#till is my favorite because hes a fail who tries to have a cool tough guy look

[cowboy-robooty]

that shit was mid af. i didnt really like it im going to be honest. i like vivinos and especially pink bitch club but i just wasnt feeling alien stage. its very technically skilled, but it doesn't appeal to me or wiener. the yaoi molestation was good though like that was crazy i wish ivan had more yandere yaoi time but i understand why it wasnt possible..... i wish till never got ugly. after he though his pink hair crush died he got so fucking ugly like why tf did he become a emo hot boy thing it was fucking disgusting ngl i almost vomitted

[sorryimanon]

Character: Katsuki Bakugou

Warnings/tags: heart warming fluff, language, and suggestive themes

Word count: 2.5k

In which your boyfriend takes it upon himself to pamper you on his day off.

Author’s note: some self indulgent fluff. this is a continuation of dad!bakugou and torch daughter. there will be more. enjoy :)

D/N= daughters name

-

Katsuki heavily relied on you to babysit your rambunctious four year old daughter during the days when he'd be on patrol from dusk till dawn. Very rarely would he be home before the two of you tucked yourselves in for the night, leaving him to eat the leftovers from dinner alone at the table. As sad as it is, it didn't bother you in the slightest. In fact, knowing Katsuki was keeping the crime rate of Japan low, you were more than happy to become a stay at home mom. Most of your friends tried to talk you out of it, but you were already settled after giving your two weeks notice at your low paying job. Waking up and seeing your daughter first thing in the morning is better than staring blankly at a bright screen all day behind a musty wall, running on nothing but decaf coffee, and sluggishly going to and fro like a zombie.

Ever since your daughter manifested her quirk, you’ve been trying your best to maintain her sudden outbursts while at home. The doctor prescribed it as Torch: the ability to become a human torch and ignite flames throughout your body and fingertips. For now d/n is only capable of setting herself on fire, using the flames as a barrier to protect her from any harm instead of combating. However, sometimes she'll forget to extinguish herself, having you to manually use an actual fire extinguisher on her. Burn marks would litter the outskirts of your shirts, the aftermath ash smudged on your face, and the tiny hairs on your forearms long gone after handling d/n.

Your boyfriend appreciates the way how you compose yourself around d/n, not allowing the temptation to fling the little gremlin out the window prevail, because if the roles were reversed it'd be a whole different story. Sometimes he sits back in his desk chair, after a long night of meandering around the city, and tries to remember the last time you were properly treated. Of course, Katsuki never fails to remind you day and night he loves you through his actions, some including selfish indulgence late at nights, but all in all he didn't lack being the hopeless romantic counterpart for you. He wanted you to take a break from it all, have him handle the at home duties and the slimy daughter. Leaning back against the chair with his brows furrowed slightly, he began to mentally plan out your day already.

It was a Friday when Katsuki forced himself out of the comfortable security that is your arms and walked with light feet to his daughters bedroom. Today is his day off, so he has to make sure everything goes smoothly or else he's going to have more burn marks on his office desk.

He didn't bother knocking first and saunters in the familiar space, the faint snores from d/n somehow relaxing him. Her walls were freshly painted a light shade of blue, the contrast not too saturated to peel the attention away from her posters that covered every inch of her room, all of which were pictures of his prohero colleagues. D/N had to beg for her father to purchase a Deku poster, one of which she saw don display when the both of you brought her to the mall for a quick trip. He internally cringes every time he makes eye contact with the lifeless eyes of Deku when he enters her room.

Katsuki neared his daughter and kneeled down to where his head was leveled with hers, chuckling lightly when finding a small pool of drool collecting on her cheek.

"Wake up little shit," he whispers, nudging her uncovered shoulder with his knuckles, startling her eyes to flutter open. D/n nearly gasped at the sight of her father. The covers that were wrapped snuggly around her fell at the foot of her bed when she jolted up in surprise, eyes brimming with excitement.

"It's today right? Mommy's day!" Katsuki covered her mouth with his abnormally large hand, not wanting her obnoxious voice to blow their cover.

"Yes, but you're gonna have to be quiet for daddy. Don't want to spoil the surprise for mommy, you understand ya little brat?"

Hand still attached to her mouth, d/n nodded her head feverishly, hands clenched into tiny fits. Once he thinks she's shimmered down a little, he finally removes his hand and motions her to follow him.

Meanwhile in the other room, you were still fast asleep, limbs not once switching from their position over the cozy blanket. The chill breeze from the propped window regulated your body temperature nicely, along with the beautiful songs sung by the birds that reside in the trees close by. You stirred awake momentarily, feeling the loss of a presence that's usually laying beside you during these times of slumber. Katsuki's side was empty, the indent from his body molded onto the foam mattress, leaving you to believe he woke up not that long ago.

After convincing yourself to leave the comfort of your bed, you decided to search for the missing blonde. You crack open the door to a weird combination of radio music blaring throughout the house, and the delicious smell of something cooking in grease. It's no doubt your boyfriends doing. He always likes to impress you with how skillful he is in the kitchen. He hasn't made a dish you disliked yet nor will he allow himself to do so.

Standing side by side, minus the height difference, d/n and Katsuki both were too immersed in their cooking to notice you leaning against the island counter, trying very hard to not cry instantly at the sight in front of you. Watching them interact together was definitely something you'd be treasuring for the years to come.

A rush of savory and sweetness infiltrated your senses, the scent strong enough to knock you back to sleep. As if he read your mind overnight, Katsuki took it upon himself to prepare your favorite breakfast dishes. The dinner table made for three already set by none other than d/n, who currently looked proud at her work and craftsmanship. A large vase was propped in the center, a collection of vibrant flowers stuffed to the brim, the water inside almost overflowing. Attached to one of the stems of the flowers was a tag, the handwriting sloppy and hard to decipher.

To my dumbass, love ya - K.B

You felt the delicate touch of your daughter wrapping her hand around yours, giving it a slight tug before pulling you into the kitchen again. Katsuki flicked his gaze to you now, flashing the same mischievous grin you grew to love. his hands simultaneously worked on the food while taming the animal, that is indeed your daughter, from bumping into the pan handles.

"What's all this for?" You asked, the question directly appointed to both your boyfriend and daughter.

"Oh, so I can't treat my sexy girlfriend to a good meal?" he teased while setting the burners to low, letting the food cool off before plating it. Your daughter audibly gagged at the comment and swatted Katsuki's arm.

D/N's tiny legs were faster than yours and reached the cabinet where the plates and cutlery were stored at. To her dismay, the cabinet was higher than she anticipated. trying her best to waiver down the disappointment as she climbed on the sleek marble counter top, losing her footing here and there. Katsuki caught her in time before she misplaced her footing and almost toppled onto the floor.

"May I need to remind you not to climb on the damn counter tops anymore d/n?" he scolded as he put her down before grabbing enough plates for everyone.

Pursing her lips tightly, she crossed her arms and said, "But if I'm going to be a future hero then I have to battle my way through tough obstacles!"

U.A's immense training and work studies came in handy when dealing with d/n's hard headed ideologies. It's been a stressful reoccurrence, having to constantly teach her the importance of being a hero at such a young age. Her impulsive tendencies mirrored the blondes old habit of taking action before thinking. But there was always a saying when storing away your fear and facing danger head on.

"That's true, but sometimes a little teamwork wouldn't hurt. Your father should know a thing or two about that when he was a young U.A student," you said as you patted her head.

"What'd you say shitty woman? Talking crap so early in the morning already?" a strange popping sound alerted you to turn around, only to find Katsuki flaring his flashy quirk with a glare that could splice you open.

But his alarming gaze wasn't the thing that was scaring you at the moment.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT USING YOUR QUIRK IN THE HOUSE! YOU'RE GONNA SET OFF THE FIRE ALARM AGAIN, IDIOT!"

-

You thought the smorgasbord of a breakfast was the last of your boyfriends romantic gestures, but you should've known better once he demanded you to change out of your sleep attire and into something to  wear outside. Not thinking twice about where he was dragging you to, including daughter, you decided to play it safe. He approved on your choice of ripped jeans, synthetic tank top, and thrown on cardigan once heading off to the car.

The car ride to the mysterious destination was short lived as your boyfriend pulled up into the driveway of his old house. Mitsuki stood waiting by the threshold of the doorway, waving her fingers sweetly to whom you can only assume was you and not her only son. She stepped off the porch once Katsuki shifted the car in park, unlocking the doors as well. His mother reached the side where d/n stayed strapped in her seat and yanked the door open.

"Ah my little princess! How have you been? I missed you so much!" She unbuckled d/n's seat belt and flattened her in a tight hug, squeezing till her eyes popped out. "I can't wait to spend the weekend with you baby girl! Are you excited to have a little fun with grandma?!"

"Calm the fuck down, you're gonna kill her if you keep squeezing!" Katsuki's voice boomed out of the window.

"Oh pipe down you little shit I'm not harming her! Also don't talk to me like that! You're old enough to treat me with some respect by now!"

"SHUT UP YOU OLD HAG! JUST TAKE THE LITTLE GREMLIN AND GO!"

After the heated exchange, Katsuki eventually calmed down and drove the two of you back to the house in complete silence. It was quite a shift in a sense of environment wise. By now d/n would be begging you to make her some pudding or pour her a cup of lemonade, then place yourselves in front of the tv watching a random kids program till evening. Tonight you lend the torch to your boyfriend, allowing whatever devious plan he conjured up to unfold.

Before you could shuffle into your shared bedroom, Katsuki placed his calloused hands onto your cramped shoulders. Merely centimeters from your ear, he laid a chaste kiss on the area beneath it, smiling at your innocent reaction to his sudden actions and nuzzled into the crook of your neck. You smelt the familiar scent of caramel and men’s soap, both of which you undoubtably loved when combined.

“Suki?” Upon hearing his nickname, Katsuki quirked an eyebrow at you. “What’s with all the romantic gestures lately? Cooking my favorite breakfast, the flowers, and our daughter. Don’t get me wrong, I love her! It’s just nice not to worry about if she’ll set the curtains on fire again.”

You felt the vibrations of him chuckling behind you.

“Isn’t it obvious? I just want to fuck the shit out of you,” you sat paralyzed by his bluntness. his tuft hair tickled the underside of your chin, earning him an acute giggle from you. “I’m just kidding, pretty face. I figured you needed a weekend where you just relax and did nothing. Let me do all the work. That’s including getting rid of the brat.”

Shifting in his arms to where you can face him, you can now see the adoration oozing from usual heated glare of his vermillion eyes, the scowl long gone and replaced with a soften feature not so many from the outside can witness. To think this was the man you devoted yourself and love for, to allow him to bare witness anything and everything you endure. He’s a man of showing his compassion through his actions, not lousy words of affirmations that anyone could sputter out and proclaim its love. No, he reflects back everything right with the world, even when you felt the weight of it searing through your system, dragging it down with you. The same explosive blonde awaits patiently by the opening for you to enter, no matter how long it’ll take for you to accept his love. Because he’ll be there. Waiting.

