#will this make someone like me...will this cause something in my vicinity to explode...etc. it's kind of heavy but in a fun way

[yo9urt]

started playing ball dur's gait 3

[demon-of-the-ancient-world]

barely comprehensible ramblings under the cut, also spoilers for dune messiah

Figuring out in my head (with close to zero knowledge about nuclear physics & i'm too scared to research it because it scares me, your girl couldn't even watch Oppenheimer ok) how the stone burner in Dune Messiah works/what the hell it is. This likely will not make any actual sense, science side of tumblr please don't eat me.

What we actually know about it. 1) it's a weapon "powered by atomics" (what?) that is somehow barely legal within the in-universe laws surrounding atomic weapons 2) it "emits J-rays" (wikipedia did not elaborate) 3) it has just enough power to fuck up eye tissue of anyone in the vicinity but not enough to destroy skin, bones etc. The explosion itself like, levels an entire block of buildings though so there's that. Also, if "given too much fuel" it can also destroy an entire planet?

What we/I can infer from Dune: Messiah. 1) It's portable and at least somewhat concealable, or else the Tleilaxu not checking spelling on that i'm tired wouldn't have been able to sneak it into the city correct? 2) there are different "settings" or at least different fueling levels that can alter the level of destruction

What I'm not at all clear on: 1)what it actually looks like?? I have zero idea what I'm supposed to be picturing 2) how it's activated. Is it like a firework where someone's gotta run in and light it and then back the fuck away? is it remote controlled? is it a missile? no clue 3) similarly just...how it works?? clearly there's some kind of nuclear reaction going on but there seem to be suggestions that something external is going on too...once again I know Nothing about atomic weapons in our own world let alone this fictional sci-fi one but. it feels like it doesn't make a lot of sense ya know.

And honestly...it doesn't matter that much? I joke but I really don't mind that it's this sort of weird mysterious thing that isn't fully explained in the text. But I remain a very visual person, and it bugs me that I don't know what I'm supposed to be imagining. Also, I wonder how the hell they're going to depict it in the third film, assuming they do so, because while being deliberately vague about a piece of Weird technology can work in a book...in a visual medium that's a lot trickier.

(I've more recently wondered if Denis won't actually have a stone burner be a thing at all...while I'm convinced that, no matter how far from the book they might stray, they'll stick with Paul going blind, I almost wonder if they'll have it happen in a way that's similar but easier to explain just to get rid of the uncertainty around the tech?? Though I hope not bc I want to see what he comes up with)

So my conceptulization of it in my head as I was reading it, was like. Not something that probably makes any sense but I thought it was a cool visual and so tried to rationalize it??

I imagined something of a cross between a firework and a gas camping stove. Bear with me. I pictured something sort of tube-like in shape and a couple feet tall that houses...something radioactive. The "J rays" are the radiation that's released prior to the explosion itself and are somehow "inactive"/somewhat benign to begin with. Then then some kind of "spark" is set off remotely, and ignites at the top of the "radiation bubble", causing a chain reaction of ignition that "activates" the bubble and causes an explosion that remains within the specific radius and also causes the radiation to become dangerous.

So we have the hissing sound of the radiation "leaking" before the explosion, followed by the visual of the ignition spark rising slowly into the air and then sort of exploding downwards. Sort of like a weird firework. I am aware this is not at all how atomic weapons work.

@fuckyeahisawthat coming back to tag u in whatever the hell this is...

[lettrespromises]

> LettresPromises informs you : You have one notification.

> Letter object : the heart’s warmth and the body’s flames.

> Todoroki Shouto and Bakugou Katsuki sent you a letter, would you like to read it?

@bruised-cherry​ sent a letter : ❝Hiya, Nikki! Can I request a one-shot(if you're down) where Todoroki and Bakugou's(poly relationship) s/o got into a little argument with each other and now their s/o is rejecting them and ignoring them. Since it's summer, TodoBaku turned off the air conditioning, AC, etc, knowing their s/o would need them soon. And just, kinky, dirty ass s m U t :) (and lana spelled backwards if you're down with that, if not that's cool). Sorry I'm a kinky hoe 👉😅👈❞

Author’s letter :

❝ dear bruised-cherry,

first and foremost, i would like to apologize for taking so long to write your promised letter! nonetheless, i had a lot of fun writing it, hopefully it will reach your expectations!! it’s 4:05am as i am writing this and my brain is unable to write proper words i’m sorry—

sealed with a kiss,

nikki.❞

Genre : Pure smut, angst if you squint.

Warnings : Cursing, sex, vaginal sex, blow-job, cunnilingus, anal sex, daddy kink. (Please consider that the characters are aged up.)

Word count : 5.8K.

This day seemed to counterbalance the already established rules of time and space, you were secretly convinced that minutes were hours and each time you would lay your eyes upon any item with the sole purpose of indicating the current hour, you felt as if time had stopped. It was a long, long day. Truthfully, you wished you could have had the opportunity to meet someone whose quirk was time control to ask them to skip the remaining hours of the day.

The root of the problem was deeply imbedded with the increasing attacks committed by the villains in town, you were on a mission with both Bakugou and Todoroki- a clear lack of communication and coordination signed a burning defeat for the three of you. A mission built and perfected during several months had just blown into pieces, your efforts, tears, blood and energy were the combustibles to the pain fueled by this defeat. Each one of you attempted to exude this loss in your own way while making your way back home. Todoroki, sat on the passenger seat, found the cure to his own inner built-up anger by digging his pearly whites into the flesh of his thumb while observing the passing scenery before his eyes. Bakugou, unexpectedly, made a martyr of the steering wheel by squeezing the non-existent life out of it, causing his fingers to turn white in the process. You, on the other one hand, kept on reminiscing the earlier events of today, your mind roaming over and over again to find what went wrong, you weren’t exactly angry : disappointed in yourself was a more precise way to describe the matter.

The silence was deafening, almost agonizing. Truthfully, silence was even more intimidating than noise- a noisy ride would have included the repertoire of Bakugou’s insults flowing freely from his mouth, it was expected. But silence, on Bakugou’s end, echoed to a level of anger rarely ever reached, metaphorically speaking, Katsuki was a living and breathing ticking bomb at this very moment.

