#they’d both fall over like dumbasses

[paradoxicalpaldeann]

soulmate body swap au but they try to take a singular step after swapping and instantly fall onto their face because their centre of gravity/balance is fucked

[lulunothulu]

Hello again!! Back with another request because you blew the first one out of the park 😍 this time could it be reader is a pilot and best friends with both Rooster and Hangman but they’ve been at each other’s throats lately so she decides to get the rest of the group in on a fainting prank she pulls on the two of them to force them to work together just fluffy worried boys

I love this and your brain 😭

“Hurt”

Hangman x Rooster x Reader

“You know next time I want a stupid opinion, I’ll ask for your input,” Rooster spits. The insult slapping Hangman as if it were Rooster’s hand.

“You know I’m right,” Hangman spits back. “You’re being reckless and you’re gonna get someone killed. Focus or get the fuck out of the pilot’s seat. You don’t need to be like your daddy you know.”

“The fuck did you say to me?” Rooster asks, getting in Hangman’s face.

“Woah, woah, hey,” you say, standing between them and holding a palm on each of their chests. “Calm the fuck down.”

“Tell him to calm down,” Hangman tells you.

“Tell him to watch his mouth,” Rooster counters.

These two handsome idiots are your best friends, the best you’d had in a very long time. So to see them arguing for the past two weeks had hurt more than anything.

They’d bicker about everything and anything. Yesterday, it was the fact that Rooster was breathing too close to Hangman’s ear at Hard Deck. The day before that, Hangman’s big mouth said something about Rooster’s dad and how flying with Maverick could get Rooster in the same predicament his dad did—dead.

“Just go take a walk,” you tell them. “Both of you.”

They mutter something under their breathes but they walk away.

“We need to do something about those two,” Phoenix tells you, wrapping and arm over your shoulders.

“You wanna make them box it all out?” Coyote asks.

“Nah, let’s make them drink their livers away and then make them fight,” Fanboy suggests.

“Those are terrible ideas,” you laugh.

“Maybe they’ll come together if something happens to you,” you hear Bob say quietly.

“What was that Bobby?” You ask.

The pilot turns red, looking anywhere but at you before clearing his throat and repeating, “Maybe they’ll come together if something happens to you. You know? If you get hurt?”

You rub your temple, thinking for a second before smiling and planting a kiss on his cheek—making him turn even more red than before.

“Bobby, you’re a genius.”

~*~*~*~*~

A few beers (and a lot of bad ideas) later, you and the rest of the Dagger Squad have a plan set in motion. A plan so great, the two dumbasses will stop fighting all together.

“Okay Bobby, are we ready?” You ask.

“They should be coming in any second,” he tells you.

See, the plan was to make it look like you’d taken a nasty fall and have Rooster and Hangman find you. What you didn’t anticipate was actually falling and getting hurt.

You’d just gotten the signal from Phoenix and Bob when you felt yourself slip from the ladder going into the jet you were set to fly that day.

It felt like a movie the way you fell.

Everyone around you screamed or yelled out. The world around you slowed down and you could see the looks of horror on Hangman and Rooster’s face.

They rushed to you but they were too late. You’d already fallen and hit your head in the concrete floor of the hangar.

“Is she breathing?�� Hangman asks, holding your head in a stable position.

“If you would give me a second, I can check.” Rooster tells him harshly. He checks your pulse point on your neck and putting an ear by your mouth before nodding. “Yeah, her heart is pounding and her breathing is shallow. We need to get her to the medic.”

Nodding, Jake lifts you into his arms and begins to race toward the medical room—Rooster on his heels.

“She fell from the ladder going into her jet,” Rooster tells the nurse while Hangman gently places you on the gurney.

“We’ll take her to get some vitals and a CT scan.”

The two aviators fall back, watching as the nurses wheel you to another part of the medical building. Rooster is the one to speak first.

“She terrified me,” he croaks.

“She’s gonna be fine,” Hangman counters.

“Why does everything turn into a fight with you?”

Hangman’s brows raise, a surprised expression taking over his features. “What makes you think I want to be fighting?”

“Because every little thing we do or talk about, turns into us fighting and Y/N stopping us!” He exclaims. He rubs his eyes, plopping himself onto a chair in the waiting room. “I’m just tired of fighting.”

“I am too,” Hangman admits. “Without Y/N to keep us grounded, I don’t know how to control myself. It’s just…god, you get under my skin.”

“Same here,” Rooster smiles.

“I thought we could’ve moved past our issues, especially after you and Mav came back when we thought you both lost…”

“I thought so too.”

They sit in silence, grateful that they can enjoy it before Hangman speaks again.

“I really hope she’s okay,” he whispers, head in his hands.

Rooster turns to face him. He’s shocked. He’d never seen Jake to worry for anyone but himself and maybe occasionally you. He claps his hand to Jake’s shoulder, causing Jake to turn to him.

“She’s gonna be fine, Jake.”

Hangman only nods. He knows if he speaks, the cracking of his voice will give away everything.

No, instead he places a hand on top of Bradley’s and nods—sighing when Bradley squeezes his shoulder in comfort.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A few hours later, you wake up in a dimly lit room. Beeping and the sounds of people whispering in the corner of…wherever you are…float to your ears. You sit up slightly to see Hangman and Rooster standing in the corner in a conversation.

They don’t look like they’re arguing…but you’ve been wrong before.

“Hey,” you groan. “No fighting.”

“Y/N,” they say, coming to your side, each taking one of your hands.

“How are you feeling?” Rooster asks.

“Like I feel off a ladder.” You squeeze their hands and smile. “I guess my plan worked.”

“What plan?” Hangman asks, eyes meeting Rooster’s.

“To get you two to stop fighting,” you tell them. You sigh when they open their mouths to argue with you. “Don’t even try to get out of this. You know you two have been fighting for the past few weeks. I was just tired of hearing it. I didn’t mean to actually get hurt.”

They’re silent for a bit before they smile at each other.

“What?” You ask. You turn to Rooster, eyes narrow. “Bradley?”

“W-what?” He stutters.

“What is it?”

“We talked to Phoenix,” Hangman tells you, making you swing your head to face him.

“Jacob Seresin, you tell me right now.”

“She told us about it your plan,” Bradley cuts in.

“And we’re very sorry we made you have to resort to…this.” Jake finishes.

You look between the two of them in disbelief. “Really?”

“Really,” Bradley nods. “And we’ll try not to fight so much.”

“If you two start it up again, I don’t k know what I’ll do,” you chuckle. “Maybe throw myself off a roof?”

“Please don’t,” Jake laughs.

Ugh… I need a Jake and Bradley

[hardly-an-escape]

sola fide | Buck/Tommy | 1170 words | rated T

tags: Evan Buckley character study, sick fic, mentions of religion, dirty jokes, established relationship, lgbtq identity

“Hey, uh, Tommy?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you kind of a dumb question?”

“Of course.”

They’re posted up on Tommy’s couch, both with a weekend off at the same time for once. They’d planned to get out of the city, go for a long hike, maybe hit a winery somewhere. But Tommy’s been nursing a cold, so they’re taking it easy instead, and Buck likes that just as much as their adventures. So he’d made chicken noodle soup from scratch and brought over ginger ale and some of the violently red popsicles Tommy kept secretly stashed in the back of the freezer.

Buck’s quiet for another moment, gathering his thoughts.

“When did you know? That you were gay?” he says eventually.

Tommy looks up from the monster truck magazine he’s been leafing through.

“I don’t know that I can point to one particular moment,” he says, thoughtful. “On some level it was something I always knew about myself, even if I didn’t have the language to describe it yet. I guess… hitting puberty was kind of an awakening. Hearing other guys talk about girls we knew, or women in magazines, and realizing I just didn’t connect with what they were saying, like, at all. I guess there’s the fact that the first wet dream I had was about Brad Pitt in Thelma and Louise.” He snorts. “That was a pretty big clue.”

Buck smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He realizes he’s twisting his fingers together in his lap and untangles them, rubs self-consciously at the tops of his thighs.

Tommy tosses his magazine onto the coffee table and takes one of Buck’s hands in his own, rubbing gently at the muscle between his thumb and forefinger. “What makes you ask?” he says gently.

“I dunno. I just.” Buck sighs. “I guess I’ve been feeling weird about it lately. Not – not this,” he adds hastily, “not us, not even a little. This is seriously one of the best things that has ever happened to me – you are one of the best things that’s ever happened to me, Tommy, I mean that.”

Tommy gives him a sweet little smile, one of the ones that’s just for him, and squeezes his hand.

“I just mean… this feels like such a big thing t-to not know about myself. You know, how did I make it into my thirties before it ever occurred to me, oh, you like guys, you might fall in love with a guy.” His voice rises in pitch a little as he picks up speed. “It makes me feel stupid, and – and out of touch with my own self. Like, what else is really obvious about myself that I haven’t realized yet, you know? Am I actually left handed? Am I secretly an Olympic gymnast? Am I some kind of Russian sleeper agent?”

Tommy squeezes his hand again. “I don't think it's that absurd to come to an important realization about yourself in your thirties, sweetheart,” he says. “I think that's a pretty normal thing, actually.”

Buck deflates a little. “Yeah. I know. I just... I've told you about my brother. That whole situation. Not knowing why I was born, never knowing that he even existed. I think all of this –” he gestures between them “– in a way it kind of reminds me of that? Like, here you go, Buck, here’s another big hole in your life that you didn’t know was there until someone tried to fill it.”

He catches Tommy’s smirk out of the corner of his eye and untangles their hands so he can give him a shove. “I know what joke you’re about to make, dumbass. Don’t even go there.”

“Okay, I’ll ask about filling your hole later,” says Tommy, deadpan, and Buck shoves him again, and for a minute their serious conversation devolves into the kind of ridiculous, juvenile wrestling match that Buck secretly loves, that he knows Tommy knows he loves. That reminds him they’re both strong and okay and in tune with one another.

They settle, eventually, with Tommy lying back against the arm of the couch, and Buck cradled against him, grateful that Tommy’s couch is wide and deep enough for them to press together, side by side.

Buck sighs again. Can’t help it.

“I knew a guy in the army. Jake,” says Tommy out of nowhere. “Very nice guy, not one of the assholes who joined up because he thought the uniform would make his dick bigger, you know? When we were in Afghanistan, he made friends with one of our interpreters, guy named Irshad. Mostly we didn’t get close with the locals, but those two – they really hit it off. Stayed in touch after we got shipped home and everything.” He shifts Buck slightly and absently kisses his temple. “When I saw Jake again, maybe a year after we were discharged, he’d converted to Islam. He said his friendship with Irshad had opened his eyes to something. To this faith. He said he felt like that something had always been there – like on some level, he’d always had that faith – it had just taken a while for it to be revealed to him.”

“Huh,” Buck says. He thinks about this idea for a while, petting randomly over Tommy’s chest and belly with one hand while Tommy’s thumb rubs gentle, firm circles in the meat of his upper arm. He likes it, he decides. He’s not a religious person himself, but faith feels like something… important. Fundamental. Feels like a Big Thing, the way sexuality is. It does feel better, he thinks, just to know there are other people who’ve discovered one of those Big Things as a whole ass grownup. He’s not sure how to phrase it. But it does make it feel better.

“So what I hear you saying… is that realizing I like dudes and getting into your pants could be considered comparable to finding God,” is what comes out of his mouth.

He can feel Tommy try to maintain his composure and suppress the snort that wants to escape. He does his best, abdominal muscles contracting under Buck’s hand, but the laughter wins out and explodes in a kind of barking cough that sounds, frankly, a little alarming. Buck sits them up and thumps Tommy on the back a few times, handing him the mug of honeyed tea that’s been cooling on the coffee table.

“Evan,” Tommy wheezes eventually, “I’m going to need you to never say anything like that again.”

“Sure, babe,” Buck says. “But just to be clear, does that mean you don’t want me to get on my knees for you?”

And Tommy is laughing again, and Buck feels so much better. Feels warm inside, because somehow, Tommy always knows how to make him feel better. How to take the disparate anxious puzzle pieces of him and turn the picture right side up so he knows how to solve himself.

(“Oh, my God,” Tommy gasps between coughs.

“That’s my line,” Buck says.)

read on AO3 >>>

[badgerbl00d]

one piece boys falling in love at first sight

☆ characters: ace, rayleigh, marco

☆ up next: one piece characters with a jealous gf

☆ a/n: my last post generated a lot of new followers and requests! i'm so happy and am excited to start working on all the requests. i also will be posting a master list soon so thank u for being patient with me on that front haha. enjoy! <3

ace

1k words

“Welcome aboard!!”

Cheers erupted from the crew, as they all swarmed the deck.

Joining the Whitebeard Pirates was always celebrated with an enormous party. 

The sun had started to set but it still beat down relentlessly on the ship and Ace craned his neck to try and get a better view.

You were all the crew had been talking about for weeks. 

Some thief who had managed to steal from the Whitebeard Pirates and get away with it. 

He remembers how Whitebeard laughed when Izo and Thatch came moping back from inventory, nearly pissing themselves when they were forced to admit they’d been got by an amateur. 

Whitebeard had ordered that you be tracked down immediately because anyone who stole from him with that much skill and audacity deserved a spot on his crew. 

After a few weeks of searching, Izo came back with you. 

From what he’d heard you weren’t easy to convince. 

There was alcohol being passed around and the spray of champagne bottles being opened left and right misted his neck. 

He pushed through everyone and began making his way toward the front.

He eventually bumped into Marco who’d secured a front-row seat, downing beer as your fellow pirates all came to get a look at you. 

“What’s the big fuss? Can’t get any damn sleep around here,” he groaned. 

Marco laughed, “Jealous that you’re not the shiny new toy anymore?”

“Barely.”

Both men had given up on trying to get a look at you and decided they’d wait for everything to die down.

“Want a beer?” 

Ace nodded and readily accepted the cool can, chugging it within seconds.

“It’s hot as hell out here.”

Marco took another sip of his drink, “If you feel hot how do you think I feel.”

“Well you’re kind of fire too, you know, like- the whole phoenix thing is-”

“Yeah, yeah, but it’s different though.”

“I mean, you could argue that the blue fire is hotter than the red part.”

“Yeah, dumbass, but the point of my devil fruit isn’t fire.”

“Okay well, they’re close enough.”

The heat got the better of the both of them and they gave up their argument, both fairly moody at the heat and the noise. 

“When’s the food part starting.”

“Soon probably, apparently Thatch has the hots for the kid.”

Ace choked a bit on his drink.

“What do you mean? Like he thinks he’s hot?”

“She.”

This caught Ace even more off-guard. 

“She!?”

Now he really wanted to get a look at you.

After another few minutes, the crowd relented, and people started making their way back to the rest of the ship. 

As the group of cheering pirates around you thinned, you felt relief flooding your senses. 

You took a deep breath and walked on board the Moby Dick.

It was massive. Now that you could actually see it, you realized just how intimidating of a ship this really was. Of course, you’d had a general idea since you did rob it blind, but still. It was different when you were a welcome guest. 

Ace took his chance now, and as the last of your welcoming party dissipated he made his way over to you.

As if on cue, you turned to look at him. 

The sun was positioned perfectly behind your head and framed you in a sort of angelic light, it poured up and over your frame from behind you, casting golden hues through your h/c hair. 

He stopped in his tracks, one foot still caught mid-step, trailing behind the other.

You were… pretty.

The slight breeze that had been brought with sunset, swept through your hair, leaving your face completely out in the open.

Your lips were slightly parted, had you been saying something?

He didn’t know, he was too enraptured with everything else. 

You stood tall, it was clear you had pride to spare.

Your tan skin glimmered with the same regal hue as your hair, and never in his life had Ace felt that something- someone had commanded his attention so thoroughly with just their presence. 

You walked toward him, Oh my god she’s walking toward me.

He was proud and he had abundant confidence in his worth but if he’d ever doubted that, it was now that he did. 

You extended a hand towards Ace, and as if moving through honey your movement was gentle and smooth, but certain. 

“Hi! I’m Y/n, I think I’ve seen your wanted posters before. You-”

Whatever else you said wasn’t registered by the freckled boy in front of you. 

His cheeks were red and his eyes set.

He was breathing deeply, hanging onto everything you did, drinking in the magnificent sight of you.

He instinctively reached his hand up toward his head to take off his hat and hold it against his chest.

Your voice was silky and hung in the air like cigarette smoke. 

The way you looked at him, your eyes intensely focused and direct, had his knees feeling shaky. 

Any ounce of ego left in his body from the first sight of you, drained out of him as you spoke.

His brain was flushed with sudden anxieties.

Had he come across as a creep? What if you took to the other guys? He was young and maybe you wanted something else? Maybe you didn’t even want a guy at all and your ambitions involving piracy had nothing to do with men! 

You looked at him with a puzzled look, your nose wrinkled slightly.

“Are you okay?”

Fuck, she’s so cute.

If he had been less out of it, he would have heard Marco’s cackling in the background.

“Real smooth, Ace!” Thatch yelled from the balcony outside the kitchen.

You laughed, She laughed!

Ace blinked back the muddled thoughts and premature anxieties that had started fuzzing his thoughts. 

You were giggling to yourself and seemed nearly ready to try and introduce yourself to the next person. 

Ace had a million things he wanted to say to you, but he had time. You both had all the time in the world. 

So he instead opted to tip his hat and flash you a smile. 

“Hi.”

rayleigh

1k words

A quick stop, Roger had promised.

No more than two days, he’d said.

Everyone knew he was lying, and that they’d be landbound for at least a week, but no one was going to complain.

Almost no one.

“Roger, we should get going,” Rayleigh urged, but the Captain was three beers and ฿3,000 into a game of poker. They wouldn’t be leaving until morning.

Roger laughed loudly, earning stares from the bar's patrons. 

“What’re you in such a rush for?! There’re women and booze all over the island, go find some to your liking and quit complainin’!” He laughed again and Rayleigh gave up and decided he’d just head back to the ship for now. He’d send someone to pick up the captain in the morning. 

He didn’t mind the island itself. It was a spring island, and the clime sat at a gentle temperature, with easy-going winds. Tall grass covered the majority of the island and flowers were in bloom all over. 

Yellow daffodils and pink tulips littered the island, dotting the hills and fields with spots of color. 

He made his way slowly back toward the ship, taking more time than usual to enjoy the scenery. If he was going to be stuck here he may as well enjoy it. 

The sun was just about the set, and vibrant hues of orange colored the sky and with his hands in his pockets, he wandered through the hills back to sea. 

The island had no real port, there was just a bay where ships parked. There weren’t any walkways or built-in passages from which to disembark from the ship, you simply had to drop the anchor and paddle or swim to the rocky shore. The grass grew right up to the edge of the ocean, and he sat down in it, deciding he’d wait until it got dark. 

A soft rustling to his left caught his attention.

