#so u agree? that k needs to mother a for their dynamic to work?

[certifiedmaidenlessblog]

z/k bait in the year of the lord 2024.... when will we be free... i need that franchise to stfu about z/k if they don't have the balls to make it canon

[kerosene-insomniac]

To Be So Lonely

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Midoriya Izuku

Warnings: Strong language, sexually explicit smut, violence, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, cancer sub-plot, major character death {not bakudeku}

Word Count for Chapter: 2,791

Summary: Midoriya Izuku has always wanted to be a musician. Something about the lyric working with a melody to convey his feeling just made his heart race. After his father died when he was three, Izuku has always relied on his mother. She worked two jobs to care for him and always supported his dreams. But when his mother is diagnosed with breast cancer just after he graduated high school, Izuku has to shift his focus. Now he��s working two jobs and takes care of his mother with the help of his gay neighbors. 

In an attempt to learn self-defense, Izuku takes a few classes at a local gym. It’s there that he meets Toshinori Yagi, an older beta who used to be a professional heavyweight boxer. Yagi notices Izuku’s potential and encourages the small omega to eventually go pro. So, in order to make more money, Izuku eventually agrees.

Bakugou Katsuki has only ever wanted to fight. Orphaned as the young age of four, Katsuki has been fighting to live for his entire life. Fighting is all he’s ever known. After fighting underground for a couple years, Katsuki is noticed by Todoroki Enji. The older alpha takes him in at 19 and names him the official successor of his legacy (especially since all of his actual kids hate him). 

Now, Katsuki is 25-years-old and the professional heavyweight champion.In a whirlwind of events, Katsuki meets Izuku in the unlikeliest of places. He watches the small omega perform and can’t help it feel extremely protective and absolutely enamored with him. The older alpha gets to meet him and say goodbye without even learning the omega’s name. Katsuki isn’t sure that they’ll ever meet again.

 That is, until Katsuki officially meets Izuku at a professional lunch with his manager’s rival.

{OR}

The one where Katsuki is a professional alpha boxer with arrogance issues and Izuku is a stubborn omega that’s way little too reckless with his well-being. With a wacky cast of characters (including three idiots, a manly best friend, a traumatized bastard with daddy-issues, and many more) absolutely hell-bent on getting them together, neither men can seem to catch a break

***

———- Continue Reading ————-

{0.1} Sweet Like Honey

“There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.”

― Laurell K. Hamilton

K A T S U K I

“C’mon, Bakubro! Smile a little!”

Katsuki scowled even more as Kirishima dragged him towards the run-down bar. On some level, he wants to be here and have fun with his friends. On another, however, he knows that he’ll have to deal with a hangover tomorrow.

And fuck that.

The shitty bar smells vaguely of coffee and beer, as well as a mix of pheromones. It has a decent amount of people inside, but not enough to feel overwhelming.

“How did Pikachu find this shitty place?”

Kirishima gave him a look, as if he was a scolding parent. “His boyfriend actually did. It has live music and decent alcohol.”

Katsuki huffed, pulling his hood over his hair. “Who the fuck would want to court Pikachu? He’s annoyingly dumb.”

“Well, not everyone thinks that.”

Before Katsuki can argue, sweet-smelling arms wrapped around his neck.

“Blasty!! You made it!” Mina screeched, already smelling of red wine.

Katsuki growled, immediately pushing the omega off of him and towards her alpha. Kirishima caught her easily. “Don’t touch me, Raccoon Eyes! Ever hear of personal space?!”

Mina giggled, whispering loudly into Kirishima’s ear. “He’s so grumpy already.”

“I know. It’s pretty funny.”

Katsuki bristled, baring his teeth. “Fuck off, Shitty Hair!”

Kirishima chuckled, ignoring Katsuki directing them further inside. Closer to the bar was Kaminari and a purple-haired beta who obviously didn’t get enough sleep the night before.

The audacity.

Kaminari glanced their way, his face lighting up. “Bakugou! It’s nice to see that Kirishima-“

“Shut it, Dunce Face.” Katsuki grumbled lowly. “I’m just here to babysit you idiots.”

Denki shrugged, taking a shot of something that smelled suspiciously like Fireball. “Whatever you say, Bakugou. Hitoshi is already our babysitter for the night.”

The purple-haired beta blinked in Katsuki’s direction, taking a sip of his water bottle. He looked like he was silently analyzing and judging Katsuki, which immediately made the older alpha bristle.

“Calm down, Blasty.” Mina snickered, leaning against Kirishima. “You scowl too much.”

Katsuki scowled even more, watching as everyone ordered drinks.

Kirishima glanced at him, offering a sympathetic smile. “Just chill, Bakubro. Shinsou says the live music is really good!”

That’s unlikely.

“I know the performer.” Shinsou murmured, still studying Katsuki. “He’s a childhood friend.”

Katsuki ignored the insomniac troll doll and took a seat next to Kirishima. “This better be good, Shitty Hair. You know how I feel about music.”

Kirishima nodded, accepting his drink from the bartender. “Well, Jiro also speaks highly of the dude. She’s as serious about music as you are, so I’m sure he’s pretty great.”

That’s a little reassuring.

Before Katsuki could speak again, a small voice came from the stage.

And god, Katsuki’s interest immediately heightened.

A small man climbed onto a stool with a guitar in his hands. He had dazzling green eyes and a head of green curls that made him look soft. He was wearing a grey hoodie with ripped skinny jeans, making him look even cuter.

And the freckles.

Katsuki took a deep breath, immediately freezing as omegan pheromones washed over the small bar.

Chocolate and cherries.

He’s so screwed.

“Our first request of the night is called ‘Save Yourself’.” The omega murmured, his voice sweet as honey.

The small omega started strumming a dingy guitar, making it look effortless. But Katsuki knew better than to assume.

It weighs heavier on one's heart

I could tell right from the start that sweet ones are hard to come across

Well there is more than meets the eye

A heart like yours is rare to find

Someone else's gain will be my loss

“Holy shit…”

For once, Katsuki could agree with Pikachu.

Shinsou chuckled lowly, earning glances from everyone else. “I’m glad that you think he’s good. I’ve tried telling him that, but he never wants to hear it.”

“He’s adorable!” Mina squealed, almost a little too loudly.

Katsuki gave her glare, which didn’t go unnoticed by Kirishima. In fact, the red-haired alpha grinned and followed Katsuki’s gaze.

Woah, woah, oh oh

Oh woah, woah

Woah woah oh

Hey hey

Well little things that make you smile

Dancing barefoot in the dark

If only I had strength to change your mind

Oh for what you need

You will not see

Choose your words before you speak

Can you see that all you've got is time?

Katsuki couldn’t fucking breathe.

The small omega sounded soft and sure, obviously confident and lost in the song. A stray curl rested on his forehead, moving as he strummed the guitar.

Whatever it was about him, Katsuki couldn’t look away.

Woah now

Save yourself

Oh you save yourself

Oh darling save yourself for someone else

Yeah, save yourself

Oh darling save yourself

Oh won't you save yourself from someone else

Woah

Don't give in to their feelings

Don't give in darkness and faith

You should be safe, yeah, with someone else

Tell your secrets to the night

You do yours and I do mine

So we won't have to keep them all inside

Oh, for one so pure

Count these off

Let your feelings take control

Hold on to the world that he's begging for

“What’s his name?”

Shinsou looked at Kirishima, almost as if he was bored. “He’s not comfortable with me telling people. He’s a very private person.”

Mina pouted, whining slightly. “But he’s so good! Wouldn’t he want people to know his name?”

“He’s going through a lot right now.”

Katsuki glanced at Shinsou, immediately meeting the beta’s gaze. “For once, I agree with Raccoon Eyes. Private or not, he’s obviously good enough to go somewhere with a voice like that.”

The beta raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware that you complimented people, Bakugou. Not everyone is a cocky boxer with arrogance issues.”

Ex-fucking-cuse me?

“At least I know how to fight, you knock-off troll doll!”

Shinsou blinked, obviously unaffected by Katsuki’s words. “Just because you’re a professional boxer doesn’t mean shit, Bakugou. If I remember correctly, you were underground once.”

Katsuki glared, scowling harshly. “Underground?”

“He’s an underground boxer, Bakubro,” Kirishima murmured, looking amused with the whole interaction. “He’s pretty good.”

Whatever.

Katsuki focused on the musician again, obviously pouting.

Woah now

Save yourself

Oh won't you save yourself

Go on and save yourself for someone else

Yes darling save yourself

Oh won't you save yourself

Go on and save yourself for someone else

Woah are you going to break?

Are you going to break?

Woah aren't you going to take me?

Yeah are you going to break?

Are you going to break?

Are you going to break?

Woah what's it going to take?

Yeah, are you going to break?

Are you going to break?

Are you going to break?

Are you going to break?

The small omega strummed the last few notes, his voice cracking slightly as the last lyrics finished. He shyly smiled at the crowd, using his bandaged hand to brush his curls out of his face.

Wait.

Bandages?

Katsuki watched with narrowed eyes as the small omega talked with the crowd, obviously trying to take more requests. Something about him was off and it made the alpha slightly suspicious.

Why does he look like that?

I Z U K U

“-and thank you for coming out! Goodnight!”

Izuku waved at the crowd as he exited the stage, his heart in his throat at the small amount of applause. His guitar felt heavy in his small hands, matching his equally heavy shoulders.

Music doesn’t have the same relief it used to.

The small omega chewed on his bottom lip anxiously as he placed his ratty guitar in it’s case. Izuku had saved up two summers worth of money to buy it, so he definitely felt more attached to it than most.

“Here’s your tips, Midoriya.”

Izuku snapped out of his daze as the female omega handed him the money, his pretty green eyes looking a bit grey. “Thanks, Jiro. I really appreciate this.”

Jiro smiled warmly, her dark eyes completely gentle as she watched him place the cash in his case. “It’s no problem, Midoriya. Tell your mom and the dads that I said hi!”

“I will!”

Izuku waved goodbye and made his way towards the exit. Hitoshi normally waited backstage to take him home, but he’s currently on a date with someone. It wasn’t like Izuku was afraid, but walking alone at night did give him some anxiety.

After all, Izuku is an omega.

In their current society, it was extremely easy for omegas to be victimized. They were completely at the mercy of outside forces, which caused a lot of weaknesses. Dominant pheromones from an alpha could completely shut them down and make them vulnerable to orders.

Alphas didn’t lack in strength like many omegas did, so they could easily overpower anyone slightly weaker than them.

While alphas experienced ruts or periods of extreme arousal, that was nothing on omegas. Omegas experience heats every month, which was a mess of fevers and the need to be knotted.

Ruts could easily be controlled and ignored.

Heats were the opposite.

If an omega was to go into heat while in public, that left them at the mercy of any alpha nearby. An alpha could take what they want, regardless of consent, and not be held liable.

So, yes.

Walking alone made Izuku slightly nervous.

As Izuku walked down the dimly-lit street, he was aware of the different smells. He could smell cigarettes and cheap perfume, all containing a mix of omega pheromones. It was slightly fruity and stale, making his stomach churn.

Don’t focus on -

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

Fucking fuck.

Izuku’s blood ran cold as someone yanked him backward, grabbing at the soft skin of his cheeks. “I’m just walking home. I-I have people waiting on me, so-“

Bright blue eyes locked with his.

Dabi.

Shit.

“I almost don’t recognize you without the mask, bunny.”

Izuku’s soft green eyes immediately hardened as he shoved the drunk alpha off of him. “Don’t touch me, Dabi. We both know that I can kick your ass in or out of the ring.”

Dabi growled, grabbing Izuku by the hoodie again. “It’s a shame you got such a smart mouth, bunny. I might’ve considered marking you.”

So fucking gross…

“Get fucked, Dabi.” Izuku snapped, pushing him back again.

The blue-eyed alpha huffed, causing the intense smell of alcohol to waft over the omega. “Why are you being such a frigid bitch, bunny? Sounds like someone needs a nice kn-“

Izuku pulled his arm back and punched the alpha square in the jaw.

Dabi released him and shot back, muffling a bunch of curses as he rubbed his jaw. Judging from his pheromones, he was obviously pissed off.

But then again, so was Izuku.

“You little bitch.” Dabi growled, standing at his full height.

Izuku scoffed, widening his stance and shifting into an all too familiar position. In the street light, the bandages on the omega’s fingers were much more visible than before.

The small omega clenched his jaw. “I’d stop it with the insults, Dabi. I’d hate to kick your ass again.”

Dabi lunged, but Izuku quickly ducked.

In a quick move, the small omega landed a harsh kick to the alpha’s stomach. It was a cheap move, but Izuku didn’t care.

He’s always hated pigs, anyway.

Before the small omega could move, though, Dabi growled and grabbed him by the hair. He yanked Izuku upright and shoved him towards the wall of the alley.

Shit.

Dabi chuckled lowly, placing his knee between Izuku’s legs and wrapping his hands around his throat. “You look pretty with my hands around your throat. Maybe I should-“

“What the fuck are you doing?”

The scarred alpha froze, his blue eyes flickering to the entrance. After a few seconds, Dabi immediately scowled. “Mind your business, golden boy.”

Golden boy?

Izuku struggled under Dabi’s grip, feeling slightly light-headed as the seconds continued to pass. “Le-let me-“

“Fuck off, staple-face.”

And just like that, the pressure on Izuku’s throat was gone.

Izuku coughed and gasped as his world adjusted, his green eyes landing on the mess of fighting alpha���s in front of him. The smell of cigarette ash was now accompanied by caramel and cinnamon, which shouldn’t have made his heart race.

Alphas.

Izuku inwardly scoffed, rubbing his throat as he slowly made his way towards the exit. The sooner he got home, the better.

He really doesn’t want to be yelled at by Aizawa.

“I’m sure your dad would hate to watch me kick your ass, stitches. He probably wants to do it himself!”

Izuku snickered softly, glancing back to look at the fighting match.

Dabi was completely unconscious on the ground, nearly overshadowed by the mysterious alpha. This same alpha was dressed in a black hoodie and baseball cap, which hid his face pretty well.

The small omega made a mental note to remember this when he fights Dabi next week. These nicknames were top-notch.

The alpha fixed his jacket, spinning to face Izuku.

Shit. Shit. Abort.

Izuku squeaked and turned to bolt. At this point, plenty of people were exiting the club. Plenty of people would probably help him if he screamed.

“Not so fast, freckles.”

The small omega was pulled back yet again.

Izuku spun around, his green eyes sharp as he bared his teeth in an obvious snarl. “Don’t touch me! I’m not sucking your dick just because you felt the need to play hero.”

Red eyes locked with his.

And for a second, that split second, Izuku felt like the world stood still. Instead of some ugly alpha with questionable intentions, this alpha simply looked annoyed and frustrated.

Not the usual type to defend Izuku in an alleyway.

“What the fuck are you doing out so late by yourself?”

Izuku blinked, pulling himself out of his daze as sweet caramel greeted his nose. “Does it matter?”

The alpha’s eyes twitched. “I think it does. Any omega with a bit of common sense would know not to be by themselves at this time of night.”

“I’m not most omegas.”

Izuku’s words caused the tiniest smirk to dawn on the alpha’s face.

This mysterious alpha was much taller than Izuku and definitely stronger. The hood of his jacket covered ash-blond hair, but no amount of darkness could hide those eyes. And even more so, it was obvious that he had a resting bitch face.

“Hah?! A resting what?”

Ah, fuck.

Izuku blushed bright red, chewing on his bottom lip in an attempt to keep his mouth shut. “I-ignore that. I tend to mumble a lot.”

The alpha narrowed his eyes. “I can see that, freckles. But what the fuck were you doing out here by yourself?”

I’m not helpless…

“I can handle myself. I don’t need your help.”

The alpha scoffed loudly, his scowl becoming more prominent on his face. “Don’t be fucking reckless. If I wasn’t here, Stitches would’ve done worse than choke you.”

Izuku rolled his eyes. “I had it handled.”

“Stop lying to yourself, freckles.”

The small omega clenched his jaw and pulled himself free of the alpha’s grip. His skin felt hot with fury and annoyance, especially since this alpha seemed so arrogant.

Izuku walked out of the alley, adjusting the strap of his guitar case and glancing around. The sidewalk was still full of people, so he was probably safe to finish walking home.

Before he could do so, however, a warm hand grasped his arm.

“Hold on, freckles. Let me walk you home.”

Izuku froze, glaring suspiciously at the alpha next to him. “I’m not helpless, you know. I don’t need a big, strong alpha to walk me home.”

Thank god for sarcasm.

The alpha shrugged, releasing Izuku’s arm and waited to follow him. “I’d feel much better knowing that you got home okay. I don’t want to see your fucking face on the news, freckles.”

Freckles? That’s the best you got?

“Fine.”

The small omega looked away from the alpha and started walking home, his heart fluttering in his chest as the smell of caramel enveloped him. Izuku’s never been good with attractive people, though.

Especially alphas with red eyes, which is his favorite color.

“What’s your name, nerd?”

Izuku blinkled, adjusting his hoodie. “I have enough survival instincts not to tell you. Stick to the shitty nicknames.”

The alpha huffed. “They’re not shitty!”

“I’m not convinced.”

Blondie {which Izuku decided to call him} growled in obvious annoyance, easily keeping up with the short omega. “Don’t you want to know my name? I’m sure you’re curious, shitty nerd.”

Izuku shrugged, glancing both ways before crossing a dimly-lit street. “Not really. It’s not like I’ll ever see you again.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

“Because it’s obvious that you’ve never been here before.”

Blondie gave him a sideways glance, his red eyes glinting in the street light. “I’m that obvious? What gave it away, freckles?”

Izuku chewed on his bottom lip, slowing down as his apartment complex came into view. “If you were, then you would’ve known that I can handle Dabi. This won’t be the last time he tries to kick my ass.”

Silence.

Hehe.

“So he does that often?”

Izuku stopped in front of his complex, turning to glance at the red-eyed alpha. “More than you’d think.”

The alpha nodded, looking up at the apartment complex. “Well, I’m glad that you let me walk you home. Should I follow you inside?”

“I’m not too comfortable with that, Blondie.’

Blondie froze, shooting Izuku a scowl. “Don’t call me that, shitty nerd.”

Izuku snickered, punching a code into the door and opening it. “Thanks for the entertainment, Blondie. I’m sure that you’ll get better with the nicknames.”

He went inside, leaving alpha outside.

Thank god that’s over.

*****

AUTHOR’S NOTE

I’ve caved and decided to cross-post here! I’m loving the community on here and definitely enjoy the responses I’ve received!

All the love love love,

Ash <3

[obsidianfr3sk]

the star of my sky

@renegadesnet event 8: friendship february

↪ [ Kasumi Hasegawa & Evander Wade / “If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky.”]

Summary: She could imagine her future, but she couldn't imagine herself not being friends with Evander. Kasumi would never be able to take her things and move to another place where he was not part of it. Because Kasumi would never voluntarily leave her home. And Evander had been her home since the first moment he walked through that door.

AO3

Hi, there!! This is my entry for the event 8 of @renegadesnet. I hope I’m not too late x’d in my time zone, it’s 9:06PM right now, so... I guess I’m fine. I feel like an irresponsible high schooler summiting her homework at 11:59pm... No, wait, that’s actually what I am.

Well x’d as you could see from the caption, this a fic focused on Evander and Kasumi’s friendship. I don’t even know why I’m so invested in this... made-up relationship (since they didn’t interact at all in canon) but I think it all began because when I started writing fics about the Council, I remembered Hugh and Simon weren’t the only members of it and that the rest of them needed to have, you know, personalities and relationships between them, details that MM seemed to forgot jaja. And these two just inmediatly made click with each other, at least in my head, and I’ve been dying to write something about them for a long time, but I think I never worked up the courage to actually do it until now:’) I’m even thinking about a small sequel but yeah

Despite what I said before (that for me the interest in these two started when I began to write my own fics) my dear mother Dawn ( @honey-hippie-harper) had a lot of very interesting headcanons about the whole dynamic the Council had during the Age of Anarchy, and two of those headcanons are that they all slept in the same bed they had at Simon’s basement and that when Adrian was born they decided that it would be better if some of them moved somewhere else, so it would be harder for people to discover their true indentities. Georgia and Adrian moved to an apartment Simon got for them, Simon and Hugh move to another one, and Tamaya got her own place, while Kasumi and Evander stayed at the Westwood house. So, for this fic, I decided to write based on those two specific headcanons. All credits to her!

Also this is gonna sound super weird but here I mention that Evander wears a cap x’d and that’s based on my other mother Wins ( @healing-winston-pratt) design of him, which you can find here! You know the drill, gente x’d go, like and reblog it!

Dawnie, Winston, this is a fic dedicaded to the two of you. Thank you for being such good mothers and friends to me✨

Since this an “unpopular” brotp I’m not quite sure who to tag, I really don’t want to bother anyone x’d but, @all-weather-is-bad and @ifyouhadntbutyoudid, I know you guys also love their dynamic so I think you may be interested on reading this! And if you also like my work, please like and reblog, it means the world to me <3

Also please forget any grammar/spelling mistakes, I feel phisically sick right now because I took a pill and it’s making me so freaking dizzy I think I’m gonna throw up or something x’d

I live to let you shine,

but you can skyrocket away from me,

and never come back if you find another galaxy,

far from here, with more room to fly.

