#who already disliked him immensely and were itching for reasons to take him down

[labyrynth]

wwx stan/jgy anti salt shh

i just think it’s SO funny when ppl are like “umm wwx is NOTHING like jgy bc wwx is Moral and Good and Kind and Just whereas jgy is Evil and Greedy and Power Hungry and Selfish. wwx ONLY ever did what he thought was RIGHT and JUST!!! jgy MURDERED his father AND his sworn brother AND all of those innocent women!! wwx would NEVER!!!”

uhhh except that wwx would. bc he did.

like are we forgetting the whole mutilation and torture and “feeding a guy his own flesh” thing or are we just ignoring it?

like okay we’ll put that aside. are we forgetting the whole “intentionally and gleefully torturing hundreds to thousands of enemy cultivators to death” thing or are we ignoring that too?

okay fine. we’ll put that aside too.

what about the whole “intentionally and gleefully torturing potentially hundreds of non-combatant wens and others tangentially affiliated with them who may have been caught up in the war” thing? are we ignoring that too?

yeah that’s the funny thing about military bases is that actually, there tends to be a lot of non-combatants there too. you know, doctors, servants, prostitutes, etc. all i’m saying is that wwx wasn’t exactly discerning when he was on his happy fun torture joyride.

(it’s ok tho we all make bad decisions sometimes. unless you’re the son of a whore. in which case you’re just evil. uwu)

[narrators-journal]

The most dangerous game

I know I’ve been hella dead, but I return with my usual! Stano smut! I dunno why I adore writing these two so much, but I guess I’m attached, so yeah. Ya’ll get content.

CW: Predator/prey vibes, Xeno gets chased but there’s no real big acknowledgement of it.