And here he is waiting. In your arms to repeat those three words you made out from watching the movement of his lips.

The words leave your mouth effortlessly, the proclamation hanging in the air between you two.

“I love you too, Katsuki. Thank you so much, for everything.” Like so, you kiss the plump flesh of his lips, the same inflammation of your heart burning as before. The strong muscle of his tongue prods your entrance, practically begging by licking your bottom lip. Katsuki grabbed your chin as gentle as he could muster, titling it for a better leverage to explore your mouth in return. Your hands trailed across the defining shape of his collarbones, rubbing any part of his body so that your fingers remained busy. Both of you hum in satisfaction, relishing in the feeling of the intimate moment. To your disliking, he removes his lips from yours and hovers instead, panting from the mini-make out session seconds ago.

“I’m going to marry you some day, mark my words. So don’t act fucking stupid when I pop the question,” he hotly proclaims, not once removing those piercing red eyes from yours. That’s when you knew he wasn’t bullshitting. If there’s one thing you learned about Katsuki over the years of dating, is that he doesn’t throw out promises in the air nonchalantly without keeping them. You can vaguely hear the ominous sound of wedding bells in your ears.

“Sounds intriguing. I always wanted to see you in a suit and tie.”

���Ya know, maybe someday might be tomorrow-.”

You cut him off with a scorching peck, making his eyes widen and dilate with every given second you laid your lips onto his. “Shut up babe and ravish me already.”

A mischievous grin forms on his mouth as he links his arms around the back of your knees and hoists you over his shoulder. He erupted into fits of laughter after hearing you squeak from the abruptness. The door to your shared bedroom came into view, your boyfriend kicking it with his free foot before entering through the threshold.

“You’re in for a long night sweetheart. Now that our daughter isn’t here, I’m not holding back on anything,” he threatens as he lays you down on the comforter.

Another thing you learned from your relationship. Katsuki is always true to his word.

-

[starrynite7114]

Running

A/N: Another one?! Yes! It’s been a tough week for me and writing is my outlet, so I have a few stories in the works. Not that confident about them, but I still hope you all will like them! I’m going to try my best to have Misconstrued and Snapshots ready for tomorrow!

Requests are still open!

And/or 32. Little one stripping their clothes and running around in their diaper. Baby running butt naked around the junkyard :) @ifoundmyhappythought​

Masterlist

Tagged: @iambabyharry : @justahopelessssromantic : @briannab1234 : @marvelmaree : @carlaangel86 : @everyhowlmarksthedead​  : @trulysuccubus​ : @claytoncardenasbabymama​ : @ifoundmyhappythought​ : @chibsytelford​ : @whyisgmora​ : @jadert15​ : @gemini0410​ : @woahitslucyylu​

I always say this because my memory has not been stellar as of late, but if you want to be on the tag list, just let me know, shoot me a message to remind me as well!

You pursed your lips, holding on to Alena as Angel stretched out his arms towards you. 

“Baby, you have to go to work.” Angel chuckled, knowing you and Alena had separation anxiety from one another. “I know it’s hard, but you’re the one who wanted to go back to work.” Even though you’ve been back at work since Alena was one, it never became easier to leave her. 

“Not now Ignacio,” you hissed making Angel’s arms drop and he winced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be hostile.”

“It’s okay querida, you know I like your feisty side.” He gave you that sinfully devilish smirk as you glared at him. “Baby, we’re going to be fine, I promise.” 

“Alena, you be a good girl for daddy okay? If you need mommy just tell daddy and then mommy will come home, okay?” You reluctantly gave Alena to Angel. This was a routine, without a fail, it was always this hard to let go of your little girl. You figured it would eventually become easier. 

She looked over at you and pouted, reaching for you with her small hands. She made a grabbing motion with her hands and you just frowned.

Angel saw it on your face and shook his head. “No baby, come on, you have to be strong. I deal with this when I have to go to work too.” He gave you a quick kiss and softly pushed you towards your car. “It’s only a few hours.”

“Angel, I work till 11.”

“And it’ll come quicker if you get your cute ass in your car.” Angel opened the car door for you and you slid inside. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” You looked at Alena who was now distracted by something behind Angel. You gazed to where she was looking and smiled, it was Coco. “I love you Lenny.”

She didn’t even glance your way, her eyes were focused on her favorite person.

“Why does she like Coco so much?” Angel was a tiny bit jealous of his brother and how much his daughter adored him. Alena was very shy and it took some time for her to warm up to you, but once she did, it was a done deal. She also may like Coco since she loved pulling his hair. And Coco had this habit of braiding her hair. 

“Well, isn’t Coco your favorite person?” You pointed out.

“No, you know you’re my favorite person.”

You rolled your eyes, laughing at his response. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t forget that she has to nap at noon or it messes up her whole day. There’s food in the fridge inside the clubhouse and remember, no sugar before nap time.”

“Baby, you act like I don’t know how to take care of our daughter.” He scoffed.

“It’s not that you can’t, you’re just a pushover.” You blew him a kiss. “No sugar before nap time, cause that’s another battle you don’t want.”

He closed the door for you and waved goodbye as you drove away. Turning to his daughter, she was reaching out for someone behind him and Angel already knew it was Coco.

“Mi preciosa,” Coco greeted Alena. “You want to come with Tio Coco?”

“Why the fuck does she like you so much?” Angel handed Alena over knowing his daughter would cry if he didn’t.

“Language hermano.” Coco scolded, covering Alena’s ear. 

Angel rolled his eyes. “Unfuckingbelievable. Watch her, I got shit to do at the scrapyard.” 

“I got it.” Coco took Alena inside the clubhouse, grabbing her diaper bag while Angel made his way up front. 

“It kind of hurts me that she likes Coco more than she likes her own flesh and blood.” EZ commented when Angel reached him at the gate of the clubhouse.

“Join the fucking club.” 

==============

Angel would check on Alena periodically, finding her with usually two or more of his brothers around her. It was insane for Angel how well they’ve all taken to Alena. They adored her as if she was one of their own. Bishop would let her sit on his chair, letting her color while she sat on his lap. Taza loved giving her swimming lessons whenever time permitted them. Hank loved taking her to secret ice cream dates whenever Angel had her at the scrapyard. Gilly and Coco loved taking her to the park since, as they say, she was a chick magnet. You almost forbade it, but when you saw your daughter in action, you were honestly impressed. EZ loved taking her to the library since Alena loved reading pop-up books about animals. And Creeper baked with Alena, even though he didn’t seem like a baker, do not let his looks fool you. Creeper made an amazing cheesecake and he always let Alena lick the bowl and stir the batter. Chucky loved having Alena over as well, he would cook her breakfast and she would fondly call him Tio Hucky since Chucky was difficult for her. Letty babysat Alena whenever you and Angel would like a night out to yourself and more times than none, Coco and Gilly were with Letty by the time you guys came home. 

Alena had a different type of relationship with each of the Mayans members and it was one of the things you love about your extended family. They always took care of her and would drop everything if they needed her. When she got her last round of vaccines, she went with Angel and Coco, you thought that they lost Alena, but Angel called you, emotional at the fact that his baby was not crying after an injection. They were more affected than her. 

Alena and Coco were sitting on the porch during one of the times that Angel came to check on them. She was animatedly telling him about Paw Patrol from what Angel could gather. Coco was listening, nodding his head as if he even knew what that show was. Alena turned her head to Angel, waving at her father and blowing him kisses. Angel’s heart swell and blew her a kiss back.

“Did she eat yet?” Angel questioned.

“Yeah, she had some omelette Chucky made her.” Coco replied. “You want to switch off or are you cool with me just staying with her?”

“You’re her favorite person, wouldn’t want to get in between that.” 

Coco rolled his eyes. “Green ain’t a good look on you hermano, it’s not my fault she loves me. Who’s your favorite person in the world?” 

Both men looked at Alena. They already knew the answer, Coco loved hearing it.

“Coco!”

Angel rolled his eyes, walking in the clubhouse to get some water. 

Coco was such a pain. 

==============

Angel knew he shouldn’t have left Alena alone for two hours, but she was with Coco, what was the worst that could happen? 

He walked back to the clubhouse and he just knew that if you had come back at this time, you would have wrung him alive.

“Coco!” Angel yelled out. 

Coco and Creeper were chasing Alena around, who was just in her diapers, clothes long forgotten. She gleefully laughed as she ran past Creeper. Taza and Hank were sitting at the picnic table, laughing as they watched Coco and Creeper have difficulty with catching Alena, which was humorous as she was three years old, outrunning these grown men. 

“What the fuck is going on?” Angel questioned when he was close enough.

“Coco thought it was a brilliant idea to give Alena a popsicle.” Hank chuckled, shaking his head at the younger member. “We all know how she gets with sugar.” He pointed at Alena who ran in between Coco and Creeper. 

“The fuck Coco? Y/N literally drilled it in our heads that she doesn’t get sugar till after her nap.” Angel scolded his best friend. 

“My bad.” Coco stood beside him, hands on his hips. “Why the fuck is your daughter Speedy Gonzalez?”

“Maybe it has something to do with the popsicle.” Angel glared at him. “How did this even happen?”

“We were just walking around and then she claimed she was hot, took off everything besides her diaper. Didn’t want her to die from a heat stroke so you’re welcome.” Coco explained.

“Heat stroke? Coco, she’s used to this shit, Alena just likes running around in her diaper. You know this.” Angel shook his head. “Alena, baby, come to daddy, you have to nap soon.” 

Alena stopped a few feet from Angel, in front of Taza and Hank. “No.” She crossed her arms over her chest. The pout was familiar to Angel, hell to everyone, it was your pout. 

Angel groaned. “Come on, daddy will take a nap with you.” 

“No.” She shook her head, walking over to Hank, gesturing for him to pick her up.

“Nena, you have to listen to daddy. When you wake up, we’ll have the pool set up for you.” Hank tried to bargain with Alena. She puffed her cheeks, deliberating if that bargain was worth it. She shook her head, climbing off Hank’s lap. 

“Daddy, I’m hungry.” She walked up to Angel, hugging his leg, looking up with those brown eyes of yours that your daughter had. 

“Let’s nap first then we can eat.” Whenever Alena didn’t have her nap, she was cranky and tended to not nap the whole day. He didn’t want to deal with cranky Alena, he wanted to deal with his usual sweet princess. 

“No, I’m hungry.” 

Angel picked up Alena, giving his daughter a kiss. “If you go to sleep, we can eat whatever you want for lunch, then when you wake up, we can FaceTime mommy.”

“Okay,” she looked at Coco. “Tio Coco, I’m hungry.”

“Angel let her eat.”