The sound of the car door smashing broke the silence as you arrived home, Bakugou was already inside, his hands shoved in his pockets as expected. You freed a sigh you ignored you were holding from your lips, an early sign that you knew there was little to no seconds left on the ticking bomb. Todoroki sent an apologetic glance in your way, you knew he didn’t mean no harm, if anything, it was a silent sign to encourage you before facing the aftermath caused by the explosion of the bomb.

Flower vases left shattered on the floor, a door handle scarred by the scorching hot imprints of Bakugou’s unforgiving hold and a continuous flow of insults as background noise- those were the said aftermath of the explosion. Bakugou’s body language radiated off pure anger, like you or Todoroki had barely seen before, his rage was exuding from the pores of his palms through a dangerous marriage of small explosions and smoke. He was roaming back and forth in the living room, his stare was focused on the explosions emanating from his hands as a way to convince himself that the more explosions would be set free, the less he would feel angry.

« Fuck, fuck, fuck… Goddamnit, fuck! What the fuck went wrong, hah?! We planned this shit entirely, from start to fucking finish. What the fuck went wrong?! You tell me instead of staring at me, do fucking something for once! » The words echoed and morphed into a roar sent directly your way, anger lacing his every word.

« Bakugou, don’t say things you don’t mean. » Todoroki stated, the pseudo comfort embedded in his voice radically clashed with the heat of Bakugou’s words.

« Don’t say shit I don’t mean? Who the fuck are you to tell others what to do when you couldn’t even do shit when we were facing those bastards?! You didn’t do shit, you fucking left us on our own and arrived at the very last second. So tell me, give me one good fucking reason as to why I should take shit from you! Fucking say it to my face, because I’m dying to know what’s your excuse. » The sounds of Bakugou’s explosions slowly adopted the structure of a crescendo, but Todoroki remained unfazed, his facial expression didn’t betray his pseudo serenity. « I was evacuating the civilians, you knew that, I don’t understand why you act so confused. We prepared this plan together, the three of us, you knew what my role was. »

You were stuck in the middle of a battlefield, torn between two sides but the tragic twist of this scene was that you couldn’t find the strength to defend one of them. You needed to remain objective and impartial, something obviously easier said than done. Your eyes darted from one figure to another each time you heard the sound of either Todoroki or Bakugou’s words, truthfully, you felt paralyzed under the lack of options in this crucial situation- on one hand, Katsuki was nothing short of acerbic when anger consumed him, on the other one hand, Shouto’s calm attitude hid a dangerous amount of anger building inside of him ready to explode if Bakugou’s venom stung too hard to Todoroki’s liking.

« Oh yeah, yeah. You were on you own, hah? Evacuating civilians and shit, am I supposed to feel fucking sorry for you when Y/N were busting our fucking asses out there to take down those bastards? You’re trying to play it solo like your old man? You know what, the more I think about it, the more you start to act like him-… »

« Katsuki! That’s enough, shut up! »

It was your turn to let anger lace your words in such a way that they developed their own toxins, purposefully made to sting Bakugou hard enough to cut his rambling. Endeavor was a touchy topic to Shouto, and as soon as Katsuki pronounced the words ‘old man’, a hint of flames appeared on Todoroki’s collarbone- it was only a matter of second before an inferno invaded the living room.

« You never know when to stop, do you? Do you have any idea of how ridiculous this is? You, Bakugou, you should know out of all people that his father his a sensitive topic, and yet you let your anger get the best of you every damn time. Todoroki, were you really ready to blast your flames at him? Aren’t the both of your grown men, or am I mistaken? How disappointing, how fucking disappointing. » You dropped every last ounce of energy in your tirade, every last bit of emotion in the process too. You felt so numb, deprived from your own vigor.

Both Todoroki and Bakugou’s eyes fell on you as soon as your roaring words broke their mutual verbal assaults, their mouths were set agape- they did have words on the tip of their tongue, but they couldn’t find the strength to give life to them. There it was again, the deafening and agonizing silence.

You couldn’t bare standing in the same vicinity as them, disappointment clouded your vision and the more you looked at them, the more your vision became foggy- but it still remained unclear as to whether it was due to the disappointment or the tears gathering at the corner of your eyes. Without wasting yet another second, you went upstairs and locked yourself in your room, giving yourself some privacy to wipe away your tears.

Downstairs, the silence was still suffocating both Bakugou and Todoroki, their stare were still laying upon the spot where you used to be just a few seconds earlier, they just hadn’t processed your sudden disappearance. They blinked once, then twice, and a third time to make sure they weren’t dreaming and once they were convinced it was very much real, they looked at each other and sighed as if they were, too, deprived of their own energy.

« Bak-… Katsuki, it was my mistake to threaten you with my flames, I apologize. » Todoroki’s tone was soft in comparison to his last statement, a sense of compassion replaced the anger laced in his words.

« I shouldn’t have talked about your shitty dad. » A sentence, which, in Bakugou’s vocabulary echoed to an apology, but with the cruel exception of the forbidden word which begins with an ’s’ and ends with ‘-orry’.

« I assume Y/N is not going to talk to us for a while, and, don’t take it personally but her presence is very much needed. » Bakugou frowned as Todoroki’s words connected to his eardrums, needless to say, he knew he was right but didn’t care enough to admit it and grant him this silent victory.

« I might have an idea, half-and-half, use your shitty quirk to lower the temperature of the house, you know how much she fucking hates cold temperatures. That’s gonna make her move her ass out of the bedroom. » Todoroki only quirked his eyebrows in response while Bakugou was adorning his most victorious grin, he knew this plan meant an automatic win- both of them could handle cold temperatures thanks to their quirks, you on the other one hand, were more fond of warmer temperatures.

Todoroki sighed, perhaps already regretting his choice to follow Bakugou’s antics, but if it meant that he had to play dirty to get you, he was ready to deem himself as the dirtier player in the game. Soon enough, a frigid fog invaded mercilessly the first floor, and your bedroom was the first victim of the unforgiving coldness. Little did you know, this was the beginning of a series of crushing defeats on your end : seeking warmth underneath your blankets? Didn’t work. Blow air on your hands? A total fail. Looking through your boyfriends’ closets to find one of their thick hoodies and wear it? Not the solution you needed to cure the problem.