Tucked in the grass, was a girl sleeping, a book in her hands. 

She was wearing a white dress, and it moved together with the grass, back and forth, pushed by the wind.

A cool breeze ran through your body and with a slight shiver, you slowly blinked your eyes open, pushing yourself up onto your elbows, rolling onto your stomach. 

You flipped through the pages of your book, going back and forth a few times before deciding to close it altogether. 

You sat up, stretching your arms out over your head, letting your hair fall over your shoulders. 

Rayleigh was, for lack of a better term, entranced. 

He was completely hypnotized by the sight of you. 

He felt as though you’d materialized before him, a beautiful fairy or something similar.

He’d heard stories of sailors coming across women whose beauty stopped them in their tracks. Women that they thought about every night after those initial encounters, held a complete hold on their minds.

He thought that now he felt something similar. 

He felt awkward just sitting and watching you, and thought he might say something. 

A tug in his chest urged him to stand up and try and present himself, but he felt an irritating nervousness spread throughout his body.

C’mon, Rayleigh.

He was usually so… good at this. 

If he saw a pretty girl at a bar or a port or an island he would just talk to her. 

Everything after that came naturally. 

He was a Roger pirate for god’s sake, people around the globe feared him and revered him, and yet… and yet with every breath, he took to try and start a sentence he came up blank. 

The thirty seconds he’d spent trying to speak to you felt like an hour and he thought his heart might stop when you’d turned around to look at him. 

“Oh! Hello!”

He drew in a breath. 

The colored sunset light fell on your face and illuminated your features in soft hues.

Your eyes widened slightly at the man standing before you and you gave him an awkward smile. 

“Have you been standing there a long time?”

An accusatory look settled on your face, and your lips settled into a frustrated pout.

“I, um, yes,” he admitted, a blush creeping onto his face, “I wasn’t- I mean- I had just sat here to enjoy the, um-”

“Yeah, yeah, you creep, I get it.”

You laughed as you said this, and he relaxed a little.

“You’re not from around here are you?” you asked.

“What gave it away?”

“You seem surprised that someone was sleeping outside. It’s normal here, I swear I’m not some weirdo or anything. Our grass is known for being soft.”

He sat back down, slightly closer to you this time.

“What’s that?”

You sat closer to him, pointing to the log pose on his wrist. 

“It’s a compass. Pirates use it on the Grand Line, it works by using the magnetism from each island to route the way toward the next one.”

“You’re a pirate! You don’t look like one! Or act like one.”

“Don’t be so sure.”

You giggled, and he felt completely swept up by your presence. How quickly you started trusting him, the curiosity in your voice that only grew with each question he answered. 

You continued asking him questions, what being a pirate was like, why he was a pirate, and who else did he know that was a pirate. Had he killed anybody?

The more you talked, the more he started feeling like himself. His wittiness and sarcasm started slowly coming back to him, he was able to put aside his awe for your beauty in exchange for his usual flirtiness.

The dynamic between you seemed to shift back and forth between who felt bold and who felt shy. 

“Do you drink?”

“Do I look like I drink?”

Rayleigh laughed, and you joined him. 

Night had set hours ago, yet you kept talking as though you had all the time in the world.

You inched even closer to him, he sat with his legs crossed, and you sat on your knees, feet tucked underneath you. 

You were facing each other and you leaned forward, bringing your lips closer to his.

“When do you leave?”

He tucked some stray pieces of hair behind your ear, trailing a hand down your face.

You rested your head against his palm, looking up at him. 

“Soon.”

“That’s too bad. I like you a lot. You’re more than a pretty face.”

Rayleigh smiled at that, “I haven’t heard that one before!”

In a burst of energy and eagerness you pressed your lips to his, and just as quickly retracted. 

He smiled again, bigger this time, and brought his arms around your waist, holding you in place. 

You pressed another kiss to his lips, still too quickly for him to reciprocate. 

He laughed and you felt proud at the blush you saw coloring his cheeks. 

“Tell me, pirate, are you busy tonight?”

“Not at all, pretty.”

“Would you like to be?”

“Very much.

marco 

1.2k words

“Why can’t you send Ace to do it?”

“‘Cause I sent ‘im to go get fish from the market,” Thatch explained, “And before you ask, I can’t go either ‘cause I’ll be here. Cooking.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll be back soon.”

Marco threw on a sweater and made his way into the town they were staying in. Thatch was all worked up and excited since they’re known for their produce and food quality.

Naturally, everyone had been sent out to get different ingredients for him.

Marco looked down at the short list he was given, ‘Apples’. 

‘Very concise,’ he thought to himself. 

It was midday and the sun was shining. It was fairly warm on the island, and it was covered in trees. 

There were several signs that pointed him towards the location of the apple farm your family owned. 

He found it with ease and walked around for a bit when he didn’t see anyone out front. 

Every tree was teaming with ripe apples of all kinds. Overripe ones littered the floor and there were some chickens walking around. 

He had been walking for no more than five minutes before he saw you.  

You were reaching up to try and grab the apples that were up on the higher branches of the tree.

You strained your arms upward, using the trunk of the tree as support, your long legs balancing on the tips of your toes. 

Your short dress slid up against your thighs, revealing a soft tan line. 

A few beads of sweat formed on your forehead and after your third reach with no success, you gave up. 

He could feel the pace of his heartbeat start to pick up slightly. 

You looked so calm and at ease. The line of your body as you stretched upward was tantalizing and he couldn’t look away. 

He didn’t want to scare you so he gently cleared his throat.

You turned around in a panic, knocking over a few of the apples in the full baskets that were on the floor next to you.

“Oh! Welcome! Sorry! Sorry- I’m the only one in today and I was trying to get a few more baskets full,” you explained to him. 

“No worries,” Marco said. His voice was deep and he sounded so laid back. 

You were still a bit too far to converse at a normal volume so you walked to him, caught off-guard by how handsome he was. 

He wasn’t wearing anything surprising, nor was he doing anything that was out of the ordinary but you could tell that he wasn’t from around here. 

His hands were calloused and he had a few visible scars spread across the visible parts of his skin.

“What can I get for you today,” you smiled at him. 

“I was sent out for apples! I suppose I’ll take two baskets pleas-”

Marco’s voice trailed off and he cut off his own sentence as he looked and actually made eye contact with you. 

Oh, god. 

He knew you’d probably be hot based on what he’d seen earlier but you were… unspeakably beautiful. 

Your cheeks were full and bright.

Your lips were a lively pink and your eyes caught the shifting glimmers of sunlight in them.

Your hair was pulled back into two messy braids and your loose strands of hair swept back and forth over your face. 

You were unbelievably flattered. 

Naive as you were to love and its complications, you knew what a tempted man looked like. 

An unfamiliar sensation tugged at your chest. You felt like the tendons and muscles around your heart were opening and contracting wildly. 

Your breath hitched in your throat and settled itself right on your vocal cords, you couldn’t say anything. 

You both held a hilariously awkward form of eye contact for several moments. 

Marco swallowed and cleared his mind, regaining his composure to the best of his ability.

“Two of these,” he said again, blinking his gaze down toward the floor as he gestured down toward the basket. 

You took a deep breath and nodded, grabbing another basket for him. 

They were heavier than they looked and after watching your two failed tries at lifting the baskets, Marco offered some help. “Oh, y-yes, please! Thanks,” you said, stepping back as he walked over and picked up the baskets with ease.

“How much do I owe ya?”

“Um.. j-just ฿15.”

“Fifteen?! That’s it?”

“We have, um, a discount going on right now... For handsome travelers.”

Why would I say that? Oh my god, why would I say that!? your cheeks started to rapidly heat up and you shuffled your feet nervously.

Your heart started beating faster against your chest when Marco responded, “How sweet. Take this as a tip then.”

He had a devilishly handsome smile on his face, and you looked at the money he was handing you. “Oh fifty is way too much- I can’t accept that, that’s more than the two baskets would normally be anyway.”

“Well, this is what I always tip beautiful girls.”

You laughed, trying to ignore the rising temperature of your face. 

How embarrassing to be this easily flustered. 

He smiled at you, clearly enjoying himself. 

“C’mon, I insist,” he closed your hand around the money and gently guided your hand back toward your chest. 

You pouted, feeling guilty that he gave you so much money.

“You’re sure?”

“Sweetheart, I’m a pirate,” he said, “There’s a lot more where this came from.”

His voice was full of confidence but he was so relaxed. 

It made your stomach twist.

The way he carried himself- you could tell he was dangerous, but he was so laid back. 

“A pirate?”

He nodded.

You put the money away, and played with the ends of your braids, unsure of what to say to him. 

He bent down, one arm on each side of you.

Your breath caught in your throat and you stood frozen still.

He picked up the baskets, one in each hand, from your sides.

“As much as I’d love to spend the rest of my day here, I’m afraid I have to report back soon.”

You nodded, sheepishly looking down at the floor. 

He smiled at you again, winking this time. 

He turned and started walking back toward the entrance.

You knew you’d probably never see him again and a kind of unknown anxiety made its way to your chest. 

“Wait!” you called out, running after him.

He turned around.

“Will... Will I see you again?”

This time a less nonchalant smile spread across the Commander’s face. 

“Oh, absolutely,” he teased, “I’ve got wanted posters in every town from here to North Blue.”

You pouted again.

So cute! Marco thought to himself.

“You know what I mean.”

“I can work something out.”

“What’s your name?” you asked.

“Marco,” he answered, “What’s yours?”

“Y/n.”

“Pretty name for a pretty face.”

You smiled. 

He couldn’t help but stare. 

It suddenly dawned on Marco the Phoenix, First Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, that he was positively, undoubtedly fucked. 

You stood in front of him, waiting for him to say something else. 

“You’ll see me again,” he said, this time with unwavering certainty,

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 6. Don’t make plans for the next morning.”

[ador3rin]

4:30am | happy birthday, dumbass

pairing : bakugo katsuki x f!reader

tags : fluff, childhood friends to lovers, college!au, extremely self indulgent

tw : alcohol usage (legal)

wc : 4452 words

once a year, every year, katsuki breaks his nightly routine of heading to bed at 8pm sharp in favour of sitting and waiting for the clock to countdown to midnight. the boy is dressed and out of the door by 11:45pm. 

glancing down at his phone to check the time, a warm breath escapes his lips as he comes to a stop, staring up at your bedroom window as he quietly opens the gate and heads for the front door. he doesn't knock, there's no need. the door swings open just as he shuts off his phone that reads 11:59pm, and he's met with your grinning face. 

"happy birthday, dumbass." bakugou grumbles, tearing his eyes up off the groud to take in the way the moon delicately shines upon your features. your eyes form crescents and you laugh softly, impatiently ushering the male inside before the chilly night air has another chance to bite at his flushed cheeks.

inside, you'd already prepared your living room for the 'ultimate movie night’ as you liked to put it. the couch was practically engulfed by a mountain of pillows and plushies, topped off with blankets thrown atop haphazardly. "i can’t believe your dumb ass is 16." katsuki scoffs as he makes himself comfortable, throwing a handful of popcorn into his mouth. “this is for you, or whatever.” he shoves something soft and orange into your hands, eyes avoiding yours.

an orange fox stares up at you with beady little eyes, and you immediately recognised it’s lopsided little face. “katsuki! did you go back for him!?” you question with excitement, plopping down besides your friend and cooing over your gift. you had stopped by an arcade a few days ago with bakugou, and spent almost half your allowance on desperately trying (and failing) to win the toy, whining miserably on the walk back home. 

“tch, no. i just had some free time yesterday. it was easy peasy.” the blonde boasts with a cocky grin to match his tone. he’d in fact demanded some extra money off his old man, and went back there on a mission to bring home the ugly thing. “now are we gonna watch this stupid lion movie or what?”

your arms fling around him for a quick thank you hug that leaves his cheeks warm and ears red, before readying yourself for what would probably be the hundredth viewing of your favourite movie–the lion king. bakugou had recently admitted to never seeing it before, much to your horror, and you'd finally managed to get him to cave for your birthday. 

the two of you settle into a comfortable silence as the movie begins, that’s only disturbed with bakugou’s snarky commentary. luckily, he eventually begins to fall quieter and quieter as his eyelids grow heavier and heavier. it was way after his bedtime after all. about halfway through the film, the sounds of his even breathing signifies that he's knocked out cold. stifling your laughter as you gently reach to shut off the tv, you let out a small yawn before relaxing into your side of the couch with your new plushie and falling into a peaceful sleep. 

the next morning your mother discovers the two of you just as she'd expected to, a fond smile on her face as she snaps a picture of the troublesome duo to send to mitsuki. the two mothers gush over how cute their babies are and joke about how they’d wish you guys were as quiet together as when you were both asleep. 

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there is a calm stillness that has settled over your household as your parents had long gone off to bed, but quiet sniffles break the silence as you furiously rubbed at your misty eyes, an aura of misery shrouding your frame as you gave yourself a once over in your bathroom mirror. you were moments away from turning 18 yet you looked a mess. 

you’d thought you were handling your breakup rather well, but unfortunately the late night spiralling thoughts intertwined with feelings of both anger and hurt eventually brought you to tears. a gentle knock at the door notified you of someone's presence, and you were soon met with a familiar face. 

concern adorned bakugou's expression, his brows furrowing as his chest tightened with a quiet rage. "happy birthday, dumbass." the soft tone of his voice betraying his intentionally agitating words, leaving them devoid of any hints of playful malice. heavy arms envelop you in a comforting embrace, and the dam you'd just managed to clumsily build in your eyes breaks in an instant, and tears began flowing once more. “i don’t know why i’m crying.” you admit with a huff, shaking your head in annoyance. 

if he wasn't so preoccupied with being here with you right now, bakugou's almost certain he'd be heading towards that asshole's house, prepared to give the beat down of a lifetime. "he's a fucking asshole. i'll kill him." the blonde sneers mostly to himself, earning a breathy chuckle from you in response. "i'm almost tempted to let you." you respond dryly, looking up at him through wet lashes. 

"let me?" he frowns. "the fuck do i need your permission for?" red eyes squinting at you with a grumble, releasing you from his hold. you roll your eyes in response, wiping your wet eyes with the sleeves of your hoodie. “okay, i’m done.” you announce, straightening your posture. “i’m not wasting anymore tears on that asshole, good fucking riddance!”. katsuki grins proudly, your resolve is admirable. he never understood what you saw in that loser anyway, you were way out of his league.  

“thats my girl.” the blond pats your head roughly, making his way out of your bathroom with you in tow. “do you wanna, uh.. watch one of your stupid chick flicks or something?” his hand rubs at his neck, awkwardly shifting his weight from one foot to the other and you laugh. 

“you can just say you enjoyed mean girls the other day ‘tsuki.” mischievous glint in your eyes as you look up at him with a teasing grin, and the sight of you finally smiling again was all he’d ever wanted. 

“i fucking didn’t!” 

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“hey yn, what are you thinking of doing for your birthday?” the pink haired girl asks curiously, immediately catching the attention of the other girl sitting besides you. “yeah! twenty one is a milestone, we should do something super fun!” ochako chimes in agreement, plopping her pen down onto her notebook. “how about a girls night out?” she suggests.

“ah, i’m not sure yet guys.” you laugh with a shrug. you had never really done anything big for your birthday before honestly, you were happy to just spend time with the people you cared about. no one asides from your parents were aware of your little yearly ritual with a certain hothead, and you’d gotten so used to spending the first few hours of every birthday with him that you never even thought about it–it had become second nature to the both of you. your friends chatter animatedly as they discuss potential party plans, unbeknownst to your wandering thoughts. 

things were slightly different this year, you’d met both mina and ochako at the start of the year and the three of you quickly became an inseparable trio. you wondered if bakugou would be willing to attend any of the ridiculous plans the two girls were discussing.

 “i don’t know guys, clubbing isn’t really my scene.” you chuckle, imagining loud booming techno music and a sea of sweaty bodies. “well, we could always just throw a house party instead? that way there wouldn’t be a bunch of strangers and we have complete control over the music!” mina, the infamous party girl suggests as she clasps her hands together eagerly.

“it’s only if you’re down though, obviously.” she adds.

“yeah, definitely! we’re happy to do whatever it is you want, it’s your day!” ochako reassures with a warm smile, putting down her pen on the journal she was just doodling in. you’d never really thrown a party before, but there was a first time for everything, no? 

“okay. but you guys really have to help me, i have no idea what to do.” you give in, excitement growing at the possible new experience. “yes!” “of course!” the two girls cheer, immediately chattering up a storm about the millions of potential plans. 

it had been just over two weeks now since you’d established your birthday party plans with your girlfriends, and surprisingly, quite a lot had been organised since. your parents agreed to go out with mitsuki and masaru and for the night, having their own little old people party before spending the night at their place. 

you’d promised that you would only allow your closest friends to spend the night, and that you wouldn’t let things get too out of hand. katsuki had also put your parents at ease, promising to keep an eye on things and handling it if anything got out of hand. 

and before you knew it, everything had fallen into place. all that was left to do was to actually host the damn thing, which you were admittedly feeling quite nervous about. you’d never really had all that many friends before, real, close friends that is. 

being lumped together with bakugou katsuki for as long as you could remember was both a blessing and curse, and so you’d never really felt the need to venture out on your own socially speaking. you were mostly cordial and friendly with peers at school, but it was thanks to mina and ochako and their vast social circle that you actually begun really talking to new people. 

you would be in for a rude awakening if those same new people didn’t actually consider you a friend the same way you do them, and you’d hate for the girls efforts to go to waste.

“oi, did you come over just to stare at my wall? if so, you’ve got plenty of your own at home.” katsuki breaks you out of your trance, sending a sudden flick to your forehead that leaves behind a stinging sensation. 

“why are you always so damn violent! you’re never going to get a girlfriend this way!” rubbing at your head with a whine, you childishly scribble in the top hand corner of his pristine page of notes as petty revenge. 

“FUCK OFF, NOW I HAVE TO REWRITE EVERYTHING!” there’s a deep exhale from bakugou’s lips and the annoyance fades from his expression, he looks over at you sitting across him at the dinner table. “you’re going to be fine. stop overthinking about your damn party when it hasn’t even happened yet.”

startled that he’d actually managed to pick up on your damp mood, your brows knit together as you feign ignorance, “i’m not overthinking it, i don’t know what you’re talking about.” katsuki raises a brow, so unconvinced that it’s almost laughable but you stubbornly avoid making eye contact.

“it’ll be fine cus i’ll be there.” the sentence falls from his mouth so effortlessly, a guaranteed reassurance that no matter what goes down he’ll be right there with you–as he always has been. sure, he may not understand your worry wart tendencies, but whether katsuki realises it or not, his strong sense of unwavering reliability leaves you with a small smile as you both return to peacefully studying. or, mostly peaceful studying. 

