#so much of Proverbs is just ‘don’t be dumb and don’t be an asshole’ for instance and i feel like a lot of people on the internet need that

[gumy-shark]

im not like the other christians. im different. i know how to not judge lest ye be judged

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #295: “... Beggars Would Ride!”

September, 1988

The DOMINATION of DRUID!

T. REX ROBOT??! =D

This issue continues the title from the previous Avengers issue making the whole thing the proverb “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.”

Why the hell is that the title?

I’m not unused to Avengers slapping some Culture into the book, either in allegorical titles or just stealing some prose to use as narration.

But what, specifically, does the proverb have to do with this issue and the previous issue?

I’m not going to get overly negative. I’m not. This issue has a robot T. Rex that’s probably a transformers reference. I’m just going to enjoy that.

I’m not even going to let Dr Fucking Druid ruin this for me!

Last times on Avengers: Namor’s wife Marrina turned into a sea monster, caused a lot of property damage and death, and then got stabbed in the head by Namor. She’s dead. Team leader Captain Marvel Monica Rambeau has lost her powers in a wacky mishap when she lightning’d the entire ocean instead of Marrina.

This all works out pretty well for Dr Druid, an asshole. He’s been influenced by Nebula Kang with sex and power fantasy and has been undermining Monica for a while now. But with her out of commission, Druid psychically forces the Avengers to vote him in as new leader of the team. The only dissenter is Thor  who nevertheless abides with the majority. But he’s side-eyeing Druid.

Nebula Kang probably has a plan for the Avengers although its unclear what and why.

But if its Nebula, no wonder she wanted to get Monica out of the picture after the way Monica dunked on during her spaceventure.

Anyway, robot dinosaurs.

Despite Marvel making Transformers comics around this time, these are not the Dinobots.

It is a Bad Future where robot dinosaurs rule the Earth.

Some human rebels are fighting back with a futuristic looking tank but they get cut off by a Roboceratops and then worse yet, attacked by a Mechanisaurus Rex!

But just when the rebels are about to scatter, the Mechanisaurus Rex freezes in place and vanishes in a flash of light.

With the big gun Mechanisaurus Rex vanished, the rebels rally and attack the six remaining Dinodroids.

What does this have to do with anything?

Not much.

This just happens to be the Bad Future Nebula Kang sourced an Avengers level threat from. She used Kang technology a stasis bridge to timeaport the Mechanisaurus Rex to modern day Earth-616 Washington DC.

The Mechanisaurus Rex has no idea what just happened but its robot sensors immediately tag everything around it as hostile and its robot mouth laser immediately starts dealing with hostiles.

Over at Hydrobase, the Avengers hold a meeting led by their new, ugh, leader, Dr Druid.

Dr Druid discusses that maybe they should reach out to some reserve members because they’re down to four people and one of them is Black Knight under a super curse.

While he does that, Thor wonders why the hell the other Avengers voted for Druid to be their leader.

Nebula Kang interrupts Dr Druid’s train of thought IN HIS MIND to tell him about the danger in Washington DC that she definitely didn’t cause.

Druid wonders what she’s doing on Earth and she reminds him that she said he would be the savior of Earth as well as her planet. So its fine. Definitely not suspicious.

Anyway, bad shit going down in Washington DC with a robot T. Rex. Shouldn’t Thor specifically go deal with it? Only Thor? Go deal with it? Doesn’t that sound like a good idea??

Apparently, from the outside of this mental conversation, Druid looks like he just kind of zoned out.

Dr Druid: “I have had a clairvoyant vision, and it will serve as a demonstration of why I am fit to lead the Avengers! There is something dangerous beyond belief rampaging through Washington DC! Thor! You must go there at once!”

She-Hulk asks why they don’t go as a team and Dr Druid says no that’s dumb, Thor can handle this danger beyond belief on his own.

He gives Thor a watch with a micro-transmitter in case he needs help and sends him on his way.

Thor does go but he’s still harboring his misgivings.

Thor: “But more and more do I sorely miss the steadfast company of my former teammates -- Captain America, Iron Man, and Hercules. They at least wore their hearts upon their sleeves, spoke their minds openly, and fought as warriors. Less and less do I trust Doctor Druid’s supposed psychic powers. They seem too unpredictable, too unaccountable.”

Meanwhile, for all that meanwhile means anything with Kangs, it’s Kangs.

Beard Kang offers Fred Kang full membership in the Council of Kross-Time Kangs in exchange for knowledge.

Fred Kang proposes trading knowledge for knowledge so Beard Kang admits that one of the purposes of the Council is to obtain the most powerful weapon in ALL THE OMNIVERSE.

An omniverse is obviously much cooler than a multiverse.

What’s more, that specific weapon is a part of the Earth-616 timeline - Fred Kang’s timeline - and that’s the reason why they wanted to recruit him. BUT: to obtain the weapon, they’ll also one day need the Avengers’ help.

So Fred Kang shares some information that the other Kangs don’t know. Nebula Kang has been messing with the contemporary Avengers of that Earth-616 timeline.

Beard Kang realizes that she must be trying to swipe the weapon out from under the Council’s noses and demands that she be found immediately. Meanwhile, several Kangs will go and root around in her room.

Speaking of Nebula Kang, she’s at a tricky part of her scheming. She set up a threat in Washington DC and got Dr Druid to send out only Thor to go fight it.

Now she needs to convince Dr Druid to leave Thor to die against the Mechanisaurus Rex.

Because Thor resisted her and Druid’s mental control and so he must be removed from the situation.

Dr Druid: “Does still more danger threaten?”

Blonde Nebula Kang: “Indeed, my love. But from an unexpected quarter. The danger, especially to you, is Thor. He failed to vote in your favor for chairmanship of the Avengers... he entertains doubts about you now... and what demigod would ever accept the leadership of any mortal? He is your greatest danger.”

Dr Druid: “Yes... yes... I see it clearly now. Thor will never make a good Avenger!”

YOU SURE WERE QUICK TO JUMP TO THAT.

Dr Druid seriously has no moral backbone to push back against Nebula Kang’s manipulations.

Thor arrives on the scene and decides that yes a robot T. Rex looks like a job for SuperThor!

Thor flies right at the Mechanisaurus Rex and hammers it in the neck.

Thor: “Back, machine of evil! Those whom you would destroy are under my protection. To attack them is to attack Thor!”

Mechanisaurus Rex: “PRIORITY TARGET ALERT! TARGET TRACK! TARGET LOCK! FIRE!”

And it blasts Thor out of the sky with a mouth laser.

Leading Thor to conclude

Thor: “By the eye of Odin, ‘tis more to this creature than meets the eye!”

Eyyyyy, I see what you did there!

Since hitting didn’t work, Thor tries his second move: all the lightning.

But it doesn’t leave a scratch.

Since the Mechanisaurus Rex is tough enough to tank Mjolnir and lightning and fast enough to tag Thor in reply... Thor decides that this is actually a job for the Avengers.

Not that he can’t fight this thing. But he’s worried about how much damage the Mechanisaurus Rex will do in the meantime.

Thor: “Whatever it is, yon beast of war has been cunningly wrought! Even now, it turns this way, seeking the son of Odin! Its destruction must be accomplished with utmost speed to minimize the damage to the city! And that may best be done by divers hands! The Avengers must be summoned!”

Back at Hydrobase, She-Hulk is pacing by the meeting table.

Dr Druid is off in one of his sex dream trances, Black Knight can barely move because of the turbo curse, and She-Hulk is antsy.

She’s antsy because Thor was sent off alone and she’s waiting to hear back about it. And she’s antsy because she’s second guessing voting Dr Druid for chairman. She doesn’t know what she was thinking!

(Because it wasn’t HER thinking.)

But the alarm goes off AOOUGAHH! AOOUGAHH! distracting her.

I love a good aoougahh! alarm.

But the alarm means Thor is calling for help.

She-Hulk runs to the Quinjet, calling for the others to assemble to help Thor!

... Except, eh. Why should they bother helping Thor? She-Hulk wonders. She’s-Hulk has never liked him anyway!

Except. These aren’t her thoughts. Dr Druid is putting words in her mouth.

And its so contrary to the spirit of being an Avenger that She(-Hulk) balks at them and decides to go help anyway! Because that’s what Avengers do!

So Druid has to get a little more forceful with her.

He’s forced to give the game away, basically.

Subtlety is out the window.

He mind whammies She-Hulk into sitting down so that the chair can restrain her.

Ummmm hey when the Avengers were building their new headquarters on Hydrobase, who signed off on BONDAGE CHAIRS?

Oh, right, I just remembered that Captain Marvel kept leaving Dr Druid alone to supervise construction.

A bad decision in hindsight. Oops!

Over at Thor, he’s having a tough time without backup and he’s kinda wondering where the hell the Avengers are.

The Mechanisaurus Rex’s blasts keep Thor at a distance so he can’t hit it with a decisive blow. But since its starting to threaten the people of Washington DC, Thor can’t wait for backup.

He summons a storm to distract the Mechanisaurus Rex and closes in so he can smash it in the head with Mjolnir. But it rams into a building to scrape him off. Then tries to use Tail Whip against him while he’s sprawled on the ground.

Thor flies up to the air to get some space but the Mechanisaurus Rex activates FEET JETS to chase.

Thor: “By the falcons of Freya! Yon beast hath the capability of flight! Truly, he is a formidable foe! But so is the son of Odin, god of thunder, enemy of frost giants! And no such construct shall match my speed!”

Thor hammer tosses himself into the Mechanisaurus Rex midair and deals a mighty KERWHACK!

The dinobot falls but suddenly regains flight. Thor was pretty sure he felt the dinobot’s mechanisms break during the mighty KERWHACK so now he knows it can self-repair. And pretty quickly too!

Thor: “No single blow will win the battle! My foe is like a great warrior! So deadly is he that only when he is reduced to atoms will his fighting spirit be stilled forever! So be it! To the death, mine enemy! TO THE DEATH!”

Thor has some rad battle boasts.

MEANWHILE... or whatever you say when its outside of time.

The Kangs search Nebula Kang’s Kang quarters and find a lot of other Kang technology, from Kang Ransom and Kang Kong. There’s some suspicion at first that they’re traitors working with her until Beard Kang finds a book recording all the technology Nebula Kang acquired and from who.

Beard Kang: “We Kangs of the Kross-Time Kang Korps have jealously guarded our respective technologies so that no one member would acquire an unfair advantage over the others. It seems that Kang Nebula has made the acquaintance of any number of our member Kangs... who apparently have made gifts to her of their respective technologies!”

One of the Kangs insists that Nebula Kang stole the technology from him, that he didn’t give it freely but Beard Kang just verbally rolls his eyes that yeah, sure, his guard was down. Really doesn’t matter now!

IN THE CURRENT MEANWHILE, at Hydrobase.

Dr Druid tells She-Hulk to settle down, clearly she can’t break the chair restraints. Because they’re strong. And because he’s using PSYCHIC POWERS to keep her from exerting herself.

She-Hulk asks why the hell Dr Druid is doing this and he answers that HE CAN SEE THE FUCHURE. Only Avengers can stop vague bad thing that’s going to happen.

Black Knight has apparently been paying attention because he decides Dr Druid is nuts and he’s gonna bail.

He worries that his cursed body is too slow to beat Dr Druid before he can psychic Black Knight. So he’s just going to sneak out while Dr Druid is monologuing at She-Hulk.

Unfortunately, cursed Black Knight is clumsy and his exoskeleton audibly scrapes against something, aggroing Dr Druid.

Dr Druid: “Oh, no, Dane! No one leaves without consulting the chairman! Come back! AT ONCE!”

Druid waves his hands and probably uses his PSYCHIC to prevent Black Knight from reaching the ignition switch.

Dr Druid: “We shall save the universe! Whether you want to or not! The Avengers are mine!”

I’m really surprised that Druid tipped his hat so quickly. Then again, I’m glad I don’t have to suffer through obviously evil Druid manipulating the Avengers for longer than I have to.

Then again again, heck, maybe there’s a good if aggravating story here if it was given time to play out.

Eh.

Anyway, She-Hulk kicks Dr Druid’s ass.

Ahhhh. Cathartic.

And it is known that its hard to psychic when your coccyx is shattered. So Dane is able to blast off in a Quinjet.

Nebula Kang appears in a great PLATHAAP! to berate Dr Druid for letting Black Knight get away.