“Nope, she’s not hungry, she just doesn’t want to sleep. You just gave her a popsicle.” 

Alena has the tendency of turning the Mayans men against one another. She knew who she could twirl around her finger and it was just so entertaining to watch whenever you were around.

Angel walked inside the clubhouse with Alena, his daughter was definitely not happy. She turned her head away from Angel, arms crossed over her chest. Angel chuckled. His daughter had so much personality for a three year old. It was going to be difficult when she became a teenager, he was not looking forward to his baby girl growing up.

“Are you mad at daddy?” 

“Humph,” she turned away, pouting. 

“Come on, daddy knows what's best for his princesa.” He kissed her shoulder and she giggled. “I love you mama.”

“I wuv you daddy.” Alena laid her head on Angel’s shoulder and his heart just swelled hearing her say this. He would never tire of hearing you and your daughter tell him that you love him. Angel was a simple man, he didn’t need much in his life besides you, his daughter and his club. 

“And I love you mi princesa.” He opened the door to his dorm, turning the AC on since just like mommy, Alena cannot sleep unless she was freezing. “Come on, nap time.” He laid her down under the covers. Angel toed off his shoe, and slid in after his daughter. As always, Alena climbed on Angel, laying her head on his chest, settling to nap on him. It was her favorite way to sleep. Whenever Alena slept with you two, she hung onto Angel. It was like she was afraid that if she didn’t he would disappear. Whenever Angel had a run, it was hell for you and Alena. She usually cuddled up to you when Angel wasn’t there, which you didn’t mind since having Alena made it more bearable. 

Before Angel knew it, he was also lulled to sleep. 

When Angel woke up, he sat up when he didn’t feel Alena on him. He looked around wildly and his daughter was nowhere in sight. The door was slightly ajar so he knew she was outside. Looking at his phone, it was nearing four in the afternoon. He got up and made his way outside and heard Alena gleeful laughter as Bishop chased her around the clubhouse. He was making some dinosaur noises and she kept looking back as she ran. Alena saw her father and immediately ran to him and hid behind him.

“Protect me daddy!” She grabbed one of his legs, hiding her face.

Bishop laughed. “Your daughter has been away for two hours. She told us not to wake daddy.”

Angel smiled. “I’m sure she didn’t.” Angel lifted her up, letting her settle in his arm. “Did you eat baby?”

She nodded. “Tio Bishop bought me McDonald’s. Nuggies!”

“My wife is going to kill us. We fed her daughter McDonald’s.”

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” Bishop shrugged. “Have you tried saying no to your daughter?”

“Fair point.” Angel nodded in agreement. 

Hank walked in and stretched his arms out towards Alena. “Pool is ready.” Alena reached for him as well, happy when she heard the word pool.

“Wait, she needs the,” 

Creeper came from behind Angel, slightly startling him and cutting him off. “Yeah we know, the Pampers splashers.” He was carrying a bag with said pampers. “Come Len, we’re changing so we can swim.” 

Alena went to Hank, leaving Angel and Bishop.

“How’s your wife doing with work?” Bishop questioned his secretary.

“Good, wished she didn’t work as much, but medicine is her passion.” He grinned. “But she doesn’t mind it.”

“How late does she work today?”

“Eleven, as long as it doesn’t get busy.” Angel took his phone out and noticed he had several missed calls and messages from you. “Fuck, she’s been blowing up my phone.”

“She called over here, she figured you were asleep, call her.”

Angel didn’t need to be told twice. He called you and after two rings, you picked up.

“Corazon, sorry, I fell asleep.”

You laughed. “I figured you did. It’s fine baby, I’m just checking on you and Alena. I’m sure she’s enjoying her time with her tio’s.”

“Absolutely baby, you know how spoiled she is.” Angel sat down, waving off one of the clubhouse girls who offered him a drink. “How’s work?”

“Not so bad, it’s getting busy since it’s nearing that time in the afternoon when the bus unloads. I just wanted to check on you and Lenny.” 

“She napped.” He proudly told her. 

“I know, she told me. And she also told me that she didn’t want to wake daddy cause he was snoring.”

You both laughed. 

“We should have another amor.”

“You carrying it this time?”

You both laughed once again. It was something you two discussed frequently and you’ve had a pregnancy after Alena was born, unfortunately it ended with a miscarriage, but that didn’t mean you two weren’t trying. You wanted a three to four year age gap between your kids and it was about time for Alena to have a sibling. 

“Want to start tonight?” 

There was a silence for a moment before he heard you again.

“Call pops, ask if Alena can sleepover.”

[laceymorganwrites]

Sweet nothings

Word Count: 1,391

Pairing: Hawks x reader

Warnings: swearing, death SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 265 (and I made it more angsty hehe)

Song: Sweet Nothings - Neck Deep

Take me back to the ocean, Feel warm sand beneath your feet,

Hawks remembered your first date as clearly as he knew how to use his quirk. He was so nervous about asking you out, he never imagined that you would say yes. And when you did, he couldn´t contain his smile, he even got rude comments from his colleagues about it. But he didn´t care, not after he finally mustered up the courage to ask you, his best friend, out. You´ve known each other since childhood and Hawks was more than glad to have you in his life, he was grateful to you that you never treated him different than before after he rose up the hero ranks. You stayed bright and loyal to him, not illuminated by his seeming greatness. You weren´t scared to bring him down to earth after his ego was shot up. And he loved you for that and many other things. Emotion -- escaping from reality,

It was hard to find a date with your busy schedules, but you somehow managed it, with lots of help from the intern at Hawk´s agency who volunteered to do the paperwork that night. Hawks took you out to a beach to watch the sunset and bathe a bit, it was so peaceful, nobody was there at this hour and you two could spend time undisturbed. You were relieved when he asked you out, you feared you were the only one stupid enough to fall for their best friend. But it was inevitable, you had no choice, not with someone like him. And he thought the same, which was why he kept taking you out on dates to great places you´ve never been before. However you were more in awe of him than in any of them. If I could only begin to explain All my flaws, all my fears

Though Hawks might seem oddly confident and laid back, you knew him better, you knew that all of that was only to cover up his insecurities. It was tough to get him to open up to you, but it was worth it. You always watched out for him, watched out that he wouldn´t do anything too reckless, that he took care of himself. He owed you big time for that and he would do his best to pay you back, even though he knew that was impossible. You were always there for him, soothed him when he cried, when everything was too much, you were always there. And he was working when you needed him. All my stupid mistakes,

And fuck did he hate it, he wanted to be with you every second of the day, but instead he had to spend them in his office doing paperwork or on duty, he didn´t even know what was worse anymore. If he would count all of the dates he missed or ran late, all the anniversaries and birthdays and holidays he had to call off because some stupid villain decided to wreak havoc and all of the other heroes were fucking selfish, he´d sink into the ground in shame. Could you still see past all the things I hide away

The worst thing was that he still had secrets, so many secrets… he wished he could share them with you, but he´d be dead before even finishing the thought. Hawks always had to tell you he was fighting villains whenever he was away and lying to you hurt even more than the truth, which was that he was forced to work alongside them. Every time he walked into the hideout all he wanted to do was to punch every single of those idiots to a pulp. Spending his time with those fuckers rather than with you, it tore him apart. And my poor choice of words? But you were smiling anyway

When he was home however, he tried to make up all of the lost time as best as he could. He got you your favorite snacks and even went out of his way to cook for you, most times he got you your favorite takeout though since he came home late most of the time. Whenever he was home he preferred to stay in with you to show you his utter affection in cuddles and movie nights, and because he was exhausted too. But you didn´t mind. You could only imagine how hard his work was. “(Y/N), you really are the fried to my chicken” he sighed contently, wiggling his eyebrows at you. His dumb flirts were something you would never get tired of. You started chuckling, shaking your head, smiling. “Because you´re hot, you know?” he explained, grinning at you widely and putting his arm around you. Wake me up in the morning Slept till late afternoon

Hawks always dreamed of waking up next to you and now that you finally made it official, all of his dreams came true. At least that´s what he thought. Instead he needed to work at night, making him go home when you already were up and at work. It made him sleep when you arrived. And he had to leave when you went to bed. My dreams are dark and twisted

With all the shit going on at work, he never really had the chance to relax and calm down. He took all of the bloody, gruesome images with him to sleep where they would haunt him. Hawks never got restless sleep anymore. Just nightmares from the things he has seen. But tonight I'm dreaming of you,

And when he woke up, started in the middle of the night, he saw you. His rigorous heartbeat calmed down immediately when he saw your sleeping form, it was like you made all the bad things go away and he was so grateful for that. Usually he´d lightly kiss your forehead and then go back to sleep but sometimes you woke up from his nightmares too. In those times you´d stay up together and cuddle. Snuck in through your window

Keigo did his best to keep the relationship to you a secret from the public eye. He couldn´t bear the sight of you being kidnapped or killed by villains who could use you against him. That´s why he had to be extra careful ever since his new mission, the infiltration began. Broken glass cut my skin Bled close to death with you all night

Of course you noticed how exhausted he was, but you decided not to push it and don´t ask him about it, you didn´t want to force him talking about work that so clearly took its toll on him. But I still don't regret a thing I have a habit of pushing my luck

Right in this moment Hawks regretted everything he has done up to this point. He regretted ever taking this fucking mission. He regretted making friends in the league. He regretted choosing the wrong moment to reveal his true nature, like he did just now. But most of all he regretted not telling you he loved you more times, he regretted putting this shitty job over you. If I just play this cool it might pay off for once

Maybe he had a chance, Hawks thought. But he doubted it. He failed to kill Twice resulting in him having a mental breakdown. Great job, hero. He thought bitterly. And not only that, he could barely deal with that. Once Dabi busted through the door though, it was all over… As we lay intertwined you broke silence with talk asking "Baby, do you think of me?" "Baby, do you think of me?" Yeah all the time, like every night When Endeavor showed up at your apartment saying his condolences, you thought it was a joke. But once you realized the harsh truth, you lashed out on the number one hero, saying that it was his job to protect your boyfriend and that he failed, not only as a hero but also as a human being. You yelled and cried and then yelled again until your throat was numb and all you could do was sink to the floor in disbelief. It wasn´t fair, none of this was…   The look in your eye You hung on every line When I poured my heart out But you took it every time

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #216: “... To Avenge the Avengers!”

February, 1982

"Avenge us, Tigra! The Molecule Man must die!”

Eesh, the Avengers plus Silver Surfer have gone full Hamlet’s Dad on Tigra and she’s gonna cat Molecule Man and his plush himself to death. But he’s ready for it.

But why? Well...

Last time: Silver Surfer inadvertently gave Molecule Man the idea to eat Earth. The Avengers and the Surfer teamed up to stop him but he just Molecule Manned their sweet gear into nothing, captured them all, and then stomped them under a giant boot-o-matic crusher! Except Tigra who he kept around because he wanted someone to talk at and because Tigra had claimed that she liked him!