You were running out of solutions, and that’s when your unconsciousness crept in and murmured suave temptations to your ear : the welcoming warmth of Bakugou and Todoroki’s bodies, their arms wrapped around you like a human cocoon to protect you from the cold temperature. It sounded like a dream, and you had the means to make it real- but at what cost? You roamed around the room, not only to create body warmth by moving, but also to accelerate the train of your thoughts. What was more important? Freezing yourself to death with your pride as an inexistent shield from the cold, or embrace the agonizingly tempting warmth radiating from both of your boyfriends?

The answer to your rhetorical question manifested itself rather quickly- in the blink of an eye, you had already wrapped your hand around the doorknob and raced downstairs towards the personifications of your very own personal heaters under Shouto’s puzzled expression and, in contrast, Katsuki’s triumphing grin.

« Hah? Have you finally decided to show up, princess? » Anyone could have noticed the more-than-obvious obnoxious tone dripping from Bakugou’s words, he glanced over at Todoroki who grinned at him in response, silently thanking him.

« Just keep me warm. » You found a perfect spot right between Katsuki and Shouto on the couch, your knees were brought to your chest, your arms were encompassing your legs- if anything, you were pretty close to looking like a sphere, but you were ready to contort yourself in any position to gather some precious warmth. Eventually, you let out a silent sigh as soon as you felt their respective warmth hit the surface of your skin as a sign of satisfaction.

« I think you forgot the magic word, love. » Shouto teased, his warm index gracing the cold flesh on your shoulder, such a tease.

« Ugh, fine! Keep me warm, please. » You emphasized the pleading word, just enough to make them grin even wider in victory.

« ‘Wasn’t so hard, was it, princess? » You couldn’t exactly tell if you hated or were absolutely enamored with the teasing tone of his voice, but once thing was certain- the grin plastered upon his face was a thing of beauty.

Bakugou, as expected of him, took the lead, or rather, sent a silent challenge in Todoroki’s way which dared him to take the upper hand of the situation. He wrapped his arms around your waist in a lion-like manner, ready to protect what’s his, with the help of his strength you were now sitting on his lap. The grip around your frame didn’t move one bit, not only did he want to provide you as much warmth as his quirk allowed, but he also wanted to maintain control. Your head was laying upon the surface of his shoulder, your face was facing Todoroki who admired you as if he had witnessed the renaissance of Venus under your traits.

« I will help you feel a bit more warm, alright, love? » You hummed in response to Todoroki’s one-sided interrogation.

Another source of warmth was more than welcome. Thus, Shouto wasted no time and placed his hand upon the surface of your cheek, daring to cross Bakugou’s self-claimed territory in the process without any ounce of shame. The amount of space between the two of you had dangerously reduced until totally disappearing which cleared Todoroki’s path on his way to show you just how much he could warm you up. His lids fluttered shut in anticipation, and there it was, the oh so fabulous source of warmth- he planted his lips on yours in perfect harmony. After all, a promise was a promise, correct? Regardless of how it’s executed, correct? That was exactly Shouto’s mindset as his tongue grazed your bottom lip to beg for access to the inside of your mouth, a wish quickly granted which allowed him to spread the warmth of his tongue inside your mouth as his pink muscle met yours which only announced the beginning of the dance of pleasure. Your actions corresponded to his, and his initiatives echoed to yours— soon enough, your tongues were melting in each other’s touch. As much as he wanted to keep this going forever, the way you grabbed his wrist was an indicator that you were starting to lack oxygen. Of course he ended the kiss, but not before he dug his teeth into your lower lip to which you responded with a semi silent whimper.

Bakugou observed the scene from the side with the same smirk gracing his facial features, he would be the worst liar on Earth if he were to say that seeing your mouths collide in harmony wasn’t the epitome of poetry in motion. But who was he to let Shouto get the best of you? Who was he to let Shouto make you whimper first? He craved, no, he needed to make you melt under his touch.

« Want us to make you feel hot, princess? Be careful what you wish for. » This sentence was his final warning before flipping you over on your back, offering him the best position to physically tale the upper hand under Shouto’s amused stare. You looked so pure and yet so sinful at once, a paradox which drove of them crazy as they imagined the most unholy deeds they were going to do to you. Katsuki’s index hooked the fabric of your hoodie (more like his, but it’s just a slight detail which turnt him on even more) before to pull it over your head.

Oh, and what a gorgeous sight to behold— your naked upper body, in all its glory, a body worthy of the most descriptive pages of a novel. He couldn’t help but snicker at the ethereal scenery before his eyes, he knew he was going to devour you and make you his, no matter what.

« Don’t give me those eyes, woman, I fucking told you I was gonna make you feel real hot. You won’t need this shitty hoodie to keep you warm. »

The assault was given once his pearly whites dug into the soft flesh of your neck, reflex kicked, you titled your head to the side to give him more room to play with. It was a succession of biting, licking, biting again until your skin adopted a purplish tone which echoed to a mark of both domination and belonging. Of course, you belonged to him… And Todoroki. Once he was satisfied with his artwork, he licked the abused flesh one last time before smirking to himself as a sign of victory.

You couldn’t expect Todoroki to be left out of the party, after all, you did belong to him too. He pushed Bakugou to the side just enough to bask in the glory of your half-naked form. The gleam in his eyes reflected nothing but pure adoration, he was torn between the will to worship each inch of your body and the tempting option to make your legs weak until you can’t form proper words anymore. Oh, well, both were bound to happen.

« Oi! If you wanna touch her, don’t fucking push me! » Bakugou’s rambling was cut short as soon as Todoroki’s lips crashed on his, the blonde eye’s widened in surprise but he eventually allowed himself to crave to the passion.

« I don’t need your permission to touch what’s mine. » Todoroki whispered against the flesh of your breasts, emphasizing the very last word strategically.