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“are you sure my ass isn’t hanging out guys?” mina whines exasperatedly, neck craning round to see her back side in the mirror in front of her. “you look hot mina, stop fussing!” ochako chides, shifting her attention away from her phone for a moment. “izuku’s gonna be here soon.” she beams with adoration, liking the text he’d just sent. 

“careful, if you look anymore excited he might mistake you for a lovesick schoolgirl.” the other teases, playfully tugging at ochako’s cheeks. you roll your eyes with a smile, amused by their antics and smooth out the pleats in your skirt, giving yourself a final once over before turning to seek your friend’s approval. 

you’d thought that you looked fine–cute even, but the sudden silence causes a bundle of nerves to begin forming in the pit of your stomach. maybe your eyeliner wasn’t even? or your hair was ugly? or maybe, the outfit you’d bought was actually really hideous and you should just call off the entire thing because no one’s going to want to come anyway and you’d really just be embarrassing yourself?

a sharp squeal pierces through your spiralling, and you see a blur of pink hair before mina is bouncing up and down in front of you clapping her hands together with glee, and you take this means she does approve. ochako has now joined along side you two, minus the squealing, and the three of you huddle around your floor length mirror, for few cute photos together before you’re all eventually shitfaced. 

“we’re so cute! i love you guys! happy birthday yn! LET’S PARTY!” mina gushes, barely allowing herself to catch her breath in between sentences as she pulls the both of you in for a group hug. “you,” she suddenly juts her finger at your chest “little miss birthday girl, you have to let loose and have fun tonight. no responsibilities, capiche?”

“you do realise her actual birthday is tomorrow right?” uraraka giggles, and you hear someone knock thrice before a green mop of hair pokes his head in, izuku offers a small wave before informing you of the crowd that is now gathering downstairs. 

it was hard to believe that this was actually your house, with the walls all dressed up with balloons and various cute party decor littering almost every surface. the strobing lights and thumping music perfectly emulated the vibe of a club, and with how busy it was starting to get you almost couldn’t tell the difference. you have got to get a thank you gift for the girls after this.

“what’re you staring off into space for ya dunce.” the ever so recognisable gruff voice comes from behind, the sudden proximity sending a chill down your spine. spinning on your feet, you’re met with katsuki’s stoic expression, and you allow yourself a mere moment to glance over his appearance for the occasion. 

a loose white button-up drapes over his large frame, with a few top buttons popped open just enough that his toned pecs daringly peek through. it’s paired with one of his nicer black leather jackets, you’d never admit it to his face but it was always one of your favourites. it was practically made for him. he’d also opted for simple pair of darker blue jeans, not too formal but nice enough that you can tell he put a bit more thought into his outfit, rather than his usual t-shirt and sweats. 

“take a picture loser, it’ll last longer.” your cheeks flush, and you tear your eyes away from him immediately, now having a staring contest with the brown hardwood floors instead. 

“shut up. i’m just so used to you looking like a bum i was caught by surprise.” embarrassed that you were caught ogling your own best friend you grumble out a snarky response, praying that he lets this go on account of it being your (almost) birthday. 

“so you admit it.”

“what?”

“you think i look nice.” he’s smirking, cocking a brow and feeling so damn smug you could practically taste it and you refuse to stroke his inflated ego any further. opting to cross your arms and huff, akin to a petulant child as you grind your teeth with a scowl. you can’t lie to him and disagree, but you’d rather die than give in and admit that he’s right. 

“you look pretty.” katsuki’s tone is completely different, lacking any pompousness, and if you looked closely enough you would notice that the tips of his ears now burn a bright shade of red that rival his eyes. for the second time that night he’s caught you off guard completely. before you can stammer out a response, a loud red head stumbles into the room and throws a heavy arm around the both of you. 

“happy birthday yn! this is some bash!” eijiro beams, tugging the two of you in for a three way hug before katsuki can wrestle him off. “woah, bro! you look so manly!” it was clear he’d had a few drinks before this encounter, and you chuckle at the obvious irritation painted across bakugo’s face.

you internally thank kirishima for interrupting the strange tension that had unknowingly begun to creep up on you and bakugo, and with an exhale of relief you’re filled with giddiness to match kiri’s tipsy state. 

“will you do shots with me eijiro?” he’s still got his arm slung over you, not that you’re complaining of course, comfortable enough in your relationship with him to know that there’s nothing between you two but platonic affection. 

“anything for my birthday girl!” the red head cheers, leading you to the kitchen with bakugou trailing behind begrudgingly. katsuki knows better than to get jealous over kirishima, hell, other than you he probably considers him his closest friend. but that doesn’t ease the tight burning sensation that he feels in his chest upon hearing eijiro’s words. who’s birthday girl?

hours had gone by and at this point you were now teetering dangerously on the line of tipsy, and just flat out drunk. kiri and mina were currently having a dance off in the middle of the dance floor, with a crowd hollering so loud you would be worried about a noise complaint if you weren’t so out of it yourself. 

you were cheering and laughing uncontrollably, most of the control over your senses had disappeared with the last straight vodka shot you’d downed at your friend’s behest. it was your birthday! you needed to let loose so what’s a shot or two, or three? to be quite frank you had stopped keeping track of your drinks after the consecutive beer pong losses. 

partying this hard was fairly uncommon for you, only feeling safe enough to let your guard down due to the fact that you were in the comfort of your own home, and thankfully katsuki had been glued to your side all night (to no one’s surprise). he had even shouldered some (most) of the penalties from the games as a result of your piss poor aim. 

“hey, idiot. you need to drink more water, come with me.” katsuki appeared to be almost stone cold sober, but even he was not immune to copious amounts of alcohol coursing through his system. for some strange reason he had been feeling more.. irritable? for lack of better of word.

all night, any potentially wandering hands or even mere glances in your direction that lasted just a bit too long for his liking had been peeving him for the past hour or so. kaminari had even teasingly called him a guard dog a little earlier much to his misfortune, earning the guy some very colourful language and a punch to the gut. 

you let out a whine, but compliantly allow him to lead you off the makeshift dance floor without further protest. his hand swallowed yours, enveloping your entire palm with zero difficulty which left you wondering just when he’d gotten so much larger than you. his sheer height and size caused the sea of people to simply peel apart, allowing the two of you an easy exit route. 

lost in your thoughts, you’re brought back to reality when you’ve plopped down onto something soft, the familiarity of the walls makes you realise he’d brought you upstairs to your room. bakugou knew the layout of your home like the back of his hand, a privilege borne from the countless days of his childhood spent within these very walls, with you attached to his hip. 

“drink.” the blonde commands, and you oblige, the cool water flowing down your throat offers your body some reprise from the hard liquor, and you’re left feeling surprisingly refreshed. once he was content with how much you drank, bakugou took the glass from your hands and placed it on your nightstand, besides the picture frame of the two of you as kids, sporting toothy grins and peace signs. 

there’s quiet shuffling as he settles down besides your bed on the carpeted floors, a comfortable silence falling over the two young adults to the soundtrack of a far away thumping. you hum absentmindedly, glancing over at your clock that read 11:59pm and then down at katsuki who was already looking up at you. 

he rarely got to see you like this nowadays, the height disparity between the two of you growing so vast over time that he almost exclusively looks down at you now. but as of this moment, a small part of him wishes that he hadn’t grown so tall, if only for the chance to look up at you the way he was currently. 

the moonlight shone through your thinly veiled blinds, he knew from a young age that you were always her favourite, he knew from the moment he saw how she cupped your face in her rays ever so delicately, shining over your soft features and painting you in such a romantic light it was practically unfair. katsuki bakugou had come to the realisation that he had never once stood a chance. 

“happy birthday, dumbass.” his usual commanding tone was soft, demure almost, as if he were trying to coax a small animal out of hiding. there was no one else but the two of you here in your bedroom right now, same as it had always been for all your lives, but this time, something else was there.

it was the poorly concealed tension that you both so carefully avoided, stuck in a constant loop of dancing around a topic that neither dared to breath a word of, in fear of speaking it into existence. your mind suddenly felt as clear as it had ever been, and you were consumed with a need to lean into him, just as you’ve always done, except this time around you fear that simply laying your head on his broad shoulders won’t be enough. 

bakugou clears his throat, breaking his trance as he digs around in the pocket of his pants. “it’s for you. or whatever.” he mumbles, offering his enclosed fist up to you whilst vehemently avoiding eye contact. he had never shown that much interest in your walls before and you had half a mind to repeat the sarcastic phrase he’d offered you just a few days prior.

you stick out your palm inquisitively, and a second later there’s a dainty silver chain resting in the previously unoccupied space. a soft gasp falls from your lips as you carefully pick up the necklace, thumbing over the small heart pendant. 

“‘tsuki, it’s, it’s so pretty.” you smile fondly, eyes flickering over to katsuki who is feeling uncharacteristically shy, despite telling himself it was just a stupid birthday present. it was normal for someone to give gifts for a birthday, so why did this feel so stupidly intimate?

“thought it’d look good on you. i dunno. i don’t know that stupid girly stuff so, if you want to exchange it for something else you can, i don’t care, i just-”

“since it’s my birthday now, can i ask for my birthday wish?” 

“hah? don’t you always say you can’t tell me cus it won’t come true or some shit? plus there’s not even a candle to blow out so it doesn’t even make any sense.” you interrupt his incessant rambling by sliding down off your bed, clumsily settling besides him on the plush floor and gazing up at him with an unfamiliar glint in your eyes.

regrets and worries be damned, this tension had already begun to swallow you whole and with just enough liquid courage, you feel as if you could possibly take charge of it for once. your judgement may be clouded but your desire was not, you knew exactly what you wanted as of this moment, clear as the current night sky. 

“can you kiss me?” 

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a sweet caramel scent drifts around your kitchen, your favourite candle that you’d burnt earlier had already blanketed the apartment with a fragrant haze that’s begun blending in with the aromatics coming from the sizzling pan. 

a long forgotten movie is playing in the background, providing white noise as you lean your head into your palms resting atop the kitchen island. the sizzling and crackling groans of the pan had almost put you intro a trance, as you admired the tall blonde figure seamlessly handling the kitchenware with expertise.

“ah.” a pair of chopsticks deposit a juicy and succulent slice of wagyu into your eagerly awaiting mouth, the perfectly prepared meat melting between your chewing as you writhe in your seat with joy. 

“mm, that’s so good ‘tsuki! can i have another piece?” you open your mouth expectantly, eyes twinkling as you savour the taste left over on your tongue. the male doesn’t oblige however, instead bringing down two plates from the cupboard above. 

“no, idiot. i’m done now anyway, just let me finish plating it and go sit at the dinner table. your staring is creepy.” your face scrunches at his denial, yet you slide off the stool and settle down at meticulously set dinner table. 

a freshly purchased bouquet of your favourite flowers acts as the centrepiece, accompanied by a few lit candles and two carefully folded napkins besides matching silverware. your heart swells with joy as you take in all the minute details that were all so thoughtfully prepared, before katsuki sets down both plates of food.

he finally joins you over at the table, placing a chaste kiss to the top of your head before sitting down as well. it was definitely a late dinner, your eyes flickering over to the living room clock now reading 11:59pm while he cuts your food into bite sizes.

you absentmindedly twirl the dainty heart chain on your necklace, before katsuki draws your attention by gently cupping your cheek with his hand and softly stroking with his thumb, as if you were a doll made of porcelain. you never fail to take his breath away, he thinks to himself. 

“happy birthday, dumbass. i love you.” he grins adoringly, reduced to nothing but a love struck man who will forever be captivated by just how beautifully you reflect the moon’s light.

# mew’s comments :

FIRST POST BACK LET'S GOOO!!!

i drafted this TWO (2) whole years ago on a lonely night before my birthday, as self-indulgence and actually finishing it now healed something in me :')

[whoahoney]

Based off this lovely thought that got deleted bc my dumbass posted the draft instead of saving it 🥲 anon, I hope this finds you!!! Please tell me if it did 😭💖 this could’ve been a mini series I think but I’m too lazy to spread it out!

Anyway, here’s my rambling imaginings 💖

Warnings: fem!reader, quite a bit of angst, a lot more fluff, some wine drinking and allusions to spice.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You hate to say it, but you’d been dreading this.

The news had been exciting when they found out about the tour. You, too, felt that exhilarating burst of energy hum through the room as the tour manager began the breakdown of the cities they’d see and the venues they’d play.

You’d hardly heard the shouts of joy around you, but you did see Jake’s face. His eyes so wide and bright, his smile stretched so taught across his mouth, his cheeks must’ve ached. You’d never seen him so happy as he threw his arms around Josh, clapping him on the back. Sam and Danny bounced over, already deep in eager conversation about Milan and France.

It was everything they’d been dreaming of.

Everything Jake had been dreaming of.

The four of them were a tight clump, muffled chuckles and words were exchanged as their parents joined in their embrace with pride and tears. Your heart swelled at the sight, being able to be here for it, to watch them celebrate, to see their dreams come true before their very eyes.

A world tour.

They’d just finished their last one, barely even unpacked. And now he’d be gone again.

Your stomach sank heavily, like a rock into quick sand, guilt churning deep within you; how could you be so damn selfish? This is everything he’s ever wanted and you’re thinking about yourself, again.

You keep the smile on your face, your hands knotted in your lap until Karen turned to you, eyes rimmed in red as she wiped at them, “Oh, honey, get on up in here—what are you doin way over there!” She chuckled as you blushed and made your way over to the unwinding arms, the layers of bodies falling away as Jake let go of Josh and looked to you.

One side of his smile hiked up, and you could see he’d clearly shed a few tears of his own as he wiped a fresh track away and passed it off as tucking a strand of hair behind his ear. You don’t hesitate to reach for him, chuckling softly when he yanks you into his chest and wraps you up tight.

You breathe him in, and swallow a hiccup—his neck a heady mixture of his warmth, sandalwood, and something deep and spicy that always cut through you. Tonight you clung to it like a safety blanket, thinking of the nights you spent in his bed without him, nose buried in his pillow as you tried not to cry like a lovesick fool.

“It’s really happening.” He whispers against your hair, running a tender hand down the back of your head.

You nod, “Better believe it, rockstar. You deserve every bit of it.” You squeeze him a little tighter before pulling back, already feeling the swell of emotions brewing within you.

For the rest of the visit with the managers and family, you sat quietly next to Jake, his arm slung around you holding you close, his other hand on your knee. He noted how tightly your legs were crossed and how you picked at your nails unflinchingly, not much to be heard from you.

Jake knew he didn’t need words from you to know you were okay, but every bit of his intuition told him something was up. He’d worried about leaving you alone so much. About how tiresome it must have gotten to be in a relationship over the phone for the last 8 months. Even missing your first anniversary while he was in Chicago.

He wondered if maybe your feelings were fading, that maybe he’d thought wrong about claiming all life had to offer him—that he couldn’t have both love and fame no matter how many times he convinced himself that maybe it’d work with the right person, and he was well passed sure that he’d found that person in you.

“—But until then, you guys are free. So use these next couple months to your advantage!” Aaron clapped and rubbed his hands together, eager for the next time they would hit the ground running.

Jake shoots you a familiar glance, his eyes asking, ‘are you ready to go?’

You nod and stand with him, bidding the family a good night before you were in Jake’s car headed back to his house.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The ride was quiet, almost tense. Jake thought maybe you were biding your time, wanting to be careful with your words and say the right thing as you always did. His chest tensed and he turned up the radio, so maybe the pressure to say something wouldn’t be so bad.

You were thankful for the Jefferson Airplane coming through the speakers, Today lulling you into a hazy calm as you stared out the window at the dark tree line. Jake snuck a glance at you every once in a while, trying to figure you out in a way he never had to before.

When you reach the long driveway and park, he turns to you expectantly. Your eyes dart away from his, scanning the car for anything else to look at besides his pretty face that made you wanna crumple like old paper.

“What?” You ask barely over a whisper.

“That’s what I’m wondering, myself.” He says casually, running his index finger down your cheek. “Talk to me.” He says softly.

You swallow and shake your head insistently, “Nothing, babe, I’m just tired. S’been an exciting day.” You chuckle and meet his eye with a soft smile that told him you were okay. You kissed his palm that now cradled your cheek before he could ask anymore questions. “That’s all.” You assure.

Jake nods and swipes his thumb across your cheek one more time before leaning in and pressing his lips to yours chastely—once, twice, three times, before pulling back and appraising you.

“Let’s get inside.” He whispered, suggesting a hot shower as you open your door and comically rush ahead of him just to hear his boisterous laughter.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It hadn’t been long since Jake had fallen asleep, his hair still damp from when you washed it for him, bergamot and rosemary shampoo the two of you shared lingered in the air around you. The light of the moon kissed his nose, his blanket tucked up over his shoulder. He was always beautiful, but when he slept he looked prettier than a Grecian bust.

You couldn’t sleep no matter how tired you got, and staring at the object of both your affection and agony wasn’t helping. You snuck out of bed, pulling on the cozy robe he’d gotten you the first night you stayed with him, and made off to the living room with your phone.

You’d become quite familiar with the space despite not getting to share much time with Jake in it. He’d asked you to take care of the plants and his cat, Percy, reminding you to send him pictures and updates whenever you were over there.

Really, he just wanted to see you in his house like it was your own. When you sent him snapchats looking all cute and sleepy in his bed, it did more for him than he thought possible. He’d told you to sleep on his side so that when he got home his sheets would smell like you, and you had no objections to his request.

Since the start of Dreams in Gold, you’d practically lived here, waiting for him to come home.

Your steps were light and slow as you crept down the hall, the quiet chatter of the forgotten TV was directed around a beautiful Asian dish being made on the screen. A single lamp was lit and the orange glow filled the room and part of the kitchen.

You spy your AirPods on the island and plop down in a chair at the counter, another soft light just barely illuminating the kitchen, emanating beauty and nocturnal comfort.

You tuck an earbud into your ear and open your music, trying to piece together the genre that would make the ache go away, nothing too slow or sad, nothing too loud— and then it hit you with a small smile.

You search up the 50s Greats playlist and hit shuffle, sighing in content when the sound of Unchained Melody began. Your mind went peacefully blank, and you laid your head on top of your folded arms.

And then you spotted the wine fridge.

The idea sounded lovely, a glass of fancy red to make you sleep? Yes please.

You tucked the other ear bud in and went about pouring yourself a generous amount of drink in a long stemmed glass Jake brought back from a vineyard he doesn’t remember visiting.

You took a generous gulp and tried not to gag at the bitter taste. It burned all the way down but not with a bite, a slow bitter curl coated your tongue and throat, insisting on more and more to be drunk.

So you do, and finish the glass before tucking your knees to your chest.

Your head was heavy, and just as Can’t Take My Eyes Off You begins, you notice the cooling tears that had fallen down your cheeks unknowingly. You sniffle and then hiccup, twisting your empty glass and considering a refill as Jake shuffled out of the hallway, his pants slung low on his hips and his shirt missing.