This time: “Tigra... the Last Avenger!”

Nice touch that the book name inside the book has been changed to match even if the cover hasn’t.

That is a tough hat to wear. Did you know its only been a little over a week since she joined the team?

And in that time she got thrown into space by an Elf-Queen, watched a founding Avenger have an emotional breakdown and try to kill his friends to make them like him again, had her soul set on fire, been repeatedly harassed in public, and watched the whole team be killed with her life only being spared because she begged for her life!

Is this the worst week and change in Avengers history? IT MIGHT WELL BE!

“She was spared. The fear of death has drained away now, leaving only emptiness behind. She has never felt so alone.”

This narration set in the same panel where Molecule Man is all but slapping the giant boot and going ‘this bad boy can crush so many fucking Avengers in it.’

Well really, its more like

Molecule Man: “Well, cat-lady, they’re dead! Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and that Silver Surfer guy -- squished flat by my giant boot-o-matic crusher! You know, I made this thing out of molecules from a scrapyard! Yessir, I believe in recycling!”

But that’s about the same level of dissonance between jolly goofus villain rambling and hollow despair.

Anyway, Molecule Man calls her out on being such a bummer because she’s moping over there when he’s feeling good about killing the Avengers and really Tigra try to consider how he feels geez.

So she shakes off the despair and asks hey what exactly is Molecule Man going to do with her?

Tigra: “Am I going to be your mate or...”

Molecule Man: “What? Nah! I never got along with girls! I mean, you know... that way! Yessir, mom always warned me about... that! And she was right! You can be my friend! No! Make that -- my pet! Here, kitty, kitty!”

Wow.

That. That dodged a bullet in a cool Matrix bullet time way right into another bullet.

Let’s please not get too creepy with this, huh? You listening to me, comic published nearly forty years ago? Let’s not get creepy!

Molecule Man decides to be a responsible pet owner and feed his pet. He can control molecules so obviously it should be no trouble to just rearrange them into any configuration he--

Okay, its apparently really hard to make food! Way too complicated!

He’s going to be an irresponsible pet owner and not feed Tigra. And meanwhile he’s going to chow down on some undifferentiated mush or possibly a pile of dust. Its all molecules so its all the same to him.

Tigra didn’t even want food but asks him where the bathroom is.

Molecule Man: “Bathroom? Hmm... well, I really don’t understand how plumbing works, so I couldn’t make a bathroom! If you want, though, I could sort of fake it...”

Tigra: “No, I’ll be all right! i just feel a little sick...”

Molecule Man: “So go be sick for a while! I’ve got to get started on my little project anyway! If I’m going to eat this stupid planet -- I’ve got to prepare by clearing away all the living things from a few square miles of land.”

And he gets started! A giant ridge of land just peels up from the ground, like Molecule Man is skinning a fruit before eating. Also a volcano erupts. Pretty sure there weren’t any volcanoes in New Jersey before now.

Fairly sure.

Outside the dome, thankfully the army has been evacuating everyone in a fifty-mile radius or else a lot of people would be dead. VOLCANO.

Then the Fantastic Four arrive.

Yayyyyy! Oh whoa whoa, Fantastic Fourrr!

They’ve got the best Molecule Man mashing record so they’re here to do what they do do.

Which in this context is fail like champs.

Ben Grimm the Thing tries to shatter the dome with a punch and no dice. Then Human Torch cranks up to nova flame and applies the heat of a sun on one little spot on the dome.

Johnny about wears himself out doing it and still no result.

Guess Iron Man, Thor, and Silver Surfer > a pinpoint miniature sun.

Meanwhile inside, Molecule Man tells Tigra hey get a load of this. And then he levitates a couple billion gallons of water from the Delaware River and dumps it on the Fantastic Four, plus the army, washing them away.

Invisible Woman: “Reed, it -- it doesn’t seem possible!”

Mr. Fantastic: “Everything is made of molecules, Sue! Anything is possible for the Molecule Man!”

Molecule Man far too hax.

But meanwhile, gasp, the Avengers weren’t actually all killed in a book with their name on it! This is unprecedented!

And Silver Surfer is ready to explain their unlikely survival of giant crushing boot.

See, Silver Surfer wasn’t quite as knocked unconscious as the three Avengers so he played possum. When Molecule Man put the Avengers plus Silver Surfer in the crushing boot and when it was just about to crush, Silver Surfer used the Power Cosmic to disintegrate the bottom part of the boot so that the Avengers and him fell to a lower floor. Completely uncrushed!

So that’s good.

The bad is that Silver Surfer has to report that Tigra is still in Molecule Man’s clutches.

The awkward is that Iron Man and Thor lost their armor and hammer respectively so Cap is like ‘wait, what are Tony Stark and Perfectly Normal Dr. Donald Blake doing here??’

So Tony and Don come clean about his secret ID.

Tony Stark, Actually Iron Man: “I feel a little foolish about keeping that secret from you till now! I’m sure Don feels the same way...”

Donald Blake, Dr. Thor: “Right, Tony...”

So now Cap is in on the secret which previously bound Tony and Don together as the Best Friends Avengers Who Aren’t Beast and Wonder Man.

Remember when they discovered each other’s secret IDs? Good times. Well, weird times. That was the issue when that hates-robots group suicide bombed Vision for dating a meat woman.

Also, Tony was only wearing underwear under the Iron Man armor so Don gave him his suit jacket to wear as a loincloth. Mighty nice of him.

Silver Surfer has just been standing on the sides not caring about all this secret ID nonsense or personal drama so he chimes in to point out that Molecule Man is going to eat the planet unless they stop him.

Cap decides that he and the Surfer have to strike before Molecule Man realizes they’re alive. Tony and Don have the important mission to hide somewhere safe.

Tony and Don object to being sidelined. Strongly.

Tony: “You think Iron Man is just a suit of armor, Cap? Is that what you’re saying?”

Don: “I found this rod to use as a makeshift cane! It won’t change me into a thunder god, but it’ll help me get around -- if only to draw fire!”

Tony: “Like it or not, we’re with you!”

Don: “The Avengers stand assembled, Captain America! Now, lead us!”

Cap: “All right! I get the message! I should have known better than to think you’d -- I mean, you two are the best...”

Tony: “Save it, Cap! We’ve got work to do!”

Aww.

This is everything I could have hoped for out of secret ID reveal. Cap starts thinking of them as civilians now that they have real person names but ultimately it brings them closer as teammates.

I love it. Granted, I love it because my favorite form of Avengers is a group of friends and set of interpersonal dramas roughly shaped like a superhero team.

Later, in the nighttime and in the room that Molecule Man made for Tigra.

... Wow, Molecule Man.

Wow.

So we’ve got a giant cat shaped bed. A giant, terrifying cat head on the wall. And a giant ball of yarn. But not giant sized cat tree? Fie and shame.

Anyway, Tigra is sitting on bed lamenting and decrying the Fantastic Four’s failure. Especially as it pertains to her situation.

Tigra: “I -- I just can’t believe the Fantastic Four failed! How could they let me -- and the world down like that? How could they? Right now, Reed Richards is probably locked in his lab trying to invent a gizmo that’ll pierce the dome! Hmf! Who knows how long that might take? The Molecule Man plans to eat the Earth tomorrow morning!”

Nothing like a nice filling breakfast, I guess.

She grants that Reed doesn’t know there’s an everyone’s-deadline so instead Tigra bemoans that it’s all up to her.

Tigra: “I should have tried to jump him today! I can’t believe I didn’t! I was standing right next to him a couple of times! I’m cat-quick! Why didn’t I lunge at him and claw him to shreds before he could move? Could it be because my muscles felt like jelly -- ? I was trembling -- ? In shock -- ? Afraid of him? Hey, shouldn’t I be? I mean, I saw him crush my friends to a bloody smear! And I had a spooky feeling that he was somehow, secretly ready for an attack -- and hoping I’d give him an excuse to dice me into furry cubes!”

And because this is a Tigra character beat page, she also thinks about how easy the hero gig used to seem when it was for smaller stakes. But with the actual literal fate of the world at stake... “I never thought that when the big test came I’d be a scaredy cat!”

But she remembers what Cap said during the Ghost Rider story that its not wrong to be frightened if you don’t let fear dictate your actions.

So she creeps out into the night to Molecule Man’s bedroom.

Oh, that’s a neat touch.

Her shadow on the wall looks a lot like a tiger because her hair curls at the end like a tail.

Neat.

So anyway, she doesn’t understand how Molecule Man can be so confident that he’s just sleeping with his door wide open and with no defenses and wonders if there’s a trap or whether he’s just counting on her to think that there’s a trap.

She’s about five seconds from a full-blown I know you know that I know that you know episode.

The only way to find out is just go for it so she creeps into the room. The garish room.

This is even more wow than Tigra’s room.

But as she creeps into the room and up to the enormous, ridiculous bed, she realizes that she has to kill him. If she attacks and doesn’t kill him with the first strike, what he could do is too horrible for her to imagine.

But what she doesn’t realize is that Molecule Man isn’t sleeping soundly and isn’t unprepared. 

He’s stretched monomolecular filaments across the room, too thin for even Tigra to spot.

Now usually monomolecular filaments is one of those ‘oops I’ve been cut to pieces by invisible wires’ thing. You’ve probably seen it in a couple of anime. But this is more like a bunch of cans on a string.

Tigra breaks one of the filaments while she creeps forward. Something that she couldn’t possibly know but which instantly alerts him.

And his response is a “Oh, ho! Just wait’ll she tries it! This’ll be fun!”

Because Tigra’s instinct was correct. Molecule Man was keeping her around just to kill when she finally tried anything. Its been a game. See how far he can push Tigra and how messily he can deal with her when she loses.

This is pretty tense stuff! Well, it lasts a page so it doesn’t overfocus on this specific tense scenario but still!

Tigra: “I’m in range! All I’ve got to do is spring and... and kill him! He murdered my friends! He’s going to destroy the whole world! I’ve got to kill him! Come on, lady! Do it! What’s wrong? He deserves it! He’s a murderer -- ! A rotten little wimp! He calls you ‘kitty’! Kill him! I hate him! I hate him! but... i just can’t kill him!”

And apologizing to Cap for not being able to go through with it, she slinks out of the room trying to think of another way.

Inside the room, Molecule Man sits up disgruntled, just not understanding at all why she didn’t go through with it. There’s no way she could have known that he was ready for her so why wouldn’t she try to do a murder!

And then as Tigra is wishing she had someone to talk to, someone grabs her and pulls her around a corner.

Boom, a comedy after all that one page of tension.

And it’s Cap because there’s like four people it could have been.

Tigra is elated that the Cap is alive, that she’s not alone anymore! And she tries to confess that she attempted to kill Molecule Man to avenge the Avengers. That maybe she should have because now she might lose them again!