Just leave me your stardust to remember you by.

The last days they spent living in the house were somewhat chaotic. Perhaps a part of it was due to the fact that now that Adrian was with them, they were all deprived of sleep. However, Kasumi was sure that it also had a lot to do with the fact that they had not realized how much of a mess the whole house actually was until the time to move out came and they couldn’t find their things.

Well, she wasn't moving out. But the rest of them were.

And that was something that Kasumi had been thinking about a lot since the moment that Georgie's pregnancy was made public, but that she had never dared to say it out loud because she was too afraid of the answer.

She didn’t have to say anything though. They gave her an answer as if she had asked them; her family loved to give their opinions even when nobody asked them to do it. 

It turns out that they could no longer live in Simon's house.

At least not the six— seven of them.

The city had gone crazy with Adrian’s birth (or Baby Indomitable, as they had affectionately named him), and while it was a good type of crazy, it also made them a little nervous that this new member of the family would put their secret identities at risk. Now, every time they came out in their civilian form, people were going to be looking everywhere for a woman who looked like Georgie, was holding a newborn baby and, as a bonus, was accompanied by some blond or brunette guy, a red-haired boy or a girl with dark hair.

Yes, they couldn’t take that risk.

“… But when you want to open that door,” Simon was telling her, “you have to push it with your shoulder, because if you don't—”

“It will not open,” Kasumi said.

“It's not going to open,” Simon agreed.

“She lives here too, Simon,” Tamaya said washing the glass in which she had been drinking water. “She knows how to open the door.”

All six of them were sitting at the dining room table. Georgie was nursing Adrian, while the rest ate a tasteless soup that they had made three days ago and that was surely going to spoil if they did not eat it that night.

“Yes, but there is anything wrong with remembering important points,” Simon noticed. “It is the first time that she will live alone.”

“She won't be alone,” Evander exclaimed suddenly. “She's going to be with me,” and he continued sipping the soup.

Hugh scowled at him. “Stop sipping your soup, Evander.”

But that only made him sip the soup harder. Hugh rolled his eyes and Georgie put Adrian on her shoulder to make him burp.

“I still can't find my cap,” Evander continued, touching his hair. “It seems to me like you have it in your box and wanna steal it.”

“Why would I want to steal your cap?”

“Maybe because you don't have one.”

At that moment, Adrian burped and Hugh's face lit up.

“That's what I think of your stupid cap,” he replied, pointing at Adrian.

Even Kasumi laughed at that joke. But Evander didn't find it funny.

“Good thing you're leaving now,” he said, clenching to the spoon with which he was eating his soup. “I don’t like any of you.”

“You don’t even like Kasumi?” Georgie asked, pretending to be surprised. Simon took Adrian in his arms so she could adjust her blouse properly.

Before Evander could answer, Hugh did it for him. “I heard him say in his sleep that he hated Kasumi the most.”

Evander tried to throw the spoon at him, but Tamaya grabbed his wrist and nearly ripped off his hand.

“Not in my watch, you fu—”

“Tamaya,” Georgie scolded her. “Remember what I told you.”

Tamaya looked at Adrian for a second and then focused her gaze on the ceiling. “Not in my watch, you ... f-u-c-k-i-n-g punk.”

“Are we spelling curse words now?” Simon asked.

“Jesus fu—“ Hugh stopped himself. “Wait ... f-u ... c ... k ...”

“Uh, someone can’t spell f-u-c-k-i-n-g,” Evander laughed out loud.

Georgie chimed in before Hugh threw his spoon at Evander. “At least when we're in Adrian's presence,” she said. “I don't want him to learn those words from you. Now that you are his aunts and uncles, you have to set a good example for him.”

Simon passed Adrian to Georgie again, and Kasumi stared at him, wondering if she was going to be able to set a good example for him and what things could she teach him to do. 

Perhaps she could teach him to swim. Or to dance. Although Kasumi did not know how to dance, and the truth was that she did not think she would be able to explain why she knew how to swim. No one had ever taught her to do it; she just knew it. She wasn't quite sure how swimming worked on people who didn't have water-related powers. (Tamaya had once told her that babies could be thrown into the water and their instinct to swim would come out on their own, but Kasumi would never throw a baby as pretty as Adrian into the water.) (She would never throw a baby into the water in general though, even if the baby was ugly.)

Or maybe she could teach him to play with dolls. Several Christmases ago, the others bought her an old rag doll with their savings, which she named Aiko. Kasumi took her everywhere, pretended to share her food with her during dinner, and tucked her every night in a shoebox that she had found and now used as the doll's cradle. The others realized how much she liked her gift, so for her ninth birthday, they gave her a beautiful doll with blonde hair and a pink princess dress, named Isabella. Kasumi didn't realize how much she was playing with the new doll, until one day she was having a tea party with Hugh and Simon (because that's the kind of thing Georgie told them to do, so Kasumi wouldn’t feel alone), and Hugh asked her, very into in his role of a rich lady from the Victorian era, why Duchess Aiko hadn't attended that afternoon. Then, Kasumi remembered that she hadn't gotten her out of her bed that morning and she began to cry.

Simon immediately went over to hug her and asked Hugh to hand the doll to him, but Kasumi was so embarrassed, she didn't even want to look at her in the eyes. When Hugh tried to give her the doll, Kasumi screamed as if she had seen a rat and not her favorite toy, which made Tamaya go downstairs to see what was happening, probably thinking Hugh and Simon were bullying Kasumi into insanity or something.

Now that she thought about it, it was kind of funny to remember the face Tamaya made when she saw Kasumi screaming, clinging to her two friends with all the strength she had, and without them taking off the fake pearl necklaces and hats they had put on for the occasion. It had probably been very funny to her too because as soon as saw the scene, she called Georgie and ran away from there, with one hand over her mouth and making strange noises.

Georgie played dolls with her more often from then on. When Kasumi overcame her fear of running out of love to give her toys (and made it known to her friends as if she had learned how to drive or graduated college), Georgie bought her a third doll, which had bunny ears, a white apron, and had Mimi embroidered on her hand. Now that they had three dolls, Tamaya was able to join them during their games, but Tamaya always came up with very morbid ones, such as that the dolls were a family of poor girls who had to play the guitar to earn some money or that they were housewives of wealthy gentlemen who mistreated them, so they planned to poison them during a business dinner to keep their money. These games scandalized Georgie, but Kasumi did like them and when they started to stop playing with her, she would sit her three dolls in a circle and stare at them, fantasizing about the outcomes of those stories they had left incomplete.

Those were the kinds of things that made Kasumi think that she had a good childhood. And that wasn't something many child prodigies could say.

If Adrian turned out to be a prodigy, she wanted to be a part of those kinds of stories so when Adrian grew up and remembered how his first years were, he would be able to say that they had been good and that Kasumi had the honor of being part of them, in the same way Kasumi could say that Georgie (his mother) had done the same for her. 

Simon had told her that the place Georgie and Adrian were moving to was not too far from the house, but Kasumi wasn't so sure. 

Everything would be easier if they all stayed together.

Although she supposed that having her family separated was better than having no family.

Right?

***

Not all prodigies were lucky enough to have a home.

Kasumi, for a long time, had been one of those prodigies. Her parents abandoned her when she was a baby, and she didn't think orphanages could be considered homes. Mainly because "home" wasn't the brick structure with four walls and a roof that protected you from the heat in the summer or the freezing winds in the winter.

A home was made by the people you lived with.

And they had proved it to her.

Georgie had told her a little bit about the days she lived on the streets after escaping from her father's house and told her that while she was wandering around town, she had seen a few children (who clearly were all prodigies) looking for food in the garbage or fighting each other over a piece of blanket to cover themselves from the sun. That she, at the time, had criticized them for behaving like savages, but that now, she could only feel sorry for them because it was probably the only thing they knew and it was their way of surviving, wondering if she had ended up like that too.

Kasumi… all of them had been very fortunate to have found a home in each other.

That was why it hurt so much to close the door behind her and realize that the house felt completely empty for the first time in all her life.

The first hours being in the house alone, Kasumi tried to distract herself by embroidering. She took out a pink sweater that she had wanted to embroider daisies on for a while now and she sat in the living room. She thought about whether it would be a good idea to turn on the television, but the only thing she could watch were very tacky cartoons some cheap animation studio made about the Renegades, and she didn't have the strength to be angry at the horrible (and even offensive) way they were drawn, especially the girls, Simon, and herself, so she just tried to blank her mind and focus on the task.

Georgie had taught them to embroider and Kasumi was obsessing over it. She had already embroidered their names on all the pieces of clothing they allowed her until Hugh had to put an end to it because they simply couldn’t be giving away personal information to strange people on the streets (“Yes, Kasumi, having our names embroider on our clothes is giving personal information to strangers, I’m sorry.”). Simon also no longer let her do that whole name thing, but he did let her embroider a tiny skeleton with an arrow going through his heart on the edge of his jeans. Tamaya was the one who had more difficulty learning how to do it, but over time she kind of got the hang of it, and Georgie spent much of her pregnancy adding details to the simple onesies she bought for Adrian.

Kasumi didn’t want to brag, but she was the one who had learned to embroider the fastest. She remembered taking Evander’s old clothes to practice and even embroidered golden stars on his white pajama pants. She wasn't quite sure if he was still wearing them, but she thought they look really well, especially when she (unintentionally) compared it to the other’s work.

However, Kasumi couldn't smile right now.

She may have learned to embroider faster than them.

But she was growing up slower than them.

She was not talking about her physical appearance or things like that. Despite eating a very poor diet, Kasumi had managed to grow ... what she had to grow. She was not abnormally short and, when she got up, she did not get dizzy, like Simon (who spent a week having panic attacks every morning, thinking they were signs of early anemia). Yes, Tamaya and Georgie already looked like grown-up women, but it was because they were grown-up women. Besides that, Georgie had told her all girls were different and beautiful in their way; the important thing was that Kasumi was healthy and that she felt comfortable in her own skin. Now, Kasumi did not feel super comfortable in her own skin, but perhaps it was because she was a teenager, and as someone who had lived with teenagers before, she knew they could be deeply insecure about their body.

(Kasumi practically grew up listening to Simon crying about his body hair, Georgie complaining about how greasy her skin got when she was about to have her period, Tamaya ranting about his wings and nose, and Hugh saying that he felt he was too big and grotesque to be a real human being. She did not understand why they thought such things. She considered that if Simon grew a beard in the future it would look very good on him, Georgie had a beautiful smile, Tamaya's features reminded her of those of a goddess, and... fine, she wasn't quite sure what exactly Hugh was complaining about, but it didn’t feel right to tell him how to live his insecurities and tried to be as assuring with him as she was with the rest of her family when she heard them make those comments about themselves.)

No, what Kasumi was referring to was that they all seemed to be growing in other areas of their life.

And she did not.

Georgie was a mom now. A single mom, who had her own apartment, in a beautiful area, near a park where she would surely spend hours fooling around with her baby. Hugh and Simon were officially a couple, and they had moved in together in a seedy, filthy, smelly apartment, but they talked about it like it was their dream house or something. Lastly, even though Tamaya wasn't living with anyone in particular, she thought that moving into her own place was a big step and that it could be good for her.

And again, maybe it was because of her age, but… But Kasumi didn't see herself doing any of those things.

She couldn't imagine having kids. She perhaps could imagine herself holding someone's hand and looking at each other with the same adoration that Hugh and Simon looked at each other, but that person still did not have a face in her imagination, which according to her family, “was the most vivid imagination it had ever existed”. Much less did she see herself capable of taking her things and simply moving to another place, as if it hadn't taken her years to find a place (find people) that she could call home.

Kasumi pricked herself with the needle.

She knew they weren't abandoning her. They would continue to see each other very often, at the Headquarters or during the missions. Tamaya had assured them she would visit them constantly to make sure the house was not on fire, and the others had said similar things, hinting that they would be doing the same thing.

The backyard door opened. “Kasumi!”

But even if she knew it, even if she was aware that all those feelings of abandonment were completely irrational, her anxieties were more powerful.

“Hey, Kasumi.”

What if they found another Kasumi? What if they found someone who loved them the same way she loved them? What if their interests changed over the years? What if, after meeting new people and having new experiences, Kasumi seemed more and more replaceable over time?

“Kasumi ...”

What if Kasumi was left so far behind that she ended up getting buried by all their new memories, forgotten behind the door of an empty room, which was as dark as a starless night sky?

“Zoomie!”

She pricked herself with the needle again and realized that Evander had been talking to her.

She put her finger to her mouth and raised her eyebrows. Evander wasn’t wearing his shoes, but the edges of his pants covered in mud, hinting that he had been playing outside. He was wearing his cap. Apparently, Hugh hadn't stolen it.

Kasumi wondered where he had left it and how he had found it.

“I’m gonna take a shower,” he announced. “Or… do you wanna take a shower first?”

Kasumi shook her head; she had already showered earlier that day.

“Well—” she looked at the sweater that Kasumi was embroidering. “What are you doing?”

She took a look at the sweater; the daisies were pretty nice. However, when she looked out the window, she realized that it was already dark outside and that her eyes were getting too tired. 

“I’m… I’m going to sleep,” she replied.

Evander nodded and she headed for the basement.

***

If she believed that being in the lonely living room had been a nightmare in which her most invasive thoughts had taken complete control of her, it was because she had no idea what kind of things awaited her in the basement.

The basement. That basement where they had all slept together for so many years, and that a few days ago had seemed too small for them, but now it looked huge. 

Never in her life had she had a bed to herself. At the orphanage, she shared a bed with other girls, and when she arrived at Simon's house, the five of them took turns to sleep in the twin-sized bed. Later, when Simon's parents left the house, instead of going to sleep in one of the upstairs rooms like normal people, they brought the double bed to the basement and put them together to create a larger bed.

There was something about sharing a bed with your family. A new kind of intimacy that Kasumi never thought she would ever experience.

Because she never thought that she would ever have a family in the first place.

She had to admit that it could be awkward at times. In the summer, the basement got very humid, and Kasumi, who slept between Georgia and Tamaya, felt like she was suffocating, and during winter, it was an eternal battle for the blankets. 

There were also times when Georgia and Tamaya would talk late into the night. Kasumi didn't participate in those conversations but she did pay a lot of attention to them, turning to see the one who was talking and then turning to see the other, as if her eyes were following the sound of their voices. Although they tried to keep their tone down, they couldn't contain their giggles. One time they were so loud that Simon told them to be quiet while calling them “scandalous chickens”. Tamaya went wild over that comment and only calmed down because Simon almost burst into tears as he begged her to forgive him and assured her that he wasn't trying to make fun of her.

And, a few years later, he arrived.

“Zoomie—”

This time he didn't have to call her twice for her to hear him. “I already got out of the shower.”

Suddenly, she could see Hugh and Tamaya sitting on the bed. She was lying on her stomach and he was leaning against a pile of pillows, loudly arguing about why putting ketchup on the pizza was a crime against humanity and that Hugh should see a psychiatrist for thinking "that fucking shit" tasted good. But when they listened to what Evander said, they suddenly interrupted their discussion, and said, “Thanks for telling us— ” “ —but literally no one asked, ” before starting to yell at each other again.

If she didn't feel like she was going to cry at any moment, she probably would have laughed a little. She always laughed at Hugh and Tamaya's jokes.

“I mean… in case you wanna take a shower now.”

Simon was there too. He was pulling his pajamas and a pair of socks (that used to be white but had turned pink after finishing in the wrong batch of clothes) out of the drawers, and said, looking disapprovingly at the others, “Well, I did ask him because I do want to take a shower.”

He and Kasumi had that in common: they like to shower every day, and if they didn’t, their anxiety kicked in. 

“Or if… you know, you want to brush your teeth. I already brushed mine.”

Then Georgie walked over to them, gently took Evander by the cheeks, and said, “Let me see; blow” in the same tone she used to order him to show her the empty plate after making a dish that had lots of vegetables on it, or when she asked him to close his eyes each time they came across a particularly violent scene while they were strolling through town in their civilian clothes.

She never needed to ask her to do that. Kasumi didn’t lie about brushing her teeth, she ate all her vegetables and she did close her eyes when she saw people (not villains or heroes; people) fighting in the middle of the street without anyone having to remind her. 

In a blink, they all disappeared.

But Kasumi was still there.

And Evander too.

“I WANT THIS ONE!” he squealed before getting into the larger bed. He took one of the pillows and began rubbing his head against it. “Finally ... a bed all to myself.”

At least one of them was happy about it.

***

When Kasumi came back from brushing her teeth, put on her pajamas, and braided her hair so it wouldn’t get all tangled during the night, Evander was staring at the ceiling, completely still. He did not greet Kasumi when she entered, nor did he say anything to her when she sat on the twin-sized bed.

The beds were still together, but Kasumi felt like they had already separated them. 

Then, she remembered that they had left the blankets drying in the backyard. Terrible decision. They were going to freeze to death. 

She sighed and fumbled for something to cover herself while she went outside to get them when Evander stood up on the bed and spread with all his might a heavy (and filthy) red blanket they weren’t able to fit inside the washing machine and was left there on the floor like it was nothing. 

Kasumi felt the blanket as the warmest of hugs. It covered most of the twin-sized bed and half of the other.

“If you steal the blanket,” Evander said lying down again, “I'm going to put my cold feet on you.”

She lay down too.

She did see him capable of doing that.

Evander was capable of a lot of things.

***

When Evander arrived, one of the first things she did was ask Georgie where he was going to sleep.

Oh, because Kasumi knew they were going to keep him. They just had to. 

Georgie told her that he would sleep with the rest of them, and that was completely fine to her. At least until problems started to appear. 

To begin with, he didn't fit in the boy's bed; he and Simon would do it perfectly, but Hugh was too big and took up much of the mattress.

“You are a monstrosity of a human being,” Evander blurted out. “No offense.”

“I'd take it as a compliment,” Hugh assured.

In the double bed, they were going through a similar situation. The three of them fit, but barely, not to mention that Tamaya had to sleep in very specific a position so she wouldn’t hurt her wings. Georgie assured that she would not let anyone sleep on the floor.

So Evander ended up sleeping in the space between the two beds, one part of his body over one mattress and one part on the other.

Kasumi wondered if he had difficulties adjusting to this new lifestyle. Although he hardly spoke about what his life had been like before joining the Renegades (as he had named them), she had heard Georgie tell Tamaya about how much he kicked her during the night or that Hugh confessing to Simon that it saddened him to hear him cry for his mom during the night (“Don’t tell him I said that though.”)

Maybe it was that Evander was not used to sharing a bed with other people, and he was even less used to those people taking years to react when the two beds accidentally separated, making him fell and hit his head.

‘Cause that happened.

“Georgie… the kid fell.”

“Hey, you asshole, stop cuddling with your— friend and help him.”

“We’re preparing him for the blows life is going to throw at him.”

“Simon, darling, I'd expect that kind of comment from Hugh, but from you—”

“I think I’m bleeding…”

That was enough to make Kasumi react. She got off the bed (kicking Georgie and Tamaya in the process), helped him get up, and, after making sure he was not bleeding, dusted off his clothes and hair.

“Are you okay, Vandy?” she asked him.

Evander looked at her with teary eyes and told her he was fine. Hugh put the beds back together (after Tamaya threw a shoe at him to make him react) and Georgie cuddled with her (probably to prevent her from throwing more shoes), so he and Kasumi slept next to each other the rest of the night.

She did not quite understand what Georgie and Hugh were talking about in those conversations that she overheard them having with Tamaya and Simon. Evander didn't kick her and she didn't hear him cry.

The next night, a few hours before making their first public appearance as the Renegades, Kasumi was in the living room, playing with her dolls (or staring at them while imagining the scenarios) when Evander appeared.

“How old are you?” he asked her.

“Excuse me?”

“How old are you?” he repeated.

For some reason, Kasumi had a little trouble remembering how old she was. “I'm thirteen,” she finally answered.

Evander nodded and sat on the floor, between two of her dolls, without Kasumi inviting him. She didn't quite know how to feel about it.

“Georgie is nineteen,” she kept saying. “And Tamaya eighteen, and—”

“And Simon and Hugh are sixteen,” Evander finished. “Yes, I know. I've asked them.”

Kasumi looked down. Thanks for telling us, but literally no one asked. 

“I’m nine years old—” and he showed her nine of his fingers.

She wanted to tell him she thought he was a lot younger, but… yes, no one had asked. So she kept quiet.

The next thing Evander asked was:

“Do you like to play with dolls?”

So Kasumi smiled, and answered him:

“I love playing with dolls.”

“I never play with dolls,” Evander told her wrinkling his nose. “It’s for… girls.”

“Georgie says that all games are for girls, boys, and anyone who falls in between those,” Kasumi quoted solemnly. “Hugh and Simon played dolls with me all the time.”