Dr Druid is confused how his manic pixie sex dream girl can be here (and probably also why she swears “in the name of Thanos.”) She swiftly dials back, claims she’s “as real, as warm as you want me to be.”

Blonde Nebula Kang: “And I did promise that I would come to you in your world, didn’t I?”

Dr Druid: “Yes.”

Blonde Nebula Kang: “And that is what you wanted, wasn’t it?”

Dr Druid: “Yes.”

Blonde Nebula Kang: “And with my help, we are going to save the universe.”

Dr Druid: “yes.”

Blonde Nebula Kang: “Now, with the Black Knight gone, thinking all sorts of wrong thoughts... don’t you think you should locate him... and Thor?”

Dr Druid: “yes.”

She zaps him into a trance so he can go astral project or whatever.

She-Hulk puts two and two together and realizes that Blonde Nebula Kang is responsible for the trances Dr Druid has been going into.

Blonde Nebula Kang: “Mystics are always the easiest  ones to fool. So many dreams, so little reality. But you’re the one we have to worry about next.”

She-Hulk: “I’m a lawyer, sweetheart. They don’t get much realer than that.”

Blonde Nebula Kang: “You must be kidding, ‘honey.’ All lawyers ever do is split hairs; they wouldn’t know a real barber if they saw one!”

Nebula has a lot of opinions about lawyers apparently.

Anyway, Black Knight’s Quinjet homes in on the beacon in the little watch Dr Druid gave Thor.

(Why give him a real working one? Why not secretly turn off the radio so nobody heard his distress call? Why are you so bad at being the villain, Druid?)

Black Knight sees Thor and the Mechanisaurus Rex grappling in the air and switches the Quinjet to hover.

But he can’t open the hatch to jump out and help. His cursed fingers are too stiff!

Then an art error occurs!

Black Knight says his hand is cutting through the hatch but we see the Ebony Blade doing the cutting.

Anyway, he falls out of the Quinjet. Good decision making, Black Knight.

But he falls right toward the Mechanisaurus Rex.

Black Knight: “There’s no time to think! No time to save myself! For Thor! For England! And Good King Richard!”

Black Knight slices through the Mechanisaurus Rex’s head with the Ebony Blade... but where his body hits the giant robot dinosaur skull, it also cuts. Like his body is sharp like a blade now.

What a weird curse.

Dane plummets into the water below. Can’t tell how high he fell from but he doesn’t of it.

He might have drowned because cursed body too stiff to swim. But Thor swoops down and yanks him from the water pretty quickly.

Black Knight can barely speak after the ordeal but he whispers out that Dr Druid tried to prevent him from coming. And Thor is like ‘I FUCKIN KNEW HE WAS SKETCHY.’

Also, just touching Dane’s arm cuts Thor’s hand so he starts bleeding.

Thor: “Woe to him who wields the Ebony Sword. For I do fear that this is part of its deadly curse made flesh. Dane’s form hath begun to merge with his armor! And now see! He is dangerous to the very touch!”

Thor carries Black Knight to an ambulance but warns them not to touch him.

Don’t know how they’re going to do medicine on him but whatever.

Back at Hydrobase, Dr Druid comes out of his trance and reports what happened. He suspects that Thor will return to Hydrobase and probably demand that they have words.

She-Hulk: “Thor was always too arrogant for my tastes anyway! And too dangerous! We’ll just have to give him a welcome he won’t forget!”

Oh no! Jen, no! Your lawyer brain failed you!

Follow @essential-avengers​ because this going places. Bad places maybe. But maybe good. Like, reblog, and share your thoughts. I’m lonely down here in the italics.

[eerna]

what do you think of the crows' characterisations? i would say jesper and helnik are on point, but i'm kind of conflicted about kaz and inej (especially inej). what are your thoughts?

(Oh this one got LONG I AM SORRY)

Jesper- I liked it how they made him easily distracted and spewing jokes, but still useful and able to improvise his way out of his mistakes. They built up the “I may fuck up, but I always make up for it” thing that will get shattered to pieces during the Ice Court heist. I didn’t like how they also implied he was the Dumb One. He might be silly, but it is never in a “I DON’T UNDERSTAND” way, or “SHUT UP, JESPER” way. And WHERE WAS HIS CRUSH ON KAZ???? 

Nina-  They replaced her initial flirting with some justified anger and annoyance and it just made the flirting land better than ever. They played the Star Spy angle that Nina dreamed of in the books!! However,.,,,,, did she really just become a traitor to the grisha in the end????? Like w h    a    t???????? She betrayed them to their faces for Matthias, and since they weren’t stranded in Fjerda, but Ravka, there was no conflict of interest so she was able to explain herself to him. Since their respective loyalties to their countries is the backbone of their conflict in SOC, I am super duper confused how they are gonna spin that one.

Matthias- I loved him and Nina so much. They actually made him softer. “Oh so you don’t wanna betray your country for food? That’s okay, have the food anyway. Oh so you will just spit it into my face? Okay I’m gonna walk away.” They removed his hatred and anger, and while that makes it easier to like him, we were gonna get there anyway, there was no need to rush? Nina also got to explain herself to him right after she betrayed him, so I guess he is gonna be in Hellgate waiting for her to save him??? The reason their relationship gets bad is because he thought she captured him on purpose, but now he knows she would do whatever she can to get him out, so... once again, how are they gonna spin their SoC relationship development?

Inej- They obviously changed a lot about her backstory, but she acts the way I imagine she had before she became the Wraith- which I guess IS what they were going for, with the entire no-killing thing. My heart broke like 10 times seeing her open, honest faith and hopes get tested by everyone else. They did a great job showing us why she is the symbol of good in Ketterdam. My one nag is that they forgot about her maturity and elegance, she was cruel to Jesper and didn’t tell us a single proverb the entire season!!! “The heart is an arrow” was an episode title but it had nothing to do with her!!! 

Kaz- Kaz was my least fave characterization remix tbh. Like Matthias, he was softened, but KAZ BREKKER SHOULD NEVER GET SANDPAPERED, EVER!!!! Instead of introducing him with a chill, badass gimmick like the gang meeting in the books that showcases his wit and cruelty and the ease with which he manipulates everyone around him, they decided to show him lose to Pekka Rollins. In fact, he is constantly losing, either saying the wrong thing to Inej and instantly regretting it, or getting one-upped by the plot. This Kaz is gentler, more emotional, more vulnerable, and utterly incapable of keeping up with the other forces in the universe. I don’t understand why. Let him be an asshole to Inej!!!!! Let him be cruel and unfair and money oriented!!!!!! He is the Bastard of the Barrel, dammit, not some lovestruck kid- not yet!!!!!!!!! Like, the end of his book 1 arc was "omg he finally confessed Inej isn’t replaceable!!!” In the show he says it in episode 1. Inej battles with trying to figure out if he’s redeemable until the very last chapter of the duology, but show Kaz is a completely deserving man and she has no reason to fear. I have no idea what their development will be like from now on.

Whew. Okay. Wow. That was a lot but yeah that’s my opinions

[dallanebbia]

agape

fandom: bnha pariring: kacchako; bakugou katsuki x uraraka ochako word count: 9.0k warnings: angst, mentions of panic attacks synopsis: ten ways to say ‘i love you’ – moments in the relationship between ochako and katuski. future fic, third year. notes: written for day 7 of kacchako week 2020, with the prompt ‘it was always you.’ this was the first fic i finished writing, and i threw a truck’s worth of tropes into this just because i could. i headcanon an empathetic, compassionate ochako and a soft, self-aware katsuki who grow and mature in their later years at u.a. ao3: [link]

agape – Ancient Greek, selfless, unconditional love

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

March: With a hand on their shoulder, a song on your lips, or a carton of their favorite ice cream in the freezer.

On move-in day of her third year at U.A., Ochako confesses to Deku. She can’t say that she’s surprised when he rejects her, but she hides her real feelings behind a practiced, wobbly smile. 

It feels like someone has just stomped all over her heart.

Within a few hours, the entirety of her class, along with Class 3-B, knows what happened. Nobody realizes that Ochako just doesn’t want to talk about it – people keep bringing it up to her, trying to be consoling, but it just makes her feel worse and worse. 

Finally, when she can’t take it anymore, she hides away on the roof of the dorms, trying to find a moment of peace. 

Ochako is alone, collapsed on the ground and crying when she hears the door to the roof scrape open. 

“Oi.” Her heart drops. Aside from Deku, Bakugou is the very last person she wants to see right now. 

“Leave me alone,” she croaks, wiping her cheeks with her sleeves. The fabric is damp, soaked through with her tears. It stopped being useful about ten minutes ago, but Ochako doesn’t really have the presence of mind to use anything else. 

“Tch.” Her blonde classmate scoffs. “You’re seriously crying over the dumb nerd?” 

“The last thing I need right now is your stupid gloating, Bakugou,” Ochako hisses, and glares at him. “Go. Away.” 

Not that she thinks he’d actually listen, but she’s caught off guard when he squats down in front of her, elbows resting on his knees. “Forget about stupid Deku, Round Face. He’s a fucking dumbass.” 

Her heart twinges, and a fresh round of tears fill her eyes. “You’re seriously not helping –”

“I thought you were better than this, Cheeks,” he says, and Ochako looks up to see Bakugou scowling. “So he doesn’t like you – tough shit. Pull up your big girl panties and move the fuck on. He’s a fuckstick who doesn’t deserve you anyways.”

She opens her mouth to retort, but pauses as the words register in her brain. 

When the news spread, everyone who came to comfort her all said the same things - that Deku would come around, that he’d change his mind if she proved that she was better off without him. She knows that her friends mean well, but all she can focus on is the fact that everyone assumes that Ochako is the one who has to change – like she somehow isn’t good enough. 

Bakugou – her occasional sparring partner, an acquaintance-turned-friend by virtue of exposure more than anything else – doesn’t even hesitate.

He doesn’t deserve you anyways.

“Don’t call him that,” she mutters, but there’s a tiny smile on her lips. Who would’ve guessed that the boy who had wanted to be King Explosion Murder would one day be comforting her? “You’re such an asshole.”

The blonde rolls his eyes. “I’m a fucking saint,” he snarks, and shoves a handkerchief into her trembling hands. “Stop crying already, you look ridiculous.”

Ochako glares at him again, but begrudgingly uses the black square of fabric to dab at her face. The heady smell of sugar and smoke fills her nose, and it’s the complete opposite of the clean soap scent she associates with Deku. It’s comforting, somehow.

“Move on, huh?” She laughs sadly. “You say that like it’s so easy.” 

He flicks her in the forehead, and she yelps in surprise. “Nothing worth doing is gonna be easy, Round Face. You know that just as well as I do.”

It’s her turn to roll her eyes, but the words resonate deeply and leave her feeling pensive. She folds the handkerchief neatly and tucks it into her blazer pocket. “I’ll wash it,” she promises, but Bakugou waves her off. 

“Keep it.” He stands, grabbing her wrist and hauling her to her feet. A familiar, challenging smirk that spreads across his face. “You’ll need it for when I beat your ass in the Sports Festival again this year.”

She scoffs, and even though she probably looks like a pathetic mess, she feels a little better. She can always count on Bakugou to not treat her like she’s spun glass. 

Ochako sticks her tongue out, some of her grief dissipating without her even realizing it. “In your dreams, Blasty.” 

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

April: Casually, as if you don’t mean it. Trying like hell not to mean it.

From the stove, Katsuki listens to Uraraka make up some excuse to skip out on going out with her shitty friends for ramen. He looks over his shoulder – she’s smiling in a way that doesn’t quite mask the tight line of her mouth, and it’s so obvious that Frogface and Four Eyes exchange wary glances. Uraraka heads back upstairs, and as she leaves, Deku seems to visibly deflate.  

“Maybe I should go talk to her,” he hears Deku mumble sadly, and Katsuki rolls his eyes before turning back to the pot of curry he has sitting on the stove. 

“She probably wants some space.” Somehow, Half-and-half is the only one of their little group left with any sense, and it's really fucking pathetic.

“But isn’t it better if –” Katsuki tunes out the shitty nerd’s voice as they pass the kitchen and head to the front door, focusing back on stirring. 

He tests the consistency, frowning as the curry comes out too thick, and turns up the heat a little as he adds some more stock. He’s usually pretty good about eyeballing the ingredients, but to be fair, the shitty nerd was jabbering away about something dumb with Icyhot. Usually, when things don’t go his way, it all leads back to Deku, one way or another. 