It was likely because Xeno had developed a persistently wonky sleep schedule that he got so many night time jobs. That, he supposed, was why he was once again out at night hunting another Vampire, despite having told his boss of his run-in with a particularly pretty vampire. However, at the moment, Xeno somewhat wished he was dealing with Stan instead. At least with him he could rely on his need to flirt and toy with him to give him away. But no, the scientist wasn't hunting Stanley, but instead a completely different vampire who was proving his dislike for hunting the blood sucking monsters. Taking advantage of how dark the night was, the human's weaker vision, and whatever ninja techniques he had learned from the internet, the young vampire had hidden annoyingly well in the thick blanket of shadows and clutter on the streets. So, the white-haired college graduate was poking around at every rock and thicket of grass or bushes along the sidewalk before the boiling irritation in his veins got to be too much and he let out a mix of a groan and a scream like a tea pot. Stomping over to one of the few flickering street lights on the road, the hunter stood in the light and dug out his knife, then used it to slash at his stomach to fill the air with the alluring scent of fresh blood. With a pained hiss and the new wet feeling of blood dripping sluggishly down his pale skin, the trap was set, and all the hunter had to do was wait for the shallow cut to work its magic. Which, didn't take long. All Xeno had time to do was get one of his metal stakes from his pocket and extend it, then he was set upon by the vampiric ninja-wannabe. However, despite his skill at stealth, the vampire was young in both a human and vampire sense. Freshly turned at a young age, he'd become a problem because he had yet to grow out of his pubescent hormones quite yet, and giving him a predatory draw and increased strength had only encouraged him to turn hard into the bad boy persona. Sadly, being a new vampire wasn't all improvements. It also meant an increased hunger and little control of your newfound strength. Which is what had led the young man to be targetted by the monster hunter association, and swiftly wiped out by a stake through the throat via Xeno Wingfield. With a grunt, the monster hunter threw the freshly dead young man to the sidewalk, wincing at the burning and itching sting bending down to yank the stake from his throat brought to his stomach. For a moment or so, he felt bad for the creature. He'd been young, and he'd let his newfound powers obviously go to his head after a lifetime diet of anime and movies, the silver haired hunter could understand his over excitement, but he also had little to no patience for dumbasses who couldn't register that they weren't in Naruto. So, his sympathy was brief, and he was soon just dragging the young creature's corpse into some bushes and calling the cleaning crew to come collect him. Then. He spoke.           "God damn, Doll. You're quite attractive when you're being lethal." Stan hummed, hopping down from his hiding spot in a nearby tree and giving the hunter a charming smile that he refused to admit brought a little heat to his face.         "Oh, so you're just gonna become a full blown stalker now? Did you follow me from my house, or was this another 'coincidental' run-in." Xeno's words dripped with sarcasm and venom, but the vampire simply rolled his glacial blue eyes,          "Actually, I'm here because I smelled fresh blood," At the mention of fresh blood, the scientist glanced down at his work shirt, spotting the tiny stain of blood his cut had left,          "Oh." He inwardly winced at how disappointed he sounded, but tried to recover with a sniff, "I had trouble luring the bastard out. It was quite the shock for me to find out that not every vampire would want to chase me down and prowl around my house for the entire fucking night." Stan simply snorted, fishing out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one before he spoke again,          "Nah, that's just my thing, doll,"         "Quit calling me doll! You have my name now, fucking quit." The vampire put his hands up in mock surrender, though his smirk didn't falter under the scientist's withering glare. For a moment, they simply stood in the cool night's darkness, the hunter with his arms crossed and dark eyes narrowed, and the vampire returning his malicious look with his own nonchalant, half-lidded one while he breathed whispy smoke from his dark mouth. Both men seemed to dare the other to say something or do anything, each looking for an excuse to make some sort of contact until the smaller male spoke again,           "Are you expecting me to run away? Because I told you the first time we met, I'm not likely to do that," He huffed, but Stan simply shrugged,           "I'm just messing with ya, doesn't matter to me if you run or not." He grinned more at the lightning fast moment of irritation on Xeno's face, but the hunter schooled his facial features back into their usual disdain-filled glare, only broiling with frustration on the inside. He hated this man's relaxed demeanor. He was a monster hunter, the tall, hypnotically pretty predator should be avoiding him at all costs. Yet here he was, needling at him as if he couldn't end him just as quickly as he had the younger blood sucker. Okay, well, not as quickly. Stanley had a good four inches on the monster hunter at least, and had a body that had been frozen at the prime of his life, toned and pruned like an artfully shaped shrub through the years into a gorgeous, powerful example of why humans were the apex predators of the world. Or, well, they were, but with his change into the more monstrous his status as the perfect predator had only increased. Stan was perfectly built to hunt humans. Not only did he have a supernatural magnetic beauty to him, but he'd been human, so he knew how humans behave first hand. He was a nightmarish wet dream. Xeno gave his head a good shake to banish those thoughts from his mind when he realized he was looking the vampire over with the hunger of a sugar baby sizing up their next piggy bank.           "Hey, Xeno," Stan hummed, but the hunter refused to look back at the man, which he simply took as a greenlight to continue, "you wanna play our little game tonight?" The hunter snorted in response, staring off into the darkness while his cheeks cooled,           "I thought you were only here to bother me, not play a game of fucked up tag," He said calmly, only looked back at the man when he heard him walking closer, only stopping when he was about two feet away, maybe within reach, a grin on his pretty face,           "Well, I thought it'd be a bit more polite to offer that rather than just asking if I could drink your blood outright." he reasoned, amused at the edge of poutiness that he seemed to sniff out through the veil of aloof indifference the hunter spoke with.            "No thanks to either offer, I don't want to be chased tonight." Xeno sniffed in response, simply adding a thicker layer of ill temper to cover how excited he was at the thought of being pursued a second time. The first time had, admittedly, given him a thrill, but he wasn't ready to voice such to the annoying vampire in front of him. However, Stan seemed to have picked up on his kryptonite from that first round,              "But aren't you curious to see what happens when you add the scent of blood to the mix?" The purr in the man's voice annoyed Xeno immensely, but the thought of maybe learning just how sensitive vampire instincts were, and how quickly one would succumb to them. Obviously young vampires are more prone to being controlled by their need to feed, but Stanley isn't a new vampire, that curious voice mused, already setting Xeno on a very likely stupid and dangerous path, It'd be immensely helpful to know just how easy it is to bring out those base urges in him. If he's going to follow you around it's best to know what to avoid so he doesn't go feral. It further encouraged, stoking the flames of the scientist's natural curiosity until he hummed,              "I suppose it would be useful for the association to know exactly what triggers a vampire to go into a frenzy of some sort. Fine." The vampire grinned at that,             "You do know that I can't promise my feeding instinct is the only one that'll come to the surface," he pointed out, making Xeno blink and raise an eyebrow at him,             "What? Why would any other instinct come into play?" turning red as Stan laughed,               "Well, in simple terms, I find you too attractive to promise that when I catch you I'd only want to drink your blood~" Xeno's face warmed up more at that, getting huffy and tripping over his words in his rush to snap at him.               "You can have a five minute head start, just like last time," he simply assured, "Just need a bit of blood, because your original scratch has closed," He laughed more when Xeno pulled up his shirt to see that his shallow cut from earlier had in fact begun to heal, no longer bleeding and instead beginning to scab over. The hunter only responded with a glare at that point as he plucked his knife from the sidewalk where he'd dropped it and wiped it off before leaving another cut along his stomach, this one a bit deeper than the first, but not enough to linger for more than a day or two. With that, Stan gave him a charming smile that showed his extending fangs, his blue eyes already getting a hungry gleam to them. So, without further conversation, Xeno took off down the street. The cuts on his stomach stung and itched more from his running, but he pressed on. His main concern was regulating his breathing and energy so that he could get as far away from the vampire as he could in his small window of time. Naturally, his plan wasn't to just run in a straight line and wait to be caught, not only would that likely be dangerous, as a vampire in a feeding frenzy was much more violent, but was less likely to fulfill the goal of bringing those deadly instincts to the surface at all. So, instead, he sought out other people, a crowded area, maybe a shop, that way it wasn't as easy for the predator to catch up to him. This is insanely stupid, that voice of reason finally spoke up, not only am I playing with fire by instigating an instinctual reaction, but I am woefully under prepared to run from Stan. He realized, filling his veins with icy terror when the weight of his situation fully sunk in, The first time we did this I barely survive on pure panic and him toying with me. If he really loses his shit and goes into a frenzy, I can't outrun him. The reality of the thought hurt, but it was sorely true. Despite all of his training as a monster hunter, Xeno had never been one for good cardio, namely in the stamina category. He relied on his wits and pure speed, not his ability to maintain those speedy response times or pace for long periods. but it's too late now, he reminded himself, thinking back to the way the vampire's fangs had extended so soon after he'd given him a fresh source of scent. Nope, he couldn't chicken out now. He had no choice but to stick to his plan and push the panic and fear aside. Instead, he simply focused on the route ahead of him and locked onto the light of a store further down the street, which he headed for instantly. The bright, artificial light blinded the pale scientist for a moment when he stumbled into the store, but he was swift to regain his barrings and dash down the aisles and through the crowds of night owls and whatnot that were still up at this hour. He knew that his five minutes had ended a minute or so before. Meaning he didn't have long before the vampire would be on his ass. So, thinking quickly, he swiped his hand over his wounds, then smeared the blood on his palm onto the tile flooring in an aisle. Once he had that down, Xeno ran off deeper into the store. He had very few places to hide. The bathroom was basically a dead end with no windows and only one door, he couldn't climb up the shelves or to the rafters in a timely manner, so he forwent that plan. Instead, he did the next best thing. leaving as distracting a trail as possible before bolting out one of the fire exits.            "Shit," he wheezed when the fire exit triggered a screaming alarm through out the store. If Stan was in there, he'd definitely know he got out now, but that only meant the scientist had less time to think of such things. He had to focus on running. So, Xeno ignored the way his legs throbbed, and his lungs ached from gulping down the cold night air. He focused entirely on getting home, or at least to a more residential area. He could feel his limbs getting heavier, threatening more and more to give out with each step, but his grit his teeth and bared it until the threat became reality and the asphalt bit into his skin. And there he laid for a few seconds, gasping for air and scraping up as much energy as he could to push himself to his feet. As he did, he glanced back down the street, and sure enough. Stanley was coming out of the alley Xeno'd run out of, his glowing blue eyes locking onto the scientist in an instant. With another curse spat out through gritted teeth, Xeno took off again. His legs still screamed from exhaustion, and now his hands stung viciously from the fall, but he kept going. He could hear Stan closing in on him, which gave him a final burst of frantic energy that carried him to at least the park near his home before the vampire finally tackled him to the grass. The scientist could only wheeze in response, letting the vampire crush against him and push his face into his pale neck with a growl. That seemed to snap him out of the exhaustion cloud, and in an instant, Xeno was squirming and forcing himself up once again. The only way he managed it was because the vampire was taken by surprise, so he was able to slip from his grasp and scramble up, but he only got a few more steps before he had to lean against a tree for support so that his legs didn't crumble a third time. Then, just as quickly as he'd gotten away, Xeno was back in Stan's luke-warm arms, trapped against his needlessly heaving chest with his fangs hovering over his jugular once more. However, he didn't bite down. To the contrary, the feral vampire seemed to hesitate for a moment, seemingly weighing his options of what to do with the hunter before settling on a choice and swiftly switching to almost slamming him against the nearest tree.           "S-Stanley!" The hunter wheezed, more surprised then anything, pushing back so that his face at least wasn't forced into the course bark and he could look back to try and see the blonde behind him. Said blonde was keeping him in place with a hand on one of his shoulders, looking Xeno in the eye and almost relishing the dawning realization that painted his pale cheeks before he used his free hand to hook into his pants and tug them down pretty roughly. Then, he was back at the man's neck, but this time he bit with his blunter teeth, sucking at the skin until Xeno's mewls and hums were pulled out and he was satisfied with the hickey he'd left. The scientist, meanwhile was a bit ashamed of how quickly he accepted the turn of events. He tried to save some face by muffling the noises bubbling in his throat, but Stan's mouth at his neck, paired with the way he ground his groin into his now-bear rear drug a few noises out. Though, it also bat back the fog of hormones and lust long enough for the hunter to realize that he was very likely to get hurt if he didn't intervene. So, he whined and reached up to tangle his fingers in Stan's messy hair, tugging at it until he finally relinquished his throat from the second hickey he was dedicated on leaving. Carefully, Xeno turned himself around with what little room he was permitted between the vampire's muscular chest and the much-less-forgiving tree. Once they were face to face though, the college graduate's brain no longer seemed to work, so, the two simply stood there, panting a bit from the chase, before he finally gave up on using words and instead simply sunk down to his knees. Keeping his eyes glued to the glowing blue pair above him as he went. Luckily enough for him, his actions at least intrigued the vampire, because he was allowed to tug his bottoms down just enough for his member to spring free, which earned him a noise somewhere between a growl and a hum. With Stan's pants down and his member now standing erect in front of him, Xeno hesitated. Should it matter if I'm any good at this sort of shit? I just need some sort of lubrication, and he shouldn't really care about anything beyond...mating, so surely he won't give a shit, right? He asked himself, puzzling over the predicament before Stan reached down to grab onto his shirt, reminding the scientist of his lack of patience. So, Xeno threw his insecurities to the wind and grabbed onto the base of the shaft so he could slip Stan's impatient member into his mouth. The vampire moaned in response, and Xeno took that as a sign that he'd bought a bit more time for himself. So, he slowed down, bobbing his head at a medium sort of pace to work himself up to taking as much of the length as he could, which, thankfully for him, was almost all of it thanks to years of speed-drinking coffee and energy drinks and eating at record speeds in college. He also found that once he actually got to moving, the embarrassment of his lack of skills faded away, and part of him simply enjoyed the groans he got out of Stan while he moved his lips up and down him at a steady pace. He simply continued to work him as much as he could until the vampire let out a little hiss and gripped onto the scientist's shirt until he pulled away and let his throbbing member go with a coy 'pop'. Suddenly, Xeno was yanked back to his feet and whirled around again to be slammed back into the tree. His pants were tugged down once more and his feet were kicked apart in rapid succession so the monster hunter only got a moment's break before Stan pushed into him. And while it hurt still, the white-haired man found that he didn't mind as much. As the vampire began thrusting into him, one hand clawing into his hip, the other on his shoulder, Xeno moaned out curses and did his best to grab onto the tree or Stan's neck to keep steady under the merciless thrusts of the blonde. It was shameful how hot his body got, but with how Stan was hitting that sweetspot within Xeno, his face back to being buried in his neck for more marks, Xeno couldn't care less.        "Mmmm, fuck! ah, r-right there, please!" he plead, tangling his fingers back into Stan's hair as he moaned, giving another lewd noise when his pursuer did as he asked, swiftly learning that doing so got more needy noises from the hormone-addled hunter. With that, Xeno lost all coherency as euphoria further fogged his mind, and soon brought him to his peak with a whine of the vampire's name. Though, Stan didn't stop when Xeno came, he just kept thrusting into him, still flooding his pale body with more and more pleasure while his hot puffs of breath tickled his hickey-littered neck. The continued rough treatment was beginning to sting, but the edge of pain only seemed to bolster Xeno's pleasure back to its peak, pushing a second orgasm from him before Stan finally grew sloppy with his thrusts and soon gave one final movement before emptying himself into the hunter. After that, the monster hunter let himself melt against the tree, relying on Stanley to hold him up because he was on the verge of passing out after that night's activities. The last thing Xeno remembered was giving a thumbs up to what he assumed was the question 'are you okay'. Then, he let his exhaustion take him into dreamland.