Now it was Evander who looked away. “I don't think Hugh and Simon want to play with me,” he muttered.

“Why?” she asked him.

He shrugged. “It seems to me that… older kids have other things they worry about. Also, they’ve been friends since before I arrived.”

Kasumi thought that the word "friends" was not the most appropriate word to describe their relationship. Or that was what she had heard Tamaya say that afternoon, and when she was thirteen, all her opinions were opinions that other people had before, like the one about “All games are for girls, boys, and anyone who falls between those” that Georgie told her.

Speaking of them…

“Tamaya and Georgie don't want to play with me anymore,” she confessed quietly.

“Were they friends before you arrived?”

Kasumi shook her head and played with the loose thread on her skirt. “No, but I guess… people grow up. People grow up and that's it.”

Who knows if Evander understood what she meant by that. Kasumi herself didn't know what she had meant.

But Evander asked another question again.

“Can I play dolls with you, Kasumi?”

And Kasumi smiled.

Again.

“I'd loved if you played dolls with me, Evander.”

“You can call me Vandy.”

Kasumi smiled even more. “Seriously?”

“Yes, I really liked it when you called me that yesterday,” he replied. “Actually, I hadn't spoken to you all day because I was looking for an equally cool nickname to give you.”

She supposed that if he was already talking to her, that meant he had found a nickname. “And which one is it?”

Evander smiled at him too. “Zoomie.”

Zoomie was the best nickname anyone could have come up with.

It turned out that Evander was even better at imitating Victorian lady voices than Hugh and Simon. He was also not scandalized by the dramatic stories she invented, and even came up with the plot’s darkest moments. They had to be dragged to bed, and Georgie made the serious mistake of letting them sleep together again; they talked for hours until Simon asked them to be quiet with a not very family-friendly vocabulary. He even used the F-word (the same one that Hugh apparently couldn't spell). It was kind of shocking, but they let it go because it was Simon, and Simon would have done the same if it had been the other way around.

The third night they slept together, Tamaya snapped and threw her other shoe at them. In her opinion, the situation had become insufferable and others supported her. Georgie sat them at the dining room the next morning and told them that although she was very glad they were friends, she will have to go back to sleep between them because they were messing with everyone’s sleep schedule. 

It was the first time that someone addressed them as "friends." Kasumi was so happy about it that she didn’t even complain about Georgie’s decision. 

She had never had a friend just for herself.

But even after this new adjustment, Evander kept being… a mess. He kept talking before going to sleep, just that this time, his partner in crime was Hugh. At first, Kasumi thought Hugh was going to ignore him, but he genuinely seemed interested in the comic books Evander talked him about and even began reading some of them. Tamaya threw at them all the shoes they had, but not even with that she managed to shut them up, and they had to took away all the objects that could be thrown that were on her side of the bed so that she did not end up seriously hurting someone. Simon once remarked that he almost fell out of bed because Evander just moved too much, and when they hinted that he was just angry that Hugh no longer cuddled with him while he slept because he was too busy talking with Evander, he ignored them the rest of the day. Georgie kept waking up feeling her body all soar (“Evander kicks like a soccer player, I swear”), but she still was the first to comfort him when nightmares haunted him in the middle of the night.

She had never seen him like that though.

Not until now.

Kasumi felt the bed so empty that she couldn't fall asleep. Her eyes were closed, but her mind was racing, thinking about all the scenarios in which all had gone wrong and now her family (Adrian included) was being taken to the cathedral to be publicly executed by Ace Anarchy himself. She felt the other bed's mattress and the blanket moving at the same time that Evander did, while he babbled things that Kasumi couldn't understand.

At least until she felt a warm pair of her hands grip her wrists so tightly that it made her open her eyes violently and scream.

Her first instinct was to think those hands belonged to some anarchist, ready to pull her out of bed and drag her into the depths of limbo, but it didn't take her long to recognize them.

They were the same hands that played dolls with her when she was younger, that gently pulled her ponytail when she zoned out in the middle of interviews and wanted to make her react, and they were the same hands that took hers and rubbed them during cold days because he knew Kasumi didn’t like wearing gloves but her hands were still so cold that he feared they would get all frozen and fall. 

Evander was so close to her, that even in the dark, she could see that he was frowning and clenching his jaw while moving his legs as if he was trying to get away from something.

“Stop… stop, stop… stop,” he pleaded with someone who wasn't really there.

But Kasumi was there.

“Evander, Evander, it's me,” she whispered. “Evander, it's me.”

Evander kept kicking, kept running, and kept pleading.

“Stop, stop…”

“It's me, Evander,” she insisted. “Evander…”

Then, she remembered what the keyword was.

“It's me, Vandy—” she put a hand in his hair “—It's me…”

Evander progressively released her wrists, and as he did so, he opened his eyes, filled with tears and fear.

Kasumi felt her lips tremble, and she…

Understood. She understood those conversations she heard them had.  

But what she did not understand was how they did not break with him to see him like that. All trembling, teary, and…

Small. 

Really, really small. 

She really didn’t.

However, a part of her must have understood because although Kasumi felt a bump in her throat, she did not shed a single tear. Not even when he, with a voice more broken than she had ever heard came out of him, whispered:

“Zoomie?”

She didn't stop stroking his hair. “I heard you talking in your sleep.”

“Zoomie—“ he put a hand on her cheek “—Zoomie, I had a bad dream.”

She was not surprised.

Kasumi put her free hand over his. “Do you wanna tell me about it?”

She had always been told that sharing dreams, especially unpleasant ones, could help. Kasumi was very lucky that most of her dreams were pretty ones, like days at the beach, swimming with dolphins, or romantic boat rides because she dreamed pretty often. Simon also dreamed a lot, but they were more nightmares than anything else, like when he dreamed that a couple dressed in black came to the house and wanted to take him out of the city, speaking in a language he did not understand and calling him “Simón” instead of “Simon”. The others did not dream as often as they did, but Georgie once dreamed that she crashed into a plane while flying and the plane exploded with a lot of people inside, Tamaya that some goats chewed the feathers of his wings, and there was a time when Hugh claimed to have constant nightmares about everyone in the house dying of a mysterious illness and school recitals (“... and I've never even been to a school recital!”)

She knew all that because many times they had come to her and to tell her, “Kasumi, I just had a horrible nightmare and I hope you can give me tell what it means.”

Maybe if Evander told her what his dream was about, she could help him.

However, Evander told her that he didn't feel like talking about it.

Kasumi got it. After all, it was the first time she woke him up from a nightmare. 

Nightmares could be very private.

“It's okay ... will you ... will you let me rub your back, then?” she asked him. 

He nodded very slowly and Kasumi moved closer to him, to the point that they both were practically over the space between the two beds. She had half of her body on one mattress, and him in the other.

Kasumi had war flashbacks, and Evander too.

“This are the blows Simon told me life will throw at me,” he stammered with a sniffle.

Kasumi gave a soft laugh and started rubbing his back. She discreetly smelt his hair. “Your hair is really soft after you wash it.”

“Thank you.”

“You should probably do it more often...”

Evander didn't respond.

He just burst into tears.

“You aren't gonna leave me, are you?” he asked her.

“What?”

Evander tried to wipe the tears away with the blanket, but that only made him cry even louder and his sentences get more incomprehensible. 

“Like— you ...” he sobbed, “you aren't gonna leave me like the rest of them, right?”

Immediately, Kasumi knew who he was referring to and her heart shrunk as her brain was able to process what he had said.

“They didn’t leave us,” she replied, brushing his hair behind his ears, “they just—”

“Grew up.”

Kasumi got chills. His tone had felt so cold and distant for a moment. “Yeah. That’s kind of how life is.”

Instinctively, the two of them pressed their foreheads against each other, and Kasumi noticed that Evander was sweating, but she was not disgusted by any means.

She was just deeply concerned about him.

“You're getting older,” Evander whispered. “You're probably not gonna like me in a couple of years.”

She already had the answer for that on the tip of her tongue. But she remembered all her insecurities and she stopped being so sure if she would be telling the truth if she were to answer him at that moment. 

And she would never lie to him on purpose.

So although Kasumi did not like to imagine how her life would be in the future, she tried to do so, only to confirm her idea.

She imagined herself as an adult. A little more confident, powerful, and, God willing, a little taller. She envisioned a future in which none of her family members would forget her and she could become part of Adrian's childhood memories. She would help Georgie to take care of him so that she could spend time by herself because only God knew how much that woman needed time for herself. Tamaya would introduce them to the young man she had talked about so much lately, the doctor who helped her heal when her wing got hurt and he would be as nice as she had promised. She was even able to see herself being a bridesmaid at Hugh and Simon's wedding when they finally made her relationship public and reminded the whole world that it was still possible to love in a city that seemed so full of hate.

She could imagine her future, but she couldn't imagine herself not being friends with Evander.

Kasumi would never be able to take her things and move to another place where he was not part of it. Because Kasumi would never voluntarily leave her home.

And Evander had been her home since the first moment he walked through that door.

“Don’t be silly. I'll always like you,” she assured him, stroking his hair again. “And most importantly... I will always be here for you.” And unintentionally, she added, “Even when you grow up, and you do not like me anymore.”

Evander pulled away slightly from her and stared into her eyes for a long time. She thought maybe that's how she looked when she was imagining something too.

Only... with a less puffy face. 

“I'm always gonna be there for you too,” he replied. “And I’ll always like you, and I’ll always love you. You know that, right?”

Kasumi didn't know how to answer.

She… she didn’t.

Like— she knew he liked her, but she didn’t think he loved her.

It was a nice thing to hear.

“No,” she mumbled, brushing off the tears that rolled down his face with her thumb. “But ... thank you.”

Then, Evander was able to regain his composure and rubbed his hands all over his face tightly as if he was trying to wipe the tears out of his eyes. Kasumi took that opportunity to change her position and allow him to put his head on her chest.

“When I'm rich and famous, I'll buy you a house,” Evander told her, trying to hide the nasal voice that had remained after crying as hard as he just did. “It will be near my mansion.”

Kasumi pinched his cheek. “So you get a mansion and I get a house. How nice of you.”

“I know” he replied with a proud smile.

The audacity.

But that was not the time.

She took the tip of the blanket. It almost fell from the bed during the attack.  

“Come on ...” she whispered, covering him up to his chin. “Go back to sleep.”

“Are you going back to sleep too?”

“Yes,” she lied to him.

But as Evander immediately knew he was lying, it didn't count as a lie at all.

“Liar,” he laughed. “Don’t be silly. I wanna stay up with you too.”

Kasumi didn't find a reason why she wouldn't let him.

After all, there was no one to throw shoes at them or to shut them up unkindly anymore. There wasn't even someone who would leave them on the floor if they fell out of bed or who would come between them anymore because they all thought putting them together was going to cause the apocalypse or something.

It hurt a little bit to think about that, but at the same time, it hurt less than before.

“Did I tell you I found my cap?”

Kasumi remembered the entire cap fight. “No, but I noticed.”

“Do you wanna know where it was, Zoomie?”

“Where was your cap, Vandy?”

Evander not only told her about how he had found his cap; he also talked to her about her whole day in detail and made jokes that made Kasumi laugh out loud and her eyes itch. 

She didn’t know if it was because she had been holding back her tears for so long, or if it was because it was during the night when one could see the stars, and Evander was pure light in those very moments.

The next morning, when they saw the others again at the Headquarters, Kasumi no longer felt abandoned, or as she was going to fuse with the darkness of that empty room where they supposedly left her because there was no room to begin with. But even if that did happen, and she ended up becoming one with the night sky, she knew that she was going to at least have one star to shine on her and assure her that neither of them would ever truly be alone if they had each other.  

[inatramento]

Through war and triumph [ PERSEUS BELMONTE ] rises, at [ 60 ] years old, serving as a [ TATTOO ARTIST / PRINCE OF THE HAVEN REALM ] residing in [ KING’S HILL ]. They are a [ WITCH ] that resembles [ TOMMY MARTINEZ ]. Upon meeting them, they are [ DYNAMIC ] and [ AFFABLE ]. Don’t be fooled, they can be [ SCATTERED ] and [ TACTLESS ]. 

I.

N A M E

Perseus Belmonte

N I C K N A M E S

Percy

A G E

60 (appears 28)

B I R T H P L A C E

Haven Palace, Haven Realm

C U R R E N T   R E S I D E N C E

King’s Hill

F A M I LY

Marcelo Belmonte (father, deceased)

XYZ Belmonte (mother)

Mayra Belmonte (older half-sister)

Matteus Belmonte (older half-brother)

Natala Belmonte (younger sister)

Zaya Rhodes-Alderman (wife)

Zia Alderman (sister-in-law)

O C C U P A T I O N

Tattoo Artist

(Prince, but pls don’t tell anyone)

S E X U A L   O R I E N T A T I O N

Bisexual

II.

E Y E   C O L O R

Brown

H A I R   C O L O R

Dark Brown

H E I G H T

6'3

S C A R S

TBD

F A C E C L A I M

Tommy Martinez

III.

B I O G R A P H Y

An heir and the spare...The spare, that’s what Percy was, and thank God for that.  Perhaps that wording was a little harsh, making his parents sound as if they only had him just in case, when that wasn’t the truth.  In fact, if he was speaking technically, wasn’t Matthias the spare?  Mayra the heir?  Whatever, he thought the saying was funny, that’s all.  But the notion of being thankful that he (hopefully) should never have to rule, stood regardless of his colloquial title.  He just simply wasn’t cut out for it.  He was a bit too nice, too selfish, too unsettled, too careless with his words.  

Being the third child, while still expected to grow and take some position within Haven’s court, the pressure he experienced was less than Mayra and Matthias.  And while some people might find themselves chafing at the inattention, Percy thrived in it, delighted by the fact that unless something went incredibly wrong, he would never have the incredible responsibility of ruling.  He got away with a bit more teenage rebellion, got out of responsibilities just a bit more often, got to chase his passions for a bit longer, and rode on the coattails of his siblings just a bit too much.  Like when Matthias had convinced their father to let him travel, only two years after Percy tried the same argument and was able to get him to agree faster.  Oh the joys of being a younger sibling.  

During his time traveling the other realms he discovered many things.  He found out which of those pesky powers witches he inherited through a series of laughable events (longevity and teleportation, so far, if you were wondering).  He found the things he loved to do most that he would follow as a career if he hadn’t had responsibilities to his family (tattooing).  And lastly, he found the love of his life.  Sometimes he looks back and wants to shake himself, yell in his own face ‘why didn’t you notice her sooner?  you could’ve had this all for so much longer!’.  Zaya Rhodes-Alderman.  The Aldermans had been family friends of the Belmontes for ages, and Percy had grown up chasing Zia and Zaya down palace hallways when they should’ve been sitting pretty at inter-realm functions.  Tugging on their matching hair-dos.  Refusing to play with them when he hit that certain age boys did when girls were suddenly gross.

They had rekindled their childhood friendship at Matthias’ coronation, having not seen each other for years.  They tried to stay in touch, then, with some modicum of success, but they were both trying to establish themselves.  Percy suddenly with the freedom--granted by Matthias--to do whatever he wanted, and Zaya with the exploration on the half of herself that she never got to learn about.  For a couple of years, they spoke when they could and met up even less.  But then eventually...Someone (Zaya) got their shit together to finally push them into that next step, and he know it sounds cliche but the rest was pretty much history, as they say.  They went from speaking when they could to being unable to go a day without seeing each other.  One thing quickly turned into another and it wasn’t long before they made the leap and decided to get married.  Many people assumed their quick jump into a serious relationship was due to being true mates.  But they were wrong, the two weren’t true mates, and they couldn’t care less about that fact.  They didn’t care, they were it for each other.

They’ve been married coming up on 25 years, now, and are still constantly mistaken for newlyweds, eternally in that honeymoon period.  They moved to King’s Hill some time ago, with Zaya taking her place in her family’s court as Head Healer, as between Percy’s job and his talent of teleportation it didn’t really matter where he settled.   

P E R S O N A L I T Y

Percy is constantly changing.  His hair.  His moods.  His hobbies.  He’s always up to try anything, and is one of those people who falls in love with something new; people, things, and places pretty much every day. 

He’s fairly easy to get along with, as he’s open, he’d much rather laugh than frown, and rolls with the punches, never taking anything too seriously.  His mother always told people that Percy had never met a stranger, his ability to start talking to anyone about anything both a gift and a curse.

And while he loves to talk, sometimes he needs to learn to keep his mouth shut.  It’s not that he means to offend people, he’s never trying to be rude or offensive, it’s just his tendency to keep things light and happy mixed with a need to think before he speaks sometimes ends badly.

He has an overwhelming need to always be active, to be entertained, to be doing something.  Which often ends in him doing a whole lot of nothing.  He starts one project only to get distracted or pulled into another one, with the original rarely actually getting finished.  This applies to all parts of his life from work to personal and everything in between.  Keeping him focused is a bear of a task.

CHARACTER GRAPHIC CREDIT

[hereyougopeanutbutter]

Winners

Winners

 Pony stays in the other section of the building. She said it was a different Panda division but when I asked her what it looked like she texted back ‘worktables with beds, there are about 24 others and no one talks’

The same as in my section. There are 20 of us. And about 50 writing tables. I’m in the front on the left, close to the door. The walls are covered with brown wooden panels dating back to the previous century I believe, in the corner long rectangle speakers and on the front wall two ShunSha LED screens which tell us the weather and switch to the Panda statement, our commitment to Panda and the recognition we will get if we get through. I turn my eyes away. I better focus on what I need to do.

In the morning, they serve breakfast on the side of the room, on large tables. White and brown bread with marmalade, peanut butter, and chocolate sprinkles with butter on shelves. Slices of cheese and bacon in plastic containers. Same at noon. For supper, big pans of stew are rolled in, with whitebread and spoons.

We are not allowed to go to the sleeping section after 8.30 am. In the evenings, everybody crashes on their beds, grabs their cell phones, some bottles of alcohol or other drinks, some smoke cigarettes from the windows in the toilets. I don’t pay attention to them, most of the time I’m in bed right after  8 pm.

 In the morning I eat my sandwich, I like the marmalade and I eat a sandwich while I prepare a peanut butter and gelly one for while I’m working. It’s not allowed but they let me. I also keep my phone with me while working.

“Reached 40,000” Pony texted, “revision going well?”

“Edited up to six chapters, think I’m going to make it.”

“Good. Good. Think of you, go go go Pigtails, love you”

“Need help?”

But Ponytail doesn’t answer. 40,000 words and only 3 more weeks to go.

   In the morning the fear that filled my heart the evening before comes up almost instantly when I wake up. I dreamt about her, how we were swimming in the roaring waters of the Mississippi. “M-I-S-S-I-S-S-P-P-I,” she said as water gulped in her mouth. “Pony, you need to swim, cut the crap” I shouted. “M-I-S-S…” but she didn’t get any further, the part of the river was loud and I had a hard time pulling her up above the water and keeping alive myself.

My little sister, Justine, the tiny baby born when I was four. Her body frame stayed small and frail. When she was young she started calling me Pigtails instead of Amanda. I liked pigtails in my hair. Tamara became Pinky, Tamara loved her pink leggings. She asked Justine how we should call her and Justine fluttered the peaking hair on her head. Mom had tried to created ponytails on either side of her head. “Ponytails!” And from that moment on we were there, ponytails, pigtails and pinky, later Pony, Pig and Pinky.  

“You’ll get it done?” I text. The ward comes in slamming the bell and just to avoid the noise everybody walks to their working tables to start up their word processors, ugly old Dynamics. Mine hums during the day, I listen to it as the clicking of my keys moves along.

“Get started sunshines, poop out the books and go for the million!” the ward shouted as loud as he could over the bell. “People are anxious for your books, com’on, we’re halfway there, three more weeks!”

My phone buzzes “I might”.

 On the wall the screen turns on, bright white, two of them showing one image, the table with the chair, cut in half by the black plastic borders of the SunShu. But we know. Fear sets in the group, we all look around and count. We are still with 20. It must be from the other group. I look at my phone but the ward is still close and he might see me. My fingers slowly tick on the screen ‘y-o-u 0-k-a-y?’ and press send. Pony sends back a ‘y’

The Panda declaration about how we signed up for writing the next bestseller comes up. How we committed to a good sellable story and how the first draft was due in 6 weeks with at least 100,000 words. Panda would help us. Panda guarantees sales of 50,000 copies to all Panda members around the world and oh just so you know Panda has 31,000 active daily accounts. Daily

“We will change your life” it then said. One sentence. “And you agreed we could have it if you fail”

 I don’t recognize the person. She fights the two men who hold her upper arms, we hear ‘No, no!’ but the men guide her to a table where her head is pushed down on the table. A third person behind the chair walks up and pushes the muzzle again the back of her neck. I close my eyes and try not to hear the echoing bang.

 My editing work goes in trembling episodes that day. The killings. The killing is a condition. Panda’s idea of motivating. I think of my mother. I think of Pinkytail and Ponytail, Pinky who went into options trading, and Pony who said she could write a winning Panda book but said last week she was struggling, I can’t worry about her because I need to get my book done.