He grabs the jar of hot sauce, and is just about to dump the entire contents into the pot when he suddenly pauses and thinks of Uraraka again. 

Should he…?

Katsuki wages an internal war for about thirty seconds before slamming the jar onto the counter, grabbing a spare bowl. He doesn’t let himself think as he ladles a spoonful of curry onto a bed of rice, making sure that there’s a proper ratio of vegetables and meat to sauce, and places it off to the side as he dumps the hot sauce into the pot. He gives the curry a quick stir, turns the heat down low, and grabs a spoon before heading to the elevator with the bowl in hand. 

It smells good, and even though it’s missing the familiar red tinge that comes from the hot sauce he loves, he knows that it tastes good too. Still, he can’t help it when a flutter of nervousness blooms in his chest. 

There’s a stupid English proverb that comes to mind. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Never mind that he’s flipping the roles around; he just hopes that Uraraka will like it. 

Katsuki knocks on her door firmly, rapping his knuckles against the cheap wood. He can hear the shuffling of fabric, a low grunt, and then Uraraka is standing there. The frustrated look in her eyes fades at the sight of him, and he absolutely hates that his breath catches when she smiles at him.

“Oh hey, what’s up?” She sounds happy to see him, her tone totally different from earlier, and something in him glows in pleasure. Uraraka tilts her head to one side, before finally noticing the bowl of curry in his hands. Her eyes go round as dinner plates. 

“I… I made too much.” He thrusts it towards her with one hand, averting his eyes. “Since you’re not going out with those extras, I just –”

“Oh, wow,” she says softly. She takes the bowl carefully, and when the skin of her fingers touches his hand, he feels goosebumps crawl up his arms. “It smells so good, Bakugou! Thank you!” 

“Don’t mention it,” he grunts, and then shoves his hand into his pockets. She’s standing there, inhaling the savory aroma with a stupid smile on her face, and his nerves are frazzled as he blurts, “Well? Don’t just stand there, taste it!”

Uraraka blinks, looking at him with surprise. “Oh...  oh! Yeah, let me just –” She balances the bowl in her palm, scooping up a mix of sauce and rice and meat before raising the spoon at him in a weird little toast. “Itadakimasu!” 

She stuffs the entire spoon in her mouth, her eyes closing blissfully as she chews, and she does this ridiculous, adorable little wiggle that makes his heart thump pathetically in his chest. 

“Oh my god, I love you so much,” she moans, and his mouth drops open in stunned shock. The sound of her voice jolts down his spine like ice. “I could kiss you.” 

“W-what?? What the fuck, Uraraka?” he yelps, stumbling back a little. It’s not that he hasn’t imagined her saying things like that to him, but he isn’t exactly expecting to hear it right now.  

Uraraka’s eyes flutter open, and there’s a split second of dreamy contentment on her face before the realization hits. She squeaks, and nearly drops the bowl in mortification.

“Oh god, I didn’t  –  I didn’t mean that to  –” she stutters, her face turning red. “That came out wrong! I just meant that  –  I haven’t eaten since yesterday, and I wasn’t having a good day because I was missing my parents, and then you made this and I’m just  –  I’m really happy, I’m sorry  –”

“Tch, it’s… it’s whatever, Cheeks,” Katsuki grumbles, heat crawling up the back of his neck. Uraraka’s words burn into his brain, cycling on repeat, and he suddenly, he feels like he could run a fucking marathon. He’s almost drunk on the feeling, and doesn’t even think as he blurts out, “Someone’s gotta keep you round.” 

There’s a beat of silence, and then it’s his turn to freeze. “Fuck. I didn’t mean … shit, not that you’re fat or whatever, you’re hot, okay? I wasn't talking about your ass… fuck, I mean, your face! Your face, I was talking about…motherfucker –”

God, he wants to go die in a hole. 

Uraraka stares at him as he snaps his mouth shut, hugging the bowl to her chest, and her face is a bright pink. “Um,” she squeaks. “Uh, I…” 

The awkward silence between them is physically painful, and Katsuki is too mortified to move for about three seconds before he bolts for the stairs. 

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

May: Through laughter, over a chorus of voices, knowing it’ll strike home anyway. It’s meant for everyone here, after all.

Aizawa gives them the day off before the Sports Festival, banning them from training. Most people take advantage of the free day to relax and destress, but a few people still sneak into Ground Zeta for extra training before being lugged back to the dorms by Aizawa’s capture weapon. 

Mina and Kaminari suggest a class bonding activity as everyone fixes their lunches. The slots for the impromptu Class 3-A Mario Kart tournament fill up quickly, but Ochako opts out to watch instead of participating. Most of the boys are quick to start the games, Bakugou included. 

She hasn’t spoken to him since the curry incident, but the memory of it is something Ochako thinks about often. His awkward stammering had been both embarrassing and endearing, and even now, remembering the fumbling compliments makes her blush. 

The most attractive boy in their class, and possibly in the entire school, thinks that Ochako is hot. It’s a surreal but amazing confidence booster, especially after the rough few weeks she’d had, and although Bakugou’s ears turn red whenever they make eye contact, he doesn’t suddenly ignore her and he doesn’t take it back. 

Instead, he returns her glances with intense stares, ones that sometimes make her turn away from embarrassment. Their spars gain a playful edge, teasing out an odd, thrilling tension that leaves her face flushed and her cheeks aching from smiling. 

It makes her heart beat a little faster every time she meets his gaze, and it’s different because she can see that it means something to Bakugou too. 

It’s nice. 

“Uh… is this seat taken?” Ochako snaps out of her thoughts to see Deku standing in front of her, looking sheepish. 

She realizes with a sinking heart that the only available spot in the room is on the loveseat by her side. Mina and Tooru aren’t being discreet in the way they’re whispering excitedly while staring in their direction, and everywhere she looks, people are casting them curious glances.

It makes her a little angry, but Ochako pastes a smile on and says, “Go ahead, Deku.” 

He lowers himself onto the cushion carefully, and she pulls her legs in so that she’s sitting in a ball, arms wrapped around her knees. She glances towards Bakugou, who’s staring at the TV screen and determinedly not looking in her direction, but somehow knowing that he’s there helps her relax a little. 

“I’m sorry,” Deku says quietly, and Ochako holds back her sigh. They’ve had this conversation multiple times since she confessed weeks ago, and it was starting to grate on her. She was training to be a fellow Pro Hero – does he really think that she can't take a rejection?

“I know, Deku.” She tries to smile reassuringly. “I’m okay with it.” 

“Still. I never wanted to hurt you, Uraraka.” Bakugou’s words come back to mind, and she has to bite back the tiny thread of resentment that sprouts in her chest. Deku said that before too. At this point, she wonders if the repeated apologies are for her benefit or his. 

“Deku.” The green-haired boy looks up at her, a little surprised by the firmness of her tone. “I understand that you’re trying to be considerate, but you keep bringing it up when I already told you. I’m fine.” 

“I just…” He trails off, frowning. “I just feel like you’re mad at me.”

“I’m frustrated,” she says candidly. “I’m trying to be mature about this, but you’re making it really hard for me to move on when you keep bringing up how sorry you are. Can we just agree to be friends and forget about it?”

“... are you okay with that?” He looks a little shocked, and so do some of her eavesdropping classmates. From the corner of her eye, she can tell that about half the room is listening to their conversation, but she doesn’t care. Ochako is sick and tired of people making offhand comments and references to her and Deku. She still has some feelings for him, but the combination of repeated apologies and continuous gossip have worn her down to where only frustration and exhaustion remain.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asks. Deku stammers, but Ochako doesn’t waver. “I love you as a friend, first and foremost. That hasn’t changed. But my world isn’t going to end just because you don’t return my feelings.”

“… Oh,” he mumbles, looking a little ashamed. “I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.” 

“Well, you did.” 

“I know you just said not to but... sorry,” he says quietly. “Last time, I promise.” 

Ochako unfurls herself to lean over and give Deku a side hug. “Thanks. Friends?” 

“Friends.” He smiles. “I love you too, Uraraka.” 

There’s something bittersweet about hearing those words, but it doesn’t hurt as much as she thought it would. She opens her mouth to reply, but a heavy weight suddenly throws itself on her back. 

“God, you guys are so manly,” Kirishima sniffs, leaning over the couch to wrap his beefy arms around the pair of them. “Bakubro, why don’t you ever tell me you love me?” 

The disgusted look on Bakugou’s face is so funny that Ochako can’t hold back the tiny snort that escapes. “I hate you,” he says flatly. 

“Love you too, bro!” Kirishima just calls back cheerfully, beaming despite the middle finger Bakugou aims in his direction. 

“What the hell, why is Bakubro the one who gets an ‘I love you?’ ” Kaminari appears from behind a different couch like a gopher, looking offended. 

Sero pops up right next to the electricity manipulator with a matching expression on his face. “Yeah, bro, what gives?” 

Kirishima yelps as the pair of them lock their arms around the redhead’s neck, pulling him off of her and Deku as they start wrestling in a pile on the floor. Ochako can’t quite keep track of things, but in the span of a few seconds, Mina has jumped into the fray, dragging Jirou and Momo and Tooru along with her. 

Aoyama leaps in too, somehow bringing Ojirou and Sato along for the ride, and Tokoyami’s protests are drowned out by Dark Shadow lifting him up and dumping him head first into the mass of bodies. The final addition comes as Todoroki nonchalantly tumbles into the chaos, dramatic declarations of love echoing above the music from Mario Kart playing in the background. 

Despite her earlier frustrations, Ochako can’t help but sit back and watch the growing dog pile with a fond smile.

“God, I love you guys,” Mina crows loudly, and Ochako can’t help but join the chorus of voices that echo the sentiment. Across the room, she sees Bakugou sneering at the display of affection, scanning over the room until his gaze meets hers. 

She smiles a little, raising her eyebrows at him in a silent question, and something she can’t quite name glows in her stomach when he rolls his eyes at her, the barest hint of a grin curled behind his hand. 

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

May: Slipped under your tongue, twisted into something else. “I trust you,” maybe. Trust them to figure it out.

The Sports Festival is bigger this year than it ever has been before. It’s everyone’s last chance to prove themselves, their final showcase before graduating, and nobody wants to go down without a fight.

Katsuki is pitted against Uraraka in the quarter-finals. The fight between them is an intense, heavy-fire version of tag that leaves him exhilarated, grinning wildly as they dodge and duck and weave around each other. Her quirk is leagues beyond where it was in first year, and it shows when Uraraka literally lifts the entire stadium floor out from under her feet before swatting him out of his Howitzer Impact like a fly. 

He wakes up in time to watch the final matchup between Uraraka and Deku, and proceeds to spend the next twenty minutes screaming at the infirmary television in frustrated rage. 

It’s painfully obvious that Deku goes easy on her. He pulls his punches, uses a fraction of One for All, and when he lets Uraraka push him out of the ring, Katsuki can see the incandescent, seething anger that emanates from her in literal waves. 

That night, he finds her on the roof again, after the award ceremonies are over. She’s crying, but this time, there’s resentment and bitterness and fury in place of the brokenhearted grief. Her gold medal is lying on the ground by her feet, discarded to the side. 

“You were right, you know,” she says, laughing hollowly. She doesn’t have to look to know that he’s there. “First place… it isn’t worth anything when you win it like this.” 

He doesn’t say anything – he knows exactly how she feels, and he knows better than anyone that empty platitudes will only make things worse. Instead, he leans against the railing at her side, back facing the horizon, and quietly waits as she uses the handkerchief he gave her weeks earlier to mop at her face. 

They stand there in silence, and at some point, Uraraka shuffles closer and closer until she’s leaning on him, head heavy against his arm. He slouches a little more so that she can rest against his shoulder, and watches her nuzzle against the sleeve of his gym uniform. 

“Is it always like this?” she whispers, so low that he almost misses the words. “Feeling like you can never catch up, like you’re always walking in someone’s shadow?” 

“Welcome to the club, Cheeks,” he says gruffly. Katsuki looks over at her, and she’s staring blankly into the setting sun, tear tracks shining on her cheeks and the bruise below her left eye a mottled green. “Membership includes being referenced in relation to the shitty nerd in every article you’re in for the rest of your life, toxic friendships, and a crippling inferiority complex.” 