He rubbed his eyes and squinted around the room, spotting you after you sniffled again from your place balled up in the chair, your face buried in your knees.

“Hey…” he whispers, not noticing your headphones until he wraps his arms around you and you jump with a yelp. You rip out your AirPod and face him with flooded eyes, in the midst of your cry. “Baby!” He coos in surprise, “What’s wrong?” He pulls you back into his chest, his fingertips at work against your scalp.

You shake your head, “I… I-It was just a bad dream. I’m okay, I promise.” You sniffle, staring at his chest and not his face. His hands cupped your chin and made you meet his eye.

“Look at me.” He said with quiet and loving firmness. You lock eyes with him and take a deep breath through your mouth as he does. “I know you haven’t been to sleep.” He said knowingly. You close your eyes in embarrassment. “I need you to tell me what’s wrong…” he whispered, “—Before I start making assumptions.” He finished as if he hadn’t already formed them from the moment he saw your face at the studio meeting.

You stare at him for a moment, your tipsy brain swimming with swollen emotions and bruised self image.

“Everything.” You whisper before shaking your head, “And absolutely nothing. Truly.” You clamp your eyes shut in confusion. “It’s gonna be fine though.” You assure quietly, both yourself and him.

Jake puts a hand on your shoulder, keeping the other on your face. “Is this about the tour?” He asked quieter than before, his tone void of emotion.

You hesitate before you nod, and he mirrors you when he sees your answer, and you feel fear strike through you like a crack of thunder. He tsks and you feel his fingers squeeze your shoulder before rubbing it lovingly, “Whatever you’re thinking… I just want you to know… whatever you want, I want too.” He said directly into your eyes.

Your brows pinch before you shake your head, “What?”

He shakes his head and casts his gaze low, his mouth flat and eyes still empty, like a stone wall was put up to guard the windows you’d so easily peered into before. Was he angry? Was this what it looked like for him?

“I should’ve thought about what it would mean for you— me being gone all the time.” He said lowly. “I don’t blame you for getting tired of it, I really don’t.”

“It’s not that I’m tired of it, Jake.” You finally say. His eyes find yours again and you place the AirPod in your hand on the counter to cradle his face as he had done yours, “I love seeing your dreams come true. You are magic out there, baby—I will never get tired of hearing all the stories you have or the feeling I get when you call me on the road.” You ramble, thinking out loud more than anything.

“I’m just… scared.” You realize. Jake flinches back a little in confusion, “—scared of everything the world has to offer you—Everything I don’t have—it’s out there. And you have every opportunity imaginable, now. And yeah, I miss you like crazy, and I get bummed when I realize I’m watching your life happen through a phone screen, but I love seeing you happy even more than missing out makes me sad.” You shake your head emphatically.

Your phone lights up and Jake catches a glimpse of the album currently playing and forgotten in the AirPods. Jake looks back at you and picks up the loose ear bud, tucking it in his ear before reaching for your phone and unlocking it.

You chuckle in disbelief, tears still rolling down your face as he scrolls through the playlist and selects We Belong Together by Los Lobos and sets the phone back down, adjusting the volume with his slick smile that told you everything was about to be fine.

“The world?” He asks as he pulls you to your feet and places his hands around your waist. You drape your arms around his shoulders as you’d done countless times before and waited for him to continue, “I have it. Right here.” His fingers worked under the back of your shirt to graze your skin lovingly.

You scoff as he begins to sway you both side to side, his eyes boring into yours with unwavering confidence in his words. “I’m serious.” He says before releasing one hand from you and raising the other to have you spin, which you obliged with an adoring eye roll.

“You say that now, but—“

“No, no buts.” He shakes his head and begins swaying you again, “I don’t care what’s out there when I already have everything I’ve ever wanted right here at home with me.” He pulled you close and kissed your neck, the affection sending more tears prickling at your eyes and a wistful sigh

“Jake—“

“Shhh…” he whispered in your ear, tucking your head into his shoulder, “You’re mine. And I’m yours.” He said. “Nothings going to change that. Not as long as you want to be with me.” He stroked your back reassuringly as more tears fell down your cheeks.

“I always want to be with you.” You whisper pathetically, letting your forehead thunk against his chest.

You feel him chuckle against you before he kisses your head, “And I with you.” He says like a guy with a plan before he spins you, smiling at your own sleepy smile and closed eyes as you begin dancing with him properly, hips swaying and bare feet shuffling across the cold tile floor.

You giggle, “I can’t believe you like me that much.”

Jake snickers at your flushed skin, happy to see you so light after the heaviness that followed you today. He missed you. This.

Jake loved dancing with you. Whenever a song called to him, he was quick to sweep you up in a waltz and relish every smile or giggle he could pull out of you. When you started staying the night with him, you guys would take turns playing music, which quickly evolved into Jake playing beautiful melodies he said reminded him of you, songs he’d heard and longed to share with you in a close dance.

To think of it, everything made him think of you, he realized as he swayed with you in his arms. “More than you know.” He mumbled, spinning you one more time before wrapping you up and resting his head against yours, singing the rest of the song in his low velvety voice.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

There were only two weeks left til the band left for tour.

After your conversation with Jake things felt better. The dread hadn’t loomed over you like you assumed it would, and things with Jake were as good as ever, no holds barred anymore. You were quick to tell him your thoughts and feelings, even more so now than you had before, and seemingly, so had Jake.

You worried you’d lose that once he left, though. That it would be something you had to work and build at when you’d get back together.

During Dreams in Gold, you made three shows, and got two weeks with him in the middle of the tour, uninterrupted—which was nice! But it was different than seeing him every day and falling asleep next to him at night.

Today, you were at the studio to go over more details and itinerary for the first leg of performances in the states.

You and Jake showed up only 20 minutes late with matching iced coffees, Sam scoffing when he saw you didn’t bring him one of his own.

“This is what I get for being here on time!” He flopped into the couch and looked at Danny, who was just reentering the room, “They got Scooters!”

Danny’s eyes widened, “That’s so uncool.” He playfully seethed before whipping out his phone and muttering something about delivery and a cookie.

Jake obnoxiously slurps the emptying drink with eyes locked on Sam’s. Sam lurches to his feet and storms over to his brother to snatch the empty cup and throw it in the trash. “Not on my watch.”

Wordlessly you hand Jake yours, still half full, for him to take a sip just as Josh strode in. “I made it! Can we get a time stamp?” He asked the room around him.

“It’s 9:37, Josh.” Aaron marked from the other side of the room as he prepared itemized sheets for everyone. Josh nods with an easy smile. “We were due to meet at 9:00.” Aaron amended, wiping the smug smile off Josh’s face.

“Oh. Well, we’re all here now, right? Let’s start! Whatcha got for us?” Josh leaned on the table and listened intently.

The group gathered around the table and took a look at the papers in front of them, getting handed your own with your name at the top for whatever reason. You miss the expectant look from Jake and Aaron but you read the pages carefully, seeing where this adventure would take Jake this time.

Back through the states, most he’d seen before, and then the countries— the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Portugal— places you’d dreamed of seeing long before you dreamed of Jake Kiszka.

You sigh, softly and dreamily as Aaron talks transport for their European leg; plane rides and first class tickets, excursions to the Louvre and Stonehenge, and lodging and hostels.

“Is the little place we have for our week in France the same one we used for that little getaway we took a couple years ago?” Sam asked with excitement.

Aaron nodded as did Jake, “Yep! Oh, Jake, I put you guys in the empress suite like you asked. I’m still waiting on confirmation at two of the other hotels, but you guys should be set with a master suite wherever we’re staying.” The manager looked from Jake to you as he spoke, your confusion stirring, was there a mistake? Are he and Josh sharing rooms?

Jake looks to you with expectant eyes, as if waiting for your thoughts. He smiles and nudges your shoulder when you don’t answer, “What do you think?”

“About what?” The group breaks into laughter as you look at Jake for an explanation.

“About coming with me.” He took your hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. You softly gasped and looked over the papers in front of you again, your own agenda highlighted in orange for when the band would be busy.

You look back at him in awe, “Really?” Is all you can muster in a ghost of your voice.

Jake smiled and nodded quickly, “Yeah, of course—I’m tired of leaving you.” He covered your hand with his. “Say you’ll come.”

You nod before you can speak and then kiss him right on the mouth. “I wanna be wherever you are.” You say with a cheek aching smile, a real one stretched wide across your face.

“And I, you.” He agreed, though he knew his words could never convey how much he shared the feeling.

But hopefully… the other surprises he had planned for the tour can say it for him…

-

-

[alientater]

I have so much to say about s3 of bridgerton so I’m dumping it all into one post. Take my dumbass opinions as a writer for what you will 😂

- first foremost thank you my QUEEN Nicola for your confidence and courage (I am no better than a man 👀). I feel like this whole season was a reminder for me, through both Pen and Colin that bodies that look like my own (Pens) deserve love. I can’t even begin to tell yall how much watching people swoon over her body specifically has made me 🥹 blush because my own looks so much like hers.

- I absolutely adored how devoted Colin was to Pen. Watching him realize his love for her in all her forms, with all her flaws was absolutely adorable and wonderful and beautiful, and it, in its own way, comforted me that the more masculine side of my self can be the romantic, the devoted, the loving person that I am as well. Both his little speech in the carriage and his love confession at the end are now living rent free in my brain.

- I know many people think they should have cut some of Benedict’s scenes but I’m against that opinion. I ADORED his character development this season, and I think it served well as a break in the tension of the plot. you will NEVER catch me unhappy to see a bisexual king living his best and horniest life.

- I’m so glad Pen got to keep her Column. The books end with Colin revealing her identity and I’m so glad they changed that. So much from the book was changed to give her more agency and I’m so so so happy about that.

- Genuinely, I’m so excited to see what happens in Scotland with Francesca and Eloise and Michaela and John!! I have a suspicion they’re going to make it another spinoff show like Queen Charlotte, and then we’ll get Benedict’s season (which 👀💕 I have no clue what they’ll do with it but WHATEVER it is I will be parked in front of that TV the SECOND it drops). Whatever it is they have planned I have a sneaking suspicion we’re finally going to get some sapphic romance 👀 so.

- I absolutely cannot stand the hate this season is getting online. I really think it was well done, and I enjoyed every second of it.

- I do wish they’d shown a *few* more spicy Polin scenes (or maybe made the end one a bit longer bc HOOOO boy 👀 I needed about another full 5-10 minutes of her riding him lord GOD almighty I need a glass of WATER). BUT they really didn’t get any more spice than Kate and Anthony did last season (in fact they had quite a bit more I’d say), and I know we’ll see more of it next season hehe 😈 so 😏.

- John dying is literally actually physically going to break my heart when we get to Francesca’s storyline. ALSO I think I really…. I want her to fall in love with him wholly and completely too. I think she has in some ways. I hope in her story, they explore the very real love between them, mostly because I adore his beautiful lil autistic ass.

- I really wish they’d brought back Daphne and the duke a bit more to help violet and Fran a bit. I think Daphne specifically would have really helped soothe that relationship.

- can we get an Eloise Benedict swing scene every season?? Plz? For me? I adore their queer sibling bond so so so much.

- I’m so glad Pen and Eloise are on good terms again. Their friendship breaking just really…

- also, on Eloise, I adore the character growth I saw her go through this season. I think she’s really learning how to see and love the people around her for who they are and it’s so beautiful. I think people were right about her self absorption to a certain degree but… every character has flaws. No one is really infallible. And I think I went through a similar growth, learning how to check and weild my priveledge, and it’s comforting to know I’m not alone in some of the mistakes I made

- I have so many feelings about Cressida Cowper. I know she’s a bully, and I disliked her originally, but something about this season made me…. Sort of like her. First of all, she’s so cunty and I absolutely LOVE that for her. Her outfits are 😮‍💨 every single time. The SLEEVES on those dresses. Like. I really hope she has character growth of her own. Also. You can’t convince me that woman isn’t a femme lesbian. I want to see her set up a nice little estate and live happily ever after with a woman she loves, honestly. I feel like it was really realistic and fascinating to see her schism with her family. I hope she doesn’t take her mother’s advice to heart. That she breaks the generational curse and learns to be both kind AND cunty 😂. I hope Eloise and her make up somewhat too. I just. I don’t want her to be the villain. The pressures of society are their own villain.

- Bring back Edwina Sharma and her Prince can we start a FUCKING petition bro.

- two people in on that show that no matter what they are being paid, are not being paid enough 1) the COSTUME designer and 2) the intimacy coordinator. Every five seconds I found myself saying “god that dress” or “oh man, I need that waistcoat”

- I love that the writers chose to make the featherington sisters more than just… jokes? Philippa especially. She really had some of the best breakout lines of the season “insert himself where” GIRL “Farley, now! the bugs!!” SHES SO CUTE and Mr Finch baby boy so are you and your love for her 🥹 it’s just so wholesome. I love that Shonda really has showed through this show that even with our eccentricities, we all deserve to be loved, appreciated, cherished.

- we stand by Portia featherington. She really made the best of some SHITTY as situations, and we love her for that. It’s so important to me that she’s not the villain either. That she and pen worked things through, learned how to support each other, and that Portia apologized. I think she’s definitely…. Let’s say morally gray but how morally grey really is robbing the aristocracy? 🤫. I honestly? Kind of hope she finds a love match, or finds happiness in her singleness without having to rely on a man. That she learns to live in her power.

- Did I mention how devoted Colin is to Pen? Can we return to that? My FAVORITE moments of this season were the ones where he is so absolutely down bad for her that he can barely speak bc ME TOO baby boy. ME TOO. and that it’s pen. This season was for the girlies who never get noticed, who never had boys crush on them. Who have to make do living vicariously through others, who have to learn to love themselves, because the world does not seem to.

- can we bring back lord debbling? Lowkey…. I kinda liked him. I need him to be Cressida’s beard for real 🤫

- the mirror scene THE MIRROR SCENE 🫠😮‍💨😰🤤 I…. I have so many feelings. I keep hearing people being like “it was so cringe” but? I think I loved it because it felt so…. Realistic? I found myself loving it because it was so… slow and sweet and intentional and it was in every way an extension of Colin’s feelings for pen. He loves her enough that he treats her with only the most kind, most slow and soft touches. He considers her pleasure before his own (which, god is that dreamy I wanna be this man SO BAD). He talks her through. he appreciates in every way she SHOULD be appreciated. I’m just. I’m never going to be over how fantastically luke played him. How fantastic Luke and Nicola’s chemistry was. Can we appreciate the shots angles looking down on Penelope too bc oh man. Oh boy. Jesus Christ she would be walking ME like a dog to if she looked at me like that Holy Fuck. Also the THIGHS the TITTIES (👀 respectfully 👀 RESPECTFULLY). The little sneaky views of Colin’s butt hehe, the way Pen GULPS when she sees Colin (girl SAME). It reminded me so vividly of my own first time. it made me miss being that young and… idk. I feel like sex scenes often feel fake or unrealistic and the ones in this just felt SO real.

- on that topic can we all just appreciate how much Kate sharma is getting her cookie ate bc 😂 lord only knows she deserves it. ALSO. Petition for next season: I ABSOLUTELY need to see Colin on his knees doing the same for Pen 🤤👀 bc you KNow that man is a service top, and she deserves it.

- genuinely genuinely. I’m so afraid of the show now getting canceled because it has openly queer characters 🥺. I’ve fallen in love with it and it’s like there’s this dread, in the pit of my stomach, that it’s all going to end prematurely because people are already acting so shitty.

- I need violet to have her own spinoff with Marcus 👀 and CONTROVERSIAL OPINION (not controversial) I need their sex scenes bc 😳 LORD . I am not. ahem. I am sinning looking at lady bridgerton like this 😂

- I loved lady Danbury and pens exchange at the end of the season and they’re great friends in the books! I hope it develops more!

- how does Jonathan Bailey so convincingly play a man utterly in love/ lust with his wife as a gay man 😂. Also. Anthony’s little “LILACS”? Still thinking about that lol.

- I’m so glad Eloise didn’t tell Colin about pen being whistledown.

- really wish we’d had a wedding night sex scene 😅

- pen wearing a full set of acrylics and riding that man’s dick is….. god. I have been given a gift.

- Need Need NEED more of the Mondriches, just being happy and finding their place. Their ball this season was fucking fantastic.

- the end camera shot of Colin and pen kissing in front of the window she always watched him from 🫠🥹💕 I’m actually sick it’s SO PERFECT

- I knew Penelope was going to have the only boy 👀😏 called it hehe

- I think one of the things I love most about the show is just… seeing women support and uplift each other and work through things. Talk about the hard things. That’s how we grow as people.

In conclusion, I know many people disliked a lot of things about s3 but I, personally, adored it. And I also know why the writers cut what they did, and did what they did. I honestly think if they’d just added a few small things it would have been perfect. There was so much happening this season it felt overwhelming almost, and I think if I were to say if there’s anything to learn from this, it’s that they need to slow down. Focus on and give each plot its share. I wish I could give Bridgerton an infinite budget for infinite episodes to do whatever they wanted bc I know it would be good. ALSO if I have to endure a month wait like that again I’m actually fucking rioting. I liked the anticipation but it felt too long and just…. Idk. I think an episode a week would be a better way to stretch it if they wanted to keep that ploy. Anyways. If anyone’s actually read this far, I’m so sorry 😂. And to all the people griping… get a grip. It’s a beautiful show and the writing was honestly fantastic. just enjoy the media for what it is im actually begging you. If this show gets canceled because of something as trivial as not enough Polin sex scenes and having actual queer representation in fucking coming for ALL OF YOU.

Peace and light

Annika

[sunshine-theseus]

Fuck the RFEF | Amaiur Sarrigei x Reader

Words: 1.8k Summary: you refuse to play for the national team, risking your playing license, Amaiur disagrees Warnings: angst, !!mentions of SA!!, let’s pretend the girls are on a break in Barca before the call-up and Amaiur went to the wwc Requested by - @realsociadadferminofan

Patri, Cláudia and Mapi were who I always went to when something went wrong. Joining the 3 in abstaining from national team call ups after the 2022 Euros and being one of the 4 that refused a call-up for the world cup due to lack of action toward Jorge Vilda’s misconduct, they were basically my closest friends. Not to say the other girls didn’t mean a lot, I know if they felt like they could, they’d have joined us in refusing. But these 3 were who I had when I felt like crying as I watched my friends and girlfriend win the biggest football tournament in the world.

This also meant I’d go to them with relationship problems.

-

“What do you mean?” Patri had quickly paused the movie she was watching and called Mapi and Cláudia over when I came crying and banging on her door.

“I told her ‘I don’t care about losing my license if it means going against my morals and everything I’ve protested’ and she called me selfish and brainless.” Another sob wracks my body and I fall back into the arms of whoever is next to me.

“Amaiur said that?” it’s Cláudia who asks, tone of voice proving how ludicrous Am’s actions were.