 This is my second run. I got through the first run and went home. They all hugged me. The money, Panda’s money was in my bank account already, 99,000 dollars. Pinky hugged me and we both cried. We didn’t tell Pony but let her tag along when we picked up mom’s wheelchair, the three of us in the truck, singing and laughing. Pony cried when I paid for the wheelchair in the store, asking ‘where did you get the money, where did you get it?’ and I said I finished a Panda session. Pony burst out in crying. Couldn’t stop. Even in the car home she kept saying ‘That’s where you were, I was wondering what happened. You could have been killed Pigs, don’t ever do that again!” But I hugged her and we both cried. We bought cranberries at the farm store and we ate ice cream on the bench, we overlooked the land and the sun shone, we looked at each other and there was nothing more than love and gratitude. They didn’t know I had already signed up to go back. The edited version – once approved by Panda – would pay me $499,999.-.

Enough to buy mom and all of us a new future. We could move.

 The next day, I wake up refreshed. I am not sure what has caused this but I decide to take the sweep of energy and get to work at my desk. The others complain and wipe their eyes, two of them pout about not hitting their targets but I block it out. Two double sandwiches, one with cheese and bacon, the other a peanut butter and gelly sit on my desk. I work through two chapters stringently blocking out the ward with the bell, blocking out my hunger and my tea getting cold. I read the words and weigh them in my head, re-create sentences and my muse works in the background, it’s just him and me. When I take a sip of my tea I notice it’s cold. I take a bite of my sandwich, afraid I will lose the zone I’m in if I eat more. I write like I did when I was younger, pumping out words that came to mind, the movie continued endlessly and went as fast as my fingers could keep up. For my mom. My mom, I see her at her sewing machine, winding a bobbin and working on my favorite blouse.

Before lunch I have 8 chapters done. They bring in the lunch, the bread, the bacon, and the cheese. I ate my breakfast about an hour ago but I’m hungry again.

“They brought me in,” Pony’s text says.

My hands tremble. Pony got her warning. “How far are you?”

“40k”

I look at my phone. She was at 40k yesterday, she was supposed to be at at least 50,000 words.

“You said you could do it”

“I’m scared Pigs”

Fear fills my gut. I panic. They read her work last night, they always do. Based on their algorithms they have determined Pony is in the danger zone and she needs to make up at least 50%. There is one next warning. I think of Pinky and the story I was writing on at home.

 I looked to the others in my room. Some are comfortable. With headphones in and others biting their nails as they write, some panic, some pound out the words. I text Pony but she doesn’t answer back.

 I eat lunch. My brain is on overdrive. I walk around the room, it’s air-conditioned but the weather outside is warm. Then Pinky texts me. I cannot look at my phone at the lunch table when the staff is there so I need to get to my desk. I chew quickly and glob down some tea. I try to make it look casual as I walk to my desk and start to type a document so it seems I’m back to work.

Pinky says: “I sent you the story, does Pony know how to decrypt? If they find out…” I see the paperclip friendly blinking in a corner. I only have to resend it to Pony. But then the door opens and Simone steps in, she looks at me with an iron smile saying ‘Come with me please’. I freeze. The others are silent and I don’t know what’s wrong. I go into the office where I signed my contract with Panda, I remember sitting here, the pen on a chain is still there.

“We are following your progress, Amanda. You are doing very well and we wondering if you’d be done by next week at this pace?”

I look up to Simone. There must have been a beautiful woman at one point I guess. Now she turned older. And less caring.

“Don’t I have 2 more weeks?”

“You do, you do. But we can get in print quicker if you want”, Amanda twists her pencil, “there could be a bonus.”

I’m silent.

“You’ll get 50,000 more”

I overthink the situation. Suddenly I don’t care about the money anymore and grab all my courage “How much does it cost me to get Pony out?”

“And your work is done?”

Is she going to say they’d take my book and we both walk? I would agree. But no matter how hard it is to stay quiet, I say nothing.

Simone doesn’t need to talk this over, she makes the decisions herself. I wonder if she is maybe the manager of Panda Books herself. She says, “Finish her story as well?”

I do the math. Two weeks and some days to finish the story. They read Pony’s story so I have to go with that, I can’t change it. I think.

Panda publishes the “Dead Man’s Anthology”, the stories from the killed authors. Unfinished stories. It sells like crazy, sometimes better than the books of the winners. Panda is in for the money. The killing is a marketing tool for them. They are the only ones with a license from the government on the condition that Panda pays the family of the writers 30%.

If I can’t produce 30,000 words per week I’ll die. With Pony. While we came here to save our mother. Get a better life. If we were to stay over the weekend I’d have to finish my book and write another 5000 words on Pony’s story. My answer not only determines the rest of my life. Pony’s as well.  And the rest of the family.

Then Simone looks up. “It looks like you don’t have to decide Amanda, your sister has committed to finishing the story, I just got the message.”

“Committed?”

“She is at work right now and their ward says she’s doing good.”

I leave. Get back to my desk, the others look at me. I was never aware Pony was there until she texted me on the first day, four weeks ago. I was shocked. She said she had hoped she would in my group but Panda put her in the other group. Panda made publishers aware that they had two of the Peterson sisters writing stories and there were betting games on who would sell the best books. But Pony wasn’t a writer. Pinky read hers once and said it was fluff. She wouldn’t survive Panda’s One Million Dollar Writing Camp. But on the first day already had 30 million viewers per day. Sales skyrocketed. Said Pinky.

 ‘Why are you here?” I asked

“I want to help you. Do what you do”

“You’ll get yourself killed”

“You didn’t get killed.”

And I almost wanted to write ‘I can write’ but I didn’t. I didn’t sleep that first night. My sister Ponytails was here too, I tried not to get sick but it cost me 2 days to stop thinking about Pony.

 Pony didn’t answer my texts after my meeting with Simone. I finished my book four days early and Pinky kept me in the loop about the contest on the outside. Bidding was way up in my favor.

 I make the last revisions to my story. The bright white screen comes on every day but I ignore it. I push the ear-thing inside my ear every time so I can block it out. I block out the ward in the morning as I revise my story.

Pinky tells me Pony and I are tied. I block that out as well, this is madness, I will never sign up for a Panda writing if we make it out alive.

On the last day, the screen comes on but now it’s black.

We look at each other, 17 left from our group.

From the screen in high definition I can hear Pony ‘I couldn’t make it. Go Pigtails, go’ and the click is silent but deafening. I scream, I cry, They killed Pony? They killed my sister! We were tied!

 My book sells well.

Pony’s sells better. It was the only one sold as a separate book. Pony’s share floats into our bank account.

Panda’s show brings in millions.

My family moves. We do get a better house, and my mother gets better. We bury Pony, Pony gave us a better life. Pony outsmarted us all.  

[rpandthangs]

So, I have no chill, too much muse and too much time on my hands. (really, I’m suppose to write some schoolwork but pff) Down below, heuheu, there’s plenty of different relationships/plots I’d like for Ronan but I’m also super open to different ones and more, so if any of these interest you or you just in general want to plot hmu. ❤

trigger warning；toxic relationships and infadility

the childhood friend ↽

+ best friend, born 1993, open gender, open fc.

These two grew up together and known each other when they still were in their mother’s bellies, Q’s family has always worked for the Lynah’s and their fathers became close in the aspect of work and friendship. Therefor their families were often together but it was pretty clear that the Lynah was superior, almost a master – servant kind of vibe around them and that’s how it has always been. Q’s is probably the only one who actually understands how Ronan thinks, knows where all that anger and evil is and absolutely hates Magnus Lynah beyond anything.

Q’s always been there, always taking Ronan side even if he doesn’t deserve it, they were each other first kiss, he was the one who took Q’s virginity because they had made a promise that they should wait until both of them were ready (Ronan said he was a virgin too to make Q happy but he wasn’t), Q is probably the only one who might be able to tell Ronan what to do and not to do, Q keeps Ronan sane while Ronan make Q insane. Ronan is Q’s biggest fan and biggest bully; he knows damn well that Q has always loved him beyond friendship and abuses that very clearly without admitting that he knows. Q’s the person he treats the best and the worst and with every relationship Ronan has a hand in is pretty toxic.

When Ronan got sent to Silver Creek it wasn’t even a question if Q would move to; Q had too because Ronan can’t live without his best friend and what Ronan wants he gets. The future of Q and what Q works with/studies and anything like that is completely open, Q’s might even get tired of his shit finally and tell him to fuck right off. Who knows, and I’m just using Q to refer to the best friend to make it easier to write. All this can of course be tweaked and changed a bit, I’m always up for discussing all them plot and dynamics.

the best friend ↽

Open age, open gender, open fc.

This is completely open and can even be someone he met two years ago when he moved to Silver Creek? They just happened to connect on a level that is not very common when it comes to Ronan, they’re probably has a less complicated relationship than he and Q but still very close. Talks about everything, always got each other back even if they totally do not agree with each other, does a lot of stupid shit together etc. This is super open to be honest so I’m all for discussion more possibilities and depths in this best friend situation. Just because this person also is his best friend doesn’t mean he/she likes Q, maybe they fucking hate each other or loves each other – who knows.

friendships; Of course, he as other kind of more simple friendships such as friends he mostly just parties with or might just take a coffee with each other if they meet out on town. (he most likely has people he’s frenemies with or just people who he can’t stand and who can’t stand him)

current girlfriend ↽

pixie de souza, 25, bruna marquezine, jo

Totally open, they most likely just met a few weeks ago or at least decided to start dating as gf/bf a few weeks ago. Super open so come at me with all them ideas, I’m always up for plotting and the drama. Just a reminder that he will cheat, lie and be a proper asshole from time to time – at least he will buy you pretty and expensive shit.

on/off girlfriend for two years ↽

melanie applebaum, 24, victoria pedretti, chloe

They met when he just arrived to Silver Creek, probably the typical good girl – everyone’s sweetheart, everyone knows her, her father is probably the freaking preacher. Everything that just shouldn’t have anything with Ronan to do, so obviously her friends and family hates him and tells her constantly that he’s not good enough etc. Which is very… true but she also absolutely fucking loves him? And don’t want to be the one that gives up on him, but he’s also horrible so she tries to break up with him but then they always somehow end up back together… and Ronan will probably realize that he actually cares for her when it’s too late. Also, maybe a future pregnancy that may or may not force Ronan into an absolute mental breakdown and maybe become a good person… maybe. This is also pretty open to be honest, I’m always up for other ideas etc. but I like the dynamic of good girl/bad guy. Nothing is set in stone though.

ex-girlfriends ↽

Open ages, open faces.

Ronan has definitely managed to go through a few relationships during his two years in Silver Creek, they’re probably pretty short and intense. They most likely broke up with him because he’s a cheating asshole and he got tired of lying about it so there wasn’t much more to save, doesn’t have to be serious at all or maybe it was serious as well? Super open, there’s plenty of fun plots and dram to throw in here some come at me.

friends with benefits/hook-ups ↽

Open ages, open genders, open faces.

This is what Ronan prefers so I’m guessing he has plenty of people in his mobile that he or they just text him when they’re… feeling lonely. That doesn’t care if he’s in a relationship and people that do, again – there’s plenty of dramatic scenarios we could come up with in this category as well. Though, when it comes to hook-ups with males, they’re a few and in secret – which also could be a fun and dramatic relationship. Gay panic in secret with his ultimate enemy? Or someones brother? Plenty of scandalous things can be plotted so come at me.

jazmin estrada, 26, selena gomez, skye literally just uses him for sex when she needs to get her mind off things, smh love that.

aspen kaine, 22, troye sivan, elin friends with aspen's horrible boyfriend and oops, hooked up. kinda hate each other, kinda not, they both got dirt on each other that they don't want to be known... it's complicated

In general Ronan is the “bad guy” so do you need someone to be the bad guy or be the one who does something shitty to your char – he’s here to be that one. Would love a plot where he gets together with someone just for a bet, to get a picture of the person naked or worse – who knows. SO MANY THINGS I WANT, anyhow, I obviously have no chill and I have too much time on my hands.

[hbostolemysoul]

Band of Brothers fluff alphabet: Buck Compton

A = Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?)

The moment Compton walked through the doors he had caught your eye. The men had been joking that someone named ‘Lynn’ would be leading them, one look from you silenced their chatter. They had learned that feminine did not mean weak, having trained with you for those two years reaffirmed that fact. But seeing Lynn (Buck) Compton in person really drove home that he was anything but feminine. You went out of your way to hide the flush in your cheeks from the men around you.

(he also has a nice ass…not that you would ever admit to anyone that you noticed that)

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?)

Buck definitely wants a family. During the beginnings of the war Buck would sometimes talk about his girl back home, boasting about how they were going to get married, and that their children would be absolute knock outs. Hearing this always made your heart hurt but seeing the photo he had of the two of them together you had to agree, their children would be absolutely beautiful.

Near the end of ‘Bucks’ war he changed. It was on Christmas when Buck joined you and Guarnere that he pulled out the photo again and gave it to Bill. “She’s finished with me” he said hollowly. Buck had changed so much since that first day you met him. It wasn’t long after Guarnere and Toye were hit that Buck was sent off the line.

He kept in touch with you and Malarkey through letters. It was through those letters that your dynamic with each other shifted a bit. He opened up more in your letters than he did in Malarkeys. A fact that you didn’t mention as Don was already having a hard-enough time.

A few months later you were hit. A sniper bullet through your lower abdomen had ended your war. You don’t remember much after being hit. Doc over you, mouth moving silently as if asking you something.

You woke up in some form of hospital a few days later. Buck at your side.

You two stayed close to each other after that, sleeping in neighboring cots, before he somehow, eventually, found his way into yours.

When the war ended he asked you to come home with him. So to Los Angeles, you went.

Buck would bring up the topic of children sometimes, but it was always hard for you. The surgeon had mentioned that due to the location of your bullet wound it could be difficult, if not impossible to ever get pregnant. Buck assured you that biological children or not, all he really needed was you.  

Eventually, you two filed for adoption, bringing your little boy home had been one of the happiest moments for the both of you. It was about 2 years after you brought him home that you found out you were pregnant. Buck had been ecstatic, you had been terrified. The pregnancy had been rough, you ended up going into labor prematurely, and while that had been terrifying your little girl came into the word healthy, and with a strong set of ‘fuck you’ lungs. 

C = Cuddle (How do they cuddle?)

The man is like an octopus. Every limb he can have wrapped around you he will. Not that you mind though.

D = Dates (What are dates with them like?)

During your time in the hospital, ‘dates’ consisted of card games and stolen cigarettes. Once home he took you to all of his favorite places.

E = Everything (You are my __ (e.g. my life, my world…))

“You were the angel I never knew I needed’

F = Feelings (When did they know they were in love?)

It happened sometime between the 3rd and 7th letter he had received from you since he left the line. When the newest batch of mail came in and he only received one from Malarkey he got worried. Reading that you had been hit had sent him into a near frenzy. He pulled some strings and managed to get himself transferred. Sitting at your bedside, watching the slow rise and fall of your labored breaths broke something in him. He knew he loved you then, because the idea of losing you had become the most terrifying one he has had this entire war.  

G = Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?)

Buck is a gentle, teasing, asshole of a giant. The frustrating thing is he doesn’t even realize it most of the time. The way his hands gently brush the hair off the back of your neck drives your absolutely mental.

H = Hands (How do they like to hold hands?)

He prefers to have his arm around your waist, hand resting on your hip. He likes the closeness.

I = Impression (What was their first impression?)

Buck came into Easy knowing that one of the few females allowed into the Airborne had been assigned to Easy. He expected some…well to be completely honest he didn’t really know what he was expecting. But it certainly wasn’t you, with your shy smiles towards him, yet you turned around and joked and brawled with the rest of the men. You were certainly an anomaly.

J = Jealousy (Do they get jealous?)

Buck is a pretty charismatic and confident guy. He also knows that you are one tough gal that will put a man in his place should he chose to ignore the word no. He has virtually no fears when it comes to other men and you. Granted he has no problem coming to back you up should you look over at him with your exasperated “Get this fucker away from me before I am charged with assault” face.

K = Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?)

He did. It happened when you first woke up after being shot. He looked exhausted, but the smile that broke across his face when your eyes met made him almost look like a new man. His lips met yours gently, his forehead coming to rest against yours soon after.

L = Love (Who says ‘I love you’ first?)

You and Buck had managed to rig up some form of dartboard after your recovery. As per-usual he was shooting lefty most of the game, changing to his right-hand last minute to win. With a roll of your eyes you muttered “I can’t believe I am in love with a cheater” under your breath. It was a joke (only partially though), but the way his eyes met yours after that was almost electric. Buck kicked himself a bit for not saying it first, but he found creative and teasing ways to say and show you how much he loved you after that.

M = Memory (What’s their favourite memory together?)

Buck has lots of ‘favorite’ memories of the two of you. But the one he probably treasures the most is the day you two brought your baby girl home and she got to meet her brother for the first time. The look on your face, and your sons could have lit up every dark and gloomy place on the planet.

N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?)

Buck has always had good job. Be it the police force, or when he became a district attorney you two were never hurting for money. He made a habit of not spoiling your children though, as you both wanted them to be raised knowing the importance and value of things in life.

That doesn’t always translate over to you though. As the mother of his children, and the love of his life he doesn’t mind the exasperated sigh you will sometimes give him before opening one of his newest ‘just because’ gifts.

O = Orange (What colour reminds them of their other half?)

He has a hard time thinking of one specific colour that defines you. You are a powerhouse of kindness and love. You brighten everything you touch. So the only word he can really think of is “light”. You are his light.

P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?)

While you were both serving he would come up and ask “How is our girl doing?”.

While in the hospital together it changed to “How is my girl doing?”

Q = Quaint (What is their favourite non-modern thing?)

While this is not exactly un-modern, he still has the first baseball he ever caught as a child. Its old, and the wear and tear is more than evident, but the sentimental value outweighs its less than appealing appearance.

R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)

Tea parties with the kids. Its almost comical to see such a giant of a man sitting at a kiddy table playing super hero princess tea party (Your son and daughter had already negotiated the guest list). He is nothing if not a good father.

S = Sad (How do they cheer themselves/others up?)

While in the hospital Buck was still in a dark place, so you two would just squeeze onto the same cot and hold each other. You still do that now, even though two smaller bodies always seem to find their way between the two of you.

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?)

Buck is charismatic and can string words together beautifully. But mostly he just loves talking with your children, listening to them string tiny sentences together that, sometimes, make sense. Your family brings him so much joy.

U = Unencumbered (What helps them relax?)

His family. While it can sometimes be chaos (especially now that your daughter has learned to climb), being around the three of you has always made me feel better.

V = Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?)

Photos. Of. His. Kids.

Yes, he is ‘that’ dad.

W = Wedding (When, how, where do they propose?)

He would propose on the ship back home. The coastline of home in the distance he would pull out a ring and give you the most beautiful speech you will probably ever hear.

Your wedding will be a bigger affair. Both of your families, Bucks friends from work and school, as many of your Easy company brothers as possible. It is beautiful, and so terribly exhausting but more than worth it.

X = Xylophone (What’s their song?)

When the parties over – Billie Eilish (covered by Garret Garfield) -please listen to his version- PLEASE-

Y = Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?)

Yes. He didn’t even wait until stepping foot on American soil before asking you to be his.

Z = Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?)

You get a dog. It’s a bigger dog, one with an extreme amount of patience considering your children often try to ride it like a horse.

(I am not used to writing for Buck, and I was so worried I wouldn’t be able to provide enough content…I am almost embarrassed about how long this one turned out to be lol. I hope I gave him the love he deserves!)

[impvlved]

––   f i n g e r s   d r a g   m o t o r   o i l   l i k e   p a i n t  .

                    “ ah, i mean, jeez... y’know.                        you sure you want a naked lady detailed                       on your hood ?  it’s just... ”  

a waste of a beautiful damned finish.

                                       “ what about a   d e c a l  , huh ?                                            'case y’change your mind ? ”

or, alternatively: meet teejay vanetten, local golden boy football star turned mechanic. 