Uraraka snorts. “Any way I can get my member status revoked?” 

“If you find out, let me know,” he mutters. “Been trying to get the hell out for as long as I can remember.”

She doesn’t answer, instead pressing the back of her hand against his wrist. Her skin is cool and dry, soothing against his perpetually warm body temperature, and Katsuki savors it. 

“God, I’m going to be the biggest joke in all of Japan tomorrow.” Uraraka laughs a little wetly. “After today, after everyone saw how he just let me win – nobody’s going to take me seriously.”

She says it like she isn’t amazing – like she’s just another worthless extra, like she didn’t just single handedly hand his ass to him only a few hours earlier. She says it like she’s giving up, and what Katsuki was planning to say – something quippy and grouchy and vaguely encouraging – is replaced by words that say everything, all at once.

“I do,” Katsuki says quietly, and she stills. “I always have.”

Slowly, she draws away, pulling back so she can turn and face him head on. He keeps his gaze steady, even as he wants to look away. 

Part of him hopes that she’ll take it at face value, take the words as encouragement and nothing else. Things would be easier if she did – he’d be able to take his feelings and hide them for days and months and years, like he’s done since she caught his eye back in their first year. He’d be safe for a little while longer, waiting for the perfect moment. 

At the same time, a larger part of him wills her to read between the lines, to see underneath the surface, because this is the closest thing to a confession he can manage. She knows him – she sees him the way Deku never could, and she’s able to read him in ways that took Eijirou years to pick up. 

She knows him, and when the realization crosses her eyes, he plucks the truth out and lays himself bare. 

There’s no going back.  

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

May: Over a nervous smile, biting back the just-this-side-of-desperate hope they’ll say it back.

Ochako doesn’t know when her feelings start to change. It might have been the curry incident. It might have been the spars. It might have been that moment on the roof, and it might have even been the Sports Festival, two years ago.  

What she does know is this: she’s in the middle of falling for Bakugou when she recognizes her feelings for what they really are, and what she feels is nothing like what she felt for Deku.

With Deku, she had felt like she was in freefall, somersaulting and trying to right herself when she didn’t know which way was up or down. It felt scary and frantic, and in some ways, she feels that she confused her fear with adrenaline and her admiration for love. 

With Bakugou, it feels familiar. It feels like she’s standing on the sparring mats in Gym Zeta, intimate and safe, with the spark of competition and plenty of passionate intensity to keep things alive. It feels like a dance – an equal push and pull, an ebb and flow that works in tandem rather than apart – and she doesn’t have to chase after anyone because he’s facing her instead of leaving her to watch his retreating back.

So when Bakugou says those five words, she pulls back a little so she can look him in the eye. He waits, patiently, as she studies him, and even though she can see the hope and love and fear in his steady gaze, he never looks away.

“Are you sure, Bakugou?” She has to make sure. 

He raises an eyebrow. “You really have to ask?” Yeah, I am.  

Ochako reaches out, grazing her hand against his, and she swallows when Bakugou slowly slides his fingers between hers. 

She stares at the sight of their entwined hands, and smiles a little when she feels him stroking her skin with his thumb. “Can I ask when you knew?”

“A while.” He’s quiet, watching their hands too. Red eyes flicker to meet hers, and he shrugs. “It’s always been you.” 

Her heart soars. She comes in closer, and as she tilts her head up to look at him, Bakugou leans down to press his forehead to hers. 

“I think I could fall in love with you,” she admits softly, her heartbeat pounding like drums in her ears. I think I’m already halfway there.

The words hang there, suspended in the space between them, and then he breathes in and smiles. 

“Way ahead of you, Cheeks,” he murmurs. “Hurry up, will you?” 

Something in her sings as he tugs her closer, and the touch of his lips to hers feels like coming home. 

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

June: Under your breath while the whole house sleeps, just before you have to leave for the day. More for yourself than for them.

When Ochako asks if he wants to tell people, Katsuki is torn. On one hand, he wants people to know – he wants to shout to the entire world that Uraraka Ochako is his, that she chose him in the end.

And yet, on the other, he’s selfish. He wants to keep her to himself for as long as he can, to learn everything about her on his own time, and when he makes his choice, Ochako agrees. 

Keeping it a secret is laughably easy. They do everything like they did before – they attend class, hang out with their respective friend groups, and occasionally meet up to spar after school. To their classmates and the rest of the world, nothing has changed. 

Behind closed doors, it’s a different story. 

He wakes to all-encompassing warmth, hair tickling his nose and a pliant body tucked tight to his chest. The curve of Ochako’s back under his hand is soft, and when he tightens his hold on her, she snuffles a little into her pillow before settling back into sleep. 

The light filtering through Uraraka’s cheap curtains is faint. He knows from experience that it’s probably around five in the morning, too early for any of his classmates or teachers to be awake. It’s the safest time for him to steal out of Ochako’s room and get back to the boy’s side of the dorms, but it’s harder and harder to leave each time he wakes up with his girlfriend gathered in his arms. 

His girlfriend. The thought sends a dopey, stupid smile stretching over his face. It’s been close to two months since that day on the roof after the Sports Festival, but part of him still can’t believe it. Uraraka Ochako is his girlfriend.  

Katsuki is pretty sure he’s the luckiest bastard alive.

He withdraws from her slowly, painstakingly peeling his body from hers. She whines a little at the loss of warmth, and he can’t help but melt a little when she gravitates towards the divot he left in the mattress, burrowing into the spot where his head lay on her pillow.

His clothes are in a crumpled pile by the foot of the bed, and he tugs on his pants carelessly, shoving his shirt over his messy hair. When he’s done, he rearranges the blankets around Ochako’s sleeping form, tucking them up to her chin. Her forehead peeks out from under her messy hair, and Katsuki brushes his lips against the little patch of skin, cupping the curve of her face as he does.

Here, staring down at his slumbering girlfriend, he’s struck by the familiar, sudden wave of affection that tempts him to stay.

“I love you,” he breathes, almost mouthing the words as he strokes her cheek gently. He watches as she nuzzles into his touch, smiling in her sleep, and tiptoes out of her room before he’s late for his morning run.

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

August: With a soft sigh. Past exhaustion and frustration and despair, like it’s the only good thing left. Sometimes it is.

Neither she nor Katsuki are strangers to nightmares. They’re a given, at this point – most heroes suffer from them in one capacity or another, but it doesn’t make things any easier to deal with.

In some ways, Ochako is lucky – she’s used to working through the nightmares alone, and can still function around them. She doesn’t have to go to Katsuki for comfort unless it’s a particularly vivid dream, but the same couldn’t be said for her boyfriend.

Ochako wakes up to the low sound of her phone chiming. Her head is spinning from being woken up in the middle of a sleep cycle, but as she blearily squints in the darkness, she recognizes the ringtone as the one she set for Bakugou.

She picks up just before the call drops. “Hello?”

“Cheeks?” The whispered, raspy sound of Bakugou’s voice cracks in her ear, and she shakes off the last vestiges of sleep, concern shooting through her.

“Katuski? Are you okay?”

“M’outside,” he mumbles, and Ochako throws herself out of bed and nearly trips over the low tea table in her haste to get to the door. She throws it open, and Katsuki is leaning against her door frame. He’s shaking, bundled in a hoodie she recognizes as one he wears when the nightmares are especially bad. Worriedly, she cups a hand around his elbow and pulls him into her room.

She steers him to her bed, careful to avoid the table this time, and sits Katsuki on the edge. She gently pries his phone from his hand, ending the call and placing both of their phones on her desk, before she tugs at the hem of his hoodie.

With a slow, steady murmur of nonsensical words, she coaxes him out of his hoodie and sweats and shoes. Katsuki keeps his hands on her, seeking bare skin as she works, until he’s left only in his boxers. He makes a low, wounded sound when she briefly steps away to place his clothes on her desk chair, but he sighs as she returns into his arms, guiding him below her comforter. Ochako quickly sheds the large, oversized shirt she usually wears to sleep, leaving her in just her panties, and lets the rough, calloused hand on her thigh drag her into bed.

She lies on her back, sighing as her boyfriend settles his cheek against her left breast, ear pressed directly above her heart. He wraps his arms around her waist, miles of warm skin pressed against her body, and she carefully scratches across his scalp while he tries to lose himself in the sound of her heartbeat.

Fighting the lull of sleep, her other hand cradles his arm, using her thumb to rub back and forth soothingly. The trembling gradually stops, Katsuki’s panicked breathing evening out, and she hears a rough, heavy exhale before he rubs at her sternum with his nose.

“…Thanks.” He presses his mouth against the skin of her chest in a chaste kiss.

“Anytime.” Smoothing the spiky bangs away from his forehead, she leans forward to place a kiss of her own to his hairline. “You okay?”

She feels Katsuki swallow thickly, his weight falling on her more heavily. “Not really.” It’s the honest answer, and had it been anyone else asking, Ochako knows he would’ve lied.  “But I will be.”

She hums, eyelids slowly getting heavier as the hand carding through his spiky hair moves slower and slower. Faintly, as she’s just on the edge of consciousness, she feels the blonde shift above her.

“I love you.” Ochako tries to keep her eyes open, but she can’t quite fight it any longer. “Go to sleep, baby.”

“Love y’too,” she slurs, and the last thing she hears is a quiet huff of amusement as she drifts off, warm and safe.

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

October: Wrapped up in a question. How’s your day been, have you eaten, you know you can tell me anything, right? You know you can tell them anything. Right?

One day, after class, All Might gathers everyone to make an announcement: two applicants have finally been chosen for the exclusive one-year work study in America. The program starts right after graduation, set up with All Might’s old hero agency, and Katsuki grins in anticipation.

The work study is something that he’s been working towards since coming into U.A. He had submitted the application at the end of second year, along with most of their class, but he figures that he has it in the bag. There are two spots, and while Deku is a given, Katsuki is the only one who can keep up with him when they’re really going all out.

He never thinks, in a million years, that Ochako would be the one to get it instead.

When he doesn’t hear his name, the feeling that falls over him is impossible to describe. On one hand, he’s so incredibly proud – of course Ochako deserves something like this. The program is notoriously competitive, notoriously selective, and for Ochako to be chosen means that they see the potential for her to be an international hero.

On the other hand, he’s so angry and hurt and frustrated, because that should’ve been him. He should’ve been the one to get the work-study, because now he’s getting left behind not just by Deku, but by Ochako too.

He pointedly avoids meeting her gaze, and when she tries to approach him after class, the mess of his feelings makes him blow up.

“Bakugou-kun?” He stiffens at the sound of her voice, but otherwise ignores her as he stomps towards the locker rooms. “Bakugou-kun, wait – ”

A hand lands on his forearm, and without thinking, he whirls around and yanks himself out of Ochako’s grasp. She looks stunned at his violent reaction, but he’s still reeling from All Might’s announcement in a way that makes all his filters disappear.

“Don’t you fucking dare,” he hisses venomously, and hurt blooms across those wide brown eyes. “I don’t want your fucking pity!”

Katsuki regrets it the moment he says it, but pride is what makes him turn his back on Ochako and keep walking. He rips his hero costume off and showers in record time, tossing on his clothes and sprinting back to the dorms to lock himself in his room.  

“Fuck, fuck, FUCK!” Throwing himself on his bed, he buries his face in his pillow and lets himself go. All the bottled emotions explode out, and he’s sobbing and swearing and screaming for God knows how long until he physically can’t do anything but lie there, curled up into his pillow and hurting.

He’s so exhausted and so out of it that he doesn’t notice the door to his balcony sliding open. Still, when he feels the mattress shifting beneath him, he knows that she’s there.

Shame and guilt suddenly join the complex mess of feelings in his head, and part of him is frozen in fear. Why is she here? Is she here to pity him, like he told her not to? Is she here to yell at him for being an asshole?

Worse yet – is she here to tell him that she wants to end things?

Every nerve in his body is on alert, his brain still a jumbled muddle, and he physically can’t bring himself to move as the seconds tick by, agonizingly slow. The sound of his heartbeat thunders in his ears, and he can feel his lungs constrict as he waits for Ochako to speak.

Something desperate in him begs, please don’t go.

A hand settles onto his shoulder. The touch makes him flinch, his shoulders hunching on instinct, but the mattress moves momentarily before a familiar body molds itself to his back.

