#the only talking happening about mina's worries here is to herself. in code. and only to a point.

[vickyvicarious]

I am anxious, and it soothes me to express myself here; it is like whispering to one's self and listening at the same time. And there is also something about the shorthand symbols that makes it different from writing. I am unhappy about Lucy and about Jonathan.

Secret code makes it easier to be truthful about your worries, perhaps? And yet, for all that she opens her entry praising this medium as a way to express herself, she does not linger on her unhappiness. She speaks about it right at the start, but after explaining why she is worried, she drops the subject (Jonathan) or shifts into dismissing it as not too bad, not worthy of such distress (Lucy).

Mina can't do anything about Jonathan's absence or his uncharacteristically short letter. All she could do by speculating too much would be to work herself up even more. So she avoids wondering why he would have written something like that at all. It sounds like she got his letter yesterday (perhaps after arriving back at the house after her cemetery entry?) so she spent a little while mulling it over before mentioning it as well. And even then, just a relatively brief mention.

As for Lucy, the situation is different. Not only can she take action right away, but she also has someone else who knows the situation - and whose more open/frantic distress allows Mina to take on the role of being the soothing voice of reason. In comforting Mrs. Westenra, she is perhaps able to talk down her own worries as well with lines like her closing one today: "I daresay it is the waiting which disturbs [Lucy]; she will be all right when [Arthur] arrives." At the same time, this means she doesn't get to express her own worries so openly; she has to hold them back in order to be more reassuring to someone else.

That final line is also striking because although Mina is ostensibly speaking of Lucy's sleepwalking, the same words could just as easily apply to her own fears for Jonathan. It's just the waiting so long that is bothering her. He's going to come home and be fine and then she will feel alright. So she just needs to be patient a little longer... it could be a veiled attempt at reassuring herself about him, again without ever giving voice to the exact fears she needs reassuring from.

[ihaileysenpai]

2 and 8, you, confessing your love to Midoriya.

#2: “In the least creepy way possible, I know where you live.”

#8: “I’m sorry, can we just pretend I never said that.”

Love Makes Us Awkward

 (Izuku x Hailey)

Bud, this was fun to write and I think that I got a bit carried away lol

Palms sweating.

Heart racing.

Face flushed.

‘Jesus, is this a panic attack?’ Hailey originally thought when her body started reacting.

But reacting to what exactly?

It didn’t click at first, Hailey’s mind racing at the possibilities that could be the cause. But luckily, the cause noticed and took concern.

“Are you okay, Hailey? You look anxious about something.” The green-haired Izuku Midoriya questioned softly.

Boom.

“O-oh jeez, sorry! Izu.” Hailey sheepishly laughed, trying to play it off. “My anxiety face isn’t known for being appealing.”

Izuku shook his head, “I-I wasn’t thinking that! Y-you always look pretty- I mean nice- uh- you just looked like you were worried about something!” He stammered, his freckled cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Hailey chuckled and gently ruffled his green locks. “Oh Izu, you’re so adorable when you get embarrassed. And I appreciate your concern but I’m not too sure that what I’m worried about will ever go away, not if keep dwelling on it and not taking any action.”

Izuku thought he understood what Hailey was referring to, “Is it the hero course stuff? You know that I can help you out with any of it!”

“Izu, it’s not-“ Hailey tried to interject, but Izuku persisted.

“After school today we can do whatever you need!” 

“That’s sweet of you, Izu, but really.”

Izuku blinked, realizing that maybe he was jumping the gun a bit too quickly with some high enthusiasm. He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh sorry, I guess I came on a bit too strong there. It’s just like you said, you won’t get what you want if you just sit around and not take action.”

Hailey thought for a moment, even though Izuku didn’t understand what the context of the whole thing was, he gave her some pretty good advice. 

Taking in a deep breath and exhaling for some confidence, Hailey smiled. 

“You’re right, Izu.” She said, standing to her feet from her desk. “I’ll come find you when I figure out what I need to do.”

Izuku’s eyes lit up and he smiled as he nodded his head in agreement. “For sure!”

Then their homeroom teacher entered the room and told his students to get ready for their training exercises. 

When entering the girls change room, Hailey was met with Mina’s knowing gaze.

“You’ve got it bad, huh?” 

Hailey turned and gave her classmate a confused look, “Got what bad?” She questioned.

Mina wiggled her eyebrows, “Your crush on a certain boy~” She cooed.

“Kero?” Tsuyu croaked as she and the other girls took notice of the conversation.

Hailey’s face blushed a bright pink, “Wh-what are you talking about?” She attempted to divert the attention away from her.

“I saw you talking to Midoriya and your face just screamed ‘I have a crushbon you’!” Mina gushed, just itching for details.

Hailey sweated and her face became redder. “Oh jeez.”

Mina giggled at Hailey not even trying to deny her feelings.

“Aw! I think the two of you would be so cute together!” Mina exclaimed happily bouncing.

“Kero, you would be good for each other.” Tsuyu chimed in. 

The other girls voiced their agreements happily. Hailey scanned the girls and their faces, she thought that Uraraka had a crush on Izuku and she’d have to respect girl code, but Uraraka shot her a thumbs up with a supportive grin.

“So when do you plan on confessing?” Tohru gleamed, Hailey could see the hype radiating off of her invisible friend.

“I-uh- uh… I don’t know if I should! I mean, I don’t wanna ruin our friendship if he doesn’t feel the same.” Hailey sputtered awkwardly, covering her arms over her head.

“Don’t settle just like that.” Kyoka remarked, pulled up her jacket to her hero costume.

“I agree, just because you have doubts doesn’t mean you should bottle your emotions. You should be honest with Midoriya.” Momo added, with her own mature input.

Hailey awkwardly stammered incoherent words as she began to panic, unsure how to approach such a situation. 

What would she do? 

God, what would she say?

“Hey, hey, hey.” Mina called softly, “Calm down, you can always do it later, not right now. How about after training? Or after school?” She suggested.

“I-I don’t know.” Hailey sighed.

“Don’t stress, you can take your time with this kind of thing. Get the right timing and then some.” Momo chimed, seeing her classmate’s nervousness.

“Um no! It should be today! Some other girl might try and confess to him if she’s waits too long!” Tohru argued.

That struck a cord with Hailey as she realized that Tohru made a valid point.  She would probably feel better if she got it over with as soon as possible and not risk being subject to Izuku dating someone else.

“O-okay! I’ll try and do it today.. I’m guessing you’ll all want details.” Hailey suddenly joked and the other girls giggled.

—————————

Life was not planning on going easy on Hailey, because as training went on, Izuku had gotten badly injured by Bakugou and was sent home after his wounds got healed by Recovery Girl. 

Hailey grumbled as she stuffed her books into her bag back at the 1-A classroom. 

Shouto questioned if she was alright, after noticing her behaviour.

“Just frustrated that something I planned for didn’t work out.” Hailey replied in frustration.

“What was it? Can I help?” Shouto inquired.

Hailey shook her head, “No Sho, thanks but it’s.. not a big deal. It might actually be a sign that it shouldn’t happen.” Hailey sighed softly.

Suddenly, Mina pushed past some of her classmates, Bakugou grumbling as he walked out of the classroom.

Mina pushed a strip of paper into Hailey’s hands.

“Take this!” She urged.

Hailey looked at her with an unsure gaze, “What is it?” And unfolded the piece of paper to see that an address was written on it.

“Get your man! No settling, remember?” Mina exclaimed.

Then Hailey realized that Mina had somehow convinced Bakugou to give her Izuku’s home address. 

“Mina-“ Hailey tried to admit defeat, but was ushered out the door of the classroom.

“Just go before it’s too late!” She cheered.

Feeling a bit more motivated, Hailey started to run out of the school and towards the address.

Later when she arrived to the apartment complex, Hailey awaited in front of the door to the Midoriya household. That confidence that she had was beginning to be drowned out by Hailey second guessing herself with doubt.

‘Am I seriously doing this?’ Hailey thought, trying to find the amusement in her anxiety.

But she couldn’t turn back now, or she’d look strange to the neighbours. 

Knocking on the door with little tune, Hailey waited nervously and twiddled her thumbs.

Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Izuku in his casual clothes.

“Hello- oh Hailey! What are you doing here.. and how did you know where I live?” Izuku questioned.

Hailey deadpanned and awkwardly chuckled, “In the least creepy way possible, I know where you live.” She then paused and added, “Because of .. Bakugou.”

Izuku thought for a second before shaking his head, “Oh really? It’s really nice of you to stop by and visit? Did something special happen?” Izuku prompted, sheepishly scratching his cheek.

Hailey felt her words get caught in her throat, “I-I-I-uh h-had to come h-here and tell you something that’s been on my mind f-for a while.”

Hailey cursed at herself in her head, she usually was more confident but this boy seemed to be her weakness.

“Izuku, who’s at the door?” Hailey and Izuku heard Izuku’s mother call out to him from inside. 

Hailey’s face continued to heat up as her embarrassment continued to grow the longer that it took to tell Izuku about her feelings.

Fortunately, Izuku noticed’s Hailey’s flustered expression, “One of my friends came to tell me something, it’ll only be a second, mom!” He called to his mom and shut the door so the two of them were alone outside.

“Sorry about that.” Izuku smiled awkwardly. 

“No problem! Your mom seems really nice.” Hailey waved off.

“So what was it you wanted to tell me?” Izuku inquired.

Hailey bit the inside of her cheek for a moment as she began to scratch the skin beside the nails of her fingers as she tried to think of how she was going to word her next few sentences.

Hailey averted her gaze from Izuku. “I-I d-don’t want this to end our friendship, Izuku. Y-you’ve been really great to me for as long as we’ve known each other.” Then suddenly a bunch of words came flooding out of Hailey’s mouth, contrasting her earlier nervousness. “God you are so smart, more than anyone I’ve ever known. You’re so driven and motivated to be a hero that I can’t help but be inspired by you! You just want to help people and will do anything to do so.” 

Then Hailey’s voice began to crack as she felt more emotions as she continued. 

“But that means you get hurt. And when you get hurt, I get scared and worried about you. When you cry, my heart breaks and when someone wants to hurt you, I-I wanna defend you!”

“Hailey-“ Izuku tried to interject.

“And I feel like this because I think I love you!” Hailey blurted and immediately regretted that she let it slip.

“W-what did you-“ Izuku breathed, his faced shocked.

“I’m sorry, can we just pretend I never said that?” Hailey quickly yelped and turned to leave, but was stopped by Izuku calling for her to stop and grabbed her wrist.

When Hailey didn’t look at Izuku, he gently pulled her face to look at him.

Hailey’s eyes began to sting with tears threatening to spill from the embarrassment. Izuku looked at her softly.

“I feel the same.” Izuku told her apologetically, “But I was too nervous and didn’t want to ruin our friendship too. I’m sorry that I made you wait so long.” 

“H-huh?” 

“I’m saying that I think that I love you too!” Izuku exclaimed, then became a bit more timid. “C-can I.. can I make it up to you..?” 

Hailey giggled, “How do you plan on doing that?” 

“By this..” Izuku breathed and met his lips with Hailey’s own soft ones.

[ethereals-angel]

Glow (IX)

Pairing: Baekhyun/Reader

Genre: Angst/Fluff (lmao kinda)

Summary: You loved him for years. You knew that. He knew that. Everyone knew that. The looks you give him isn't so surprising to anyone anymore. But, to your pleasure, that didn't stop you two from being friends. And that also didn't stop the fact that he's in love with someone else.

I // II // III // IV // V // VI // VII // VIII // IX // F //

"What happened?"

Your heart pummeled as you waited for their response, a frown evident on your face, impatient. Getting none, you bolted to your room, harshly opening the door.

"Ria."

She raised her head, her pretty face wet from all the tears as she hugged your pillow to her chest. You rushed to her, gathering her shaking body to your arms.

"He..." she stammered, clutching your shirt in her hands, "why... did he, him and Mina, that fucking slut," she lifted her head to look at you, her eyes glossy. Your heart panged in discomfort, "why?" she breathed as she bursted into another round of fresh tears.

You hugged her tightly, letting her cry on your shoulder. A tear escaped your eye, you couldn't see her like this. "You said he loved me." Her voice muffled as she sobbed.

"He does..."

