#specifically the rest of the todo family’s take on it

[kacchancallshimzuku]

💙❤️‍🩹 : dabisho.

Shouto imprinting on Touya as a pup and being more physically attached to him for a while after the accident behind his scar. The effect/s Touya’s “death” had on him after.

[pxgeturner]

Miguel O'Hara is a world-renowned professional boxer, and Hobie's other best friend. One night he finally makes the two worlds collide and sparks immediately fly between the two of you. But will he distract you from meeting your publisher's deadline? And will you distract him from getting World Champ?

before you follow. m.list. Iron Fist gfx library. series m.list. tag list.

Prologue. I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. Epilogue.

wc. 1.5k

an. hi. its me! Giselle, or gi, or gigi to few (not to be confused w gg, that is one of my moots. she makes really cool art.) n e ways here is the awaited Prologue for Iron Fist. Oh goodness I'm so nervous. I just want to make a few things clear. the reader is an author (obvs). She's recently graduated uni and is Latina! I write with a woc!r in mind always. I try to be as inclusive as possible, pero porque soy Mexicana, r might lean towards being more Mexican but I'll try to keep her Spanish standard and not be too specific to my family's culture. much love! hope you enjoy <3

please don't forget to reblog! likes do nothing to boost engagement.

Your foot taps against the floor. The damn blank document stares back at you. Mocking you is what it’s really doing. Fuck you, you think, I achieved my goal. I published a book and it is a damn bestseller! Only problem is that the readers want more. It’s been… some time since your first book. And sure, Jess said you can take a break before starting a new project. But you also know that it’s good to ride on existing publicity. At least be able to make an announcement that you’re writing something while all this excitement lasts. Maybe you should write something about vampires. You love vampires and how they fit into romance and how them drinking blood is a euphemism just a bit away from, the whole cannibalism-equals-all-consuming-love trope and how when a vampire attacks it’s often an allegory for rape and— but you have nothing to add to the conversation. You have nothing new to say, no new perspective or hot take, or twist. You have nothing. No ideas.

Not a single word on the page.

You have an idea, leaning forward to peck the keyboard. “F-u-c-k. T-h-i-s!” You highlight the text and italicize it.

Fuck this. At least it’s words on the page.

You reach for your cup and take a sip. “If all else fails I can ride on the rest of the signing bonus and royalties for a bit since the book is doing good, and once that dries up, I can apply to be circulation assistant at a library or something.” You sigh and take another sip. “But nobody has to know for now.” You get up, searching for your phone. You find it resting on the arm of the couch, you grab it, sliding onto the cushions, resting your head where your phone just was. “God, don’t make me a one hit wonder, I wanna be a star. I wanna be the one to push that bitch Colleen Hoover into obsoletion. Please God. Please.”

You open your phone and look for your mother on speed dial.

“Hola, nena!” Your mama’s voice is happy, she must be having a good day. You move into the kitchen. You need a snack.

“Hey, mama, how are you?” You hold the cell with your shoulder as you look through your pantry.

“Good, good,” you find a pack of roasted seaweed snacks and grab it.

“I went on a date anoche.” Your shoulder drops and the pack of seaweed slips out of your grasp.

Mi mami fue a una cita. Con un man! You stand there, trying to process that she is actually back on the dating scene.

“How did it—” you aren’t holding your phone anymore. You use the wall as support to lower yourself to pick up your phone and snack.

“—ay, mami, lo siento, mi cellular se cayo de mi mano.”

“Todo bien, hija! I’m glad you’re ok.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m ok, I’m ok. Anyways— how was the date? What’s he like? Am I going to have a stepfather soon?” you joke.

“My time for marriage is gone, muñeca, I’m just looking for companionship, pero, tu lo sabes.” You hear some subtle clinking in the background of the call, she must be stirring her coffee. You open your snack and park yourself on the couch. “Are you writing?” Ugh. Not you, too.

“I was, just finished for a bit before I called you.”

“You called me to procrastinate.” You choke on your seaweed from the accusation.

You clear your throat, “I called to check in with you. I call you practically every day.”

“But right now you called me to check up on me as an excuse to not write. Nena, I know you.”

“Okay, fine. I might be having some writer’s block,” you admit, sighing.

“And that’s okay, nena, but then you need to get out, get some inspiration. Allow the world to give you a story.” There’s mama, with her easier-said-than-done advice. But, maybe you should get out of the house.

“Alright, I’ll go out soon.”

“Tonight,”

“—I will go out to the Chinese place across the street and nothing more. I’ll talk with Hobie when he gets back to see if he has any ideas.” You hear your mama make a noise in her throat.

“You still live with that boy?” Here it comes. You’ve lived with Hobie Brown for three years and have known him for five. She’s always been apprehensive of him, since he’s radical and looks like he’s been in jail, with all the metal in his face, and why does his hair look like that? But Hobie is the one who’s kept you sane all these years. He’s held you while you cried and pushed out of your comfort zone when you were getting too stuck into your routines, most likely by dragging you to a concert or a protest. You help him thrift and flip clothes and ever since that one time his stylist had an emergency and canceled, you now help him tighten his wicks every so often. On days like that the two of you stay in, watching nostalgic movies and listening to any demos he’s recorded recently. He’s like a brother to you at this point.

“Yes, mama, I still live with Hobie. Nothing’s changed.” You move the phone down to your chest and take a deep breath.

“I didn’t like him when I first met him,” you clench your jaw as she continues— “…and although he’s one of those kids, I can tell he is a good boy. I’m glad he takes care of you.” You relax. “But it wouldn’t hurt to have someone you could kiss.” “It would be nice, but right now it’s not happening.” “Alright, muñeca. I’ll leave you alone for now, but keep your eyes open for a nice man.”

“I will, con cuidado, mami, besitos.” You make a kissing noise into the phone, and she responds with a goodbye of her own, and you wait for her to hang up the call.

You sigh, and look at the coffee table. Hobie left his song book at home, weird. It’s open to the song he was working on the other day. It’s a slower song, you can still hear the melody. You drum your fingers to the tune. He’s on an unfinished verse. You pick up a pen from the little catch-all dish and scribble down a line or two.

…

Hobie weaves through the roar of chattering, anticipating fans and into the tunnel, and walks past employees and into Miguel's prep room to see him tying his shoes. “Hey,” Miguel looks up. “Hey.”

“Are you excited?” He moves to sit by the boxer, shimmying up against his shoulder.

“Haven’t really been excited for one of these in a while.” Miguel breathes.

“Well, one step closer to retirement!” Hobie bounces out of his seat. He turns to face his friend, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You’re gonna do great, you big fuckin’ bear of a man.” He ruffle’s Miguel’s hair.

Miguel gives a half-ass hum in response.

“Well then, I’ll be out there, mate, cheerin’ you on.” He puts his hands in his vest pockets and walks out the room.

As he reaches the empty doorframe, Miguel speaks up. “Thank you, Hobie.”

“Anything for you, mate.” Hobie nods and goes to join the audience. Miguel fastens his gloves and puts on his robe. He warms up waiting for his coach.

“Ready, O’Hara?”

Miguel turns around. “Always ready for a fight.” He clenches his jaw. Walking down that hallway, the festive colors lighting up his path and the music blaring, he does his little bit, the movements molded into muscle memory.

This is it. This is his last year fighting. If he gets world champ again, he’s free.

Soon, he gets to fight his last fight. And dammit, the world championship will be his last match. Then, he’s never gonna have to come back.

He weaves under the ropes, entering the ring. Sitting on the stool, he shrugs off the robe and lets Carlos put the mouthguard in.

“You are going to show this guy exactly why people call you el oso!” Miguel beats his gloves together and nods. He might not like his job right now, but he really wants to hit something and goddammit if his opponent doesn’t look so beatable right now.

Coach Carlos steps out of the way, and Miguel stands to walk to the ref as he calls for him to center.

“We went over the rules in the dressing room.” Right before Hobie got here. “I want to remind you to protect yourself at all times, and obey my commands.” Ring the damn bell already. “God bless you both,” I don’t need it but this kid might. “Touch up,” here we go. He touches gloves with his newbie opponent and each goes back to their respective corners.

Miguel takes an orthodox stance.

The bell rings.

Miguel lands the first punch. He also lands the last.

[chrimson-oc-central]

OC PROFILE - KAZEMI UENO

*~*~*

BASICS

Name - Kazemi Ueno

Birthdate- July 7

Age - 18 years

Birthplace - Osaka, Japan

Pronouns - She/Her

Nationality - Japanese

*~*~*

APPEARANCE

Hair Color - Dark Blue

Eye Color - Blue

Height - 5'3" (~160.02 cm)

*~*~*

PERSONALITY

Best Trait(s) - Hardworking, attentive, strategic, compassionate

Worst Trait(s) - Cold, cunning, strict, socially anxious

Mannerisms - Left-handed, likes to rest her head on her hand(s), crosses her arms often

What they hate the most - People who litter, curses, losing games

What’s most important to them - Nature, especially aquatic ecosystems, her friends & family

Secrets - Wanted to be a marine biologist before attending Jujutsu High in Kyoto, and still keeps it in mind as a backup plan.

*~*~*

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Parents/Guardians - N/A

Siblings - N/A

Other Notable Family Members - Kasumi Miwa (Cousin)

Spouse/Girlfriend/Boyfriend - Noritoshi Kamo

Children - N/A

Pets/Animal Companions/Summons - Shikigami Fish, Shikigami Shark, Shikigami Dolphin, Shikigami Sea Lion, Shikigami Seal

Teacher(s)/Sensei(s) - Utahime Iori (Teacher), Yoshinobu Gakuganji (Principal)

Friends - Noritoshi Kamo, Aoi Todo, Momo Nishimiya, Kasumi Miwa, Kokichi Muta (Mechamaru)

Best Friend(s) - Noritoshi Kamo, Kasumi Miwa

Enemies - Mahito, Jogo, Hanami, Suguru Geto, Sukuna

Acquaintances - Mai Zenin, Arata Nitta, Masamichi Yaga, Satoru Gojo, Atsuya Kusakabe, Shoko Ieiri, Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nobara Kugisaki, Maki Zenin, Toge Inumaki, Panda, Yuta Okkotsu, Kinji Hakari

*~*~*

OTHER AND FANDOM SPECIFICS (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Occupation - Jujutsu Sorcerer (Student)

Grade - Grade 2 (Becomes Semi-Grade 1 and Grade 1 later)

Cursed Technique - Bubble Technique (Innate Technique)

Cursed Technique Details - Kazemi flows her cursed energy into her bubble wands, allowing her to create “cursed bubbles.” These bubbles can trap enemies, as well as poison and disintegrate curses in acid. The bubble wand can also act as a portal to help her summon marine shikigami to help her fight enemies.

Affiliations - Kyoto Prefectural Jujutsu High School (Kyoto Metropolitan Curse Technical College)

Other Names/Nicknames/Aliases - Uedo-chan, Kaze-chan

Blood Type - AB+

Favorite Food - Onigiri, Grilled Steak

Least Favorite Food - Cotton Candy

Hobbies - Swimming, taking walks, cleaning, reading

*~*~*

Brief Description:

Kazemi has dark blue hair and blue eyes, as well as pale skin.

She uses the Bubble Technique, an Innate Technique that allows her to attack and exorcise curses by infusing her cursed energy in a bubble wand. The bubbles can act as water prisons, poison, and acid, as well as portals allowing her shikigami to appear and help fight.

While she is very confident in battle and around people she knows, she becomes very quiet and anxious when she is around people she does not know and hates large crowds. However, she is very kind and compassionate towards her friends, particularly towards her younger cousin, Kasumi Miwa. She also has an interest and love for the ocean, and enjoys reading about new marine discoveries and mysteries. She’s also very passionate about conserving the environment and ocean.

[aggieharkness]

Hay que encontrar su propio futuro

Summary: She never meant to hurt her family once more, she had only expected to wake up with a hangover not with someone beside her that was about to turn her entire life upside down. She never thought she would get a chance at a new life with someone so different and at the same time so alike. Can they really find a future together?

(The title has been changed, it used to be Shame on whoever invented Tequila but as the story progressed it didn't feel like the right choice anymore so I changed it.)

a/n: I'm just giving you all a warning that the next chapter will contain smut. In advance, I'm sorry, just in case. I hope you won't be too traumatized, I'll make it worth reading, after all, we are building up the story for this moment, where everything started. I promise I'll try not to be too cruel to Alma in the future, but it was necessary for this chapter. Still I hoped you like it :)

warning: age difference, implied sexual content, past use of alcohol, panic attacks. Most impotantly no Alma Madrigal bashing, i love this woman.

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16

Hay que encontrar su propio futuro

It was pitch black; she couldn’t even see the soft glow of the candle, the drapes having been drawn. For an instant she panicked at seeing the darkness around her thinking that maybe instead of fainting she had had a heart attack last night, but it beat at a thousand miles per hour against her ribs in fear, debunking that theory. With each passing second, she registered everything around her. The shawl still rested over her shoulders and her dress had been buttoned up once more, no need for any of the children to see too much of her. She could have closed her eyes and gone to sleep, but she remained on top of the mattress looking up at the ceiling, listening to the wind outside, feeling the soft fabric of her clothes to try and distract herself from the memories that were creeping up on her. After several minutes she realised that it was a lost battle and carefully sat on the bed, her right hand coming to rest near a warm figure lying next to her. A feeling of deja vu sent a shiver down her spine but when she turned her head to see who it was she found Pepa and Julieta on the other side hugging each other, dead to the world as they slept. Good at least someone was getting some rest and if they were deep asleep they wouldn't notice if she wasn't in bed, she needed some fresh air, and having both her daughters all over her wasn’t bound to be productive, there were too many things in her mind that she had to think about. Barefoot once more she made her way to the door, careful not to make it creak as she opened it and slipped outside into the hallway. The soft glow of her families’ doors illuminated the courtyard enough for her to walk down the stairs without having to light a candle, wrapping the shawl tightly around her figure to fight the chill that had settled during the night.

-Lo siento. Lo he estropeado todo. Dolores probably hates me and Rosa, Dios, she won’t be able to look me in the eye after what I did with her grandson. Why couldn’t he have let me be? ¿Fui yo? – obviously there was no answer, the paint remained just that, paint, questions filling the air around her. Did she cause this? Had she led him on? If only she could remember. – I hurt our family once more, Pedro. And… I hurt you. I’ve been holding onto you for fifty years and now… I didn’t want this; our lifes, our memories to be tainted by my actions. I brought this pain onto myself, but I never meant to hurt our family. I deserve this, I have no doubts about it, but Dolores doesn’t, Rosa doesn’t, not even Mariano. And I can’t make it all go away, I can’t hide it and pretend nothing happened when I have destroyed Dolores’ life. Julieta and Pepa probably think I’m some sort of mad woman, taking advantage of a young man like him. Why did it happen?

There wasn't a specific place that she needed to be, she let her feet take her wherever they wanted, but upon turning the corner she found herself standing in front of Pedro's portrait looking straight into his eyes. Had she ever noticed how cold they were in that painting or was it a trick of her mind? Her hand rose in the air, fingers tracing the rough oil colours that painted his face not quite sure what she was expecting from a simple portrait. She had longed to hear his voice for fifty years, every day and night since that moment when they took him away from her and their family but today she was thankful he couldn't voice his opinions or thoughts because it terrified her what he might think of her. The night was quiet, not a sound around just the breeze that played with random strands of hair that had escaped her updo during these few hours. What time was it? She hadn’t checked the clock before leaving her room but it was past midnight for sure, the world around her still and deep in slumber while her mind was wide awake replaying the incidents over and over again; like phantom touches, she could still feel his lips on her skin.

As her fingers traced her husband’s portrait, she noticed some bruising on her wrists. She had always had very sensitive skin, bruises had been a common occurrence when she had been young and reckless, when she used to climb lamp posts and trees with Pedro and her friends, when life was easy and wonderful. His fingerprints felt as if they had been burned onto her skin, circling the soft flesh underneath her sleeves. She should have made a point of stopping him, she should have yelled at him, pushed him, she couldn’t understand why she had been unable to.

She didn’t expect answers and yet there was hope that somehow someone might enlighten her and help her understand. The breeze moved some leaves and flowers that hadn’t been picked up from around the courtyard until a small white daisy landed on Alma’s bare feet. Staring at it a small fire of joy seemed to start burning in her chest, kneeling to pick the flower up. Some of its petals were missing, and it had been stepped on, but it was still a beautiful white flower, small even in her hands. Suddenly she was standing in a corner of Casita with a glass in hand, talking and eating buñuelos with Mariano. He was smiling at her warmly as he listened intensely at what she was saying. She moved her hands excitedly several times, almost dropping the caramel liquid, but her eyes didn’t notice, they were on him and his were on her. As if destiny was playing tricks, some of Isabela’s flowers landed at his feet, several white daisies among green leaves and blue carnations. Looking up from the bouquet they stared at each other giggling like children until he picked them up and took the most perfect of them all in between his fingers and placed it on her hair whispering something that she couldn't remember and at the same time made her smile like a teenage girl. His fingers traced her jaw with utmost care until his touch wasn’t more than a distant memory as Alma’s eyes returned to look at the battered daisy in her hands. The guilt had been replaced by happiness as the memory replayed itself once more in her mind, the small little thing between her fingers reminding her of the simple joy she had felt at having someone to talk to, resembling those sweet moments she once shared with her Pedro when they were first courting, getting to know each other. After a few seconds the realisation that Mariano and she had shared a perfect moment exchanged all that joy into fear without skipping a beat. Looking up at the portrait she couldn’t help but see a hint of a smirk on the paint, her eyes had to be playing tricks on her, this couldn’t be the sign she had been looking for. Maybe her system hadn’t got rid of the alcohol yet and she was just simply hallucinating or everything was just a bad dream, and she would wake up in a minute in her bed with the worst hangover in history and pastries on her bed just like after every party, but the happiness and guilt were still in her chest battling for dominance and the cold tiles under her feet. If only Pedro could guide her, take her hand and direct her into the right path, just this once.