The sight of your hardened nipples caused him to lick his bottom lip in anticipation, just a way to warm up his lips before devouring your flesh. Todoroki wasted no time and took this opportunity to let his tongue grace your left bud, the motions were repetitive and hypnotizing— from circular motions right around your nipple, from vertical licks to sucking motions, each deed was designed for your own pleasure while your whimpers falling free from your lips and the hand stuck at the root of his hair encouraged his actions. Your whimpers were cut short once Bakugou’s lips found yours and dragged you in a tongue-led kiss, and to no one’s surprise, you followed his already established rhythm, but goodness, it was deliciously intoxicating, letting you crave for more. And somehow, the sound of your hushed whimpers created an even more attractive melody.

Now, it was Todoroki’s turn to take advantage of the vacant place left by Bakugou who was now bent on your side which meant that your whole body to discover for the umpteenth time. A trail of kisses left from the valley of your breasts to your lower belly indicated which dangerous way Shouto was bound to take. He took a glance at the liplock share with Katsuki who offered you no rest no matter if you craved for oxygen or not, the same amused grin still plastered upon his facial features, and augmented the temperature just a bit more.

His finger drew an invisible line along the edge of your underwear, a pre-meditated deed which only announced in advance what he was bound to do, he was just one step closer to make your legs crumble under his touch. In a swift motion, fueled by his own personal hunger to satisfy his fantasies, Todoroki got rid of your pants and he could already discern the wet patch adorning the cotton surface of your underwear, what a sight to see. A new trail of kiss was left upon your skin by Shouto, this time, he focused on the inside of your thighs and followed a vertical pattern until reaching the climax of his journey : your already dripping heat.

« Are you already this wet for us, love? How kind of you. » The amused tone which embedded his voice hid a hidden sinful tone, such a contrast, but only Bakugou and you could catch the double-tone.

Bakugou, on the other one hand, mimicked Todoroki’s earlier antics (only to outdo him, his own ego was his sole motivation) and made a victim of your breasts. One lovebite on your neck wasn’t enough, he craved to make you his even more, on every inch of your body. This thought was the reason behind his will to bite the generous flesh of your left breast, which clearly isn’t abused enough to his liking. And so it began once more— biting, licking, biting once more just hard enough to make you whimper in response, suck on your flesh until it becomes purple and has his name written all over it. From the love bite, Katsuki kissed his way until your nipple, the motions of his mouth were strategically chosen to make pure sounds of pleasure fall free from mouth mouth, while his thumb and index were twisting your nipple while following the circular motions of his tongue. The harsh grasp you held onto his blonde hair was only one of the first hints that you were on your way to reach a state of pure bliss, the moans echoing in his head were his favorite hint though.

The sensation of a sharp lick across the fabric of your underwear awakened a new whimper on your end, this time, it was higher which only echoed to a higher level of pleasure. Todoroki’s lips curved into a grin at the sound of it, what a marvel to hear. The fabric which separated your core from Shouto’s lips was seen as a taunt to the latter, but fret not, said taunt was quickly taken care of as soon as he got rid of your underwear, throwing them who-knows-where in the room.

And so the temperature augmented yet again— an experimental lick caused you to bite your lower lip to refrain any moan to escape from your mouth as you closed your eyes in anticipation for pure bliss. Your reaction was the best indicator to Shouto who had found yet another motivation to make you come undone— getting to hear your agonizingly breathtaking whimpers and moans fall in cascade from your lips. Your core was wet, much to Todoroki’s delight, and he could almost hear you calling his name, begging him to eat you as if you were his last dinner on Earth.

His mouth married the shape of your core, his tongue danced beautifully against your folds as if your core had been specifically created to welcome the wonders of his mouth. The licks left by his pink muscle were executed differently in several ways— vertical licks, circular shapes, he based his actions on the sound of your shameless moans and whimpers to predict his next move.

« Shouto, S-Shouto! » Your first begging, which didn’t go unnoticed to both of the protagonists of your very own pleasure.

« So eager, aren’t you, love? » He kissed these words into your skin, words embedded with adoration and love in the process.

Well, there was someone whose name hadn’t been begged, and truth be told, it was getting on his nerves. How dare Shouto have the honor of being begged and not him? Oh, well, he was about to change that right away.

« Open wide, princess, I’ll give you something to fucking beg about. » The same usual smirk accompanied his words, he already knew what was bound to happen, and the knew what effect it would leave on you.

By the time you were busy with Shouto, Bakugou had already taken care of his own clothing by… taking everything off. Isn’t it easier that way? His genetically given large hand stroked tentatively his length, just enough to cause a layer of pre-cum to cover his tip, once he was satisfied with the result, he wasted no time to shove his entire member in your mouth in a swift motion. The warmth of your lips was the most delicate welcome he could’ve asked for, regardless if you were to choke or not, he’d find a way to make you beg his name until it becomes the only thing you’re able to say. Your throat grazed the sensitive tip of his grit, earning you a hushed grunt as a reaction which was a rarity coming from Bakugou. Both of his hands held a harsh grip on your hair, and he used said grip as a level of pressure to thrust himself into your mouth under the mesmerizing sounds of your choked whimpers. It was a scenery of beauty, he was the sole holder of all your attention— you were looking at him through your lashes with pleading eyes, silently begging him to keep going until you were to choke on his member. A silent sign he didn’t miss, he knew you like the back of his hand, after all.

Eventually, Shouto complied to your begs, you wanted more? Oh, you were bound to get more, more precisely, you were bound to have exactly what you deserved. Todoroki and tease were very close to being synonymous, hence why he purposefully used the pad of his thumb to create circulate motions on your sweet bundle of nerves which was the key to make you come undone, and, of course, two of his fingers which had already found a shelter inside your folds while pumping in and out, over and over again, until bringing you to the brim of ecstasy.

Under this new pressure, the need to express your pleasure through moans was almost impossible given the fact that each sound coming out of your mouth was rendered hushed by Bakugou’s length. Your wrapped your hand around his phallus to not only catch some cruelly needed oxygen but also set free all the sounds of pleasure trapped inside you, as soon as your mouth was set free, a pure sound of bliss fell free from your lips. A sound so sinful and addicting at once that both Bakugou and Todoroki couldn’t help but repeat said sound in their head over and over again.

« Oi, princess, I didn’t fucking tell you to stop so keep sucking until I say otherwise, did you fucking get that? » It was a one-sided question, your answer wouldn’t matter anyway.