Tony: “You did fine, Tigra! Relax!”

But she doesn’t feel like she did fine so she tries to explain that she let the Avengers down by giving into cowardice. She told Molecule Man she liked him to stay alive.

Cap: “Good strategy, Tigra -- preserving your life so you’d be able to carry on the battle!”

She tries to explain it wasn’t strategy so much as being terrified but she gets distracted because she’s just realized that in this group of Cap and Silver Guy there’s two people she doesn’t know.

Cap: “Dr. Don Blake, who’s secretly Thor and Tony Stark who is Iron Man’s alter ego!”

Her mood immediately flips.

Tigra: “You guys are really Thor and Iron Man? Really? And it’s okay for me to know? Really?”

Tony Stark: “Why not? Somehow those secrets seem pretty trivial, what with the world on the verge of being the Molecule Man’s breakfast!”

He says that but he still looks pretty annoyed at Cap just blurting it out.

And geez, Cap, you gotta let people reveal their own secret identities. Or make up some dumb excuse that everyone instantly believes.

Its the done thing.

In terms of Avengers drama though this is pretty good. Thor, Cap, and Iron Man have been working together for a really long time. Even though Cap didn’t form the Avengers he’s basically been there so long they consider him an honorary founder.

Cap learning Iron Man and Thor’s secret identities can be a ‘we should have told you sooner!’ thing.

Tigra just joined the team! Like a week ago!

They need to work together now and there’s probably no smooth lie that could paper over where Iron Man and Thor went and why these two are here now but its probably still a little galling that Cap just blurts it out to the newest person on the team.

Its great. I’d love to see the repercussions of this.

Anyway, time is short so Tony gets to explaining the plan.

He found his broken armor and managed to scavenge enough bits and pieces to make a little device he’s calling a screamer. It’ll emit a high-pitched noise that should disorient Molecule Man.

And then the device just poofs into smoke in Tony’s hand.

Whoops, Molecule Man overheard their plan to beat up Molecule Man and also heard Tony call him names.

So he pulls together all the loose dust in the room and uses it to strangle Tony.

Wow, they’ve gone from having a “layered assault” to watching someone literally choke on Molecule Man’s dust. That’s got to be the quickest turnaround from hope to nope.

Tigra goes wild, rushing at Molecule Man and screaming that she shoulda killed him before and she’s damn well going to scratch his face off now!

But Molecule Man asks her to talk to the hand. Zing.

Puns.

Although “Don’t scream at me, Kitty! ‘Cause I’ll slap you down!”

Sure. That’s good wordplay too.

Having just been comedically (although seriously) WHAP!’d across the room, Tigra has her own words to say.

Tigra: “You -- you weak, slimy excuse for a human being! How could I have stooped so low as to humble myself to garbage like you? So you’ve got power! Big deal! You were a nerd before -- you’re still a nerd! You were a mistake! You shouldn’t even have been born! You crybaby! All you do is blame the world for your own inedequacy! Go on, kill me, nerd! I despise living in the same world with you!”

Wow. She really took all those personal details he shared and slapped him upside the head with them.

Goes to show. Don’t try to destroy the world. People will have rude things to say.

Meanwhile, Cap and Silver Surfer are trying to save Tony but can’t clear the super condense dust faster than Molecule Man gathers it.

Cap tells Tigra to get Molecule Man because that’s their only chance but Tigra is too hurt from being slapped by a giant hand.

Molecule Man: “I’ve got to hand it to you guys, it must’ve taken some doing to escape my crusher! This time, I’m going to make sure you’re dead! Hmm... someone’s missing! But who?”

And he’s done process of elimination and realized that the guy Thor turned into is missing and figures he ran away when Entirely Normal But Furious Dr. Donald Blake tells Molecule Man to grit his teeth.

And then Molecule Man runs off yelling because Dr. Donald Blake can throw down. He possibly broke Molecule Man’s nose with that one punch.

Good job, Dr. Donald Blake.

With Molecule Man not focusing on the dust thing, Tony is free of the dust thing but unconscious. Dr. Donald Blake tells the others that he’ll take care of Tony and that they should go chase Molecule Man since they can run better than he can.

So Cap, Tigra, and Silver Surfer go off in pursuit of Molecule Man.

Silver Surfer reminds that he can track Molecule Man’s unique energies. Cap helpfully points out that they can also just track the trail of blood drips from Molecule Man’s nose. And Tigra goes ‘also I can smell him’ because its good to have three different ways to find a guy.

They find him in some sort of throne room (curled up in pain on the throne) and charge at him. But he’s not in the mood for their shenanigans.

So he sends a tidal wave of molecules at them.

Cap shouts for Silver Surfer to do something and he does do something indeed.

The Surfer blasts the wave of matter with the power cosmic so hard that it transmutes into raw energy and just explodes through the top of the palace in a beautiful pyrotechnic display.

It also completely exhausts the Surfer and he just kind of plops down for a nap right there on the ground.

Cap tells Tigra to watch the Surfer and then goes to take the Molecule Man on alone.

This isn’t a great plan but also their already small roster has kind of dwindled to this point.

And maybe Cap sort of doesn’t want to throw Tigra at Molecule Man when she’s already been hurt and was voicing all those doubts earlier. Can’t say for sure. She’s about to offer for help but Cap is like ‘WHOOPS NOW OR NEVER!’

Molecule Man must be in a whimsical mood, I mean more so than usual have you seen what he’s been getting up to? Because he converts some of the furnishings into a bunch of stars to shoot at Cap.

Its funny because Cap wears a star. It’d be ironic if he got smacked in the face with one, probably.

But Molecule Man activated Cap’s speechifying and that buffs him because nobody likes hearing Cap talk about freedom and justice and doing right more than Cap probably.

What I’m saying is that he leaps and gambols between the stars and I feel its because he has Stuff To Say that he’s doing so well.

Cap: “You make me sick, mister! They say power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,  and you’re living proof of it! You might kill me! After all, I’m just an ordinary man -- but men like me have always found a way to bring high-and-mighty tyrants like you to their knees! There’s never enough power to save madmen like you -- from ultimate, bitter defeat!”

WAK!

And perhaps it wasn’t just his agility that was improved by inspirational speeching himself. Because he knocks Molecule Man down with that one punch and he doesn’t get back up.

Or maybe Molecule Man just has a glass jaw.

Don Blake and Tony Stark show up and Silver Surfer wakes up but he runs in with the rest anyway for some reason. Tony tells Tigra to watch Molecule Man while he has an Important Debate with Cap.

See, Tony has realized something. Knocking down Molecule Man is just the first step. If Molecule Man gets back up, he might start eating the Earth again and the Avengers might not be able to stop him.

So he asks Don Blake if there’s a medical way to just sort of keep Molecule Man knocked out.

Don Blake: “How? We can’t just keep hitting him on the head -- this isn’t a T.V. show! I mean, how hard do you hit him? How many times can you do that before causing serious brain damage... or death?”

Realism? In a comic book? What are YOU doing here??

Anyway, Tony doesn’t see any other option but to kill Molecule Man.

Cap protests that Molecule Man is a human being with rights to due process and a trial by jury of his peers!

But Tony is convincing the others. As an Actual Doctor, Don Blake doesn’t like to hear this. He wants to save lives. But he can’t refute Tony.

And Silver Surfer also seems on Team Tony.

Silver Surfer: “I understand what it is to sacrifice one life so that a multitude, a world might live! It seems clear that this Molecule Man cannot be imprisoned or held in check! He... must die to save the Earth... though I could never bring myself to slay him!”

Don’t you have the power cosmic? Surely there’s a power cosmic option available?

To be fair though his the power cosmic might be exhausted at the moment.

Still. Geez, Silver Surfer. ‘He gotta die but 1-2-3-not-it’ is really how you’re playing this??

Meanwhile, Tigra has decided that being asked to watch Molecule Man implies a certain duty perhaps even responsibility to tell him how much he sucks. Which is a lot.

And recall that she’s already told him how much he sucks earlier in the fight. So she has found a second wind in telling him how much he sucks.

Tigra: “You little jerk! Don’t you see? Cap was wrong! Power very seldom corrupts! It usually doesn’t change anything! It just magnifies what’s already there, whether it’s good and noble or evil and petty!”

“You were a nerd before... now you’re a powerful nerd! Big deal! Dummy! The shame of it is that with your power you can build... you can contribute! You don’t have to be a loser anymore!”

“Why are you such a fool? Why can’t you see that killing a planetful of people doesn’t make you even -- it just make you lonelier than ever!”

Wow. It feels like Tigra could hypothetically be talking about all different kinds of entitled nerds who then become the jerks as adults!

Anyway.

Tony and Cap are still arguing.

Tony, at least, isn’t going to ask someone to do something he wouldn’t do himself. I.e., he’s going to kill Molecule Man himself and save four billion people.

Cap: “Tony... please! I can’t let you do this!”

Tony: “You can take me in for murder afterward, Cap, but for now, stand aside! I’m warning you...”

Cap: “You’ll have to go through me, Tony...”

You’re warning him, Tony? You don’t have armor. You don’t even have pants. What are you going to do to supersoldier Captain America?

Logic aside, what strikes me is how much this foreshadows.

Before Civil War contrived that superhero registration, the big hot button superhero debate issue is whether superheroes should kill in extreme circumstances.

Spoilers for the NINETIES but the Regular and West Coast Avengers will come to schism and Cap and Iron Man will basically break up over whether or not to kill the Kree Supreme Intelligence after it engineered a war that killed 90% of the Kree people on purpose.

Shooter is long gone by that point but I guess someone is going to pick up the thread.

Because the debate doesn’t get settled here or rather does, sorta, in favor of Cap but not in a way he expects.

Interrupting the sad fist fight between Cap and a nearly naked man, Molecule Man pops up and tells everyone that Tigra has convinced him to turn his life around.

Tigra: “Guys, Mr. Owen Reece and I have talked, and, well, I convinced him to give himself up!”

Mr. Owen Reece: “Yes, I want to start seeing a therapist!”

Cap: “huh?”

Mr. Owen Reece: “I know I’ll have to go to jail... but that’s okay! It’ll give me time to think things out! I’ll make an opening in the dome now so you can call the authorities!”

Don Blake: “s-sure!”

God, that is just great. I love this as a resolution so much. This is a resolution that Squirrel Girl would bring us, although we’d get more of the actual convincing.

Still very, very good. Good to be optimistic in comics sometimes. Sometimes villains can seek redemption if only a cat yells at them long enough.

Although I think the best part is how baffled everyone is by the plot twist.

So with but a “Soon...” caption, the police have come to pick up Mr. Owen Reece and brought Miss Hanrahan who is going to be his therapist.

Holy crap, a therapist in Marvel who isn’t Doc Sampson but will work with superpowered nonsense!