Images of Mina flashed before your eyes, how she talks to Sehun more and more as she got closer to your friends, how she would leave her boyfriend alone as she sat beside him, engaging him in a conversation, how she laughs the loudest at everything he says, her hands touching him at every chance she gets — how did you miss all that? You remember yourself not giving it much thought before, probably thinking she was just being sweet.

Oh, god, you wanted to slap yourself for being so naive.

Once she calmed down, she pulled herself off of you, sniffing, "have you seen Baekhyun? He must be so sad right now, you should talk to him."

"No, not yet..." you sighed, "what about you? You still need me here."

She shook her head, wiping off the tears that stained her cheeks, "I'm a big girl, I can handle myself."

You smiled at her, lifting your hand to stroke her hair, "you're going to be okay." She hummed, "what are you going to do about Sehun?"

"I don't know. I want to hear his side, you know?"

You nodded, "yeah, you should. I'm rooting for the both of you. I've known him for years and he's not the type to cheat, especially, on you. But if anything goes wrong, tell me, okay? I'm gonna kick his ass myself."

The air lightened as she responded with a throaty laugh, hugging you tightly.

"Where is he?" You sighed, throwing your body on your bed. You've been waiting for Baekhyun to come home, he was gone all night and you're getting very worried.

"I don't know, maybe if you slept, he's already here when you wake up."

Jongdae has been calming you all night and he's probably tired and annoyed. He can't sleep either because of your constant blathering.

"I can't, Jongdae." You groaned, "just sleep, okay? I'm sorry for being so loud." You giggled at his barely audible 'finally' as you got out of the room.

You flopped down on the sofa of the living room, tapping your foot. You sat there as you waited. It felt like hours but you couldn't seem to find sleepiness as you tried to be patient. You can hear the clock ticking as you were embraced with silence, mindlessly waiting for him to bust through the door.

Your mind flew, Baekhyun, your Baekhyun. Your heart ached as tears escaped your eyes, he must have been hurting. He's been so good, how could anyone hurt someone like him?

Your Baekhyun, he has longed for her, for Mina, all these years, as you longed for him.

You sat beside him as he planted his chin on his palm, staring at the girl he has been crushing on for months. You busied yourself with the Math homework you've been working on, your reason why you're here in the library. You were so happy to have him here, when he excitedly grabbed your hand and dragged you to where you are sitting on right now. You stared at his dreamy eyes, only to realize, he's here because she is. Not because of you.

When the day of the school's most-awaited ball finally arrived, you cried your heart out, it was so stupid of you to stay up all night, waiting for Baekhyun's invite for you to attend with him only to get heartbroken because, of course, none of that came. You didn't know why but you went to visit him at his house, and apparently, he was really devastated over Mina's rejection. You ended up staying with him all day as he cried on your shoulder. You danced with him under the moonlight to make him feel better. You savored the feeling of him holding your waist, his touch warm and soft as you swayed to the melody wearing only a casual shirt, jeans, and a pair of flip-flops. That night, you realized you have fallen in love with him. You have fallen in love with your bestfriend.

It was foolish, really, when you decided to tell him how you felt on the day of your graduation. You poured your heart out, you smiled in glee because you finally got your feelings out of your chest after years of keeping it all bottled up. You felt your body heat up in embarassment and pain when he told you he wasn't over Mina, just yet. How he was planning on asking her out, once again. You smiled, you smiled at him as you reassured him that it was all fine, that it wouldn't matter because the only thing that mattered to you was him, him and his happiness. It was true, though. It was all true, however, it didn't change the fact that it damaged you, it broke you in the most painful way possible.

Be that as it may, you knew you were willing to love him with every little pieces. You were willing to pick it all up, mend it, offer it to him over and over again because he deserved it. Baekhyun, your Baekhyun, deserved your heart.

You wiped your tears, getting up to get your car key.

Your hands were shaking as you typed in the security code of your flat. You breathed, your heart pounded as you pushed it open, carefully placing the key of your car to the side table as you heard the faint sound of the piano playing.

You walked, the sound of your heartbeat, getting even louder, it bothered you as you went straight to the opened room, following the beautiful sound of the grand piano.

You stood as you saw him, his back facing you as he played the piece you've been familiared of all your life, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

A smile appeared on your face as you carefully walked towards him. You sat beside him as you watched his skilled fingers play. You closed your eyes as he continued on, letting your heart be at peace.

When the music stopped, you opened your eyes. A sigh left your lips.

"Remember when you had to play that piece and you were crying because you couldn't get it right," he snickered, making you look at him, your heart warm, "little did you know, you looked beautiful that night."

"Baekhyun..."

He turned his head to look at you, his eyes shining with mischief, his chuckle low and warm, smiling at the sight of your furrowed eyebrows. "Come here," he opened his arms, inviting you. You swiftly leaned in, letting him envelop you in his arms.

"Mina..."

"Ah, her." You felt his chest vibrate as he laughed against yours, you closed your eyes as you wrapped your arms around his waist, "I figured out she was just using me to get Sehun. Crazy, right?"

"Why aren't you..."

"Why aren't I crying? I don't know, either." He sighed, "I honestly thought I was malfunctioning when I didn't feel anything when I saw her doing everything to catch his attention." He snorted, "she really thought I was dumb enough not to notice," making you laugh.

You, unwillingly, pulled yourself from his embrace, "then why did you stay with her?"

He smiled, sadness evident in his eyes, "because I thought I had to. I've been wanting her all my life, now that she's finally here I thought I had to do something, I thought I needed to kiss her, to hug her," he forced out a laugh, "but I only felt lonelier, emptier than I already was."

You were about to open your mouth as he cut you off, "and when that Jongdae dude appeared, I didn't know what to do." He rolled his eyes, pouting, "I never thought you would find someone else."

You frowned, "Baekhyun, what did you want me to do, you were literally all over her."

"I'm sorry! I was stupid," he pouted as he came closer, "do you still love me?"

It was your time to roll your eyes, "what do you think?"

He smiled, his eyes were shining as it stared at yours, his chuckle was soft as he pulled you against him. You felt his lips brush against yours, his breath made you shiver in the sweetest way possible, he was about to close the distance when you pulled away, "what makes you think you can kiss me after all I've been through?"

He stared at you with wide glossy eyes, confusion clear in his face, he looked so cute, you wanted to grab him and pound him and eat him, but you didn't, "but why?"

"What do you mean, "but why", do you know how many years I've suffered because of you and you're just going to kiss me after you realize how stupid you've been?"

"But you love me!"

"Do I?"

"You do!"

"What if I don't anymore?"

"But... but I love you!"

[ferallymine]

Worldbreaker Pt. 1

The rubble. The screams. The frantic hands digging through the mess above her buried broken lifeless body. The last stone moving away- seeing the white light shine onto her. A hand reaching out-

Mardea shot up, sweat covering her body. Reaching out to see the alarm clock, she had to bite down a yelp of pain.

“Not…again…” Her voice was tired and straining. Black Energy had marked her arms in the night, leaving burns on her skin and the sheets.

She stumbled into her bathroom, slamming the cold water handle on to fill the tub. Her feet sizzled on the chilled ivory tile, heat coming off her body in waves. She shouldn’t be this hot with just panties and a loose cotton tank top on, but this is one of many burdens of being Mardea Lin.

The water stung her tender burnt skin. Steam hissed from her body, distracting her from wanting to scream. Mardea hadn’t been severely burned by fire, but she imagined they were just as bad as her energy burns. Izzy’s the only one she ever felt the need to explain the difference to. His curiosity was always humorous to her.

The fact that the water was ice cold made the next part easier. Keeping thoughts in her mind to ground her to reality, Mardea submerged herself completely in the tub.

Green wisps flowed out from her palms. Interacting with the water, they went to work cooling her down and resolving her burns. A waterlogged scream escaped her throat, the sensory overload and pain being overwhelming. The burnt skin ripped itself off, attaching to the energy  swirling around it. New unblemished skin replaced it quickly- unnatural if one didn’t have a medic-related quirk.

It felt like hours, but Mardea was done in minutes. The water was grey and heavily clouded when she sat back up, now shivering from the cold. Her stomach churned, and without a moment to react, she vomited into the already dirty water.

“…fuck…” her voice was a quaky whisper. She couldn’t keep going on like this.

The push and pull of energy forces from within herself danced with the outside ones. It was as if something out there wanted her to lose control, wanted Code Black to become the new normal.

The water-vomit mixture spiraled down the drain. Mardea waited until the tub was empty before fighting for strength to rinse herself off with the shower.

Morning couldn’t come soon enough.

-----

“But consider the reverse!” Kaminari shoved a spoonful of cereal in his mouth, “If you had a human head and a bird body, all the villains would be too scared to fight and you could round ‘em up easy!”

“Easily,” Tokoyami corrected, pulling his hoodie as he stood up to leave, “And that is utterly ridiculous.”

Sero set his coffee down, “Does that mean if Hawks was reversed he’d have a bird body and human arms on his back?!”

“Holy. Shit. Dude.” Kaminari looked like he had an epiphany, “That would be…terrifying. I love it.”

Ashido slammed her hands flat on the table, “KIRI WOULD BE A ROCK THAT TURNS INTO A BALL OF FLESH!”

“Noooooo,” Kirishima groaned, leaning back with his hands on his face, “I was already a ball of flesh in the hero test! Unpleasant, 0 out of 10 do not recommend.”

Sero giggled, “Guys, guys listen… Bakugo… Is an explosion that throws out humans.”

An eruption of laughter consumed the living room of the dorms. The noise echoed into the hallway leading to the stairs.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Kirishima wiped a tear from his eye, “Does, ehehehe, does that mean that mean that he’s a continuous explosion or like, hah, one out of every 5 explosions is Bakugo randomly spurting out humans to attack villains.”

The laughter quieted, giving the group time to think, then Ashido spoke, “Can you imagine if the latter was true? Like, if you’re a villain using C4 to break into a bank then suddenly ‘I AM A VERY ANGRY EXPLOSION HAVE SOME HUMANS TO THE FACE!’ Bruh, I’d shit my pants.”

“What about the former?” A sudden appearance of Lin behind Kaminari made him jump and spill his cereal. “If he’s a continuous explosion he’d have to be put in a container to function as a ‘human’ in society. Imagine shoving Boom-boy into a reinforced Smucker’s jam jar.”

The laughter resumed. Kirishima looked up to ask Lin a question, “Hey, what if- wait. Lin you’re glowing.”

A brief panic, “Wh- no I’m not.” She looked herself over, “I’m not outputting any en-“

“No! Your skin is radiant,” A cheeky smile, “Did you do a new skincare routine from YouTube?”

A pause, “…Yes…that’s what I did.”

Ashido’s eyes sparkled, “DEAAAAAA you gotta show me!”

“Maybe later, after you bring your grade to a B.” She winked, “Anyway, I’m hungry, see ya later.” Lin meandered over to the kitchen, where Uraraka was making what smelled like waffles.

“… aaaand voila!” Uraraka flailed her arms in a dramatic manner, “A Together Breakfast!” The platter was filled with waffles topped with syrup, whipped cream, popcorn, and strawberries.

“Wow!” Midoriya’s stomach rumbled, “This looks great! Thank you!”

She giggled, “I made enough for everyone so dig in!” She gestured to those surrounding the counter. “Let our Saturday breakfast tradition begin!”

Lin leaned on Todoroki’s shoulder, the sudden contact startling him, “It’s just me, don’t worry.”

“Hello, love,” He tilted his head to lean on hers, “Sleepy?”

“Sore…”

“Training yesterday was that rough?”

“…Yes.” She straightened. Her silent body language purposely telling him that she didn’t wanna talk about it in front of the others. “My whole body feels vulnerable and tender. Like one touch will bruise for days.”

“Take it easy today, then,” He smiled, “Eat something to regain your strength.” A soft kiss to her head, reminding her that they can talk privately later.

“Hey Frick and Frack, save the PDA for when we’re not eating,” Bakugo sat on the counter, munching on toast with tomato and cheese slices on top. “You’re gonna make me puke.”

“Your taste in breakfast food will make me puke,” Midoriya stuck out his tongue.

“Says fucking you. Who eats shitty popcorn for breakfast?”

“It’s not popcorn, it’s pepcorn!” Uraraka tossed a kernel at the blonde, “Popcorn with a pep!”

Bakugo scowled, staring the group down. He swiped the kernel away from him, “You’re not original, this is all from YouTube.”