And there he went again, shoving his member inside your mouth as Bakugou began chasing his own pleasure— if he was careful enough, he could picture the shape of heaven when his lids fluttered shut. This time, his thrusts were harsher, clearly designed to attain his climax. But he wasn’t the only one who was close to reach the seventh sky— the addition of Shouto’s fingers pumping in and out, the oh so right pressure on your sweet of nerves and the precise licks left on your wet folds was nothing short of divine, that divine that it was going to make you reach your orgasm sooner than you thought.

Reflex kicked, your grip on Shouto’s hair became gradually tighter as you felt the knot in your stomach grow more and more until it became out of your control, you rolled your eyes back in ecstasy and the pearls of tears on the corner of your eyes were now rolling down the surface of your cheeks. Through choked sounds, you encouraged Shouto to keep going and going until you could touch heaven by the tip of your fingers. And then heaven came to you, the liberating sensation of floating on a cloud overwhelmed you as you reached your orgasm, manifesting the pure sounds of bliss through the hushed sounds caused by Bakugou’s intrusive length.

« You’re such a good girl, love, you came undone for us. Such a good girl… » The end of his sentence was whispered in marvel against your core, it was a sight he could never get bored of.

His tongue found once more its way to your folds, licking each and every drop of your juices to satisfy his own pleasure. Your taste was his favorite, it was addicting as hell, so addicting that before to swallow said juices, he would always make a mental note of how your cum feels on his tastebuds.

« Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, god-fucking-damnit! » Bakugou’s grunts followed the structure of a crescendo, he threw his head back in pure pleasure— he was so close, so fucking close, he wanted to reach the seventh sky as well.

Todoroki grabbed him by the nape of his neck, his fingers digging right in Katsuki’s flesh, and planted his lips still coated with your juices right upon his. Bakugou could taste your sweet nectar on Shouto’s lips, and perhaps it was the last thing necessary for him to come undone— your taste always had the ability to bring him over the edge, and once more, this time was no exception. Bakugou groaned against Shouto’s lips before breaking the contact between them to share a pure sound of ecstasy of his own and eventually, come undone right in your mouth. A string of the blonde’s cum dripped down from the corner of your mouth, and observing you use your tongue to collect the remaining cum on your chin made Bakugou if he wasn’t going to come undone twice in a row at the sight of this.

« Come on, love, we’re not done yet. » This was the final chapter of all of Shouto’s fantasies, a chapter which was finally bound to take form.

Todoroki snaked his arms around your form to place you right on his lap, once the position was comfortable for the both of you, he placed his length right against your twitching core which was already begging for him to fill you.

« Please, j-just fuck me already… Please… » Another auditive wonder— the sound of you begging was worthy of the most beautiful symphony.

« You asked so nicely, love, who am I to refuse? » A rhetorical question, as expected of Shouto when he led the teasing game.

Shouto filled you instantly, shoving his entire length inside you which caused the unexpected appearance of a moan which you could hardly suppress even by biting your lower lip. An initiative quickly ended by Bakugou’s intervention who tilted your head just enough so he could plant a rough kiss upon your lips in order to prevent you from hushing those sounds of pleasure any longer.

« Don’t be fucking shy, let us hear what you gotta’ say, baby girl. » You looked at Katsuki with pleading eyes, you knew that you were not going to be able to suppress or refrain any of your moans or whimpers, you knew you were bound to become a vocal mess.

Shouto’s hands held a strong grip on your waist, so strong that the tip of his fingers turnt white under the pressure. His rhythm was frantic from the beginning, using the combination of his hips bucking upwards and his arms wrapped around your middle to clash against his testicles. You had the best spot to hear up close and personal the ravishing sounds of bliss coming out of Shouto’s mouth like a broken record. Your arms were wrapped around his neck as a desperate cry for support as his hips were pounding deep inside you until reaching your cervix.

Behind you, Bakugou had already made sure to wet his fingers to prep you. Prep you for what exactly? Oh, well, we all know Bakugou doesn’t handle well being left alone, especially when Todoroki has the advantage of him. The tip of his fingers brushed against your rectum until two of them entered your second hole, he expected this reaction but your moans were ethereal, especially when he was the cause of them. His fingers pumped into your rectum just enough for you to get used to the stretch and to the knew (and double) sensation.

« Be a good fucking girl for daddy and let him fuck you from behind, yeah? » He studied your facial expression and the irregular pattern of your breaths to know whether or not you were fond of his new antics, to which you confirmed his doubts by whispering an almost inaudible « Y-Yes, daddy… »

Nonetheless, the elongated moan you let out in his favor once his fingers reached a bit deeper in your rectum was enough for him to get the clue and replace the feeling of his index and middle finger with the width of his length. A pure sound of pleasure with his name written all over it, if you were to ask Bakugou, he would tell you right away that this is what heaven felt like.

« I-I’m going to cum, I can’t-… » Shouto’s hot breath crashed against your equally as hot skin, it became impossible for him to suppress his grunts any longer.

Bakugou mirrored his pace which had suddenly quickened under the pressure erupting in his lower belly, he could already touch the clouds of the seventh sky, and you were the key to unlocking the divine skies of heaven.

« Fuck… Fuck, I’m close too. » Their grunts matched in unison under the melody of your repetitive moans caused by the double pressure.

With one last thrust from both protagonist, you felt two rushes of hot liquids invade your insides as a moan signed their orgasm. That was it, they came undone and touched heaven as they came inside of you, all the pent up pressure in their abdomen had been set free for your greatest pleasure. You rolled your head back on Katsuki’s shoulder, oxygen had become a rarity under the frantic thrusts of the two newfound victims of passion. Once your lungs felt full again, you released an elongated sigh which drained all of your strength in the process.

Bakugou pulled out first, causing you to whimper at the sudden sensation of vacuity replacing the ever so addictive sensation of being filled by the man who held the keys to your heart. As he pulled out, his arms snaked around your middle and he dragged you with him, hot breaths crashing against your blazing skin. Katsuki put your head over his chest while you mustered up the last bits of vigor you could invoke to find shelter in his comforting embrace.