[reiven2017]

Delicate steel.

Chapter 4

Rachel literally fell out of the building, covering her mouth with her hand and leaning over the cold iron handrails, spat the bitter taste of alcohol on the asphalt. Her head was buzzing, her hands were wadded up, and the fabric of her black shorts was soaked through with beer, sticking viciously to her body, and Raven found herself trying to count how many fingers she had on her hand.

Oh, she was in a complete mess and this is one of the worst decisions of her life..

A week before.

A gust of cold wind blew, a page of Rachel's textbook gave in to it, but the girl just calmly continued to sit in place. It was a lunch break, at this time of the year, usually all the students preferred being in warm buildings with heating and no one pokes into the street, so Rachel Roth went there with a cheerful gait.

She looked around the empty yard and noticed a large spreading tree in a remote part of the territory, and went there.

Raven sighed softly, finally getting rid of the stuffy rooms and the walls pressing down on her. Today seemed to be preparing her for the meat of something shitty and quietly mocked her without wasting a minute. In the morning, she spilled coffee on her jeans and there seemed to be nothing to put on others, but her mother reported too late that all the few things Raven had that reached at least to her knees were left in the laundry, so after glancing sullenly at herself in the mirror before going out, Roth continued to adjust the edges of the dark skirt that seemed too short to her.

She had no particular love for things that, with a slight gust of wind, could easily disgrace her. Sometimes it seemed to Rachel that she was naked, even though her legs were hidden under the thick material of black tights, but this did not save her from feeling insecure and a certain fear.

Raven was about to put up with the fact that she would go in jeans with a taste of coffee, as her mother did not tolerate any objections, waved her away and just as quickly shoved the girl into the car, offering to take her to school.

The day promised to be outstanding when the fifth whistle reached Raven, and after even more stupid words of teenagers at her school, and the girl was finally convinced of her hatred for this wardrobe item. She measured these stupid asses with a contemptuous look, squaring her shoulders and barely restrained herself from showing them a dirty gesture in response. Even if she felt naked and confused under their greasy gazes, she would not have given them the pleasure to find out about it.

For this reason, Rachel was immensely glad when she went out into the street, she came across only a lonely asphalt and a dim sun in the sky. It was cloudy, it seemed that the air was saturated with moisture and the sun's rays only occasionally reached the ground. Yes, it was cold, especially the hardships of the weather were felt in the skirt, but it was much better than sitting and listening to the students talking about their ass.

The girl shoved her phone into the very bottom of her denim bag and tried to concentrate in silence on the books scattered around her.

It took some time before Rachel's eyes refused to accept new letters and leaning back against the trunk of a tree, she literally felt someone else's presence, and then a mountain of muscles obscured her field of vision, and the smell of cologne hit her nose. Roth made an irritated face. She had a strange ability to recognize a person without even looking at him.

— "You're as beautiful as ever, Rachel." she knew the owner of such a smug voice and did not want to look at his even more smug face.

Rachel chuckled vaguely. She wasn't in the mood for conversation.

Especially with him.

"What do you want, Wilde?" he chuckled. "And as friendly as ever, my lady." " Raven gave him a cold look from under her lashes, and then went back to reading. History had never been her favorite subject, but it was much more interesting than watching Jonathan Wild and listening to his stupid flirting. He hadn't ambiguously annoyed her at school for several weeks, had he come all this way just to talk to her?

Raven was not the most desirable girl at school and did not try to attract attention to herself as many did, but simply lived by studying and this should logically provide her with a quiet life, but as they say, nothing is impossible and by some miracle it was the local football leader who fell on her. To the envy of the others and unfortunately for Rachel, but she found it extremely annoying and problematic for herself.

Her goal was to attract as little attention to herself as possible, and this pompous mountain of muscles and testosterone literally broke all her plans, considering for herself as her own law that every girl was crazy about him as soon as he appeared within a radius of ten meters. So, to get rid of him, the only thing she needed was like a breath of fresh air on a stuffy evening, and Raven barely restrained the rude comment that was ready to escape from her lips when Wilde sank down next to her on the withered grass and frowned disgustedly at his expensive designer jeans.

Is the big boy afraid of bugs?

Raven wanted to leave this place before he said anything else annoying and annoying. Of course, she could have stayed where she was and pretended that Wilde simply did not exist, enjoying further joyful solitude, but something in his gaze alerted her Mouth. She had already turned to take her backpack and get as far away from here as possible, when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder, and then she was pulled back, making Rachel instinctively twitch at this touch.

Physical contact was never something pleasant for Rachel, and even more so when someone so unceremoniously interfered with her personal boundaries.

And? It seems to me, or his hand really lies on my shoulder

The thought made Roth frown. She turned her head in the direction of the teenager, caught in his, at the very moment when his lips stretched into a narcissistic smile and Raven felt anger creep under her skin, making it hiss like a snake and spraying blood in her veins. Rachel hadn't always been so aggressive, but his actions had awakened old fragments of memories in her, her brain was convulsively thinking and she couldn't restrain herself. At least, that's what she wanted to think.

She felt rage and irritability drown her head in one, her eyes went dark, and her lungs seemed to be on fire, and Raven tried to start breathing again.

"Come on Raven" - Roth was going to roughly shut him up before he said anything else, but her words stuck in her throat like a lump. —" I understand that you are new and you must be embarrassed by such attention from a guy like me, but, honey, don't be shy. When I saw you today in this charming skirt..". — Raven felt his gaze darting boldly over her body, and the corner of his lips lifted in a vulgar grin and she felt a wild need to hit him between the eyes. She jerked sharply again, ignoring his plaintive sigh when she probably hit him on the liver, trying to get rid of his obsessive hand on her body, finding it rather frightening that he was so much stronger than her and John, noticing his pressure and the girl's tightly compressed lips, pulled away, but still not giving Raven final freedom.

He smiled again, thinking that the sight of his snow-white teeth would relax the situation and it seemed that he did not care at all about what was happening right in front of him. John took a quick glance at the only entrance to the courtyard where he and Raven were, and his eyes darkened, shimmered with a strange shine. His hand came out from behind his back and wrapped around the girl's waist like a snake.

This left Rachel with no questions about why he had found her. And it made her lower lip tremble, from a moment of anger that came over her.

Raven looked at him carefully, noticing that despite the way he smiled sweetly and made eyes, pretending to be a completely relaxed person, his fists were tightly clenched, and sometimes his breathing was interrupted. Roth had no idea about him, except for a wild boy's fantasy in his head and a passionate love for football, and this was a dangerous fact for her.

"You know you're just wasting your time with me, Wilde," Rachel said through tightly clenched teeth.

She ran her hand down her skirt, lightly brushing the pocket of her hoodie, and she frowned before her hands itched, ready to beat herself. Roth had heard rumors a couple of times about Wilde's sudden change of mood when he refused girls, but these were just stupid rumors and Raven had no desire to check them. For some reason, that didn't stop her from thinking about her folding knife.

Of course, it was today that you didn't take your knife to Rachel Roth.

She was sure that her mother had checked ryukaz before leaving. It made Raven groan in resignation.

"Maybe, but it makes the thought of you even sweeter." - Roth wasn't even going to think about what thoughts about her were in Wilde's head, but for some reason it made her blue eyes turn black with anger. If he continued to behave in this  way, Rachel was not sure that she would be able to restrain herself. Her brain was boiling, her breathing was sharp and ungainly, and she was almost afraid for her sudden change of mood, if she didn't know the reason. She felt her nails involuntarily dig into the soft fabric of her palms. She knew how dangerous she could be.

This is Wild, a local favorite and the best athlete in Data, whose cups are personally signed by the mayor of the city. And this Rachel, a girl who was expelled from a prestigious school for a fight and disliked the local teachers. Anyone who listens from the outside will burst into wild laughter, completely disbelieving and denying everything with the cells of his soul that such a handsome athlete harassed such as Raven. This caused a wave of rage in her.