-He’s far too young, I won’t take an entire lifetime away from him, I already took my own, I can’t do this to him as well. Maybe… I might have been happy yesterday with him, but it’s not my place. Dolores and he have to talk, she loves him more than words can say and I… I have you, or your memory. I had my chance and it slipped away because fate had other plans for us, but I have come to terms with that. I’ll fix this, I have to.

Did he make her happy? The night of the party she was sure she had been, she had felt the same way she used to when she had first met Pedro, but nowadays she couldn’t, she couldn’t… love him. No, it must have been the drinks that had made her all fussy and warm and confused her into thinking he was the source of her joy. But thinking about his smile, his eyes, made her heart jump even now and she hated it with her entire being, this wouldn’t happen, he wasn’t for her; she had resigned herself to a life of loneliness in favour of mourning her husband, and she wasn’t about to break that promise, not now, not after all these years. Something wet fell on her hands; she hadn’t realised her head was hanging low avoiding her husband's face holding the flower in a fist at the turmoil that was beginning once more in her head, the heartache having brought silent tears of pain and grief to her eyes. Why did it hurt? She still cried about Pedro every now and then, mostly when she visited the river where she had lost him, but those tears were of love, the ones she was shedding now were bittersweet, the raw guilt with which she was punishing herself, forbidding her own heart and mind to love bringing them forth. It scared her beyond belief the idea of what she might do and how it might affect her family if she let her heart guide her; as much as it hurt she had to close herself up even if it meant breaking her own soul in the process. She was undeserving of such a thing as love because she had learnt long ago that she was unable to keep pretty things.

As soon as dawn came everything would resurface and she would be left to pick up the pieces of her own life once more, but for now she would let the pain take her, even if it was just for a few minutes. The world around her was silent, not even the breeze could be heard anymore, and remained that way as she collapsed on her knees, a hand on her mouth to try and muffle her sobs as much as possible. She didn’t need anyone to come and try to console her, no one on this earth could fix her, not anymore. The daisy laid forgotten, crushed, only a couple petals still attached over the tiles as she cried, her heart breaking with each sob. How couldn’t she have realised she liked Mariano? It had never been a question of him marrying one of her granddaughters, she had just wanted him close and had unconsciously used her family to make sure he was always around. She had been chasing a forbidden dream for such a long time and only now that it had all exploded on her face had she realised the painful truth. When had it all started? She could barely remember a time when Mariano wasn’t around, when he wasn’t begging her to play, asking for Isabela or Dolores, even for Luisa, stealing an arepa or two from Julieta only to end up coming up to her and giving her half of it. Of course she loved him as family, but when had she stopped looking at him as a son and had found a happiness she could barely remember, in him?

Without warning the words he had muttered before she had fainted came to her mind, such wonderful and yet horrible words had come from his lips and although it brought her unimaginable joy to her heart it shared the space with infinite undying pain, her sobs increasing in volume without her realising it, fat hot tears streaming down her face as if they were fire burning her skin with the thought of what she knew she could never have. As each minute passed pain stopped being the only thing she felt, it was immeasurable amounts of guilt, grief and fear. She was terrified of how easily she had let him handle her, questions in her brain as to why he hadn’t listened if he claimed he loved her, he should have known better than to hurt those who he cherished with his entire being. She had made that mistake far too many times not to see it, and as she curled on herself with her palms lying over the freezing tiles she wondered if this was how she had made her family feel all these years. She would never forgive herself, even if they did, it was a pain far too great to be dismissed. She didn’t hear the footsteps coming down the stairs, her breaths coming in short gasps, hyperventilating, chest constricting with each horrible thought and question, her heartbeat ringing in her ears so loud that it masked her violent sobs. Two sets of hands were quickly around her pushing her off the floor or at least trying to, voices speaking to her but none of the words could be made out. With each touch nausea crept up her throat an irrational need to crawl away, to escape invading her mind. She didn’t mean to be a brute but she couldn’t stay there and be handled so she pushed whoever they were away and tried to stand, her knees weak under her weight, stumbling down the stairs in hopes that she would reach the front door and at last breath but without her shoes the dress was a bit too long and in her goal to reach the archway, tripped on the hem of it landing on her hands and knees once more. Defeated, tears and sobs shook her body violently. This pain was so different from what she had felt when she lost Pedro, back then her heart had been ripped out of her chest and sliced into ribbons in front of her, pure visceral pain enfolding her; now she was purposely stomping over it to make it stop feeling, she was inflicting it on herself and somehow it hurt worse than anything she had ever experienced before. She lost what she once had because of strangers, now she was losing at her own hands who her heart screamed for.

-Mamá mírame, respira, por favor.

-Juli, she can’t breathe!

-I know! Let me calm her down. Mamá, mamá, look at me. – Alma tried, she really tried to lift her head searching for the owner of that soft voice but her vision was blurry from the tears; she felt weak, like a small child who begged for her mother after having fallen and scraped her knees and as much as she was trying to lift her head to look at whoever was speaking she felt as if her body was made out of lead. She was so lost, alone in a sea that roared with waves during a storm all while she sailed in a broken boat that she couldn’t seem to get the reins of, sinking. Sinking. – Pepa, make it rain.

-¿Qué? Mamá me va a matar.

-If you don’t rain, I’ll be the one killing you! Our clothes will dry, but I need to shock her to stop her crying or she’s going to pass out!

The first droplets that fell on her face went unnoticed, Alma had curled on herself and didn’t seem able to grasp anything that was going on around her, not until she found herself a second later underneath a curtain of freezing water that drew a deep gasp from within her throat. The downpour had the desired effect and Julieta took advantage of her mother trying to lift herself to move away from the rain to grab her hands softly and get her to focus on her, bringing them to rest on her own chest as she tried to breathe evenly and slowly so Alma could copy her. Each time they thought they were on the right track to calming their mother down she would suddenly start crying again, pushing them away but they didn’t let go and soon she would surrender to their combined strength and would work with Julieta to get her breathing to a steady normal pace. Twenty minutes later and several moments of panic from Pepa they had managed to calm her down, but the silent tears would still stream down her face as if she was unable to stop them. With careful hands all while chanting her mantra of clear skies to stop the rain from flooding the courtyard she helped Alma into a sitting position using herself as a backrest so she could recline against Pepa’s chest, Julieta’s hands still holding onto her mother’s to keep her breathing slow and steady.

-Can you breathe better now? Do you feel lightheaded? – shaking her head she took a deep shaky breath, her eyes looking down at the floor so she wouldn’t have to face them. She wasn’t sure whether she meant her fears or her own children, probably both. – Did you have a nightmare? You could have woken us, mamá.

-No. – should she lie? Brown kind orbs locked with hers just for a second, but it was a second too long and she found herself crying more tears. She had the same kind eyes Pedro had and looking at her was like she was looking at him through a curtain of confusion and worry that didn’t belong to him but to their daughter. ¡Tonta, tonta, tonta, tonta! This was all a stupid idiotic game where she was the orchestrator of it all without knowing, where she had played her cards far too well and had met defeat even when she had supposedly won every round. She saw herself as a monster, an old woman that had given in, had let herself be taken, used, maybe even loved, but to what extent? She had lost everything once more, snatched right out of her hands.

-Vale, tranquila, respira. In and out, in and out. Look at Juli, mamá.

-I… I’m fine. – She had never told a bigger lie. Dios, why do you punish those who less deserve it with such cruel games of love and pain? Why can’t she just let go of her grief, her guilt, it was exhausting and crushing her with a weight that not even Luisa could lift. If only Pedro could tell her what to do, if he was angry at her, ashamed even, anything to know what she was meant to do. She was in the middle of the jungle with no clear paths surrounded by beasts that threatened to kill her with each step.

-What happened? What’s wrong mamá?

-Por favor, dejadlo.

-Mamá, is it… about Mariano? Did he hurt you and that’s why you are crying?

-What? He.. he wouldn’t… - the sight of her bruised wrists spoke differently and for a minute she wondered if he had indeed hurt her. Emotionally he had destroyed her, unintentionally, she knew that even if no one had spoken wisest words; physically she felt rotten as if her head was about to split open by the amount of thoughts, her chest constricting around her poor broken heart. It was a conflict of feelings, she believed, because as much as the marks on her wrists and the ones that had been under her dress that morning when she had gone to the kitchen spoke, she couldn’t really believe that he had hurt her. Even if he stabbed her repeatedly she would still think he wasn’t doing any harm. Her mind was being clouded by the pain and she couldn’t face the truth? – He said… He said he loved me.

-We know. Mamá, you must try and remember what happened at the party. Anything would be of help. We need to understand the extent of this whole situation.

-Julieta, I can’t. I’m not even sure I want to know.

-We are a family, and we will fix this, but we must rip the bandage off first. I can’t even begin to imagine how scared and worried you must be, but we must bleed a little before our wounds can begin to heal. Just like when Casita fell and we had to figure ourselves out. We talked, shared our fears and worries… We must do the same now.

-Por favor, no. No quiero. The way he makes me feel, I can’t… por favor.

-Mamá, are you scared of him? – the way Pepa had said it made Alma’s blood freeze in her veins. Scared of Mariano? A knife through her chest would have hurt less. She was scared of what he would have done to her last night when he pinned her against the kitchen wall, she wouldn’t lie that she had been terrified, but at the same time she had felt a small amount of safety with him, something in the back of her mind kept on repeating that he would never do her any harm. Of course she hadn’t want to be with her back against a wall, but his grip hadn’t been too strong, her skin just bruised easily, it had only been to hold her arms and keep her in place so she wouldn’t accidentally slip and fall, his lips had given her soft, warm kisses all over her exposed flesh, even as he undressed her she had felt cared for, he was careful and sweet in his movements. How could she be scared of that, how could she be scared of the one she was falling for?

-He would never…

-But he did, that’s the whole point!

-Pepa, not right now. Calm down.

-Fine. Clear skies, clear skies, ¿contenta?

-Si, gracias. Mamá, look at me and be honest, we won’t judge you.

-You will hate me even more if I tried to explain it.

-Even more? We don’t hate you,who told you that? Everyone makes mistakes.

-But not as many as I always seem to make. I destroyed Dolores’ life, Rosa probably will never speak to me ever again and I don’t blame her at all. And Mariano…I betrayed your father’s memory, hurt our marriage and our life, our miracle…

-I sense there’s a but. – Julieta’s kind eyes never ceased to look at her with utmost respect and love helping Alma ground herself. Now or never, there would never be a right moment to say this, but she needed to make it real to get some relief in her aching chest.

-He… He… He made me… happy.

-Te hizo, ¿feliz?

-Me hizo feliz. - The breeze had returned, moving around the patio lifting the strenuous weight off her shoulders the instant those words had left her lips. Why did everything have to be so difficult, why couldn’t she just get up and run to him, let him hold her in his strong arms until the world and everything bad that surrounded her vanished? She couldn’t see Pepa, but if Julieta was any indication of what they were feeling she could live with the expression of understanding she was receiving from her eldest daughter. It confused her but it relieved her immensely even if it was just a façade. – I was happy, we talked, and laughed and… he gave me a daisy. He put it in my hair.

-He was the one who gave you the daisy? Félix and I spent half the night wondering where it had come from. Why did he do that?

-I don’t know, but… I liked it, he made me feel beautiful, and I know it’s wrong, but I have so many thoughts in my head that I just can’t understand. I don’t know what to feel.

-Don’t push yourself, the entire thing is… weird, bizarre even; we all need time. – Pepa squeezed Alma’s shoulders to reassure her mother, it felt wonderful coming from her youngest daughter, their relationship was getting better.

-I will have to talk to Dolores, explain my actions as best as I can, but I don’t know where to begin.

-Mamá, explanations can wait a bit. Your nieta is a very patient girl. Let’s just go to bed and sleep a bit, okay?

-I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep. I feel like I have one of your hurricanes in my head.

-Juli can give you some tea to help. No dreams or nightmares, just sleep. Does that sound good?

-Si. Quiero dormir y olvidar.

-I’m afraid I can’t make you forget, but it will provide rest and maybe with the light of morning you might see things differently, clearer.

She was right, Julieta was always right. Perspective was necessary for all this, it would help her sort every thought, every feeling, maybe some memories as well. With Pepa’s help they got their mother on her feet and slowly made their way to the kitchen. Julieta worked diligently like a painter with a brand-new piece, loving every stroke, every colour that the brush picked to create art; with each spoon that filled the air with warm spices from the many years she had spent in that kitchen her daughter gracefully moved around the room as if she were floating, letting the leaves rest as the hot liquid turned a soft purple colour. Alma could see the steam floating in twirls up into the air to vanish into the transparent atmosphere that embraced the kitchen, lavender filling her nostrils, calming her wrecking nerves almost instantly. The tea warmed her chest with each sip untying the knots that she had unconsciously created since waking up, easing her burden just a little, enough for her to see that maybe with time things would fall back in place. Pepa was having some as well but in her case to calm her anger towards him, both sisters having a silent conversation with only raised eyebrows and slow movements of their heads. If only she knew what they were saying. Soon enough her tired body grew heavy, her eyelids closing every few seconds of their own accord. With one hand holding Julieta’s and the other pulling Pepa up the stairs they made it to Alma’s room, her dress soon changed into a nightgown, Pepa’s slow working hands undoing her mother’s hair before the three women laid on the mattress. The instant her head hit the pillow she was asleep, Pepa and Julieta followed just a couple minutes later once they were sure their mother was resting at last.

She had only told them a small fraction of her real fears, her real thoughts and wants, but she couldn’t just blur it all out, not yet at least. She needed time away from him to understand what she really felt, whether it was a remnant from what they had shared that night, a ghost of the lust both had felt or if it was real, as real as her own being, real as her Pedro had once been. For now the deep infinite darkness that enfolded her sleeping mind was enough, no thoughts, no nightmares or dreams, just her body floating in the vast universe, the moving planets and galaxies taking her burden off her shoulders, temporarily at least. Warmth spread through her entire body making her feel secure. With half closed eyelids she could see somebody else floating in the darkness with her, wrapping their arms around her, resting their head on her shoulder. Even in her half-asleep state she could still smell the soft scent of wood and apples that she had grown to love in the short period of time she had had with him. His hands still felt soft in her old ones, warm underneath her palms, a sense of rightness enveloping her entire being. Forgiveness, understanding and love, that’s all she felt as the arms wrapped themselves tighter around her frame, his short beard scratching the sensitive skin of her neck, a feeling she hadn’t known she had missed. He wasn’t angry and that comforted her, but there would be time for words when her time came, right now she only wanted to stay like this for as long as she could, she didn’t need anything from him other than what he was already giving her, their fingers intertwined as she finally fell into the abyss of dreams with him holding her. Pedro understood and loved her to no end, more than life itself, and in this moment of silence and harmless passion he would take away her pain, make her see just like she had been asking him to. His guidance wouldn’t mean he would lose Alma, it would mean to see her happy, and that’s all he had ever wanted. She had wasted too much time to run away now from a chance that destiny, although cruel, had given her. Whispers of love and promises of a better future, that she could still be a different woman, left his lips as they fell through infinite darkness. This was enough.

When dawn came Julieta and Pepa woke up to see their mother still sleeping soundly with the blanket tightly around her body, relaxed, not a tense muscle in her body and even the small hint of a smile on her lips. The just assumed it had been the tea what had given her this level of relaxation but if they could read minds, if they could step inside Alma’s brain they would see her lying over the damp grass of a far away field cuddled against Pedro’s arms the skies clear of clouds and a green forest shielding them from the world. With each whispered word the forest would make itself smaller, her thoughts and worries vanishing one by one. Quietly the sisters made their way to the door hoping she would sleep for a bit longer even if she missed breakfast, anything that would delay the inevitable that was facing the world and her family. Pepa was still tired, the tea hadn’t quite stopped working when she had roused from her slumber and so she made her way to her room in hopes of staying in bed for a bit more, Julieta on the other hand should get ready for the day and start breakfast, Agustín waiting for her in bed when she opened the door, his chocolate eyes kind and reassuring as she entered the room.

-Is she asleep?

-Yes. Hopefully she’ll miss breakfast and won’t have to talk to Dolores. You know how mamá can be and the sooner she tackles all this the better. I’m not of that opinion.

-Was everything alright last night? I heard voices outside but didn’t think I would be a reassuring sight.

-Things happened, I’ll tell you later.

-Whenever you say amor. I was thinking of showering, do you want to accompany me?

How could she refuse those eyes? Taking her hand they both vanished into the bathroom and didn’t come out for quite a while both quite refreshed, washed and satisfied. By the time they came out of their bedroom Pepa and Felix were already starting to cook, mainly Felix, Pepa was just passing ingredients over to him. There is no danger of burning something if the only thing you are doing is holding a plate of mangos, right? Wrong. As soon as she saw Julieta she left the plate on top of the counter or what she thought was the counter, it had actually been the stove. She was about to speak to inquirer about their mother when the sound of cracking porcelain filled the air, Felix groaning in despair and trying to push the now toasted mangos away before they were set on fire.

-Pepi, amor, fijate donde dejas las cosas.

-Perdón. I’ll make sure next time.

-If there’s a next time.

-What do you mean by that? - a great dark cloud levitated on top of her head as she glared at her husband who just raised his hands in the air with an apologetic grin.

-Nada, nada.