As soon as Shouto evened his breathing pattern, he felt the urge to join you and Katsuki— laying by your side, his arms draped over your waist, he felt at peace with the two most important people in his life, the true definition of perfection to him. Silence came back again, but this time it was comforting, a silence which held all the fierceness of your feelings for one another. A few kisses were planted here and there on your skin as a silent way to show gratitude, but all three of you were absolutely drained because of passion.

« If you’re still feeling cold, I know a fucking way or two to fix this shitty problem, princess. »

[serenlyss]

Don’t Thank Me Yet Chapter 1

Rating: M (blood, guns, casual murder, torture, electrocution, trauma, ptsd) Pairings: Ritshou Summary: “Alright then. I’m Shou,” he says, introducing himself more properly this time. “I’m an esper, like you, the first in existence to be forcibly awoken by Claw’s crazy torture machines. They kidnap kids with potential latent psychic powers and break them, over and over, until either their powers emerge or they die. It doesn’t matter either way to them.” His expression hardens as he speaks, clear distaste and outright malice evident in his tone. “I could really use your help here, you know. A partner of sorts, someone to watch my back. What do you say?" Ritsu hesitates. He isn’t a fighter by any means, and the psychic powers now churning beneath his skin are still very new and frightening. It’s all very overwhelming, but Ritsu can’t help but feel a sort of sickening hope at Shou’s promise for revenge. It did have a sort of dark draw to it. In which Claw is a lot worse than they seem and Shigeo isn't able to find his brother after he's kidnapped. Crossposted to AO3: Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Me, writing another Ritshou fic? It's more likely than it seems.

So this is chapter one of an 8-chapter AU I've been developing for a while now. It's a lot darker and grittier than anything I've written in a while, but I have big plans for it in the future! I hope you guys like it! It does contain some heavy subject material, though, so please read the tags if you're worried about violence/injury/torture/etc. I didn't include anything horribly graphic bc I'm just not willing to write it, but I don't want anyone to have a bad experience because of it either.

On an unrelated note, I recently opened up an MP100 writing server on discord dedicated to workshopping, editing, brainstorming, and all other writing-related topics! It's open to anyone who's interested, just shoot me a message here to get a link. It's been a lot of fun so far and the people there are super friendly and fun to talk to! @soapipiadraws helped me with beta reading, thanks a bunch for all your help!

Everything hurts.

Ritsu suppresses a scream, his palms pushing with all his might against the locked door of the pod in front of him. Electricity courses through his body, sending it into frightful spasms as he fights to maintain his footing. His fingers curl against his will, scraping loudly against the thick glass facade, and he feels a few of his fingernails bend and crack under the strain of it. His legs buckle beneath him and he barely manages to keep his footing, feeling hot blood trickle out of his nose. I’m going to die here, he thinks in a panic. His back arches as another jolt of electricity runs through him, his hands clenched into fists so tightly that his nails pierce his skin and draw blood from his palms. He feels as though every nerve in his body is on fire, but the blaze is contained beneath his skin where he can’t see it, can only feel it disintegrating his bones and melting his brain until the only urge he feels is to curl up on the floor and cry. His muscles won’t let him, though, the lightning in his body making him tense up into unnatural positions and vibrate painfully.

Outside the pod, two white-clad scientists observe him, scratching notes onto clipboards. Their faces are completely devoid of emotion, uncaring if Ritsu lives or dies. One of them peers over to a screen on the front of the pod, frowning disapprovingly. “No positive readings yet. Maybe our intel was wrong, and he’s not an esper after all,” she says.

Their apathetic stares stir up an anger in Ritsu that he’s felt many times since coming to this terrible place, harsh and defiant, and he forces himself back onto his feet despite the way his muscles scream at him to stop. “Open the door, you bastards!” he shrieks, pounding at the glass with his fist. Pain shoots up his arm, and his hand cramps painfully, but the adrenaline in his blood numbs it. He can feel something pooling in the pit of his stomach, wild and pleading to be released, but he doesn’t know what. He doesn’t even care, if it can help him escape. Let me out, let me out, let me out, his mind chants over and over, his usually careful thoughts turned feral and instinctive in his obsession.

One of the scientists hums thoughtfully and reaches out to press a button beside the door of the pod. Pain rips through Ritsu’s body once more, a pain even worse than before. It steals the air from his lungs so that he can’t even scream anymore, forcing him down onto all fours. His knees crack against the hard floor of the pod, hands leaving trails of bright red blood on the inside of the glass from where he’s punctured himself. His vision goes black, eyes rolling back in his head.

I’m going to die.

His back curls until he’s hunched over himself with his forehead against the ground, tearing at his hair with his hands.

I’m going to die.

He lets loose a scream at last, long and hoarse, feels the inside of his throat tearing from the force and volume of it.

I don’t want to die!

The coiling ball of tension in his stomach snaps suddenly and then explodes. A wave of raw power surges outward, filling the pod like water until there’s nowhere else for it to go but out. The thick glass barrier keeping him contained shatters into a hundred knives, shooting away from him with deadly force. He faintly registers the screams of the scientists who had been watching him up until now, but his ears are ringing too loudly to process them. There’s blood in his mouth, metallic and sour. A wind of his own creation whips around him, tugging on the blood-stained jacket of his school uniform and ripping his bangs from his sweat-slicked forehead.

Ritsu sucks in a wet, gasping breath, a raging headache hitting him with full force. He braces himself on his hands and knees, taking choking breaths and twitching uncontrollably. The power within him continues to overflow, crashing against the walls like the waves of the ocean on a rocky shore. He digs his fingers into the cold floor of the shattered pod until he can feel his arms again, then reaches up, grasping the edge of the pod and heaving himself to his feet. Shards of glass that that cling stubbornly to it cut into his palms, but he hardly feels it, the signals not quite reaching his brain. His vision is filled with blue and purple and green, shifting hues that crackle with uncontained energy. All he can feel is anger, all he can hear is the painfully loud alarms above his head, all he can think is that he wants out, now. Above his head, the lights shatter, plunging the room into near-darkness, and the alarm nearest him cuts out entirely. Glass flies at him, ricocheting harmlessly off of his body as though he’s made of concrete instead off flesh and bone. When he can finally fill his lungs with air again, he steps out of the pod and begins to walk.