Rachel was sure, or wanted to be sure, that he was just playing with her. But he wouldn't rape her in the middle of the day and in the school yard, would he? It was stupid, even for him.

But everything happened faster than she wanted and Raven heard him swear dirty, his football bomber creaked softly as John reached for Rachel's face, squeezing her chin and pulling her towards him, and she did not immediately realize that he was looking at nothing else but her lips.

She caught his hungry gaze, just at the moment when their faces were literally a centimeter apart, when her eyes were flooded with scarlet lead, and the cruel side of her character obscured all sane thoughts.

- !Rubbish!! Raven wasn't the one who went along with someone and restrained her anger, and before she could stop herself, her fist shot up and she heard his painful groan as Jonathan Wyald, like a beaten dog, jumped away from her.

She was sure that she would regret it later.

Raven was trembling with anger and the adrenaline in her blood exceeded the norm when she felt a wild burning in her hand and winced, wiping the blood on her knuckles on her black hoodie. It wasn't the first time Rachel had been involved in a fight, so she was sure that she had broken the guy's nose. She was enjoying the contorted and stunned expression on John's face as he fell on his back.

Raven jumped to her feet, too fast for her, regretting it when her eyes went dark for a moment and grabbed the bag from the ground with a trembling hand. I had to get as far away from here as possible.

— "You're going to regret this, bitch."his voice, low and guttural, turning into an animal growl, only vaguely resembled human speech, causing Raven to turn around.

Wilde's eyes were burning, they were fierce and animal with anger, his chest heaved and fell heavily, and in his hand he clutched the earth and the wreaths on his neck swelled and reddened. He was like a wild animal whose ego was deeply and painfully wounded.

Raven smiled dryly at his words.

She might regret it, but it would teach him manners.

Roth had already sent one like Jonathan Wild to a hospital bed a few years ago and then, without doing it earlier, this delay cost her the most expensive thing she had. She imagined in her place those girls who shuddered when John carelessly passed by, smiling and laughing, and they were afraid of male touches, and Rachel barely stopped herself from putting his head against the wall. She barely stopped her justice-hungry nature from breaking something else to the asshole.Raven always chose justice, but she had a separate place in Hell for people like Wilde. Thinking that they are allowed everything and not thinking about the consequences.

Roth swallowed the acrid lump in her throat and her eyes stung from wet tears. She roughly wiped her eyes with her sleeve and rushed towards the school without wasting a minute. Rachel was barely restraining herself from hysteria, she was still reeling from a fit of rage and Raven knew that if she didn't get out of there, her nerves would break like a guitar string. She felt that the sleeves of the hoodie had become wet and sticky, and her brain was trying to restrain the painful urges of her bleeding palms.

                                                       ======

The next day, Rachel came to school with her hands bandaged and already mentally prepared for the fact that the scandal and the drama of Wilde would spread throughout the school, but instead she found the usual situation and the absence of Jonathan himself.

He didn't show up for the next few days either, and Raven didn't know whether to be happy or cry.

She occasionally caught strange glances from the guys on his football team, but she wasn't going to treat it as something dangerously warning. They were always limited to just glances, and as long as it didn't interfere with Rachel's life, she just brushed it off as an annoying insect. But this did not escape the attention of her new friend.

Over the past couple of weeks, he and Amy had been communicating quite well, and Raven had to admit that she found her an interesting conversationalist.

Amelia did not require her to answer and girly chatter, occasionally joked about the name of Rachel and knew how to be everywhere and at the same time nowhere. She was a wild fan of rock bands, but became a victim of her conservative and domineering mother forcing her to be a lady even sitting on the toilet. And it also turned out that Amelia Rogers was considered an outcast at the Data school, which seemed crazy to Rachel. Even in her medieval dresses and bows on her hair, Amy did not stop being cheerful and perky and Raven had no idea how someone like Amelia was labeled an outcast.

Raven's sincere question, why the girl is considered an outcast, caused a wave of laughter and unrestrained laughter in Amy for several minutes and Roth simply left the topic alone.

It was recess, Raven was rummaging through the depths of her school locker, being annoyed and looking for a book, and Amelia Rogers was standing next to her, occasionally throwing her comments.

Amy took a close look at the football team's table and held out her hand, intrigued. — "I'm definitely sure that you did something wrong." Rachel took a sharp breath, hoping that it would remain unnoticed for Amelia, but the girl continued to study the table carefully with the athlete and Raven urged herself to calm down mentally. - "what?" she felt Amelia roll her eyes and continued in a tone as if Raven was five years old and they were learning numbers. - "Wilde has been missing for several days, and his friends are not taking their eyes off you and it all looks suspicious." - "Don't talk nonsense." - "Oh! You're a terrible liar, Rachel Roth." - "Maybe it's you who are bad at recognizing lies. "Raven snapped, feeling guilty when Amelia stared at her questioningly and immediately regretted her words. It wasn't Amy's fault that Rachel was a complete mess.

Rachel exhaled wearily, leaning her forehead against the cold metal and whispered softly. - "I'm sorry. " she heard Amy snort softly at her words and felt the girl immediately break into a smile. "Come on, you're allowed to be the Raven Queen." Rachel rolled her eyes at the silly nickname Rogers had given her — " And to be honest, Your Highness looks like a piece of shit." — "It's...just bad lighting here." Raven pouted slightly - "Continue to amuse yourself with this". Amelia clucked and waved her hand around Rachel's figures. — "That's all, literally radiates the energy of sullenness and lame shit." -" Thank you. "Raven scowled, pulling away from the cold metal and leaning her back against the lockers. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her dark jeans, took a slow breath and tried to force something like a smile out of herself. - "Bring back the sullenness, now you have such a look as if I'm torturing you." Amy said with a smile, but her eyes twinkled excitedly. "Oh, to hell with it". Raven grumbled, leaving Amelia standing by the lockers. "Yes, escape from reality, Rachel Roth, and return to your kingdom of darkness. " Rogers chuckled, catching up with the girl. It was at such moments that Rachel wondered how Amy became her friend. She shot a frown at her friend's remark, but it made Raven think and she stopped on the toes of her sneakers. She wasn't running away from reality, was she? She had no reason to.

"I can see that you've gone back to your terribly gloomy thoughts, but!" Amelia playfully played with her eyebrows, attracting Raven's attention as they turned to"wards the algebra classrooms. Rachel arched a! questioning eyebrow, wondering what had come to the girl's mind this time. They stopped at the entrance to the classroom when Rachel stared incredulously at Amelia, who had a cheeky grin on her lips and mentally asked herself how many times she would regret it. -" But?"

                                                           ======

Raven continued to ignore Amy's stupid idea of a party and was almost not surprised when she came h"ome to find angry text messages and a number of missed calls from Rogers. She felt a wild desire to erase this day from her memory and just put on her pajamas and go to bed. But during this time, she tormented herself with an argument with Amy.

—" I don't even want to know how you know about the party at the docks. " Raven grumbled into the phone, throwing herself on the bed. There was interference on the line and it seemed to the girl that someone was sneaking on the other end of the wire. —" I have connections, oh, my dear Rachel. "Amelia whispered. -" It sounds threatening...and why are you whispering?" -" Don't be such a bore and agree! "Amelia exclaimed sharply, and Raven restrained herself from covering her hands over her ears.

Rachel wondered why she was so caught up in this conversation, and not just tu"rned off her mobile phone. Roth was sure that she would not leave her room even at gunpoint, especially alcohol and sweaty people were never in a number of her priorities, so even the very essence of the conversation caused her irritation. She was grumbling, rubbing her eyes, still not understanding what Rogers was up to, puffing and mumbling into her phone, as if she was running from a herd of bulls.

— "I still don't understand how you're going to pull this off, living under the same roof with Mrs. Rogers." — "I have a plan." -" A plan? I hope I don't have just anyone involved in it." It was at this moment that Rachel caught a sound from the first floor and her mother's voice was heard on the phone. The girl's eyebrows shot up in surprise, she took the phone away from her face, listening to the sounds on the first floor and moaned in resignation, reproaching herself that she should have foreseen Amy's madness for this party.

Raven frowned and said angrily through her teeth.

—" Don't you dare say you're at my house." - all she heard before the line ended was a cheerful "Late", and then the front door in the hallway slammed shut and Angela chattered amiably on the first floor. Someone was having a nice conversation with her mother on the first floor, and knowing and confident in who exactly it was, Rachel wondered if it was too late to run, but she heard footsteps on the stairs, and then Angela came into her room and Amy's wide smile appeared in the doorway.