The kitchen soon started filling with people, conversations echoing in the space along with the wonderful smell of freshly baked goods and Pepa’s surprisingly well toasted mangos. Through the still drawn curtains the voices reached Alma’s ears rising her from her sleep slowly. The arms in which she had slept the whole night through had let go of her with quiet promises of love, her eyes opening shortly after. This time she was alone in her bed and although there was still some fear in her heart and doubts in her mind she could see many things clearer by the minute. Today would be different, she could feel it. She didn’t know of all the things Pedro had told her but he had eased her worries and pains during the short time they shared even if she no longer could feel him around her or hear his voice, he was still there in the house, the candle, their children... Pushing the blanket of her body she rose on her feet heading towards the window drawing the heavy curtains open letting the sunlight come through and wash away the very few doubts she had had when she opened her eyes. Today really felt like it was going to be completely different. Her eyes drifted from the sky towards the lower floor, watching her grandchildren laughing and chasing each other. Isabela was lifting a cactus high in the air as she screamed at Camilo, Luisa trying to calm the whole thing down while Dolores and Mirabel laughed uncontrollably, even Antonio was giggling while sitting on his jaguar’s back. A new found determination made her take a deep breath before she turned towards her room and got ready for the day. Once presentable she glanced at the golden candle; if she had blinked she would have missed the flame burning brighter almost as if it was confirming her that everything would be fine and she found herself trusting and believing the small magical fire, after all it had been a gift from her Pedro and she trusted him blindly even after fifty years.

The door opened on its own as she approached it, Alma patting the doorframe lightly as to thank the house as she stepped into the hall and down the stairs. The voices of the children grew in volume and so did the laughter and cactuses that her eldest granddaughter was throwing at her cousin with terrible aim. She was making sure not to hit him. At the sight of their abuela Camilo stopped running, a smirk on his face as he quickly hid behind Alma.

-You can’t hit me now!

-Abuela! He stole my plate of arepas!

-Did you do that Camilo?

-Esto… ¿puede? I won’t confirm or deny anything.

-You just said maybe, cabeza mula!

-Watch your language Isabela.

-Sorry abuela.

-Camilo, give your cousin her arepas back or I’ll confiscate your desserts for a week.

-¿Qué? ¡No! Fine, I’ll give them back, just don’t punish me in such cruel ways abuela. You know how much energy it takes for me to use my gift, I need the extra food or I might pass out one of these days.

-One of these days you are going to pass away, not out, and I’m going to be there.

-She’s threatening me, abuela!

-Did she? How strange, I didn't hear a thing. ¡Vamos, a la mesa!

The kids all scurried away into the kitchen followed by a very amused Alma. The glances she got the minute she set foot in the room made a feeling of uneasiness grow in her chest, her eyes roaming over her children;, Bruno was sitting right next to Mirable with a conflicted look in his eyes. He looked up at her for a second and then lowered his gaze as if he was keeping something from her, the bags under his eyes more prominent than in previous days. He had obviously got no sleep at all and it worried her, his habits for the last ten years had been very unhealthy and only now he had started getting enough sleep and eating normal amounts of food, much to Julieta’s pleasure. She would talk with him later, in this tired state he was more susceptible to involuntary visions and those were the worst, they took the greatest toll on his mind and body. Julieta and Pepa stole worried glances but seemed relieved to see her smiling as she took her seat at the head of the table not bothering to hush the kids, it was an already lost battle after all children will be children even if they are fifty. With everyone sitting and ready to eat she could feel as if nothing had ever happened, everything felt just like old times, maybe even better, until she saw that the plate of mangos was in front of Dolores and the girl seemed far too interested on her food to even lift her head and Alma didn’t want to call the girl out. The conversation they were due to have wasn’t going to happen in front of everyone.

-Agustín, can you pass me the mangos?

-Toasted or untoasted?

-Toasted please.- Dolores’ eyes roused from her plate and stared at her grandmother’s for the first time since last night as she passed the plate to her tio, but there wasn’t any tension in them, there was pain of course, but most of all was patience and understanding. It wasn’t until Alma took the plate from his hands that she noticed the girl was wearing a daisy in her hair. Her blood ran cold at the realisation that Dolores had possibly heard everything last night; Alma breaking down, her words for Pedro, her struggles. And yet the girl looked at her with an understanding she had never seen in any person, not even the elders that lived in the village. Maybe she had underestimated Dolores in this whole situation.

-Gracias. What is everyone going to do today?

-Pepa and I are going to the fields today. The drought seems to be taking too long and you know that Pepi doesn’t mind helping every once in a while, right amor?

-Only because they are nice and asked for it as a favour. Antonio can stay with Bruno and finish building that playing pen for his rats or do you want to come with papi and mami, cielo?

-I want to help with his rats. They’ve been working on a new episode of tio’s telenovela and I want to watch it. I still don’t understand why Blanca didn’t stay in Campoalegre with Miguel. They had a house and everything, what’s she going to find in Soacha?

-Love? Power? Money? Find out in the next capítulo! - that’s all Bruno said and it earned him three raised eyebrows: one from Pepa, another one from Isabela along with a face that was screaming what the heck and of course one from Alma, we mustn't forget our customs. Although he was smiling broadly with his arms extended no one supported his outburst and soon he lowered them with a huff and a quiet “No teneis cultura” that he was sure going to pay for later. Pepa wasn't about to just sit there and be called uncultured, she would kick his ass when she was sure her mamá wasn’t close by.

-What about you Julieta? Today is your day off.

-Agustín and I thought of going on a picnic down by the lake, far away from the shore so there won’t be any accidents. I’m sure there’s enough food for you as well if you want to join us.

-Sí, Juli always cooks for the entire town, even now. If everyone joined us there would be enough for each.

-No, cariño, I think I’ll stay in today or maybe go down to the market. You enjoy your picnic with your husband. Just be careful, I’m looking at you Agustín, don’t go anywhere near the water unless you have a lifesaver with you. No one comes into this house soaking wet, it upsets Casita’s tiles.

-If you are sure mamá. I’ll just go and get the basket from the cupboard as soon as we are finished and get out of your hair for the entire day.

-What about you children, any plans?

-Mirabel wanted to go and buy some fabrics and since they tend to be super heavy I’m going with her. Camilo is not allowed because he almost burned the store down with one of his pranks.

-Luisa! You promised you wouldn’t tell!

-¡Perdón! It just slipped. I didn't mean… it wasn’t really… he didn’t burn it down… sort of.

-¡Luisa, callate!

-Si, si , I… I’m very hungry. Can I get another arepa? - with a glare Camilo passed the plate over to the bigger girl who had turned a worrisome crimson red and was stuffing food as a way of not speaking more. Unhealthy but it kind of worked so…

-Camilo should stay with Bruno and Toñito so he won’t be a menace to the town.

-Isabela…

-I won’t apologise Abuela, you know I’m right. When he’s down by the plaza he ends up getting chased by one or town shop owners. His pranks are really getting out of hand.

-You threw a cactus at Osvaldo! That's worse than what I’ve done.

- Isabela?

-He wasn’t respecting Luisa’s new schedule Abuela. You told him to fix his fence, he didn’t and almost commanded Luisa to pick his donkeys and return them. It was a well deserved cactus, and it wasn’t even that spiky. Besides, you didn’t say a thing when mamá refused to help him.

-He should have respected Luisa’s schedule but it doesn't mean you get the right to throw dangerous plants at him whenever you want, i hope you know that. I thought he had sat on one of them, no wonder he seemed so furious when Julieta closed the door on his face.

-He would have got the rolling pin if I hadn’t closed it. Be grateful you are not bailing me out of jail.

-I never thought I would hear that from you. I expected it from Pepa, but not you.

-Me? What kind of reputation do I have, mamá?

-The sort of reputation that you get when you’ve chased ex boyfriends while lightning. That counts for something right?

-And this is why no one likes you Bruno.

-Pepa!

-It’s fine mamá, at least I don’t soak the bed when I stub my toe.

-It was one time! And it was your bed!

The argument was cut short by Casita’s tiles clacking to get everyone’s attention. Once they quieted down they heard a knock coming from the courtyard, Isabela standing to open the front door since she was the closest. With the creaking of Casita opening its door to whoever it was the dining room filled up with an unquestionable tension that no one expected though it soon became more than just that when Isabela screamed at the top of her lungs for whoever it was standing outside to leave. Julieta and Agustin were quick on their feet followed by Pepa and Felix, Bruno trying to keep the children in the kitchen in case it was dangerous. Alma stood on trembling knees and made her way to the courtyard paying no mind to her son's pleas not to leave the room; she needed to know what was going on, who had made her granddaughter this mad. The instant she set foot on the patio she wished she had listened to Bruno. Although her daughters were trying to cover him from her and Felix and Agustin were holding Isabela so she wouldn’t murder anyone she still saw him standing on the stairs with a bouquet of roses.

-¡Soltadme! You have the courage to come to our house after last night?! Let me go! I’m going to kill him!

-Mija, please, you are going to hurt Dolores if you keep screaming. Calm down, come on, your mamá and tia can handle this.

-No! I’m staying, I wouldn’t trust that ass with a woman even if it were his own mother. If he touches you or abuela I’m breaking his face.

-Isabela, cariño, we’ll be fine. Take her to the garden Gus, before she accidentally makes carnivorous plants grow. - although she was still fighting to get out of their iron grip they took her to the back door and out into the garden leaving the three women alone with him still standing like an idiot by the door. This time they had to watch Pepa, the growing dark cloud giving away just how pissed she was. - Mariano, go home, this is not the time.

-Si, go before either of us do something that we’ll regret.

-Please señoras, give me just a minute to explain myself. Just one. Then I’ll leave if you want me to, I won’t fight you.

-Está bien, one minute. Go on.

-Thank you señora Julieta. I came to apologise, not only because my abuela told me to but because I’ve been thinking all night and… and I wanted to tell you that all this, the entire situation from what happened in the party up until what happened last night, Alma had nothing to do with it. It was all me. I wanted her and she didn’t fight me, but I couldn’t see whether she was comfortable or not and it was quite obvious that she wasn’t. Please, don’t be mad at her, don’t hate her because none of this is her doing. Absolutely nothing.

-You realised you were hurting our mother after Rosa whooped your ass?

-A bit, yes, but not really. It dawned on me when I let go of her and saw that she was crying. I should have realised that I was hurting her, I should have listened and there aren’t enough words or time for me to apologise enough, but I hope that if you let me see her, just to give her these flowers and tell her how sorry I am we might… start fixing this, if it can be mended, of course.

-What do you think, Pepa?

-I’ll be standing right behind you, ready to bite your neck off if you try to do anything. I suppose that mamá is the one you should be apologising to.

-Thank you. De verdad.

After glancing at each other they finally moved aside and Alma stood face to face with Mariano. He looked worse for wear, a bandage covering his entire left arm where if she remembered correctly Pepa had electrocuted him, several bandaids on his nose that had clearly been broken and a swollen black eye, she couldn’t determine whether it was from the nose or a chanclazo that had landed poorly on his face. Yet he stood there with a cautious smile and a huge bouquet of what she could clearly see now were red roses and pristine white daisies. Has that unofficially become their flower? It seemed to be everywhere today. She stood there unsure what to do until he took a step into Casita. She had expected the tiles to morph into a wave and throw him out but they remained unmovile almost as if the house knew she didn’t really want him far from her. There was a respectable distance between the two of them when he stopped, no need to get her daughters all worked up and worsen his injuries, after all he wasn’t planning on doing anything except for what he already expressed.

-Hola.

-Hola.

-Yo… esto… I got you this, I know you are always surrounded by flowers and Isa can make you more beautiful ones, but…

-They are wonderful.

-I’m glad you like them. You said you liked daisies, that your late husband used to pick them everyday and I thought you would appreciate them. The roses… I just liked them.

-You… remembered? - another memory crept up on her, but this one belonged to a much older time, when he had barely learned to garden with Isabela, they had just turned ten and as an anecdote she had told him of how Pedro would every morning head to a nearby field that seemed to always be filled with daisies and bring her a cup of coffee and a small glass with water and the flower. She thought he would have forgotten after all these years.

-Of course. Everything you have ever told me I keep it in my mind. I don’t want to forget any details of your life, they are important to you then they are important to me. Here, they will need water but I’m sure you can get Isa to look after them.

-Si, even if they come from you. She’s really angry.

-She broke my nose last night, I thought she was going to again when she opened the door. She seemed even angrier than yesterday.

-She… she did what?

-Oh, I thought you knew. It doesn’t matter, I deserved it. I hurt you. I didn't mean to but I did. I don’t know what came over me, I thought we were… happy, but it’s quite obvious I was wrong. As I said there aren’t enough words or time for me to make it up to you, but I will try my best, I promise.

-Mariano, we have issues, and it takes two to…

-No. I did it all. You were there but I didn't consult you, I forced myself on you, don’t for a minute think that you had anything to do with this. I did it all.

He was lying, she could see it in his face but what he was trying to hide from her she didn’t know. She just knew that at least a small percentage of what had happened had been her fault, she couldn't blame it all on him but he was standing there in front of her family telling them he was the bad guy. Either he was an idiot with a death wish or an idiot who was… in love. She took the flowers from him and left them on a side table before turning to look at him. She had made up her mind on the spot.

-Let’s go for a walk.

-Mamá?

-¿Qué? Are you mad?

-Niñas, por favor. I’ll be fine, Mariano and I need to talk, and it's going to happen sooner or later. You wanted the clear image, well, so do I and the only way is to talk. I don’t think it will take long, but don’t worry if I’m late for lunch.

-Are you sure mamá? We can go with you, stay in the background.

-I don’t need bodyguards Juli. You worry about your daughter and her aggressiveness. I’ll be fine. Besides I’m sure Dolores will keep an ear out for me, won’t you dear?

A squeak was the only answer they got. Taking a deep breath Alma gestured to the front door and followed him to the outer world to greet the morning. Glancing behind her she saw Casita closing the doors leaving a worried Julieta and a terrified and angry Pepa behind, but this was the best for them both. She wouldn’t learn anything if they were around them both like bees around Agustín.

[rainywritingsx]

hcs: Bakugou and Todoroki on their wedding with reader

request:Hey angel! May I ask for wedding HC for Bakugou x reader and Todoroki x reader? Like, how its gonna be the wedding, if they're nervous or excited, etc.. thank you in advance ♡♡

I had so so much fun writing this honestly, it’s so cute. and also,,, made me feel more single than i already did lolol, but I still enjoyed it! I hope you think so too. Soooo have fun reading!!

xxx Damla

If you enjoy my work and would like to give a tip, feel free to buy me a coffee!

warnings: some swearing and mention of being drunk (everyone is of age here)

Bakugou Katsuki

this guy totally wants to be involved in planning the wedding

hiring a wedding planner? Hell no, we’re doing this together

you bet he will make time to look for places to hold the wedding, to try out wedding cakes, look for decorations etc

as i’ve mentioned so many times, Bakugou doesn’t half-ass anything so he will do anything to make the wedding perfect

he lets you choose of course, but Bakugou makes sure that you’ve looked at as many available options as possible

it might be tiring, but he means well

now, onto the wedding itself

bakugou is s t r e s s e d

he gets up even earlier than usual

I don’t think he’s that traditional so he doesn’t really care about not seeing you before the wedding etc

so if y’all live together and you aren’t keen on traditions either, the morning will be spent with him

best jeanist tried to do his hair and bakugou ONLY tolerated it because you asked if he could have his hair done for the wedding

but

poof

it’s back to its natural state

throughout the day the bakusquad is teasing him but also hyping him up once he’s in his suit

literally doesn’t care whether you wear a suit or dress, you are beautiful to him either way

will definitely want to match somehow

if you wear a suit, your ties will match and if you wear a dress, he will try to either match with your jewelry or with your bouquet

he’s hella nervous once he’s finally done and waiting for you

he’s not scared you’ll suddenly run off, of course not. Bakugou will definitely think deeply about it first before proposing to you, so logically he knows it’s all fine

but a part of him still feels nervous

and he can’t wait to see you walking down the aisle. 

and then the doors open

he sees you

and wow

no joke I can totally see him tearing up at the sight of you

like wow he’s getting married

btw the wedding will be kinda small, at the wedding you will find 1-A, both your families and definitely Aizawa bc he’s a proud dad too

As you’re making your way towards him he just thinks to himself ‘holy shit i’m so fucking blessed’ 

Once you finally arrive and hold hands, he will not stop making eye contact the whole time

He doesn’t even have to tell you how amazing you look and how happy he is, his eyes tell you everything

as he says his vows, you hardly notice his voice weavering a bit

and you just smile and squeeze his hand

probably isn’t a big fan of taking pictures

but he will take a few for you and your and his parents

at first he refuses to dance

will slow dance with you if you reaaally want him to

if you feed him wedding cake baby will be f l u s t e r e d

but he secretly likes it heheh

and

if for some reason he ends up drunk, he will be on the dance floor for the rest of the night lmao

good luck with him

as for the honeymoon

he will take days off for you

which he probably won’t do often so that shows how special you are

overall it’s just a lovely wedding that you won’t forget

Todoroki Shouto

Todoroki doesn’t necessarily feel the need to plan everything of the wedding 

If you ask for his opinion, he will tell you what he thinks of course

If you ask him to come along with you to look for decorations, he will happily join but he may be a little lost

doesn’t really have anything specifically he adores

as long as you love it, it’s all good, that’s what matters to him

I can even see him asking for your opinion on what suit to get

“Baby, those two suits are the same.

“No, this one is darker.”

uwu protect him

overall he just seems super chill about the whole thing

he probably has attended some weddings with his family before, but never paid much attention since most of those weren’t relatives

so he doesn’t know much about them but todo will definitely do some research because he wants it to be perfect

if you want to do a traditional wedding that’s okay and the same goes for incase you don’t want that

the wedding will be small, with some family members of his and a few friends as well as your own family

tbh i don’t see him inviting Endeavor, even if he tries to become better

maybe he will consider it if his mother really wants him to, but if not, he won’t

i’m going with the dabi is a todoroki theory bc why not so

let’s say he’s in contact with his brother now and even invited him

he might not come (he’s a villain dude) but he may visit before or after the wedding uwu

nowww let’s go to the wedding day

here is where he slowly loses his chill

almost burns his suit on accident 

he starts to feel a lot more nervous now and a bit worried 

what if he messes up or forgets his vows?

what if he gets too nervous and accidentally uses his quirk?