( jack mulhern, werebear, he/him, & cismale ) is that ( fool in the rain ) by ( led zeppelin ) playing? guess ( tucker jeremiah ‘teejay’ vanetten )’s comin’ in hot! heard folks say the ( twenty ) year old ( mechanic ) was at the thanksgiving fair, ( winnin’ the love of his life one of those damned jumbo elephant squishy things, he swears, just as soon as he buys more tickets ‘cause this damned ring toss is a hell ton harder than playin’ football ever was ) when chaos ensued. during the glitch, ( he nearly lost his life in a werebear attack while tryin’ to get himself and his fiancee out from harm’s way ) .

b a c k g r o u n d .

teejay’s father, jeremiah, went to school with georgia duchannes’ mother, and was introduced to one of her close friends, katherine ( kay ), who would later become the love of his life.

in 1962, teejay was born. he was a bright, hazel-eyed baby boy who just couldn’t stop smiling. the vanettens would play the beatles and he’d bounce in his crib; they’d have living room dance parties before dinner. jeremiah and kay were the picture-perfect, most loving parents –– they cheered when teejay sipped from his first non-sippy cup. as a family, they share many laugh-so-hard-you-cry moments.

the vanettens are an outdoorsy family. they got teejay into camping and hiking very young, starting with setting up a tent and lanterns in their own back yard and progressing from there. teejay learned to whittle when he was six, and has continued the hobby ever since. ( he’s made georgia many a figurine. )

mr. vanetten owns vanetten auto, and mrs. vanetten worked as secretary to the mayor. growing up, teejay lived modestly but comfortably. teejay learned to change his first tire when he was in elementary school, and he was hooked –– throughout middle and high school, he’d bring his dad a soda after football practice and help him out at the auto shop.

local football sweetheart. teejay followed in dean hollis’s legacy, and as quarterback for the ferrets, people expected big things from this kid. he accepted a full-ride scholarship to play football for a D1 university and completed one year of studies there, before choosing to drop out and return home to help out his parents after his mom fell ill with a brain tumor.

for about a year, teejay has been home. his mother isn’t able to work any longer, so the vanetten household lives paycheck to paycheck, and teejay essentially runs the garage to allow his dad to take his mom in for treatments, etc. the prognosis isn’t good, but vanettens are hopeful people, and they’re prayin’ for a miracle. god works in mysterious ways.

around town, he can be found helping his neighbors garden, carry their groceries, etc. 

at the garage, he’s always playin’ zeppelin, queen, and hummin’ along. odds are, if you show up, he’s toe-tappin’ under the hood of someone’s vehicle with motor oil smeared all over the place.

his grandmother used to call him peter rabbit because his hair always flops in front of his eyes like peter’s ears.

goes by teejay but... it was supposed to be tj. in kindergarten, when the teachers asked kids to spell their names, tucker jeremiah just assumed it was spelled t-e-e-j-a-y because his parents never addressed him by his full name unless he got into trouble, and it looked right to him !   so that’s what he’s been goin’ by and spellin’ it like ever since.

he has that adorable southern drawl. that warm, lopsided smile. honestly folks, this here’s a heartthrob of a guy, ‘n he’s got no awareness of it.

he loves chocolate shakes and bacon burgers. corn nuts are a must. he does that thing at the drive-in where you get two popcorn bags ( one empty ) and toss all the m&ms and popcorn together like a salad.

not a coffee guy, so he drinks cokes for the caffeine.

t h e    f a i r .

teejay was getting slaughtered��by the ring toss when the glitch broke out. he immediately searched the mayhem to find georgia, his fiancée, but once the two of them linked up and started their escape, they were attacked by a rogue werebear.

while finding his way to georgia, teejay pointed and helped as many people as he could to safety. he’s the definition of selfless, and his priorities were as follows: save georgia. save everyone else. 

he’s so heckin’ thankful his mother and father stayed home; they’d almost decided to go. imagine their horror when they heard the news...

teejay was unconscious at the clinic for about three days before coming to. he has nasty slash scars across his chest and ribs from the attack.

c u r r e n t l y .

strange things are happenin’. he can smell for miles. sometimes his own strength precludes him. he accidentally bent a tire iron in two. wha ?  he’s tryin’ not to make a fuss about it. everyone else has so much weighin’ on ‘em, the last thing teejay ever wants is to be a burden. but like. the wakin’ up in the woods with blood on his lips ?  he’s startin’ to think maybe that’s not just a night terror.

still runs the auto shop! and manages finances for the vanetten household. so he’s... run down. kinda stressed. you can see it in his eyes, in his smile. but lord, he’s tryin’.

a complete mama’s boy. and the thought of losin’ her? it’s killin’ him. her memory hasn’t been affected yet, but... the docs say it’ll soon see some changes. and god, he’s terrified.

drives a green ‘60 impala that he and his father pieced together and refinished with their own two hands. it’s his baby.

c u r r e n t    c o n n e c t i o n s .

fiancée – georgia duchannes. these two are letum falls’ token sweethearts, through and through. been best friends since birth, essentially, and even though they only started officially datin’ when they were 15, everyone knew they were devoted to one another long before. their engagement’s a quiet development, but ain’t nobody surprised, really. these two complement one another better than cinnamon sugar on a fairground pretzel. georgia’s assertiveness rounds out teejay’s people-pleasing. and jesus, they’re so in love. teejay’s only got eyes for his girl. he still makes heart eyes when anyone so much as mentions her, even now.

football teammate / dynamic duo – jesse torres.  on the field, these two were unstoppable. off the field, they’re inseparable. teejay and jesse made letum falls football history, and there wasn’t any doubt in anyone’s minds that they’d both go on to do amazing things. teejay accepted his full-ride scholarship, but jesse never got the chance. and now that teejay’s back and in a similar precarious situation with losin’ his mother soon? these two need one another more than ever. catch ‘em around town gettin’ into silly shenanigans, and being general doofuses. soft bros. we love.

reluctant ally / sleuther – lee holmes.  teejay meets lee when bez introduces ‘em, and reluctantly agrees to help him figure out what the hell is happenin’ to him. because he doesn’t wanna bother anyone else with it, and he trusts the holmes’, even if they are a lil... strange.

older brother figure / idol – dean hollis.  dean hollis left a legacy here in letum falls, and teejay has always aspired to be like him. he was so thrilled dean would be makin’ an appearance at the thanksgiving fair, and now that he’s decided to stay? ample brother-type bonding’ll ensue.

w a n t e d    c o n n e c t i o n s .

witch / warlock friend.  someone teejay knows might have magical aptitude, and might approach about curing his mother. maybe it’s not possible. maybe it is, but this individual doesn’t have the skillset quite ironed out. either way, he can’t exactly go on and ask it with no premise, so... they’ve bonded over the past few months as friends. and he’s still tryin’ to figure out how to ask for help ( one of his weaknesses ) .

someone who helps out at the garage.  teejay’s footin’ it all on his own lately, and the workload can be tough. maybe this person helps work on cars too, or maybe they’re more customer-facing. they help round out the workload so teejay isn’t pullin’ 24-hour shifts. because honestly, some days, it comes to that.

high school friends / squad.  since teejay’s back in town, i imagine folks he went to school with were keen on reconnecting. teejay was well-liked and popular in high school, yes because of football, but also because he’s just genuinely an openhearted person. these folks could be from all walks of life.

best girl friend(s). he turns to these gals for shenanigans, and also, like... huh. how does he word this? relationship advice? not that he doesn’t know what t’do but uh... sometimes the female perspective’s kinda nice.

beer buds.  life’s hard unless you’ve got a cold one in your hand, and a pal to help knock ‘em back.

one-sided flirtationship.  yo. he’s oblivious. how hilarious would it be if someone was like... very clearly flirty with him and he just? doesn’t even? see it?

anything under the sun ?  i... am so open ?  i love plots ? hit me with the angst. the fluff. the anything.

[mikaelarobertscollective]

Week 9

Hello and good bye week 9. I’m going be completely honest, not a good week. I know that my grades will suffer this week just because I had zero motivation to do anything. It was just a terrible week of motivation and mental health. I know it’s a hurdle that one needs to push through and I’m not trying to make any excuses, I know I need to do better, but I do think it was just a week that needed to be put on hold. It was just a week where new content became overwhelming but also waiting for material just made the wheels stop. Milestone was great, and the feedback was also a good step, but it also just gave me an overwhelming sense of “you’re so close, but so very far away”. I did not do any practical this week, but did take some time to look into some projects and practitioners, to at least keep the motivation flame going. But like I said before, it was a week where I need a break to recharge and hit next week stronger.

Nostalgia | Prelinger Collection | w/ Putri

This week I looked more at 80’s music videos to see how they use sfx/sound design, or even if they use sfx/sound design. There were quite a few that used very creative camera edits and special effects, that I feel would be an interesting approach for Putri to take or be inspired by, as Shaun suggested.  However what I found really interesting was the use of sound design in these videos. Popular songs from Bily Idol - Eyes Without a Face, The Police - Every Breathe You Take, Elton John - I’m Still Standing and Michael Jackson - Billie Jean, didn’t use any sound design, but relied heavy on video edits/gestures and musical gestures to create interest. Then you had music videos from Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and R.E.M - Loosing My Religion, that utilise sound design to open the video, before the music kicks in, and almost use the sound design to set a scene. For example Cyndi’s mother is cracking eggs, showcasing this uninteresting “housewife” life, while in R.E.M you have the sound of rain dripping into a jar, creating this feeling of solum. However, this sound design cuts out completely when the music kicks in, In girls just want to have fun, its opening icon synth acceding note, and in R.E.M, the vase shatters but is emphasised by the opening guitar down strum. Then you have songs like Europe’s Final Countdown that uses sound design at the start and end of the piece, and uses crowds applaud throughout. It’s sound design links to the overall “countdown” where a mix of musical gestures and sound effects emphasises the countdown to the band going on stage, thins even includes a VoiceOver go a countdown. But then at the end there is the sound design of bombs exploding telling the audience that the countdown is over.

Then this is in complete comparison to Thriller - Michael Jackson and Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd, that make their video clips more like small films. That way they use a lot more sound design throughout, but it helps more with the story telling in a film like way, as opposed to the music videos that just use sfx to heighten or match visual gestures.  

It’s interesting looking at the different ways that these music videos use sound design, because they seem quite a contrast to Darrin’s work where the use of SFX, especially in Salsa Catastrophe really help to solidify the narrative. TI feel like this approach with sound design works, because unlike the music videos there aren’t any lyrics to help sell the “story”.

So how does this affect my work… I really like the subtle use of sound design in the music videos, as its just hints to the visuals and story telling. I’m still keen to give this a go in my work when I have a final edit from Putri. Originally I wanted to go bold, but now I think being restrained with the sound design might just work better and just use it to hit to era and to the rotoscoping.

As for progress this week, I was really just waiting on Putri’s new footage. But just experimented with some more layering and instrumentation within the music.

BillyIdolVEVO 2009, Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face (Official Music Video), YouTube, viewed 23 September 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OFpfTd0EIs&list=PLd9auH4JIHvupoMgW5YfOjqtj6Lih0MKw>.

CyndiLauperVEVO 2009, Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Official Video), YouTube, viewed 23 September 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIb6AZdTr-A&list=PLd9auH4JIHvupoMgW5YfOjqtj6Lih0MKw&index=6>.

‌EltonJohnVEVO 2010, Elton John - I’m Still Standing, YouTube, viewed 23 September 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHwVBirqD2s&list=PL25BE30C8F789E90F&index=15>.

michaeljacksonVEVO 2009, Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Official Video), YouTube, viewed 23 September 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi_XLOBDo_Y&list=PLd9auH4JIHvupoMgW5YfOjqtj6Lih0MKw&index=9>.

michaeljacksonVEVO 2009, Michael Jackson - Thriller (Official Video), YouTube, viewed 23 September 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA>.

mongchilde 2010, Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall (HQ), YouTube, viewed 23 September 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR5ApYxkU-U&list=PLd9auH4JIHvupoMgW5YfOjqtj6Lih0MKw&index=23>.

ThePoliceVEVO 2010, The Police - Every Breath You Take, YouTube, viewed 23 September 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOGaugKpzs&list=PLd9auH4JIHvupoMgW5YfOjqtj6Lih0MKw&index=3>.

‌remhq 2011, R.E.M. - Losing My Religion (Official Music Video), YouTube, viewed 23 September 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwtdhWltSIg>.

Project 2 | Richard Grant | w/ Krystal

It was great to hear feedback on Wednesday’s milestone. Completely agree that there is more room to push this piece in the last quarter and to layer more sounds and subs to create a dramatic ending. Like Darrin said, I want viewers walking away going “wow”. Because there wasn’t any practical work done this week, I spent my time doing some research and just looking at what others practitioners have done in order to create powerful endings. This took me back to Ryoji Ikeda. Micro | Macro was such a beautiful piece created by Ikeda. I love how “minimalist”, and I use that term loosely because I understand there is a lot going on underneath but what I mean by that, is its so engaging with such a small detail. There is this rumble, almost this sound/sub foundation that so beautifully captures the lights and visuals, then out of the blue, you have these red dots and this high beep. It’s so captivating and I love the use of the juxtaposition of high and low and the interest this little beep creates. I’m really hoping to create that same sort of feeling, like the rumble is this build and these little moments of visual and audio kind of break it up but also enhance the tension.

I also attempted to look into number stations, there wasn’t a lot I could find, more artists, such as MENDI + KEITH OBADIKE, utilising the style of number stations to create political pieces. It’s however really interesting how they give off a spine-chilling and intense feeling. It really helps to create this ominous and uneasy feeling, so I think the introduction of number stations into the piece is going to work really well in creating this underlying tension. Speaking of spooking number stations, and kind of a side note, there is this number station the Buzzer (frequency 4625 kHz) that has been running 24/7 since 1982, which no one claims to run (people think it’s the Russians). It’s very creepy! Its just a low static hum/frequency with a high pitched muffled beep every 2-3 seconds, and apparently once or twice a week a woman or man comes on and starts speaking in Russian. People speculate that the station is there to indicate if nuclear war has started, because you can hear it anywhere in the world, and if the station was to get hit the sound would cut out. I can’t tell if I find it creepy just because of the overall concept of number stations or if there is some textural/aural thing about it or even if its the idea that a Russia man or woman could just start speaking at any moment, but if I can create even an ounce of the terror I felt listening to the Buzzer, I’ll be a happy camper.  

I digress, I also went back to Thembi Sodell’s work. I wanted to see what approaches she took in Love Songs (2018), and how the use of noise can create tension and what techniques she used to do this. In 2. Erasure, I liked how she used a lot of layering and volume dynamics to build but also disassemble the piece. At the end, the introduction of overlapping ascending tones was so good. It really kept me on my toes and had me leaning forward in my seat. It’s gives off this feeling of lift off. 3. Repetition Compulsion also uses similar techniques, like the layering, but I found the builds more frequent and also ramped up way quicker. The texture in the noise and sounds she uses also sounds like screams, it’s very intense and very effective. It’s also really interesting how she just cuts out the pieces. I don’t know if that’s intentional or if its meant to automatically go onto the next piece, but even then the abrupt nature of it is very effective. I think going forward its going to be about layering in the last quarter and just going hard with it.

ABC News (Australia 2018, The immense electronic art of Ryoji Ikeda, YouTube, viewed 24 September 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y7WZk_IVqI>.

ryoji ikeda  |  micro | macro 2018, Ryojiikeda.com, viewed 24 September 2020, <http://ryojiikeda.com/project/micro_macro/>.

Zaria Gorvett 2017, The ghostly radio station that no one claims to run, Bbc.com, viewed 24 September 2020, <https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170801-the-ghostly-radio-station-that-no-one-claims-to-run>.

Obadike, K 2011, Mendi + Keith Obadike, Mendi + Keith Obadike, viewed 24 September 2020, <https://obadike.squarespace.com/#/numbers-station-series/>.

‌Mendi + Keith Obadike: Numbers Station [Furtive Movements] – RYAN LEE Gallery 2015, Ryanleegallery.com, viewed 24 September 2020, <https://ryanleegallery.com/exhibitions/mendi-keith-obadike/#forward>.

‌Wide-band WebSDR in Enschede, the Netherlands 2012, Utwente.nl, viewed 24 September 2020, <http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/?tune=4625>.

Australian Sound Artist Thembi Soddell 2014, Thembisoddell.com, viewed 24 September 2020, <https://thembisoddell.com/>.

‌

Project 1 | Richard Grant | w/ Krystal

I obtained some new footage from Krystal and its rather a big change, and I think that’s what really threw me when I got it. But like the others, I spent the week researching and just looking at what steeps I can take going forward. Like Project 2, I looked to Ryoji Ikea. He’s work is so beautiful and visually dynamic, which I think really suites thee style Krystal its going for. So looking t o him for sound design ideas was great to, especially his project supersymmetry. The audiovisual relationship in the piece is so well contacted. The finite detail with every visual move and the changing of dark to bright and the bass static coming in works so well, and I feel like the same principles can be used in my sound design. I think it’s going to be super important to give all the visuals very intricate sound design and really heightened the synchresis of the visual to great an engagement. Iikea does this really well with his sound design, and how each little sound creates such a beautiful detail and really heightens the whole experience. It was also a detail I got in the feedback in week 8 and how more detail needs to be given to the sounds and also to push the juxtoposition of the sounds.

Like Project 2, feedback was the ramp up in the final quarter. I think again, looking to what Thembi did in Love Songs (2018), is going to be a good starting point. Using the techniques of how she ramps up the sound with more layering, more sounds with faster movement in the tone/texture, all to create that tension and extreme pressure.  

ryoji ikeda  |  supersymmetry 2018, Ryojiikeda.com, viewed 24 September 2020, <http://ryojiikeda.com/project/supersymmetry/>.

So overall, it was a good week for research and inspiring ideas but terrible week for practical. But I’m hoping to get my butt into gear and go hard next week.

[elcisa-blog]

hello hello yall, it’s your gal ronnie with a second muse!! this is my honey eloisa and i have so many ideas for her and i’m so excited to bring her to life since i’ve been dying to play her properly for so long, so PLease feel free to come plot w/ us ok ? OK ! anyway, her full bio can be found here if you feel so inclined, but it’s a bit long, so i’ll have a couple points under the cut summarizing it. also under the cut are some wanted connections ! that’s pretty much it for now, k byE

that’s not EMILY RATAJKOWSKI walking around?? nah, but ELOISA GOMOLKA gets that all the time. SHE’S actually from TORQUAY, ENGLAND, though they live in LA JOLLA now.  you’ve probably heard that 23 year old SERVER of CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN being referred to as the ZEALOT of this place. you know, i always see them EXPLORING AND TRAVELING or blasting A LITTLE DEATH BY THE NEIGHBOURHOOD on their lunch break..whatever.

alright so my baby was born and raised in torquay, england to a pretty religious, polish family. her father is polish and her mother is english, but their lifestyle and culture at home was very much polish based

also her actual birth name is katarzyna eloisa gomolka, but growing up in england, many people had a hard time pronouncing her first name so her friends & classmates and all that often called her by her middle name instead -- eloisa. so it eventually stuck and she legally changed around her first & middle names. ..  . 

this girl loves loves loves learning languages and studying other cultures and lifestyles , like in school , she was always that girl that took as many foreign language classes as she could. she knows the basics to a bunch of different languages but she’s fluent in english, polish, french, and spanish. 

also shes WILD ok . . . like her own weird brand of wild. she’s so Unexpected .. . its strange. but i love her sm. she’s loud, opinionated, stubborn, unpredictable, SUPER adventurous, you name it. she’s either laughing her ass off with childish excitement or spewing fire From her mouth, knowing NO boundaries . . there’s no in between like . . . shes so random, all over the place and all in your face most of the time im sorry . . . & when she loves u she clingy

anyway she also used to play the violin and horseback ride a lot growing up. her grandpa from her moms side taught her how to ride horses and she loved going to his farm in the english countryside to ride & hear his wise stories and all that. he was like her hero.

however, one day, right before eloisa was about to start her last year of high school  . . . long story short . . . there was an accident and grandpa passed away *cries* .  . . el took his death super hard since they were so close . . which caused her to get less enthusiastic about going to college and she just lost all interest at caring at all tbh, becoming more of a troublemaker at school, so her grades dropped her last year and so did all her aspirations for her future

after high school, instead of enrolling in postsecondary, she just wanted to get away from it all so she decided to trust in her adventurous side and partake in a work abroad program where she would be backpacking across south america, teaching english and helping build up communities. she did that until she was twenty-one. it was a Wild ride

in the midst of the program, while in colombia, she got involved w/ some sketchy dude who was in the drugs and car stealing business  . . . she loved the thrill & she thought she was so in love BUt he was super gross and toxic and ended up betraying her, stealing her money, and leaving her on the side of the road one night on one of his heists. aNYWAY it sucked

she finished the program and then decided to work for the work abroad program’s headquarters, which are situated in california. . . so thats how she got to san diego

eventually her position there terminated but she decided to stay in cali bc its very much her type of vibe SO now shes working at fashion valley & thats where yall come in 

SOME WANTED CONNECTIONS 

OPPOSITES ATTRACT -- cheesy name but i think it’d be cool for her to have a pal who’s kind of the complete or near opposite of her but they kind of work ? ? like honestly this girl can TALK and ramble on for so long about random shit, so i think it’d be an interesting dynamic for her to have someone who just lets her Go Off and they just like to listen to her talk and she just likes having someone to listen to her . . . inspo is from this pic right HERE

EAT THIS --  while in south america, el kind of developed a huge respect and love for cuisine and cooking so now shes kind of obsessed with searching up random, exotic recipes and trying them out. sometimes her cooking backfires and is not the greatest but shes so determined to get things right and just loves Doing it so much that she doesnt care. . . so maybe she can have like a taste testing buddy or someone who likes to cook w her or something idk ? ? shfskd omg HC: she works as a server at ca pizza kitchen but i s2g she prob always tries to sneak in the kitchen and help cook But since shes so all over the place, theyre always like “ EL GTFO OF HeRE !!!!!” 