Rachel was going to wipe that smile off her face as soon as her mom stepped into her room.

-" Raven, why didn't you tell me that you and Amelia have a joint project?"

Do we have one?

Rachel stared at her mother with incomprehension, noticing how Amy was gesturing obscenely behind her back. Roth cleared her throat, quickly trying to correct herself and smiled at Angela. -" I'm sorry, Mom, I was just going to let you down and warn you, but I didn't know that Amelia would come so quickly. " this answer seemed to satisfy her mother. "Make yourself comfortable, honey, and call me if Raven doesn't feel well. Oh, I'll call right away and warn your mom that you're staying with us for the night, as you asked." Angela looked painfully happy, and Rachel wondered what Amy had already told her mother.

Asked for it?!

Rachel wasn't sure that she hadn't said it out loud and was extremely sorry that she hadn't put the locks on the door, continuing to watch in disbelief as Amy broke into an innocent smile that Raven knew wasn't innocent at all. The very presence of Rogers was the end of the world, and now Raven was well aware of the purpose of the" project", but still did not intend to participate in it.

Rachel narrowed her eyes dangerously when only she and Amy were left in the room. —" And how do understand this?" —" This is my last attempt to persuade your evil ass to come to the party." Rachel grumbled irritably, rubbing her face. — "Why me? I think I made it clear that I don't look like a lover of parties and crowds of people...especially as you suggest that I do it when you personally told my mother about our "project"." "Oh, don't fuck with me, Rachel Roth. My mother on the eve of the evening read me another monologue about how you again escaped through the window." -" Let's say, but this does not negate the fact that I'm not going to go to any party." Rachel said dryly, in a tone that absolutely brooked no objections. Amelia could go on as long as she wanted, but Roth's conviction that this was a terrible idea had a great cost. "Michael will be there," Amy said uncertainly, hiding her eyes on the floor. Rachel grumbled again, pacing the room. —" Is he that important to you?" - "Yes! I've been pining for him since high school, and yesterday I was finally convinced that he broke up with a girl and this is my chance! " Raven looked at Rogers incredulously. She was sure that Amy was not exaggerating her feelings for the boy. Amelia always made Rachel sit next to his desk, she was there when he needed answers to tests and Roth once again pulled Amy out of thoughts about their wedding and hamsters. This caused her inner resolve to falter. — "Well, yes, and seeing you among drunk and sweaty people, he will immediately explode with love...have you tried just talking to him at school?" "No one does that, my friend..." Rachel cast a frown at Amelia. -" well, except for you, but people like Michael need to be impressed, and not hang around with empty conversations. That's why I have to be there." -" Call someone else. I'm the last person who should ask to go to the party." Raven saw Amelia hesitate, seeming ashamed of something. - "But? — "I have no one but you". Raven felt Amy's voice tremble and moaned in frustration, now she just hated herself for never being able to stand on her own for a long time and allowed herself to be made into a living doll, but no matter how uncomfortable Rachel felt in a large crowd of people, she just couldn't turn her tongue to say "no". —" I'm going to your damn party."

[tmntxreader-fics]

COMMISSION MATCH-UP #1

Our very first Match-Up Commission, (squeeeee), is for my AMAZING friend @morte-witch ! 

Thank-you so much for your support and I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it :)

ALSO I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT YOU’D LOVE THIS GIF CONSIDERING I ACCIDENTALLY SPOILED EVERYTHING BY SENDING YOU THIS ATROCITY XD

DISCLAIMER: This is a request for my written opinion. I, of course, do not properly know you and cannot be entirely accurate when judging your personality because of this. I have chosen a specific character based entirely off of my evaluation of the information given to me. Each individual’s personal opinions will vary but this is simply a requested fun use of observatory and literature skills combined. 

MATCH-UP: LEONARDO

WHY: 

You have a base connection with both your emotions, character and the environment that surrounds you, seemingly on a level that many don’t quite understand. The fact that you acknowledge these connections and their ramifications implies self-awareness in which you can directly identify your character, your strengths, and weaknesses that you need to improve on. 

Now, who else can we think of that has similar attributes and genuinely appreciates others who can understand and operate on a corresponding wavelength?

Appreciating the simplest things, reveling in the quiet and challenging the storm are kindred tokens of both your own and Leonardo’s personality. Even your aesthetics are similar; water (representation of both his color and his technique), the moon, dark colors and East Asian cultural appreciation. 

At your core, you and Leonardo are cognate; sharing the same foundations, values, strengths, and weaknesses. While most would argue opposites attract, in order for a relationship to truly work, the couple’s fundamental beliefs and values need to be at least very similar. Quirks, traits, likes and dislikes are what makes up the personality, sure, but it’s what’s at the very center of the other person’s being that captivates someone.

This is not to say that your differences in certain aspects are non-existent. It would undoubtedly be a difficult relationship at times, being so close in similarities but so far away from each other because of the simplest differences. However, even when considering flaws, the ironic oxymoron, ‘your imperfections are perfect for each other,’ serves incredibly well. 

STRENGTHS:

1. Your relationship would have a depth to it that is incredibly rare; with the both of you so aware, discussions of simple things that you’re appreciative of wouldn’t seem strange or pointless. There’s genuinity within your conversations of simple observations and positive affirmations of the world around you and life itself. (These conversations are probably where he’d attempt to convince you to learn to meditate.) 

2.a. Both of you help each other grow; contrary to popular belief, Leonardo loves to learn- though definitely not in the way Donatello does. Leo craves wisdom and emotional knowledge, and while he struggles with his own emotions, you are very in tune with your own and he would definitely take the chance to learn from you and grow with you. 

2.b. In addition to this, we know that Leonardo is incredibly observant, especially with those that he holds romantic feelings for. You can be sure that any cues that you may give, (intentional or not), will be picked up on; discomfort, anxiety, irritation- Leonardo will see it. He notices your difficulties when it comes to interacting with others, and while he struggles with similar issues, he would ensure that he helps you to this best of his abilities. Whether it’s whisking you away from a situation once he spots a cue or it’s subtle encouragement- he’s got your back. 

3. Minimal fighting; while there will often be petty tiffs or the occasional full-blown fight, they will be far and few in between. There are rarely misunderstandings between you both and even when things begin to get heated you are a very patient pair of people and generally, that is what proves to be the saving grace of your relationship over and over. 

WEAKNESSES:

Leo’s arrogance, stress, and frustration would become overbearing at times. Considering Leo is the leader both within the team and amongst the family, there’s a hierarchical driven arrogance that comes along with it. There will be times where you will disagree on certain things and he simply tries to take the decision by force; using his role as ‘leader’ as his weapon. 

He struggles immensely with his emotions and defers to bottling them in an attempt to pretend they don’t exist, so when he does lose control it’s horrible. Leo has never learned to properly cope with his issues and emotions and it is clearly seen within your relationship. During these moods or moments, he is intolerant, explosive and passive-aggressive. When he does try to communicate how he feels with you it never comes out correctly and you discover that you become irritated by his wording and arguments. It puts significant strain on you both and it worries you a little that whenever his control slips he embodies everything you dislike.

HEADCANONS: 

Basically just the initial stages of your friendship and romantic integration. Everyone likes their relationships a certain way so touching down on the beginnings is probably the best way to remain accurate.  

- Leo’s never been one to initiate casual conversation with anyone outside of his familial circle. In fact, the more he thinks about it, he realizes that even where April and Casey are concerned, he has little to no interactions with them unless it’s out on the field. He never intended to avoid them, he supposes he just never felt the need to connect with them on that particular level. 

-Even with this new revelation, he feels fairly comfortable with his introversion. So long as he remains polite, he is generally satisfied with everyone’s lives remaining their own.

Until you. 

- Suddenly, he wants to talk; he wants to hear you talk for hours about everything and anything you could possibly conjure. And you do, you talk, just not to him. Never to him. His brothers are more available for conversation, generally the ones to initiate it and make you feel comfortable in their presence. Especially Mikey, the youngest brother basically initiated friendship without your acknowledgment. 

- You’ve always wondered about Leonardo, you’ve simply begun to view him as the mysterious leader who wanders the halls; walking with purpose but no particular direction. If you were anyone else you would have already initiated conversations with him, tried to get to know him. Unfortunately, you simply can’t bring yourself to take that risk beyond the polite greetings, his demeanor both drawing you in and warding you off simultaneously. 