Or, the worst of all, what if you run away?

Midoriya assures him that that won’t happen, but something in Todoroki still worries

and once the doors open, and he sees you walk down the aisle, his eyes tear up

he just loves you so much

you’ve helped him through so many hardships and he’s more thankful than ever for that

when you arrive and grab his hands, he will whisper how wonderful you look with glossy eyes

his vows will be very personal to the point that it has everyone in tears

definitely wants to slow dance with you

I feel like Todoroki thinks about this even more because of his experience with his father, and because he saw how he was towards his mother

he will do anything to show you his love and to make you happy

he might try dancing to more upbeat music, but I feel like he will be a bit stiff and awkward

but baby tries his best uwu

he loves the wedding cake

also I don’t think he’s the type to take pictures either

but his family totally wants to so he complies 

in hindsight he’s glad because that way you can keep these memories

definitely takes you on an amazing honeymoon

and this marks the beginning of a new chapter in your relationship

[cheeriecherry]

hi!! how are you? can you write for baku, deku, & todo where they meet their s/o family for the first time & they’re super scary? they’re all super tall, buff, full of tattoos, loud, aggressive, mean & the fam is super overprotective over s/o & the 3 are just freaking out bc s/o is the opposite? s/o is super sweet, calm, bubbly & short so the last thing they were expecting was this & they’re just freaking out & trying to get on their s/o’s family good side? sorry if that sounds complicated 😭

The more specific the ask, the better! I’ll see what my brain can come up with, I’ve just had couch medicine so

Requests are temporarily closed so I can catch up on them!

BAKUGOU KATSUKI

-Loud boi isn’t gonna let anyone know that he’s intimidated.

-He’s already a little nervous to meet your family for the first time, though he’d never admit it. You were so hesitant to ask him to come over, and at first he thought it was because he was the loud and aggressive one.

-But that Saturday afternoon when he walks up to your house and your dad answers the door, he’s like ‘oh’ and it all clicks into place.

-He loves you a lot, so he wants to make a good impression, but he also never backs down from a challenge. So he and your dad have a stare down in the doorway, until you stroll around the corner and see them.

-You scold your dad and tell him to stop being rude to your boyfriend. Your dad doesn’t say anything, but he sighs and lets Bakugou in.

-The fun doesn’t stop there, though. You tug Bakugou around the house from room to room introducing him to your family, and every single one of them gives him the same cold, mildly threatening stare.

-Ngl your uncle who lives in the basement apartment kinda scares him, but he doesn’t say anything and tries to play it cool. The guy is built like a brick house and covered head to toe in intricate tattoos.

-He doesn’t mention it, but you can tell that your boyfriend is wondering about potential ties you have to the mafia, with a guy like that living in your house. But you assure him it’s just your uncle’s quirk that gives him the art on his skin, and that he’s actually pretty shy about it and doesn’t like going out.

-The last person he meets is your mom. With everyone being so much taller and physically stronger than you, he assumes that your mom is gonna be the person you got your tiny genes from.

-Lol no

-She’s at least six feet tall, and without a doubt the most intimidating person in the house. She’s got the face of an angel and the grace of a butterfly, but behind her smile Bakugou can see the willingness to kill anyone who hurts her baby (you).

-Lunch with the fam is a little awkward at first, until your younger cousin goads Bakugou into a spice eating contest. Then the shouting at the table begins, everyone placing their bets on who they think will win. You’re the only one who bets on your boyfriend, and you get like a hundred collective bucks out of your family members when he wins.

-He’s earned the respect of your cousin, who’s like eight maybe and now deems Bakugou a respectable opponent. Bakugou is torn between yelling and patting the kid on the head, so he probably does both and shouts at the kid to keep practicing so they can try and beat him one day.

-At the end of the visit, your boyfriend is surprisingly calm. You’re walking him home, arm in arm, not really saying much. Though you do tell him that he’s taking your living situation pretty well.

-He’s like wdym? And you explain to him that most of your friends and potential partners are scared of your family and refuse to come over because of them.

-Bakugou just scoffs and is like ‘of course they are, because they’re chicken shits. As if I’d be scared of a bunch of-’ and he pauses because you start laughing, not at him, just about the situation.

-Your family actually really likes him and find him a suitable boyfriend for you. They know you’re strong, but they want someone who can protect you and who’s loyal to you, and they see that in Bakugou. They probably invite him to the next family gathering.

MIDORIYA IZUKU

-A nervous boi

-He wants so badly to make a good impression on your family, to get their approval of your relationship. He knows you’re close with them, so he doesn’t want their potential opinions of him to sway your desire to be with him.

-He dresses casually but tidy, and while he waits at the door he fiddles with his shirt a bit.

-Almost has a heart attack when your sister opens the door and glares down at him with the rage of 1000 suns.

-He does his best to introduce himself formally and be polite, but your sister is making it awfully hard for him to stay focused. She doesn’t say anything to him, so he just continues chattering until he’s off on a tangent and saying way too much.

-And you’re like ‘I feel my boyfriend danger senses tingling’ so you go downstairs and lo and behold. 

-Ofc he’s not in any actual danger, just the danger of making a fool of himself. You set a hand on your sister’s arm, and the moment you do it’s like all the anger in her body dissipates and she turns into a sweet, smiling bean. Then she skips away to go do her homework.

-You pull Midoriya inside and give him a once-over anyways, just to make sure your sister didn’t burn holes in him with her glares. But he assures you he’s alright, and he’s a lot more relaxed now that you’re around.

-Probably says something like ‘I can see why you were so nervous about bringing me to your house, your older sister seems really protective of you’

-and you’re like ‘um,,,,actually she’s my younger sister’ and he’s like ‘wot’ and you’re like ‘also she’s the least scary of everyone’ and he’s like ‘wOT’

-You waste no time parading him from room to room to show him off, all while his soul slowly escapes his body.

-Your parents actually scare him the least, like, of course they’re protective of you, but they have the common courtesy not to exaggerate their scary qualities. They still tower over both you and Midoriya, but they’re mostly civil in terms of interactions.

-Your older brothers scare him a little bit more. They share the basement suite, so you drag your boyfriend downstairs to introduce them all to each other...and interrupt their poker game with their friends.

-All of them have some kind of tattoo visible, nothing Midoriya recognizes as any gang symbol, but he’s still wary. However, he manages to say hello and all the pleasantries, and actually gets a smile out of one of your brothers, who tries to rope him into a game of cards.

-Thankfully you save him with the excuse that you still have more family to show him off to, but he’s left with the promise of ‘later, then’.

-Lastly is your sister, who he’s technically already met. She’s arguably the scariest of everyone. She’s easily almost six feet tall and looks like she could bench press the two of you with ease. You promise him that she’s a literal sweet pea, but when the two of you walk up to her room, Midoriya isn’t so sure.

-She glares at him hard, like she’s judging him about everything and if he doesn’t pass she’ll snap him in half. He has to swallow the lump in his throat, and quickly looks around the room for some kind of thing to ask about that might get her to open up.

-And he sees it. One of the rarer All Might figures from an old merch line, one that he also has, so he’s like ‘do you like All Might’ and it’s like a switch is flipped.

-You breathe a sigh of relief as the two of them start nerding out about their favourite hero, sprouting facts and recalling films and old news videos. When he mentions that All Might teaches at his school, your sister honest to god squeals, and starts asking all kinds of questions about what kind of teacher he is, what he’s learned, what it’s like to be a protogee of such a great hero. He answers everything with glee, all his former fears forgotten.

-When it comes time for dinner, your sister insists that your boyfriend sit next to her, which is apparently a very high honor because one of your brothers sulks off to the other end of the table. (You assure your brother later that it’s just temporary and that your sister just really likes your boyfriend).

-But seeing the two of them interact warms your heart, it’s usually hard for your sister to make friends because she’s so intimidating, so you’re glad they’re getting along. And so does the rest of your family! They see Midoriya’s kindness and hardworking attitude, and they warm up to him pretty quickly.

-It ends up being a really enjoyable night, despite the rocky start. Though sadly yes your boyfriend does eventually get roped into a game of poker, and yes your brother’s cheat, but you cheat too, and you’re all betting in chocolate coins. You share your hoard with him.

TODOROKI SHOUTO

-He goes into it being not nervous, and ends up being Quite nervous once he meets your family.

-When he arrives, you’re thankfully the one to answer the door, so he doesn’t get hassled, so everything seems pretty normal right off the bat. Until your cousin walks through the room and is like ‘???? who’s this pipsqueak???’ and Todoroki is torn between being his usual snarky self and being polite.

-He wats to throw shade right back, but for your sake he wants to make a good impression. You’re used to his manners (or lack thereof) but he doesn’t want your family to think he’s not worthy of you. He really loves you a lot and wants to stay with you.

-So he goes for a formal introduction, even going in for a handshake. It’s kind of funny, because your cousin is like ‘lol what are manners’ but your glare forces him to return the gesture. His hand completely dwarfs your boyfriend’s, and you have to hide a snicker.

-And then the guy awkwardly wanders out of the room.

-You and Todoroki kind of just stand there for a second, and then he’s like ‘is this what you meant when you said your family was intimidating’ and you’re like ‘:3′

-You give him a tour of the house, a nice modest place with traditional aspects. It’s nowhere near as big as his, but he like it that way, it makes the place more homey and warm.

-You introduce him to family members as you come across them; your younger twin nuisances cousins, who are more mischievous than dangerous, your aunt and her wife, who look like they could get away with murder, your brother and his friends, who mostly only glare at Todoroki to try and make him uncomfortable.

-Thankfully he’s used to the stoic and slightly scary expressions, thanks to his dad. He wonders momentarily if you’re safe here, but then he realizes that everyone in the house is especially kind to you, and very affectionate when they think he’s not looking. He doesn’t even bother asking the question.

-Lastly are your parents, who are in the kitchen preparing dinner. They’re a little perturbed that you’re both in the kitchen when they’re working, but they seem to be less purposefully intimidating than everyone else. They’re still a little scary though.

-Then he notices that your parents are making soba. From scratch. Which is particularly difficult to master, so he figures they must be pretty well practiced if they’re so good at it.

-Without thinking, he asks if they’ve made soba before, and soon your parents are sprouting off about their culinary careers and the restaurant they run. You were supposed to take over one day, but you ultimately chose a different path in life, even after they taught you so much.

-Todoroki didn’t even realize you could cook, but now he wants more than anything to try your meals someday, or learn a few things from you and make dinners together.

-It startles him a little that he’s thinking so far ahead in your lives, but honestly if you’ve managed to get him as a boyfriend then you’re likely to have him for your whole life, if you want him.

-He talks a little more with your parents about the food, expressing in his way that he’s looking forward to a dinner that’s had so much hard work go into it. And you can see the little light go on in your parents’ heads, the light that signals they approve of your choice in boyfriend and have started making room in their hearts for him.

-Dinner is nice, pretty peaceful aside from your twin cousins causing their usual trouble, but he’s nonplussed by it. he still wonders how you managed to come out so small in comparison to everyone else, but it doesn’t bother him too much. He can see that you’re loved and well cared for, and a little piece of him hopes that one day he’ll be able to get to know your family even better.

[familyofpaladins]

From what I can tell of the time line....

The movies Heroes Rising and World Heroes' Mission take place like.... about a month apart. Maybe a little more, maybe even less???

These kids are going THROUGH IT. HOLY FUDGE NOODLES

They go from fighting a crazy powerful group of villains and very nearly dying after defending an island that Wasn't Supposed To Have Villains. To, not even a month later, fighting a Terrorist Cult that is Literally all over the World and again coming very close to dying.

Give. Them. A. REST

explanation of timeline(?) Below

Okay. So heroes rising takes place AFTER the villain arc, because when shiggy shows up he's missing his two fingers.

The villain arc I think happens sometime in December??

Like. Sometime in (late?)october is when the league kinda first finds out about Gigantomachina, and it think its stated somewhere that they're fighting him or a month/ month and a half when they go after the Meta liberation army. Which puts the league vs meta liberation in early December. (Late Nov. at the earliest)

Now here's rising is after that, but not sure how much. But it's also (presumably) after Todoroki and Bakugo do their make up tests for their hero licenses , since I'd assume they'd have to have them to work on the island. And I think its stated in the show that todo and baku get their liscense 9 (???) Days after the attack with the liberation army.

I think in heroes rising itself, it says soemthing about them being on vacation from school (Like how the training camp was over their summer break.) I'm not entirely sure when the breaks are for japanese schools, so I'm not sure if Heroes Rising has time to happen before their Christmas party, or if it occurs afterward.

But most likely Heroes rising takes place around late December.

World Heroes Mission takes place while the boys have their internship with Endeavor.

Their internship begins a week before their winter break is over. (With the Todoroki family dinner at the end of the first week and right before classes start back up) so this is the beginning of January(?).

It's also mentioned that the boys will be continuing their internship, but for 2 days each week after classes start again.

World Heroes Mission. I had assumed it was during that first week, as all the other students are also on their internships at the same time.

Theres also the Show specific arc of Uraraka and Tsuyu on their internship stopping a ship from transporting illegal goods, which I think they specified as the Drug Trigger. I think it was implied that some of the stuff still got away, or was just part of a bigger organization. I think this was supposed to be alluding to Humarise/ the set up for WHM.

So it would make sense for WHM to happen shortly after that, as I'm assuming the heroes would want to jump o that sooner rather than later.

However, at the time of the Todoroki family dinner, Deku has some control over blackwhip, but he states that he can really only control it for a second (which is actually more like 5 to 10 seconds, but ok, sure deku). In WHM he's constantly using balckwhip and seems to have a good handle on it.

So WHM might actually take place a little more into their school year. Like late January or early February. This would give time for Deku to get better with blackwhip and for Pro Heroes to gather Intel and plan for the raids that happen in WHM. And as for all the students working at their internships at the same time, its very possible that they were specially called in, like how the kids are all called in for the Raid on the Paranormal Liberation Army (I dont think that's what they call themselves exactly, but I'm too lazy to look up the name, sorry), which is shown at the very end of season 5.

So

It could be:

Heroes Rising happens at the very end of December and World Heroes Mission happens in the first week of Endeavor Intership, which is the beginning of January. Which would put them like.... barely a week apart. If that. Class 1a, but especially Deku, Bakugo and Todoroki, are having a Very Bad Time jgsjgdjgdjyf.

Or (more likely)

Heroes Rising still takes place late December, but World Heroes Mission takes place closer to late January or even early February, so theres about a month or so between movies. Which is still A Very Bad Time for them.

These kids can't catch a break

At least in WHM they knew they were going up against a crazy terrorist cult, and had pro heroes on their side, whereas in Heroes rising they werent expecting villains, and were completely on their own.

(Theres also the possibility of whm happening even later. Like in march. But i think that's a bit too late, and i wanna say that the heroes in japan still had their winter outfits, but i dont really remember now, I didn't pay that close of attention, and march could be either still cold enough for winter suits, Or warm enough for summer outfits)

[softer-ua]

personal crack wants for this arc

-deku running around on his own trying to avoid hero patrols looking for him and also stopping random crimes constantly because he can't just, not, yk?

what are the other kids doing?

two options:

1. there's a deku retrieval squad. possible student participants:

bakugou - will 100% chase after deku's ass unless the idiot explicitly told him not to, and even then... lmao yeah no he's going to search for deku.

ochako - might help since it's izuku tbh, though she might also want to respect izuku's decision

iida - he's class representative so i feel like on one hand he has to stay, but on the other hand deku is his law breaking bro and i could totally see him returning the favour. momo can easily take over his class representative duties because a) i feel as though she's grown into a real leader for the rest of the class b) she's the real representative let's be honest here

todoroki - is always prepared to break the law but might be busy with family bs

others in the class like tsuyu, kirishima, kaminari, jirou, mineta, etc... i doubt it.

shinsou - might be down but that empty seat in 1-A looking real juicy idk

mirio/the ua big three - probably too busy with hero work

the adults? - idek fuck them

Personal want : a longer bakuiida dynamic, (they've been setup since like... chapter five. "remove your feet from the desk" "fucking no, pissy elite robocop" is there a better love story? the corruption of two rule followers as they run from authority to chase their precious stupid green broccoli friend) throwing ochako into the mix would not be bad either. i feel like it would be super hilarious. though the image of todoroki joining them and stealing a car from endeavor to chase mido 😭😭 or todo can be their acomplice in UA keeping the heroes off their tails. i said this was crack didn't i 😭

i don't want them to find deku right away. let them have a buddy road trip arc and get some development. please by the love of god let this happen

2. Option two: Bakugou gets pissed as hell and of course blames himself for Deku leaving, something along the lines of "i wasn't strong enough to keep up so i became a liability and got ditched" + is greying faster than recovery girl over worry for deku. i bet he trains/works like a beast, but with a side of

depression

you get me? that way both he and deku get training arcs and power ups, but they come with spicy sad gay angst. bonus if they did actually talk before deku left but it was a bad talk and they're mad at each other on top of that.

The rest of the characters are also conflicted but generally try to pick up the pieces.

3. the class become drivers of the new hero side, with said side having suffered so many losses. i kind of want them to disagree on what they should be doing and how they should handle things, with deku an important class figure gone. there's room for conflict there. I'd super dig it if "factions" sort of formed and alongside deku we had groups from the class getting their own development so they're not useless come final fight. id love it if by the end, all the different parties and plots collided. i think horikoshi could do a dope job with it.

but tbh, if deku isn't staying at school I don't want the other kids to keep having lessons either. it's just weird, especially since ua is getting turned into an evacuation zone. all their teachers are heroes too, heroes who absolutely need to be on the field. no time for academia in a national crisis.

im trying to think about who deku could train with...

this decision just opened up the story so much there's like 63634 directions this could go

Yasss give me the Bakugo Iida crack head unenthusiastic ally’s road trip we deserve it 😂

If they try give these kids a single math problem I will lose my mind completely

I am 1 billion percent here for the class splitting into more specific factions, even if it’s not disagreement based I’m still down for them developing their special niches like rescue, recon, offense, defense, whatever

I’m doubling down on Grans involvement, maybe he’s putting his mentor hat back on?