Ochako maneuvers herself into a big spoon position, curling her legs behind his and wiggling her arms around him so that she can hug him around the waist. He swallows as he feels her gently press a kiss between his shoulders. It’s patient and understanding and everything he feels like he doesn’t deserve.

 “… Sorry.” He swallows thickly, wincing at the rawness of his throat. The word is muffled, spoken into his pillow instead of towards the person behind him, but he feels Ochako bury her face into his shirt.

“Me too.” He closes his eyes at that, his bitterness returning in full force. She tightens her hold on him, as if sensing his mood. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

Katsuki huffs, an acknowledgement but not an answer. Instead, he lets one hand fall to rest on the arms folded across his stomach, finding her hand and sliding his palm against hers.

They lay like that in silence. A few tears escape, leftover from the emotional torrent he’d released earlier, but all he feels now is emptiness.

“I declined the work-study.” His eyes snap open, and he sits up abruptly. The action startles Ochako, who doesn’t manage to let go of him in time, and she lands half-sprawled below him, arms still linked around his body.

“What the hell, Ochako,” he croaks, his voice still hoarse, and he glares down at her. “Why would you – ”

“I can barely afford to feed myself, Katsuki – how in the world am I going to find the money to spend a year in America?” She looks at him gently, reaching up to cup his cheek. “Besides – I applied because the others did. I never really wanted to go in the first place. Not like you.”

Old insecurities crawl out of the dark corners of his mind. “I don’t need your pity, Cheeks,” he says darkly, and she rolls her eyes.

“For God’s sake, it’s not pity,” she says exasperatedly, and folds her arms across her chest. Her expression softens. “I know how much you wanted this. How much you still want it.”

“They picked you, Ochako. Not me.” Saying it out loud stings, but it doesn’t mean he isn’t proud of her. “Not that they shouldn’t have. You deserve it.”  

“So do you, Katsuki.” She sits up, tucking her legs underneath her as she squares her shoulders, staring him directly in the eyes. “You know why I want to be a hero. Stuff like this – it’s not important to me, not like it is for you. You’re the first one on the waiting list – if I didn’t apply, it would’ve been you who got it.”

He scowls. “Why the fuck did you apply if you weren’t gonna do it?”

“Deku convinced me,” Ochako admits, looking apologetic. “I didn’t really expect anything; I knew I wasn’t going to be able to afford it regardless.”

And fuck, hearing her say that makes him feel even shittier. “… It’s whatever, Cheeks,” he says, trying to play things off. “Doesn’t really matter.”

“Yeah, that’s bullshit.” The flat look she gives him is pointed. “You don’t get angry like this unless it’s something you really care about.”

“I didn’t… ugh, fuck.” He closes his eyes and scrubs a free hand over his face, following the line of his jaw until his palm sits at the nape of his neck. “I got pissed because I felt like I was gettin’ left behind again. Not just by the shitty nerd, but...”

“… by me, too,” she says, realization falling over her, and he feels like an asshole for even thinking it, let alone admitting it out loud. “I thought we were both in the same boat? The one where we’re trying not to compare ourselves to other people anymore?”

“Shit, I know that, I just…” He groans, rubbing his neck roughly. “I just… I’ve spent so fuckin’ long chasin’ after them. Fucking years, Cheeks. I can’t just… turn that off.”   

“I know.” And she does – maybe not to the same extent, but she does know, better than anyone else, exactly what he’s feeling. She felt it too, not long ago. “But you’re not Deku, Katsuki; you aren’t All Might either. Sometimes, I feel like you forget that.”

“S’not that I forget.” He lets his hands fall limp in his lap, looking down at them hollowly. “… They’re just… better. Better people, better heroes… trying to crawl out of their damn shadows feels like I’m fighting fuckin’ smoke.”

“Well, nothing worth doing is going to be easy,” she says, and part of him wants to laugh at the sheer fucking audacity of this girl, taking his words and throwing them right back at him. She grins a little, seeing the spark of amusement in his eyes. “You know that as well as I do.”

“You’re a goddamn comedian,” he snorts, and he can’t help but smile.

“The very best,” she agrees as she grabs his free hand, bringing it up to her lips. “So you’ll go, right?”

He studies her, trying to look for a single smidgeon of resentment, and can’t find anything other than genuine sincerity. “… yeah,” he sighs. “I’ll go.”

Ochako nods firmly. “Good.”

And that’s the end of it.

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

December: Instead of “thank you” or “see you soon” or “drive safe.” Because no matter what you say it’ll mean the same thing.

They’re able to keep things quiet for seven months. Living with eighteen other teenagers means almost no privacy, and it’s a goddamn miracle that nobody has found out yet. Katsuki is pretty sure Frogface has an idea – he’s caught her watching the two of them recently, a contemplative look on her face, but otherwise, there isn’t a peep.

When it does come out, it’s partially Ochako's fault, but mostly Katsuki’s. Sparring together always gets him hot and bothered, and while she might have been tempting fate a little by wearing just a sports bra while they’re grappling, he’s entirely to blame for how he slams her into the mats and starts kissing her in the middle of the crowded gym.

Katsuki is not happy to find that there’s a class-wide bet going on about them. He’s even less happy to find that Deku is the one who fucking wins the pot, but when people find out that they’ve been dating since May, Ochako starts hiding on the roof to avoid any more invasive questions about Katsuki’s dick.

By the time winter break rolls around, the fervor around their relationship has died down. There’s still some teasing, especially from people like Kirishima and Mina, but everyone’s focus is redirected as the winter internships offers are finally handed out.

For some, the decision is easy. She knows that Katsuki doesn’t even hesitate when he gets the offer to intern with Endeavor again, alongside Shouto. Ochako, on the other hand, is torn. Her original plan was to go with Ryuko for the third year in a row, but she knows that she’s gotten a little too comfortable there. It’s not challenging anymore, and as much as she loves working with the dragon hero, she knows that she needs to gain more experience somewhere else.

She wants to take Miruko’s offer. The woman is on a case in Sapporo, and she’s looking for a seasoned intern experienced in both rescue and combat to act as her support. It’s an amazing opportunity, especially when Ochako considers the fact that the rabbit hero is notorious for preferring to work alone – apparently the Sports Festival didn’t harm her reputation as much as she’d thought it would.

There’s only one problem.

She and Katsuki had been planning to spend a few days celebrating her birthday before heading out to their respective internships. Miruko’s offer, if Ochako accepts it, lasts the entire two-week winter break.

Not only would she not be able to visit home, she’d also have to cancel her plans with Katsuki.

When she tells him about the offer, something in her breaks a little at the excited, proud grin that spreads across his face. “You’re shitting me. Miruko? For real? That’s fuckin’ amazing, Cheeks.”

“… Yeah.” Ochako smiles back weakly.

He frowns. “Oi, what’s with that face? You aren’t interested or something?”

“It’s not that.” At his puzzled look, she says softly, “The internship lasts the whole break. It’s in Sapporo.”

She already checked online. It takes five hours to get from Sapporo to Tokyo; a one-way ticket costs around thirty thousand yen. There is no way she can afford to visit Katsuki, let alone her parents all the way down in Mie. And even if he could come to her, there is no way to guarantee that she’ll have the time.

“… oh.” She watches as he exhales slowly, the excitement fading in his eyes and replaced by disappointment. “Oh.”

Ochako bites her lip, eyes flickering towards the floor. “I – I don’t have to take the offer, Ryuko still has openings…”

It’s not that she doesn’t want to go. She does – desperately, actually, because it’s Miruko. Number five hero, badass bitch Miruko, who Ochako secretly idolizes for being strong and powerful and uncompromising in a culture where being those things as a woman can be career-ending more than career-making. It’s an opportunity she never dared to dream of – and now it’s being handed to her on a silver platter.

Katsuki knows this. He knows that Ochako wants to say yes, and he knows that for all that she’s offering to stay, she wants him to tell her to go.

And he does.

“Don’t be a dumbass,” he scowls, eyes narrowing. “Miruko asked you for a reason; you’re fucking going.” 

She knows that he won’t let her turn it down – Katsuki would never ask her to sacrifice her career for him – but hearing it still helps settle the guilt that had been festering since she first got the offer. He looks a little dejected still, and so Ochako steps forward until her face is pressed into his chest, arms coming up to wrap around his waist in a hug. “Katsuki, I –”

“I know.” Strong arms band across her back to tuck her more securely against his chest, and one hand cradles the back of her neck. “Just means we gotta make up for your birthday and New Years when you get back.”

“Deal.” She inhales, taking in the smell of smoke and sugar that never fails to make her feel safe and secure. It’s only two weeks, but she already knows that she’ll miss him terribly.

A hand sweeps across her back, settling on her neck. The warmth of his palm is soothing against the tight muscles, and she relaxes into him. “M’proud of you, Cheeks. You’re gonna fucking crush it.”

“I’ll be back before you know it.” It’s a lie, but Katsuki doesn’t call her out on it. Instead, he presses his mouth to the crown of her head.

“I love you,” he murmurs, quietly. Come back to me. 

She pulls back, cradles his face between her palms, kisses him fervently in answer. I will.  

─── ･｡ﾟ❁ﾟ｡･ ───

January: Straightforward. Soft and heavy, like morning before the coffee’s started brewing. Like that’s all there is to say.

He gets the call two days before they’re supposed to get back to the dorms.

“There was an avalanche in Sapporo,” Frogface’s monotone voice sounds tinny over the phone, and Katsuki’s heart drops to his toes. “Ochako – she’s in the hospital.”

The story is broadcast over every news channel, trending on every social media site. The case in Sapporo was an investigation, following rumors about a sex-trafficking ring targeting young girls. Miruko and Uravity had tracked the ring leaders to an abandoned town, where they’d captured the offending criminals with little trouble. The police were on the way, and the heroes had been comforting the scared girls, but nobody knew that one of the criminals had a remote-detonation quirk until it was too late.

The dynamite that exploded wasn’t meant to destroy the town – it was meant to bury it.

The twenty girls and all the criminals make it out alive and unscathed– so do all twelve thousand residents of the neighboring town. According to the reports, Uravity had created an entirely new gravitational field to slow the avalanche, with her own body as the anchorpoint, and had stalled long enough for everyone to evacuate the area. When she finally passed out, Miruko darted in to drag her intern to safety, but they had both ended up getting caught in the crush of snow.

The rescue team, who’d been on standby, found them both quickly, but Uravity’s overuse of her quirk, combined with her injuries, meant that she was rushed immediately to Musutafu, where Recovery Girl kept her alive long enough to get into surgery.

Katsuki skips class to go to the hospital, leg bouncing and his heart breaking as every agonizing minute passes. Mid-way through the day, Aizawa comes to try and bring him back to U.A., accompanied by Midnight. He almost fights both teachers in the middle of the waiting room, until his parents come and formally withdraw him for the day so he can stay.

When he’s finally allowed to see her, she’s in a coma. She looks small, tucked below scratchy white sheets and surrounded by machines he can’t name. There’s a neck brace supporting her head, the breathing tube snaking from her mouth and nose, and all he can do is hold her hand and squeeze, praying for her to wake up.

He comes every day after classes. He sits in the plastic chair by her bedside and talks about his internship, the things they did in class, and the stupid antics their classmates got up to in the dorms.

Every day, before he leaves, Katsuki kisses her and says that he misses her. That he can’t wait for her to wake up.

At one point, Miruko comes by to visit, solemn-faced – she’s in an electric wheelchair, missing her prosthetic limbs, and lugging an IV drip behind her. Part of Katsuki wants to blame her for it all, for giving the offer to Ochako in the first place, but he recognizes the guilt hidden behind the rabbit hero’s stoic façade.  

“I told her not to overdo it.” The woman’s voice is low and throaty, weariness obvious even as she speaks. Katsuki spares a glance at the woman, who’s staring at Ochako’s still body in the bed. “Told her that the mountain was gonna come down one way or another. She didn’t fuckin’ listen – said she could keep going. That she had to.”

He’s seen the footage – it’s not something that he’ll ever forget. A towering wall of snow and ice and rock, a cresting wave over a ramshackle ruin, with a tiny pink form standing in front of the creeping, looming mass. He knows that Ochako’s quirk is more than just zero gravity, but seeing it in action, she looks like a goddess out of legend. Nobody who sees that video will ever call her weak again.

“Sounds like her,” he grunts, and neither of them say anything more.