MOTHER HEN / PAPA BEAR -- this girl needs someone to keep her in line some of the time okay. she doesnt have any family here in cali so she’d love to have someone who takes care of her and makes sure she doesnt go too far ..  like someone she looks up to in a sister/brother/guardian figure type of way ? ? 

ZOOLOGY -- eloisa doesnt have any pets .. .  she can hardly take care of herself like what u think imma let this girl have a dog ? ? NO she can have a pet ROCK ( she does ) . . . but she loves animals so she’d love hAving a pal where she can just come by and play w their pets or smthg like she’ll be the best play mate ever  .. . i just wouldnt trust her to take care of ur animal for a week or smthg lmao

ADVENTURE TIME -- if u ever just want to do something crazy or try something new. . . literally just hit up eloisa . . . so i’d love for her to have friends who just text her up like i’m Not feeling good take me somewhere. . . and SHE WILL . . .or even if they’re not sad and just want to do something exciting . .. hit her up

OOPS :( -- ok So el can be a bit clumsy and random so i think a cool connection with someone would be like maybe one day eloisa broke something of theirs or fucked up their car or dyed their hair wrong or something stupid like that . . . basically eloisa fucked up . . . and ever since then, that person doesnt really trust her anymore and is kind of annoyed with her presence in general . . . BUT eloisa feels so BAD and guilty about it so now she basically tries to do everything in her power to make it up to the other person but they just keep not having it yknow ? ? 

ORANGE CRUSH -- ok ur typical crush plot bc theyre so fluffy and cute. . . but i think maybe a plot where the crush doesnt even have to be super romantic or sexual yknow ? ? like i can definitely see eloisa just being so interested in everything the other person does and just loving being around them and loving everything they do . . . so obsessed w their comportments . . . but it can be in such a fluffy, platonic way like That feeling when u see a rly cute puppy or baby penguin . . . eloisa just wants to hug ur muse and love them But not even sexually yknow ? ? 

TAKE ME WITH YOU -- ok i love this plot sm . . . maybe like a friendship where they both want to see the world together ? ? eloisa is really big on travelling so id love for her to have a friend where they’ve been slowly putting together their dream trip where they see the world together. and their friendship is so heavily based on them sending each other places around the world where they want to go and putting together bucketlists and itineraries for if they ever end up saving money and travelling together ? ? so fun

SCIENCE PROJECT -- there’s not much that scares el and she doesnt get pushed away so easily  . ..  but i think an interesting dynamic could be if there actually was someone who kind of freaks her out yknow?? a relationship where the person actually kind of intimidates her and theres just something about the person that makes eloisa question everything .. . kind of like a science project. shes always studying them carefully, unsure of how to react to what they say . . . they’re just bizarre to her and she wants to know more

POKE ! -- basically someone she loves to annoy and pick on , but not in a hateful way

TEACH ME -- maybe someone who is teaching eloisa a new skill or language or how to do something that they’re good at because eloisa would love that so much .. . she loves trying new things.. . .like honestly anything  ..  . even if she keeps failing

TINDER DATE -- ok so in my head, i feel like eloisa would be that type of person to troll people on tinder and play around with them ..  so maybe your muse got caught up in her trap once and she trolled them on tinder lmao ? ? ? i think thatd be so funny and she just loves laughing about it all the time . .

I DO . . . WAIT, NO, I DON’T ! -- ok So this is inspired by that one episode in friends where rachel and ross get married drunk in vegas once . . . so Like literally that lmao. like that is SO something that would happen to el. like maybe one time, they found themselves in vegas together, they got super drunk, and legit got married that same night super quick ? ? ? and obviously theyre divorced now but i think that’d be a funny dynamic and lil treasure of the past to have in a friendship/relationship

SOME TYPICAL ONES THAT I CANT GET ENOUGH OF -- exes, flings, hook ups, went on a few dates in the past, best friends ( someone to braid her hair and take bubble baths w her <3 ), enemies ( maybe someone who doesnt agree w how she lives her life or her whole vibe bc she can be a bit much sometimes lmao ), etc.

or literally anything else lol

[kerosene-insomniac]

To Be So Lonely

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Midoriya Izuku

Warnings: Violence, mature language, homosexual behavior, alpha/beta/omega dynamics

Word Count for Chapter: 2,342 words

Summary: Midoriya Izuku has always wanted to be a musician. Something about the lyric working with a melody to convey his feeling just made his heart race. After his father died when he was three, Izuku has always relied on his mother. She worked two jobs to care for him and always supported his dreams. But when his mother is diagnosed with breast cancer just after he graduated high school, Izuku has to shift his focus. Now he’s working two jobs and takes care of his mother with the help of his gay neighbors. 

In an attempt to learn self-defense, Izuku takes a few classes at a local gym. It’s there that he meets Toshinori Yagi, an older beta who used to be a professional heavyweight boxer. Yagi notices Izuku’s potential and encourages the small omega to eventually go pro. So, in order to make more money, Izuku eventually agrees.

Bakugou Katsuki has only ever wanted to fight. Orphaned as the young age of four, Katsuki has been fighting to live for his entire life. Fighting is all he’s ever known. After fighting underground for a couple years, Katsuki is noticed by Todoroki Enji. The older alpha takes him in at 19 and names him the official successor of his legacy (especially since all of his actual kids hate him). 

Now, Katsuki is 25-years-old and the professional heavyweight champion.

In a whirlwind of events, Katsuki meets Izuku in the unlikeliest of places. He watches the small omega perform and can’t help it feel extremely protective and absolutely enamored with him. The older alpha gets to meet him and say goodbye without even learning the omega’s name. Katsuki isn’t sure that they’ll ever meet again. 

That is, until Katsuki officially meets Izuku at a professional lunch with his manager’s rival.

{OR}

The one where Katsuki is a professional alpha boxer with arrogance issues and Izuku is a stubborn omega that’s way little too reckless with his well-being. 

With a wacky cast of characters (including three idiots, a manly best friend, a traumatized bastard with daddy-issues, and many more) absolutely hell-bent on getting them together, neither men can seem to catch a break

{0.4} Ignorance and Cowardice

“Be careful not to mistake insecurity and inadequacy for humility! Humility has nothing to do with the insecure and inadequate! Just like arrogance has nothing to do with greatness!”

― C. JoyBell C.

K A T S U K I

How the fuck did I end up here?

Oh, right.

My manager is an arrogant, abusive piece of shit with a huge ego and an incomprehensible need to show off.

“Stop scowling, Katsuki.”

Katsuki huffed loudly, his scowl deepening as he glared at Enji Todoroki. “I told you to call me Bakugou. We’re not fucking friends.”

Shouto, who (for once) looked as uncomfortable as Katsuki felt, plastered a fake smile on his lips. They were stuck inside a limo with his father, moments away from meeting his ultimate rival.

Basically, Katsuki and Shouto were here to be shown off.

“Sulking doesn’t suit you, Katsuki.” Enji rumbled, not glancing up from his phone. “Even Shouto looks excited.”

Katsuki glanced at the young Todoroki, who was obviously not excited. “What’s the fucking point of bringing him again? He obviously hates you and doesn’t want to fucking be here.”

Enji’s eyes flickered up from his phone. “He’s working on an article about my rivalry with Toshinori.”

“Of-fucking-course he is.”

The limo came to a stop in front of the venue where the tournament would be held. Katsuki could already see fans and paparazzi crowding the front, but he wasn’t all that worried about the interaction.

They were heading to the restaurant across the street.

I fucking hate the press.

“Boys.”

Katsuki froze at the serious tone in Enji’s voice. Even Shouto had gone completely rigid in his seat, which was more than concerning.

Enji placed his phone down and gave them a hard look. He looked incredibly intimidating. “Toshinori is bringing his successor to lunch. From what I can gather, the boy is a complete mystery.”

“So?’ Katsuki mumbled, earning a glare.

The older alpha took a deep breath, his expression full of untapped rage. “I don’t care how weak his successor may look. I wouldn’t be surprised if Toshinori has a few tricks up his sleeve.”

Katsuki swallowed, sharing a look with Shouto. “Both of them can fuck right off, honestly. The press alone is going to eat that successor alive.”

“Good response. Let’s head inside.”

Katsuki watched Shouto and Enji step out of the limo, his heart in his throat. Toshinori has always been his idol, so the idea of meeting was making his palms sweat. Even in his casual suit, Katsuki felt small.

With a racing heart, Katsuki exited the limo.

“I have to take a call, so you two head inside.”

Shouto, who had been silent the whole ride, simply nodded and kept his eyes on the ground. “Of course, father.”

Katsuki almost smirked at the sarcastic tone in Todoroki’s voice, but he knew better than to laugh. The last thing he wants is for a pissed off Enji to yell at them in front of potential press.

As soon as they were inside, both alphas visibly relaxed.

“What fucking airhead.”

Shouto chuckled at Katsuki’s words, adjusting his own suit. “I’m glad we can agree. Let’s just get this lunch over with.”

Katsuki nodded, scowling. “I just can’t fucking-“

The red-eyed alpha was cut off as a small body collided with his own. All at once, familiar omega pheromones (smelling heavily of chocolate and cherries) infiltrated Katsuki’s senses.

No fucking way.

“I-I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”

The small omega’s voice was soft and familiar as he stepped away from Katsuki. He was just as beautiful as the alpha remembered, with wild curls and dazzling green eyes.

After a few seconds , green eyes met his.

“Freckles?”

The small omega looked just as surprised as Katsuki, paling slightly as they stared at each other. He was wearing a professional olive-green dress with a jacket, which accented his curves a little too well for the alpha’s liking.

Compared to how he looked a few days ago, Katsuki could barely process it. If anything, his inner alpha went mad with excitement.

“Blondie.” Freckles murmured, turning a soft pink.

Dear god, he’s so fucking cute.

Shouto cleared his throat, effectively ruining the tense moment. Freckles looked away from Katsuki, making jealous rage rumble in his chest.

“Do you know each other?”

Katsuki glared at Shouto, who was shamelessly staring at the small omega. “Not exactly.”

Shouto noticed the glare and smirked before looking at the omega again. “My name is Todoroki Shouto. And you are?”

“Um, uh,” Freckles looked uncomfortable. “I don’t like sharing my name. I should probably get back to my table.”

And that was enough to make Katsuki go rigid.

Is he on a date?

Is that why he’s dressed so nice?

No, the fucking Troll Doll said that Freckles has high standards with courting. He doesn’t seem like the type to lie…

“Of course. Enjoy your date.”

Freckles nodded at Todoroki’s words, his pretty green eyes glancing to Katsuki’s red ones. “It was nice to see you again, Blondie. You clean up nice for an airhead.”

And just like that, he was gone.

Airhead?

Katsuki could feel a colorful mix of curse words on his tongue, but he was much too surprised to say any of them.

“Are you having a stroke?”

Katsuki snapped out of his daze and scowled in Shouto’s direction. “I’m not having a fucking stroke, Icy-Hot! Where the fuck did you get that idea?!”

Shouto grinned smugly, which looked more than odd on his usually blank face. “I was asking because you went completely silent in that omega’s presence. Plus, he insulted you and you didn’t throw a fit.”

“What’s your fucking point, fuckstick?”

The younger alpha shrugged, turning to walk away.

Katsuki’s eye twitched as he glared at Shouto’s retreating back. “Don’t walk away from me, you half-n-half bastard!”

“Don’t scream, Bakugo. We’re inside.”

“I’ll fucking show you screaming, shithead.”

Katsuki followed Todoroki inside the main area, where the latter alpha gave them the name of the reservation.

The smell of chocolate and cherries hung in the air, which more than fucked with Katsuki’s senses. Freckles, who has consistently been haunting his brain for two days, was so close.

It was driving Katsuki mad.

“I’ll take you to your table. Your guests are already here.”

Of-fucking-course they are.

Katsuki silently followed Shouto and the beta waitress towards the private part of the restaurant. Now that he was on edge, the red-eyed alpha was radiating enough pheromones to make anybody submit.

The omega’s pheromones were stronger now, haunting Katsuki like an unwanted memory.

“Oh! We meet again.”

Katsuki snapped out of his pity party and locked eyes with their lunch guests. A familiar blond beta grinned kindly at him, but that’s not what made his heart stop in his chest.

An all too familiar omega was seated next to him, anxiously avoiding Katsuki’s shocked gaze.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

Freckles was sitting next to All Might, anxiously stirring his tea as he avoided Katsuki’s gaze. Toshinori, who looked more than amused, chuckled loudly at the alpha’s words.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, young Bakugou.”

Shouto, who looked absolutely delighted, offered his hand to the beta. “Ignore him. My name is Todoroki Shouto. I’m Endeavor’s son.”

Toshinori shook his hand, smiling kindly. “Ah, yes! The last time I saw you, you were just starting primary school.”

“It’s hard to believe that it’s been that long.”

Katsuki ignored the friendly interaction in front of him and took a seat at the table. Freckles, who still said nothing, was seated right across from him.

The fucking audacity.

This better not be his fucking successor.

Toshinori watched as they both sat down at the table and glanced over at the omega next to him. “This is Midoriya Izuku, my successor. He’s a little anxious, so excuse his silence.”

“I understand.” Shouto spoke evenly, smiling at the omega. “We’ve already met, though.”

He’s an omega.

Omega’s aren’t supposed to be in this kind of work.

Katsuki clenched his jaw and studied the omega in front of him. “I hope that this is a fucking joke, nerd.”

Midoriya froze, finally meeting Katsuki’s gaze. The same fire that Katsuki saw the other night was blazing in his pretty green eyes. He no longer looked anxious, but annoyed.

“I’m not too sure what you mean, Blondie.”

Katsuki bristled, his hands clenched into fists in his lap. “Don’t call me that. Do you even fucking understand the risks of what’s you’re doing?”

Toshinori and Shouto shared a glance.

Midoriya glared, which looked so odd on his cute face. “I think it’s you who doesn’t understand, Bakugou. In fact, I don’t know why you’re so pissed off.”

“You’re a fucking omega, for one.”

The small omega huffed. “What does that have to do with anything? You didn’t have a problem with me when you were catering to your alpha ego.”

Toshinori cleared his throat, but both wolves ignored him.

“You’re fucking dumb if you think you stand a chance, Deku.”

For some reason, that name felt familiar on Katsuki’s tongue.

Midoriya’ s body went rigid and his eyes turned a dangerous shade of green. “Don’t call me that. You don’t have the right.”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow, smirking as he realized that he struck a nerve. “So this isn’t the first time you’ve been called that? I’ll keep that in mind, shitty Deku.”

“You arrogant, pretentious-“

Katsuki ignored him, focusing his gaze on Toshinori. “And what about you? You know better than anyone that boxing is a dangerous career. How do you expect an omega to stand a chance?”

A heavy silence hung in the air.

Shouto awkwardly looked at his menu, obviously wanting to stay out of the dangerous conversation.

Toshinori sighed, not even bothered by the tension. “Izuku has shown quite a bit of perseverance when it comes to boxing. He’s been training for a long time.”

Training is nothing like the real thing.

Before Katsuki could continue interrogating Toshinori and Deku, familiar footsteps made him shut his mouth. Enji sat down between Katsuki and Shouto, completely unaware of the tension.

Deku suddenly seemed more tense than before.

“Toshinori. It’s been awhile.”

The blond cleared his throat and nodded, shifting in his seat. “Call me Yagi, Enji. We’ve known each other a long time.”

Enji’s eyes narrowed. “Yagi, then. Where’s your successor?”

Dear god.

Deku hummed politely, plastering a fake smile on his lips as he studied the broad alpha. “My name is Izuku Midoriya, sir. I’m his successor.”

Silence.

Katsuki stared shamelessly at the omega in front of him, studying every inch of his face. He was looking for something extraordinary or even remotely worthy enough to earn the title of successor.

The only thing he noticed, though, was the lack of bandages on the omega’s hands. His hands looked small and calloused, showing that he had obviously been experienced in working.

But Katsuki still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that the same omega who sang like an angel was supposed to be a trained kick-boxer.

I thought that music was his passion…

How the fuck did he end up here?

“Are you joking?”

Deku’ s mouth immediately settled into an annoyed scowl. “Not in the slightest. Were you expecting a pea-brained alpha like yourself?”

Shouto fucking choked.

Enji, however, was not as amused by the insult. “I was expecting someone more qualified. You’re small and obviously ill-prepared in the strength department. There’s a reason omegas don’t fight.”

“Izuku is more than prepared, Enji.” Toshinori murmured, his tone serious.

“And what if he gets bitten, Yagi?”

Katsuki’s blood ran ice-cold.

For some reason, the idea of another alpha biting Deku filled Katsuki with rage. Not only is the act of biting an omega, without their consent, absolutely despicable; But the toxins from the bite itself could be life-threatening.

An alpha’s bite contained a number of toxins. Usually in a mating process, the alpha has to bite the omega on their scent gland. The scent gland is the only place that holds the correct anti-venom to combat the toxins.

Over my dead fucking body.

“They’d have to catch me first.”

Toshinori hummed in agreement at Deku’s words, keeping his gaze cool as he stared at Enji. “After today’s tournament, we were hoping to do more intense training at your gym.”

Enji raised an eyebrow. “So you’ve accepted?”

“Accepted what?” Katsuki growled, his jaw clenched.

Shouto, who was sipping water at this point, finally spoke. “Father extended an invitation for Toshinori to train Midoriya at our gym. We have better equipment, and Father wants to see you two spar.”

Katsuki’s chest rumbled with a growl. “I don’t fight omegas.”

“Why?” Deku muttered, his green eyes challenging. “Scared to lose?”

Why the fuck do those words make him look attractive?

Katsuki stiffened, glaring at the omega. “It wouldn’t be a fair fight. Omegas are supposed to be soft-spoken homemakers. Not fighters.”

Deku shrugged, sipping his own water. “Guess that means I get to prove you wrong. Ignorant alphas like yourself are exactly why I started fighting in the first place.”

“I’m not fucking ignorant.”

The omega smirked. “Then you’re a coward.”

I’ll show you coward, shitty Deku.

I’m not a fucking coward.

Shouto cleared his throat before Katsuki could release his wrath, obviously trying to keep the peace. “Why don’t we order some food and discuss specifics? I’m sure Father would like Bakugou to learn kick-boxing.”

Toshinori nodded, obviously glad to change the subject. “One of my other students is fully trained, and I’m sure she would be happy to help.”

“Excellent.” Enji murmured, also changing the subject.

Katsuki, however, angrily studied the omega in front of him.

Izuku Midoriya was a fucking enigma. He somehow made stubbornness look attractive, all while maintaining a soft appearance. His size made him the perfect omega to cuddle and protect, but he made it obvious that he didn’t want that.

And for some odd fucking reason; Katsuki was becoming more and more obsessed with Izuku Midoriya.

**********

[kerosene-insomniac]

To Be So Lonely

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Midoriya Izuku

Warnings: alpha/beta/omega dynamics, violence, strong language, homosexual behavior, major character death {not bakudeku}

Word Count for Chapter: 3,715 words

Summary: Midoriya Izuku has always wanted to be a musician. Something about the lyric working with a melody to convey his feeling just made his heart race. After his father died when he was three, Izuku has always relied on his mother. She worked two jobs to care for him and always supported his dreams. But when his mother is diagnosed with breast cancer just after he graduated high school, Izuku has to shift his focus. Now he’s working two jobs and takes care of his mother with the help of his gay neighbors.

In an attempt to learn self-defense, Izuku takes a few classes at a local gym. It’s there that he meets Toshinori Yagi, an older beta who used to be a professional heavyweight boxer. Yagi notices Izuku’s potential and encourages the small omega to eventually go pro. So, in order to make more money, Izuku eventually agrees.

Bakugou Katsuki has only ever wanted to fight. Orphaned as the young age of four, Katsuki has been fighting to live for his entire life. Fighting is all he’s ever known. After fighting underground for a couple years, Katsuki is noticed by Todoroki Enji. The older alpha takes him in at 19 and names him the official successor of his legacy (especially since all of his actual kids hate him).

 Now, Katsuki is 25-years-old and the professional heavyweight champion.

In a whirlwind of events, Katsuki meets Izuku in the unlikeliest of places. He watches the small omega perform and can’t help it feel extremely protective and absolutely enamored with him. The older alpha gets to meet him and say goodbye without even learning the omega’s name. Katsuki isn’t sure that they’ll ever meet again.

That is, until Katsuki officially meets Izuku at a professional lunch with his manager’s rival.

{OR}

The one where Katsuki is a professional alpha boxer with arrogance issues and Izuku is a stubborn omega that’s way little too reckless with his well-being.

With a wacky cast of characters (including three idiots, a manly best friend, a traumatized bastard with daddy-issues, and many more) absolutely hell-bent on getting them together, neither men can seem to catch a break

{0.5} Icarus

“There are two circumstances that lead to arrogance: one is when you're wrong and you can't face it; the other is when you're right and nobody else can face it.”

― Criss Jami

I Z U K U

“It was nice seeing you after all these years, Enji.”