A single-minded rage fills him, emanating outward in a destructive force that blows out the windows and causes the ground beneath him to shatter with every step. His bare feet, torn to shreds from walking on broken glass, leave bloody prints behind him on the too-clean floor. He barely even notices as he walks, calmly, into a thick concrete wall.

It explodes around him, shards of it raining down upon everyone in his vicinity. He pays no mind to the people in his way, who are either frozen in place or run, screaming, from his path. Those who refuse to move are quickly disposed of, tossed away with an instinctual flick of his hand. He doesn’t even wait to see if any of them are espers, too desperate to be anywhere but here, and he doesn't look to see if they ever stand up again.

He goes through two more walls and a ten-foot chain-link fence before he finally finds himself outside of the prison he’s been held in, and even then he doesn’t stop walking until he can no longer hear the sirens and can no longer see the gray concrete building looming in the distance.

He crests the top of a hill, and only then does his brain slow down enough for him to feel the screaming pain in his injured feet and the sticky sensation of blood running down his arms. He stops, feeling his vision fuzz out temporarily as he suddenly loses the ability to take another step. Exhaustion lays on his shoulders like a tangible weight, and his mind begs for rest. His newfound powers absolutely radiate from him in a blue and purple flame, seeping from the bottoms of his feet and the tips of his fingers, but they’re weakening quickly the farther from danger he strays. Eventually they retreat back into his body, a faint glow all that remains. He teeters on his feet, his balance failing. For a scary moment he’s sure he’s going to faint, but then he hears a voice call out to him.

“Hey, you! Don’t you go dying on me!”

Ritsu’s head snaps up, a flash of fear startling him back to his senses and giving him something to focus on as he spots another boy approaching him. He catches the red of the boy’s hair and the pistol in his hand and panics, raising a hand in his direction almost on instinct. He feels his power lash out like a whip and knock the approaching boy back a few steps, though he’s quick to regain his footing. It’s such a weak attack compared to what he’d managed before, but Ritsu still finds himself drained, the well of power within him nearly dried up.

The boy raises his hands in surrender, and Ritsu notices that he keeps the gun pointed away from him. It’s slightly reassuring, but doesn’t do much overall to endear Ritsu to whatever he’s scheming.

“Whoa, tiger, no need to get violent. I’m not gonna hurt you,” the boy says, and his voice carries a tone that’s confident bordering on cocky, with an underlying layer of genuine concern. “You broke yourself out of the labs? That’s impressive, I didn’t think any of Claw’s experiments would ever actually succeed. They must have done terrible things to you, to make you like this.” His voice is laced with thinly-veiled contempt as he takes a step forward, then another, testing his boundaries.

Ritsu hesitates to lash out again, because the way he’s talking makes it sound as though he’s not affiliated with the people who had kidnapped him, and Ritsu really doesn’t want to accidentally kill someone harmless with powers he can hardly grasp. He doesn’t even know if he can manage another attack like before, anyway; his legs are shaking, begging for rest, and he can’t seem to breathe quickly or deeply enough to satisfy his burning lungs.

He swallows thickly, unsure. “Who are you?” he demands, hand still extended in case the boy decides to make a move to attack.

The boy grins at him, confident but honest. “I’m Shou. Don’t worry, I’m not with them.” He nods his head toward the concrete building in the distance. “In fact, I came here to kill them all and blow this place into the stratosphere, but it looks like you may have beaten me to it. What’s your name?”

Ritsu bites his lip, still distrusting, but he can’t sense any ill intentions from Shou, and he’s the first kid he’s met since coming to the lab who hasn’t also been kidnapped by Claw. “Ritsu,” he says after a long moment of quiet, making an ill-informed decision to at least hear the boy out. His hand falls to his side as he finds himself struggling to keep it raised.

Shou’s grin turns into a more sincere smile at hearing Ritsu’s name, his features softening some. “Well, Ritsu, you’re lucky I found you out here. You look like shit, no offence, and I’m sure you don’t want to be stuck out here wandering in the forest until you bleed out, so why don’t you come with me? I have a friend with a car who-” He cuts himself off abruptly, eyes going wide, and shouts, “Look out!”

Ritsu gasps and turns on his heel, catching sight of two white-clad Claw scientists cresting the hill behind him. He feels a surge of panic; they were going to take him back, torture him further, make him into their lab rat. I won’t go back, he thinks to himself, raising a hand. He can’t muster the power to fight back, though, and with a flash of horror he feels his knees buckle underneath him, giving way under his jerky movements. Dark spots dance at the corners of his eyes, vision turning to static as he keels backward.

He never hits the ground, though. A strong arm catches him around his shoulders before he can, and as he regains control of his vision he sees that it’s Shou. He’s rushed to Ritsu’s aid, teeth clenched in determination, and Ritsu sees him quickly lift the pistol and fire off a quick volley of shots even as Ritsu’s weight drags him down to his knees.

The scientists crumple immediately under Shou’s fire and don’t get up again.

“You alright, man?” Shou asks, helping him into a kneeling position and steadying him with a hand on his back. He slips the gun into a holster at his hip.

Ritsu shivers, despite the clear sky and mild temperatures, and feels his teeth begin to chatter. His heart is racing and his head is pounding, a potent fear sinking into his stomach and churning restlessly there. He can’t look away from the two unmoving bodies across the clearing from them. “You killed them,” he manages, breathless.

Shou puts himself between Ritsu and the toppled scientists, a stern expression on his face, but there’s concern in his eyes. He holds no visible remorse for the people he’s just shot to death. “They were gonna kill you first, you know!” he retorts, his words painfully blunt. “Calm down a bit, okay? I told you already that I’m not gonna kill you.” His gaze flicks over Ritsu’s shaking form and his distrustful gaze, and then he sighs. “Look, you’re going to be fine, okay? I can take you somewhere safe and explain what’s going on, but I need you to trust me, alright? Is that okay?”

Ritsu swallows, feeling tears sting the corner of his eyes. Everything about this situation makes him uneasy, and he knows that, logically, it would be incredibly stupid of him to agree. He knows he should refuse, should get himself far away from here. “Okay,” he whispers instead, because he doesn’t know where else he can go, has no clue where he is or how to get home, and Shou is the first person to show him even a sliver of kindness in… he doesn’t even know how long. Days, probably.