[liliesoftherain]

My Hero Academia Main 3 Boys x Reader

Ch. 17 Thank you, dad. 

Masterlist 

A/N: FINALLY OUT OF THE DAMN SPORTS FESTIVAL AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH- Ahem, anyways, thanks for reading huns, means a lot~

If anyone wants to be added to the taglist, or if i missed you, please send an ask and I’ll add you!!

TAGLIST: @rizamendoza808 !(: @iris-suoh !(: @quicksilverfangirl !(: @shortperson202 !(: @noodlenerd101 !(: @matchamidoriya !(: @thorsbtch-captainnoobmaster69me !(: @pastel-prynce !(: @sunkissedneptune @monetfatalia !(: @legit-fandom-trash !(: @lovethewitchofendor !(: @dekuxlink !(: @water-melone98 !(: @helena-way07 !(: @nothing17-7​ !(: @hopelessdisasterr​ !(: @karmaboundlife !(: @lunamoonmint !(: @ihatemyselftoinfinityandbeyond​ !(: @beew​ !(: @kaylees1414 !(: @axerrri​ !(: @icythotsenpai​ !(: @iwantapoptartqwq !(: 

Once the last match was concluded, an announcement was made overhead to take a short break before heading out onto the field. However, since you managed to score yourself a place in the top four, you had to go to a specific area to get ready for the awards ceremony. You waved goodbye to your classmates before making your way down, thankfully not getting lost along the way.

You were met with a crazy sight once you arrived, your jaw dropping while making eye contact with--

Bakugou?

“Uh,” you point at his raging form, who only shouts more once he sees you, “what’s going on with him?”

“GLOW WORM, MELT THESE FUCKING RESTRAINTS OFF RIGHT NOW--”

“Bakugou is being, well, uncooperative,” Midnight sighs, rubbing her temple, “we were forced to use.. Extreme measures to insure he doesn’t hurt himself or any-”

“I’LL FUCKING HURT YOU IF YOU DON’T-”

You hold back a gasp as what looks like a muzzle is placed around his mouth by another staff member, choosing to look back at Midnight as he rages even harder.

“He’s been like this since he woke up. He still has to accept the first place prize, he did win after all.”

Next to Bakugou was Todoroki, as calm and collected as ever, a wild contrast compared to the former. Todoroki looks at you, and you feel your heart squeeze. You wanted to say something, but the words you had to say were a conversation for another day. You look away, getting on top of the third place concrete podium. 

“Now that you’re all here and in place, I’ll be heading back up to the grounds to do the announcing! Relax kiddos, and Bakugou… Please calm down.”

“Uh, Midnight, wasn’t I supposed to share this with Iida? What do you mean we’re all here?”

“Oh,” she stops and looks at you, “Iida had some family thing come up, he had to leave early. Don’t worry, he’ll still get the recognition. Just enjoy the awards ceremony, okay?”

You nod as she takes her leave, wondering what could have possibly happened for him to miss this.

“Hakamata.”

You snap your head to the right, looking past the still struggling Bakugou and lock eyes once more with Todoroki. Blinking in surprise, you bring a hand up to your mouth in a nervous habit.

“Yes?”

“…Thank you.”

You stare at him with confusion, unsure why he was thanking you. At the beginning of all of this, he was determined to think of you as nothing more than a pest--

But now…

“Oh, uhm-”

“MMFMAMUPH!”

Muffled screams cut you off, and you shake your head with an amused laugh as Bakugou extends his leg to try to kick Todoroki. The boy just sighs, stepping to the side to be out of the others reach, eyes then looking straight ahead and ignoring everything.  

Your father always did talk about the importance of appearances after all.

“Geez Bakugou-” His attention snaps to you, and you awkwardly laugh and figure you shouldn’t say anything else in fear of him losing his cool even more.

The ground shakes slightly after; a muffled voice speaking above announcing the start of the awards ceremony causes you to stand tall, with arms shoved into your pockets to avoid them awkwardly hanging by your sides. You made sure to throw your jacket back on, along with fixing yourself up, so you know you didn’t look terrible despite the few bandages along your arms and face.

The sound of fireworks and cheering now more clear as you settle above the ground, the students in the field surround the front of the podium--

Front row seats.

The attention makes you freeze momentarily, but you relax when you realize all eyes are on Bakugou. You hear the said boy struggle harder, causing you to awkwardly look away as if you didn’t know him. 

“In addition to (y/n) Hakamata, there is also Tenya Iida in third place, who was unable to be here due to family reasons! Thank you for understanding,” Midnight winks at the camera, “Now, we will award the medals! The presentation will, of course, be by the one and only--”

She was cut off by booming laughter, and you look up to see the eccentric number one hero jump off the roof and land smoothly in front of the winners podium. Midnight offers the awards, allowing AllMight to take them with his ever-present smile before walking over to you. You can’t help the excited blush that spreads across your cheeks as he jumps onto your slab of concrete.

“Ah, young Hakamata, congratulations,” he places a bronze medallion around your neck, the weight of it against your chest brings a feeling of pride, “You are a wonderful young lady, one who has shown strength, courage, and intelligence in your battles.”

“Thank you…”

“Don’t look so down!”

You let out a squeak of surprise as AllMight pulls you into a soft hug, giving your head a few encouraging pats. 

“I can tell you feel frustrated; you see, sometimes our quirks don’t work the way we want them to, and the setbacks they provide frustrate us to no end. You want to do more than what you can handle, and with a bit of training I’m sure you can mold your quirk to be what you want it to. Setbacks will be less frequent, and you’ll prevail in the end. Don’t let this stop you from achieving what you want, young Hakamata.”

You shyly wrap your arms around the hero, as far as your arms could go anyway, basking in his warmth before pulling away. He pulls away as well, giving you a softer grin than before and a thumbs up for good measure. 

“Thank you sir!”

AllMight moves to give Todoroki his second place medal, and you stare straight ahead across the sea of faces. Thoughts swirl in your head, but for once you’re at peace.

For once, you finally feel like you’ve proven you’re enough.

Even if your dad has told you over and over of your worth, ever since he found out what she did to you all those years, you’ve always had that doubt in the back of your mind. 

But now, by making it on your own, you felt like you didn’t have much left to prove.

Besides becoming a better hero than she could ever be, of course. 

“Now, young Bakugou!”

You break free from your thoughts as the winner of the tournament screams as soon as his makeshift muzzle is taken off. Deadpanning as AllMight is forced to put the ribbon in his mouth, as he dodged the attempts to place it around his neck.

“You’re so stubborn Bakugou…” Your whisper, which was meant to be unheard, was anything but as Bakugou’s feral gaze lands on your form. 

You look away, whistling innocently as AllMight made his ending speech.

“Well, they were the winners this time! But listen here, anyone could have ended on these podiums. It’s just as you saw, competing! Improving each other! And climbing even further! The next generation of heroes is definitely growing! So, I have one more thing to say! SAY IT WITH ME!”

“PLUS ULTRA!-”

“THANKS FOR YOUR HARD WORK!”

“...ALLMIGHT-”

-----

The day was over, but you still had to change back into your uniform and head to your classroom to receive instructions. You sighed, finally feeling the fatigue kicking in sitting at your desk, half listening to Aizawa as he drones on about ProHero recruitment and having the rest of the school week off to recuperate. 

You weren’t worried about the internships, knowing you could always go with your dad to his.  

The class was dismissed and you walked out of the school, hand coming up to cover the yawn that left your lips. You couldn’t wait to go home, to eat a big dinner and take a nice hot bath--

“Hakamata.”

You turn around, confused to see Todoroki there. It was weird, he’s called out to you many times today...

He seems to hesitate, standing in front of you. You raise a brow, wondering what could have the Shoto Todoroki talking to you casually about. Sure, you cheered him on, stopped him in the hallways to personally wish him luck..

Granted, you suppose you have been calling out to him plenty of times as well.

“Ah, Todoroki? What’s wrong?”

He also did fix your arm, when he could have easily let you deal with it-

Oh no, was this about listening in on him with Bakugou?

He couldn't have found out about you spying on him, could he have!? 

“Hakamata, I need to ask you-”

“Shoto.”

You mutter a thank you, looking back at Todoroki who glared at the Pro.

A booming voice cuts him off, and you can see the way Todoroki tenses at the sound. You turn your head, gaze locking with the infamous Endeavor once more.

“Ah, it’s you again,” his voice sounds smug, and you think back to the previous conversation you had with the pro, “good to see you again. Congratulations on third place.”

“Todo-”

“I’ll see you at school, Hakamata.” 

His tone is short and stiff as he walks away, past his father who continues to stare at you. He grins, eyes narrowing in thought before he turns and walks away.

“Yes, see you soon, Hakamata-san.”

You watch as Todoroki’s fists clench by his sides at the words, yet saying nothing as they both disappear from view. 

You're nervous, annoyed, pissed, and concerned all at once, not knowing what to do. You had half the intention to run at him and once again give him a piece of your mind--

“(y/n) sweetheart, there you are.”

A smoother voice brings you out of your state of unease, and you turn with a smile.

“Dad! I thought you had to go back to the agency!”

He laughs, hands smoothing your hair down and eyes holding his smile.

“I wanted to take you home, let’s get going. You must be exhausted.”

You hum in agreement, holding your father's arm as he walks you to the car he brought. 

“I’m proud of you, you fought hard today.”

“It was all thanks to you.” You say honestly, thinking of every single moment your dad has ever been there for you. 

“Don’t brush off your accomplishments, sweetheart, you did this on your own.” His words are stern yet soft, letting you know he meant what he said.

You only hum once more in agreement, letting him open the door for you as you shuffle into the backseat, him following after and closing the door while letting the driver know he could go.

‘If only you knew how much hope you’ve really given me... Thank you, dad.’

[mysterylover123]

Todoroki’s Relationships Analysis Part 7: Chapter 169-now. Culture Fest, Pro Hero, JTA, MLA & Winter Internship arcs.

(SPOILERS TO NOW)

Culture Festival Arc

The new, party person post retake arc Shoto

Shoto’s retake course has helped to change his perspective on things a little, and understand the value of fun a little bit more (which is what this arc is all about)

He remains critical towards Bakugou here, though Katsuki definitely starts it. 

Or more accurately, the rest of the school starts it by acting like Class A asked to get attacked by crazy supervillains. Bakugou initially in this scene seems like he’s being a jerk, but he’s actually having one of his moments of kindness and empathy, as he defends his classmates from the rest of the school, and Shoto stops criticizing him once that lands. 

Shoto spends most of the CF arc hanging around twith this group, whom he mostly gets along with on the level of fairly normal friendship, so there isn’t much to say about these scenes.

We see Shoto to be the most concerned classmate about Deku’s wellbeing, probably because he’s learned by this point that an unavailable Midoriya probably means he’s breaking his body in two.

He watches Izuku getting scolded by the teachers.

And hangs out with Iida during the Culture Fest event itself. (Iida is the universal bro)

Culture Fest Shoto is still fairly quiet, but much more sociable than before. He suggests throwing a big party for the school, which should probably tell you that he’s a very different kid from the start of the year.

Pro Hero Arc

This arc is mostly about Shoto’s relationship with his dad, though we get a quick glimpse of his classmates looking after him when the fight plays on TV.

Four classmates are specifically watching Shoto. Now, while Kiri and Shoto do have a friendship, Kiri is generally the “glue that holds the class together”, so essentially, he was written to be the kid who always looks after his teammates. The other 3 are Shoto’s 3 main ships: Bakugou, Deku, and Momo. 

Though just about everyone comes over to him afterwards.

Included because how can you not.

joint Training Arc

Sero and Shoto sure have come a long way since “nice try” huh? And yes, Earlyroki is the phrase I want to use too.

Shoto is focused on watching Yaoyorozu’s fight.

He showcases some understanding of Momo’s tactical expertise and confidence in her ability to win. He believes that only a total assault on her could have been sufficient to actually defeat Momo. 

He looks worried for Momo after she loses and states firmly that he “hopes she doesn’t get all discouraged again”, recalling her previous sadness and worrying for her in the future.

We see a moment of Todoroki and Bakugou being on the same wavelength here, as following the above panel Shoto immediately does just that. 

Tetsutetsu pushes Todoroki to the point where he has to use way too much firepower. However, his team still loses/ties.

He has a Deku-like moment and this triggers his actions in the next arc (tears at BabyTodo in the left hand panel.)

This is his reaction to BlackWhip. He goes over to Deku after the JTA is over and after Deku’s training session with Bakugou and All Might and asks him directly, indicating he thinks Izuku has two powers.

Clearly, Shoto felt a bit betrayed that Deku asked him to go all out but was apparently holding back himself. I wish we could’ve had Shoto’s thoughts while the whole thing was going on.

He instantly believes Midoriya and doesn’t think to question this strange development. He compliments him as well, showing that Deku has joined Momo and Kacchan’s ranks as someone Shoto admires. Deku shoots right back at him.

Shoto, having tied while Deku and Kacchan, his two Official Rivals, both won with a complete knockout, obviously feels like they’ve surpassed him. This is, basically, his equivalent (though less angsty) to Bakugou at the end of the PLE arc, feeling completely surpassed by everyone.

The Joint Training arc sees, to Shoto, his classmates surpassing him, and spurs him to decide and seek out Endeavor as a Utility. We see his admiration for Momo, Kacchan and Izuku on full display.

MLA Arc

Newly minted Licensed heroes Todoroki and Bakugou are here to save the day Together!

They’re referring to each other as “we” and working together to end the villains.

Shoto’s showing concern for Kacchan, who as usual takes all concern for his wellbeing as an insult. (and as usual makes everything about Deku. Holy crap, was that really as powerful as the Sports Fest move?!?! They’ll have to bust out some sick animation for that).

Winter Internship Arc (up to present chapter, Chapter 250)

So Todoroki and Kacchan work together well. Are they friends? What does Shoto think of their relationship? His self-definition is that they get along well.

Todoroki apparently defines friendship as “spending a lot of time together”. Bakugou objects to this. Todoroki basically calmly insists that they get along anyway.

Shoto’s motto of heroism here is that he wants “to put others at ease’. We’ve got his manifesto as to heroism laid out here.

This is funny, yes, but also kinda heartbreaking. Shoto is incredibly awkward in his interview and doesn’t seem to understand that he’s being flirted with. It’s possible he doesn’t have much conception of what romance, flirtation and attraction even are. This is a facet I’d like to see explored more in shipping fics, actually, because any idea of Shoto as some smooth charmer with great flirting skills should be heavily dispelled by this instance.

Although he’s talking about his dad here, the words could just as easily apply to Midoriya.

Shoto instantly apologies to Katsuki, taking it as his fault that Bakugou was cut, because he’s not socially adept enough to get that Bakugou’s behavior is inappropriate. While one doesn’t have to, you could take Bakugou’s reply as him relieving Shoto of feeling guilty by telling him it wasn’t his fault. Just in Bakugou-speak.

Deku’s 3 most popular ships watch him try and conquer his quirk. Or is this in his head?

Some nervous solidarity between Shoto and Izuku, + bonus Jealous Bakugou.

ChristmasTodo notices Bakugou feeling down.

And immediately offers him and Deku internship jobs with the #1. Shoto’s motives her deserve some consideration. He states later on that he sees Endeavor, as far as regards his career as a pro, in a utilitarian manner. He views him as a means to an end for success (outside of their past and family drama, obviously). So Shoto is, essentially, offering Deku and Kacchan the best possible internship opportunity he can, even though it involves asking his old man for a favor. That’s some serious supportive friendship power right there.

Endeavor complains about having to teach all 3 but Shoto shuts him down quickly.

He agrees with Bakugou that Endeavor’s dismissive attitude is not what they signed on for or what he promised Kacchan. 

Todo and Kacchan are again on the same wavelength here and act like they both find Deku’s constant chatter annoying.

In his big speech to Endeavor, he states that “competing with these guys” before correcting himself and trying to include the rest of his classmates in that estimation. But he ca’t take back that initial impulse. Deku and Kacchan are placed first in his estimation. They are the first ones he thinks of. And both, as well. It’s  very clear that Deku and Kacchan (Twin Stars of class A indeed) changed his life. Thinking about it too...he didn’t immediately use fire after his match with Deku. It wasn’t until he hurt Bakugou by holding back and lost hte match that he really started to change.

“IN front of my friends”. Shoto again points out that he came her to use Endeavor, regardless of feelings. He insists on being treated the same as Deku and Kacchan, and tells Endeavor not to pretend to be dadlike to him in front of them. This impulse is interesting too. He doesn’t wish to present any kind of lie to these two.

Shoto pays a lot of attention to Kacchan and actually smiles when Bakugou calls Endeavor’s power a “rip-off” of Bakugou’s own explosion quirk. I guess he likes the chance to insult dear ol dad.

When Deku and Kacchan are both in a bad mood, Shoto plays supportive cheerleader.

He’s totally cool with the invitation.

He shows again some understand of (and criticism of) Deku.

This is where Todoroki comes to understand that Katsuki knows about his situation with Endeavor. Interestingly enough, while Deku is the one he told, he hasn’t shown any inclination to add more to that knowledge since the Sports Festival. 

Deku shows some incredible understanding of Shoto’s mind here and supports his decision with Endeav either way. Shoto’s expression is astonished, as if he had never thought of his situation this way before.

He immediately opens up to Deku and Kacchan about Toya with Fuyumi’s help; once again, both know Shoto’s backstory.

He also reaches out to get the recipe from Fuyumi to give to Bakugou. Always the caring, considerate friend.

Presumably she doesn’t thank Bakugou too because he keeps insisting he totally isn’t friends with Shoto. Shoto looks so adorably embarassed here.