“Verbatim.”

--

“Am! Did you get the email?” I yell across the house for my girlfriend who sits in the living room doing God knows what.

“Sí! Did you?”

“Yeah! What did you say?” my teeth worry at my bottom lip as I wait for her answer.

“I said yes, it’s a national call up. What about you?” I’m not sure what to say as my girlfriend strolls into our bedroom, holding her phone to her face.

She’s clearly re-reading the email we’d all been sent. An email majority of us had signed a statement saying we should not receive if changes were not made, especially after the events at the world cup.

“No.”

“Que? Que quieres decir ‘no'?” (what do you mean ‘no’?) Amaiur gives me a shocked look as I retreat beneath our blankets.

“Nothing has changed Am. How am I supposed to go back? Did you even read the full email? ‘If you refuse this national team call-up, your professional playing license may be revoked in correlation to the Spanish FIFA and RFEF code of conduct.’ They’re forcing me to reject my morals and risk my entire career for some shit call-up.” Angry tears prick at the corner of my eyes. This isn’t fair, how does she find this fair?

“Bebé, they got rid of Rubiales and Jorge, that’s what everyone was fighting for. You, Mapi, Patri and Cláudia, you can come back now.”

“Amaiur how do you not see nothing has fucking changed just because they got rid of two shitty people? Alexia, Ona, they wouldn’t be going if it wasn’t to protect the other girls, especially the younger ones. Esas chicas merecen algo major.” (those girls deserve better).

“So you’re not going? You’re giving up your career for this? You’re being a selfish and brainless cabrona!” (dumbass) the anger quickly melts off her face and regret fills her eyes, but I’m already pulling the sheets off me and heading for the door.

I grab my keys from the bowl that sits on the table beside the door, and leave. Her pleas for me to come back so she can apologise are futile as I walk down the hall. Señor Perez, the old man with many cats, sits at the end of the hall, giving me a pitiful smile that I return before making my way down the stairs.

--

“Ese pedazo de mierda.” (that piece of shit) it’s the first thing Mapi has said all evening, but it makes me laugh.

“No. I mean yes, but I still love her, I don’t think she meant it. We were both just angry.” It’s hard not to defend the girl I’ve loved for so long, but I know I’m right.

She’s always supported my decision to stand up against the RFEF and higher-ups. I just think she expected after Rubiales and Vilda were gone, we’d be playing together again. Admittedly I’d momentarily thought the same, but there was no way I could go back.

“Are you guys going?” the trio give each other guilty looks before turning to me. No one says anything.

“It’s okay if you do. I truly understand, you guys shouldn’t risk your careers for this. You’re being forced into it and that isn’t fair. I’ll support you no matter what.” I place an arm around Patri and grab Cláudia and Mapi’s hands.

“Thank you hermosa. We’re still going to fight this, from the inside.” Mapi says it in a funny voice and sends me a wink and I can’t stop the laugh that escapes.

Not much else can be said before we settle down on the couch to continue whatever movie it is the Patri has playing. Despite me calming down, I didn’t think I was in a state to return to my girlfriend quite yet. The universe seems to disagree.

There’s a loud knocking on the door and a familiar voice rings out from behind it.

“Patri, I know Y/n is in there! I need to talk to her! Please?” I’m standing and opening the door before anyone can reply.

Amaiur doesn’t waist a second in spewing out apologies and wrapping her arms around me. I reciprocate the gesture and begin rocking us back and forth. It’s hard to ignore the stares of our Spanish teammates who sit looking on in the living room.

“I’m so, so sorry, I can’t believe I said that to you. I stand by you, you know that. I’m just so scared for you and your career. You love playing so much and you might lose it all because of this.” I let out a sigh and pull away, resting a hand on her cheek.

“Do you want to know why I’m so willing to risk it all? Why I need this change so bad before I can come back?” she gives a simple shake of her head.

I have to give myself a second, swallowing nervously as I look into her eyes. The warmest, most beautiful eyes. She should know, I’ve hid it for too long.

“When… When we played in the Euros, there was one night where I was feeling bad. You were out with some of the girls, and I was in our room alone. Well around an hour after you left, Vilda came bursting in, obviously we weren’t allowed to lock our doors so there was nothing to stop him. He asked why I wasn’t doing team bonding and I told him I wasn’t feeling well. He came toward me and hugged me like he was going to comfort me, but-” I begin to choke on my words and tears breach my waterline. I can’t bare to look at the girls around me.

Am places a hand softly over my hand that rests on my own arm and I take a deep breath before continuing.

“His hands began to stray. I told him to stop and shoved him away, but he just kept going. He groped my ass and boobs, tried taking my clothes off. He slipped his hand down my shorts.”

“Did he…” Amauri is too scared to finish her sentence.

“He didn’t get that far; someone came knocking on the door and he just left with a sick grin.”

“Did you report him?” Everyone around me looks like they’re about to throw up, but for the most part they look angry.

“I reported him to every higher-up I could. They laughed me off and told me I was being delusional. That is why I can’t go back until there is actual change. Especially after what happened to Jenni and knowing other girls have been through it too. If that means I lose the job I love? So be it. They won’t shut me up.”

“I’m not goin-” Am tries.

“Yes you fucking are. I already told those 3, and I will tell Alexia and Marta and Mariona and whoever else I need to. You have to go, to ensure things change. And to make sure the younger girls are safe.” Cláudia, Patri and Mapi have all disappeared, so it just leaves me and my girlfriend.

“For you. I’ll do anything for you bebé.” I stand on my tippy toes to press a kiss to her lips.

“Thank you.”

~~~~~

4 members of the Spanish Women’s National Team have been released from international duty without sanctions, not including Alexia Putellas who has been allowed to leave due to injury. Is the change we’ve been waiting for, finally coming?

It’s the main headline across all media platforms the morning of the second day of camp. A 7-hour meeting to release 4 players. Fucking ridiculous.

Despite it, a smile tugs at my lips as I sit in bed, the sun filtering through the stained-glass windows of Amaiur and my bedroom back in Donostia-San Sebastian. I wait patiently for my girlfriend to arrive, a cup of coffee on her bedside time while my own rests in my left hand.

“Hola bebé! Is that coffee I smell?” the door slams shut behind Amaiur and her footsteps slowly creep closer to the bedroom.

I place my coffee on my own bedside table and get up, pouncing into her arms when she walks through the open door. She stumbles for a moment before adjusting her grip on my thighs, smiling brightly up at me as I lean down and kiss her hard.

My hands thread through her hair and she turns us around and walks forward to press me against the wall. In a moment of weakness, she squeezes my thigh and I let out a moan, allowing her to slip her tongue past my lips.

Not long after, we have to break apart for air.

“You’d think I’d been missing for months with the way you kiss me.”

“Any amount of time away from you it too long.” I give her a small smile and she pecks my nose, making me giggle.

“Can we cuddle and drink coffee while we watch movies?” I pout at her as puts me back on my two feet.

“Anything for my girl.”

Very soon after, I find myself in her arms on the couch, all curtains drawn shut, warm cups of coffee abandoned on the table, Encanto playing loudly on the TV. Naturally I sing along poorly and quote every line.

“Have you heard from the RFEF about your license?” I smile into her neck at the question.

“I get to keep it. And they gave an apology. Not that it means much still, but we’re getting there.” Amaiur squeals and jumps off the couching, taking me with her. She lifts me up and spins me around before putting me back down, spreading kissing across my face. My heart clenches at her display of love. How can one be so perfect?

[dmercer91]

relationship headcanons, sc26

there will be no sleeping on shea on my watch

i have some luke hcs coming early next week!! thank you to people who have requested and are being patient w me

starting off as friends and he’s constantly flirting with you (notably very badly) so you flirt back harmlessly

it’s just jokes until someone else does it with you and he’s like 😟 ok wait was i joking?? (he wasn’t)

he asks you out by throwing you a puck with the question

you weren’t the one who originally caught it so that was a very awkward moment, not his proudest for sure

being a little taller than him and everyone giving him a hard time about it so you start wearing your converse more often rather than boots or anything that makes you taller

you know they’re not trying to be mean to you cause you’re all friends but you feel bad for seamus

he’s dramatic about it when he notices cause you’re trying to find flat shoes that go with an outfit and he’s seen you wear the same thing with boots before

“you haven’t worn your docs in forever, baby. they’d look good with that”

“yeah but they make me like over six feet tall, shea” “… yeah? you used to love them,”

a long time of awkward silence and even more awkward eye contact ensues and he asks if you don’t like / feel embarrassed being evidently taller than him

“what? no!” “then wha-“

and then rutger comes through the door scrolling on his phone completely unaware of everything and seamus raises an eyebrow while both of you eye him walking away

“put the boots on, y/n,”

he comes into whatever function you’re going to with his arm around your shoulders and when ethan starts to say something seamus flips his hat around and slaps it down so it hits him in the nose

everyone who was there kinda got the hint after that

karaoke nights.

he cannot sing for the life of him but you’re having the time of your life so he will belt any song you pick and spin you around

sometimes he won’t even know the song and he’s honestly just there to be your personal hype man

you guys keep the playful friendship banter you had while you’d been just friends

you’ll be in bed about to fall asleep and all of the sudden he slaps you up the back of the head and you’re wide awake

“take out your contacts, dumbass. gonna go blind one of these days i swear”

you’ll do the same for him if he’s about to pass out on you and you know he hasn’t set an alarm or something

dorms are a pain in the ass when you want some peace and quiet so you’ll go to sophomore house and he’ll wait outside while you go in

“can i use one of your rooms? the dorms are so loud my door is vibrating,”

they whine and complain until mark points at dylan, since luke is in jersey and ‘he’s had it too easy for too long’

“fine. don’t touch anything,”

“thanks, duker, we’ll be quiet,” “who is we?”

you grin and walk towards the door, quickly pulling seamus in by his wrist and making a run for it

he runs after you but you’ve locked his door and tucked a chair under the knob before he gets to you

he tries to unlock the door only to realize the chair was there

he pounded on the door and yelled “use luke’s bed, at least,”

by the looks of the bedside table, holding a picture of dylan’s family, you most certainly did not use luke’s bed.

you were banned from asking to use their rooms to study until finals when seamus found you trying to study with music blaring in your ears cause dorms were too loud

so he essentially brought you over there and told mackie that you were using his room and he had no choice

during the summer you guys will take the boat and just sit in the middle of the lake cuddling under the sun

you’ve fallen asleep there and when you woke up there was a you shaped tan line on shea cause he burnt

his excuse for not having moved you was that you looked too comfortable and he hadn’t wanted to wake you

“you’re the cutest, sappiest dumbass i’ve ever met, you know that?”

you used aloe vera later that night to help with the sting and now you’re convinced he’s avoiding sunscreen on purpose so you’ll give him a shoulder massage

if you’re by a pool or the lake he is the only one who’s allowed to throw you in cause you trust that he understands when you mean no and when you’re feigning annoyance

he is the best enforcer of that rule cause luca tried to throw you in the lake one weekend and you were holding onto him so aggressively that he put you down to make sure you actually knew how to swim

you sprinted away the second your feet hit the ground and none of them had ever seen you run so fast

shea had been inside and when he came out everyone was like.. can she swim?

his face fell and he left to go find you, and you were by the patio taking whoever’s phones you could find

“what are you doing?” “making their phones collateral, why,”

“they’re not gonna throw you in, i promise”

you went back and were still hugging a pile of phones to your chest.

safe to say shea had explained for you and luca felt like an asshole so you hugged him and coined him your karaoke partner for the night as a way of saying he was ok

you force seamus to learn how to take care of his hair cause it looks so good when it’s not dead and sticking up

he agreed under the stipulation that you’d give him scalp massages and put in hair masks for him / do them together cause he’s a huge sap and likes the way it feels

when you guys cuddle there is literally no position you haven’t ended up in

you’ll wake up and he’s on top of you, or you’re on top of him, or you’re both somehow on top of each other and you don’t know who’s limbs are where anymore

one time you woke up upside down on the bed, like your feet had been at the pillows

other times you don’t move at all, it’s become a fun guessing game

he likes to facetime on nights when you’re apart, especially when he’s falling asleep cause he’s so used to you being with him

once he signs his elc, you slowly transition your life to jersey and you get an apartment together and adopt a cat (he’s absolute chaos and you both would kill for him)

in conclusion seamus casey is my favourite idiot and i will cherish him (and shove him down your throats!) forever

[ashes0909]

hello! my three words would be:

- clothes

- autumn

- marshmallow

and the ship is stucky !

goodluck on the pseudo nanowrimo!! hope u have a great november 🫶🫶

Thank you so much for the prompt! It was so much fun getting back into the swing of writing. If anyone else is interested in sending me 3 words and a ship, I'd love to write more!

~~~~~

Autumn Leaves Paring: Stucky / Rating: T

The chill of early autumn floated in the air but in his layers of thick, scratchy wool, Bucky barely felt any of it. The leaves crinkled under his boots as he walked to the spot he’d discovered shortly after their regiment made camp for the night. The sun still hovered on the horizon, casting a glow through the tree’s golden leaves. 

Bucky had always loved autumn, and here, an ocean away from everything he’d ever known, the war prevailing over everything, autumn still painted the landscape with such a familiarity that he had to take a moment to soak in.

And then “home” continued to follow him when footsteps behind him rustled the leaves; a stride he’d recognize anywhere, even with all the changes the dumbass intentionally injected into his veins. Before Bucky even turned around, he felt Steve’s thick coat land on his shoulders. The heavy weight from a wider chest might be new but the scent of Steve was long ingrained. Bucky almost shook it off, a lecture ready on his lips that Steve might be bigger, heartier now, but he still needed to keep warm. 

But then Steve slid under the coat next to him, wrapping both of them in the woolly warmth.

“You always loved this season,” Steve said as he brushed their shoulders together. “Your ma would bring out hot milk with bits of marshmallow in it--”

“--and we’d sit on the fire escape and take bets on what leaves would fall to the floor the fastest--”

“--from that one maple tree in the middle of the sidewalk.”

“It’s a good tree,” Steve finished their joint memory, plucking the ending right from Bucky’s mind like he always seemed to do. Bucky wondered if that New York maple would still be there, after the war. If they’d both survive to see it again, or if these leaves falling on a foreign tree would be the last they ever experienced together.

The thought didn’t sullen Bucky’s mood. Like many things in wartime, he just took a deep breath and appreciated the moment.

Little did he know that the next month, he’d fall from a train and everything would change.

The decades fell like leaves, colored blood red then deathly brown. Winter overtook autumn, and somehow, a century later, Bucky stood in front of that same New York maple tree. 

He watched from the sidewalk, ignoring the bustle of those walking by, and took in the golden hues of the leaves forever changing. It didn’t take long before a familiar stride broke through the rest, and Bucky’s breath caught until he felt the heavy weight of a coat wrapped around his shoulders.

“Hot chocolate with marshmallows?” Steve asked, handing over the warm to-go cup, a matching one in his own hands.

“I don’t even want to know what superpowers you used, to get these cups here and to put a coat over my shoulders.”

Steve smiled and looked towards the tree, he bumped their shoulders together before he replied, “The timeless kind.”

[getindumdums]

ROTTMNT X TMNT- How to write around Post-Movie Rise being overpowered

Want to write a rottmnt meet tmnt fic? Well here’s some ideas on how you can write the rise crew with all their powers but still include your 87/03/12 bros in the fight!

1. The Rise Crew are dumbasses.

When you’re turtles that fall for ‘teetlze’, there may be a plan or two where they fall for the silliest of things. Like even a 87 shredder plan right along with the 87 turtles. Or they crave fun and get in a little trouble. Like. IDK. They were doing stunts and crashed into tar pits. Got trapped in the Turtle Tank. Got distracted and are trying to get a weapon that got lodged into concrete/a building out. Or a skateboard out of a tree, and are making the situation way over complicated. Get creative.

Maybe they forgot a mission, or got lost because of a silly reason. Like, they wrestled and fell off a cliff. Maybe down a river. Make Leo get hit too hard and comidically woozy. (Or a tranq dart.) Yeaaaahhhh surrrre. I’ll teleport you guysss… *teleports to France.

Maybe they said they’d meet separately at the beach/fun place. But the 87/03/12 crew get attacked and the Rise crew is just chilling wondering where they’re at. “Oh no! They can’t hear them! The music’s blasting too loud!”

2. The Rise turtles are loud.

Sure they can sneak, but will they? Plus things like to explode after the sneaking. (03/12 tmnt are kind of like this too honestly.) Point is maybe they’re like “All in favor of leaving (The Mad dogs) team behind say Aye.” “Aye.” For a stealth mission. Could add 03/12 Raph wanting to include Mikey in that.

They could be put on ‘support’. Rise Leo’s teleporting could leave to a last second save, Rise Donnie’s pods too (he would probably put trackers in his counterparts as soon as he could, also blood samples). Rise Raph could prevent the building the others are inside from collapsing. Actually all of the Rise crew could catch them from falling to their deaths or hold back a giant enemy’s strike.

3. Put out of Commission.

There’s a couple ways the Rise Crew could get put out of commission that isn’t getting hit too hard. Being temporarily blinded by tear gas (they jumped in first), allowing them to still fight but being the ones reliant on whoever they’re with. Tranquilizers would incapacitate them for like an hour or less. Similarly, getting poisoned with a lethal dose that’d kill the other teams. The way Draxum made them allowing these toxins to be less lethal to them. Magical traps, magic/alien restraints, or captured with the highest/most durable alien tech could also get interesting.

4. Let the Rise Crew take on the Big threats.

Like on how Rise Raph will act like a shield for his bros by taking on the enemies his size, the Rise crew’s focus can be set towards the larger than a building enemies, like (12) Traaq and Granitor, (03) Nano, etc. They could defeat/distract a shredder, attack a technodrome, or handle a way too large foot/Kraang army Leatherhead/03 Triceraton style while the 03/12 team handle the other stuff. Or worse, the Rise crew could fight some of THEIR old enemies.

As strong as the Rise crew are, both 03 and 12 have 12/13 tech/steel that’s very strong and durable. And both are used to defeating threats ‘way out of their league’. The 87 turtles can cleave through ‘technodrome’ mechs like butter. Just something to consider.

5. They are the Big Threat

I’m not the biggest fan of feral Rise. They lean more violent/murdery than in character and small bruising. I love comedy, shenanigans. But that doesn’t mean the Rise crew being brainwashed isn’t a good plot line where the other alternate brothers must save them. From 12’s parasitic wasps, neck brainwashing devices, to 03’s utrom/Baxter Stockman tech: duplicate robots looking/fighting like them, simulations turned violent, you can get a couple ideas from all the shows. Or how about misunderstandings? 03 doesn’t have Krang, but peaceful utroms. The Rise crew might start fighting before learning from 03 crew or the Utroms themselves that they are not a threat.