Izuku mentally groaned as Toshinori kept talking to the overgrown alpha. Their lunch had long since ended, so the small omega just wanted to head across the street and begin his warm-up.

And to get away from Katsuki Bakugou, who had been staring at him since this whole shit-show started.

Endeavor huffed in agreement and glanced in Izuku’s direction. “Your successor seems very headstrong, so I can’t wait to see how he fares today.”

I love that he’s talking like I’m not here.

“He’ll exceed your expectations. Let’s head out, Izuku.”

Izuku immediately relaxed, wagering standing to follow Toshinori out of the restaurant. His dress (which had been forced on him by Uraraka, who said something about looking nice for a certain alpha) brushed against his knees and tickled his legs.

Honestly, he couldn’t leave fast enough.

The small omega followed his teacher towards the exit, nodding respectively in Endeavor’s direction. And Todoroki’s.

When his gaze landed on Bakugou, he simply looked ahead.

The outside air caressed Izuku’s soft skin and made him sigh in relief. Compared to the tension in the restaurant, the slightest amount of breeze felt like a god-send.

“Young Bakugou seems very interested…”

Toshinori’s voice was teasing and affectionate, but Izuku immediately stiffened. There is no way that they were talking about the same alpha.

Izuku hummed lowly, adjusting his jacket. “I disagree, sensei. He seems arrogant and insufferable with a need to prove that he’s stronger than anybody else.”

“I think he’s just concerned for your well-being.”

The small omega huffed, his cheeks flushed a rosy pink as he glanced at his teacher. The idea of an attractive alpha feeling protective over him was flattering yet incredibly infuriating.

Izuku is here for one reason and one reason only.

“Deku! Wait!”

Fucking fuck.

Toshinori stopped and glanced behind them, his face lighting up in amusement. “It seems like someone wants to speak with you, Izuku. Don’t take too long and I’ll see you inside.”

The small omega paled.

Traitor.

His teacher hobbled away, chuckling to himself.

The familiar smell of caramel and cinnamon greeted Izuku’s senses. It was more than comforting, which made the small omega feel slightly mortified.

Izuku sighed in defeat and turned to face Bakugou, who had a less intense scowl on his face. His suit looked messier than before and the alpha appeared as if he had fought someone to catch up with him.

“What do you want?”

Bakugou didn’t even flinch at Izuku’s tone. “Nothing. I just wanted to-“

Izuku cut him off, crossing his arms. “If you’re to lecture me on my own idiocy, then don’t even try. You don’t even know me.”

“I just want to understand.”

That was enough to make Izuku freeze.

Izuku’s chest tightened as he locked eyes with alpha, who looked less angry than he had been during lunch. “There isn’t anything to understand. I’m doing this for the same reason as anyone else.”

Bakugou’s red eyes glinted. “But I’ve seen you perform, Deku. You fucking love music.”

“Stop calling me that.”

The alpha raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. “I like that it pisses you off, so no. And don’t change the subject.”

Izuku scoffed. “Why are you so desperate to understand me? You shouldn’t concern yourself with my wellbeing.”

“Honestly? I have no fucking clue.”

Bakugou’s words hung in the air and floated amongst the tension. Izuku was a bright red as they stared at each other, searching for any sign of challenge.

Izuku swallowed thickly, looking away from the alpha. “Look, I’m well aware of the risks. I’ve been boxing underground for over a year and struggling to learn how to protect myself.”

“What if you get bitten, though?” Bakugou’s voice was rough.

The small omega sighed, anxiously rubbing his palm with his thumb. “As I said earlier, they would have to catch me first.”

Bakugou nodded after a moment, still studying him. “I still don’t understand your fucking need to be reckless. I also don’t get how everyone seems so fucking okay with it!”

“It’s not your job to worry about me.”

The alpha chuckled at that. “But someone obviously fucking needs to. I don’t give a shit about what your supposed friends think, but you’re going to be eaten alive tonight.”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

The small omega hummed and took a few steps forward. Bakugou froze, his breath quickening as Izuku’s face became centimeters away from his own.

I hate that he smells so nice.

Izuku chuckled, pulling away from the surprised alpha. “Then I guess you’ll have to watch. I don’t need your concern and I certainly don’t need your fucking protection, Kacchan.”

Bakugou blinked, still processing. “What the fuck did you just call me?!”

“Kacchan.” Izuku purred smugly, stepping back. “Good luck on your match tonight. Not that you’ll need it, of course.”

The alpha snapped out of his daze, his skin flushing at the compliment. “Hold on a damn second, shitty Deku-“

Izuku ignored him and walked briskly towards the entrance to the venue. His own heart was racing in his chest from the interaction, especially since Bakugou was obviously just as enamored as him.

He glanced back, smirking softly.

“I’ll see you later, Kacchan.”

*********

*********

K A T S U K I

“-and it was like his brain short-circuited.”

“No shit?! I would’ve paid cash to see that!”

“So manly, Bakubro!”

Katsuki growled loudly as his idiots ran around him in circles. Todoroki, who had been re-telling the events of lunch, smirked at him with as much smugness his stupid face could muster.

Nobody was doing their fucking job.

Sero and Mina were supposed to be preparing the med-kit supplies for the match, but they were fucking around and wrapping bandages around Kaminari’s head. Kirishima was supposed to be talking strategy with him, but he was talking excitedly with Todoroki.

And that half-n-half bastard?

He was reveling in Katsuki’s embarrassment.

“I swear to fucking god…” Katsuki huffed, his eye visibly twitching. “I will fucking end each and every one of you if you don’t shut the fuck up!”

Everyone froze.

Kirishima laughed awkwardly, obviously trying to ease the tension. “Don’t be so angry, Bakubro. We’re all just excited that you’re finally interested in somebody…”

Katsuki flushed a bright red. “I’m not fucking interested in that shitty nerd Deku! I just don’t want to see a weak bastard get eaten alive!”

“Sure, Blasty, sure.” Mina muttered sarcastically.

Don’t commit homicide.

Don’t commit homicide.

Sero looked at Katsuki with an indifferent expression, a used roll of bandages in his hand. “You’re acting like being interested is a bad thing. We’re not saying that you wanna fuck the dude, Bakugou.”

Katsuki grumbled loudly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

I totally fucking do, and that’s what’s embarrassing.

“…unless you do…”

The red-eyed alpha clenched his jaw and growled indignantly in Kirishima’s direction. “I totally fucking don’t, Shitty Hair! Who the fuck would even be into a shitty nerd like Deku?!”

Kirishima, Mina, and Todoroki shared a glance.

Sero and Denki simply snorted.

“I thought he was cute.” Todoroki spoke evenly, his eyes challenging Katsuki. “I found his confidence quite attractive.”

Katsuki stiffened, his stomach churning at the idea of Deku and Icy-Hot interacting at all. Red hot jealousy bloomed in his chest and spread like a wildfire throughout his body.

I think the fuck not.

“Someone looks jealous.” Mina sang smugly, making Katsuki scoff.

Todoroki hummed in agreement.  “He does. If I wasn’t emotionally invested in an omega from my office, I’d pursue Midoriya out of spite.”

Kirishima perked up at the news. “You’re interested in an omega? Since when?!”

And just like that, the focus shifted.

Katsuki silently got to his feet and walked around the small locker-room. His match wasn’t till the end of the tournament, but he usually watched other matches with Kirishima and critiqued their strategy.

It’s a tradition at this point.

What the fuck happened earlier?

Deku stood so fucking close to him. All Katsuki could smell was chocolate and cherries with the faintest hint of vanilla, which hadn’t been noticeable before. His stupidly cute face was so close that Katsuki could’ve kissed him.

And then he fucking left.

Deku left and turned back with a stupid smirk that screamed sexual innuendos in Katsuki’s direction. He called the alpha a ridiculous name, and Katsuki fucking let him.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

“Alright, bro. You ready to go watch some matches?”

Katsuki snapped out of his memory-filled daze and grunted in response. “Let’s go watch some losers, Shitty Hair. I need to relax before I kick Togata’s ass tonight.”

Kirishima grinned. “And maybe impress a certain omega?”

“Shut up.”

Both alphas headed out of the locker-room and towards the arena. There was a specific box that Enji rented at every tournament specifically so he could watch. He didn't seem to mind that Katsuki did the same thing.

Even if he did, Katsuki didn’t care.

The sound of screaming fans, alphas and omega alike, immediately made Katsuki cringe. He could barely make out a few words, but he didn’t care enough to process any of them.

In the ring, an alpha female and a beta female were kick-boxing.

We’re still in this part of the tournament.

Good.

“OH FUCK! Hagakure delivers a stunning roundhouse kick!”

Katsuki took a seat a little ways away from Enji and focused on the match. It was Yaoyorozu vs Hagakure. He had seen them in regular boxing, so it wasn’t that much of a surprise to see them deviate sometimes.

As a beta, Hagakure was shorter and relied heavily on her legs. She was known for being a skilled southpaw, so upper-arm-strength wasn’t out of the question.

Yaoyorozu was one of the few female alphas that Katsuki’s met in his life. She could be jumpy at times, but she also struggled with predicting/preparing for her opponents moves. She relied on her height to get in close and hardly receive any damage to her face.

Katsuki fought her once or twice. She’s definitely skilled.

“I think Hagakure strained her left leg.” Katsuki murmured, watching the way that the beta favored her left side.

Kirishima narrowed his eyes and leaned forward.  “I think you’re right. Yaoyorozu hasn’t noticed yet, though.”

Katsuki shrugged. “She will. Eventually.”

Sure enough, Yaoyorozu glanced at Hagakure’s feet and her eyebrows furrowed in surprise. As the beta pulled back to land another kick, the female alpha hit her in the face with multiple jabs.

As soon as Hagakure was distracted, Yaoyorozu landed a harsh kick to her left leg and swept them out from under her.

The beta didn’t get back up.

As the crowd and commentator went wild, Katsuki sat back and glanced at Kirishima. “I told you that Ponytail would notice. She’s been training.”

“It’s a good thing that we didn’t bet this time.”

“Yeah. You would’ve fucking lost.”

Before Kirishima could respond, the familiar sound of an intermission rang through the air. They had about ten minutes till the next match, so the sound was to let people know that there was a break.

Katsuki cringed at the sound.

“After our break, we’ll see the professional debut of Midoriya Izuku against a crowd favorite, Monoma Neito!”

And that was enough to make Katsuki freeze.

Oh fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Monoma was an arrogant bastard that Katsuki hates with every fiber of his being. He was an alpha with a history of distaste for omegas, leading to an ever-growing fan base of shitty alphas.

Not only would he hate Deku, but he would try and rile him up the whole time.

This wouldn’t be a fair fight.

“Bakugou? You look pale.”

Katsuki snapped out of his daze and locked eyes with Kirishima. “I’m fucking fine, Shitty Hair. Monoma just pisses me off.”

Kirishima’s gaze softened. “You don’t have to watch, you know? I can just tell you what happened after the match is over.”

“I don’t need your pity. I’m fine.”

“Okay, bro. Whatever you say.”

*********                      

*********

*********

I Z U K U

“There. Feel tight enough?”

Izuku took his gloved hand away from Uraraka and moved his wrists. “They feel great. Thanks for being here, Uraraka.”

Uraraka grinned brightly, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail as she went over Izuku’s things again. “Of course! Iida and I wouldn’t miss this for the world, Deku! Plus, Aizawa threatened to ground us if we didn’t……”

Sounds about right.

“Midoriya! Where is your mouth guard?!”

Izuku glanced over at Iida, who had a professional-looking med-kit in hand. “I put it in my bag…I think…”

Iida sighed and bolted to Izuku’s gym bag, muttering things under his breath. He and Uraraka had been his friends ever since high school, long before Izuku’s mom got sick.

They graduated a little over a year ago.

Now Uraraka is attending University to be a teacher and Iida is studying to be a doctor. Sometimes, the older alpha will come over and give Izuku’s mom a once-over. His family helps out a lot with her treatment.

But not enough.

Which is why Izuku is here in the first place.

“Your mouth-guard is important, Midoriya!” Iida chided, handing the omega a green piece of plastic.

Izuku hung his head, slightly embarrassed that the alpha was reprimanding him. “I was training late last night. After the stuff this morning, I couldn’t remember if I packed it or not.”

Uraraka grinned, her eyes glinting mischievously. “Speaking of which….I saw you and Bakugou in front of the venue.”

Oh god.

“And it seemed pretty flirtatious, Deku.”

Izuku flushed a bright crimson, resisting the urge to hide his face. “It wasn’t flirting! He was just being stupidly overprotective when he didn’t have the right!”

Uraraka smirked. “Alphas tend to be protective over people they care about. Or, in your case, people they are attracted to.”

“I don’t think it’s like that.”

His best friend gave him a look before looking behind him. “Sensei?! What was your impression of Bakugou when you met him?”

Toshinori, who had been talking with a few betas, looked in their direction and grinned as he walked over. “Young Bakugou was very outspoken about his concern with Izuku’s second gender. He’s quite enamored.”

“My point exactly!”

Before Izuku could argue, a female referee appeared in the entrance to the locker-room.

It’s time.

**

**

Izuku feels nauseous.

The small omega can hear the crowd screaming as his opponent is announced, but his brain can barely process any of it. His silk robe (an emerald color) clung to his curves and covered his freckled skin.

Since he’s no longer underground, there’s no need for the bunny mask.

Then his name is announced and he’s shoved into the shark-infested water. Izuku focuses his gaze on the ring, acutely aware of his team following behind him in quick succession.

Izuku can feel the disgusted stares among the screaming.

“You’ll do great, my boy.”

Toshinor’s voice was gentle and firm as he made Izuku look at him. He looked proud and confident in his abilities, which made the omega feel better.

Izuku swallowed thickly as his robe was pulled off of him. “I’ll win. For you and for my mom.”

“I know you will.”

Izuku hugged him and turned to enter the ring.

His opponent is a short but burly alpha who was obviously slow on his feet. His blond hair was parted and his pale eyes were full of amused disgust.

“Alright, boys,” The referee crooned, her black hair tied back. “I want a clean and fair fight. No funny business or I will dish out some punishments.”

Izuku nodded, studying the alpha in front of him.

Monoma, however, ignored the omega’s attempt to touch gloves and retreated to his corner. He was smirking in Izuku’s direction, shamelessly checking out every inch of his body.

“And…FIGHT!”

Izuku stepped forward, carefully guarding his face and waiting for Monoma to make the first move. He needed a strategy, above all else.

Monoma smirked. “I didn’t think they’d make it this easy. Omegas can’t fight, doll. It’s a known fact.”

The small omega ignored him, staying carefully light on his feet as they circled each other. It was becoming obvious that Monoma just liked hearing himself talk, so he had to wait for an opening.

“You’re not mated? How pathetic.”

There.

His eyes flicker to the crowd when he talks. He’s speaking loud enough for them to hear, meaning that he wants to put on a show.

Monoma chuckled some more. “What? Too scared to make the first move? I can do this all-“

Izuku lunged and landed a right hook to the alpha’s jaw.

Retreat.

The small omega immediately retreated as Monoma stumbled back in surprise. The crowd fucking lost it, screaming a mix of cheers and curse words.

Monoma huffed, growling lowly in Izuku’s direction.

Then he charged.

Izuku dodged, guarding his face as Monoma initiated an onslaught of jabs and pummels. Sweat gathered on his brow and his breathing sped up as he looked for an opening.

There.

Izuku brought his leg up and kicked Monoma in the gut.

The larger alpha gasped in surprise, but that was the opening Izuku needed. In quick succession, the small omega hit him with three jabs and a left hook.

Not without consequence, though.

“You fucking bitch!!”

Monoma growled loudly and landed a solid left hook to Izuku’s face.

Pressure, pain, and high-pitched ringing erupted from his right side. Izuku grunted in a mix of surprise and pain, immediately retreating to his corner and settling into a guarding stance.

In his confusion, Izuku was attacked from the right side again.

Two kicks and a mix of punches pummeled themselves into Izuku’s stomach, making the small omega choke and gasp.

“Enough! Back off!”

Izuku gasped, still standing upright as the referee pulled Monoma back. He could taste blood in his mouth, but his adrenaline was too high to feel any pain.

My strength is in my legs.

I need to aim my kicks high enough to land on his face. The nose is the most sensitive, so it would be my safest bet.

Izuku hardened his gaze and glared at the alpha in front of him.

Monoma charged, heading straight for Izuku’s right side. This time, however, the small omega was prepared and effectively slipped.

As he ducked under, Izuku moved and delivered a high-kick to Monoma’s face. The alpha choked and stumbled backward, grasping his face as blood immediately started to pour.

Before the alpha can recover, Izuku charges and delivers strikes to Monoma’s jaw.

DING! DING!!

“That’s the bell! To your corners!”

Izuku backed off and retreated to his corner, sweating like a pig and gushing blood from his brow.

He sat down, allowing his team to work.

“You’re doing great, Deku!”

Uraraka’s voice sounded close by as Iida and Toshinori crowded him. The alpha got to work on bandaging his eyebrow as the beta placed the water spout between his bloody lips.

Izuku panted wildly, drinking the water. “He needs to get close to land a hit, sensei. I fucked up his nose, though.”

“You did.” Toshinori supplied, pulling the water away. “Don’t forget to parry. Meet his hits head on.”

Right.

“2nd round! On your feet!”

Izuku took a deep breath and got to his feet. He could see better without the flow of blood in his eyes, so he definitely noticed the look of hatred Monoma gave him.

Monoma looked pissed.

DING! DING!!

“Fight!”

Monoma moved first this time, furiously charging Izuku like a raging bull. Instead of dodging or slipping, the small omega met his kick head on.

Their legs clashed, which Monoma clearly didn’t expect.

Izuku used his body weight to shove the alpha backward, giving himself enough room to land a few side-kicks. He kept his moves fast and precise, knowing that any wasted second could make him lose.

Monoma swung, but he overcalculated.

Izuku dodged and landed a harsh upper-cut to the jaw. He could feel the crunch of bones and teeth, which was more than satisfying.

After that, Monoma didn’t stand a chance.

Before the alpha had a chance to recover, Izuku shoved him back with another side kick and prepared himself to finish the fight.

Roundhouse.

Izuku leaned back and put his entire body weight into the kick itself. He aimed high, specifically for Monoma’s broken nose, and fucking succeeded with a perfect landing. It was fucking perfect!

Monoma crumpled into a heap, completely unconscious.

“That’s a TKO! Midoriya wins the match!”

Izuku stumbled backward as the cheers rang loudly through the air. His right ear was still ringing, but he definitely heard most of them.

As he was swarmed by his team, Izuku glanced upward.

Katsuki Bakugou was watching and yelling animatedly from a private box. His face was red and he looked pumped as he grinned in Izuku’s direction.

That was the last thing Izuku saw before losing consciousness.

*************

******

K A T S U K I

“Holy fucking SHIT!”

Katsuki watched as Deku’s team dragged him out of the ring, but his mind was running a mile a minute.

Despite taking multiple hits, Deku’s form was fucking perfect. Every move he made was carefully calculated and planned, along with a surprising amount of raw fucking power.

It was hot as fuck.

“Did you fucking see that!?” Kirishima was just as hyped as Katsuki, sounding hoarse from the amount of screaming they’d done.

Katsuki nodded, almost breathless as he glanced at his best friend. “I’ve never seen anyone TKO Monoma. I could probably fucking do it too, but Jesus fucking Christ.”

Kirishima met his gaze, smirking.

Oh no.

“He didn’t need your protection after all, bro.”

Katsuki swallowed thickly, shooting a mock glare in Kirishima’s direction before getting to his feet. “Shut the fuck up. Deku may have kicked that bastard’s ass, but he barely held up.”

Kirishima raised an eyebrow. “And where are you going?”

“I still have a fight to prepare for, dumbfuck.”

***********

**

[kerosene-insomniac]

To Be So Lonely

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Midoriya Izuku

Warnings: Violence, mature language, homosexual behavior, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, major character death (not bakudeku)

Word Count for Chapter: 1,701 words

Summary: Midoriya Izuku has always wanted to be a musician. Something about the lyric working with a melody to convey his feeling just made his heart race. After his father died when he was three, Izuku has always relied on his mother. She worked two jobs to care for him and always supported his dreams. But when his mother is diagnosed with breast cancer just after he graduated high school, Izuku has to shift his focus. 

Now he’s working two jobs and takes care of his mother with the help of his gay neighbors. In an attempt to learn self-defense, Izuku takes a few classes at a local gym. It’s there that he meets Toshinori Yagi, an older beta who used to be a professional heavyweight boxer. Yagi notices Izuku’s potential and encourages the small omega to eventually go pro. So, in order to make more money, Izuku eventually agrees.

Bakugou Katsuki has only ever wanted to fight. Orphaned as the young age of four, Katsuki has been fighting to live for his entire life. Fighting is all he’s ever known. After fighting underground for a couple years, Katsuki is noticed by Todoroki Enji. The older alpha takes him in at 19 and names him the official successor of his legacy (especially since all of his actual kids hate him). 

Now, Katsuki is 25-years-old and the professional heavyweight champion.