Can we bring Miss Hanrahan back??

A couple things I like here.

One is that Mr. Owen Reece has changed off-panel into a suit instead of his supervillain costume. Now that’s him making an honest effort.

Two is Very Annoyed Tony Stark in the back of the pack of Avengers. He’s wearing a handkerchief as a mask because someone might recognize him as Tony Stark and then wonder ‘hey why is Tony Stark here.’

Three is the proud smile from Tigra when seeing Mr. Owen Reece meet his therapist.

Melts my heart a little.

Before he goes away to jail, Mr. Owen Reece takes a quick sidebar with the Avengers.

He retroactively feels just awful about ruining their various gadgets so he decides to make right.

He reintegrates Mjolnir, Toomie the surfboard, and Cap’s shield exactly as they were. Original molecules and all! They were so weird that he remembered where they all went.

As for Iron Man’s Iron Man armor.... look, he did his best.

Mr. Owen Reece: “But your armor, with all those complicated electronic gadgets is just too tricky for me to reassemble! You needed something more proper to wear till you get home, though -- so I whipped up some red and gold cloth and made you an Iron Man leisure suit! I hope it’s okay!”

Amazing. Simply incredible.

Although I think my favorite part was Mr. Owen Reece realizing ‘hey Iron Man should be wearing pants!’

Anyway, he also takes apart his Molecule Man Doom Fortress and puts those molecules back where he found them. More or less. He tries.

And, yes, he does rebuild the entire town of Netcong, New Jersey. Except the plumbing.

In a funny call back to Reece admitting he doesn’t really understand plumbing, none of the plumbing in the rebuilt town works.

Later, back at Avengers Mansion, Silver Surfer is offered a spot on the team but turns it down.

FOR THE PATHS OF DESTINY DO BECKON HIM DOWN A LONELY ROAD THAT MUST BE TRAVELED ALONE

Its the only who he has ever known. Except for all the time he spend with Galactus. Or the Defenders. Or later on when he has a companion to take on space nonsense.

Tigra also takes this time to say farewell.

Tigra: “I’m just not in the same league as you guys! I mean, sure I’ve got lots of super-ability, and, usually, I'm even pretty heroic -- but not up to your standard! I mean two of you, without your powers, no less, really showed me what it’s all about back there! And let’s face it, you guys mess with some heavy-duty opposition! I think I’ll quit while I’m ahead!”

=C

Noooooooooo

But but but Tigraaa you were a source of joy and fuuuuuuuun

You only joined at the end of #211! It’s only been about a week in-universe!

Darn.

The three other Avengers all say their goodbyes.

Thor reminds her that she was the one who turned around Mr. Owen Reece but Tigra says she got lucky.

Iron Man gives her one of Tony Stark’s cards and tells her to call Tony Stark who is definitely not him anytime she needs anything.

Jarvis even tears up at her leaving, although he denies it because a good butler never dies on duty and then blames his allergies.

And then Tigra is off. Damn. If I didn’t know who might be joining the Avengers soon I’d be completely inconsolable instead of just very.

So now the Avengers are down to just three members. That’s not a team. That’s a crossover. Probably why Jarvis wonders if a membership drive is in order.

NEXT: The return of... Yellowjacket, the Wasp, and Egghead!

I’m game for Wasp coming back! Don’t think it likely that Yellowjacket is just going to come back to the team just like that! And Egghead? The villain who blew up a city with a killsat and killed Hawkeye’s brother? Unlikely recruit!

(No I know that’s not what the NEXT means)

Hey, follow @essential-avengers​ because the Hank Pym just keeps happening. Like and reblog too please. Be sad with me that Tigra is gone.

[evilrubberducke]

IzuMina Week Day 2- Let Me Count the Ways I Love You

And here’s day two of IzuMina week. This time around, the prompt I chose is ‘Night-time Stroll’. A little bit happier and fluffier than the last prompt, so hopefully it will help you fell better in this trying time.

As I said in my last post, I finally made another blog for my writing/Mina obsession. If that’s the content you follow me for, feel free to go give it a follow so you don’t get quite so many extraneous/personal posts from me.

Read it on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23302390

Or on FF.Net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13530836/2/IzuMina-Week-2020

"Blergh!" Mina exclaimed in frustration, collapsing back into her chair, "Midori, I can't take any more of this. Can't we be done?"

Izuku leaned back in his own chair, and set his pencil down. The two of them had taken over one of the common room tables for a study session that afternoon, and had hardly left the table since. For Izuku, that was a fairly normal study session, but for Mina it was the kind of epic studython that she rarely engaged in.

They had gone through each and every subject, with Izuku meticulously explaining each part she didn't understand with the same patience and kindness that he always displayed when helping her study.

If it weren't for him, she never would have made it this far. She had always found it hard to concentrate on studying when there were so many other interesting things she could be doing. Even if she sat herself down in front of a textbook and refused to get up until she had finished a chapter, the words often refused to stick in her brain, and her eyes had a tendency to glaze over as she skimmed through the book without really understanding any of it.

Studying with Izuku was different though. She swore that her boyfriend could read the phone book to her, and he would still find a way to make it interesting. She wasn’t sure if it was something about his voice, or just the way he explained things to her without seeming like he was talking down to her that did it, but whatever the reason was, having him read the material to her was way more effective than any study method she had ever tried before. It wasn't a perfect system, and she still needed plenty of repetition to actually cram everything into her head, but it had helped her raise her grades significantly. 

“We have been studying for quite a while,” Izuku admitted, “I suppose a break could be good, so long as you don’t make it too long.”

“Yes!” Mina cheered, hopping to her feet. She was happy that her grades were rising, especially since it meant her parents had upped her allowance significantly, but she had always been an active person, and sitting still for so long had been driving her a bit stir crazy. 

She stretched her arms out above her head, leaning to the side as she did so to help work some of the kinks out of her back. As she did so, the light of the full moon pouring in the window caught her eye, and she was suddenly struck with the perfect idea for how to relieve her stress, and maybe buy a little extra break time for herself too.

“Hey, Midori, want to go for a walk with me?”

He cocked his head in confusion, then turned to stare out the window into the night beyond. “Ummm, isn’t it a bit late for that?”

“Nope!” Mina chirped, “We’ve still got tons of time before lights out. And there’s plenty of light, cuz of the moon. It’s the perfect night for a stroll!”

“Mina, I really can’t. I still haven’t started on the essay for English, and I really should go over this section ahead of time for when we review it together,” Izuku said, gesturing at the textbook that was in front of him.

Mina blew a raspberry in response. “C’mon Midori! That essay isn’t due till next week. Besides, you’ve been studying for even longer than I have. You need a break as much as I do.”

He wavered for a moment, and Mina seized the chance. She put on her best pleading face, knowing that Izuku was helpless when it came to resisting a pair of puppy dog eyes. She’d realized that little tidbit rather early on in their relationship, and had made great use of it. 

Their eyes met, and his resistance crumbled as a small smile spread across his face. “Okay, okay. I’ll come with you. But we are going to finish studying when we get back.”

“Fiiiiiiine,” Mina said with a sigh. Having that hanging over her head would bring down the mood a little, but she would manage.

-

Despite how warm the day had been, the night air was cool and crisp as Mina stepped outside. She had pulled on a light jacket before heading out, but she still cuddled up to Izuku’s side and pulled his arm around her before they could even start their walk.

Even though they had been dating for several months now, Izuku’s cheeks still flushed slightly from the contact. She liked that look. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know that no matter how much time they spent together, and no matter how many times they cuddled, Izuku still cared enough to get flustered over something so simple.

She didn’t really have a destination in mind as the two of them set out into the evening. She just wanted to move around and spend time with her boyfriend thinking about anything but homework. Thankfully UA had plenty of walking paths for them to explore. 

The one they ended up choosing wove around the edge of the campus and through the carefully maintained trees there. With the only light coming from the moon overhead, Mina felt like they were walking through an isolated patch of forest instead of the nearly urban school grounds.

“Pretty romantic, huh?” Mina said, glancing up at her boyfriend. He wasn’t that much taller than she was, but the difference in height was noticeable enough when they walked arm in arm. 

“Yeah, it really is,” Izuku said, turning his own gaze up to look at the night sky.

“Sooo, why don’t we make it even more romantic?” Mina asked, giving him a light poke in the ribs to pull his attention back to her.

“How so?” 

“Like this!” Mina said, stopping in her tracks and turning slightly so she and Izuku were face to face, arms wrapped around each other. 

“I like you because you’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. You never make me feel stupid for not understanding something, even though it takes me forever to get math. I like you because you’re so passionate about everything you do. You never stop giving it your all, even when things are super tough and it's honestly so inspiring. Everyone in the class looks up to you, me most of all. You make me want to do better, to be better all the time. And even when things are tough, you always help me out. I really, really, really like you, for all of those reasons and a bunch more!” 

As she finished, she pulled Izuku in close and planted a kiss on his lips. She put all the feeling she could into the gesture, wishing that she could convey even a tenth of what she felt for the wonderful, adorkable boy who had stolen her heart all those months ago. She couldn’t, of course, but she still tried her best.

By the time she pulled back, Izuku had turned completely red. Mina had thought she had seen him at his blushiest before, but that had been nothing compared to this. Honestly, he looked like he was going to keel over from the amount of blood that had rushed to his head. Not that she really had any room to judge. She could tell her own cheeks were flushed

“Th-That’s not fair,” Izuku mumbled, “You need to warn me before you say stuff like that.”

“No way,” Mina said, “That would mean I don’t get to see your flustered face anymore, and that’s way too cute to never see again.”

“I’m not cute,” Izuku protested, “I’m just… plain.”

“You are a cutie-patootie, mister,” Mina replied, booping him on the nose to forestall any protest, “And sure, I’m a little biased because we’re dating, but that doesn’t change facts. Besides, being cute is more than just looks. It’s how you act too, and that’s something you’ve got down pat. I’ve never met someone who acts quite as cute as you do.”

To her surprise, that last line didn’t send Izuku into another spiral of blushing. Instead, a soft smile bloomed on his face as he locked eyes with her.

“I can think of someone,” he said calmly, “And she’s standing right in front of me.”

Now it was Mina’s turn to be reduced to a blushing mess. There was something about seeing the change in him, from shy and awkward to surprisingly smooth that never failed to set her heart racing.

He wasn’t done there, though. “Mina, I really, really, really like you too. You’re the kindest, sweetest, happiest girl I’ve ever known, and just being around you is enough to make me smile. But that’s not enough for you. You keep getting stronger, and faster, and more amazing every day because you never give up. Even when it’s tough, you just keep smiling and making the world around you a brighter place, just by existing. You’ve taken my breath away since the moment we first met, and I can’t wait to see how you’ll do it next.”

Whereas Mina’s kiss had been quick and passionate, the kiss Izuku laid on her lips was slow, gentle, and so loving that it was all Mina could do not to melt into a happy pink puddle right then and there.