He’s solicited as a study buddy for Deku, and for now (until Friday) this is where we leave them. Jumping forward to save Natsuo.

So this retrospective on Todoroki’s relationships - Todoroki’s relationships only, from his POV alone - was interesting. And very informative, as it changed my perspective on Shoto’s character dynamics a lot. I hope you enjoyed, and let me know if there are any other characters you want me to do a Relationships retrospective on in the future.

[theteapotofdoom]

I just wanted to say thank you for writing your Something Good fanfic. My mom died and your story has been helping me get through some shit. Do Dabi and his mom have A Song? Something they had together away from Enji that would play on the radio or TV and they'd think of each other? Does Shiggy have any good memory's of his mom? Does he look at a painting and think of her?

Hello! First of all, I’m really sorry to hear about your mom. I hope that you are surrounded with loving friends and family members and that you’re all here for each other ♥️

But I’m glad to know that the fic is helping even if just a little! I know that fiction can be very important when going through such difficult times and I’m honored that Something Good can be a positive thing in your life right now!

As for Dabi and his mother, their relationship was and still is quite complicated. I will definitely explain and explore it more in future chapters (I don’t think it’s really a spoiler to tell you that we will see more of the Todo fam in the future). But Dabi has a lot of messy and conflicting feelings towards his family: guilt, sadness, shame, but also anger and resentment. There is still love of course, but for now it’s mixed with a lot of different emotions. It’s still very painful and confusing for him, which why he hasn’t contacted his family in so long.

I’m talking about all of this just to say that even before Dabi left his family and ran away, his mother and him already had a very complicated relationship. Mostly it wasn’t their fault, it was about Enji and the toxic environment he created for the family, but it still affected them. But! Like I said there was still love between them. And so even with the dangerous environment around them, they sometimes managed to find little moments when they could relax together and just have fun! I haven’t thought about all the details yet, but they definitely had little things just between the two of them. For instance, Dabi was always the one who helped Rei to cook dinner when he was a child, it was their special moment together where they would listen to the radio and enjoy each other’s company. Those moments got rarer with time, but they still existed and were very important to both of them! From the top of my head, I’m thinking that "Love cats" by The Cure could have been one of the songs they liked to listen to together!

As for Shigaraki and his mom, this is a little more complicated to talk about without getting into spoilers for Shig’s backstory in the fic, but I’ll do my best! Unfortunately, Shig never knew his mom, so he doesn’t exactly have any memories of her. But he has seen pictures of her, some videos even, and he heard people talking about her so he has created his own image of her for himself. She left some notes and videos specifically for him before his birth, and thanks to all of that he knows that she loved him and he can imagine what kind of person she was! He definitely thinks about her when paints sometimes, and he painted a few portraits of her. He is never entirely satisfied with the results, but the process is always very relaxing and it often helps him to calm down when he needs it! (And of course Kurogiri and Sako are always there for him if he needs to talk about it!) (And they’re here for Dabi as well!)

I’m sorry, I feel like all of my responses were a little sad! I hope that it still helped a little or at least made you smile! Dabi and Tomura both had difficult lives, but they both of their moms loved them a lot (and Rei still loves Dabi!) and now they’re both surrounded by friends and family that will always take care of them, and they have each other of course! ☺️

I send you all the love and the support! And I can’t wait to share the rest of the story as soon as I can!

[cncofantasias]

Justice - Christopher Velez:

Chapter 3: Tainted

Summary: You’ve dated your boyfriend Christopher Velez for 2 years and even now that you guys have been together for so long, there was still so much stuff Christopher refused to tell you. That is until Christopher gets arrested for the murder of a man named Zabdiel de Jesus. As the trial against Christopher goes on you learn things about him that you never thought he was capable of. Y/n is fighting between the Christopher who was her loving and adoring boyfriend and the man who’s committed so many awful crimes.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

-

The summer of 2017 was that of one that made me believe I could have it all.

The summer of 2017, as I remember it, was the time in my life where the feeling of being completely & utterly content with the way my life was going... washed over me.

Although I’d struggled living in a studio that had the toilet practically attached to the kitchen, a studio that didn’t just have one lock but 4. I was doing it and that was what made me proud despite my circumstance.

I was a 20 year old adult living by myself , driving my own run down car, and working a job that although wasn’t the best, nor the easiest; but it paid the bills.

Most people had moved out of their parents house by the time they turned 18 or by the time they graduated. I didn’t exactly have that luxury because most of my life consisted of taking care of my parents. Not the other way around as it should be. Meeting Christopher that summer wasn’t what changed my summer into being the best summer I’d ever had. I wasn’t the kind of girl to swoon over a guy, in fact I rejected Christopher plenty of times before deciding to give him a chance.

In my 20 year old mind, I was rebelling against love because I refused to let any man into my life until I was certain of who I was and until I took care of my education, my career first. I didn’t want any man coming into my life and shifting my focus from my ambitions to be all about them. I refused to live that life; I’d seen it one too many times in my friends and my own family.

However, despite being this independent don’t need anybody kind of woman, I remember it was the beginning of July in 2017 when I’d decided to go out to an early Fourth of July party at my friend’s house. I’ve always been an antisocial, keep to myself sort of girl but since I was 20 at the time I wanted to experience, even a small grain of salt, of that highly talked about roaring party girl twenties.

•••

“Some of it is ugly, was any of it real? Is every memory I hold of you, every part of you that I thought I knew going to be tainted with the truth?”

There weren’t many times when I’d see her like this. She was a confident, ‘I’m fake fine’ kind of woman and to know that she’d now began doubting todos los mementos que teníamos juntos (all the moments we’ve had together). It hurt my heart.

“I guess that’ll be up to you to decide bebe.”

Her silence filled the air, she didn’t have to speak because I’d known her like the back of my palm by this point. She had nothing to left to say because she was too busy thinking; which was usually how our conversations would go, and even our arguments. She was a thinker, an analyzer before she was a conversationalist.

“I remember when I first saw you at that 4th of July party. I kept looking at you and wondering how I was ever going to go up to a girl like you and not embarrass myself to the point of no return. I remember mentally preparing myself to go up to you and just when I felt like I was ready to at least introduce myself to you-“ I chuckled to myself a coy smile playing on my face. I was slightly flustered to ever truly to admit to Y/N, the love of my life, that when it came to her, I was a lost puppy. When it came to her all my player moves and cheekiness was an act that fell away and got lost. She’d made me so infatuated with her that I was intimidated to talk to her.

“I remember I was walking up to you like in one of those romantic movies you always like to watch; and as soon as I got up to you I forgot everything I was gonna say.” A small smile grew on her lips thinking of the moment.

“And you just stood there staring at me with your hands in your pockets. I remember thinking what is this guys problem,” we both laughed at this, the tension broken over our fond little remembrance.

“Till finally I said, h-h-hi my name is Christopher,” I stuttered the same way I did back then in that moment just to see if I could get another crack of a smile out of her and perhaps even a giggle. Fortunately, for my own pride, it worked.

“And I don’t know how but I somehow managed to find my charm again to talk to you for the rest of the night.”

“That’s not how I remember it my love.”

I couldn’t help but admire her, her little smirk played on her face. It was like the Y/N I’d known before all of this happened, and for a minute I think we both forgot the real reason we were sitting here in our house at the coffee table trenching up the past. I wanted her to remember the good parts first before I told her the next part that I was sure would leave her in disappointment.

“Oh yeah, how do you remember it then bebe?”

“It wasn’t exactly charm that you were laying on.”

“But in the end of everything, it worked didn’t it bebe. I got the girl I wanted to begin with.”

“Only because you were persistent. I remember at the end of the night you asked me for my number. I told you I don’t give my number out—“

“So I told you that I’d settle for Snapchat-“

“Or instagram”

“Or even a twitter or an email if thats what it took”

“And I still told you that I wasn’t looking for anybody nor anybody that said they wanted to be friends but then persisted at a dating relationship.”

“I remember laughing so hard when you told me that, I felt like I’d been caught in my own lie,”

“That’s cause you were my love.”

“Fair enough bebita, so I said that if what it took to ever see you again was to write you hand written letters and send it to you by a messenger bird; that I’d find a way.”

She looked down blushing, “and when we said goodbye, you said ‘no I’ll see you later’.”

“I was right on my word.”

“Christopher what does this have to do with your case?”

I looked down, ashamed, I wasn’t quite ready to reveal the truth to her but I knew at some point or the other she’d learn the truth. The only difference in the way she’d learn that truth, is that I wanted it to come me and my own perspective before anyone else’s. The people on the stand would paint me as a monster, the villain to any superhero, the scum of the earth. If I let it us go on without any confession of the truth by my own word; then I’d lose her forever and she’d see me in that light, the villain. I could handle the whole world and their mothers thinking I truly was a monster; but not my Y/N.

“After that night that I met you something terrible happened; earlier that day I’d had some trouble with another gang that was undermining me to steal my customers and pin my own people against me. I had a conference with the guy in charge of that gang, his name was Richard and he’s the head of Los Diablos. By the end of the conference it was in my own understanding that we were in a pack to stay out of each other’s way. But that night, Richard and his gang caught me when I too comfortable. They’d been following my moves that whole day and when they saw I was alone leaving the party. They pulled up next to me at a stoplight and shot a round into my car... 3 bullets hit me and I was in the hospital for a while, but as you can see amor I’m alive.” I’d been trying to lighten the mood, to make her see that I’m still the same man she met before.

“Once I got out of the hospital, I had two things that I had to do: one being that I had to take down Los Diablos in any way possible, and two I had to see you again. The whole time I was at the hospital I’d been thinking about our conversation and how insightful, intelligent you were. Which is what led to me being persistent and finding out from some of my homeboys that you worked at that diner on bleaker street...”

She nodded by the look on her face I could tell that her mind had suddenly been registering and putting some pieces together. “The day you came into the diner it’d been raining and you came in soaking wet. I remember the hostess that sat you had told me that you specifically asked for me and she told winked at me telling me to get some. And when I walked up to you and started looking at you. I realized you were the guy from the party. That day you told me your car had broken down and you were stuck in the rain. That you had waited in the rain as they finished towing your car and taking it to the auto shop. You said that you walked over to the diner and that’s why you were soaking wet. That wasn’t true was it.”

“It wasn’t.”

She scoffed at me, and now we both knew that every memory I was about to trench up...

Would in one way or the other be denounced with the truth. That night the truth was that I’d done something I knew she’d be mortified to hear. I don’t know why out of all the places in the world, I decided to go to her diner that day, I’d known she worked there for some time from the information my boys told me. At one point I felt that she was better off never knowing me so I didn’t bother to go their sooner, because I’d only drag her into my mess. But, that night after having realized what I’d done and what had happened... I needed the same comfort she’d brought me that night at the party and I found myself at her diner. Soaked but eager to see her.

——————————————————————————

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Dear all you spectacular readers,

I hope you enjoy this chapter I’d struggled creatively on what to write next but it’s finally here the 3rd chapter and I promise not to make you guys wait too long for the fourth I’m actually brainstorming of where to go from here so although I won’t make promises my goal is to have the fourth one up by next weekend same day, Sunday. So stay tuned and I don’t know if you guys really want me to add a tag list I’d be more then happy to do so. Thank you so much for reading and all your lovely support. Te amo a todos!

[dabistits]

(1) I too get the impression that the Todoroki children avoid bringing up serious topics around Rei, probably to avoid triggering her. While understandable, I still don’t like seeing a mentally ill character being treated as fragile by the children SHE’s supposed to take care of. I wish Rei would show more initiative in discussing the issues they need to talk about.

ok, you sent me a long string of asks (the rest are blow the cut) and i can’t respond to them point by point, so i’ll just comment on some salient things. i think you bring up good points from the perspective of someone struggling with mental illness, so i certainly understand looking at characters who struggle with the same things as you and thinking about what you’d do or what you’d prefer to see, but i can’t completely get behind approaching rei’s writing from that angle.

some other things:

i don’t think avoiding triggering someone is treating them as fragile, it’s showing basic respect for their mental wellbeing. even parents deserve to have boundaries, and parents who enforce good boundaries btwn parent and child will help that child develop develop better boundaries for themselves. i know the case with the todos is a bit different, since it seems like they don’t talk about those issues at all, but i don’t want to correlate getting triggered with fragility in general.

we can’t talk about psychiatric patients seeming to be passive without addressing the larger issue, which is that psychiatric institutions largely seek to strip independence from their patients (see also the burrito test: “If you are not allowed to wake up in the middle of the night, leave your room, and microwave a burrito, you live in a prison.”). patients may not be allowed to cook or clean, and some places will not let them decide their own bedtime. female patients are frequently sexually abused. adults with severe mental illnesses are not children, but they are treated as such by neurotypical people and by the industries that are supposedly there to “help” them. 

while we don’t know the exact parameters for rei’s stay at the institution and her release, knowing the way most institutions work and because of the context of her institutionalization being one where she became a danger to someone else, i doubt that she can just check herself out to be part of her childrens’ lives. we don’t even know if she’s allowed to leave the hospital on her own. i don’t think it’s great to assume the blame is on her, rather than questioning if the institution itself or if the man who put her there had a much stronger hand in curbing her independence. why is she getting blamed for separating herself from her children and not the man who abused her and had her institutionalized?

like, i do think you’re correct about many things. yes, rei is infantilized; yes, it’s patronizing for shouto to phrase his feelings as “saving” her; yes, rei is obviously excluded from her children’s lives, but… whose fault is that? why is it primarily her fault before the fault of her abuser or the fault of an abusive psychiatric industry? why is it her fault before the fault of her author? i get that you want to see her get better and be a mother who can be present in the lives of her children, but for that to happen, hori would actually have to invest in her as a character, which he seems unlikely to do.

it does bother me that there’s more criticism of rei (as though she were a real living breathing person) than her writer, who does appear to find abused women specifically to be infantile and needy. it’s not that we can’t question the behaviors of abused women toward their (possibly also abused) children, but given our cultural fixation on criticizing abused women as too complacent and too weak-willed and too stupid, i’m not terribly interested in picking apart rei’s behavior. she’s just a female character written by a male misogynist who clearly can’t be bothered to think of more than two traits for her, so… yeah, she’s going to seem nonsensical and passive a lot, because her own fucking creator can’t be bothered to write about her.

(2) As someone with a mental disorder, I have great stakes in seeing a mentally ill character strive for recovery and independence. That’s why I’ve been very critical of Rei. It bothers me how passive and immobile she is inside her hospital room. I also have issues with how the other characters treat her and talk about her.

(3) Shouto swore to “save her from this place,” but I want to see Rei take responsibility for her recovery and get herself out of the hospital as a result of her own efforts. Thus, while in-character, I nevertheless viewed Shouto’s sentiment as patronizing. At the same time, however, I see how Rei warrants this kind of attitude toward herself.

(4) I was worried that Rei accepting the flower and claiming that Enji has changed indicated that she was slipping back to her gullibility toward the honeymoon stage of abuse, that she was teaching her children to fall for these supposed peace offerings and promises to stop toxic behavior that should have never happened in the first place.

(5) Fuyumi especially seems to be following her mother’s footsteps in staying in an abusive relationship, both with her father in the present and relationships she may have in the future. That’s why I wanted Rei to warn her children to stay wary of Endeavor. Or maybe Hori thinks mentally ill people are incapable of imparting wisdom and learning from experience.

(6) If those were my kids, I would tell them to stay out of that Hell house! I would instruct Natsuo and Shouto to stay in their dorms over the weekends and ask a friend (or girlfriend in Natsuo’s case) if they could stay with them during school breaks. Now that Shouto’s living in the dorms, Fuyumi can find her own apartment, since she has a job.

(7) Though that’s assuming Endeavor doesn’t confiscate her paycheck. Endeavor may be rich, but he may still resort to financial abuse in order to hold power over his victims. I sometimes wonder if he prevented Rei from getting a job or withheld cash from her so that she would never save enough for a train ticket out of there with her children.

(8) If that’s the case, then I want to see Rei give Fuyumi tips on how to hide money from Endeavor. I once read that a woman hid dollars in a tampon box from her abusive husband until she saved enough to hire a divorce attorney. This is the kind of ingenious advice Rei could be giving her children. Instead, Horikoshi makes Rei seem unnecessary.

(9) Rei’s not involved in important family decisions. She’s not there when Shouto runs off to fight the hero killer or when Natsuo gets threatened by Ending. Everything happens without her. It gives the impression that even if she were released from the hospital, it wouldn’t make a difference in her children’s lives.

(10) In fact, it looks like Rei depends on her children more than her children need her. Fuyumi bringing Rei her laundry in the manga and light novel is supposed to be seen as sweet, but this recurrent scene infantilizes Rei as a needy mentally ill mother. I hope Rei, along with Natsuo, will at least play a big role in reaching out to Touya.

[dprwolfgang]

Old Dog, New Bitch // Richard Camacho

This is set in 2018 for specific purposes and blonde Yashel just makes me feel things sooooo enjoy mi gente.

Richard x OC (feat. Ario Armanie)

Some cursing,Some fluff,a dash of angst and Yashel being a tease.

“Babe you home?” Ario calls out as he enters her apartment.It had been awhile since they’ve spent any time together and finally both their schedules had aligned.The takeout he brought is left on the kitchen counter as he makes his way to her bedroom.

Ario didn’t know what he expected when he walked into her room but it wasn’t the sight of her in a little black dress that he’d told her on numerous occasions that he didn’t like her wearing out in public.

“Where are you going?” He questions,arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the door frame.

“Out.”

“What about date night? You couldn’t have told me ahead of time?” He questions slightly agitated at her nonchalant behavior.

She scoffs and turns to face him after applying a spritz of the brown sugar and vanilla body spray she always wore. “Suddenly you wanna have date night when you haven’t showed up for one in six months Ario? A little late don’t ya think?”