- Leo has made it his mission to try to talk to you more. He doesn’t exactly know why but you’ve become an itch that he desperately needs to scratch before it drives him to lose focus of his tasks. On the other hand, maybe he does know the reason. Denying his problems or anything that could cause future complications has been his specialty; he wouldn’t surprised if he later discovers he’s been in denial the entire time. 

- You’d be lying to yourself if you didn’t say that, as of late, he’s started to freak you out. The turtle would make an appearance out of nowhere, generally at times where his brothers were not in the vicinity, and talk to you. But, that’s not what’s made you apprehensive; it’s the way he’s tried to interact with you.

- Leo would start off with his generic greetings, polite as always, then drag the conversation to something equally as vague. It has always seemed as if he’s frustrated with himself and the energy puts you off a little, making things incredibly awkward. Well, more so.

- The reality is that he knows he’s not making any headway, he doesn’t know how to integrate into having a real conversation with you and the last thing he wants to do is ask you about the weather for the sixth time this week. Finally, you throw him a bone when he asks about the weather (seventh time), and instead of replying with a polite ‘good’, you smile and comment “it’s cleared up enough to see the stars out. The constellations are amazing when you really take the time to look at them.” 

- Your first conversation takes off. You find yourselves moving to settle in the dojo, distantly thanking whoever was listening that training was finished for the day. Without the interruptions from his brothers or the ill-timed intervention by Splinter, you both manage to engage in conversations ranging from the sky, to culture to things that you just found interesting. 

- You can’t say that the conversation was easy, initially. You discover Leo to be an incredibly intense person and you find yourself questioning every single one of your responses- especially when he pauses to watch you for a brief moment after you finish your sentences. You hate second guessing yourself constantly, it puts you on edge and you find yourself rigid in your seat. 

- Luckily, Leo is able to pick up on these cues and scrambles for ways to relax you without outright leaving the room. If he leaves, he knows that it will take him weeks to work up the courage to try this again. He can’t help the heaviness of his presence, when he’s nervous he either rambles like an idiot or shuts down and interrogates instead of conversating. 

- Eventually, you catch on to the way he consciously tries to appear less intimidating. The way he leans back onto the counter instead of standing upright, hands on either side of him holding the edge of the bench to support himself. A very casual position that implies an openness. His voice lowers to a softer tone that, to your complete and utter surprise, does something a little funny to your stomach. 

- The more he relaxes the more you relax and within ten minutes you both find yourselves laughing along to the conversation. It’s then you discover your similarities in interests. 

- After the conversation comes to a close, thanks to Mikey entering the room like a fucking tornado, he nods at you with a small smile and exits quietly. A small tug in your chest makes you raise an eyebrow. Of course, only you would manage to get mildly attached to someone after a single conversation. 

- Despite your inner scoldings, you find yourself trying to work up the courage to talk to him in the hallways. 

(You never do, you just give him an awkward nod and scuttle past before he has the chance to get a word in). 

-The funny part is that, on the other side, Leo has been doing literally everything within his power to have another conversation with you. Everything. Well, everything other than instigating it, of course. He’ll sit down near you, approximately three feet away to avoid discomfort, and wait for you to initiate the conversation. He’ll go to the kitchen exactly 3 minutes after you’ve walked in to try and catch you alone- a plan that always fails because the kitchen is generally hosting at least two people at a time. 

- The day of success is the day neither of you suspects. You’ve settled in on the roof of your apartment building, attempting to clear your head by embracing the cool night’s air. After an hour or so of drawing vague figures in the sketchbook you had brought up with you, you simply lie on your back with a huff; analyzing the stars in a hope to disperse the heaviness in your chest. 

- That’s where Leo finds you. It wasn’t on purpose, of course. He was on patrol and assigned himself to this particular section of the city. It was a quiet night so far, and whether he’d admit it or not, he was absolutely bored. So when he drops in on a roof with a random lying down on their back he’s not sure whether to immediately turn back or check if they’re dead. Instead, he settles for having a silent heart attack while he stares at the figure on the floor praying somebody would simply airdrop him the answer. 

- However, the longer he stares at them the more familiar they seem. Taking a few tentative steps forward, careful to remain in the dark, he realizes it’s you. 

- Cue another heart attack. 

- Moving into the light, he opens his mouth to say something, praying to whoever is listening that he doesn’t scare the absolute fuck out of you and make this awkward. Instead, the only noise that comes out of his mouth is a wheeze that vaguely sounds similar to your name. 

- Instantly, you bolt up into a sitting position, gaze snapping to where he stands frozen. Before a scream rips from your lips you recognize the Leader’s face, despite the ‘deer-in-the-headlights’ expression etched onto it. 

- You swear loudly, raising your hand to your chest and flopping back to the ground with wide eyes distantly staring into the night sky. 

- Immediately he’s sidled up next to you, apologizing profusely for his rude appearance. Frustrated, you motion for him to sit down beside you and be quiet, in which he grimaces but obeys. He tentatively lays onto his back, completely unsure of whether it’s appropriate or not but the adrenaline in his system tells him it’s worth the risk. 

- Both of you are quiet, your hearts settling back from their racing pace to a steady rhythm. When you do decide to talk, you turn your head to the side, observing his profile. Instead of asking why he’s out here, you instead choose to ask him about his views. Does he ever sit down sometimes and just take in the stars above him? Does he ever wonder about all the unexplored possibilities of life? 

- He tells you that he does, that on nights where his responsibilities get too heavy he lies on his shell and stares at the stars; almost hoping he’d get an answer from them. Then he turns to face you, heart beating beneath his shell. 

“I do wonder about the unexplored possibilities, but, lately I’ve been trying to explore them.” 

You turn to look at him, heart leaping into your throat when you catch his gaze. “What do you mean?” 

He clenches his jaw, wondering whether he should get it wired shut and communicate purely by sign language for the rest of his life. At least, then, his mouth wouldn’t talk before his brain could tell him to shut up. 

“As in, I’m exploring one right now,” he breathes, eyebrows furrowing slightly as he takes in your features. 

“Do you make it practice to scare the shit out of all of your unexplored possibilities?” You joke, unsure of how to appropriately respond to what’s beginning to sound like a confession of interest. “Because while it works for this possibility, I’m not sure about the others.” Your heart is literally trying to claw it’s way out of your chest at your lame attempt to flirt, but the way his lips quirk at your comment eases the nervousness. 

“No,” he smiles, “I generally reserve that for the ones that could actually lead somewhere.”

“You think this possibility could lead somewhere, then?” You question softly, eyes moving to take in the stars above you once more. 

“If you’d be interested in exploring it with me, then I’m certain it could,” he replies. You can feel his gaze on the side of your face and you pluck up the courage to turn back and face him. Instead of the intensity, you were expecting, his expression is gentle. There’s no pressure on you to answer the way he hopes you do, it’s an olive branch. 

With that realization, you smile. “Then by all means, let’s see where it could lead.” 

[comicgeekscomicgeek]

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 24: Akaya Koda and Class 1-B

The latest raw and unedited chapter of my ongoing, next gen, My Hero Academia fan fic.   You get to see it here first, before it goes up on AO3 and FF.net!

Chapters 0-23, plus the first interlude, can be found here

Their Hero Academia – Chapter 24: Akaya Koda and Class 1-B

Akaya Koda strolled across the U.A. campus, enjoying the mid-April sunshine.  She wore a yellow sundress and a wide-brimmed hat, along with a pair of sandals.    After an exhausting week, she was glad for the weekend.  Rescue training at the USJ had been intense, even without the faux Villain attack on Thursday.  

At the same time though, it had been fulfilling work, and work that her Quirk was well suited too. With her power to rapidly grow and control plant life (She disliked the term “controlled,” though.  She preferred to believe she was seeking their aid), she could shore up other structures, form ropes from vines, and even rapidly grow food when necessary.  She disliked violence, always preferring to restrain rather than injure, something else her Quirk excelled at.  Perhaps that was the best path for her to take.  It would take long and careful thought and prayer before she could come to any truly satisfactory conclusion.

Her destination today, though, was the community garden.  It had been established a few years ago at U.A. and was primarily tended to by students with an interesting in growing things, though some teachers would assign work there as detention duty.  It wasn’t especially large, but it did provide a measure of additional fresh fruits and vegetables to the dorms so that less had to be spent on groceries. Akaya enjoyed it immensely.

As she approached the garden, she saw that several of her friends were already there.  Kentaro Fukui of Class 1-B gave her a friendly smile and wave.  At nearly three meters tall and more than a meter wide, his Quirk, Large, made him a formidable sight.  But his features overall were not monstrous, with short cropped dark hair and cool grey eyes, he was simply… Large.  It wasn’t often that Akaya met someone who was bigger than she was, other than her own father, along with Shoji and his father.  She gave him a friend wave in return.