Days later, he hears the rumor while waiting for shitty vending machine coffee and as he buys flowers at the flower shop on the hospital grounds. Apparently, Miruko called in a favor from one of the top healing quirk specialists to come and help Ochako.

He lugs an entire bushel of organic rainbow carrots to the woman’s hospital room as thanks, and scowls when Miruko points out that he should’ve sent them in an edible arrangement.

Three weeks after the accident, the neck brace and tubes are gone, the life support equipment removed, and all that’s left is to wait for Ochako to wake up. Katsuki is in the middle of complaining about some stupid training exercise he doesn’t really care about when the hand he’s holding squeezes.

“… Mm? Kat… ?” Ochako’s voice is low and gravelly, scratchy from disuse, and her heavy-lidded gaze settles on him tiredly. He stands abruptly, the chair clattering to the floor as the last remnants of fear and worry are replaced by sheer relief.

The hug he gives Ochako is careful and featherlight, but a strong hand pulls him tighter into her chest until he’s almost crushing her in his arms. Katsuki knows that he should be calling for a doctor, but he can’t help but take the moment to keep her for himself, just a little while longer.  

“Shit, Cheeks,” he breathes, basking in the familiar weight of Ochako’s head tucked into the curve between his shoulder and neck. “I was so fuckin’ worried.”

“M’okay.” Her nose feels cold against his pulse. “Sorry,” she says, slurring a little.

“Don’t be.” She had saved those girls, and she was the reason that over ten thousand people were still alive. There was nothing to be sorry about. “You’re okay now, s’all that matters.”

She hums, the warmth of her breath lingering over his skin. “Love you,” she whispers, hands twisting in the fabric of his shirt.

Katsuki exhales in a soft, slow sigh, and presses a kiss into her hair. “Love you too.”

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Best Friend (18)**

Jason Momoa x Reader

Warning: Slow Burn, Plot, Cursing, Angst, The Burn Ends, NSFW, SMUT

Word Count: 6.3k

Summary: Inspired by “Best Friend” by Tweet & Bilal. Jason is your best friend, and you are his. End of summary. 😊 ❤❤️

Note: Italic text is a flashback memory. So we’ve come to the end of this road. Look at me finishing shit and not leaving them open. Ayyyye! 💃🏾💃🏾 At least, I think this is the end. We’ll see.

**Loosely Proofread/Edited**

**Interactive**

Thank you guys for reading, I appreciate it. If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG. ❤❤️

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“How long will you make him suffer?”

 Spinning around you saw Jordan leaning on the wall of your office with his arms crossed. You knew that he and Dre had bitten their tongue this entire time. They were close to Jason and you were sure he told them what was going on and what happened. They hadn’t cornered you or treated you differently. They kept silent and let you do you. You wondered when they would approach you, when your time would run out. Guess it was today, six weeks since all the drama went down.

 “Make who suffer?”

 “Don’t play dumb, Y/N. We all know you’re smart as hell, so dumb doesn’t look cute on you.” You snorted and laughed to yourself. You didn’t stop moving though. You kept doing what you were doing. You had an hour to finish up your paperwork for the day. You were in need of some alcohol therapy.

 “Ignoring me now?”

 “Jordan, my god. What do you want?”

 “The question is what do you want?” Jordan walked in and sat at the edge of your desk. You didn’t respond.

 “I’ll wait. You can only ignore things for so long, right?”

Sighing you put down the papers and leaned back in your chair and looked at him. “I want to finish this so I can get a drink.”

 “Look he’s been my friend since we were like eighteen. He’s my boy, I’d do anything for him. I know he’s difficult, and he comes with a lot. I know it’s hard to get close to him, but you know better than anyone how to handle him. I’ve wondered for years how long it would take for the two of you to get together. Y’all never made it easy, but y’all never were like this. I know how you feel about him, and I know how he feels about you. I get he was an asshole and he fucked up, but from where I’m sitting you did too.” You looked down at the desk and thought about his words. He was right you both fucked up.

 “Is it really worth letting everything go, friendship and everything? Can you live letting everything go and walking away?”

 “Jordan--,” you began before he interrupted you.

 “Answer the question. Are you okay just moving on and the two of you going your separate ways?”

 “It’s not that easy.”

 “Of course it is. If the answer is no, then make it right give in. if the answer is yes, then dead it and move on. Simple,” Jordan explained. You rolled your eyes. He made it seem like breathing.

 “I need time.” Again, Jordan interrupted you.

 “You’ve had six weeks. Forty-two days.”

 “So there should be a time limit on the amount of time I need?”

 “No, definitely not Y/N. At some point the question becomes not if you need time, but if you are using needing time as a crutch for your fears? A crutch that will keep everything and everyone paused causing more harm than good.”

 Your jaw dropped for many reasons. One, because Jordan had just dropped the mother of all philosophical proverbs. Two, in dropping that mother of all philosophical proverbs he rendered you speechless without a single word to speak in defense or defiance. Three, he made sense. The look of shock must have been a severe one. Jordan’s laugh filled the room.

 “You don’t gotta look so surprised. I can be deep.”

 You smiled and nodded in agreement. He could be deep. Neither of you spoke for a few moments. You still didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, he took initiative with continuing the conversation.

 “I’m not on anyone’s side except the side of love. You love him, he loves you. The rest—can be worked out. Love, Y/N. It matters.” With those last words, he turned and walked right back out of the office, leaving you to sit behind the desk replaying his words.

 He was right. You were using time as a crutch. You were allowing the chasm of time to do whatever it chose to your relationship—friendship or otherwise. You were doing this because you were terrified. Unlike your other boyfriends, with Jason, you were in real danger of falling so completely and fully that where you ended, and another began would cease to be determinable. You knew without a doubt that Jason was the other side of your coin, your yin to your yang, your twin flame. With something that was meant to be so intense, so encompassing something that flamed so hot and so bright it was destined not to last. Everything in history proved it to be true. You were afraid to begin because you were afraid of the end. You knew you wouldn’t survive it—survive him.

 It wasn’t fair. You’d come to see it a few nights after the gala. You saw it the first night you dared to join your friends Jason included for drinks. You felt his eyes on you ninety-eight percent of the time and the remaining two percent he spent shooting down every advance the women around made. He also made sure to stay clear of you while somehow letting you know what his intentions were, where his heart was. You felt it, it was impossible to ignore. It wasn’t fair.

 When you made it home that evening, you were already late to join everyone at Ziao. Despite your best efforts to hurry in getting ready you kept getting distracted by memories, by his scent. It had been weeks since he was here, but his scent still lingered. You could still feel him everywhere. You missed him more today than you had when you first walked away from him on that cliff. The weight of that made your movements sluggish.

An hour late was when you made it to Ziao. When you got there, it was close to eight and the night crowd was now filling up the area. you tried to ignore the overlapping conversation and search around for your friends. You unintentionally locked eyes with a tall man with short curly hair and a strong jaw. He was attractive. Though it was just a momentary pause he had enough time to wink at you and smile. As you looked away barely registering him he gave you a once over just before you found your friends.

 As you approached them, Jason was the first to see you. He paused his movement as his hand rose to his lips for a sip from his glass and locked eyes with you. God, you thought. Every time your eyes met it felt like the most intense electric surge. As quickly as you could, you looked away. You knew if you held his gaze for too long you may say or do something provocative.

 “Finally, my god. We said seven,” Cassie said as she briefly hugged you.

 “Hi. I know. I’m sorry.” You hugged everyone else but Jason. The disappointment on his face was evident and nearly broke your heart.

“I’m here now. What did I miss?”

 “Four drinks,” Toya blurted out as she waved a waiter over.

 “We’ll have another round, but this one will have five of what we all just had.”

 “Five? Toya, maybe ease me into it,” you rose.

 “Nope. Tardy for the party you gotta catch up.”

 You could see what kind of night this was going to be. The five of them talked and laughed as they always did. Everyone always got along so well. You sat back and listened to the conversation but had no input. You were working too hard to keep your eyes off of Jason and to suppress the rising urge to throw yourself onto him.

 When the waiter returned with a platter full of drinks your eyes widened. She put five shot glasses before you which had Toya and Cassie clapping their hands in excitement. You were not excited.

 “Bottoms up, titties down!” You snorted hearing Toya’s pre-drink cry.

 Wasting no time with protest you downed the first two glasses within seconds of the other. You took a breath to cool your taste buds and jumped into the next two. After four drinks your belly was on fire, it was a fire that was slowly coursing through your veins.

 “Come on, one more,” Dre encouraged. Rolling your eyes, you took the last glass which was bigger than the four before it and knocked it back. Instantly you knew this was a Jason drink. It was strong, intense and rapidly killing all your brain cells.

 “Fuck! That was strong!” The four of them cheered out loud leaving Jason quiet with a placated smirk across his face.

 “I love Fridays!”

 What happened after that was inevitable. The six of you danced up a storm in the sea of bodies that had come out for the same reasons, to get drunk, cut loose and maybe leave with someone who wanted to continue the party elsewhere. As you danced with Cassie and Toya using their bodies as women usually did when dancing together you felt the worries you’d had hours before melting away. You didn’t care right now. All you cared about was the steady flow of drinks and the music booming around you.

 You didn’t care that for that you could feel Jason in the same room, no matter how full it was and no matter how many guys approached trying to distract you from that matter. You didn’t care that half the time you caught a glimpse of Jason he was sitting at your booth nursing a drink with his shoulders slumped as if he’d lost his best friend. Maybe he had. It didn’t matter right now, you intentionally pressed ignore on your mental capabilities surrounding that. You even tried to press ignore whenever you saw him on the dancefloor around Dre and Jordan and a pretty young thing approached trying to secure a partner to have some fun with. Each of these women he shot down. It was like when he said no to one, they tagged in someone else to then be rejected. It was amusing but it made you feel good.

 By the time midnight rolled around, you’d had too much to drink, your feet hurt, and exhaustion was claiming you. Breaking away from your friends you made your way through the crowd to the bar and ordered two drinks. As you waited you closed your eyes and tried to push off the effects of the alcohol and music. You weren’t drunk, but you’d drank way more than you intended.

 “Who does he think he is?”

 Your head spun to the burnett beside you who was leaning against the bar looking out over the crowd.

 “Uh—excuse me?”

 “That guy. Who does he think he is?”

You looked to where she was looking but you couldn’t tell who she was talking about. There were a lot of guys in the building tonight.

 “Um, I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

 “That one, long hair, hot as an asteroid from outer space, with intense eyes right in the middle,” she explained. You looked around and zeroed in on who she was talking about—Jason. You almost snorted.

 “What about him?”

 “He refuses to dance with anyone. Every girl that tries he rejects. It’s like he thinks he’s some hot piece of ass. I mean I agree he is a hot piece of ass. God, he looks like he could break me in half. Is it strange to be attracted to that? To want to be broken in half?”

 You couldn’t stop your laughter this time. It escaped you before you could clamp your hand over your mouth.

 “I just said that out loud. I’m sorry,” the brunette admitted.

 “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed. It just popped out.”

 “It’s fine. I regret nothing. It was all true,” she added. You looked to Jason and slowly looked over him. She was right, he was hot.

 “You’re right though, he is hot.”

 “I know, but he doesn’t want any of us. I’ve watched all night, and no one has gotten any play.”

 Again, you smiled. “Maybe he’s in a relationship.”

 “Maybe. If so, whoever she is, is one lucky woman. He probably breaks her in half every night.”

 Again, you laughed but this time it was very loud. When you looked back to the crows Jason was looking at you with concern on his face. He was probably wondering if you’d hit your alcohol limit. Always the protector, you thought before you downed both of your drinks.

 “He definitely looks like he has it in him.” You walked past her and back into the crowd toward your friends. As you walked to them, you saw Jason walk away toward an exit and disappear within the crowd. Once you joined them again Cassie threw her arm around you.

 “These drinks are so good.”

 “They’re strong too,” you added.

 “Are you drunk?”

 “No, but in order to not get drunk I’m calling it,” you shouted competing with the music. Toya and Cassie both whined in protest.

 “Nooo, come on. It’s Friday we have five more hours until the sun comes up. Let’s enjoy them.”

 “Oh my god, that sounds exhausting. All I want is to take these shoes off, strip and get into bed. I’m done.” You hugged them together and patted their backs. You knew they wouldn’t be getting in until the sun was coming up.

 “All right be careful.”