Bonus, Conflict

I think the 03 and 12 bros might see the Rise crew as another 87 initially. They’re all silly, funny guys that like to dance and party. Including Funny One Donnie. The 87 team and Rise would get along great, thick as (pizza) thieves. Have a way too strong enemy? Well maybe the Rise crew is 87’s plot armor while they fight side by side. 03 would be most responsible (excluding Mikey), and be quick to warm up to the Rise crew. And be willing to train with them, give them advice/lectures. 03 Raph would like Donnie, 03 Leo would like Raph for sure.

It’s the 12 crew that I think they would have the most conflict with, (except Mikey). Instead Rise Mikey kicks him (and 12 Leo, and the 87 crew) violently out of the kitchen, and would just be the most reasonable Mikey. Rise Leo would lead/ partake in shenanigans with anyone willing and switch like a lamp on (at least serious) missions.

The Rise crew are used to listening to Raph, they trust Raph. Maybe they trust 87/03/12 Raph. It’s a bad idea. Maybe Rise Donnie wants to do comically- villain lethal options instead or just argue against the Leo’s’ plans. Like a Raph. Maybe he fist fights 12 Raph. But they become friends after.

Maybe Rise Leo wants to have fun. Maybe he claims to be the cool Leo while secretly wanting to impress the other Leos but 12 Leo hates him. Maybe Donnie claims he’s the cool Donnie but 12 Donnie hates him. Really hates him, with a seething jealousy. Maybe 12 Donnie is plotting murder 12 Casey style. Maybe Rise Donnie loves playing around with weapons with 03 Raph and destroying things with 12/03 Raph.

I just actually like the idea of each of the Rise turtle not getting along with their 12 counterparts. Instead Rise Leo gets along with 12 Mikey via pranks (and Dimension X and how they feel about their place in their team). Maybe 03 Mikey too. Rise Raph gets along great with the the Leos (and Splinter?), leadership and training. Donnie would get along great with the Raphs. I think he and 12 Raph would both think 03 Raph is SUPER cool. And Rise Mikey would get along well with the Donnies being the ‘reasonable’ one of the Rise crew. Rise Mikey I believe helps his Donnie in the lab, steady hands. And probably knows the classical music composers, etc. Maybe Mystic Mike, practicing his magic, is great at meditation, magic, and gets great talks with Splinter. Rise Mikey could finally give 03 Don some therapy. …And maybe any of the other traumatized turtles.

Transversing the multiverse

Is actually easy. Maybe let it be. They could go back and forth, and the real conflict can be the enemies they face/are investigating.

87 has a device from the 12 crossover, and that can just built a device no sweat. 03 still probably has their device from Turtles Forever (unless 87 has it?). 03 has the Daimyo from their battle nexus that can travel dimensions with his staff. 12 has Krang portals. 12 had a magic wand they lost. The Rise crew has Leo and Mikey’s portals and their Donnie. If the others could create bridges so can Rise D. He has the most advanced tech, a comedic-looney tunes logic/4th wall breaking touch like 87, and has pictures of 12 and 87 on his conspiracy board. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. sent a toaster back in time, I’m convinced that Donnie had drafts for a time machine already but the Kaang invasion left alternate-future him with a lack of resources Cass-Apocalypse style, those drafts destroyed with the lair, and/or new prototypes destroyed. Future him Raph a robot body like 12 Don did to himself before something happened that didn’t allow Rise D to make one/be transferred into one for himself. There’s no way Rise Donnie is taking more time to make a portal gun longer than a Turtles Forever movie.

[bratanimus]

33. you are such a nerd

@khaleesa, thank you for this awesome prompt! It was a lot of fun to write. And thanks to the lovely @pipergirl17 for betaing! I hope to work on the other prompts in my Ask box soon.

~*~

Hoard

Eddie sprawled on his stomach across Chrissy’s white eyelet comforter and peered over the edge of the bed, like the invisible Bilbo peeping at Smaug. All around herself, his girlfriend (someday he would stop italicizing that word in his mind, but today was not that day) had spread a veritable dragon’s hoard of paper, folders, notebooks, flashcards, pencil cases, and pens of all colors on the pink shag carpet. 

Sitting cross-legged in her running sweats, framed in a patch of afternoon sunlight, Chrissy looked luminous as she carefully pried open the lid of a box of new pencils as if it were a treasure chest.

“Tell me again,” Eddie said.

He pushed up the long sleeves of his T-shirt and rested his chin on the heels of both hands in what he hoped was a coquettish and distracting manner, his jean-clad legs bent and kicking his socked feet behind him like he was at an honest-to-god Annette Funicello pajama party. 

“Why are you doing this, exactly?”

Chrissy gave him the briefest of eye rolls, because she’d already started to explain on their way upstairs…though she’d been interrupted when they’d passed the Cunningham household’s actual dragon, who’d bellowed after them, “Door stays open!” Eddie could almost feel the mistrust billowing like acrid steam from Laura’s sewing room. Well, the old reptile would get used to him sooner or later. Or not. 

“Make fun all you want,” Chrissy huffed (oh, she was cute when she was miffed at him, and maybe he shouldn’t rile her up, but he was a dumbass still getting used to having her undivided attention, so sue him if he occasionally resorted to his old habits of poking and prodding and other sorts of ill-advised provocation, and anyway, she didn’t seem to mind). “But it’s the end of spring break.”

With that, Chrissy pinned him with a friendly glare, as if a reminder of the calendar date should’ve made everything crystal clear. 

Smirk (and dimples) still firmly in place, she broke the eraser off one of those brand new pencils, an unexpected act of violence that made Eddie’s eyebrows shoot upward. She tossed the nub into the flowery little trash can under her desk. Then she grabbed a fat, pink, arrowhead-shaped cap eraser from a pile of them and twisted it onto the top of the pencil. 

“Ah, I see,” said Eddie, not seeing at all. 

Chrissy only laughed at his confused expression, so he lay flat on his chest, chin on the bed’s edge, letting his arms dangle so he could fiddle with the felt tip pens scattered on the carpet. He stole a glance at Chrissy and pondered why one eraser might be somehow inherently better than another, so much so that she had to amputate and reattach, like some nerdy bookworm version of Mary Shelley.

“School starts back in a couple of days, right?” Chrissy went on as she attacked the next pencil.

“Uh-huh.” 

Eddie shoved aside her big green binder and slid his fingertips along the pens as he lined them up, orange and purple and red and blue—

Bonk! Another brand new nub landed in the trash can, and another cap eraser got reamed by a wooden writing instrument.

“I always reorganize my school supplies after fall break, Christmas break, and spring break. It helps me stay focused.”

“Mmm-hmm,” he bullshitted, as if he had any idea about systems for focusing.

He arranged the pens according to the colors of the rainbow, remembering Roy G. Biv, the acronym his seventh grade art teacher had taught for the progression of colors. But Chrissy owned way more than the seven basic shades here. There were at least two dozen. Did she carry these to school every day in a pencil case, a small treasure trove in her pink backpack?

“I love school supplies,” she gushed, continuing her mutilation of the pristine set of Ticonderogas, popping off a dozen heads one by one and replacing them with bloated Frankenstein ones.

He knew she had a thing about control, and Eddie had seen her do her fair share of feverish erasing in the two classes they shared this year. But were twelve cap erasers really necessary?

Messing with the felt tips on the floor, he must’ve asked that last bit out loud, because Chrissy said tightly, “Oh, you know. Just in case I need to correct a lot.”

Oops. He’d touched a nerve. He needed a distraction.

“I bet you pack five extra pairs of underwear for every overnight trip,” he mused, “just in case you have a blowout.”

“Ew!” she squealed.

An eraser nub hit him square between the eyes, which made him flinch and blink. 

“Seriously, Eddie.  Are blowouts something I should worry about?”

“Oh, I dunno. Hang around with me long enough—”

A larger arrowhead eraser smacked him on the cheek. He caught it before it fell off the bed, stuck it on his pinky, and made it speak over Chrissy’s giggles.

“Look, lady,” he Muppet-squeaked, “you have an eraser problem. And possibly an underwear problem. You need help!”

Chrissy pointed to his pinky. “Speak not to me, nor my Trapper Keeper, ever again. You’re just jealous of my loot.” 

“I have absolutely no use for dragon-guarded treasures,” Eddie murmured, quoting Tolkien as he slipped the eraser from his pinky and laid it reverently in Chrissy’s outstretched hand, “and the whole lot could stay here for ever, if only I could wake up and find this beastly tunnel was my own front-hall at home.”

Watching him, Chrissy’s eyes glimmered, prettier than any gemstones. His cheeks warmed. 

It was something to be looked at by her, wasn’t it? To be admired? He dropped his gaze back down to the pens he was arranging and hoped his face wasn’t too red.

“That’s it.” The words were barely a breath.

Eddie’s gaze rose again to find Chrissy staring down at her hoard of loot, hands upturned helplessly on her knees, the arrowhead eraser still in the center of her palm like the One Ring.

He tried to match her hushed tone. “What?”

“That’s how I feel. All the time. This house. All my things. It’s just…stuff.”

And she had no other home but this beastly one.

Eddie's heart pinched.

“Come up here,” he said.

She did, lying on her stomach next to him, chin resting on her folded arms as she watched him arrange the felt tips into different configurations with one hand. Gravity made his veins bulge a little; they looked knobbly and greenish-blue in the bright light from her window. His hand could almost be a pale dragon skittering over its mountain of treasure.

He didn’t know what to say, because he couldn’t say what he wanted to.

Come away with me. Let me be your treasure. You are already mine.

Leaning into her with one shoulder, he reached awkwardly into his front pocket and scrounged for the ever-present handful of mismatched polyhedral die, which he tossed to the floor, a field of shimmering stars around what he’d written across the landscape of her Pepto-Bismol carpet.

“Wait.” Chrissy’s head lifted from her forearms. She blew her bangs out of her eyes. “Does that say—”

It did indeed. Eddie had arranged her plethora of pens to read 

NERD

“You are such a nerd,” he whispered, creasing his brow and dipping his chin for emphasis. He wondered if she could somehow read on his face what he was really thinking.

Chrissy looked back at him and smiled like he’d just placed a crown on her head. He swallowed. Maybe she could read his thoughts. Eddie tucked her lovely smile away into his own mental hoard, for safekeeping.

“Takes one to know one,” she said, cutting the inhalation for his retort short with a kiss.

He nodded his fervent agreement until her widening grin made further kissing more difficult, but not impossible.

The eraser lay forgotten on the floor with the rest of the hoard. 

[auteurdefeu]

Okay, as a fanfic writer and reader, I love reading about the struggles of self worth with a side of hurt/comfort and affirmations as much as the next person, but I’m noticing a theme as I watch the GO fandom scramble to write fix-its to cope with the (beautiful) ending of season 2.

This is my own interpretation, I have no intention of telling anyone they’re wrong <3

In s2ep6, when Crowley left Aziraphale’s shop, he waited by the Bentley, so sure that Aziraphale would change his mind. Giving him a chance to turn around right then and there. He’s full of anger and despair, and while I recognize that he’s probably angry with himself, I’m sure that- at least to some extent- he knows his self worth. He didn’t leave until the window of opportunity had fully shut. I can’t imagine him fully devolving into self hatred over this and blaming himself, or viewing this as a sign that he’s not good enough- as he said himself, Heaven is toxic, he knows first hand the way things are run up there and how quick they are to take control of things to their advantage or discard things they don’t like. I refuse to believe that he’s blind to the fact it’s Heaven that’s taken Aziraphale away from him, he don’t drive Aziraphale away himself.

Perhaps I am being too generous in thinking Crowley is not so oblivious, but I have to believe he knows Aziraphale loves him. After everything they’ve been through, relying on each other, the team that they were and the quiet lives they made for themselves, everything about that screams love and devotion. Upon hearing that Aziraphale had been offered this position as archangel, he had assumed he’d turned it down, thinking they both knew that their life together was the best they could hope for. Crowley would also have to be deaf to miss the point that, in his pleas to go to heaven, Aziraphale was asking for it to be their Heaven, where they could go together. Not to mention the way he says “I need you” in such heartbreaking desperation… they relied on each other for all this time, so if Crowley can recognize what it means to himself, how he feels towards Aziraphale, I can only hope he’d know the same is true in return.

“You idiot. We could’ve been us.” This is not someone wallowing in self hate or wondering where he went wrong. He’s angry, at heaven, at hell, quite possibly at the All Mighty, and yes, at Aziraphale. But he knows the ways of Heaven, he knows what they’d do to keep their order. If he couldn’t run away from Heaven then he might find a way to let it burn. Whatever theories are floating around, “coffee theory” or whatever- it’s universally understood that Heaven is manipulative and is actively doing harm to Aziraphale, mentally and emotionally if not physically as well (I’m personally against the coffee theory but you do you), and they are at fault.

I will shut up about this soon but Aziraphale had come a long way from when we first saw him in the beginning of Good Omens, when Adam had just been delivered. Him referring to Crowley as if he was part of hell and on the side of the demons , “You’re the bad guys”, set off alarms all over because they’ve worked past this. This was especially established centuries prior as they met with Job, seen earlier in the season. To me it reads as someone falling into old habits as they renter the cycle of abuse. A cycle that Crowley managed to escape.

I understand why Aziraphale did what he did and I can understand how he got to this point. Aziraphale’s not an idiot, I’m sure he’s got some plan that kept him going even when everything pointed towards the fact he shouldn’t go, like the mentioning of the Second Coming. It was a painfully beautiful scene, but I do not blame him. Crowley is not an idiot either, even if he may be a bit of a dumbass sometimes (affectionately). I can only hope he’d recognize these things too.

[skye-huntress]

The Witch from Mercury Season 2 Reaction

Episode 20: “The End of Hope”

Ominous title

Let’s see. Norea is ready to explode, Miorine is freaking out, Guel seems hellbent on taking down Shaddiq, and Grassley Squad is making their move. Shaddiq again seems to be laying much of the blame on Guel, even though this tragedy happened as he was leaving.

Who knew Rouji of all people had mastered the art of interrogation? Or is Martin just that much of a wuss?

Who knew Lilique could get mad?!

So Suletta has finally gone back to class, but now she’s being harassed as well. Now that she is no longer the Holder and no longer Aerial’s pilot, she’s naturally an easier target.

Now Petra is being nice to Suletta. Guess saving her boyfriend scored her some points.

Guel may be learning to be a better person, but he should learn to be smarter.

Shaddiq seems out for blood now

They’ve released a pissed off witch from the basement and she’s fixing to go on a rampage. The ball is in your court, Number 5.

Looks like Chuchu’s Demi-Trainer is out for the count. They don’t have any mobile suits left.

Petra, stop talking! You’re waving so many death flags right now with the things you’re saying! She’s going to die right after I found a reason to like her, isn’t she?

If Shaddiq is openly admitting his crimes on their comms, I doubt he plans on leaving Guel or anyone else alive.

Look, Guel, you need to understand your father was a grade-A a-hole. You could have a lengthy debate over who is a worse person between him and Shaddiq.

Now Lauda knows Guel killed their father. Will either of them live long enough for that to matter?

Not the Greenhouse! Oh, that bitch done it, now!

Now Felsi is in the firing line! What am I saying? Of course, she is. Any pilots with working mobile suits with the guts to be out there is gonna be. Too bad that even if they didn’t have the school’s limiter, they’d still be hopelessly outmatched.

When Secelia decides its time to move the plot along, she delivers. A brand new mobile suit for Chuchu and the timely return of her traitorous mechanic.

Since when did Pompom Head become a thing? That’s the second person to call her that

It’s not like I don’t get Shaddiq. He is a demon of the Benerit Group’s making. I can’t even say with confidence that in his position I wouldn’t have made similar choices. He’s still crossed a line, and got innocents among both Spacians and Earthians killed. He’s also not as clever as he thinks he is, ready to blame Guel for interfering in his plans when he is the one committing crimes.

Did Guel just outsmart Shaddiq and Sabina? And he disabled their suits without killing them. Not only was that impressive, this might be his first real win in the entire show. Unfortunately it came at the cost of Norea going on a rampage but there was a solid chance it could have happened, anyway.

I begrudgingly give points to Number 5 for talking Norea down. Unfortunately, that win is short lived. Serious though, who was the dumbass who thought it was a good idea to fire on them after they stopped rampaging? And if you were going to do that, why only take out one of them when the other as far as they know is equally dangerous?

Back to Suletta, finally. Aaaaaand, yep. About what I expect. Oh , and there’s the title card!

That is such a Suletta thing to do, honestly. She used to do this kind of thing back on Mercury, too, so really, she’s falling back on what she knows. I’m also genuinely surprised that Earth House hasn’t suffered any casualties, though they’re probably going to get blamed for this, too.

[nemtheanga]

I don’t have a tall blond dumbass (affectionate) to romance in Veilguard so you best bet that my Rook is gonna be a biggest dumbest blond Thedas has ever seen.

Grimnir, Rook to his friends (pretty much everyone), is always down for three things: a good drink, a good story, and a good fight. A Warden for the last 9 years, his cheerfulness is only sometimes a cover for some of the shit he’s seen. With the kind of face that people sorta just like to talk to, he’s usually the one that scouts in taverns and markets looking for information. Which is probably how he met Varric. Varric would be catnip to this man. Rook would take one look at him across a bar and decide on the spot this dude was his new best friend.

Harding he’d adore, probably more like a sibling but lbr all bets are off with this game, and Taash would delight him to no end given some of the wild shit she must have gotten up to.

I can see him finding Neve a bit too serious to start with until he gets into the swing of her personality, whilst he’s probably run into a few Crows and takes Lucanis’ single-minded work ethic in his stride, probably giving him some good natured needling from out of dagger range. Once he’s comfortable with them, and them with him, he wouldn’t think twice about tossing them over his shoulder to get them to stop working so hard.

Emmrich would be a bit intimidating at first but Rook’s endlessly curious about all sorts so he’s a good audience for well-intentioned infodumping and Manfred would just be the coolest thing in the world once he gets over the surprise of a walking skeleton that isn’t trying to kill him. Bellara would be the same—he’ll happily sit and clean his weapons or take notes for her as she pokes and prods at some new device or artefact they’d found.

Davrin would be a Buddy on sight. Sure, no small part of it is to do with the sense of Duty and Purpose amongst Wardens but they both have a love of adventure and revel in the thrill of a hunt. Rook’s got an unserious edge to him and I could see his tendency to deal with things through humour grating sometimes but they’re mostly coming at the same thing from two different angles.

I have no idea who he’d romance, like, I could see the potential in everyone. I’m leaning towards Lucanis at the moment because they fit the black cat/golden retriever vibe and I am absolutely consumed with the idea of Lucanis, finally exhausted enough to let his guard down, falling asleep on this absolute mountain of a man who now won’t move for several hours because holy shit.