“I’ve been busy with work! You know this.So what if I missed a couple? I’m here now aren’t I?”

“You can have date night with your other woman ‘cause I already got plans and I’m not canceling so have fun and lock up when you leave.” She pats his chest on the way out of her bedroom.

She leaves him in her apartment and heads out knowing fully well that he wouldn’t stay two minutes after she left.Niana sat in her car and waited because she knew he’d leave and that he wouldn’t call.Once he gets into his car and leaves so does she.Heading to the one person who she trusts fully right now.

______

“Nia,Nia,Nia!” Aaliyah calls excitedly as she sees her coming.

“Hey princess,hey Yoshi.” she places a kiss on the little girl’s forehead before turning to Yashua who’s busy filling his face with what looks like his mom’s sancocho.

“Richard’s not home yet and mom has Aaliyah for the weekend so you two have enough time to sort things out.” He says once he’s finished chewing.

After they both leave Niana is left alone with her thoughts.It’s not like she was cheating on Ario even though that’s what he’d been doing but more so Richard was the only person she felt that she could talk to without being judged.

She changes into one of Richard’s sweatshirts and a pair of comfortable shorts before making her way back down to the kitchen.Yashua had finished the sancocho and so she sets about making something for her and Richard.She’s in the middle of making tostones when her phone rings,the caller id letting her know that Ario was calling which was shocking as he never calls first after they have disagreements or arguments.

She answers the phone but is instead greeted by the voice of a woman that sounds all too familiar.After everything she’d done for her,this is what she turns around and does? She continues to listen to their conversation until the call cuts just as what sounded like a moan was heard.No doubt in her mind that the call wasn’t an accident.Certain that she made the right decision,she sends him the message she’d had in her notes for awhile now and then gets back to cooking.

Richard gets home just as she turns off the stove.He gives her a hug before going to take a quick shower.Niana is seated at the table,dinner already plated and a glass of wine in hand as she waits for him.Richard knows he shouldn’t be having the type of thoughts he’s been having but he enjoyed spending time with her like this.He found that even when Aaliyah wasn’t with him that his house still felt like a home whenever she was around and on the days when neither were around he either worked late or stayed with his parents.They had met through Zabdiel’s girlfriend Amará and had been friends ever since so how had it taken him so long to realize that the feelings he often brushed aside was something more than a little crush?

Once he sits they have dinner with minimal small talk but at some point he notices that she’s just aimlessly pushing her food around when he knows that it’s one of her favorite dishes and he notes another thing that he loves about her.She was beautiful in her own way even now with a pout on her face,no makeup,one of his sweatshirts on with her hair in a messy bun and her glasses on he really couldn’t help but lose his train of thought.

“Alright,what’s bothering you?” He questions. “don’t tell me it’s nothing either,what’d he do now?” He knew her and Ario had been going through some shit for the past couple months and she really was trying to make things work but the look she was giving him now told him that she was done and she’d had enough.

“Did you know?”

“Qué?”

“Don’t play dumb with me Yashel,” she sits back in her seat and downs the rest of her wine. “Did you know that Ario and Paloma have been fucking each other behind our backs?” She asks and he’s a bit taken back.He had his suspicions that she’d been fucking around but he had no proof and he certainly didn’t think it would be with a friend.

“Do you honestly think I wouldn’t have told you if I knew? C’mon now Nia we’re better than that and you know it. I had a feeling she was fucking around but I had no proof.”

They both sit in silence until she sighs.

“Lo siento, I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. It’s just that I feel so fucking stupid,like how do you just turn around and fuck your friend’s man when they’ve been telling you about the shit they’re going through with said man? How do you find it in your heart to cheat on a man who’s fucking amazing like sure he’s rough around the edges but none of us are perfect! I don’t get the logics of this shit,we’re good people so why’d they do us like that?”

“It’s fine nena...look bad shit happens to good people all the time but we can’t let that stop us from being decent human beings.Yeah it’s fucked up that they did that to us but we’ll be fine because before I met her it was you and I and before him it was me and you and if they can’t see how fucking amazing we are then that’s their lost because it’s always gonna be Rich and Nia.We got each other if nobody got us so hold your head high and gimme a smile.” Richard says smiling at her and she can’t help the smile that takes over her faces.

“So...what now?”

“Now I can do this.” Richard doesn’t wait for a reply before he kisses her softly.He pulls back and looks at her and smiles sadly. “I know that the kiss is probably gonna confuse things but please don’t think that I’m using you to get over Paloma. I know you took the offer in Korea and I would’ve been really mad at myself if I let you leave without doing that.You’re gonna go to Korea and when you get back we’re gonna go on a proper date and do all that cliche stuff before I make you mine officially.”

“What about Paloma?” Niana asks looking Yashel in the eyes.

“She actually broke up with me before I got home.She asked to talk so I went over after our studio session.Everything was normal until she started talking about how I let Aaliyah be around you but I never let her meet Aaliyah and then she started accusing me of cheating with you and that she couldn’t do it anymore.She had hickies that I knew I didn’t give because I haven’t touched her in months and as soon as I mentioned that she started behaving crazy so I told her that since she can’t do it anymore then maybe it’s for the best,I left and now we’re here.” He shrugs,both hands resting on her exposed thighs.

Niana stands and Yashel is quick to follow.She takes a hold of his hands,intertwining their fingers as she raises his right hand and presses her lips to the back of his hand.

“Gracias por todo y me encantaría ir a una cita cliché cuando regrese.” She pecks his lips and wraps her arms around his waist,resting her head on his shoulder as his arms secured around her waist.  

“Wanna go for a drive to clear our heads?”

“How is it you always voice what’s in my head?” She questions and he smiles.

“It’s what happens when energies align the way they’re supposed to nena,now go put on some shoes,I’ll go get a shirt and we can go to the store first.” He kisses her forehead before heading back to his room.

____

“Hold up..I got a confession,while you was out doing her I was out doing him,had to teach you a lesson..” Niana sung along with Yashel as Yashua recorded unbeknownst to them.

They were on their way to drop Niana off at the airport and neither was ready to say goodbye.

She’d become like a sister to Yashua and seeing the way she treated his niece and brother and his family like her own was enough for him.When others misjudged him or even if he just needed someone to talk to other than Yashel he knew he could go to her.

“Can’t teach an old dog new tricks, ain’t gon be the one you screwing, you made your bed boy you better lay in it..”  

Yashua laughs at the irony of the song they’re both singing.Neither had cheated but been cheated on by the ones they trusted.

“Nia what time’s your flight again?” He asks.

“At midnight.”

Nothing more is said throughout the drive.Once they get to the airport and check her in Yashel is stuck to her side.

“You know it’s not too late for me to turn down the offer.” She says, idly playing with Yashel’s hair as his face was buried in her neck.

“I’m not letting you do it. I’ll be fine just let me have these last few moments before you leave for a year.” He mumbles pulling her closer to the point where she’s basically sitting on his lap. “I’ll be waiting until you get home. We’ll talk despite the time differences and..”

“Yash I’m not gonna ask you to not see other people.You’re fresh out of a relationship and I’m gonna be gone for a year.If you wanna test the waters it’s cool, if you wanna wait it’s cool, either way do whatever makes you happy.” She says and his grip on her tightens.He knew she was right but the thought of some random person seeing and touching what was his didn’t sit well with him.

His jealousy gets the best of him as he doesn’t realize he’s kissing, biting and sucking up and down the column of her throat and under her ear until her hips roll against his and her hand in his hair grips hard pulling him away.

“Don’t start what you can’t finish Rich,”

“Jesús it’s gonna be a long year.” He groans.

“Don’t get too famous on me while I’m gone.”

“No promises nena but promise me one thing,” he says and she nods.

“Promise that even if you don’t feel the same about me when you get out there or even if you meet someone that you’ll still be apart of Aaliyah’s life no matter what happens between us.”

“I promise.”  

“Flight 69 to Frankfurt boarding now.” They heard the monotone voice of a woman announce.Neither wanted to say goodbye and as brave as she was trying to be Richard could see the unshed tears in her eyes.He knew that this was something she’d worked hard for and he wasn’t about to be selfish and make her stay.

As they getting closer to the boarding area Niana takes her carry on from Yashua.She hugs him, telling him to be strong and keep smiling before she turns to Yashel who had taken off his hat and pulled his hood all the way over his head.He grasps her chin with one hand using the other to pull her closer and he kisses her.

Slow and sweet and irrevocably just Richard.She feels everything he wants to say the same way he does her.They pull apart when a final boarding call is made and with one last peck to his lips she whispers to him before she’s walking away.

Yashua and Richard leave once her flight takes off, both posting pictures and wishing her a safe flight.Head against the window as Yashua drives, Richard can’t help but smile as he thinks of her and what she whispered before she left.

As if reading his mind Yashua asks, “ what did Nia say to you before she left? You haven’t stopped smiling.”

To anyone else they may have just been simply words but he knew the meaning they held and that’s all he needed.

“Rich and Nia pa’ siempre.”

[lovemesomerafael]

El Amor Todo Lo Puede              Chapter 47:  The Season Of Miracles

Source: @viennainspring 

Chapters 1-45  Chapter 46

It was hard for Rafael to feel jealous, even though Laura was laughing out loud at an email from Peter Stone.  Mostly, that was because she was wearing the tie he’d worn to work that day, and nothing else, as she sat cross-legged in the middle of his bed.  

“My mother is trying to furnish Peter’s apartment for him with stuff from our house. She’s threatening him with the floral couch from the basement.”

“If he doesn’t want it, he should just say so,” Rafael responded distractedly, busy trying to take notes on a brief he’d been served with that afternoon. He was sitting against the headboard, tapping the end of his pen against his lower lip.

“You’ve met my mother.”

“Fair point.  He’s screwed.”

“I’ll talk to her.  But I’m gonna give him shit first.”

“Of course you are, mi amante[1].”  

Laura decided that she didn’t want him to pay more attention to his work than to her, at least right at this moment.  She’d given him a long enough break after he’d jumped her the minute she’d come home.  She reached over and set her phone on the bedside table, then crawled over to him, lying on her stomach with her head on the pillow.  He smiled as she began to stroke his chest with light touches, and wasn’t surprised when she began to place soft, slow kisses across his abdomen.  

When she slid down in the bed, he murmured, “You’re insatiable.”

“It’s your fault,” came her voice from under the covers.  “If you weren’t so fucking sexy…”

“Sorry.”

“I don’t believe you,” she said, now using a hand and her tongue in a way that had his full attention.

“That’s because I’m lying,” he replied, laying his head back against the headboard.  

Being in a committed relationship was affecting Rafael in unexpected ways.  He sometimes still found himself wrestling with insecurities, and he was never not going to be jealous of other men who noticed Laura in certain ways.  He would have thought that, given his past, he would have been in no hurry to move forward from where they had been for the past couple of months.  But the previous Sunday morning, as they lay side by side in bed, both absorbed in their computer tablets, he had found himself checking out real estate.  Real estate. As in, maybe a little brownstone. Something with a stoop.  And a large bathtub, given his recent discovery that Laura absolutely loved taking baths together and he… didn’t object. The bathtubs in their apartments were entirely inadequate for the purpose, however.  He was a little nervous about what it meant that he was looking at real estate, other than the fact that it had become entirely superfluous for them to have separate apartments.  But far less nervous than he would have expected.

Rafael also found that, whereas he had never given one second’s thought to it when other people did it, he now felt a certain glow whenever he used the words “we” and “us” to mean himself and Laura.  Que savia. Un romántico descuidado, tierno de corazón.[2]  He had known that about himself, of course, and been annoyed and embarrassed by it, keeping it entirely secret to the best of his abilities.  Only Anatalia had ever seen that most private side of him, and had shattered him with it.  But now, with Laura, he didn’t even mind that his family and a few close friends could see it.  He had even refrained from responding sharply on the very few occasions when one of them had dared to gently tease him about it.  

Laura could sometimes see when his feelings frightened him.  At those times, she would be especially vocal and demonstrative about how she felt, and careful not to push him to respond in kind.  She also preemptively did things to make him feel safe.  She hid notes in his briefcase sometimes, just silly ‘I love yous’ that wouldn’t embarrass him too much if someone else saw them.  Anytime another man flirted with her in his presence, she would reach out and touch Rafael, or go to stand with him, even give him a secret wink if it was a situation where something more overt wasn’t appropriate.  If she was at the courthouse when he was in court, regardless of whether it was a case SVU was involved in, she would slip into the back of the courtroom and wait until he spotted her, just to say a silent hello to him across the room.  

He had laughed at her once when she’d actually sat down and watched him for a while.   He had looked surprised and a little confused when he looked back and saw she was still there.  It wasn’t a trial, just a bunch of pretrial motions in a murder case with no connection to SVU.  When the hearing was over, they met in the courtroom aisle and walked into the hallway together.

“Everything OK?”

“Everything’s fine.  I just wanted to watch you.”

“You stayed here specifically to watch me in court?”

“Well, some people watch porn…”

His unrestrained laughter and the smile stretching his lips told her she had done the right thing.

For her part, Laura didn’t expect things to move forward quickly, and she didn’t need them to.  She was entirely content as long as she and Rafael were together.  Her heart was his, permanently and unequivocally, and he loved her back just as much.  She saw forever with him, and intended to make that happen, regardless of whether they spent the rest of their lives paying for separate apartments and struggling to find the right word to describe their relationship.  

“Boyfriend” was just stupid.  Rafael wasn’t a boy, and their relationship was not casual.  “Fiance”  would have been nice, but they weren’t engaged and she was never going to push him on that.  What else was there?  “Significant other?”  Ugh. Sounded like the way a sociologist would describe some blood-brother bond among hunters in a primitive society. “Partner?”  Too generic and too businesslike.  “Lover” just implied sex and made people uncomfortable.  Spanish had many more accurate words, all of them prettier and many more accurate than those available in English.

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

It was amazing to think that Rafael was actually going to go to Midnight Mass with her.  As many times as she had asked him, he had never agreed to go to Mass with her before. Laura was careful not to make too big a deal of it, because she didn’t want to make him self-conscious or give him any reason to regret his decision.  But she was really looking forward to being next to the man she loved in church on Christmas Eve.  

Rafael thought Laura had never looked more beautiful.  Her red dress was entirely appropriate for church, but he was somewhat concerned about smiting because the way it flattered her was going to make it hard to avoid impure thoughts.  As he waited for her, he sat on the end of her couch, fascinated by Laura’s Christmas tree.  The tree was beautiful; the ornaments artistically chosen and hung, and its presence in her apartment made it seem like a home.  He’d given her grief about the trouble she’d gone to for a mere decoration, even as he’d helped her bring the tree into the apartment and set it up. But the truth was, he liked that she’d done it, and he liked the way her apartment felt with the Christmas decorations around.  

She came back from her bedroom, holding a wrapped present.  Her smile was sheepish as she sat down on the floor between the Christmas tree and Rafael’s feet.  “Merry Christmas,” she said as she handed it to him.

“Really?  I didn’t know we were going to…”

“I wanted to.”  

“Should I open it now?”  He asked, intrigued to learn what she had chosen for him.

“Go ahead.”  

He unwrapped the box to find a dress shirt with a gorgeous tie and – of course - suspenders that matched the tie.  She hadn’t forgotten the matching socks.  The whole ensemble was superb.  He knew how absurdly particular he was about his clothes, and he definitely would have chosen these for himself.  The idea that she knew him that well, that she paid that much attention, made tears press behind his eyes.  He was flattered, but also a little stunned, that she had obviously spent a great deal on this gift; more than he would have spent on himself.  “Laura, these are… perfect.  Really.  But I know how … I mean…”

“Barba?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up and say thank you.”  She was beaming.  

“Which?”

Laura blinked.

“Do you want me to shut up?  Or do you want me to say thank you?”

“You’re even difficult on Christmas.”

He smiled and shrugged.  “You wouldn’t recognize me otherwise.”

He looked down again at the beautiful clothes she’d chosen.  “Thank you, cariño[3].  They’re wonderful.  I can’t wait to wear them.”

He reached down and she raised up on her knees to meet him halfway for a hug that lasted a long time.  When she sat back down, he was pulling a wrapped box from the pocket of his coat. He handed it to her with a wide grin.

“You said…”  

“I say a lot of things.  Open it.”

She grinned back at him, then pulled off the ribbon and tore off the paper, setting them on the floor next to her.  Nervously, she took hold of the bottom and the top of the velvet box, opening it to reveal a beautifully carved silver bracelet.  Laura gasped.  It was exquisite, and very much her taste.  She reached out to take the lovely bracelet from its box and put it on her wrist.  

“Look inside,” Rafael said.

Laura turned the bracelet over and held it up.  Inside was the inscription, “Hemos construido Ikea muebles juntos.  Hay un vínculo.[4]”  She was overcome by a mixture of tremendous amusement, happiness, and deep emotion. A tear ran down her cheek as she let loose with a shriek of laughter.  She raised up on her knees again and threw her arms around him.  How could he have remembered that throw-away remark she’d made to him a million years ago?

“I would pay real money to see the look on the guy’s face when you asked for that inscription,” she giggled into his shoulder.

Rafael snickered.  “He didn’t speak Spanish.  Just made me spell it.  I told him it meant ‘Employee of the Month’.”

They laughed as they held eachother.  Laura could feel Rafael’s deep laugh where her ear was pressed against his chest.

“Thank you so much, Rafael – I love it.  I really do.  And the inscription…” she shook her head against his chest, still laughing.  “How do you remember that?”  

“I remember everything about you.  Besides, that was the first time you said that we meant something to each other.  And it’s true, you know,” he said quietly, a smile in his voice.  He put two fingers under her chin, turning her face up to his.  “We do have a bond.”

They were still smiling as their lips met.  What had been a hug between close friends gradually transformed into the intimate embrace of lovers as they repositioned their arms to press their bodies closer together.  Laura felt heat flood her body as she found herself exactly where she most wanted to be. Rafael smelled delicious; like warm cinnamon and musk and maleness.  She followed his lead, tilting her head to allow him to capture her lips with his, opening to his seeking tongue.  