 “We got em’ Y/N,” Dre assured. You nodded knowing it as a fact, they would protect them no matter what. You sometimes wondered if Dre and Jordan had underlining feelings for Cassie and Toya, feelings they had yet to admit to. It was possible you missed it being so wrapped up in your drama. You made a note to bring it up over the weekend. Maybe your friend group could turn into something more.

 You kissed each of their cheeks before you pushed through the crowd to the exit. Once outside you took several deep breaths of the cool night air. Inside was stuffy, almost suffocating but out here gave you the freedom to breathe. Leaning on the wall you took out your phone and opened the Lyft app. It was probably a fifteen-minute walk back to your place, but your feet were killing you too badly to walk there. The other option was to cut through the beach using the sand as a cushion for your aching feet.

 It took seconds for you to make the choice. After rushing across the busy street, you leaned against a palm tree and caught your breath. When you opened your eyes there was Jason across the street in front of the club with his eyes glued to you. You didn’t move instead you stood there as he slowly walked across the street to you. With each of his steps, you found your heart beating faster and faster. When Jason was before you he raked his fingers through his hair showing off every angle of his gorgeousness.

“Going home?”

 All you could muster was a nod.

 “Can I walk you home?” Again, you nodded. He looked surprised but all he did was nod in return.

 The two of you took a few steps before you stopped again and bent down to unbuckle your heels. Once free from them you dug your toes into the sand, sighed then groaned. The coolness of the sand was helping with the pain. You were in no rush to move.

 “Piggyback ride?”

 Looking at him, it sounded tempting. It was something that was normal for the two of you. He’d often give you piggyback rides and never broke a sweat while doing it.

 “Sounds so tempting but, I’m okay for now.”

 You fell into step beside him again. For several long minutes neither of you spoke, you just walked with the sound of the waves and the beats from passing cars or clubs mingling in the air. Normally silence between the two of you never gave you anxiety. The two of you had the ability to be around each other and not feel the need to fill each passing moment with words and it would remain as comfortable as a Sherpa blanket. Now, you could feel the uneasiness between you.

 Every so often you snuck peeks at him. Every time you did he always looked to be so far away, as if he were not actually there with you. You wondered what he was thinking, wondered if he missed you as much as you missed him, you wondered how he was doing. Slowly you roamed his body for any signs he may not be taking care of himself. Every time you saw him his exhausted demeanor was always on your mind. From the look of him, he wasn’t sleeping. You wanted to say something, but you didn’t know where to even begin.

 Before you knew it you’d made it to the complex. All you had to do was cross the street and go inside. Looking back at him you felt your nerves overtake you which stopped any of the words you wanted to say.

 “Thanks.”

 “Anytime,” Jason replied. You nodded then walked across the street still holding your heels in one hand and your clutch in the other. As you were about to go inside you hesitated. Everything inside of you was reaching out for him, all you had to do was give him one sign. When you turned back he was still there.

 “Wanna come up?”

 “Do you want me to come up?” You took a few moments to think about it then nodded. Jason walked across the street to you. Once he was in front of you he closed the gap leaving a few inches between you all the while never looking from your eyes. The urge to just grab him and stick your tongue down his throat was overwhelming, but you resisted.

 “To talk.” The look in his eyes changed from hopeful and flirtatious to fearful. Slowly he nodded as if he’d just been given a death sentence.

 You turned and walked inside leading him to the elevator bank. Once Jason pressed the call button the two of you stepped inside and took a silent ride up to your floor. He kept his hands stuffed in his jeans and his eyes glued to the dial as the numbers increased. The ride up gave you some time to formulate the words you wanted to say in some order. You’d never been in this situation and you didn’t want to ever be in this situation ever again.

 As the doors opened both of you remained where you were for a few moments. Only when the doors began to close did Jason reach his hand out to stop them and give you the opportunity to go out first. Once you unlocked the door you held it open for him. Jason took one step in and paused. You could see him take a deep breath in. When he opened his eyes you recognized the look all too well. You were going to need alcohol.

 By the time Jason walked inside the apartment you already had two bottles and two glasses down and were setting up in the living room. He didn’t sit, he stood by the wall closest to his bedroom. Part of you was glad he didn’t go in. If he did he would see his sheets a mess because you slept in his bed from time to time all to be closer to him. You would have to explain it and you weren’t sure how.

 “Rum still your drink of choice?”

 “I think you know that’ll never change about me,” he responded. You poured a half glass, held it out to him and waited for him to come and get it. Jason didn’t move right away, instead, he looked at the glass then to your face and back again.

 “I think one of us should keep a clear head right now.”

 You studied him and knew what he meant. Shrugging you drank down the Rum yourself then sat on the couch. You sat there and allowed the burn of the Rum to flow through you. You loved that intense burn in your gut, the burn that spread like a fanned flame and gave you a hum as well as a glow of warmth. You’d drank enough to know it was the beginning of a buzz. You poured another half glass and guzzled it closing your eyes for a few moments to allow it to take over. Liquid courage. You knew now why it was called that.

 “How’ve you been?” Your voice was quiet and small, almost like a whisper.

 “Good.” You spun around to look at him.

 “Really?” Jason clenched his jaw, took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. Shaking his head, he rubbed his bearded jaw then scoffed.

 “No. I’ve been terrible.”

 “You don’t look like you’ve slept.”

 “I barely do. Some nights it’s okay, I’m okay, but others—I just can’t. so, I keep busy, work, working out, therapy, working out and do it again.”

 “Is—is therapy helping?”

 He studied you before he spoke. “Yeah, it helps a lot actually. I’ve been able to pinpoint patterns and work through a lot of things, things I didn’t even realize I’d been carrying,” Jason explained.

 “Good. I’m glad that it’s helping. I’m glad that you’re still going.”

 “Yeah, I meant what I said Y/N. I want to do better; I want to be a better man.” The two of you stared at each other and spoke sonnets with just your eyes. Words didn’t seem necessary, but you knew they had to be said.

 “Come sit with me?

 Again, Jason looked terrified. He remained where he was for almost a full minute before he slowly moved to the couch where you were. He sat next to you with enough space for someone else to sit between you. You didn’t know if it was an intentional move or subconscious. You wanted him to be closer, so you made the move. Tucking your legs underneath you on the couch you crawled the distance to him and only left a few inches.

 “You are—my best friend in the whole world, Jason.” Without even knowing it tears rolled down your cheeks. Jason sighed out as if he held the weight of the world on his chest.

 “You’re mine,” he confirmed. Dabbing at your eyes you looked up to meet his eyes only he wasn’t looking at you, his eyes were glued to the floor.

 “You mean everything to me. I’ve had time to think about so many things. I’ve gone over and over our entire story. Do you remember the day we met? I remember watching you on the waves, the way you easily glided through the water and commanded it like you owned it spoke volumes to me. It spoke about not only your convergence with the water but your spirit. You are strength. Everything you do showcases that strength.” Jason met your eyes for a few moments then dipped back down.

 “From day one, you’ve been my knight in shining armor. From day one, you’ve been my protector, my friend, the one person I trusted with everything. I don’t know if I ever thanked you for what you did on the beach that first night. Without you—thank you.”

 “You never have to thank me for anything Y/N. I would do anything for you—anything.”

 You felt it to be true. You reached out, took his hand and held on for dear life.

 “I love you; God knows I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone, more than I ever thought I could. Please tell me you know that.”

 Jason nodded, you could see the emotion behind his eyes, the emotion he was desperately trying to hold on to. You didn’t know if he really wanted to unbind himself or if he wanted to continue being restrained. You took a deep breath and fiddled with his fingers sliding yours along each of his before swirling a lazy pattern on the back of his hand.

 “I miss you.” It was another whisper, but he heard it. In seconds Jason faced you completely and cupped your cheeks in his massive hands.

 “I miss you too so fucking much. I go to call you at least thirty times a day. I still expect to see you around the corner wherever I am. I dream of you. I’m going insane. I miss my best friend.”

 You nodded because you knew just what he meant. You felt the same. The two of you just sat there filled with so many emotions but not speaking on any of them. You just gazed into each other’s eyes.

 “I’m scared.”

 “Of me?”

 “No. Never of you. I’m scared of this—of us.” Jason looked confused and you knew you had to explain it for him.

 “I’ve never loved like this before. there have been boyfriends before you, and situations but none of them are like you—are like us. I love you completely, I love you fully, I love you in a way that scares me, a way that says--.”

 “Soul mate,” Jason filled in while grazing his thumb across your cheekbone in a loving way. “Ulana,” Jason finished. You understood that word, the Hawaiian word for soulmate.

 “I feel it too, Y/N.”

 “I’m scared to lose you, to lose us, I know if that happens I won’t survive it. I won’t be able to just shake it off and move on—not from you Jason. We are such a hot and intense burn that it’s inevitable that we’ll burn out.”

 “I feel it too. I’ve never loved anyone; I can honestly say that to you right now. You are my first and I don’t ever want to lose you. Yes, we burn hot, yes we burn intense, yes we’re intense and it’s insane a little sometimes, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. You don’t have to survive me Y/N. I won’t ever hurt you again, I won’t ever be anything less than you deserve.”

 His words were pretty, you believed them. You believed them because you chose to, you believed them because the love you felt for him was stronger than your fear. You raised your hand to his cheek and softly caressed his bearded jaw.

 “I’m sorry I took so long. I thought it if I don’t make a choice in anything then it wouldn’t impact anything, that we could just go back.”

 “Is that what you want—to go back?” His eyes again filled with fear.

 “No. we couldn’t go back even if we tried. There would always be this pull between us. That won’t ever go away.”

 “I want to be with you Y/N. You and me.”

 More tears rolled down your cheek, “I want that too.” Jason released a relieved sigh then he pulled you into his arms into a strong but loving embrace, one that had you feeling every ounce of his love. The two of you just held each other and relished this moment, this first moment of togetherness.

 After several long minutes, the two of you pulled apart and rested your foreheads together.

 “I swear to you I will never—” You crushed your lips to his and allowed all your pent-up desires and feelings to come to the surface. The kiss was not a brief one, nor was it a chaste one. Your lips moved of their own accord with their own motive and right now it was to feel.

 Long minutes passed with the two of you wrestling for control, nibbling each other lips, rolling your tongues together and inching each of you closer and closer to the edge, closer to the point of no return. Your moans melded and competed, but it wasn’t a vicious competition it was a sensual one. Before long you’d reached your limit. You swung your leg over him and sat on his lap. Jason’s moan was the only welcome you needed.

 “Wait, wait,” Jason muttered as he pulled his lips from yours.

 “Why am I waiting? We’ve waited long enough—forty-two days.” You didn’t let the interruption stop you from kissing him or on him. Your lips connected with his neck and he groaned out his appreciation for the attention.

 “Are you sure? I don’t want you to rush this. Maybe we should--.”

 You were getting tired of his words. You wanted his mouth to be doing much better things. Pushing him back against the couch you took control once again expertly kissing him hoping to show him just how sure you were. When you kissed him, you tasted so much hope, so much love. You tasted everything you’d wanted for so long. It was all yours for the taking and you intended to take it all.

 You pulled his shirt higher than finally over his head to reveal his beautiful skin. After biting his bottom lip more forcefully than you intended you brought your lips lower to his neck and then across his collarbone. When you made it to his nipple you decided to tease him mercilessly. Slowly you swirled your tongue around it then nibbled. Like a moth to a flame, the reaction was instantaneous.

 “Jesus.” You forced back a smile and moved to his other nipple and mirrored the same actions. His hiss was more encouragement you were on the right path.

 As you continued your path down his body you slid to your knees before him. The look on his face screamed vulnerability.

 “I love you.” You smiled then quickly began undressing him, trying to free him. It had been way too long. Your hands moved quickly pulling at buttons and yanking down his stuck zipper. Your struggle had him joining in, in a collective effort to get him naked.

 The air around you immediately changed to a playfulness that you missed between you. When he’d gotten the zipper down and his jeans half off his hips he pulled you back to him and kissed you. Your lips danced and your tongues teased all the while he stood taking you with him. Jason’s big hands fell to your ass and cupped it fully filling them with the part of the female anatomy you knew he loved. Your moans melted into his mouth as he lifted you to wrap your legs around him. When your ankles locked you felt the sand that still clung to you.

 “Wait, wait.”

 “What? Do you want me to stop?”