“Stop being such a fucking killjoy,” Jirou slammed her glass of juice down on the counter. “We get it, your aesthetic is to hate everything and think you’re the best. Don’t you get tired of having your head so far up your own ass? Huh?”

“I’m done,” Lin backed away and turned towards the hallway. “It’s too early for arguing.”

Yaoyorozu stood up, “Mardea, don’t go! We were gonna go out today! The Saturday Flea Market is up in the plaza across town!”

Fuck I forgot “Yeah, right…. Lemme put on proper ‘going out’ clothes.” A snap and she was gone in a green flash.

------

“Isn’t this fun! Nice to stretch our legs on a sunny day off.” Momo did a little spin, flowing out the bottom of her sunflower sundress.

Tsuyu joined the twirling, though her green romper left little to flow out. “Ribbit, it’s the perfect temperature today. I bet the pools will be packed.”

“Whaddaya think, ‘Dea?” Mina, clad in her pastel blue crop top and matching shorts, “Should we try swimming today or just mingle in the market?”

Mardea thought a moment, “Market wandering sounds good for now. Plus I didn’t bring a swimsuit- I doubt jean overalls would fair well in a pool.”

“Hmm, fair point.” Mina skipped ahead, stopping at a sunglasses stall. The sun reflected off them, making the products glitter and look more enticing.

Mardea glanced around the crowd. Mina was at that stall, whereas Tsuyu and Momo had been lost to the growing population of the market. The tips of her hair shifted to magenta. Her eyes scanned the scenery. Where were their energy signatures?

“Nice trick,” Mardea froze at the unfamiliar voice behind her, magenta instantly switching to lilac, “Color shifting is good for quick blending into crowds, though I feel that this little cosmetic show is a front for your quirk.”

It was a feminine sounding voice- maybe an older woman who smoked on occasion?

“I can feel your thoughts from back here, pumpkin.” A warm hand gripped her right shoulder, “You don’t have to turn around, I know who you are, Mardea. Don’t you think it’s strange that I snuck up on you with your magenta setting on?”

The lilac grew.

“You don’t need to be afraid. I want to help you. There’s a lot of energy in this world, you know. How would it be to not feel like it’ll crush you at any moment? What if you could control it? Not your definition of control- you still let that Code Black sit alone, festering. What if you could harness it?”

“Hey ‘Dea?” Mina’s voice called out, “We got lunch! Where ya at?”

“I will find you again,” The hand left, “Be wary, Mardea. You’re not the only one who knows energy.”

Momo came through the people, “Guys! She’s over here!” She turned, smiling, “Where have you- oh my god are you okay? You’re purple-y.”

Mardea looked up, eyes matching her hair, “We need to leave. Now.”

“Okay yeah. Yeah.” Momo took her twin’s hand, “You’re okay now. We’re here.” Mina and Tsuyu emerged, confused at the color shift. Momo pointed at them, “We’re leaving. Now. Back to UA.”

-----

“You’re sure it was a woman?” Aizawa sat across from Lin in his office.

Lin shrugged, “That what she sounded like. She snuck up on me, didn’t let me turn around.” She pulled her shirt collar over to expose her shoulder, “She bruised me when she grabbed me.”

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, “How did she do that?”

“I DON’T KNOW!” Lin’s stress boiled over, red and lilac strands forming in her hair, “I don’t know who she is all I know is I didn’t sense her and she said I wasn’t the only one who knew energy and that she’s gonna find me again and I don’t know how to not let that happen because if I cant find her then no one can find her probably like how-” A gasp of air, hair returning to normal, as Aizawa grabbed her shoulders, kneeling in front of her.

“You need to calm down.” His voice was calm. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not going to tell you to not worry, because I know you will anyway. All the teachers will be on the lookout for suspicious women around campus. I’ll let the Pro-Heroes know that this happened and see if they can snoop out anything. Okay?”

“Okay…” She leaned forward, hugging him with tears in her eyes, “Thank you…”

A smile, “It’s okay.”

[evilrubberducke]

Another IzuMina one shot is here! I was in the middle of working on something else when the idea for this fic smacked me over the head and demanded to be written. I hope you enjoy it!

Read it on AO3!

Title: A Cheerful Heist

Summary:  When Mina sends a text she didn't mean to, she and Izuku have only one option; delete the message from their classmate's phones before it can be seen.

Izuku looked up as Mina burst through the door into his room. At first he had jumped whenever this happened, his anxiety prompting fearful scenarios to run rampant. Now, after more than a year of dating the energetic girl, he was used to the sudden interruptions and had come to enjoy them. They usually meant she had come up with some hairbrained scheme or prank she wanted to tell him about. They rarely worked out the way she proposed them, but they were almost always entertaining, if only because spending time with Mina was one of his favorite activities in the world.

This time, however, he was more than a little confused. A quick glance at the clock confirmed that it was approaching two in the morning, a time when any normal Hero in training should have been asleep. Even with it being the weekend, the entire class was wiped out from today’s training, and the dorms were nearly silent. Izuku himself was only up to place an order for a new, limited edition All Might figurine depicting the Hero’s already legendary defeat of All for One.

The other concerning thing was the expression on Mina���s face. It hovered somewhere between guilty and worried, which was downright terrifying. Given her bubbly nature, Mina was quite unflappable. If something had gotten her this worked up, this late at night, it was almost certainly something to be very worried about.

She looked like she had just rolled out of bed. She had her favorite fluffy pink and black striped pajamas, and her favorite alien themed slippers who’s eyestalks were waving furiously after the run to Izuku’s room.

“Midori, we have a problem. A big problem.”

“Mina, what’s going on?”

“So I was texting Toru about this guy she likes, she’s having trouble confessing you know, and I was looking through photos of us, cuz I was thinking if I showed her a photo from our first date it might help her, and I guess I pressed the wrong button or something cuz the next thing I know I sent a picture, but I didn't mean to I swear and-”

“Mina, breathe!” Her face was flushing purple as she talked, growing darker and darker as she rambled without pausing.

She did, long slow breaths visibly calming her down. The flush in her face faded to just being on her cheeks, and her posture relaxing just a bit.

“Feel better?” He asked softly, taking her hand in his. She nodded, and finally brought her eyes up to meet his. Her pupils were still dilated slightly, leaving only a thin band of gold filling the dark pools of her eyes. Izuku had to pull his own eyes away before he got lost in hers, as he was wont to do. “How about you try again. Once you’re done explaining, I’ll help you fix whatever the problem is, ok?” He smiled as reassuringly as he could.

“I was texting Toru, like I said, but I messed up and sent a photo I didn’t mean to send. And it wasn’t just to her. I kind of...sent it to everyone in the class.”

“Well, that’s not too bad. Just send a message apologizing for the mistake.”

Her shoulders drew in as she unconsciously tried to make herself smaller. “It’s...it’s not a photo I want the rest of the class to see.” She looked at him once more, and flushed a deep lilac. “And it’s...not of me…”

Izuku frowned, trying to understand what she was saying. A photo that wasn’t of her, but that she didn’t want the rest of the class to see? Mina was very open, especially with her friends and classmates. He couldn’t imagine her having anything that would get her this worked up.He pulled out his phone, which he had left muted so as not to be distracted. Opening his messages, he finally saw the photo in question and eyes widened as he recognized it. Now he absolutely understood what Mina was talking about. He’d honestly forgotten about the picture, and a part of him wondered exactly why she still had a copy in the first place.

“Oh.” Was all he managed to get out.

“I have a plan.” Mina said. “Toru said she’d help us, so she’ll be here in a minute. With the three of us, we can probably get it done before anyone wakes up.” Her tone grew more confident as she spoke, slipping into the combat mindset they had all developed through all their Hero training.

“Wait, what plan?”

“We’re gonna sneak into everyone’s rooms, find their phones, and delete the photo before they can see it. We don’t have to worry about you, me, or Toru, Kirishima’s phone is still out of commission from when Bakugou blew it up last week, and Bakuguo’s relic can’t get pictures. So we only have to grab 15 phones before dawn. We can do it!" The last was more to herself then to Izuku, who was still reeling slightly.

“That seems like a really terrible plan.” Izuku said.

“Got a better one?” Said a new voice from the door. Izuku turned to see his door had opened seemingly on its own. As Izuku looked closer he could see a pair of bunny slippers standing by the door, though no other clothes accompanied them. Apparently Hagakure was committed to the idea of nabbing their classmates phones while they slept.

“Toru! Did you get it?” Mina asked, bounding forward to interrogate her friend.

“Yep” From seemingly nowhere, the invisible girl produced a large silver key that dangled from a long chain. “Though you totally owe me an explanation on why this was in your desk drawer.”

“What exactly is that?” Izuku asked, apparently the only one outside of the loop.

“Master key for the dorms” Mina answered nonchalantly. Izuku boggled at the answer.

“Why do you have that!?”

Mina placed her hands on his shoulders and looked him dead in the eye. “Izuku, if you care about me, never ask that question again.” With that, she turned back to Toru, leaving Izuku with far more questions than he’d had.

-----

In the end, it was disturbingly easy to break into their friend’s rooms. Hagakure, of course, was a master of stealth and had no trouble slipping in and out of almost every room. They made quick work of the girls side, the only hang ups a brief moment of panic when Yaoyorozu rolled unexpectedly in her sleep and nearly gave them a heart attack, and having to chase Urarka’s phone around the room since it, like much of her bedside furniture had become weightless as the girl slept.

Mina apparently knew all the codes to their phones, a fact which once again made Izuku question what exactly his girlfriend got up to in her free time.

When they reached the boy’s dormitories, things slowed down considerably. Hagakure was far more efficient at stealth than Izuku, but refused to enter several of the boy’s rooms. Her aversion to Mineta’s room was predictable (Izuku himself had to take a break to coat his hands with sanitizer after they had finished that one), but her aversion to Todorki and Ojiro’s rooms was harder to determine. She cited fear of the former’s wrath, but refused to elaborate on the second.

It fell to Izuku to sneak into a few rooms, unplugging Kaminari’s phone from the boy’s nose charger, unsticking Sero’s phone from its tape cocoon, and trying not to wake Tokoyami’s Dark Shadow from its position curled tightly around the boy.

It took them until just before the sun was set to rise, but the three of them managed to delete all of the copies of the photo their classmates had received. Satisfied and immensely tired, they each bid their fellow conspirators a good night, and practically collapsed into their beds once more.

Only to be woken far too soon by the rest of their classmates calling them for breakfast.

-----

“Late night Midoriya?” Kirishima called as Izuku dragged himself into the common room. He’d never been one for coffee, but felt like today he could make an exception. He yawned as he nodded in response to Kirishima’s question, then made his way to the kitchen to get his mug.

Mina was already there, dark bags under her eyes standing out against her bright skin even more than Izuku’s did. Some people joked that Aizawa acted like a father figure to their entire class but today, Izuku thought, they actually looked like his children.

He and Mina sipped quietly at their coffees, trying to pay attention to what their classmates were talking about. Kaminari was excitedly explaining the features of a new phone to Kirishima, who was looking perplexedly at the device. Apparently he had finally gotten the replacement he needed after Bakugou had blasted the device, which had gone off at an inconvenient time and ‘distracted’ the explosive blonde.

They were currently showing off the phone’s ability to project video above it, using cute stock footage of puppies playing in a park. Izuku could see why everyone in the room was enraptured. It didn’t get much more adorable than labrador puppies awkwardly bouncing around, putting their paws in the air like they were cheering.

Which reminded him…

“Mina, I forgot to ask, why did you still have a copy of that picture?”

She looked at him as if he were the biggest dolt in the universe. “Because it was adorable, duh.” She held up her phone, shaking it slightly to emphasize the point. “Besides, with the effort I put into getting it, I wasn’t just going to delete a photo like that. I almost thought about making it my background, but I figured you wouldn’t be a fan of that.”

Izuku flushed slightly at the idea. He would definitely prefer that only Mina saw that photo, given that it had been taken for her after all…

“Wait I can get my old messages on here too? Awesome!” Kirishima called, excited that he wouldn’t miss out on any of the memes his classmates had been swapping while his phone had been out of commission.

Both Mina and Izuku’s eyes widened as a horrific thought occurred to them. They spun in their seats, desperately trying to stop Kirishima before he undid all of their hard work.

Unfortunately for them, they were too late.

The phone projected the most recent image it had received in a holographic display that let the entire common room view it.