In a whirlwind of events, Katsuki meets Izuku in the unlikeliest of places. He watches the small omega perform and can’t help it feel extremely protective and absolutely enamored with him. The older alpha gets to meet him and say goodbye without even learning the omega’s name. Katsuki isn’t sure that they’ll ever meet again. 

That is, until Katsuki officially meets Izuku at a professional lunch with his manager’s rival.

{OR}

The one where Katsuki is a professional alpha boxer with arrogance issues and Izuku is a stubborn omega that’s way little too reckless with his well-being. 

With a wacky cast of characters (including three idiots, a manly best friend, a traumatized bastard with daddy-issues, and many more) absolutely hell-bent on getting them together, neither men can seem to catch a break

{0.3} Special

“There was something beautiful about his scars, something lovely about his fallibility.”

― Grace Curley

K A T S U K I

“Square your shoulders.”

Katsuki ignored the monotonous voice and delivered three jabs to the blue punching bag in front of him. Honestly, he’s imagining the bag as Todoroki’s stupid face.

Stupid.

Fucking.

“You look tense. Maybe you would like some soba-“

Katsuki growled and dropped his stance, whirling around to face the other alpha. “Shut the fuck up, Icy Hot! Focus on your own bullshit!!”

Todoroki blinked, sipping his tea. “It’s not as entertaining.”

It’s been two days since Katsuki’s adventure at the bar. For some odd fucking reason, he can’t stop thinking about a certain freckled nerd and the bandages on his hands. To make things much worse, Shinsou has been ignoring his attempts at contact.

Now Katsuki’s training at his manager’s professional gym. He’s been with this manager for six years and wasn’t planning on leaving anytime soon.

However, his manager’s son definitely makes Katsuki consider leaving.

“Stop pissing me off.” Katsuki grumbled, turning to face the punching bag again.

Todoroki chuckled, but the tone was still indifferent. “You’re the one getting mad, Bakugou. You should control your emotions better.”

Katsuki scoffed, using his forearm to wipe sweat from his brow. “Shut the fuck up. At least I don’t have a meltdown every time someone boils water.”

“You should come up with better comebacks.”

That was enough to make Katsuki freeze.

“I have enough survival instincts not to tell you. Stick to the shitty nicknames.”

Katsuki swallowed thickly, blinking multiple times in an attempt to snap out of his daze. Now, thanks to Icy Hot, his mind was preoccupied by freckles, green eyes, and the smell of chocolate cherries.

His mind had been a muddled mess since that night.

“Bakubro! You good?”

Katsuki snapped out of his daze again and locked eyes with a worried Kirishima. The other alpha was watching him with obvious concern.

He nodded. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound so sure.” Kirishima murmured, glancing at Todoroki. “You have a tournament tonight, so we can’t afford you overworking yourself.”

Katsuki immediately bristled at the alpha’s tone, his eyes flashing angrily. “Stop looking down on me, Shitty Hair! I don’t need your fucking pity and I don’t need your concern!”

Kirishima didn’t even flinch. “There’s no need to be so defensive…”

“Fuck you, I’m not defensive!”

“You’re just proving my point!”

“Fuck your shitty point!”

Todoroki, who simply watched the interaction with bored eyes, finally cleared his throat and made both alphas freeze. “Perhaps this is about the potential celebrity that’s supposed to be at the tournament?”

Katsuki’s eyebrows furrowed. “Hah?!”

“All Might is supposed to be involved in the tournament.” Todoroki murmured, pursing his lips.

That was enough to make Katsuki’s nerves much worse.

Todoroki ignored Katsuki’s gobsmacked expression and focused his gaze on the laptop in front of him. “Father had been raging about it for days. Apparently Toshinori has chosen a successor.”

“No way!”

Kaminari’ s voice echoed throughout the gym as he raced towards them with Mina and Sero hot on his heels. If Katsuki wasn’t so shocked, he would’ve yelled at the lot of them for running inside.

Yagi Toshinori, or All Might, had been a famous boxer back in the day. He was best known as the beta who took on an alpha heavyweight champion and won.

He was easily Katsuki’s favorite boxer.

Toshinori had retired years ago and disappeared from the public eye. He didn’t come to tournaments and definitely wasn't associated with the community. So the idea that he had chosen a successor was mind-blowing.

If anything, Katsuki felt jealous.

“Bakugou? You look pale.”

Katsuki snapped out of his daze and glared in Todoroki’s direction. “Do you know who his successor is? What’s his weight class?”

Todoroki hummed, looking at his laptop again. “According to the website, his name is Izuku Midoriya. Light Heavyweight.”

“He must be a beta.” Kirishima murmured thoughtfully.

“Actually, it doesn’t say.”

Katsuki stood up a bit straighter at Todoroki’s words, his heart thudding in his ears. “It doesn’t say? Everyone is required to list they’re secondary gender when applying.”

Todoroki shrugged. “It only lists his name, weight class, and type of fight. There’s no picture or mention of his gender. Apparently this is his debut tournament, but he’s been underground for the past year.”

“Is he boxing?” Mina asked, obviously invested.

The alpha sighed indifferently. “Kick-boxing. Honestly, I’m more excited to meet the beta who kicked my father’s ass.”

Katsuki huffed to himself and focused on the punching bag again. He wouldn’t be fighting All Might’s mysterious successor, but he had the urge to show him who’s boss.

What could be so fucking special about Izuku Midoriya?

********

I Z U K U

“Parry or guard, Deku!”

Izuku huffed and guarded his face with his forearms. He was sweating wildly as Uraraka directed high kicks towards his face. The green mouth-guard between his teeth was clenched tightly as he concentrated.

Uraraka had been doing this much longer than him, so her skills were a little more precise and powerful.

But she also takes a second to get her bearings after kicks or jabs.

Izuku waited a split second after her last kick to pull his left leg back and swing it to hit Uraraka’s torso head-on.

Uraraka gasped on impact, caught off-guard.

That’s all Izuku needed.

In quick succession, Izuku delivered three jabs and ultimately finished with a right hook to take down his opponent.

Sure enough, Uraraka collapsed on the mat.

Izuku straightened his stance, panting wildly as he used his wrists to maneuver the head gear off of his curls. He was sweating like a pig, dressed in a form-fitting tank and spandex shorts.

Uraraka was panting as well, spread eagle on the mat. “That was good, Deku. Wasn’t expecting a roundhouse kick.”

“I can’t let you win every time, Uraraka.” Izuku huffed, chuckling lightly.

Before the female omega could respond or even think of a witty response, a gruff and familiar voice spoke first.

“Excellent job, my boy.”

Izuku glanced to the side, where two betas had been watching the sparring match. Shinsou was one of them, sipping on what looked like iced coffee. The other, however, was Izuku’s teacher and close friend.

Izuku bowed, his face hot. “Thank you, Toshinori-sensei.”

“Your reflexes have improved quite a bit.”

Uraraka sat upright, humming in agreement. “Compared to yesterday, Deku managed to study my reflexes and react accordingly.”

Toshinori grinned, leaning on his cane as he walked over. “I noticed that as well. He’ll need that skill, especially since all the alphas tonight will try to crowd him and get a solid hit.”

“They'll have to catch me first.” Izuku muttered, wiping his brow.

The blond beta chuckled at his response. “That’s correct, my boy. If you stay light on your feet, then it should be fairly easy.”

Izuku nodded, still slightly out of breath.

“However, we do need to discuss something.”

This doesn’t sound good.

Izuku’s eyebrows furrowed in obvious confusion, his stomach already churning with anxiety. Toshinori looked serious and stressed, which was a tell-tale sign that something was wrong.

“Endeavor reached out to me today.”

Endeavor?

Izuku shared a glance with Shinsou and Uraraka. “What did he want? I thought he only reached out to try and challenge you to a rematch?”

Toshinori’ s mouth twitched slightly. “He’s very intrigued with the fact that I’ve been training a successor. He’s offered us a chance to train at his gym and spar with his successor.”

“Why would he do that?”

The elder beta shrugged, smiling lightly. “I think it might be his way of sizing up the competition. Personally, I think it’s a good idea.”

Izuku cringed. “Endeavor’s gym is full of raging alphas with pride issues. I really don’t want to put up with courting requests or the assumptions that I need extra assistance from them.”

“But he has access to better training gear.”

The green-eyed omega sighed, his boxing gloves feeling heavy on his hands. “I’ve heard of his successor, sensei. From what Shinsou has told me, he’s loud and aggressive in or out of the ring.”

Uraraka, who was watching the conversation, rolled her eyes. “Just give him an attitude adjustment, Deku.”

“It’s not that-“

Shinsou, who had been listening silently, effectively cut him off. “You’ve already met him, Izuku.”

What?

“No, I haven’t.” Izuku murmured, hopelessly confused.

The purple-haired beta chuckled, placing his iced coffee on a table before approaching them. “He’s the alpha who insisted on walking you home after kicking Dabi’s ass.”

And just like that, Izuku couldn’t breathe.

Hell, he couldn’t even process the information.

Blondie, who Izuku had pushed to the back of his mind, was nothing like Shinsou’s description of Endeavor’s successor. He was rough and loud, but he did make any move to attack him.

However, Blondie did assume that Izuku was helpless.

This can’t be the same-

“Deku, you’re mumbling again.”

Izuku froze, his skin immediately reddening as he glanced around the room. “Oh. I didn’t realize that I was….”

Shinsou raised an eyebrow at Izuku, grabbing a gloved hand and beginning to unlace the wrist. “I guess he made an impact on you, too. He won’t stop harassing me about your wellbeing, you know.”

“What?” Uraraka screeched, making everyone else wince.

Izuku sighed, ignoring the nervous flutter in his chest. “He probably thinks I need protecting. How does he know that you’re friends with me?”

The beta shrugged. “I was out with Denki and his friends that night. We went to the bar you perform at and Bakugou basically started drooling.”

“He’s sounds proper infatuated, Midoriya.”

Izuku groaned at Toshinori’s teasing tone, using his newly freed hand to rub his face. His bandages felt rough on his skin, but it was nice. “Not you too, sensei. I’m sure that this Bakugou person is just looking for a boost to his ego.”

Toshinori chuckled, obviously amused. “Be that as it may, I already accepted Endeavor’s request. We’re having lunch with them before the tournament.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

His teacher grinned. “I didn’t give you a choice, my boy.”

*********

[kerosene-insomniac]

To Be So Lonely

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x Midoriya Izuku

Warnings: alpha/beta/omega dynamics, homosexual behavior, strong language, mature themes, violence, major character death (not bakudeku)

Word Count for Chapter: 1,156 words

Summary: Midoriya Izuku has always wanted to be a musician. Something about the lyric working with a melody to convey his feeling just made his heart race. After his father died when he was three, Izuku has always relied on his mother. She worked two jobs to care for him and always supported his dreams. But when his mother is diagnosed with breast cancer just after he graduated high school, Izuku has to shift his focus. Now he’s working two jobs and takes care of his mother with the help of his gay neighbors.

 In an attempt to learn self-defense, Izuku takes a few classes at a local gym. It’s there that he meets Toshinori Yagi, an older beta who used to be a professional heavyweight boxer. Yagi notices Izuku’s potential and encourages the small omega to eventually go pro. So, in order to make more money, Izuku eventually agrees.

Bakugou Katsuki has only ever wanted to fight. Orphaned as the young age of four, Katsuki has been fighting to live for his entire life. Fighting is all he’s ever known. After fighting underground for a couple years, Katsuki is noticed by Todoroki Enji. The older alpha takes him in at 19 and names him the official successor of his legacy (especially since all of his actual kids hate him).

 Now, Katsuki is 25-years-old and the professional heavyweight champion.

In a whirlwind of events, Katsuki meets Izuku in the unlikeliest of places. He watches the small omega perform and can’t help it feel extremely protective and absolutely enamored with him. The older alpha gets to meet him and say goodbye without even learning the omega’s name. Katsuki isn’t sure that they’ll ever meet again. 

That is, until Katsuki officially meets Izuku at a professional lunch with his manager’s rival.

{OR}

The one where Katsuki is a professional alpha boxer with arrogance issues and Izuku is a stubborn omega that’s way little too reckless with his well-being. 

With a wacky cast of characters (including three idiots, a manly best friend, a traumatized bastard with daddy-issues, and many more) absolutely hell-bent on getting them together, neither men can seem to catch a break

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Chapter Two!! I’ll be making a Master list soon don’t worry lol

{0.2} Most Omegas

“The funny thing about the heart is a soft heart is a strong heart, and a hard heart is a weak heart.”

― Criss Jami

I Z U K U

“You’re late, problem child.”

Izuku winced at the tone in Aizawa’s voice, gently closing the door behind him. The older beta was watching him with narrowed eyes, a cat in one hand and a cup in the other.

He looked as tired as Izuku felt.

Shota placed the cat on the floor and approached Izuku. He checked him over, his eyes still narrowed. “Did you get harassed by alphas again? I told Toshi to walk you home!”

“Dabi tried.” Izuku mumbled, wincing as Shota pinched his cheek.

The beta froze, raising an eyebrow at that. “That Todoroki kid? And what do you mean by tried?”

Izuku huffed, his freckled cheeks a rosy shade of pink. “I had the situation under control, but some alpha decided that he needed to fight for my honor. Then he insisted on walking me home.”

“What’s his name?”

The small omega shrugged. “I have no idea.”

THUNK!!

Shota held a rolled-up magazine in his hands, watching as Izuku squeaked. “You can’t walk home with strange alphas! Where’s your sense of self preservation?!”

Izuku rubbed his head, smiling slightly. “That’s exactly what he said. But I know how to take care of myself, Shota.”

“Then what are those bruises on your neck?”

Shit.

Izuku pulled his hoodie up higher to hide the finger-shaped bruises on his neck. “Dabi had me in a choke hold before Blondie stepped in.”

Shoto narrowed his eyes. “Blondie?”

“That’s what I called him in my head.”

The older beta sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in clear annoyance as he released the small omega. “Remind me to yell at Toshi in the morning. I know that he was out with his boyfriend, but you seem to attract trouble on your own.”

Izuku frowned, pouting slightly. “But Shota-“

“Just go see your mother, problem child. She’s worried.”

The small omega immediately shut his mouth and complied. If his mother was worried, that means she been stressing over his wellbeing. The last thing he needs is for his mother to feel overwhelmed.

Inko was laying down on her bed with a silk bonnet on her head. Her bedside lamp was turned on and a book sat in her lap. She looked exhausted, but obviously trying to stay awake.

It made Izuku’s heart hurt.

“I’m home, mom.”

Inko looked up from her book, her green eyes lighting up at the sight of her son. “Oh thank god, Izuku. I was so worried!”

Izuku smiled reassuringly, effortlessly hiding the bruises on his neck. “You know that Uncle Shota won’t let anything happen to me. Shinsou won’t, either.”

“But you know how I worry, Izu.”

The small omega nodded, glancing around his mother’s room. “Did Hisashi give you your medication? I know that he forgets sometimes.”

Inko nodded, studying her son.

Izuku didn’t notice, obviously preoccupied with checking everything. He counts her medication every night and makes sure that her clothes are set out for the next day. Shota and Hisashi, who had been their neighbors since he was small, always took care of her during the day.

“Did you meet an alpha?”

Izuku froze, his heart racing in his chest. “What makes you say that? You know that I’m too busy for alphas, mom.”

Inko raised an eyebrow. “I can smell him on you, Izuku. His pheromones are all over your jacket.”

“How do you know it’s a ‘he’?”

His mother blinked. “The pheromones are too masculine to be a female alpha. Are you going to tell me about him or not?”

Izuku sighed, carefully sitting on his mother’s bed. “There’s nothing to tell, mom. He offered to walk me home after my shift and I let him. I don’t even know his name.”

“He sounds sweet.” Inko mumbled, making Izuku blush.

The small omega stood again and pressed a soft kiss to his mother’s forehead. “I’m heading to bed. I have training with Toshinori-sensei in the morning before I go to work.”

Inko nodded, weakly hugging her son. “Good night, Izu. Tell Toshinori that I said hello.”

“I will, mom.”

******

K A T S U K I

Blondie…

Katsuki watched with a fluttering heart as the small omega walked inside the building. A large part of him wanted to follow and be absolutely sure that he got home okay, but he knows better than to press.

The red-eyed alpha swallowed thickly and brought his hand to his face. It smelled heavily of the omega, which made his skin flush.

It’s totally not weird that he’s smelling his hand..

It’s perfectly normal.

Katsuki sighed and turned to walk back towards the bar. He had stepped out for a break from the idiots, but that break turned into a whole adventure.

They’re probably worried, though.

As Katsuki passed the alley he had fought Dabi in, he noticed that the scarred alpha was gone. He really shouldn’t be surprised, especially since Touya has always been good at running away from problems.

Katsuki stepped inside the bar again, mentally preparing himself to interact with his drunk extras. They’d probably annoy him with questions.

Like always.

“YEET!”

A beer can flew past Katsuki’s face, immediately making the alpha dodge just in time. Loud, drunk, and incredibly annoying laughter came from his group of idiots. It wasn’t all that surprising.

Kaminari grinned, pointing in Katsuki’s direction. “He’s back! Boom-Boom-Boi has returned!”

Katsuki’s eye twitched as the group erupted in giggles again.

It takes everything in him not to commit homicide.

“I was gone for thirty fucking minutes?!” Katsuki huffed, scowling in Shinsou’s direction. “How much did they drink?”

Shinsou shrugged, acting oblivious as Kaminari played with his hair. “It was tequila, and I lost count after ten shots.”

Mina, who looked the most inebriated, quickly down another shot before pointing at Katsuki. “Don’t act so innocent, Blasty! You were gone as soon as the musician walked off the stage!”

“You’re right, babe.” Kirishima slurred, grinning at Katsuki.

The pink-haired omega giggled, poking Kirishima’s cheek. “I always am! I bet Blasty went and tried to flirt!”

Katsuki scoffed, his skin a slight pink color. “I went out for some fresh air, Racoon Eyes. Nothing else.”

“Then why do you smell like an omega?”

Fuck.

Shinsou sat up straighter at Mina’s words, his eyes narrowing in Katsuki’s direction. “She’s right. Why do you smell like my best friend, Bakugou?”

“Oooh…” Kaminari, Kirishima, and Mina gasped.

Katsuki took a deep breath and tried to calm his frustration. “I was minding my business when I saw your friend being pulled into an alley. I thought that he was with a friend, but heard fighting.”

Shinsou’s frown deepened. “Did you do something?!”

“I’m getting there, asshat!” Katsuki snapped, obviously annoyed.

The red-eyed alpha sighed, rubbing his temples after a few seconds. “By the time I got over there, Touya Todoroki had him pinned against the wall. I kicked his ass, but your friend tried to run away from me.”

Mina squealed, hiccuping a bit. “You’re like his knight in shining armor! How cute!”

“So it was Dabi?” Shinsou looked more relaxed than before.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, suspicious of the beta’s relaxed demeanor. “Yeah. He was talking about assaulting your friend if I hadn’t showed up.”

Shinsou shrugged, taking a sip of his water.

“I’’m sure he had it handled. I don’t blame him for running from you, though. You’re much bigger than his usual opponents.”

For some reason, this pissed Katsuki off.

It seemed like Shinsou wasn’t worried about his best friend, who is an unrated omega, being assaulted by a random alpha!? Who the fuck is okay with that and thinks the omega can deal with it?!

Katsuki growled, crossing his arms. “What kind of friend are you?! He’s a fucking omega who could’ve been assaulted!”

“Why do you care so much?”

“What don’t you care at all?!”

Shinsou sighed, obviously unaffected by Katsuki’s tone. “I care, but I know that he can handle Dabi. I appreciate that you helped him, though.”

Katsuki clenched his jaw. “So it happens often? He mentioned that this wasn’t going to be the last time he would fight him.”

“As you know, Dabi doesn’t like losing.”

Losing?

Before Katsuki could voice his concerns or say anything at all, Shinsou stood on his feet. Kaminari clung to his side, mumbling bullshit to himself as his boyfriend held him upright.

“We should get them home.” Shinsou murmured lowly, locking eyes with Katsuki. “Denki is crashing at my place. Do you have the lovebirds?”

Katsuki huffed, looking at Mina and Kirishima. “Of course I do. I’m not a shitty person, Eye Bags.”

Shinsou shrugged. “I never said you were.”

“It was implied. I’m not weak.”

The purple-haired beta sighed, sounding exhausted as he looked Katsuki head on. “I meant what I said. Thank you for making sure that my friend was okay. He doesn’t like it when people, especially alphas, help him.”

Katsuki’s head snapped up. “But he’s an omega.”

“Your point?”

The blond alpha furrowed his eyebrows. “I’m sure that he’s had multiple alphas try to court him. He should be used to alpha’s by now.”

Shinsou snickered, already starting to walk away with Kaminari.. “He’s not like most omegas, Bakugou. He has high standards when it comes to courting, and he definitely won’t let an alpha fight his battles.”

“What does that-“ Katsuki started, but Shinsou was already out of earshot.

Fucking figures.