 “Never. Just maybe we should take this somewhere else—somewhere a lot wetter.” At your suggestion, Jason’s eyebrows rose to give you a sultry look. Your smile widened and you nudged your head toward the bathroom.

 The two of you kissed your way to the bathroom all the while stripping off each piece of your clothes. What should have been a quick thirty-second trip went on much longer. Every time Jason squeezed your ass it triggered a moan and a reaction. A reaction that had you gripping him tighter with your legs and biting onto his lip. Every time you did that, he’d slam you into a wall pressing his growing hardness onto you. It was a repetitive cycle that only heightened the passion and arousal between the two of you.

 Jason was the first to get into the shower. You got lost just watching the water pour down onto him and over every slope of hardened muscle. He was built like a water God and you couldn’t wait to worship him.

 “Don’t just stand there, come here.”

 You didn’t need another invitation. Foreplay was Jason’s specialty. It was obvious. He was exceptionally good at it. If it wasn’t the way he touched you, it was the way he spoke to you. Words weren’t just words with him, it was poetry—love haikus. Every pet name, every whisper of love, every promise of devotion and faithfulness it all worked with how his body connected with yours. None of it was linear, he wasn’t linear. The duration of the fifteen-minute shower he’d barely done anything to your body that warned climax, but he’d still ripped four from you.

By the time Jason gently laid you onto his already tangled sheets both of you were more than ready for a reunion of epic proportions. You saw the question in his eyes as to why his room was in such a state of disarray. You’d give him the answer one day, you’d give him the answer to everything he wanted to know. You couldn’t run from what you felt for him any longer. It was pointless. You couldn’t suppress it or wish it away. It was here to stay, and you wanted to embrace it, wrap yourself in it completely and see where it led.

 “Make love to me Jason.”

 As soon as the words came out you felt the intrusion of his length slowly glide through you, connecting your bodies not for the first time but for the best time. The times before now didn’t matter because you were in unchartered territory. Everything from this coupling felt like the first time. As Jason rocked his hips to and fro you felt the steady tremors of an oncoming earthquake, an earthquake only he could unleash, an earthquake you both had denied yourselves for months.

 “I love you so fucking much, Y/N.” Your name was grunted out gruffly. His tightening clench on your hip signaled how close to losing control he was. You didn’t mind. You were his and he was yours.

 “Show me,” was your only response. It was all Jason needed. His hips snapped forward delivering a brutal thrust that had you shrieking out and digging your nails into his back. He didn’t wait for you to catch your breath, instead, he repeated the action over and over. Each thrust was more bruising than the last. Each thrust threatened to disrupt any balance within you. A disruption you welcomed.

 “Fuck me!” Jason pinned your hands to the bed and went to work. The words of the woman from the club earlier echoed back to you.

 “Whoever she is, is one lucky woman. He probably breaks her in half every night.”

 Unable to laugh through your moans of pleasure you squeezed his hand as your eyes rolled to the back of your head.

 “Mmm, yes Jason.”

 Jason’s lips met yours and there is where they remained. It felt like he was sucking the life from you while breathing a new one into you with one intent—to break you in two and weld you back together any way he deemed fit. You felt the earthquake break free and just like that your orgasm was the most powerful thing you;’d felt in months. Your body quivered as you came down but he was not finished with you.

 Jason splayed your legs apart and pressed them back to the mattress revealing you to his eyes and pinning you to perfect submission. It was a power move to show he was in control of not only your body but your pleasure and pain.

 “Do you love me?”

 “Yes,” you replied without hesitation. As a reward, Jason sunk his entire length into your heat. A loud gasp escaped you tempting you to break eye contact. When you did he withdrew from your body. Confusion riddled your features.

 “Keep those beautiful eyes on me.” As a tiny reward, he circled his hips allowing the tip of his need to circle your opening. He was teasing you.

 “Do you want me?”

 “Always.” He sank a few inches deeper then stopped.

 “Do you trust me?”

 “Without question.” An enamored look washed over him before he snapped his hips forward again filling you completely.

 “Oh my god.”

 The pressure was sublime, so sublime you came again. As you rode that wave Jason alternated the pace and depth of which he penetrated you. You were a whimpering, moaning mess. Everything he did felt incredible and everything you did only set him off more. When you gripped his beard and pulled him to you to bit onto his lips he ground his hips into you doing complete circles inside of you nudging every wall. That was when you came again. His grunts and groans became louder and more uncontrolled—he was close. You gripped him tightly and like clockwork, he collapsed over your body while trying to bury himself deeper and deeper.

 Jason’s movements became erratic as did his thrusts. His climax was steadily approaching, and he was bringing you with him. After a few thrusts, you both came together in a fury of shouts. You knew any neighbors you had probably hated you right now. You didn’t care.

 Slowly the two of you came down from your postcoital cocoon and everything felt new and different. Everything felt like a new beginning was right there for the taking, all the two of you had to do was reach out, pluck it and claim it for yourselves.

 “Y/N--,” Jason began.

 “Mmm.” The patterns he was tracing into your skin was working magic and quickly lulling you to sleep.

 “I promise you I will never hurt you again. I will love you as long as you let me, just be prepared it’s forever. There is no one else for me.” You rose your head to look at him. Everything in his eyes that spoke to you said he meant it with everything in him.

 “My love is forever, it is unconditional, I will never hurt you, or abandon you, you are my home and if you want I can be yours,” you whispered while never breaking eye contact. The emotion in him was clear.

 “You give me reason--,” Jason began.

 “For another day,” you finished.

 You felt it and you knew he felt it too. These words were as binding to the two of you as vows before a priest. They meant everything. They were promises to each other, for each other, with only each other as witnesses. They were meant only for your love.

TagList:

@airis-paris14 @thiccdaddy-mbaku @wakandas-vibranium @wakanda-inspired @theunsweetenedtruth @ashanti-notthesinger @reignsxjackson   @halfrican-heat @ambthegamer @simplyyamberr @muse-of-mbaku   @sisterwifeudaku @mejustme06 @ilcb7 @leahnicole1219  @destinio1 @maliadestiny @drsunshine97 @blowmymbackout @purplehairgawdess   @thehuntoyobun @wakandamama @wakandawinning @profilia @zxddy-panther   @h-challa @babygirlofwakanda @misswakanda2018 @challaxkillmonger @ororowrites @hutchj @myfavemarvelfanfics @lavitabella87   @afraiddreamingandloving @autumn242 @purple-apricots @skysynclair19   @hersheyskissesss-blog @blue-ishx  @90sinspiredgirl @tchallaswife @tchallamakesmeh0lla @turn-thy-paige @blackchickfics   @blackpantherismyish @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanimelove @naturally-bri @flawlesslybeautiful14 @qweentbh @lunaerly @theoutereffect   @twilight-sapphire-lover @pupyluv247 @stark-red19 @cockyboysandsugarism @maverickabull @madbadsiren @aykanna @myaw731 @ruruly20 @mixedmelanin @brittyevans @bezzywazhere @soulsparker   @theresnomoregoodones @syreanne @loveandcigarillos  @heybriheyyy   @wakanda-bcth @uhlxis @yaachtynoboat711 @geeksareunique   @bultalongthewayside @ajspencer1892 @captiansaveasmut @imaginewhoever   @terrablaze514 @starsshines-blog @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade   @darkandlovely94 @sithlordslut @wavyyc @naturalistamisslyn @nigarachi15 @madamslayyy @blackandfair @kreolemami @mylastnameisthe-fish @kaykay0829 @chaneajoyyy @tequilajay27 @blacklotus-of-the-black-kingdom @slimmiyagi @im5ftbutmythroat66 @jaeee-http @madhatterhelsing @sunflowerpsalms @wakanda-shit-is-that @deliciousstreetkidcroissant @jecourt @vebner37 @disneysdarlingdiva @melaninmarvel @alanastormborn @dolphinpink310 @yourwonderbelle @ohleucothea @queentearra @bitchbetterhavemydinner @fentybabyy @kaykay4454fan @priya212 @kitkit1690 @chrismarcs @beautycomesindifferentformsworld @blackpantherimagines @ovohanna24 @sweetpeachjones @kslo000 @nubian-queen18 @omgsuperstarg @prettyprincessushio @treeondrea  @ursapharoh05 @blackpinup22 @kaytauru @big3gocandykahn @kissingpineapples @wildaboutchrisevans @fitfineandstayingalive @misspooh @michele-onel @gorjiss @muva-milaje @limbo-limbo-limbo @awkwardlyabstract @blxck-brxndie  @meeky-imagines @inlovewith3 @metalarmlover @mellowjellow6 @sweettea-and-honeybutter @thatrandomhetaliachick @missdeerstalker15 @marvelheaux @romanceoftheeveryday-blog @mufasathatniggatho @cltex84 @sweetbearcolorgarden @msincognito67 @mosagram @mar-ta-3 @ljstraightnochaser @lewatigress @akimi-youngblood  @bekahdean87 @teechallas-blog @jasmindaughteroftheworld @cocooned-butterfly @emoniclark22 @chereedrop619 @theblulife @great-neckpectations @avenger-marvel-fan @arieljamiyla @vibranium-soul @apileofmiscsomethings @niecey4cocaine @missumuch1918@chillavesss @heynessss @shamelessqueenobservation @cetouna @cosmicmelaninflower  @tntnv @dopegalkk @babyblowomg   @somansystars-and-westillstarve @determinednot2fall @zoezoe34 @chasingsunlight @diamyyyyy  @give-me-a-million-dollars-pls @shyblackgirl @your-resident-evil @stillevansbae @sheisexcellent @oceanscorazon @hautehoneyfitness @bistoolada @sunigyrl @igotmadskills @adifferentme @bugngiz @mellowcyclepuppy @wellthirsted @caramara3 @pananegra @amethyst09 @champagnesugamama   @marvelfansworld @kemkem101 @periodtcevans @fullonfrenzy @domdollass @deansbbysblog @captainsamwlsn @westindianshorty @chillavesss @90sinspiredgirl @cutewylie @sonjashuterbugjohnson @kreolemami @bellaamor88  @zaddysqueen7 @soapjay @try-n-pronounce-it @cltex84 @sup3rn0va13 @fullonfrenzy @thadelightfulone @oliviaveracity @kemkem101  @marvelheaux @amethyst09 @unholyxcumbucket   @melodyofmbaku @thegodmother97 @monae-boss @queenxchallaxkillamonger @amirra88 @jaeee-http @omg-itsnadi @fd-writes @sydneebleu  @aspacefork  @missmohnique @wxnters-amxrica  @phillipkopusimagines-and-stuff @chrisgalore  @ forbeautyandlife @momobaby227 @titty-teetee @forbeautyandlife @momoamama74 @melidris1 @fiftyshadesgrl @pyxie27 @laketaj24  @ missmohnique @ wxnters-amxrica  @ phillipkopusimagines-and-stuff @laughdown @@chrisgalore @thatrandomhetaliachick @missdeerstalker15 @queenbetter @jesseswartzwelder @briellableu @titty-teetee  @zaddysqueen7  @melaninhawtie  @simplyyamberr @airis-paris14 @ashanti-notthesinger @afraiddreamingandloving @ajspencer1892 @wakanda-inspired @chillavesss @drsunshine97 @cleothegoldfish @builtalongthewayside @theunsweetenedtruth @geeksareunique @aykanna @hanasamara @profilia @ollieveracity @autumn242 @missyperle @sup3rn0va13 @chaneajoyyy @forbeautyandlife @kreolemami @designerwriterchic  @valkryienymph @k-i-ndly @cleothegoldfish @builtalongthewayside @theunsweetenedtruth @geeksareunique @aykanna @hanasamara @profilia @ollieveracity @autumn242 @missyperle @forbeautyandlife @kreolemami @designerwriterchic @firedolphin04 @academic-glowup @periodtcevans @nova3312 @hello-therree @squeackygee capslut2014 @ilovehatembj @taylorveebee  @thatcrazymarvelfan @oceanscorazon @90sinspiredgirl  @mizcaptainwidow @angrybirdcr @cherrystainedlipsbaby @marvelfansworld @blowmymbackout @almostpurelysmut @impossiblegiantrebelbasketball @choices97  @phreshouttherunwaaayy @heladoom @alyxkbrl @evemej @queensevansackles @rosey1981 @laketaj24 @munteanhore @minton131 @trillistb @purplehairgawdess @ollieveracity  @maddeningmayhem