A nearly life sized image of Izuku filled the space above the table, dressed in the same cheerleader uniform that Kaminari and Mineta had tricked the girls into wearing for the sports festival. He wasn’t acting like his usual shy self, but was wearing the broad, encouraging smile he had been perfecting, and cocking a hip. One eye was closed in an exaggerated wink, and he was holding a pom pom high above his head. Below him, a caption proudly declared “Cheering 4 you! Do well on your exams! :)”

There was a long moment where no one spoke, trying to process exactly what they were seeing. Izuku could only blush furiously. Mina looked ready to tackle the first person who said anything.

Finally, Aoyama broke the silence. “Très bien Midoriya! You sparkle almost as brilliantly as moi!”

With that, the spell was broken. Several classmates crowded around, congratulating Izuku on his confidence, and his ability to fill out a uniform. They were all very positive. Even Bakugou was...tolerant at least. He stayed well away from Izuku, though he did look a little more red in the face than usual.

In fact, more than a few of his classmates were looking a bit flushed as they complimented him. Even the usually stoic Todoroki had come out of his shell, smiling and placing a hand on Izuku’s shoulder as the taller boy complimented Izuku on filling out the outfit.

It was a strange compliment, but Izuku accepted it all the same. He knew Todoroki was one of the only classmates who could match him in social awkwardness, so seeing him be more open was very gratifying, even if the root cause was something Izuku would have preferred hadn’t happened.

Izuku was surprised to be pulled out of the conversation with his classmates mid-sentence. Once he was free of the crowd, strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him close. As they did, Mina’s familiar scent filled his nose, and he relaxed a bit.

“Mina?” Izuku asked, confused by the interruption. It wasn’t like she was shy with her affection, even in public settings, but she didn’t usually grab him out of the blue like this.

She placed her head on his shoulder, and he got the distinct impression she was glowering at someone. He turned to follow her gaze, but couldn't see anyone doing anything specific. His classmates were still talking about the picture, which no one had bothered to take down, to his ongoing embarrassment.

“I’m just reminding people.” She said, not breaking eye contact with whoever she was watching.

“Reminding who? And of what?”

She turned her head as a  devilish smile crossed her face. “I’m reminding everyone that I got there first.” With that, she spun him around and pulled him into a full on kiss.

Izuku felt his heart rate spike in surprise and embarrassment. Part of the reason they were never very affectionate in public was that it made him feel very self conscious, even if it was only something simple like holding each other's hands.

Today though, he found that he didn’t mind it so much. After the initial wave of surprise, he relaxed into the embrace as his nerves faded away. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or maybe his sense of anxiety was so overloaded that it just gave out. Either way, he wrapped his arms around Mina, holding her just as tightly as she held him, and returned the kiss with just as much enthusiasm.

The two stayed like that for a long moment, lost in each other’s warmth. When they finally did break apart, it was to a completely different atmosphere.

Several of their classmates were blushing furiously at the blatant display of affection. Iida was caught between his desire to look away, and to scold the two for excessive PDA. Hagakure bounced up and down as she held out her phone, which was displaying a thumbs up emoji. Even the usually stoic Todoroki and Asui hadn’t kept it together, though the two of them looked more disappointed than embarrassed. Tokoyami was the only one who seemed indifferent, though Izuku wondered if he would even be able to discern embarrassment on a bird’s face.

Izuku found he didn’t care about their reactions. He was surrounded by good friends, who cared about him. HIs girlfriend was willing to go the whole nine yards for him, even if it was an emergency in name only. For a boy who had grown up being told he was worthless, and that no one would ever care for him, it was more than he had ever dreamed of.

[dndeviants]

Sunny Memories

Stupid, stupid, stupid! Linda shook her head and fumed as she walked away from the Shrine. Stupid feelings... Stupid vampire! And stupid me for liking him still... just give up already, Linda.

She tried to clear her head, Just get a grip. Face the facts. He’s not gonna love you. He probably doesn’t feel that way about you. You are just imagining things, because you are lonely. 

He loves Tatayana. 

A little pang shot through her as she thought about it. He bit Ireena because she was Tatayana reborn... He promised he wouldn’t pursue her-

Until he sorted everything out, he said. A deep pit of anger stirred in her.

Can’t he see that this is only going to hurt her? Hurt him? Stupid man! Best not to get involved with him emotionally... He’s probably manipulating me anyway... 

A hint of embarrassment flushed her face, I can’t believe I yelled at THE Doctor Rudolph van Richten for him! UGH!

She came upon a busy marketplace. She adjusted her pack of jewels she had taken and focused on the present. She went up to a stall, “Excuse me, do you know where I can trade these in?”

The man at the stall smiled at her, “Nah, nah, we don’t trade in those here. Best to look for what you need and take it from there.”

Linda was stunned, “Um, ok... I guess...” she thought about Strahd’s words about Mount Ghakis, “Winter wear? I’m... expecting to go mountain climbing...”

She was guided to a stall of furs, and was persuaded to buy new sets of clothes... A hardy winter coat with fox fur trim, mountain climbing boots with crampons, three different pairs of gloves... she pulled out her coinpurse-

Everyone in the market seemed to notice the glint of gold and bombarded her with demands to buy their merchandise. 

She panicked and tried to politely retreat from the market, working her way through the crowd... It was like the people there had never seen gold before-

And they probably hadn’t.

I need to get back, I’m getting crowded! She pushed and shoved, looking for the Black Carriage to put her purchases into and catch a breath.

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

Strahd sighed to himself and sat at the base of the tree, pulling out his spell book. He could still cast his minor spells... cast them for days on end. He had enough energy to cast one of his most powerful spells... he needed to recover.

He opened up his spell book on his lap, examining the ancient parchment filled with diagrams, codes, glyphs... he studied the Art and allowed himself to relax-

Which was a feat in and of itself, given the location, and situations earlier that day. He felt magic power being restored and eased. He would take all that he could get.

Aric approached the vampire, speaking with Jeeves, and all around him, "I believe we should return to the Abbey and see what else there is to find. The Abbot may have been hiding more than we know."

"More rings?” asked Jeeves, “Or more of those.. things?"

"Or maybe something that will lead us to Mehmet," Aric added.

Strahd closed his spell book and stood, shrugging, "We may as well. The Abbey was a storage place for valuable tomes and other things. It would probably be best to investigate. And, I can do so freely without worrying about the holiness,” he paused, “I'm not so certain about Sergei..."

Mina folded her arms, shuddering, "I'm not looking forward to going back there so soon."

Victor perked up, "Tomes? Do you think they would have spells?"

"It is possible,” Strahd admitted, “But it is also more clerical in nature."

Victor picked up Mr. Whiskers, "I'm fine with that."

Strahd turned to the path to the Abbey, "Then let us go."

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

The Black Carriage! Somehow, it had made it past the gate, and was resting in the middle of the street. The townsfolk that were out avoided it like it carried a plague...

But for Linda it was sanctuary.

She carried her heavy clothes over the carriage and tried to open the doors-

Locked. 

She tried to open them again, and jumped back startled when the carriage growled at her.

She sighed... Of course it had magic... The last thing she needed was a sentient cart keeping her out.

“Look, I appreciate what you are trying to do-“ she hissed in a low voice, not trying to seem crazy to the townsfolk, “I’m not stealing from Strahd. I just need to put my clothes away!“

The carriage growled uncertainly.

“Please?“

The doors begrudgingly opened for her.

“Thank you...“ she breathed, putting her clothes away. She backed out of the carriage, “Now it’s time to go find Strahd.“

The carriage buckled down and locked its doors, humphing as Linda jogged briskly away.

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

Still smells like burning, thought Aric, distastefully. Putrid smells of the dead and dying also lingered. The whimpering of the mongrelfolk punctuated the stagnant air...

Sergei was trying his best to calm the creatures... to no avail.

Ruki felt a tingling sensation, Something with power... the hilt? She touched the hilt by her side-

Images flashed in her mind... all of a sudden she was like a ghost... observing glimpses of the past:

The stone of the Abbey was pristine and nearly silver with how clean it was. Not a lot of grime caked the walls, and the day made the stone glisten.

Strahd stood next to her. He was... younger looking here. More tanned, his hair shorter... human. He stood next to his brother, Sergei.

Sergei carried a sword by his side... A sword with a crystal blade and a platinum hilt. He looked up at the fortress in awe, "Are you certain, brother?"

“I am,“ Strahd replied in a matter of fact voice, "I am turning over Krezk Fort to the High Priests. This will one day be yours.”

Strahd shrugged, and smiled at his brother, “It may not be as colorful as the cathedrals in our homeland, but with the right artisans, and blessing from High Priest Kir, this will make a fine Monastery... or Abbey."

Sergei’s bright blue eyes twinkled with pure adoration toward Strahd, "Brother... that is so kind of you! With this and the produce from Krezk, it will aid my charity work and bring comfort to the poor..." 

He gave Strahd a look of mischief, "In a politically sound way, of course."

Strahd laughed, "Indeed. Alek, show him around..."

"Yes, my lord..." A man with foreign features... dirty blond hair, slightly hooded eyes, a knife-shaped nose walked forth.

Ruki jolted back to her senses. The hilt hummed briefly in her hand, and the warmth faded. She debated leaving it- but decided against it, moving forward.

Aric put his hands in his pockets, kicking up dirt as he spoke, "I don't think we checked the north side of the Abbey when we were here last, should we begin there?"

Strahd walked with the young genasi, "That would be a good start."

Ruki nodded, the north side would be a good place to start. She stepped forward.

The blade hummed again, intrusive visions flooded her mind:

Strahd and Sergei... blood... screams... Wedding... Sergei! Blood! SERGEI!

A voice seemed to scream in Ruki’s mind. She cried out, dropping her stoic facade and clutched her head, nearly weeping from pain.

Strahd bristled from the unexpected reaction. He ran to his daughter’s aid, “Ruki! What is the matter?!”

The hilt began to burn in her hand, she growled and threw it on the ground-

Instant relief. She panted and stood, gripped with anger. She held onto her staff and raised it above her head, ready to smash it-

Aric jumped in front of her, “Don’t! We need that-!”

He swiped the hilt out of her destructive arc, and felt it hum in his hand...

What? He felt weak in the knees as cold seized him. He looked down at his arms and saw the ember light drain from his szulduar...

Draining him... then he saw the blade... a blade of  pure sunlight. Instinctively, he raised it above his head as a crystalline female voice hummed:

“Long have I awaited to have a blade once more...“

Instinctively, Strahd grabbed Ruki and jumped back with her. He raised his cape to conceal his eyes... the sunlight blinded him-

He fumed, Sunlight!

Aric regained his composure and spoke to the sword of sunlight, “So...” he tilted his head, “You talk and take things without asking..."

Aric felt the intelligence peer into his mind. The female voice mused, “It seems we have that in common.”

Strahd whispered to Ruki, his attention still on the blade, "Are you alright?"

“Yes,” she glared at the beam of light, “It seems that artifact is not fond of me...”

"It would seem that the sword indeed is still a danger...” Strahd felt a pit of anger emerge, “Damn! Khazan, he said that he destroyed the thing!"

The blade of sunlight grew brighter, radiating anger, “You would have liked that, wouldn't you, monster? You killed Sergei, and you tried to kill me too.”

Aric looked to Strahd, stunned. Ruki raised her staff defensively. 

Strahd wrapped himself in his cloak, squinting, "So, you have sentience. That... is a surprise."

The sun blade spoke, “My voice was contained in my crystal blade. Only Sergei, my wielder, could hear me. Now my blade is gone. But perhaps I've stumbled on to something better...”

“Sentient or not, everything can be destroyed...” Ruki raised her staff in warning, “...and everyone.”

The sunsword flared up again, “That is the truth. Anyone or Anything can be destroyed. But I was made for the High Priest, to combat the forces of darkness that was encroaching on...”

 “I can't remember where, but it was somewhere... where I was from...” The sunsword spoke softly.

"That happens,” Strahd was unsympathetic, “ You are here long enough, and the Mists will make you forget where you are from. Now kindly... disperse, so that we can continue our investigation."

Strahd made a shooing motion.

The sunsword, resigned, faded. Aric stood with the empty hilt, still in shock.

Victor adjusted his glasses, "Amazing. I would like to study that."

Strahd ignored Victor and walked back to the north side of the Abbey, stepping past Mongrelfolk. Ruki bristled at them and puffed herself out to seem more intimidating. 