“Good morning, Fukui,” she said.  “I trust you’re well?”

He nodded.  “Very well, thanks,” he said.  For his size, his voice was surprisingly high pitched.  

“Did you enjoy the USJ?” she asked.

“Eh…”  Fukui rubbed the back of his head with an oversized hand. “I’m not really cut out for Rescue work. I’m okay at heavy lifting, but I’m more likely to bring something down.”

Akaya nodded.  “We all have our callings we are meant to attend. I am certain you will find yours.”

“Akaya!”  a buzzing voice called out.  Chiasa Kamakiri of Class 1B looked much like her father, Togaru Kamakiri, with a head something like a praying mantis and yellowgreen skin. Her dark green hair, though, came from her mother, Setsuna Tokage.  Her Quirk, Swarm, allowed her to split into a swarm of smaller versions of herself linked by a hive mind and reform.  “You‘re late!”   She wagged a finger teasingly.

Akaya gave her a chagrinned smile.  “My apologies, Chiasa.  I am afraid I had to help defuse a situation in the dorm this morning before I could leave.”

“What happened?”

“Kenta, Ojiro, and Sero upset Aoyama,” she explained.  “They were filming something—I am truthfully not certain of the details—and it ended with Aoyama setting his shirt on fire.  He was understandably quite upset and became rather threatening towards them.  Fortunately, Tokoyami and I were able to calm them all down… but it was likely it would have escalated into violence.  We found the three of them trying to avoid him by hanging from the ceiling by Sero’s tape.”

Chiasa laughed at that, clicking her mandibles together rapidly.  “Your morning sounds more exciting than ours. Though I think Monoma’s up to something.  He was watching Kana, Midoriya, and Kirishima-Bakugo through binoculars when they returned from their morning run.”

Akaya frowned at that. Shiro Monoma did tend to let the supposed “rivalry” between the classes get the better of him.  She counted Shiro as a friend, but there were times where he could cause trouble for everyone.  And he did seem to have a particular itch for getting Kirishima-Bakugo riled up.  “I shall let them know.”

It was better to be forewarned and forearmed.  Especially since it would likely prevent Kirishima-Bakugo from trying to kill him.

“I don’t know what his problem is,” Fukui said.  “But I do know Tetsutetsu hitting him all the time like that can’t be good for him.”

“He deserves it,” Chiasa said.  “He just wants to stir things up for no reason.”

Akaya was much less certain of the “no reason” part than Chiasa was, and even less so of the “deserves it” part.  Granted, she did not live with him as she did, but she also considered herself to be closer to him than most.  They had gone to the same middle school and junior high.  Shiro simply wished to succeed, something that was an uphill battle with his Quirk.  His Quirk to imitate the actions of others—she knew he had poured over countless hours of videotape of Heroes like Eraserhead and Gunhead—was formidable under the right circumstances, but she also knew most wrote it off as inconsequential compared to flashier Quirks.  Some of their old classmates certainly had.

History repeating itself. Shiro had often mentioned his father had suffered similarly.  None of which was hers to reveal.

“We must all make our own way in the world,” she said instead.  “Some of our paths are simply stormier and more turbulent than others. He shows great loyalty to your class and wants you all to succeed.”

That got another laugh from Chiasa.  “Dunno how you stay so calm all the time, Akaya,” she said.  “Especially with the crazies you live with.  Especially Mineta.”

“It… can be trying,” Akaya admitted.  Her classmates and friends were good people.  But they each carried their own baggage and their own eccentricities.    “Faith helps.”

“What’s a Mineta?” Fukui asked, looking a bit befuddled.

“Someone you’ll meet soon enough, I’m sure,” Chiasa said.  “When you do, you’ll know.”

***

The gardening was simple, but not easy work.  There were plants to water, plant food to spread, weeds to pull, insects and other pests to send on their way, and even a certain amount of harvest to reap.  The three of them had been joined by Shikha Mizuno, from Class 1-C, a doe-eyed young woman with pointed ears and large antlers growing out from her head.  Her Quirk, Antlers, let her grow hers rapidly in varying lengths and shapes, even using them like a second set of limbs.  

“It’s hard to believe so many of the Hero students this year are second gen or more,” Mizuno was saying, as she worked on weeding from around the vegetables.  “Nobody in my class is.   Kind of makes us all feel a little inadequate.  You guys all must have a big leg up.”

Akaya nodded.  “To some extent.  Our parents had much advice and training to offer us, but at the end of the day, there is only so much they could offer compared to this school.  You will make up whatever gulf there is in time.” It was true, however, that nearly all of the students in Class 1-A were the children of the infamous Class 1-A, and many of the students in Class 1-B were likely the children of their contemporaries.  Class 1-C, by contrast, had no second generation of greater Hero students to it.

“Besides,” Fukui added, “not all of us in 1-B are second gen either.  And 1-A’s got one, right, Koda?”

She nodded again. “Haimawari.  He is quite skilled, though.”  And would be more so if he could shed the nervousness that dominated most of his actions.  “But I expect you too, will have your chance to shine, Mizuno.  Good things come to those who wait.”

Mizuno frowned.  “I guess,” she said.  “Wish I had your certainty.”

“Get outta here, you!” a tiny voice rang out.    Akaya looked down to see a dozen tiny Chiasa’s (somehow all wearing tiny versions of her clothes, she couldn’t begin to understand how that worked), chasing a slug from the garden.   They corned the creature and lifted, running until they had carried it outside the garden’s boundary.   Satisfied, they returned to Chiasa, where they vanished and reformed into the fingers of her left hand.

Chiasa gave her fingers an experimental wiggle, then made a disgusted face.  “Ugh, slime.  Anybody got a towel?”

Fukui passed her own and received a nod of thanks.  “That the last of it?” he asked.

“Enough before lunch, at least,” Akaya said.  “I think we’ve a bit more to do before we’re done.”

“Be easier if you just made everything grow, though,” Fukui added.

She shook her head. “I try to only use my Quirk when necessary.  I may stray at times, but this garden is meant to be enjoyed by everyone and I would not deprive them of that, nor alter the flow of nature on so large a scale.”

Chiasa laughed at that. “I think you just like hard work,” she said.

Akaya simply gave her a smile.  “I do at that.”

***

They decided to go to the Class 1-B dorm for lunch, since Chiasa had mentioned they had a lot of leftovers from the previous night.  Their Common Room followed much the same layout as Class 1-A’s, albeit flipped so that everything was on the opposite side.  Told to help themselves to whatever was in the fridge, Akaya had fixed herself a small salad and sat down with the others to eat.  They’d also been joined by more of her Class 1-B friends, the shadow-skinned Chizue Kuroiro, dark daughter of Shihai Kuroiro and Reiko Yanagi, whose Quirk “Life” let her bring any drawing to life and thus always carried Tarot Cards; and Hekima Kodai, a quiet young man with pale blue hair, who was the son of Yui Kodai and her husband, who had taken her last name, who had an expanded version of his mother’s Quirk and could both shrink and grow organic and inorganic objects, and Kana Tetsutetsu.

She also spotted Shiro Monoma walking across the Common Room to the stairs.  He seemed to be muttering to himself.  “Yes, that should do it.  The perfect time, the perfect place, she’ll never know it was me…”

“Join us, Shiro?” she offered.  His words concerned her.  Perhaps she could intervene and prevent unnecessary hardship.  She was not quite as good as, say, Asuka Tokoyami or Izumi Todoroki (though Todoroki’s skills only really seemed to apply to Kirishima-Bakugo) at defusing conflicts, but Shiro was an old friend and would usually listen to her.

He stopped and shook his head.  “I am afraid I have too much to do today, Akaya,” he said.  

“Surely you have time for a brief respite?” she asked, firmly, but not harshly.

He seemed to weigh his options, sighed, and grabbed himself food from the fridge before sitting down with the rest of them.  She waited for him to have a few bites before she spoke again.  “Chiasa tells me you were spying on my classmates,” she said. “Not heroic behavior at all.  I would know why.”

Akaya was not, by nature, a confrontational person.  But neither would she see trouble come after her classmates and friends, especially from someone she also considered a friend.

“What?” Kana spat, more annoyed and exasperated than surprised.  “Do I have to go upside your head again, Shiro?”

“You raise an ill omen over us all,” Chizue said, while Hekima just shook his head.