Thankfully, she resisted the urge, and they spent several minutes simply standing there, arms wrapped around each other as they enjoyed the simple intimacy of being close to the person they loved most in the world. 

Eventually, however, they did have to break their embrace and return to the dorms. Neither of them were in Aizawa’s good graces at the moment, so any curfew violations would see them cleaning the dorms for a week.

To Mina’s surprise, however, she wasn’t as reluctant to return to the dorms and the pile of unfinished homework within them as she had expected to be. Hearing Izuku’s confessions of affection had been exactly what she needed to recharge her batteries. 

It was still going to be a long evening, but she felt like she could handle it. After all, she had her favorite person in the whole world to help her out, and together they could conquer anything.

[lightwarring]

REALLY LONG CHARACTER SURVEY. // ESTELLE CASTAGNIER RULES. repost ,   don’t  reblog  !  good  luck  !

TAGGED. @cielcrd​ tysm for this !! TAGGING. did it at luke’s answer sheet.

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Erina ( 恵里菜 ) ‘ Estelle ‘ Castagnier. 

NICKNAME: Elle ( by luke ), luckless golem ( by laiph ) 

AGE: 24

BIRTHDAY: 12th sun of the fourth Umbral Moon (12 August)

ETHNIC GROUP: Midlander hyur, half doman.

NATIONALITY: Ul’dah

LANGUAGE(S): Because of the echo, she knows most forms of languages

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Demisexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Panromantic

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single, Pending engagement she’s trying to get out of

CLASS: Lower class

HOMETOWN / AREA: Eastern Thanalan

CURRENT HOME: Castagnier inn

PROFESSION: Warrior of light, sort of. Part time server at the Quicksand

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Ash brown and till her collarbone with bangs reaching till her brow. 

EYES: Dark brown with big irises. Usually has a spark or energy in them, becomes narrowed and focused when working on a task at hand.

NOSE: Small and average

FACE: Triangle shaped with a smooth jawline

LIPS: Small but notably a tad pouty and in the color of cherry red.

COMPLEXION: Fair and smooth.

BLEMISHES: None

SCARS: Has a medium length one walking down her left side after being attacked by a monster when her star globe becomes weathered during battle.

TATTOOS: None

HEIGHT: 163 cm

WEIGHT: 55 kg

BUILD: Average height and quite lean. Typical curves that a woman would have.

FEATURES: Nothing too outstanding.

ALLERGIES: -

USUAL HAIRSTYLE: Tied up loosely with a band along the crown of her head.

USUAL FACE LOOK: Welcoming and friendly. As the daughter of the inn, she is used to greeting people and customers. Her eyes usually shine when her friends talk, and has face that shows how interested she is in learning about them. 

USUAL CLOTHING: Brown ramie poncho with tights around her legs and wears short boots. Wears a flower at the left side of her head.

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR(S): Ghosts, being rejected (again), losing, failing on promises she made, wolves

ASPIRATION(S): Wants to beat Garleans’ asses and expand her family’s inn.

POSITIVE TRAITS: Strong willed, optimistic, big hearted, energetic, extroverted, expressive, supportive, loyal

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Reckless, laid back, slow, forgetful, headstrong, gullible, obstinate, very laid back

ZODIAC: Leo

TEMPERAMENT: Hot

SOUL TYPE(S): Priests / Server

ANIMALS: A butterfly

VICE  HABIT(S): Pride, becoming too overstimulated, overexcited and ends up exhausting herself, is really competitive with laipheaux

FAITH: In herself.

GHOSTS?: No, no, no, no, no.

AFTERLIFE?: Maybe.

REINCARNATION?: Maybe.

ALIENS?: It might be cool to think about.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Liberal.

ECONOMIC  PREFERENCE: At the moment, she is saving as much as she could so she doesn’t really shop unless it’s really necessary.

SOCIO POLITICAL POSITION: No opinion

EDUCATION LEVEL: Pugilist guild, astrologian guild, before that - at a lower tier level.

FAMILY.

FATHER: Cassius Castagnier ( biological )

MOTHER:  Kaiyo Harumi ( biological, deceased )

SIBLINGS: Luke Castagnier ( adoptive )

EXTENDED FAMILY: The other children at the inn.

NAME MEANING(S): Derived from ‘ stella ‘, meaning star.  ( 恵里菜 ) comes from the kanji of  恵 ( blessing ),  里 ( village ) and  菜 ( vegetable or some sort ), which is her mother’s happiest experience when she first left her homeland and into Girdania and met her father.

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: One of the bearers of the echo and various warriors of light that was chosen by Hydaelyn to fight as her companion.

FAVORITES.

BOOK: Doesn’t like reading and tries not to. Picture books are more of her favourite, along with recipes and books with historical paintings.

MOVIE: None

5 SONGS: None

DEITY: Oschon

HOLIDAY: Starlight Celebration

MONTH: July

SEASON: Summer

PLACE: Quicksand, Costa del Sol

WEATHER: A sunny day with blue skies and white clouds.

SOUND: Chattering from a crowd, chimes on wind bells, many laughter, soothing voices

SCENT(S): -

TASTE(S): Adventurous and rich, willing to test the flavors with her cooking and food.

FEEL(S): Chiffon fabric and the tenderness of meat

ANIMAL(S): Rabbit

NUMBER: 8

COLORS: Red, green

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Cooking, mining, drinking competitions, organizing, teasing

BAD AT: Reading, directions, sitting still, luck based games, pre planning

TURN ONS: 

TURN OFFS:

HOBBIES: Cooking, going to the market, 

TROPES: The Gadfly, The Social Expert, And Now You Must Marry Me, Mirthless Laughter, The Rival ( to Laipheaux )

AESTHETIC TAGS: Sundress, food, cakes, white cottages, mountains and rocks, tarot decks, hairstyles, sunflowers, glass ornaments, starry night skies, constellations

GPOY  QUOTES: Not sure what this is.

FC INFO.

MAIN  FC(S): Herself

ALT FC(S): Can’t think of any.

OLDER FC(S): Well... she IS an adult.

YOUNGER  FC(S): Can’t think of any.

VOICE CLAIM(S): Kana Hanazawa - Japanese. demo

GENDERBENT FC(S): None.

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1: IF YOU COULD WRITE YOUR CHARACTER YOUR WAY IN THEIR OWN MOVIE, WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED, WHAT STYLE WOULD IT BE FILMED IN, AND WHAT WOULD IT BE ABOUT?:

-

Q2: WHAT WOULD THEIR SOUNDTRACK / SCORE SOUND LIKE?:

-

Q3: WHY DID YOU START WRITING THIS CHARACTER?:

A long time before Luke. I think I started her character in game for like... one or two years ago but I only added her in this blog after Luke since I wanna revive her and see what I can do with the small identity I gave her before I mained Luke.

Q4: WHAT FIRST ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS CHARACTER?:

As I played her, in my head, she seems to be a very upbeat and obliging person when asked for help - probably because she hates doing nothing too. And that I feel she has a sisterly vibe too. I also like how she can be at ease with people and has her own social grace, really loves chatting and listening to others. Man, I wish I had half the energy that she has.

Q5: DESCRIBE THE BIGGEST THING YOU DISLIKE ABOUT YOUR MUSE:

Hmmm, it’s the competitive part, probably. I don’t really like competitions myself and I’m a very, very low key person. 

Q6: WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN COMMON WITH YOUR MUSE?:

The fact that we’re both girls ?? lmao. We’re kinda like polar opposites, to be honest - but that’s what makes it fun for me to write her. I guess one of the common things I have with her is we like to settle and resolves things quickly and then move on rather than beat around the bush, complicate things and drag it on and on. We don’t hold grudges either.

Q7: HOW DOES YOUR MUSE FEEL ABOUT YOU?:

Probably feels that I should get my ass off my room from time to time. And maybe stop trying to shorten my own lifespan with my cooking. Man,,,,,, she does not agree with what I throw into the wok. She’s friendly though so she still feels pretty okay with me. 

Q8: WHAT CHARACTERS DOES YOUR MUSE HAVE INTERESTING INTERACTIONS WITH?

With my other muse, Laipheaux ( man, he is famous with my two muses, huh ). They have a friendly rivalry, mostly due to the fact that they can’t fully understand each others’ behavior well but still able to feel a sort of caring vibe from the other. Laiph didn’t think so at first until he realizes that Estelle still gave him birthday presents like she do with everyone else and left the grand company in girdania for reasons involving him too.Estelle, though she doesn’t read too much into things, acted with Laiph pretty much like she does with friends and didn’t have the same thought process about their relationship like he does. Though they used to roughhouse a lot, they’re much more calmer with each other ( at times, yeah ).

Q9: WHAT GIVES YOU INSPIRATION TO WRITE YOUR MUSE?:

Like in Luke’s answer sheet, my love for the game. Also that I really wanted to start writing female characters who aren’t outright tough and badass like Merlwyb. Sort of trying to exit my comfort zone and see how I can have fun trying new things. Estelle is still a strong character in her own right though, but has a sort of sisterly / motherly vibe ??

Q10: HOW LONG DID THIS TAKE YOU TO COMPLETE?:

Faster than Luke’s page now that I know how this works lol

[yahoo-big-league-stew-blog]

The ballplayer as artist: Micah Johnson's talent runs from outfield to museum

Micah Johnson at an All-Star exhibit in July. (Getty)

You hear “baseball player tries his hand at art,” and you’re skeptical. And you’re right to be; the list of athletes who’ve achieved anything beyond minimal competence in the arts is a short one. For every Bernie Williams, the ex-Yankee who’s a proficient classical guitarist, there are ten Shaquille O’Neals, stomping through hip-hop like they’re dragging cinderblocks across the beats.

But Micah Johnson isn’t just a baseball player who dabbles in art. He’s on a track to be an artist who happens to play a little ball.

Johnson, a veteran outfielder of several teams and a newly-signed member of the San Francisco Giants, recently wrapped his first solo exhibition at Atlanta’s famed Woodruff Arts Center. Yes, really. There was a wine-and-cheese reception and everything. And with exhibitions already on the books in the coming months for Miami Beach’s Art Basel and New York Fashion Week, he’s well on the way to carving out a second career in the art world.

“Make Art Not War,” Micah Johnson

“He has a passion for this to be his mission,” says Matt Jarrard, senior director of corporate philanthropy at Woodruff. “It’s what he tells kids. ‘You don’t have to be just an athlete, you don’t have to be just an artist.’ It’s something we [were] proud to feature it here at the Arts Center.”

A collection of creations both realist and abstract, Johnson’s work ranges from photographic enhancements of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michael Basquiat to expressionist realism like “Beautiful Explosion,” a splatter-paint butterfly beside a harsh-edged black-and-white grenade. Johnson’s other career gets a nod, too, in “Baseball,” a view of a ball’s stitching so tight that the ball looks like a desolate, eroded boulder on the edge of a gray ocean.