Strahd pat her on the back, "I don't think they will bother us, so there is no need."

Strahd glided through the crowd of mongrelfolk and paused, tilting his head... He heard... his name being called?

He faced the sound-

Linda?

“Strahd! Strahd, thank goodness!“ Linda dashed up to Strahd, catching onto his arm to steady herself as she caught her breath and clung to him.”You would not believe what just happened.“

Concern overcame Strahd. He steadied Linda with his other hand, and looked into her eyes, "What happened?"

"I went to go sell the jewelry and...” she huffed, gripping on to the vampire, “Those people had me buying things instead. Then, they saw I had gold pieces and became scavengers and wouldn't stop trying to sell my everything they had...” she looked at Strahd incredulously, “How do you get around?!"

Aric folded his arms, "I'm surprised you weren't robbed; walking around with gold and jewels."

Ruki tsked, “This is why we have a buddy system in place when going to the marketplace.”

Strahd looked to Linda clinging on to him, relieved that she wasn’t attacked... He laughed, genuinely, "You are beginning to see my view of the Barovians. You do not have to worry of thieves, though. The punishment for thievery outweighs the rewards, and there is very rarely any thieves in my country. And when there are thieves...” He smirked to Aric,  “they are usually foreigners."

Aric mocked offense, "First off, I would never...” he turned to Linda, “Secondly, you missed out, Linda; the hilt Ruki found turned out to be a talking Sun Sword...“ he paused, “It doesn't like Strahd."

Linda blinked, "What?"

Strahd made a flippant gesture, hoping to distract, "That doesn't matter right now. The sunsword is... unimportant. What is important is discovering what the Abbot was hiding and what it has to to with Kiril."

Linda nodded in agreement.

Strahd looked down at her... she was so close to him, holding on to him... His hunger stirred, but he bit it down. 

Thud. There it was again, in his chest...

He pat Linda’s hand that rested on his arm, and quirked his lips in amusement, speaking softly, "Are you well enough to walk on your own?"

Linda looked up to the vampire’s smug face and quickly released him, brushing off her coat, and turning away to walk. “Yeah, I’m fine..”

As she walked off, Ruki stepped next to Strahd, nudging him.

“Ahem.. focus, my lord.” Ruki looked coyly to her father, “And I do not mean on frivolities.”

Damn... it would be no good to wear his emotions on his sleeve. With centuries of practice, he relaxed his face into a stoic, emotionless expression. He spoke, "Alright. Let us go."

They crossed over to the north side of the Abbey, and pulled open the wooden door. A blast of stench and cold air hit their faces, and a strange skittering noise echoed up to them...

A huge, hulking figure of flesh, metal bindings, pumps, and tubes turned to face them. It snarled from many mouths, and lumbered toward them- too quickly to be anything but hostile.

[ionica01]

A Cup of Magic 4

Opening the door to the cafe is like walking through a portal to a different dimension: the buzz and chitter-chatter, along with the sound of spoons stirring the honey in the tea mugs instantly surrounds Momo, replacing the isolation of the bathroom with the warm feeling of belonging. Sometimes, she feels like the cafe is a living organism, just as alive as the cells she studies every day, just as prone to evolving as they are.

Spotting Shouto is easy- he’s always sitting at the same table, and his bicolored hair isn’t exactly unnoticeable. He’s drinking his Calm Blitz, part of the cafe like an organelle- maybe he’s a mitochondria, Momo reasons.

She can’t deny the pang of disappointment she feels- she wasn’t there to take his order, which means she didn’t get to talk to him today. However, simply observing his focused look as he deciphers the notes is rewarding- he has this way of swirling his pen between his index and middle finger while he’s thinking that almost hypnotises Momo.

Perhaps he feels her staring, but he looks up and meets her eyes. He nods in greeting and tilts his head in an invitation for her to sit next to him. At least that’s how Momk interprets it- and he doesn’t look weirded out as she closes in on his table, so she’s most likely right.

“Is Uravity okay?” he asks as soon as Momo is within hearing range, sparing the barista in question a worried look. “Her face seemed very… red earlier,” he adds, to Momo’s concern. Ochako seemed just fine at the start of her shift- what has happened?

“I’ll go check and let you know,” she tells Shouto and leaves, the concern for her friend outclassing the interest for her customer.

Momo schools her face into that of a pleasant barista doing her best, and avoids the ‘worried friend’ look. Time has taught her that displaying your emotions made some feel uncomfortable, especially when it’s their health that put the wrinkles on your face in the first place.

So Momo slides behind the counter as per usual and picks up a cup from Sato’s hand to join Ochako near the cupboards brimming with herb mixtures. She fishes the vanilla and rooibos tea, without needing to read through the labels- after all, it was her that arranged them in the first place, and some mixes, such as the Rooibos Whisper, are her creation from scratch.

Momo steals a sideways glance at her friend, but notices nothing out of the ordinary. Ochako’s cheeks are their usual rosy colour, and she even hums a small tune as she filters the herbs out of the steaming hot water and lets the tea stream into a paper cup.

“You seem in a good mood,” Momo remarks, trying not to let her curiosity leak and sliding the pot out of Ochako’s hands to wash it. “Did something good happen?”

Ochako hums out of her little bubble of joy and smiles brightly. Her cheeks redden, and she presses both palms against them, covering her eyes half-way.

Momo tilts her head, giving up on keeping her curiosity in check. “What is it?” she pushes Ochako, poking at her shoulder. “Come on,” she grins when Ochako flushes even redder. That sounds like Mina, Momo catches herself thinking and pulls her hand from Ochako’s shoulder, but she talks anyway.

“You know that necklace Deku-kun gave me?” Momo nods- Ochako was absolutely ecstatic when her boyfriend gave her the silver necklace with a heart pendant. Momo’s eyes dart to Ochako’s neck and catch the sparkle of the item that hasn’t left the nape of her neck since her last birthday. “That half-and-half guy said it suits me! And when I told him it’s from my boyfriend, he said ‘Well, he has good taste.’”

Momo can imagine Shouto saying that with a stoic look, and understands immediately why Ochako’s face was flushed. A smile curls about her lips.

“So you’ve been reminded of Midoriya?” The wild red that covers Ochako’s cheekbones is a loud enough answer. “How long has it been since you last saw him?”

“He couldn’t make it to the Halloween party, so… two weeks?” The grin on Ochako’s face dampens. “He’s busy with his project and my training sessions are insane,” she deadpans. “But we talk daily!” Momo’s smile withers and she gives Ochako a friendly rub on the back. She smiles gratefully, but fails to keep in an ever-growing sigh. “It’s just- I miss him.”

“I’m sure he misses you too.”

“I know,” the woman sighs again. “Autumn is just so hectic, you know? And exams are coming up soon, so we probably won’t get to see each other until December. So this-” Ochako touches her necklace with a faraway look “-is really important to me. And it’s nice that strangers see it as part of my look, because that’s like saying that Deku-kun is part of me.”

Momo can’t help but hug her friend, ignoring the fact that she’s holding two hot cups of tea. Ochako awkwardly nuzzles her nose against Momo’s hair, unable to move her hands without spilling the drinks.  

“Thanks, Momo.”

Creati just hums in return.

***

“Uravity is okay,” Momo assures Shouto after she chats with the customer sitting at the table next to his, delivering his order.

“That’s good,” the man agrees, stealing a glimpse at the bar. He squints, as if his eyes are focusing in on Ochako. “She looks somewhat… refreshed?”

“She is,” Momo chuckles. Shouto gives her a baffled look, oblivious to the consequences of his compliment, and Momo changes the subject swiftly. “By the way, Sato wanted you to name the mousse.”

“Name it?” Shouto repeats, as if the words haven’t sunken it just yet. “Me?” His mind obviously doesn’t label the association as possible.

“Yes. He says you played a part in the making, so you should name it.”

Shouto seems lost in thought for a few moments. “How do you name a dessert?” he muses, and Momo isn’t sure whether he’s talking to himself or to her. His eyes dart to her lazily, and they linger there, aimlessly searching for something. It seems like forever until he mutters, “Onyx.”

Momo’s breath catches in her throat, and she wonders whether she heard him right. “I beg your pardon?”

“Nothing,” he says and Momo thinks he must have just been thinking up possible names for the mousse. She doesn’t understand how onyx could have anything to do with it, though.

***

Shouto looks very tired when he reaches the counter the next day. There aren’t bags under his eyes, but a misty fog is courtaining the intelligent glint in his mismatched eyes, as if his sleep has been troubled.

Momo begins to fill in the usual when he stops her, “Actually, I’d like Hot Chocolate today.”

“Oh?” She ticks accordingly and throws him a somewhat intrigued sideway glance. “May I ask what caused the change?”

There’s a pause, and when Momo looks up to him, he’s biting his lower lip thoughtfully. The gesture fits his image so perfectly that she finds it hard to unglue her eyes from his lips- it’s as if he’s literally munching over his thoughts, tasting his words before he spits them, filtering them before letting them leave the prison of his mouth.

“I’ve been thinking of the name-thing, and I figured that tasting something different will give me an idea? I mean, I want to see why the Molten Enigma is a Molten Enigma.”

Momo hides a small smile. Has that kept him awake? “Well, I hope you find your inspiration.”

“Isn’t this where you say something like ‘The magic will come to you?’” He raises an eyebrow and thins his voice. His eyes betray both amusement and genuine curiosity.

Momo is on the boundary between laughing out loud or feeling insulted by his awful impersonation of her. However, the exchange caused the fog in his eyes to clear a bit, so she decides to take it seriously.

“Magic won’t solve your problems, Shouto. Only hard work can get you anywhere- magic just cushions your path.”

She sees him deflate, yet his eyes flicker, as if he’s achieved something. She doesn’t question it as she gives him back his change, along with a warm smile. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

***

Being subtle proves to be hard when your last customer doesn’t seem to realise that the sound of the broom brushing against the sparkling clean floor is a clue to leave. Momo steals the tenth exasperated glance at Shouto, who is intently staring at his hot chocolate mug, and finally gives up. With a sigh, she abandons the broom next to a wall, pretends not to hear Ochako’s chuckle, and sits down in front of Shouto. He doesn’t jerk when the chair screeches against the floor, nor when Momo leans her forearm on the table.

“You look troubled,” she states the obvious.

He lazily looks up to her and his shoulders slump. “It’s impossible,” he whispers, and his eyes widen slightly, as if saying it out loud makes the weight of the truth suddenly fall on him. “How do you guys name these things?” He sounds absolutely horrified- well, he actually sounds just a bit unarmed, but anything other than stoic is an extreme reaction for Shouto.

Momo reminds herself that laughing at one’s problems, no matter how trivial, is rude, yet the way he takes this so seriously is endearing. A small part of her mind registers another chuckle from Ochako, who’s cleaning up the bar, but she dismisses it, far too occupied with trying not to laugh at Shouto’s dejected expression.

“Usually, we think of something fun.” His face remains blank. “We try to figure out what was involved in the process of making that dish or drink and then we kinda code it.” His face still doesn’t betray any “enlightenment”, so Momo points to his cup.

“The Molten Enigma is Uravity’s. When she first started working here, she made a bet with Mina that she could make better hot chocolate than the powder we used. Fifteen minutes later, Mina called me saying we needed to get this on our menu. It was indeed delicious, but when I tried asking Ochako how she did it, she said it was her little secret.”

“So… Enigma.”

“Exactly. The molten part is more of an allusion to the hot chocolate.”

“Well, it is pretty dense,” Shouto hums, tracing the mug’s outline with his finger. “That’s a fitting name. I thought it was more like-” he stops himself all of a sudden, and his eyes lose their focus into the brown mix.

“Like?” Momo encourages him.

His voice is uncertain when he speaks again, “I thought it was something that went deeper, like the feelings you get when you drink the hot cocoa and this strange fuzziness spreads from your stomach to your guts and then floods your system.”

Momo covers her mouth with a hand so that Shouto can’t see the smile she can’t suppress. She has no right to think that him opening up like this is her achievement- it’s probably the Molten Enigma that did it.

“That’s what’s great about names,” she says in return. “Everyone finds their own meaning in them, and it doesn’t have to be the intended one, as long as it makes the moment special to them. It’s just like art, I think- everybody brings a part of themselves into their interpretation, and that’s truly meaningful.”

She doesn’t notice Shouto staring at her until he speaks up, and his voice is so soothing that it makes her search for the warmth in his eyes again. “Adventure,” is the only word that leaves the gates of his parted lips.

