we see the outcome of his conquests both in the form of destroyed worlds, extinct peoples and subjugated ones and in the relics he kept of them

Season five did not shy away from any of that. The tone was as dire as the situations the characters found themselves in.

There were no more Princess proms or organizing parties with moth people.

The strategizing that goes on is taken seriously and not treated like a D&D game.

Even characters that had a small role such as Bow’s dads - characters who during the war with the Etherian Horde in the first four seasons enjoyed the luxury of living and their lavish home away from it all - these characters are now on the run for their lives.

Whereas the first season implied that everyone has lost someone to the war we don’t really see any of it. Worse still the only confirmed casualty, King Micah - turns out to have not been a casualty at all when he is found alive on beast Island along with Entrapta.

If the series had wanted Hordak's war to be serious, it really could have done it by showing us the things it did in S5.

We are told at certain points that people have ‘lost someone to the war’ but we are never actually shown anyone grieving for their loss.

A lot of fans claim that Hordak was responsible for the death of Mermista and Frosta’s parents but that is neither mentioned in the show nor used as a reason for them to join the rebel alliance. Mermista’s dad ‘went away’ for some reason just like most of her people, people that had been leaving Salineas because she refused to do anything about the fact that the Sea Gate was failing back in season one. Adora fixes that problem for her which lead to her deciding to ally herself with Glimmer's war effort.

We do see plenty of property damage especially when season four comes around and Catra’s amplifies the war but not much beyond that.

It is implied that upon Salinas’s assault, everyone got away scot free. And yes, I acknowledge that having their homes destroyed is terrible in and of itself but the scene doesn’t have the same tone that the whole of season five did. It is not explored what happened to these people after they were turned refugees nor what the loss of their village meant for them. They are briefly forgotten by the show, their struggles are left unaddressed.

The general terror of the people in Earlandia come season five however is clear. These people are just as fearful of Horde Prime as they are of their own princesses. They live under terror and martial law with robotic drones and clones patrolling the streets.

It would’ve helped to set a darker tone if the refugees from Salineas had been even a footnote somewhere beyond the episode where the Sea Gate fell. We do not see refugee camps, we don’t deal with any of the logistics that come to mind when dealing with massive locations of people or the resource shortages. They are merely forgotten by the narrative.

Mermista copes with this loss by moping and eating ice cream in a bathtub.

She doesn’t go to rescue her own people. She is never shown trying to take care of them now that they have been displaced as would have been fitting for a ruler. That issue was never addressed.

The only person shown grieving in the first seasons is Glimmer. At first for her father, and after Catra’s activated the portable device before it was ready, for her mother. This loss is what made Glimmer do the things she thought were necessary and sadly, that is completely forgotten in season five when she doesn’t mention her mother once nor does she get a proper reunion with her father whom she had believed dead for so long.

We do see refugee camps and people on the run in season five. The urgency and bleakness of the situation is underlined over and over again. We are no longer shown people living comfortable family lives while the war was happening somewhere else.

Even Peekablue’s soirée had an air of desperation to it, that of people trying to drown their sorrows and the run from the oncoming apocalypse.

The concept of “losing someone to the war” becomes reality for a lot of the characters as their loved ones become chipped and turned against them.

It’s not that SPOP didn’t know how to set a grim tone for the war. It did, with Prime’s war.

Your assessment of the tone for the first seasons being that of a “school clique” is apt as well as the reason behind it.

The show had always intended to redeem Catra’s and forgive Hordak. Having them commit actual atrocities on screen would’ve made it unpalatable and tone deaf. (Though that doesn’t stop some fans from imagining Hordak’s supposed crimes and even headcannoning some of them like claiming that he was responsible for murdering Catra’s people - which was something that was never mentioned in the show but people love bringing it up anyway)

The first part of the war had never been meant to be taken seriously whereas Prime’s conquest was.

It’s strange that so many people insist on comparing the tone of the first seasons with that of Avatar the Last Air Bender when that show had always maintained the grim atmosphere of a world at war. People always mentioned how strange it was to see an air bender in the flesh since they were all believed dead. We see broken families on both sides of the war and we see resource shortages, rampant crime and violent battles.

Does anyone ever mentioned Scorpia’s people in the show or how odd it is to see a living Scorpioni if they had all been genocided? They don’t because the genocide was never confirmed verbally.

The only scene that would imply something had happened to them were visions shown to the Council by Light Spinner - a proficient illusionist with clear aspirations for more power.

It’s peculiarly funny to me how so many people insist on treating the first four - more lighthearted - seasons of the show as if it were serious war drama the likes of Saving Pvt. Ryan.