Shiro shot Chiasa a betrayed look, but she was having none of it.  “You were spying on them, Monoma,” she said.  “You had binoculars and everything.”

Shiro turned a shade of pale.  “It’s… you see…   I don’t have to explain myself to any of you!”

Fukui fixed his gaze upon Shiro.  “You’re not being a perv, are you, Monoma?”

“What?  No!”

“Then what?” Akaya prompted.

Shiro looked away, guiltily. “I would really rather not discuss this.”

“Should I… should I go?” Mizuno asked.  Her antlers were drooping slightly and the Class 1-C girl looked distinctly uncomfortable at all discussion going back and forth.

“I do not believe that will be necessary,” Akaya said.  “Shiro, do I have your promise this is not some scheme to make Midoriya or Kirishima-Bakugo look bad or otherwise try to prove your class’s superiority by undermining mine?”

In spite of everyone’s eyes being on him, Shiro managed to look her in the eye.  “I promise you it is nothing negative,” he said.  “In this particular instance, anyway.  What some of your classmates do to embarrass your class is not under my control.”

That was, Akaya was forced to admit, probably as good an answer as she was going to get.  “I will hold you to that,” she said.  “And I will be very cross if you break that promise.”

“Ooooh,” Chiasa teased, “don’t make Akaya cross, Monoma!  She might say things like “darn” and “shoot” and “fiddlesticks!’”

That got a laugh from everyone except for Mizuno and Fukui.  Kana’s was a pleasant sound, a full on laugh that had her holding her stomach. Chiasa’s was a clacking, buzzing, sound, while Chizue’s was more of a reserved chuckle hidden behind her hand. Hekima was giggling and even Monoma was trying not to laugh at failing.   Akaya accepted it good naturedly.  She was not an angry person and rarely raised her voice, so she did not begrudge the joke at her expense.  No harm was meant, after all.

“I might even venture so far as a “dang,’” she added, which only got a further laugh, especially from Chiasa, who nearly doubled over with laughter.

Kana finally recovered from her laughing.  “Don’t worry,” she said.  “If he doesn’t behave himself, you can count on me to give him a good smack.”

Shiro looked offended by that.  “You’ve really got to stop doing that!”

She fired back.  “When you stop doing creepy or annoying stuff, I will!”

Akaya held up her hands. “Please, no fighting while we are eating.”

Both muttered their apologies, and Kana switched lines of thought.  “Speaking of your class, Akaya,” she said, “you know the new kid in your class?”

“Haimawari?”

Kana nodded.  “Yeah, him.  Midoriya’s mentioned him a few times, though Katsumi usually rolls her eyes. I saw him during the entrance exam and he was really impressive!”

“What about him?” Akaya asked.

Kana looked away, being surprisingly shy for a moment before she looked back.  “Is he seeing anyone?”

Well, that was certainly not the question she was expecting.  And judging from some of the reactions from the others, neither was anyone else.

“OooOoh,” Chiasa teased. “Kana’s got a cruuush.”

“I wouldn’t have picked you for the crushing type,” Chizue said.  “Not that kind of crushing, anyway.”  Next to her, Fukui made a kissy-face.

Hekima blinked slowly. “I have no idea who that is.”

Monoma just shook his head. “He’s not exactly a heroic dynasty, Kana.  You could do better.”

Mizuno perked up, antlers waving rapidly in the air.  “Oh!  I know him!  My family shops at his family’s convenience store!  We went to school together before U.A.!  He’s kind of a dork, but he’s a really nice guy!”

That tracked with Akaya’s assessment of Haimawari as well.  More importantly, neither Todoroki not Midoriya would be friends with someone who was unpleasant or dishonorable, so that further honed her assessment of him.

“As far as I know,” Akaya replied, “he does not.  But I cannot claim to have spoken to him for any great length of time, so my knowledge is incomplete.  Midoriya, Tokoyami, or Todoroki would be better people to ask.”   Shota Shinso, of course, also spent time with them, but he was not especially observant about anything that did not involve Heroes.

Kana put her head on the tabletop.  “If I ask Midoriya, Katsumi’s going to find out and she’ll never let me here the end of it.”

“You don’t think she’ll find out anyway?” Shiro asked.  “From what I understand of Class 1-A, the second anything vaguely romantic happens, it makes an appearance in the Ojiro girl’s gossip show.”

Mizuno clapped her hands together.  “Oh, I love that show!  And the other one she’s in sometimes, with the guy who eats stuff!”

Fukui grinned. “Ooooh, I love that one too!  The pink guy is super cute!  I can’t believe he already has a boyfriend!”

Akaya was not without passions of her own and had harbored many a childhood crush over the years, but the hurriedness of some of her friends and classmates to leap into relationships still often surprised her.  Some of them more than others, of course.  Mika Mineta let her passions rule her to the point of overriding her reason. On the other hand, she also tried very hard not to judge the actions of others.  She had not walked in their shoes nor lived their lives.  So she would not dissuade Kana from her path, nor any of the others.

“Iida and Sero seem very happy together so far,” she told Fukui.  “But how long this may last, would not begin to speculate.”  

“So you’re saying I might have a chance?”

“It is not my place to say.”

The large young man just shook his head.  “You guys have known her longer.  Is she always this cryptic?”

“I wouldn’t say cryptic,” Chiasa said.  “Chizue’s cryptic.  Akaya just doesn’t like to make snap judgements.”

“What about you, Akaya?” Chiasa asked, mischief in her eyes.  “You crushing on anyone?”

“None at present,” she said, then held up a hand to forestall any follow-up questions that she knew were coming.  “My last major crush was when I was thirteen, on Tensei Iida.  I can see now such would have been folly anyway, so there is no harm in not having acted upon it.”

“Ooof,” Chiasa said.  “Too bad.”

Akaya gave a little shrug. Some things were simply not meant to be. They were in charge of their own destinies, but in some cases, there were simply paths they were not meant to follow.

Kana resumed pounding her head on the table.  “What am I gonna do?”

“If you like him,” Akaya said, “then may I suggest boldness?  It seems to have worked well for Sora Iida in beginning a relationship with Midoriya.”

“Maybe,” Kana said.  

“As much as it pains me to suggest anything that might benefit someone in Class 1-A,” Shiro said, “Akaya’s right.  You’re too bold and tough not to just step up to the plate.”

Kana nodded, seemingly satisfied with that.  “All right then.  I’ll give it a shot.”

***

Later, Akaya returned to the 1-A dorm, satisfied in a long day of hard work.  They’d gotten a lot accomplished in the Community Garden and she was able to bring back a basket full of fresh vegetables with her.  They’d be able to make good use of these over the next few days.  

She wondered how much she should tell her classmates.  Part of her wanted to warn Midoriya and Kirishima-Bakugo that Shiro was watching them, but she also had his promise that he meant no harm.  She could, at least, respect Kana’s privacy to approach Haimawari on her own terms, but the other bothered her.  She did not like keeping secrets.  Shiro had not asked her to keep it a secret, but to draw Kirishima-Bakugo’s attention to him was absolutely to put him at risk. Kirishima-Bakugo’s explosive temper was legendary enough as it was without adding more fuel to the fire.

Ultimately… if they asked, she would not lie.  But she supposed she did not have to volunteer that information either.  It was a lie of omission, but she felt she could live with it.

As she settled back into her dorm room, she felt her phone buzz with a text message.

Carefully, she withdrew her oversized phone, meant to fit easily in the palm of her oversized hand. She unclipped the stylus (most capacitive screens did not work well with her rocky skin) to see who it was.  It turned out to be from Shiro.

The text simply said, “See?  No harm meant” and was followed by a photo attachment.  Curious, she tapped the attachment with her stylus to open it. The attachment opened, revealing a rather intricately crafted origami crane situated in the middle of what appeared to be an origami explosion.  She knew Shiro regularly studied various artists and crafters in order to acquire additional skills, but it was impressive work all the same.  More so when she recognized what had to be little original flourishes he had added, since his Quirk relied upon imitation.

This, however, just raised further questions.  Spying and origami did not typically go together.  Just what was Shiro up to?  Few explanations presented themselves and the ones that did were too mind boggling to consider for long.

Carefully, she texted back. I am going out on a limb by trusting you.  Do not betray that.

Do not worry, Shiro texted.  All will be well.

She could only pray that it would be.

Sero and Iida, Miroriya and the other Iida, Kana and Haimawari, and now whatever was going on here…   Perhaps it was time she began to consider what she wanted, before it was too late.