Momo says nothing, because she knows he’s searching for his own meaning in her eyes, and she lets him roam around until he finds it. He eventually regains his composure and dares a faint smile.

“I think I got it.”

***

“Creamy Adventure?” Shouto nods, gulping as he waits for Sato’s verdict. His eyes dart from the customer and newly initiated cook to the dessert, and his head bobs as he considers it. Momo wonders if he’s just putting up a show or if he’s really thinking, until the small creases around his eyes betray him.

Sato eventually meets Momo’s look for approval. She nods gravely, as if they are treating a matter of utmost importance. Ochako nods with them, stiff as a board when Shouto glances at her, but hiding a thumbs up when Momo winks. “It passes,” the cook eventually declares.

“Really?” There’s a flicker of excitement in Shouto’s eyes as he checks for honesty in the three baristas, and Momo can tell with a single glance that they all find his reaction adorable. Momo steels herself for the squeals Ochako will doubtlessly give her once they’re alone, and smiles at the thought.

“Really,” she says out loud, masking their game under a serious tone. “It’s A Cup of Magicish.”

“We are proud of you,” Uravity adds and can’t help patting his shoulder.

“You have gotten into the spirit!” Sato also praises him.

Momo notices Shouto stealing a glance at her and smiles encouragingly. She’s never seen him so needy or… vulnerable. If it was anyone else, she’d say it was just normally asking for recognition, but like this- he looks like he wants confirmation more.

“Thank you,” the boy bows all of a sudden, startling everyone.

“What are you doing? Get up!” Ochako awkwardly says, she and Sato fussing over the boy as they weaver between pulling him up and bowing themselves- they end up doing both.

Momo doesn’t, however, because her mind is busy trying to understand that last glimpse of his face that she caught. There was something hidden in his features, a feeling that he certainly didn’t display often because his mouth was crumbled into a clumsy smile and his eyes were bashfully looking for an escape, but not because he didn’t enjoy himself- rather, it seemed like this was new for him.

When he looks up again, something clicks in Momo’s mind and the word she was looking for pops up: gratefulness.

“Stop being so polite,” Ochako says and playfully jabs at his shoulder. “You’re part of the family now!”

Shouto’s lips part and his face softens into an unasked question. “Family?” he finally asks when he realises the word was so natural for the group that they didn’t need to explain it.

“Yes of course! Once you step behind the bar you’re one of us! Even more so if you’ve named a dish!” Ochako’s smile appears to be dazzling for Shouto, because he blinks as if she’s the sun, but his cheeks also warm with a dust of blood as if she burnt him, and he smiles like a kid that proudly smashed his first watermelon with his eyes closed.

If anything, his smile seems to have even more of an effect on Ochako, because she backs away a few steps before launching herself towards him and yelling “Family hug!”

Sato and Momo know it’s their cue to follow her and tangle their hands around each other, awkwardly sandwiching Shouto between them. For a moment, Momo’s afraid there’s too much affection for Shouto, but the grateful smile he wears on his face and the way he strangely wraps his hands around Momo and Ochako’s shoulders, drawing them closer as he gains confidence is enough to tell her otherwise.

Family- it’s probably something he has been longing after for a long while.

[nurseconscience]

THE MUN WATCHES THE RESIDENT. And The Nurses Get Screwed (1x11)

Whole episode reaction under the cut.

Awww. Nic catching Conrad’s hand as he is leaving and them holding hands for a second. CUTE. I ALMOST forgot what happened at the end of last week’s episode. Super remember now.

Fuck Bell is on the surgery. Did he seriously just catch fire? I want to laugh but I am also super worried for the patient so it is that scared laughing. Jesus.

What Conrad walked into:

Lily’s family is suing the hospital. WHERE WERE THEY THE WHOLE TIME THROUGH HER CANCER? WE ONLY SAW HER HUSBAND THAT ONE TIME. YOU SHOW UP NOW FOR A PAYDAY? ( Okay. So that’s mean. Maybe the writers just couldn’t show them with screentime. But still. )

I love the head yelling at Conrad AND Bell. Fuck off, Lane. 

OH LOOK. I WAS NOT WRONG. CONRAD SAID THE SAME THING I SAID. I like that Nic and Conrad are ...I guess ‘getting along’ isn’t quite the right word for it. But are getting close again. I like this. They both already seem to be doing a lot better.

I can’t tell if Mina is covering for Bell or if she actually means it.

Okay so here is the hospital investigating Lily’s death. Good speech Nic. FUCKING POTASSIUM OVERDOSE.  LANE ORDERED THAT SHIT. SO IT IS STILL LANE’S FAULT. But I am sure she will deny all of that because her codes will not show up on any of it and she probably didn’t enter it as her order. I AM SO MAD. I KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. Of course they were going to blame the nurse and say she set the drip to the wrong setting.

Camera ready? Awwwww. The burned patient is adorable.  Yep. The hospital would be more than happy to drop this all on Nic and fire her. Small bit of cash compared to a huge payout. LMFAO. Devon doesn’t remember how to draw blood. I love Nic’s ‘...doctors...’ remark since Conrad also says ‘don’t look at me. I haven’t drawn blood since med school.’.

I love Mina’s little talk with Dr. Bell.

FUCK YOU LANE. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID.

Noooooo. Good job, Conrad! Poor burned kid. 

OH god. Nic is letting Devon practice on her. This should be interesting. At least she is trying to be a good teacher. Devon you are a bit hopeless with this. 

LMFAO. Nic bribing the patient with a frozen ice cream thing. Nic = the best. Devon is right. WAIT, NIC. Okay, Irving I do love you most of the time. But we do not have time for this. They are doing some really important business. LOL. Irving lost a bet.

Conrad going to Thorpe. Yes. But still, fuck you Thorpe. HAHA he called Bell HODAD in front of Thorpe and she got mad about it. Why, Thorpe? Because it is true?

OMG. Burn kid with the ‘NetTube’ channel. Fantastic.

....Is HODAD seriously trying to blame/shame the anesthesia guy...AGAIN?

Conrad and Nic scenes just make me happy even though a lot of them are sad right now. Nic sticking up for herself and also protecting herself. Good. Don’t tell your theory until you have proof. Good plan. But getting proof will be really hard. Fuck. And sticking up for nurses! That speech about being there for Lily unlike her family. Yes. Can we talk more about this?

I can’t stop laughing at Devin doing placebo things on this shift. That nurse is getting rich today.

Conrad saying he believes Nic. 

Oh. OH. Now you care, Thorpe. Where were you many episodes ago? Where was the care when our DREAMER was getting kicked out and had ICE called on her?

OH LOOK. Now HODAD is blaming anesthesia again. Or, oh look, a slight twist. He’s blaming Thorpe for some newer equipment. And Lane sticks up for him. And he twists the video to damn Thorpe instead. FUCK OFF, LANE AND HODAD.

......Dr. Bell is the new CEO. FUCK. Of course he has. This was the setup the whole time.

AH. This is where that speech fits in. Got it.

NICE NIC AND CONRAD MOMENT OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL AFTER SHE IF FIRED.  I need all of those scenes gifed.

Promo for 1x12: I AM SO READY FOR THIS. CAN IT BE NEXT MONDAY YET???

This show better get renewed. 

[emjenenla]

If You’re Gone, Maybe It’s Time to Come Home Part Three [a SoC Fanfiction]

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

Sorry for the outrageous amount of time this update took. College eats up all your time. Also, it turns out Kaz in this mental state is ridiculously hard to write in another character’s POV.

--

Part Three

(Inej)

(1)

The Van Eck mansion is full to the brim of members of the Dregs. The irony is thick because a year ago, such people would never have been allowed on the same street.

Inej threads her way through the drinking gang members. They’re laughing and sharing stories. They’ve all been told that the party is to celebrate the Dregs’ rise to prominence as the most powerful gang in Ketterdam; only the Crows and a few extremely trusted others know that the party is actually in honor of Inej’s successes hunting slavers.

Even though the building is full of people, it still feels empty to Inej. The only Crows there aside from her are Jesper and Wylan. Kaz hasn’t yet appeared, and Matthias’s death still weighs heavily on her, not to mention the fact that it has caused Nina to drop off the face of the world. Inej has no idea where her friend is and no one has heard from her in months.

Inej has tried everything to find Nina, even picking Kaz’s brain in their coded letters (if anyone knows where Nina is, it’s him). However, it’s been months since Kaz mentioned anything even semi-personal in his letters. They were always impersonal, but since her last visit to Ketterdam, he hasn’t bothered to do anything but send her lists of information. She’s starting to think he’s still sulking about the talking-to she gave him the last time they saw each other. That bothers her, because while Kaz is totally capable of holding a grudge for a couple months (after all, he managed to hold one on Pekka Rollins for years), he’s never stayed mad at her for this long before.

(2)

It’s at least ten bells when she finally admits that she’s worried. This isn’t like Kaz. She’d thought that he’d at least show his face, even if that was only because Jesper and Wylan or Anika and Keeg dragged him along.

She eventually seeks out Anika who is sitting at a table playing a good-natured card game with Pim, Keeg, Dirix and Roeder while Rotty and a couple other high-ranking Dregs look on. They all look up when Inej steps up.

“’Lo, Wraith,” Dirix says. “Welcome back. You staying for good this time?”

“Please don’t,” Roeder says with a good-natured smile to show he’s joking. “I like my job, and I don’t want you to steal it back.”

“No, I’m not staying,” Inej says. “Just stopping by for a visit. If you enjoy scrambling over every dirty, smelly crevasse of this city doing Kaz’s bidding, you’re more than welcome to it.” The instant the words come out of her mouth she feels guilty; she had never minded being Kaz’s spider, even when he was in a mood.

Still the Dregs laugh. They are all high enough in the ranks to have personally dealt with Kaz enough to know just how frustrating putting up with his opaque orders and unfathomable schemes could be.

When the laughter dies Inej moves on to the real reason she came over by them. “Where is Kaz by the way? I know he doesn’t like parties, but I haven’t seen him at all since I got back.”

The table goes silent. The Dregs look back and forth at each other like they’re trying to decide who should be the bearer of bad news. Inej’s stomach clenches with a familiar sense of apprehension, one that she’s been getting when she reads Kaz’s letters for months. It’s a subtle hint that something isn’t right, but she can’t for the life of her figure out what it is.

After a moment, Anika pushes back her chair and gives her cards to Rotty. “If you make me lose, I’ll end you,” she threatens, then stands up. “Come on, Ghafa,” she says in what Inej can only assume is her lieutenant’s voice. “Let’s have a chat.”

(3)

They step out into the hallway and Anika paces to the end to look out at the garden, arms crossed.

“Anika,” Inej ventures stepping up alongside her. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to Kaz?”

“I don’t know,” Anika says, slowly and precisely, like saying each word hurts.

“What do you mean?” Inej asks.

“He’s missing,” Anika says. “No one’s seen him in days.”

“What?” Inej can’t help it, she yells. “Why aren’t you looking for him?”

“We are!” Anika’s voice raises too. “But Ketterdam’s a big place and we don’t know where half his boltholes are. To be honest, he could still be holed up in his rooms in the Slat since no one actually saw him leave. No one answers when we knock, but the door’s locked, like, really locked.” She gives Inej a significant look.

Inej nods. Kaz has more locks on his door than any person should ever need, but he rarely uses all of them because several can only be locked and unlocked from the inside. He wouldn’t have gone through that much trouble if he was just going out. “Have you tried the windows?” she asks.

“Yeah,” Anika says. “We sent Mina up the morning after we lost track of him. The windows are all locked. To make matters worse, each one’s fitted with multiple Schuyler locks. Aside from Kaz there’s only a handful of people in the gang who can pick those, and none of them are capable of getting up on that roof without killing themselves.”

Inej bites her lip. She doesn’t know what to say. This doesn’t sound like Kaz at all. She tries to decide how likely it is that he just found an intriguing job and doesn’t like the odds. “Do you think he’s on a job?”

Anika growls low in the back of her throat, and Inej looks at her. “What?”

“You haven’t been around these past couple months, Ghafa,” Anika says. “Something’s not right with him. Hasn’t been in months, but it’s gotten worse since the last time you were here. I don’t know what kind of lover’s squabble the two of you had, but while you’ve been out there gallivanting around the ocean, we’ve been here dealing with him.”