So how did Johnson, a ballplayer at Indiana drafted in 2012 by the White Sox, become proficient enough with a canvas to see his paintings on the wall of a gallery?

“I’ll be honest with you, just work,” he says. “Just work, and not being afraid to fail. I was never afraid to fail at baseball, and I’m not afraid to fail at art.”

“Baseball,” Micah Johnson

After years of practice, Johnson began showing the world his work at a January 2017 show at Dodger Stadium. Teammates including Justin Turner and Joc Pederson showed up to offer support, and the entire experience galvanized Johnson, even though, deep inside, he knew his art was drawing attention because of his day job.

Early on, he struggled with that idea, the fact he was getting praise simply because he was a ballplayer working in a field not normally associated with the ballpark. But he learned to steer into the bias, drawing on the praise while disregarding the implicit patronizing.

“I knew I had a lot of work to do [with his art], but people were still telling me ‘this is really cool,’” he says. “Were people saying good things to me because I’m a baseball player? Whatever the reason they told me, I don’t care. It got me to where I am today. Sometimes false confidence works.”

“Athletes get the bad rap of being one-dimensional sometimes,” Jarrard says, “and Micah definitely breaks that mold. In addition to being a top-caliber athlete, his art speaks for itself. He’s one of a kind, both on the field and off.”

“Beautiful Explosion,” Micah Johnson

Jarrard knew of Johnson from their shared Indiana background, and, wanting to connect Woodruff with Johnson’s art, reached out once the Braves signed Johnson in January. Jarrard wasn’t sure what form their partnership would take, but during spring training, the two soon settled on the idea of a solo exhibition. Around that time, Johnson dove for a ball off the bat of the Phillies’ Pedro Florimon. He caught the ball, but the fingers of his glove caught the turf, bending backward and fracturing his wrist. He would be out for months, robbing the Braves of needed outfield depth.

“I had a lot more time [because of the injury], but the show became the reason for doing [artwork],” Johnson says. “Baseball is always going to be my first love, but I loved working on the art too. Probably working too much—I forgot about myself, working till 3 a.m. or 4 a.m.”

“When he gets focused on his art, he’s gone,” laughs Victoria Ramos, Johnson’s girlfriend. “But every time he finishes something, it’s just so impressive.”

On the plus side, Johnson’s injury allowed him to create an entire eight-piece exhibition that went on display at the Woodruff Arts Center in October. He offered all the pieces for sale, as well as prints of the original works, at the exhibition as well as on his website. The exhibition featured both an opening reception as well as a watch-the-artist-work session one Sunday afternoon.

“It was so amazing to see,” Ramos says. “Kids, older people, everyone was coming up to him and telling him how much they loved his art.”

“Warhol vs. Basquiat,” Micah Johnson

“He’s obviously owning baseball as his subject matter, but what was interesting was how he was inspired by his time here in Atlanta,” Jarrard says. “The new pieces referenced the Civil Rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King. It was pretty cool to see him draw inspiration from the city of Atlanta and the arts scene and civil rights history we have here.”

Johnson has blended politics and baseball in one of his more remarkable works, a portrait of Jackie Robinson done on dozens of baseballs. It’s his current favorite, in part because it sneaks up on you.

“If you’re up close to it, you can’t tell what it is,” he says. “I’ve had friends come over and look at it, and say, ‘That’s one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.’ I tell them to step back and pull out their phones, and then they freak out. They can see it with perfect clarity.”

Borderline impossible piece. But I'm determined to make this trippy piece perfect. pic.twitter.com/0boEd4PqaT

— Micah Johnson (@Micah_Johnson3) October 23, 2017

On the field, Johnson’s a testament to endurance and dedication. Next season will be his fourth in the majors, and he’ll take the field in his fourth uniform. He broke in with the White Sox in 2015, grabbed a seven-game cup of coffee with the Dodgers in 2016, spent half of 2017 on the DL with the fractured wrist and the other half with the Braves, and got picked up off waivers by the Giants the day before Halloween.

These days, Johnson spends his early-morning hours working out, training and taking cuts in the cage to prepare for the 2018 season, then picking up the paintbrush … along with sneaking in a few holes of golf now and then, of course. “Doing art, playing baseball. It’s tough,” he says, “but it’s all about aligning your time.”

“He’ll come back from a workout and say, ‘I’m going to hit 30 homers and steal 60 bases!'” Ramos laughs. “And then he’ll complete a work of art, and it will look incredible, and he’ll say, ‘I have no idea how I did that.'”

“I’m excited to see what his work will be like in a year or two,” Jarrard says. “To see the growth of work at the show he did with the Dodgers a year or two ago to now, it represents a pretty significant leap in his abilities, both in subject matter and the quality of the work.”

Next up for Johnson: an exhibit at Miami Beach’s Art Basel in early December and another at New York Fashion Week in February. Beyond that, opportunity stretches wide open, a basepath running right out of the ballpark.

“I want to be known in the art world like I’m known in the baseball world,” Johnson says. “I don’t want my art to be cool just because I’m a baseball player. I used that to get my name established, but at this point I want to create art that people like. I want to have an impact.”

Micah Johnson during a September ballgame. (Getty)

____ Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.

[therappundit]

*Pundit Ponderings*

Ah yes, it is time once again for more thoughtless…Pundit Ponderings:

- The new Drake album isn’t going anywhere for a while folks, and I’m okay with that. Drake does rap better on More Life, but to me it’s crystal clear what really makes this project better than Views: more thoughtful production. Drake still sounds like he’s sleep walking through some tracks, and this project is inferior to If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late, but the producers came through with more moments of standout production choices this time...and the grime influence sorta works?

- The Undertaker is my favorite wrestler of all time, and it is the greatest wrestling gimmick of all time. What other bit can top a 25 year career where most of that time you’re pretending to be dead!?

- Kodak Black > Young Thug (but Thugga has improved!)

- Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble” is proof that his ceiling is so incredibly high, he can crank out whatever style of hip-hop he wants and thrive at it. What sets him apart is his inward focus. It really seems like he is able to shun outside influences, and do what HE wants to do on a record, and it shows in the quality of his projects.

- James Harden is my reluctant choice for MVP because of how much he positively impacts his team’s play. I’m sorry, but the 2016-2017 NBA Season is all the proof we need that today’s game bloats stats. We got Elfrid Payton dropping triple doubles!? Russell Westbrook has 10,000 triple doubles this month alone!? James Harden averaging 40 assists a night!!?!?! COME ON. What sounds more plausible: James Harden and Russell Westbrook are definining their respective positions and are already two of the greatest players of all time....ORRRRR, they are two great future hall of fame players that are thriving in today’s run & gun game, but in spite of all their gifts, they only have a tentative grasp on what makes winners, and how to make their teammates better? I lean hard towards the latter...but can’t deny they’re exciting to watch.

- Damn, David Bowie really had some cool music. Is it possible his catalogue is still somehow underrated?

- Hey I warned you about Benny, didn’t I? Sounds like folks are finally starting to take notice...

https://therappundit.tumblr.com/post/143774514306/neighborhood-watch-benny

- This new Joey Bada$$ album is the most disappointing rap album I have heard in 2017. I admit that I dug Joey’s studio debut album more than most, and I enjoyed his early leaks off of All-Amerikkkan Bada$$, but I figured those cuts were just his attempts to crossover to more mainstream play (and valiant ones at that). I didn’t think he was completely changing his sound? Little did I know that he was more or less working on his J.Cole impression, as this is easily Joey’s most pointed but straight-forward project, taking little risk production wise and lacking in complex wordplay. Is any of it bad? No, it’s good music! But Joey is one of the best of the new generation. Sure the album’s message is on point, but with guys like Mick Jenkins and Kendrick Lamar releasing far more cleverly delivered music that tackles similar subject matter, it’s hard to find excitement with this one, ya know? Is it me??? Hey I want to hear THIS energy again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stoLqWXsIOY

- I can’t believe I am at the point where I actually have a thought like, “ugh, when will this Big Sean verse end, just get to the Migos verses already...”

- Remember when Donald Trump was elected President? I hope that’s the dumbest thing America does in our lifetime - I mean it’s going to be pretty tough to top.

- Um, I hate to be that guy, but...when is DOOMStarks dropping?

- I DIDN’T KNOW WHO CHARLES BRADLEY WAS UNTIL TWO MONTHS AGO BUT OH MY GOD IS HE FRIGGIN AMAZING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi49yirJiEA

- Chicago’s Tree may go down as the most underrated MC of all time from that city. Most underrated from NYC? That’s easy: Skyzoo.

- I wonder what Action Bronson’s new music is going to sound like? Living the life he leads now, it’s hard for me to picture Blue Chips 7000 sounding like any of his hardest work with Alchemist, Statik or Party Supplies.

- I’m checking for Dae Dae in 2017. He’s not reinventing the wheel, he just knows how to pick a hook that is catchy as hell. Tate Kobang knows his way around a catchy cut, too (just sayin’, there is a lot of young talent out there)...

- One of the many gifts from Rosebudd’s Revenge is the Roc Marciano spin-zone it puts me in. I have become reaquainted with sooooo many of his greatest classic cuts over the last few months.

- I hope to hear more 9th Wonder in production in 2017. More soul in hip-hop, please!

- Think Coffee is the most ‘meh’ hipster-friendly coffee chain in NYC. The only reason why anyone comes here is the seating space. #REALTALK

- Remember when Swizz & Busta popped up out of nowhere earlier this year and started dropping snippets of fire cuts, then one track actually dropped, got slept on, and then they sorta backed off...what was up with that? Cause I’m on board!

- I tried blood pudding in Scotland and I won’t be trying it again,

-Maxo Kream is one to watch. This guy has straight-up gangsta rap star written all over him. He’s like a doper Freddie Gibbs (and I like Freddie Gibbs).

- I really wanted to like the Raekwon album more than I do, I REALLY did. 

- First time I failed to participate in March Madness since early high school (I was traveling, headed back to the states from the UK on day one of the tournament). I can’t say I missed it all that much this year. I found the parity less exciting this season, in part because parity is only exciting when there are a bunch of very good teams...not a bunch of mediocre teams trying to hold their roster’s together with duct tape after years of losing talent to the NBA too early. I don’t think it will happen, but I do think a cap requiring players to stay in college for two seasons would be beneficial to all parties involved. And gtfoh with that “but young players will just go overseas” nonsense....most of these kids would rather enjoy their time as big men on campus for another season rather than going to Greece to kill their draft stock with averages like 1.7 pts., 2.3 rebounds per game off the bench.

- Yeah, I still miss Sean P.

- And “Thank you Taker!” [clap-clap, clap-clap-clap]

That’s all I got. Till next time...alonzi!