Ultimately, though, someone like Varric is gonna know that you gotta set a trickster to catch a trickster and, as the resident Trickster Guy, I am gonna have so much fucking fun with Rook.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Pulling on the Strings of Destiny: Act 2 Chapter 18

Summary: Four days pass for Japan, and everyone is on edge.  They wonder, and wait. What will happen next for them? Will Midoriya  keep rising? What sort of things would she face. They all turned towards  the screens, wondering. None more so then the future class 1-A, more so  as they get a glimpse into their first sports festival, first  internship and their final exams. Watch as Midoriya’s future continues  to unfold, as she learns more about her family, society and herself.

Warnings: References to underage pregnancy and the assualt of a minor. References to child harm. Toga Himiko to, she is her own warning.

ON AO3

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 “Holy crap,” Izumi stared at the screen. “We just tied?! We just did that?!” she couldn’t believe it. She’d almost beat Todoroki, who had such a powerful Quirk. They tied because both fainted.

 She helped Todoroki; she helped him learn how to use his fire. It made her feel good. Heroic, brave. She couldn’t help her cheerful laughter as Tomoe cheered while Shouta shook his head with a smile and Hizashi whooped.

 She had done it.

 Around Japan, people cheered for both competitors. They had a fantastic fight, and while both tied, they’d also showed skill beyond most their age. It was amazing.

 Endeavour smiled at the screen, proud his masterpiece had managed what he did, though he was furious that it was a tie. Perhaps when Shouto beat Midoriya in the tiebreaker-

 His office door opened, and Nara, his Hero Commission friend, entered the room.

 “Nara?” Endeavour asked, confused. The man looked at him apologetically as a few other agents entered.

 “Todoroki Enji?” Nara began, still looking apologetic, though his voice had a cut of anger. He was angry, angry at Endeavour for ruining their plans! The stupid screen had tripped them up, but damn it, Nara had been banking on Endeavour training up his son to be a perfect number two. Another rivalry, just like the one with All Might and Endeavour, but between Hawks and the Shouto kid! It would have been fantastic, a true story for the ages, but NO. Endeavour had to be caught overtraining his kid and smacking his wife. Nara just hoped they could come up with some excuse. The woman falling and hitting her face against Endeavour’s hand? No, no, only a dumbass would believe that. “Your hero license has been temporarily revoked, and your custody over Todoroki Shouto and Todoroki Rei has been removed until an investigation is carried out.”

 “What?!” Endeavour stood up but stopped as one of the agents stepped forward, a blue shield appearing to protect the others. They thought… they thought he would hurt them? How…

 Todoroki Enji sat back down, staring at the agents moved around his office, one unplugging his computer to take the modem with them. What the hell was happening?

 Elsewhere, Dabi scowled bitterly. Fucking tie, huh? Piece of shit, brat, still getting all the fucking attention. Oh, look, they tied. Big fucking DEAL. If he were in Shouto’s place, he’d have beaten Midoriya and would have won it all—weak little brat.

 Dabi shoved his hands into his pockets and stomped off, ignoring the people talking around him. He didn’t want to think about it.

 “So much blood!” Himiko cooed as she skipped down the street. It was all so pretty and perfect. Izu-chan looked so lovely covered in blood Himiko wanted to lick it all off. She bet it would taste good, and ooh, could she… Himiko blushed, her thoughts turning dirtier as she giggled. She couldn’t wait to meet Izu-chan! They would be so cute together, wouldn’t they? Himiko smiled dreamily as she imagined all they could do.

 In the classroom, the future hero students happily cheered on Todoroki, who was smiling a little. He had his Quirk active, ice in one hand and a small fire in the other.

 “Go Todobro!” Kirishima cheered as Ashido did a bit of a dance. All the while, Nemuri watched in amusement, dropping her Midnight persona. She was proud of these kids. They were celebrating not just the fight but Todoroki’s acceptance of his own Quirk. It was beautiful to see them smiling.

 She hoped they kept smiling as she checked her phone to see Nezu informing her that Monoma would join their class next week, along with the news Endeavour lost custody. There would be an investigation, but Nemuri knew how it would probably go. He would be found guilty, but his record of heroics would mean he’d get probation working as a hero. He’d be removed from the ranking system, wouldn’t be allowed the perks of a hero, and would probably get a pay cut due to his family wealth.

 It wasn’t fair. He deserved jail, but they couldn’t have a good hero be removed from the ranks. After all, most younger heroes were now glory hogs more interested in fame than work. Removing Endeavour would cause issues as the heroes around him would suddenly face incidents they had never encountered before.

 Maybe it would be good to shake things up a bit, more than this viewing would do already, but Nemuri wasn’t sure if it was the best option. As she watched the kids and thought, the timer ticked down to start the next episode.

 The screen shows the stadium of fans all talking to one another.

 “That was CRAZY!” one woman says to her neighbour. “Those two are crazy strong!”

 “I know, right?” the other says. “I was rooting for them both!”

 “Midoriya got hurt a bit,” a hero says to his friend. The other shrugs.

 “Yeah, but it was obvious she was pushing herself. Did you hear some of her comments before the mics blew? Todoroki was holding back, and now he pulls out the fire? She was trying to get him to stop.” The man nods. “Good on her. Being a hero means you can’t half-ass it. If Todoroki isn’t willing to go all out and actually use his full Quirk, he shouldn’t be a hero in the first place.”

 Shouto winced, letting his Quirk die. He had been a bit of an idiot, hadn’t he? To stuck in his head and beliefs…

 He was still scared and nervous about what would happen next, but he was also hopeful. Midoriya changed his life and showed him a new way to do things. He would take advantage of that ability to be better.

 In her hospital room, Rei shook her head. If her son needed that fire, he shouldn’t be a hero! That fire was bad, dangerous! It wasn’t good, and she felt so sad he’d used it!

 Just like his father.

 “She’s also a late bloomer, so it makes sense she was a little hurt.” Agrees another hero.

 “What do you think, Jack?” the first asks a fourth hero—the hero Jack in the Box, who hums.

 “I think she’s got talent. She’s also a mom, though, so who knows how far she’s going to go in heroics.” He says. “She might not get that high up.”

 “Eh, you never know,” voiced another hero.

 The screen shows the infirmary where Midoriya and Todoroki are, both being looked over by Recovery Girl.

 “Well, you didn’t break your fingers that badly… but don’t do it on purpose again!” the tiny hero scolds Midoriya. “And you! Use your fire more; I see a drastic change in your core temperature with you having actually used it!”

 “I need to look at that boy,” Recovery Girl said as she wrote that down. How much damage did his pride do to the boy that he was harming himself? Teenagers think they know everything. The boy could have died from being too cold at his core, and yet it wasn’t on his mind. She didn’t blame young Todoroki, but if he had wanted to rebel that badly, going off to be anything but a hero would have worked better.

 “Yes, ma’am,” Todoroki says.

 “I won’t. One time thing to get him to use his fire,” Midoriya says. Todoroki shrugs, looking a little amused. “How are my legs?”

 “They look good,” Recovery Girl says. “I’ll get you both a change of clothes. Normally, we’d hold a tiebreaker after the next event, but with the damage you two caused and the fact you both just needed a kiss and a quick jolt of energy…” she shrugged. “We’ll do it now.”

 “Oh, we got some energy?” Midoriya asks curiously. Recovery Girl chuckles.

 “How do you think we get all you kids up and running so fast after your battles? We used to have a nurse who’d come in and give you some help during this time, but her daughter is here taking it over. She’s a business student.” Recovery Girl explains. She walks away, shaking her head.

 Said nurse, a woman who went by the title Nurse Joy in her work as a hero nurse, smiled at the screen. Her daughter didn't want to be a nurse or hero, but it made her happy to see that she was thriving. Many people had tried to pressure the young girl into following her mother. Nurse Joy was glad her daughter had stood firm.

 No one should be forced to be a hero. No one should be forced to enter any job they don't want just because a parent or society demands it.

 “...Thank you,” Todoroki says. Midoriya turns to him, raising an eyebrow. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”

 “I’m a single mom to a toddler. I have to be stubborn,” Midoriya tells him. She stands up from her seat. “What’s your number? I’ll add you to the group chat I have with my friends,” she says. Todoroki blinks but gets up to.

 “He's making friends,” Fuyumi smiled. She was so happy her little brother was attempting to connect with others. Knowing he could one day smile with his friends made her feel relief, though some bitterness worked through her. Her brother was happy, but it took everything being exposed for it to happen.

 Fuyumi had accepted nothing could be simple. They wouldn't be the happy family she wanted, not with her father willing to ruin people still. And she could admit that she'd been so desperate for a happy ending that she blinded herself. She wanted a happy family, and it was ripped from her. She remembered being happy… of sorts.

 When she hadn't had to raise her siblings. When she could focus on herself more before Mom got worse.

 Natsuo was first, the first kid Fuyumi half-raised.

 Shouto was the second. The one she mostly raised other than when Endeavour trained him into the ground. God, she had been so blind to the truth of everything because admitting how messed up their family was would ruin her wishes.

 Fuyumi smiled at the screen. She would move on. She would hopefully get custody of Shouto; they would make it out okay.

 They had to.

 “My phone is in the locker room,” he tells her. They leave the infirmary, meeting Iida, Uraraka, Asui and Aoyama outside.

 “Whoa! Midoriya!” Uraraka says in relief. “You’re okay!”

 “It’s good you have no serious injuries, the both of you!” Iida says with an arm chop.

 “Oui, it is magnificent you managed to come out okay,” Aoyama says as Asui nods.

 “It is, kero.” she agrees. Midoriya blinks and smiles at her friends.

 “Thanks, guys. We have to hold a tiebreaker, so we will head to do that. Then it’ll be Shinsou and Bakugou’s fight.” she informs them. Uraraka grins.

 “I hope he utterly embarrasses Bakugou when he beats him. Make him do something stupid,” she says.

 “Hey!” Katsuki snarled. As if the Eyebag fucker could beat him! He'd kick the extra’s ass and prove he should be in UA!

 “I’d like to see that,” Todoroki admits. The group looks at him, making him blink. He shuffles a little, looking between the group.

 “We need his number for the group chat,” Midoriya says.

 “The Lady Knights and the Dudes in Distress, kero?” Asui asks. Aoyama blinks, surprised.

 “Oh, I must be in the chat, Kero,” Tsu smiled at Uraraka and Iida. Uraraka whipped out her phone instantly as Iida gave a half smile, his phone still pressed to his head.

 She liked the idea of being friends with them. Tsu doubted she’d be as close as they were. The three fit together very well, stronger than the others. Perhaps all three would end up together one day? Or maybe they would be… what was the term… Queer Platonic? Tsu didn't know. She did know they just… We're friends who clicked. A strong bond between all three that would only grow.

 It was beautiful. Tsu was happy just to be there. She would build her own friendships with the group, and they would bond tight, she could tell.

 She couldn't wait.

 “Yeah, that one. I mean, I just saved this guy from self-destruction,” Midoriya points out. “Not using his Quirk could have been way worse after all.” The group slowly nods.

 “Alright then, but the title is staying!” Uraraka says. “Hey, Aoyama, what’s your number? You’ve been deflecting some of the comments from Ojiro lately. We can put you in the chat.”

 Tsu watched as Ojiro flinched. Obviously, he wasn't happy being reminded he would be a bit rude in the future. She wondered about it, wondered why he felt that Midoriya wouldn't be a good hero with a child.

 There were plenty of pro-hero parents, after all.

 “Oh! Merci,” Aoyama smiles. “It is no trouble. Our tailed friend has a good heart, but he is… very blinded to realities, I suppose we could say. He does seem to be realizing he is very wrong lately, however.”

 “Good,” Uraraka says. Todoroki looks a bit lost, as does Midoriya, but the group slowly begins chatting, walking towards the entrance to the arena. That is when Endeavour appears from a hallway. Todoroki freezes, eyes catching the man. Midoriya pauses as well, eyes narrowing. The rest also stop, looking confused.

 “Are you serious?!” Natsuo shouted. Of course, the fucker showed up. Shouto was looking happy, talking with the others, and there was Todoroki Enji, being an asshole. Ugh.

 He had to ruin everything, didn't he?

 In the classroom, the students shouted insults at the screen, all furious the man dared show his face around Todoroki.

 “Fuck off!” Kaminari yelled.

 “Go to hell!” Jiro snapped.

 “Why does he have to ruin everything!” Ochako huffed. They'd been all so happy, laughing and having a good time, but he had to show up and ruin it. Asshole.

 “Shouto!” Endeavour says, ignoring the other children. “Not going to tell me to get lost?” the man asks mockingly.

 “Isn’t this a restricted area, Iida?” Midoriya asks a bit pointedly.

 “... It is. Endeavour, sir, I must ask you to please leave,” Iida says slowly. He looks at Todoroki, and his eyes gain a slight glint. “Or we will need to speak to Nezu.”

 “Hell yeah!” Ochako cheered. “Go Iida! Tell him off!”

 “I will!” Iida promised. He didn't mention he'd probably figured it out. He had met abusive parents before, and he'd noticed. His parents and brother were talking over the phone about this, and Tenya let it wash over him. His brother was there; he was alive.

 Things would be okay.

 “I’m the number two hero, and this is my son,” Endeavour says, focusing on Todoroki. “You need to learn to control your left side Shouto. It was disgraceful how you released so much energy. I’m glad you’re finally seeing reason enough to use it and abandon your childish rebellion-”

 “I haven’t abandoned anything,” Todoroki says flatly. The tall hero jerks back. “You’re an idiot for thinking my feelings could be so easily reversed. I simply… forgot all about you out there while fighting.” He smirks. “I suppose I don’t need you when I can overcome my own issues without you in my mind.”

 “You have us, Todoroki,” Midoriya says. “I’ve already analyzed your Quirk enough to fill twenty pages in my notebook. I’ll give it to you later.”

 “I will!” Izumi said as she pulled out her notebook. Maybe she could get a good start on it and give it to Todoroki early.

 “Thank you, Midoriya,” Todoroki says.

 “Oui, my Quirk hurts me, and I have plenty of suggestions to handle pain from Quirks,” Aoyama says instantly. He lacks a smile and doesn’t look at Todoroki. Instead, he is looking at Endeavour, who frowns.

 “Oui! I will be able to help!” Yuuga agreed, glaring at the screen. While his parents weren’t the best, they’d never done what this monster did.

 “Hey, floating stuff is great target practice!” Uraraka says, moving slightly to block the view of Todoroki.

 “It is!” Ochako agreed with her on-screen self as she forced her phone into Todoroki’s hands so he could give her his number.

 “And I can help with figuring out safe temperatures, kero,” Asui says. “I bet Shinsou can help with mental blocks, too, kero.”

 “I can, kero,” Tsu agreed while in his school, Hitoshi nodded.

 “Anything I can do so he’s not around that fucker,” he said.

 “Sparring is always a good thing to do,” Iida says calmly. He’s caught on to the others and begins to motion. “Now let’s go. I wonder what sort of tiebreaker they will hold.”

 “It is!” Tenya said.

 “Invite him over!” his mother demanded over the phone.

 “Ah, Todoroki, my mother would like to invite you to our place. My brother is a much better teacher for sparring, and we can use the family dojo. They do not go hard,” Tenya told the dual-haired boy, who was beginning to look overwhelmed.

 “Probably not an arm wrestle. I’ll beat Todoroki without my Quirk, no offence.”

 “Your biceps are bigger than mine,” Todoroki tells Midoriya as the group passes Endeavour, who looks more shocked then anything a group of teenagers talked back to him. They walk away, and Todoroki doesn’t look back.

 “... Did a bunch of teenagers basically tell Endeavour to fuck off?” a news reporter said to his friend. Instantly, they all began howling in laughter. It echoed around Japan; watching a group of teens trash-talk Endeavour like that had made many smiles. Dabi was laughing his ass off, mimicked by Natsuo, while Fuyumi giggled.

 Yotsubashi Rikiya smirked at the screen. Seeing a group of strong Quirked users stand up for one another was nice. He glanced at his computer, where emails asking about dealing with Midoriya were. He shook his head.

 The girl was a worthless Quirkless girl only useful for producing strong children. Or she had been until she got that Quirk. She wouldn’t be on the same level as him or others, given they were born with their Quirks, but she lost the useless status. He had no interest in putting her down when she would become one of them. Not as strong or as important as any of Rikiya’s followers, but still.

 He smirked as an email requesting one of their plants at UA approach the girl came to his attention. She’d probably disagree with them, even after admitting she’d been worthless without a Quirk by taking One for All. However, she would be useful. A strong hero, even tangibly connected to them, would be perfect.

 He’d allow it, perhaps even hope something more blooms between the agent and Midoriya. She would have strong Quriked children; she’d proved that. However, he wouldn’t be pushing for it. He despised that piece of shit who forced himself on her. Yes, she was just a Quirkless freak, but she’d been a child!

 Rikiya did encourage arranged marriages among his men and did think about perfect matches, but he never required it or enforced it. He killed people who tried to force it because it should be the choice of the people getting together. Even if they only were together to have a child, Rikiya made sure it was always consensual.

 Anyone trying to enforce it deserved to die.

 The screen moves to the destroyed arena, where Midnight waits for them. Cementoss is waiting as well, looking around with dismay.

 “These two need to work on collateral,” he says to Midnight, who snickers.

 Izumi flushed as Mic agreed with the screen. Okay, they’d gone a bit overboard. It might hurt their chances at internships, wouldn’t it?

 “You’re not wrong!” she says as the two walk on the field. “And here we are!” Midnight announces into her microphone. “For the tiebreaker round, we will be having rock-paper-scissors due to the strength differences!” The teenagers moved so people could see them and held out their hands. “Best two out of three!”

 “Rock-paper-scissors-SHOOT!” Midoriya says, mimicked by Todoroki as the two quickly put out their options. Both chose paper. They did it again, and Midoriya crushed Todoroki’s scissors with a rock this time. The third time…

 “Midoriya wins with paper!” Midnight cheers. The crowd yells in joy as Midoriya smiles at Todoroki, who grins back.

 “Ha!” Dabi snorted at the screen while Izumi frowned.

 “Is that fair?” she asked Shouta.

 “It’s not, but it’s what we have. You’d win any arm wrestling competition, and a race would just be useless,” he explained. “Besides, luck is an essential part of heroics, even if most wouldn’t think about it.”

 “Yeah,” Hizashi agreed. “While skill is always best and you shouldn’t rely on luck, it’s not something to discount.”

 “Someone tripping in front of me is luck and helps me.” Shouta offered as an example. “There’s a pair of heroes in Paris who operate on luck, too. Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

 “Oh! I heard about them!” Izumi said. “Ladybug can create good luck and can use any object she finds while under her power’s influence! Chat Noir can increase the bad luck of things and cause extreme bad luck to occur on objects which breaks them.” She nodded. “Don’t they say it’s the opposite in their civilian lives?”