Inej opens her mouth to protest that she’s doing a lot more than gallivanting, but stops herself because she’s not sure if Anika’s on the list of people who have been trusted with the true nature of her mission.

“Pim and I are basically running the Dregs,” Anika admits, calming down. “Brekker barely does anything anymore. I don’t think he’s realized we’ve noticed, though I’m not sure how that’s possible. He’s not very aware of anything. He spends a lot of time just staring blankly off into space. He’s not scheming, but I can’t figure out what he’s actually thinking about.”

Inej doesn’t know what to say. The idea of Kaz not pulling his own weight and leading the gang he bled for for so long is ludicrous. She can’t wrap her mind around it.

“So far, only the inner circle knows exactly how bad it is,” Anika says. She sounds exhausted. “That means me, Pim, Keeg, Dirix, Rotty, Roeder and Mina. We’re trying to keep it from going farther than that, but we’re running out of time. There are low-ranking members of the Dregs who are personally loyal to Kaz, but the majority of them are only loyal to the idea of him—of Dirtyhands, Bastard of the Barrel. When they figure out what’s going on…”

She doesn’t finish, but she doesn’t need to. Inej knows the Barrel well enough to know what Anika was going to say. If word gets out that Kaz is weak the very gang that has followed him so ravenously will turn on him just like they turned on Per Haskell. If that happens, Kaz will be lucky to escape with his life.

The thought is terrifying.

“What happened before he went missing?” Inej asks Anika, trying to push the conversation away from the horrible idea of Kaz’s possibly imminent fall.

Anika sighs. “You’d do best to ask Espen that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hard to say,” Anika says. “All I know is that the night we lost track of the boss, he was supposed to go out to do some scouting with the spiders. He didn’t show up for hours. Roeder and Mina were just going to go without him, but Espen got angry and stalked upstairs. After a couple minutes he came down and said that-” she cuts herself off. “You know, you probably should talk to Espen about that, I’m not even sure I understand what went on.”

(5)

It takes Inej the better part of an hour to located Espen in the swirling mass of humanity in the Van Eck house. She’s just starting to wonder if he left without telling anyone when she runs into Mina. The young spider is more than happy to point her in Espen’s direction.

“I saw him over by the food,” she says. “Sulking probably; he hates parties.”

Inej threads through the crowd to the location specified. Espen is seated on a couch, crushed between the arm and a couple older members of the Dregs. He is clutching a plate of hors d'oeuvres and looks murderous, but he’s still there. If Kaz had been in his position, he’d have broken someone’s jaw and fled upstairs where there are less people by now.

Espen doesn’t notice her approach him, and Inej makes a mental note to tell Kaz to teach his spiders to be more observant. She waltzes up to Espen and snaps her fingers in front of his face.

He glares at her, overgrown mop of straw-colored hair falling into his angry blue eyes. Sometimes Inej looks at him and thinks that this must have been what Kaz had been like at age eleven, but other times she thinks that Kaz and Espen are only superficially alike. There is something almost theatrical about Espen’s anger, like he’s playing a part or seeking attention. She can’t imagine careful, calculating, brilliant Kaz ever acting like that.

“Wha’ do you want?” Espen asks in a low, gruff voice that might be a poor attempt at mimicking Kaz’s rasp.

“Just a chat,” Inej says and beckons with a finger. “Let’s go someplace quieter.”

(5)

She leads him into an upstairs parlor and locks the door behind them. He stands in the middle of the room, his arms crossed. “I’m waiting,” he says.

Inej rolls her eyes. “Drop the act. You’re not a hotshot. You’re just a kid.”

“I’m one of Kaz Brekker’s trusted spiders,” Espen says puffing his chest out. “I am one of the most important members of the Dregs.”

“Yes, and I’m the Wraith,” Inej says. “Do we really want to start throwing titles and accomplishments around?”

Espen visibly deflates. He either didn’t recognize her (which doesn’t make sense because she’s given him and the other spiders some tips during her visits in Ketterdam) or he was hoping she wouldn’t call him out on his bravado (much more likely). “What do you want?” he asks.

“Anika said that you and Kaz got in a fight a couple days ago,” Inej says.

“Yeah,” Espen says. “Happens all the time. Why does it matter?” There’s now something cagey about his body language. He’d rather not be talking about this.

“Why don’t you tell me about it,” Inej suggests, using the gentle, soothing voice she’s cultivated to put rescued slaves at ease.

She expects Espen to argue, but he grasps onto her offer to listen almost frantically. Whatever happened between him and Kaz has been weighing on his mind and he desperately wants to talk about it.

“I’m not a spider anymore,” he says.

That was not how she expected him to begin this conversation. “What do you mean?” she asks.

“I got fired,” Espen says, his voice is angry, but matter-of-fact in the way that only Barrel rats seem to be able to manage. As if bad things are something to be expected and taken when they come. “After the argument. Boss says he doesn’t want to see me ever again.”

That is odd. Inej has never known Kaz to tell someone he never wants to see them again. Loathe as she is to admit it, normally when he gets to that point he simply kills the person in question to ensure he doesn’t have to deal with them anymore. “What happened?” she asks slowly.

Espen shrugs, evasive anger back again. “I dunno. Brekker’s been really stupid lately.”

That sets off even more alarms in Inej’s head. She has never, ever heard the word “stupid” used in the same sentence as “Kaz Brekker.” “What do you mean?” she asks cautiously.

For a second Espen looks confused then nervous. “If Anika didn’t say anything, then maybe I shouldn’t-”

“Tell me,” Inej presses, shoving away the hurt at the idea that Anika might be keeping things from her. She and Anika aren’t exactly friends, but they’re not enemies either. Plus, Anika holds a position in the Dregs similar to the one that Kaz did when Haskell was general (albeit, with much less actual power). Of all the members of the Dregs, she’s the closest to Kaz and might be the only one who has a firm grasp on how serious Inej’s relationship with Kaz is. “Kaz is my friend,” she continues ignoring the voice that screams that she and Kaz are way past the “just friends” point. “If there’s something going on with him; I need to know about it.”

Espen sighs then relents and begins his story. Inej listens with growing shock as he relates his confrontation with Kaz. She recognizes the Kaz’s behavior because she has seen them in people she rescues from slavers. She has seen people who lash out at every perceived threat, who see such behavior as the only way to protect themselves from a world that has turned its back on them. She has just never applied them to Kaz.

“I don’t know what was wrong with him,” Espen finishes looking confused. “Is he sick?”

“He’ll be fine,” Inej says because she doesn’t feel like trying to explain trauma to a Barrel kid who has been raised in a community that refuses to acknowledge anything but strength. “Do you know where he went after your argument?”

Espen shrugs. “Dunno. I didn’t see him go anywhere.”

“Okay,” Inej says taking a deep breath in an effort to contain her thoughts. “Thank you.”

(6)

She approaches the Slat the way she always has; by the roofs. She isn’t sure that she truly believes Kaz will be there, but she isn’t sure where else to start so she decides to take her chances.

The window she always entered Kaz’s room through, the window she often sat in feeding the crows, is closed with a dark curtain pulled down behind it. It takes her upwards of twenty minutes to figure out how to pick the Schuyler locks, but when she finally does she pulls the window open, pushes aside the curtain and steps inside.

The room is dark and cluttered which is strange because for all his money Kaz owns very little and keeps what he does in impeccable order. Now there are clothes and weapons strewn across the floor. As Inej steps inside she accidently steps on a sheet of paper that is scrawled over on both sides in Kaz’s handwriting. A number of other sheets of paper are spread across the rest of the floor like someone threw them.

She’s just reaching the conclusion that someone must have broken into Kaz’s room and ransacked it when she realizes the room is not empty. There’s a teenage boy-sized lump in the bed and on closer investigation she realizes it’s Kaz.

She knows that Kaz sleeps on his side, curled into the fetal position with his back pressed up against the nearest wall, but she has never seen him take it quite this far. He’s curled up so tightly that he’s almost in a legitimate ball. She knows that’s bad for his leg; he’ll be lucky if he can stand let alone walk when he gets up. His coal gray blanket is pulled up so that only his hair is visible. He isn’t using a pillow and after a second she realizes that’s because he’s clutching it to his chest like it’s the only thing keeping him from drowning in a stormy ocean.

“Kaz?” she asks her voice nervous. “Kaz.” He doesn’t stir so she crosses the room trying to step around the papers incase they’re important. When she reaches his side, she kneels down next to him. “Kaz.” She says a little louder, reaching out and pulling the blanket away from his face, careful not to touch any skin. “Kaz, wake up.”

He shifts slightly, but doesn’t straighten or release his death grip on the pillow. One eye cracks open just slightly then closes again and he buries his face in the pillow.

“Kaz,” she repeats. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

He moves again, just slightly and mutters something, but the words are rendered incomprehensible by the pillow.

“Kaz!” her voice is rising panic now, she grasps his blanket-covered shoulder and shakes him. “Look at me!”

(7)

As always, the physical contact gets a response from him. He bats her hands away with a motion that is a little more haphazard than it usually would be. His eyes open and he looks at her like he can’t decide if she’s actually there. “Inej?” he asks after a moment. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you,” Inej says. “Why aren’t you at Jesper and Wylan’s party?”

Kaz looks away. “I’m not going,” he says.

“Yes, I’d kind of figured that out,” she says perhaps a bit sharper than she intended to. She takes a deep breath and changes her tone before she goes on. “Are you still angry at me for the last time I was here?” he doesn’t say anything so she pushes onward. “Anika said you’ve been missing for a couple days. Are you okay?”

No answer.

“Kaz,” she presses. “Are you okay?”

Still no answer. He won’t even look at her.

“Kaz!” she shouts. He jumps which might have actually been funny under different circumstances. “Enough of this. Are You Okay?” She isn’t even sure why she’s continuing on this line of questioning when he pretty obviously not okay and she knows that if she does convince him to talk he’ll just lie. Perhaps she just wants the reassurance of knowing that he’s at least okay enough to lie to her.

If that’s what she wants she doesn’t get it, because Kaz says nothing. He just keeps looking away, eyes vacant and dead.

Just like their argument on the roof. She’d thought how silent he’d been then was wrong. They’ve argued before, but Kaz has never been quiet and listened. When Kaz is in an argument he lays into the other person with every ounce of cruel intelligence he possesses. Before that night, Inej had never won an argument with him. She should have known right away that something was wrong, but she’d been too angry and too high on her own victory to notice.

“Kaz,” Her voice softens, almost pleading. “What’s wrong?”

Finally he looks back at her, his eyes are still dead in a way that looks nothing like the Bastard of the Barrel. “Nothing,” he says. “I’m fine.”

Even though she was expecting this she can’t help but sigh. “Tell me the truth, Kaz.”

“I was sleeping,” Kaz says in a tone of voice that’s a little too flat for his defensive words. “Nothing more.”

“It’s ten thirty,” she points out.

He raises an eyebrow. “All kinds of people go to bed before that.”

“Not you,” Inej points out. It’s true; going to bed at midnight constitutes as early for Kaz Brekker. “Come on, Kaz.”

“I’m fine,” he says. “Leave me alone and let me sleep.”

Then he curls up on the bed again with his back facing her.

(8)

She can’t get him to start talking to her again, no matter how much she pleads. When she tries shaking him again he just shoves her off and pulls the blanket over his head.

Eventually she realizes that she’s unlikely to get any response from him. She’s going to be stuck waiting for the unlikely possibility that he’ll relent and tell her what’s wrong. She stands up. “I’m going to clean up this room a little,” she told him. “I’ll be right here if you decide you want to talk.”

Kaz doesn’t answer.

Inej sighs and sets to work on the mess Kaz has made. There’s an empty whiskey bottle lying on the floor and when she picks it up she realizes that it’s that super expensive whiskey she and Kaz stole once. Trust Kaz not to get drunk on something cheap.

She throws the bottle away, then turns to the papers spread out across the floor. After she picks up a couple she realizes they’re part of a letter. It takes her the better part of fifteen minutes to gather them all up and figure out what order they go in, but then her curiosity gets the better of her and she starts to read.

(9)

What she reads horrifies her.

If it wasn’t Kaz’s handwriting she would have thought someone else wrote it. The words don’t sound like Kaz Brekker. Kaz Brekker isn’t this open. He doesn’t talk like this. Kaz Brekker does not display this kind of abject self-hatred. Yet at the same time she knows that this horrible, untrue letter is Kaz and she knows that this is how he feels. This is what she abandoned him to without even realizing it.