Rafael wanted nothing more than to lay Laura out on the floor and make love to her there under the Christmas tree.  His fingers played with the zipper pull at the neck of her dress, but he restrained his desire to take hold of it.  He knew from the way she was melting into him, moving with him, and eagerly blending her mouth with his that she would be happy for him to lower the zipper and slip the pretty red dress from her body.  But he also knew that she really wanted them to go to Mass together. In truth, he wanted that, too.  

“We should go,” he whispered hoarsely.  

“Rafa-“ she began, reaching to pull him back to her.

“If you back out on me now, after all the times you’ve tried to get me to go to church…”  The warmth in his voice said much more than his words.

Laura sighed.  “OK, you’re right.”  She smiled and smoothed his hair where she’d messed it up with her fingers.  Trying to cool her ardor, she closed her eyes and sucked in as big a breath as she could, blowing it out as slowly as possible.  “But first you have to say it again.”

“I love you,” he said, smiling as he looked into her eyes.

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

Laura slowed as she reached the fourth floor.  She could hear the sounds of laughter and happy voices  coming from Seora Barba’s apartment.  She hesitated very briefly, then did what she always did when she had to do something and wasn’t sure she was brave enough.  She did it before she had time to think.

Señora Barba opened the door almost immediately.  She took one look at Laura and began to shriek.  “Laurita!  Qué linda sorpresa!  Feliz Navidad![5]”

She pulled Laura into a bear hug before Laura had a chance to say more than a breathless, “Feliz Navidad.”  The hug lasted only seconds before she pulled Laura inside, shutting the door behind her. Laura found herself propelled bodily into Señora Barba’s living room, where she stood blinking and smiling awkwardly as a roomful of people turned toward her.

“Mira![6]  Rafael’s novia[7] is here!”

Laura’s voice as she awkwardly said hello was drowned out by a roomful of greetings in Spanish and English.  She tried to smile and seem friendly while trying to locate Rafael in the crowd. She needed backup.  

Señora Barba to the rescue.  “Rafael, se un caballero.  Ven a cuidar de tu novia[8],” she called over several other voices.  

He stood up from a couch against the wall where he had been sitting with an older couple.   She hadn’t seen him from where she stood because he was behind her.  When she did, the look on his face stopped her heart.  Rafael’s eyes were full of emotion.  He stepped toward her and took her into his arms.  For the moment they held each other, there was no one else in the room.  They missed several meaningful glances between Rafael’s family members.

He pulled back and looked down into her eyes.  His voice was warm.  “Merry Christmas.”

She smiled up at him.  “Merry Christmas.”

“Manhattan is behaving today, apparently.”

“There wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait.  I still have to be on call, but here I am.”

“I’m very glad you could make it.”  

“Me, too.  I think.”

He grinned.  “Don’t worry. It’s just mi familia.[9]  I’ve got you.”  Rafael squeezed her shoulder as he turned her and led her to the couch where he had been sitting.  He introduced her to his aunt and uncle and they began to talk, Rafael keeping his arm around her as they sat close together.  His aunt and uncle were very polite, but it was clear they had a little trouble understanding her Spanish, especially over all the other conversation going on around them.      

As they were all chatting, a woman with long, curly dark hair streaked with white handed Laura a glass of wine.  Laura could see the family resemblance.  “Here, querida[10].  I am Rafael’s cousin Maria Teresa.”

Laura smiled and accepted the wine, intending simply not to drink it. However, Señora Barba’s voice cut through the noise, stopping every conversation in the room.  Thirty pairs of eyes turned toward Laura.  

“No, No, No!” Señora Barba shouted, crossing the room with a wine glass filled with amber liquid. “Maria Teresa, you take that back – You can’t give Laura wine!”  In a whisper clearly heard by all, she hissed, “Ella es una alcohólica!”[11]  

She turned to Laura and handed her the glass of amber liquid, snatching the wine from her hand.  “I got some cider for you, Laurita.  I wanted you to feel comfortable.”

Laura wished she could laugh out loud at the irony of that comment.  She felt Rafael tense, and knew he was about to rescue her, which might make an awkward situation into an outright embarrassing one. So she smiled broadly at both Maria Teresa and Señora Barba and said, “Gracias to both of you.  You’re very kind, thank you.”  

Maria Teresa began to apologize, but Laura stood up and gently touched her on the arm to stop her.  “No, please, don’t apologize.  It was very nice of you to bring me a drink.”  

Maria Teresa seemed to accept that, and Laura turned to Señora Barba. “And it was lovely of you to think of me, Señora.  I appreciate the cider.”

“You call me Lucia, remember?”

“Of course.  Lo siento.[12]  Lucia.”

As women do, the three women quickly moved on from the uncomfortable moment and began to talk about other things.  Soon the general hubbub resumed, and they were animatedly discussing whose children were whose among the many running around the apartment.  Rafael simply sat looking up at them, thinking how strange – and entirely right – it was to see Laura among his family’s Christmas Day celebration.

As the party went on, Laura became more comfortable.  Some of the kids invited her, as a new person they wanted to check out, to color with them at a low table in the dining room.  She exclaimed over a drawing of a 6-legged horse, whose artist explained that more legs meant the horse could run faster.

“Claro,[13]” Laura shrugged, looking at Rafael as she sat down and prepared to make her own drawing.  “Claro,” Rafael mouthed, smiling and looking so good there, leaning against a wall, that Laura got chills.  

When one of Rafael’s little cousins asked her why she spoke Spanish funny, she patiently explained that her family did not speak Spanish.  She told him that, since she was still learning, she was going to need him to tell her when she made a mistake.  He happily agreed and immediately began to look for opportunities to correct her.  Soon the other children joined in and it became a game that made Laura laugh more than any of the kids.

Some time later, Rafael realized that he had fallen into a conversation with several of his relatives about American immigration policy, and hadn’t checked on Laura in too long.  Some caballero.[14]  He excused himself and found her in the kitchen, standing between his mother and his Tia[15] Inez, washing dishes.  They were laughing.  Intent on their tasks and their conversation, they didn’t notice him in the doorway, and didn’t stop talking about him.

“Entiendes,[16] he tells me nothing.  All children think their parents are blind, or were born old.  He talks about you all the time, but he thinks I don’t see he just likes to say your name.”  Señora Barba sighed.  “I was the same way with Mateo, a hundred years ago.”

“Rafael is a special boy, Laurita.  We’re all very proud of him.  Be careful of him, won’t you?  Don’t break his heart.”  Tia Inez looked over her glasses at Laura, giving weight to what had been spoken in a light tone.

“I won’t, I promise,” Laura said.

“Do you love him?”  She asked pointedly.

“Sí, Tia Inez, I do.  With all my heart.” Laura answered softly, making Rafael’s heart lurch in his chest.

“Bueno[17].  Because you’re a sweet girl.  I would hate to have to come after you con esta cuchilla.[18]”

She brandished the knife she was drying and they all laughed.  

Rafael quietly left the doorway before they noticed him, or the tears in his eyes.  Laura didn’t need his help.  She was making his family fall in love with her, just as she had done with him.  And, apparently, as he had done with her.  He wanted to shout with joy, but settled for beginning a rowdy game with some little cousins.

Around 9 p.m., parents with small children began to pack up, heading home. The party dispersed quickly after that. Laura received hugs from most of Rafael’s relatives as they left, especially the children.  She was overwhelmed by the sheer number of Rafael’s relatives, but more overwhelmed by their generosity and eagerness to welcome her. As he said his own goodbyes, Rafael did not hear the many whispered confidences between his female relatives about how nice it was to see Rafael so obviously head over heels in love.  Although she was a gringa,[19] they agreed that this Laura did seem to be just as much in love with him.  

When all but Señora Barba and Tia Inez had left the apartment, Rafael brought Laura’s coat and helped her put it on.  He and Laura exchanged tight hugs with the older women, assuring Señora Barba yet again that they did not need to take any leftovers home. Finally, Rafael opened the door and ushered Laura out to the landing.

“Laurita, you just remember la cuchilla,” Tia Inez smiled, shaking a teasing finger.  Laura laughed.

“What was that?” Rafael asked as they descended the stairs, pretending not to have understood.  

“Nothing. A joke,” she smiled.  

They stepped out into the cold night air, refreshing after the closeness of all the people in Señora Barba’s apartment.  It was snowing lightly.  Laura looked up at the sky, letting snowflakes fall on her face.

“The snow is beautiful.  Let’s walk,” she suggested.  

“All the way back to Manhattan?”  

“Maybe not.  But… a ways. It feels good out here.  I feel like walking.  Want to?”

“I do.”  Rafael took Laura’s hand and they began to walk at an easy pace.  

For blocks, they didn’t feel any need to talk.  They simply walked together, enjoying the night and each other’s company. The silence felt good after the cacophony of the apartment, full to bursting with Rafael’s family.  Finally, Laura looked up into the snowy sky again, slowing their pace until she simply stopped.  She took a huge, deep breath, and let it out in a long, happy sigh. She was smiling to herself.  

“What was that?”  Rafael asked quietly.

She looked at him, still holding her hand.  “Just… happiness.”  She took a step toward him, smiling up at him as she put her arms around his neck.  

He pulled her close, smiling back.  

“I am completely in love with you, Rafael.  All I want to do is be with you.”

He beamed.  “Me too,” he spoke thickly, a lump forming in his throat.

“Uh-uh,” she said, shaking her head.  “You have to say it.”

He touched his forehead to hers.  “I am completely in love with you.  All I want to do is be with you.”

He tilted his head and softly began to kiss her, trying to express all the love he felt.  She felt weightless, and as though there was no world beyond this man and this moment. For a very long time, they stood on the sidewalk, kissing deeply but sweetly, as the snow powdered their hair and coats.

“Will you come home with me?”  He asked quietly, as their kisses began to take on more sensuality.  

“Claro,” she answered simply.  

He pulled out his phone and quickly called an Uber.  When that was done, they again embraced and kissed happily until their ride arrived.

Rafael didn’t turn on any lights as they entered his apartment.  Silently, he helped Laura off with her coat, shrugged off his own, then took her back into his arms.  She giggled softly when he asked her if she wanted anything.

“I want you to make love to me.”

He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.

Afterward, they lay as they were, sweaty and sated.   Laura tried briefly to decide whether this was the best sex she had ever had, but quickly gave up.  For one thing, her mind was too foggy and drugged with endorphins.   For another, she was just too damn happy to care. Rafael felt vaguely guilty for slamming into her so roughly, but felt a few orgasmic aftershocks just remembering her begging him to fuck her and then bucking her hips into him until she came, screaming.  He thought it was probably OK, but dimly decided to ask her about it when he regained the capacity for speech.  Which would be a while.

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

Neither Rafael nor Laura had any desire to share New Year’s Eve with anyone other than one another.  Instead, they stood at the window of her apartment, watching a block party happening in the street.  The only lights in the room were the twinkle lights on the Christmas tree.

“If we see a crime from here, do we have to get involved?”  She asked.

“Don’t see a crime.”

Rafael stood behind Laura with his arms around her as they watched the revelers in the street setting off fireworks, dancing, and bouncing with impatience for the clock to hit midnight.  The crowd began to count down the last ten seconds.  

It felt to Laura as though she and Rafael were alone in their own private universe, watching the cheerful inhabitants of a happy planet eager for some joyful event that was about to happen.  It was fun to watch, but it couldn’t touch them.  Nothing could.  She felt exquisite chills as he whispered the countdown in her ear.  When he reached 3, she felt him lift her left hand with his and play with her fingers.  Just as midnight struck and the crowd in the street erupted, she looked down to see that he had slipped an engagement ring onto her finger; a simple white gold band with a square, cushion-cut diamond solitaire.  It was perfect.

“¿Me Casarías?[20]”  He purred into her ear.

Laura turned her head to him, a single, fat tear sliding down her cheek. “Claro.  Si, claro[21].”

They kissed blissfully as the rest of the city celebrated; singing, hugging, blowing party horns and throwing streamers and confetti.

 [1] My lover, my paramour

[2] What a sap.  A sloppy, tender-hearted romantic.

[3] Sweetheart

[4] We built Ikea furniture together.  There’s a bond.

[5] What a lovely surprise!  Merry Christmas!

[6] Look!

[7] Girlfriend

[8] Rafael, be a gentleman.  Come take care of your girlfriend.

[9] My family

[10] Dear

[11] She’s an alcoholic!

[12] I’m sorry.

[13] Of course.

[14] Gentleman

[15] Aunt

[16] You understand

[17] Good

[18] With this knife

[19] Not Hispanic

[20] Will you marry me?

[21] Of course.  Yes, of course.

[kelleyish]

Happy Wednesday Tumblr. Let’s do some bullets today

Yesterday was Super Tuesday for the primaries, in which Texas participates. I voted early last week. I didn’t really have strong feelings about any particular person, as I plan to vote for whoever gets the nomination for Democrat candidate in November. I ended up going with Warren, and she didn’t do well at all, something like 1% of the vote. I voted for Sanders in the primary four years ago, and then of course voted for Hillary that November. This time I just wasn’t super hype about Sanders for whatever reason, so I decided to vote with my vagina.

(Not literally, that’d be pretty unsanitary) 

I tend to do that in general, and vote for women wherever possible in the local elections. 

Today it looks like Biden just squeaked out the win here in Texas. I’m not super thrilled with Biden either, and he’s got some problematic shit in his record, but you best believe if he gets the nom I’ll be voting for him over the pussygrabbing cheeto.

Yesterday I had my first official “physical” from a general practitioner, mainly so I could get him to refill my heartburn medication so I can get it for free with my insurance instead of having to pay money for the over the counter version. 

I used to have yearly exams my gyno of course, although now that I’m not being held hostage needing birth control refills I haven’t been to see her in three or four years. I know I should, but it’s not like I’m in any danger of STDs at the moment and I’ve never tested positive for HPV, so I’ve just been letting it slide. 

Anyway, there wasn’t a whole lot to the physical. He listed to my heart and arteries in my neck, which in retrospect did not necessitate me taking off my bra. I had a paper gown deal but it’s not like he gave me a breast exam so I’m not sure why that was necessary.

So the nurse said undress from the waist up, and then she made a comment about putting my shoes under the chair, I guess so the doc wouldn’t trip on them when he came in?

She left the room and I was like, if I have to undress from the waist up, why do I have to take off my shoes? So I opened the door again and asked her just that, and she was like I think he wants to look at the bottom of your feet?

He did not look at my feet

He also looked in my ears, felt my neck a bunch, and went over my blood test results. Those were pretty good for my age and signifiant oveweightness. My blood sugar was perfect at 84, so I’m still avoiding diabetes for now, yay! My cholesterol was 208, which is just over the recommended level of 200. The good and bad ratios could use a little work, but my triglycerides were fantastic, which is apparently a side effect of low carb eating.

He didn’t mention my blood pressure reading, but I have noticed a general trend that I’m usually in the 140s over upper 80s these days. I used to have excellent blood pressure but I guess weight and age must be starting to catch up. I’m hoping I can get that down lower with more weight loss, especially now that I may have blood vessel weakness in my DNA.

So I told myself I was going to jump back into super healthy living but I didn’t go to the gym like I’d planned and I just ate a Starbucks chocolate croissant. I don’t know what it’s going to take to jumpstart my motivation again. 

Maybe I need to ask out another dude who is inappropriately too hot and young for me, spend a week working out like crazy, and then when he doesn’t call I’ll just go ahead and feel occasional stabs of embarrassment every few days for the rest of my goddamn life.

Here’s a picture of me from last night. The light was kind of interesting outside, and I’d put on a little makeup that day, so it was prime selfie time, apparently. 

I’m wearing an apron because I was getting ready to make dinner. 

This is outside the front door of my parents house. Inside the house on the wall behind me you can see the remnants of some of our old photography business. We had a huge wall covered with large framed bridal and engagement portraits and pictures form weddings. 

A couple years ago I started helping my dad rearrange the wall. We took down a lot of the bridals but left up a few that we liked the most. Yeah, they’re pictures of virtual strangers but it’s also our art, too. 

It also features a picture of me and Chip from our wedding, and the bridals we did for my little sister. This is about half the wall, and the rest is blank because we never got around to filling up the other half. It’s on the todo list.

We had a client once come in for photography services, and made a comment about how many daughters my dad must have. Even though he was there to procure photography services from us, he somehow thought all the pictures on the wall of brides must be family, otherwise why would they be on the wall of our house?

That shirt is my current favorite shirt. It’s green and the pattern on it is very slimming. At least i think it is.

Here’s what I made for dinner last night. https://recipechampions.com/recipe/keto-bacon-cheeseburger-burrito/ 

It was pretty good, but my goodness was it fatty and high calorie. It kept me full the rest of the night, I will say that. You have to work fast with the cheese tortilla, it gets hard really quick and makes it hard to fold the burrito.

The underwire came poking out the end of one of the channels in my bra. It took me several weeks to get around to fixing it. I sewed it up finally a couple days ago, and today it is poking through again.

I’ve done a couple transcription jobs for cooking competition shows lately. Specifically it’s these talking head interviews that they later splice bits into the footage of them actually doing the cooking and whatnot. I’m not sure why they are bothering to do a transcript of raw footage like this, when only a fraction of it will make it into the final cut of the program. It seems like it would be more cost effective to wait until the episode is finished and then have a caption person do the whole thing. Who knows, maybe that’s not even the purpose of these. I’ll take their money either way, I guess.

Because of the way they splice the footage in they want the talking heads to be present tense, and people have a really hard time with this sometimes. This is taking place after the competition is over, so they’re saying things like “I went over and grabbed the flour and started making my crepe batter,” and so the director has to keep stopping them and making them say, “I walk over and get the flour and start making my batter.”

The end. Time to leave Starbucks now.