 “Correct. I met them once,” Hizashi said. “Long story, mostly classified, revolved around an international terrorist organization. But anyway, Ladybug is very unlucky when not a hero, while Chat is very lucky. They’re married and live together, so it balances out.”

 “Cool,” Izumi said as Shouta shook his head.

 “Not the point kid. Our point is that luck plays a huge role in a fight and pretending otherwise is dumb. It’s like how some go off about how their Quirks aren’t strong, but they worked with it when in reality…”

 “Their Quirk is very strong.” Izumi nodded. “There’s no such thing as a weak Quirk, but some people just don’t admit how much their Quirk carries them.”

 “Exactly. And they’re idiots.”

 “And now we’re going to let Cementoss repair the field before the next fight!” Mic says over the intercom. The screen changes to the announcer booth, where Tomoe is away and balanced on the blonde man’s lap.

 “Mama!” the girl cheers. Mic laughs and turns off the microphone.

 “Hey babe, will Shinsou or Bakugou win this one?” Mic asks Aizawa, who sighs.

 “Depends on if Shinsou can get him talking or if Bakugou just blasts first,” Aizawa tells Mic.

 “Luck and timing again,” Shouta said. “Can Shinsou snatch Bakugou before the blonde moves, or will he fail?”

 “Huh… like Yaoyorozu then. She was too slow because Tokoyami was lucky enough to catch her off balance,” Izumi said with a nod.

 “Exactly.”

 “...Well, guess we’ll have to see.” the voice hero says as the camera moves back to Midoriya and her friends.

 “I’m going to leave Tomoe with our teachers. I’m betting Shinsou wins,” Midoriya says.

 “No bet. Shinsou just needs to mention you, and Bakugou will go off,” Uraraka laughs.

 “Fuck you, Round Face!” Katsuki shouted at the screen bitterly. They were all wrong; he was going to win. He’d prove he deserved UA, and Deku would feel bad for dismissing him. She would make moves to apologize, and he would string her along before accepting. It had to happen.

 A phone rings, and Iida pauses. He reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone.

 “Ah, my mother,” he answers it. “Mother-”

 “Tenya!” the panicked voice says. “Your brother is in the hospital! He was attacked by the hero killer!”

 Iida drops his phone, eyes widening in horror as his friends turn to him worriedly.

 “No…” Iida says just as the screen goes to show a hospital. A woman who looks like Iida has her phone to her ear, looking worried.

 “I don’t want to see this,” Mrs. Iida whimpered. Iida Tsunami was a strong woman who’d faced countless horrors before. Yet she didn’t want to see her baby boy hurt. Her husband Haku hugged her as they watched the screen.”

 “Tenya? Tenya?” she asks.

 “He probably dropped his phone,” a man says. He resembles the engine using student as well. “Love, it’ll be-”

 “Don’t say that Haku!” the woman retorts. “Our eldest is in surgery because of a psychopath, and our youngest isn’t answering his phone!” she shouts.

 “Mrs. Engine? Mr. Engine?” a new voice says. A person walks into the room, dressed in hospital-issued clothing. Their hands are red from being scrubbed.

 “ID,” Tensei said. They stayed; they were still there. They looked a mess but were still there.

 Tenya clutched his phone, feeling a burning pit of anger in his stomach. Info Dropper was there when his brother required surgery, but not Tenya. They didn’t deserve to be there after what they put Tensei through! Tenya remembered the arguments and the crying. Tensei looked like a wreck when Info Dropper broke his heart! They shouldn’t be there!

 “ID,” says Mr. Iida. It’s the hero on the scene of the attack. “How are you, dear?”

 “I’m fine,” ID says. They swallow. “More or less. Did Speedy-”

 “Mother?” Mrs. Iida’s phone says, and she turns to it. Mr. Iida and ID step away from her.

 “How are you, sir?” ID asks. He shakes his head, running a hand through his buzz cut.

 “Could be better. And knock it off, ID. Call me your old nickname for me, at least,” he tells them.

 “Wasn’t sure if I still had the right. Engine Boy and I didn’t part on great terms,” ID admits. They wrap their arms around their stomach.

 “Why were you in Hosu then?” Mr. Iida asks.

 “It is weird,” Native said. “Don’t they have to retain residency in Canada?”

 “They do,” Tensei said, staring at the screen.

 “... The kid is taking my role as Goblin in the Court. I’m stepping down from international heroics,” ID says. “Squirt got divorced, and I didn’t know until after that stupid mission a year ago, five months after it happened. I don’t want to miss my brother’s life anymore. I…”

 In his apartment, Squirt winced. He was happy his sibling had found out sooner; five months sounded like hell. More so, since he had no friends, he lost them all in the divorce. At first, he’d hoped they didn’t know about the cheating, but they’d always known. Squirt was ‘just a husband for money reasons’ after all. It made him sick, thinking he’d trusted a man like that.

 It would be nice to have ID around; Squirt was already looking for a new place so ID could stay with him. Hosu would be nice. Maybe ID would get back together with Tensei, even if their relationship crashed that badly. It wasn’t like Squirt’s marriage, where one was lying to the other. It was two good people who reacted badly.

 And it showed how awful good people could be deep inside.

 “Oh hell,” Tensei muttered, looking at the screen. “Poor Squirt.”

 “He’s that support guy, right?” Native asked. “I never met him.”

 “Yeah. He’s one of the best; he does my stuff,” Tensei said. The name Squirt was connected to a lot of heroes. Those who recognized the name reacted in different ways.

 Hatsume Mei squealed in delight at hearing the name of one of the best designers in Japan, though she scowled after. Whoever married him didn’t know what they had.

 David turned to his daughter on I-Island, who wasn’t talking to him after the reveals. She still hung around; she wasn’t talking. “Maybe we should invite him here. I’ve met him before, good man.”

 “He’s mute, right?” Melissa asked, thinking of the designer.

 “I think so? Never heard him talk.” David said. Melissa gave a short nod and fell silent. David winced. With everything… it felt awful not talking to his daughter. He should never have hidden the truth, or at least he should have told her when she was old enough to understand. But they never did, not wanting to rock the boat. Especially after the three of them broke up,

 “You wanted to talk to Tensei. You miss him,” Mr. Iida says wisely.

 “It’s dumb,” ID says. “But he’s one of the few people I want to talk to in Japan. Done and Loudy-McLoud are others, so is BDSM or the Rat, but…”

 “You and Tensei dated for five years, and I know he had a ring,” Mr. Iida says. ID winces and looks away. “You did, too.”

 Tenya glared at the screen, ignoring Tensei over the phone. ID didn’t deserve to be there or be told that, not after what they did!

 “I was offered a position in the Court! The best international information heroics team in the world! I… I didn’t want long distance, and Engine Boy was with his agency and couldn’t just leave.” ID shakes their head. “Then everything imploded, we broke up like that after we both did shitty things, then fucking Sara happened and… I missed him so much and regretted never taking the chance.” They look towards a door. “I love him. I never stopped.”

 “What?!” Tensei said, eyes widening. They still… Oh. OH.

 “Dude,” Native said, grabbing his shoulder to shake him. “Don’t.”

 “What?” Tensei said, ignoring his family on the phone.

 “Right now, things are shit. Don’t try for something or talk to them over the phone. Wait until they get here, Iida. It’s better all around,” Native warned the man, who sighed. That made sense.

 In his car, Hizashi snorted. “And there we are. Think they’ll get back together?”

 “They will. After they hash out where they went wrong,” Shouta said. He made a face. “Also, stop discussing romance with me; bug Nemuri for it.”

 “Spoilsport.”

 “Good,” Mr. Iida says. “He’s going to need all the love he can get now.” ID looks at him with sad eyes as the screen pauses on them.

 “Pro-Hero Info Dropper!” Mic’s voiceover says. “They’re an old school friend of Eraser and me! Their Quirk is Name Drop, where if they say someone’s name, they gain information they previously did not know about the person! Hence the nicknames!”

The screen moves to Midoriya and her friends entering the stands, Iida missing. They all look at each other in worry.

 “Midoriya! Todoroki! You guys were so cool!” Kaminari says, standing up. He pauses. “Hey, you alright?”

 “Iida got bad news about his brother,” Midoriya says. “He had to leave.”

 “His brother Ingenium?” Yaoyorozu asks. “I hope everything is okay…”

 “We don’t know,” Uraraka says. The once cheerful group in the stands falls silent, and they look to the field.

 “...Bakugou is going to get his ass creamed, isn’t he?” Jirou asks.

 “HEY!” Katsuki snapped in anger. Why the hell was everyone saying that?!

 “No bet,” Kaminari and Sero say.

 “Guys-“ Kirishima begins, but Ashido interrupts him.

 “Don’t. Kiri, I’m saying this in the nicest way possible: none of us like him. No matter how much you defend him, we will not change our minds unless he himself shows us he is not the jackass we see him as. I’m sorry, but for me, he is just the asshole who decided to hit you because he was angry at something else,” she says kindly. Kirishima frowns but falls silent.

 Katsuki winced. He… hadn’t thought about that. Hearing that no one liked him wasn’t fun. At Aldera, everyone liked him. He was the top dog, after all. But at UA… only Shitty Hair seemed to look at him like he should be looked at with awe, and care.

 …Okay, fine, he’d knock off the insults and hitting at least until they accepted where he was in the pecking order. Shitty Hair could take a few smacks and didn’t mind. So maybe not in public too much.

 He’d win against Eyebags and show them all!

 The screen goes to show the field which has been fixed, both Bakuou and Shinsou standing there. Bakugou glares at Shinsou, not looking away. Shinsou glares back.

 “Alright,” Midnight says, raising her whip. “Ready-set-GO!” she cracks it and Bakugou flings himself at Shinsou who dodges with a tsk.

 “Seriously? Midoriya is a much better sparing partner,” he comments carelessly. “Are you that bad at this you just fling yourself without a plan?”

 “FUCK OFF EYEBAGS-” Bakugou begins only to freeze. His Quirk dies down, and he stands there with hazed eyes.

 “... Really?!” Mina asked the screen. “That fast?!”

 “Damn,” Kaminari said. “He really is easy to rile up.” Kirishima gave them disappointed looks but also winced at the screen. That wasn’t a great look.

 In his room, Katsuki froze in shock. No, no it… NO. He had to break free, he had to WIN. HE HAD TO.

 “... One comment? Really?” Shinsou says, baffled. “I could have sworn you’d talk to anyone in your class… whatever, walk out of the ring.” Shinsou waves a hand and Bakugou obeys.

 It’s over in barely a minute. Midnight raises her whip as Bakugou crosses the line, “Shinsou wins!”

 “YES!” Hitoshi shouted in his classroom as Atakani clapped, and even a few others copied her. He’d won against Bakugou! That was awesome.

 Katsuki stared in horror, shaking. No, this couldn’t be happening, no it was a LIE.

 Bakugou’s eyes go back to normal as people cheer. He turns around, confused. His eyes widen as he realizes what happened and he whirls around.

 What? He thinks. No I- NO!

 “FUCK!” Bakugou screams and flings himself at Shinsou with his hands blazing. “YOU CHEATING SCUMBAG BASTARD!” Shinsou’s eyes widen and he steps back as Midnight’s whip comes out to lash out on Bakugou’s hand closest to her.

 “CHEATER!” Katsuki screamed as people shouted in shock and horror. His mother opened his door with a shout,

 “KATSUKI! KNOCK IT OFF!” she yelled.

 “He cheated-”

 “How did he cheat?!” Mitsuki demanded. “He won fair and-”

 “It wasn’t a fight!” Katsuki yelled. “It has to be a fight, it can’t just be that bullshit, the little scumbag is-”

 “ENOUGH!” Mitsuki roared. She glared at her son. “He used his Quirk fair and square like you do. Just because you prefer to beat people up doesn’t mean he cheated.”

 “It’s the Sports Festival!” Katsuki yelled. It meant they fought, not that someone with a cheap ass Quirk would just roll in to beat them. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t! The fact his own mother disagreed pissed him off. He deserved to win, he should WIN! He bet someone would disagree with Midnight and he would be given the proper title of winner!

 “STOP!” she shouts. “You lost Bakugou, kindly-”

 “THIS IS A FUCKING CHEATER! LET ME KILL HIM!” Bakugou screams and he moves to fast, his hand aiming for Shinsou’s chest just as purple smoke fills the air. The scene is obscured, even as a blast echoes.

 In the crowd, Midoriya jumps up. “SHINSOU!” she screams, her voice joined by others. The smoke in the arena dissipates to reveal both boys knocked out, with Shinsou’s hand locked around Bakugou’s wrist.

 “Shinsou deflected the blast!” Midnight decrees, and Midoriya bursts into relieved tears.

 “Holy shit,” Izumi said, eyes wide. “That… that was close!”

 “Holy shit indeed,” Shouta grimaced. “Reminds me of the reactions when I beat people in the festival. Butt hurt idiots not wanting to admit they’d lost against me kept saying I cheated, as if I just didn’t use my Quirk in the same way they did.”

 “Yeah but this is in public. How the hell did he snap like that?” Mic wondered.

 “Maybe it’ll explain?” Izumi pondered.

 The screen morphs again to reveal Bakugou waking up in Recovery Girl’s office. He lies on a bed with a divider blocking his view. He blinks in confusion before sitting up.

 That eye-bagged BASTARD! Bakugou’s inner thoughts snarl. He is about to stand when Recovery Girl’s voice speaks.

 “Hitoshi, are you sure-”

 “I’m okay, Grandma, promise,” Shinsou says. “I deflected it. Just feel sluggish from Midnight’s Quirk. I can fight in the final round, promise.”

 All of Katsuki’s fight left him and he dropped to sit on his bed as his mother cursed creatively. He’d hurt Recovery Girl’s grandson—someone who taught at UA.

 He… he’d lost. He had, and the bastard cheated! Katsuki knew he did, but like it would fucking matter now. Eyebags was a fucking legacy; Recovery Girl would protect him. That wasn’t fair! It wasn’t!

 Hitoshi stood up, grabbing his bag as people gasped, staring at him. “I’m going to… go,” he said awkwardly. He’d call his dad and get the man to pick him up. He didn’t want to stay with people knowing who he was related to. Either they would be weird, trying to talk him into being their friend, or they’d be horrified such a ‘heroic mother had such an awful grandson.’

 “Shinsou-” Atakani said, but Hitoshi took off, and around Japan, people freaked out. That was Recovery Girl’s grandkid? Really? He didn't look like her and that Quirk! How did that come from healing?

 A few more dishonest types wondered where they could find the kid. He'd fetch a price. But mostly, there was shock. There was some fear from former bullies and shouting among the future class 1A, but shock was the primary emotion.

 “That boy better not use that knowledge!” Chiyo shouted in her office. She was furious. Bakugou not only could have killed her grandson in his anger, but he'd learned their connection!

 And now her grandson was entirely in the open. She should speak to Nezu right away. She felt Hitoshi would end up in 1A, and he needed to be safe now. Might as well have him join the others.

 “Good. I was worried. Your father and grandfather have been texting non-stop about you.” Recovery Girl says in relief. Bakugou sits there with wide eyes. He stares at the curtain until footsteps and a door opening make him get out of bed. Recovery Girl moves faster, and opens the divider. She glares at him. “I don’t know what you heard boy, but unless you want a lawsuit? Sit. Down. NOW.” she says calmly.

 Bakugou obeys, glaring at her. “Eyebags is your grandson?” he demands.

 “That’s private and not of any concern to you. Now, do you have a headache? Nausea?” Recovery Girl asks briskly. Bakugou growls and shakes his head. “Good. You’re going home then. Due to your attack on a student AFTER the match was called, you have been disqualified from the rest of the tournament,” Recovery Girl says bluntly. “Your homeroom teacher will be contacting your parents as well.���

 “WHAT?! YOU CAN’T-” Bakugou screams but Recovery Girl slams her cane onto the floor.

 “That's not fair!” Katsuki yelled. “She’s-”

 “You attacked him after the match. You could have killed him Katsuki.” Mitsuki groaned. “How can you not see your own actions for what they are?”

 Katsuki glared at the screen. He didn't have a response nor did he want to deliver one.

 It wasn't fair.

 “We can. You’re disqualified and will most likely receive your third strike Bakugou,” she says coldly. “I can’t imagine why you think you wouldn’t be.”

 This isn’t supposed to happen, Bakugou’s mind screams. I’m SUPPOSED to win! I’m the best! Why… why do I keep LOSING?!

 He stands there as Recovery Girl walks away, calling over her shoulder his parents were coming to get him. The screen slowly fades to black on him.

 The timer ticked on for two hours, making people turn and begin talking instantly. The last few episodes had been mad. And it could go either way after this, more so since the final fighters would be Midoriya or Shinsou.

 Katsuki stared at the screen in disbelief. He had lost. He might get another fucking strike because Eyebags cheated.

 It wasn't FAIR! It wasn't! What the fuck?!

 How could this happen to him?

 Meanwhile, as the car with Izumi inside approached UA, Nezu was ushering in Fatgum, who held a particular package.

 Little Eri was going to be interesting, Nezu could already tell.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Notes:

-Nara is ‘Creepy’ from the Commission. I mentioned his real name first chapter but it’s been a while lol.

-I really hope people aren’t waiting with bated breath for a big redemption with Endeavour. I may like his redemption more then Bakugou’s canonly but I firmly believe Endeavour needed more punishment. At the time of the reveal in canon, it makes sense it doesn’t happen. Here? Nope. But as Midnight points out: he’s to valuable to put in jail.

-I was honestly like: it would take way longer for any of these kids to wake up in real life so boom. A nurse usually is around. Her Quirk is energy boost which gets the kids awake. Her daughter though is now handling it.

-Endeavour being torn apart by teenagers is always the right thing to do.

-I can’t remember if I ever used more then Curious from the MLA (or if I ever did…) but here. I still think the MLA is dumb as fuck as a plot because of the fact Shigaraki quickly took over, but had this thought after reading fics where they try to get OFA. What if instead they were completely fine with a Quirkless person getting it because it made them not Quirkless? Also sprinkled in some ‘Everyone has Standards’ with the guy.

-I flipped a coin for the winner of the rock-paper-sissors.

-Okay so… ID kind of grabbed me and made me write this cause they wanted their stupid dramatic romance. Also I wanted to feed the goblin that wanted romance inside me, so you get this.

-*sigh* Bakugou, Bakugou, Bakugou. He’s been on a tightrope, and he’s just kept LOSING. And now he doesn’t get anything he wants? He lost? Third when DEKU moved on? He’s not having it. Pity he fucked up this bad.

-Intermission next on advice from the Beta who I asked if I should end the ‘future’ here.

-Also, someone asked but the future being separate stories. I’m going to go no given that I wrote this specifically as a screen and editing to make it a story-story would be another thing on my plate sorry.