She knew he had a lot armor, but she realizes now she may have given her understanding a bit too much credit. She had thought that she saw Kaz completely through the eyes of the almost eighteen year old woman she is now, but she realizes she was wrong. Somewhere inside of her a tiny portion of the fifteen year old girl she had been when Kaz rescued her from the Menagerie has been hanging on skewing her viewing of him. Back then she saw Kaz as something powerful and immortal, something strong enough to rise above the filth of Ketterdam, something that could make the monsters pay. That was what had drawn her to him in the beginning; the promise that perhaps, just perhaps he could make her something like that too.

Over the years that view of Kaz had started to die as she realized that Ketterdam took something from everyone, realized she did not need to be a monster. She’d also realized that Kaz was no demon, no immortal being, he was just a boy who had suffered trauma every bit as great as hers.

If Inej was honest with herself, Kaz had done more than just buy her indenture; he was why she wasn’t like some of the blank-eyed people she pulls out of slaver holds. From the instant she’d left the Mangerie, she’d never had the chance to sink into the blackness of her own despair because Kaz had always been there pushing her to move climb a little faster, hit a little harder, to be more than that girl who’d been sold in the brothels. He had saved her, even if he’d never intended to, even if he hadn’t even realized he was doing it. She had owed him the same, and she’d failed.

She sits on the floor and presses her forehead against her knees. She’d left Ketterdam thinking that she didn’t need Kaz anymore. That is at least kind of true; she no longer relies on him to determine her identity the she once did. She’s her own person with her own goals in her reach, but she’d forgotten to wonder whether Kaz needs her more than she needs him.

She turns to him. She doesn’t know what she’s going to say to him, but she knows that she needs to say something. “Kaz…” she whispers. He doesn’t respond, but his shoulders aren’t as tight as they were before so she thinks he’s fallen back to sleep.

She carefully pulls the blanket back around his shoulders so it’s no longer covering his face. Then she carefully steps towards the window. She isn’t sure what she needs to do to fix this and the only thing she can think of is that the only food Kaz keeps in his rooms is dry, gross stuff that doesn’t spoil. Food is like a bandage on a gaping wound, but it is something she can do right now.

Before she leaves she thinks about trying to find all Kaz’s knives and lock them up. She doesn’t know if Kaz will try to hurt himself, but she also knows that she’s unlikely to find all the knives he has hidden. She decides she’s better off just moving quickly and hoping to be back before he wakes up.

She takes one last look at his crumpled form and leaps out the window.

(10)

Her first stop is at the Van Eck mansion. She writes a note to Anika saying that she’s found Kaz, and one to Jesper and Wylan saying that something has come up and that she’ll make it up to them later. She doesn’t mention anything about the kind of shape Kaz is in. She’s not going to tell anyone about what’s going on without his blessing.

She gives the letters to one of the servants then sneaks into the kitchens. She makes off with some meat and vegetables because it will be easier than finding a shop to break into. She’ll pay Jesper and Wylan back later.

After leaving the mansion she stops by the Wraith to grab a few things. This only takes a few minutes and the crewmember on watch doesn’t even notice that she’s there. She makes a mental note to give her crew a talking to about how to be on guard duty, but right now she has bigger problems.

As she heads back to the Slat she passes by the small toy shop where she got the stuffed crow she gave to Alby Rollins before she left Ketterdam. She picks the simple lock on the backdoor and lets herself in. The shop is just as small and quaint as it was the last time she was here. She remembers belatedly that she’d promised the owner she’d convince Kaz to put this shop under Dregs protection in exchange for making the crow toy in a matter of hours. She’d forgotten in the whirlwind of preparations for her voyage. She renews that promise to herself as she looks at the wares spread out around the dark shop. She should not get in the habit of breaking her promises.

She wanders through the store looking at all the cute, fluffy stuffed toys. She isn’t exactly sure why she came here, but she feels like she needs to be here.

Eventually she stops before a rack of stuffed bears. She had a bear toy as a child. She remembers hugging it to her chest and feeling safe. She wonders briefly what happened to it when she got too old to want it anymore. Suddenly she hopes her parents didn’t get rid of it. She would like to see it again.

As she runs her fingers along the shelves of stuffed bears she wonders if Kaz ever had a toy like this. She has spent a lot of time recently trying to figure out exactly where Kaz came from. She knows that at some point in his life someone must have cared for him--he would have died as an infant if he’d been completely abandoned from the moment he was born--but she hasn’t been able to figure out who. She knows Kaz had a brother, but she doesn’t even know what his name was let alone how much older he was. Perhaps this older brother raised Kaz in the Barrel and then ran afoul of Pekka Rollins.

The only person who could answer her questions is Kaz and he’s so close-lipped about himself that it’s honestly a miracle he admitted he even had a brother. She wishes she could convince him to talk to her. She wants to help him, and talking always helps.

She shakes herself. She’s not helping Kaz by sitting in a toy shop and leaving him all alone. She starts to leave, then pauses and turns back to the rack of bears. She suddenly becomes aware of the idea that has been forming in her mind the entire time she’s been in this shop. She’s fully aware it might be a terrible idea and that he might refuse it at best and assume she’s mocking him at worst, but she feels like it’s something she needs to do.

She chooses to a medium-sized bear with a soft, cuddly body; silky, caramel-colored fur and a sweet, reassuring face that doesn’t have any uncomfortable wires in it. She sets the tag on the shop counter along with twice the kruge the owner is charging and slides the bear into a bag she took from Jesper and Wylan’s.

She leaves the shop, locking the door carefully behind her. Then she takes a deep breath, collects herself and takes to the rooftops for the journey back to the Slat.

--

That teddy bear is probably the one concession to fluff you’ll get out of me. I read a headcanon post on Tumblr once where Inej wins a stuffed animal in a throwing contest and gives it to Kaz, and ever since I’ve been sort of obsessed with the idea.

One more part left. Hopefully it will get out soon, but I’ll make no promises.

Thank you for reading!

Emjen

[olympus-summit]

This Man Is Way Past His Limit | Nemesis | Re: Trial End, Post-Trial Start, Doctor, Mitsu, Shinobu

The arrogance. The absolute fucking gall. It's unreal. Nemesis is trying his best not to choke on his rage, there are too many important matters to consider, but it's not easy. 

"You... don't... get... to pass judgment... on us." Nemesis grinds the words out slowly through clenched teeth, so angry he can scarcely focus. "You still don't realize. You don't get it. We didn't 'turn on each other for the smallest things', we got into arguments over literally traumatizing and potentially life or death situations. Clones of us have been made to serve on Summits for a hundred goddamn years apparently, and given how surprised you all were whenever any of us got angry at each other, that 'vitriol' isn't something that happened before. It's something that happened because you pushed us to the breaking point. You are not good people. You don't get to do all the shit the six of you have done and still be a good person. You do not have the high ground, you do not have any ground. Even if, even if this really was the only way to break the code, it doesn't justify you doing it. And it's not. It's literally not. You went too far. You've admitted it yourselves, but I don't think you really comprehend what that means. You don't get it. Maybe because you're actually that ignorant, or maybe you're in denial, maybe you refuse to get it."

Trying to give himself a chance to process more, Nem pulls out his iRis and starts going through the newly available options as he talks.

[CW: Mentions of Objectification/Dehumanization]

"You had options. You had choices. Not just for whether or not to torture us, but for how, and how long, and - god, you had so many fucking choices. You have tactile virtual reality technology, you have a machine that can simulate executions realistically enough to make people think they actually died, you could have run us through simulations until we broke, but let me guess - you didn't think of that. You thought of making executions in the first place but not just using the simulator by itself. It didn't even occur to you. And you think that's an excuse. You didn't give it a chance to occur to you. You weren't on a strict fucking deadline, we know that, because you've been doing this shit for two goddamn months. Two months! That's two months you had to think of something else, or change what you were doing, or just fucking stop! And you didn't! You didn't even stop now! Mina made you! She made you fucking stop, or else who even fucking knows how much longer you would've gone on torturing us! You are monsters. You made people. You made people. Without thinking about the consequences for them, you made people and then you treated them like tools, and you didn't even bother to think about what you'd do with them when you were done using them. You have no idea how to take responsibility for your actions other than by trying to die, which isn't taking responsibility, it's just running away and leaving a mess for the rest of us."

These people are nightmares. No remorse. No fucking remorse, they couldn't even bother to fake it in front of their victims. 'Sorry not sorry for going hogwild while torturing you, we recognize that it was unnecessary to go as far as we did now but also we still feel like it was the right choice.' The Fates had been complicit in the routine murder of cloned councilors for a century. Menai knew what it was like to be objectified, the horror and injustice of it, and she had still aligned herself with a group that had done just that to the hostages they made. For god's sake, Elliott had romantically pursued one of his victims. It doesn't matter if Leland forgives him, that doesn't change how the relationship had started. Elliott had lied to him, tortured him, and while doing this also decided to flirt with and date him. Honestly, who fucking does that? That's gross. Nothing in his fucked up plan required him to do any of that. 

[END CW]

"Elliott, you're not releasing shit. Just because no one felt like stabbing you to death doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want. You are no longer in control, you do not get to make any more decisions, you do not have the right to decide anything for us, including what gets broadcast and when. What we release to the public is apparently on the huge goddamn list of things we all need to discuss and decide as a group, though I will say again that I do think that's something that should come after we decide how to deal with Titan. God. Just. You know what? Can they leave? Can we get all of them out of the goddamn room as soon as possible?"

Deep breaths. Nemesis' grip on his temper isn't especially rigid, but believe it or not he's still keeping it mostly reeled in. 

"Even setting aside the fact we're gonna end up getting distracted and talking in circles again any time one of them decides to speak up, I don't know about the rest of you, but I really do not think it's unreasonable at all for me to ask to not have to spend this entire discussion period in the presence of the people who've been torturing me for the last two months so, seriously, get them out. We can always call them up later if we need to know anything, but frankly I'd rather have Mina and KIT here and the actual people responsible for this shit just - not. Shinobu's got a good idea, the Tunnel is definitely an option, though I think putting them under 'house arrest' in their rooms could work, too. The locks on the Hestian Housing doors are automated, so I can probably figure out a way to program them not to open from the inside. The sisters can share one room, Menai and Monty or Charon or whatever the fuck his name is, the clown in the sunglasses, are already sharing one, and that would mean we'd only have to put Elliott in the actual Jail on the Witching Hour floor. Admittedly this is a short term solution, but we can work out a long term one after we deal with Titan and don't have to worry about getting murdered the second any of us steps off this goddamn airship."

"Speaking of which, Mitsu, I honestly, genuinely agree with you, I absolutely hate this place at this point and would love to blow it out of the sky, but unfortunately we're still gonna need it for a while. Shinobu's right about that too, we're not safe off of it yet, and there's a lot of tech here that could help people if it hasn't already been widely produced. Though there's also a lot that could hurt and we should be real careful not to let any of that shit get out."

And finally,

"Medica, I really cannot stress enough that there is zero chance of any plan that can guarantee no civilians will be harmed. We can certainly try to plan around that, and figuring out what our targets are and how to attack them is a good first step, but we can't control every variable, and we absolutely can't do nothing. Or at least I'm certainly not going to. I've already suggested the rough outline of a plan that ideally would minimize any deaths, but one way or another we're going to have to take a risk."

"Anyway... I think the obvious first step is to select the Full Council Override, so I'll be doing that now, feel free to join me whenever." Nemesis taps at his iRis again.

"Next order of business is deciding exactly how to handle Titan - can we get like, a show of hands or something as to who actually wants to work on a plan to dismantle them? Once we've made some progress there, the other things we should probably prioritize are the housing situation, assembling a group of anyone interested in learning how to operate the Forge and the other tech on board from Mina, and deciding when to bring the people in the engine room out of stasis. Does anyone not want to be involved with that last part? I doubt having to explain things to them is going to be a fun time, but what the Doctor and Mitsu have said is true. They're people and they should be allowed to decide what to do with their own lives, once they've been fully informed. So, those are the basics. I would personally suggest that once we cover all of that, and the transfer of power back to the Council is finalized, we see about gathering more information. We need to know more about the state of the world and about Titan itself before we can make more long term decisions, so we should probably reconvene again after looking into it. Any other suggestions?"