Shou grabs Ritsu by the hand and tugs his arm around his shoulders, hefting the both of them up with some difficulty. Ritsu stumbles to get his feet underneath him, and Shou must pick up on this, because he says, “Tell me if you feel like you’re going to faint, okay? I can carry you partway to the car pretty easily.”

Without thinking, Ritsu retorts, “You’re even smaller than I am.” As soon as the words are out of his mouth, he regrets them, certain that Shou is going to get annoyed and leave him behind to die after all.

Instead, Shou laughs, loud and boisterous, and tightens his grip on Ritsu’s arm. “Not with my hands, with my powers,” he reiterates in amusement, then blinks. “Ah, I guess I never used them in front of you, did I? Can you sense my aura?”

Ritsu lifts his head and squints at Shou, searching. He doesn’t know if it's because his powers are new, or because he’s exhausted beyond anything he’s ever experienced before, but he can’t feel a lick of power coming from Shou anymore. He shakes his head no.

Shou just chuckles. “That’s disappointing, but I guess it can’t be helped. Well, there’ll be time for that later,” he says.

They don’t have to walk very far before they reach the car Shou mentioned. He doesn’t have any free hands open, one of them holding tight to Ritsu’s wrist while the other supports his waist, but the door opens itself anyway, and Ritsu spots a flicker of red-orange light through his black-tinged vision. He doesn’t even have the energy to ask as Shou helps him into the back seat of the car and climbs in beside him.

“Higashio, change of plans. I’ve stumbled on quite the discovery, so we’re gonna have to book it back to HQ,” Shou commands. He uses his hand to close the door behind him, Ritsu notes.

The man called Higashio sighs loudly from the front seat, glancing up from his cell phone. He looks like he wants to argue, but he chokes on his words when he sees the injured and near-unconscious middle schooler in his back seat. He stares, wide-eyed, for a second, then swiftly turns and starts the car up. “Geez, you really do wander into the strangest situations, don’t you?” he accuses, but doesn’t hesitate to pull the car away from where he’s parked and start the drive back to their headquarters.

Ritsu feels his body thrust back and forth as they drive on what is most likely not a real road, struggling to keep his balance just sitting up. He feels like it’s been ages since he’s seen so many trees. “What day is it?” he asks suddenly.

“It’s Wednesday,” Shou replies. “They kidnapped you, right? When did you go missing?”

Ritsu’s brow furrows in thought, and after a moment he replies, “It was a Monday, after school. They attacked me on my way home from my student council meeting.” He lets his face drop into his hands, exhausted and overwhelmed. “My brother’s probably going crazy looking for me.” If his brother is even alive. If his brother hasn’t been kidnapped as well and taken somewhere else. That isn’t even taking his parents into account.

Shou reaches out and lays a hand on Ritsu’s shoulder awkwardly, clearly wanting to offer some kind of comfort despite not being very inclined toward it. “Hey, calm down, it’s gonna be okay,” he says, frowning in concern. “You should try to get some rest, alright? You’ll feel better if you do.”

Defeated and emotionally drained, Ritsu can only nod in response. He moves his head to rest against the car window, staring outside as the trees fly by in a blur. His eyes fall closed almost immediately, and he welcomes the unconsciousness that falls over him with open arms.

---

When Ritsu opens his eyes next, it’s to a dimly lit, surprisingly homey room. For a disoriented moment, he thinks that maybe he’s home, safe in his bed, that everything that had happened had just been some weird, unprecedented nightmare, but the walls are the wrong color, and it isn’t his bed he’s laying in.

“Oh, you’re awake!”

Ritsu turns his head, eyes landing on a brightly-grinning Shou. The redhead has hold of one of Ritsu’s hands and is wrapping a white bandage around his palm and between his fingers. Instinctively, Ritsu moves to jerk his hand back, but Shou keeps a steady hold of it.

“Hey, be careful, you’re gonna mess up my hard work,” Shou accuses, turning his hand this way and that as he secures and double-checks the bandages. “You were in really bad shape, you know, especially your hands. What happened?”

Ritsu reluctantly stills, resigning himself to letting Shou move him around how he pleases. “They liked hurting my hands,” he replies softly, turning his head to look at the opposite wall so Shou can’t see his face. He doesn’t want to remember the way they’d cut his skin with knives, trying to force his latent psychic powers to emerge. Some of the wounds are days old and have never been properly checked, dried blood surrounding crude scabs. “The bleeding ones were from myself, though,” he adds as an afterthought, remembering how he’d punctured his own palms in his desire to escape the pain of electrocution.

Shou hums thoughtfully, moving his attention from his hand to the scratches and wounds that cross his arm. Ritsu realizes belatedly that his other arm is already tightly wrapped in clean white bandages, as are both of his feet.

“Sick freaks, it was probably some weird obsession,” Shou scoffs. “How do you feel? You slept all the way back and didn’t wake up when I moved you, so I thought you’d sleep for the rest of the night at least.”

Ritsu doesn’t answer, just continues to stare resolutely at the wall, feeling a sudden protectiveness well within him, a desire to preserve himself. Shou chuckles. “Tough nut, huh? Well, can’t say I blame you. You’re not dead, though, so I guess that’s good enough for me. If you don’t wanna talk, then I guess I can tell you about me. It’s only fair, right?”

Ritsu relaxes some as Shou changes the topic, grateful that he’s not being made to spill his life’s story to a near-stranger. He turns to meet Shou’s gaze at last, feeling curious. His eyes are blue, of all colors, and abnormally light for someone who’s clearly grown up in Japan. Foreign blood, perhaps? “Yeah, that would be fair,” he agrees, if only because he’s dying to know why a boy who can’t be older than himself is capable of the damage he’s caused.

Shou cracks a smile at this, nodding. “Alright then. I’m Shou, in case you forgot, and I guess you could call me the leader around here,” he says, reintroducing himself more properly this time. There’s clear pride in his voice as he speaks, an air of cockiness and showmanship that come across to Ritsu as braggy, maybe even juvenile. As he speaks, he cleans away the dried blood on Ritsu’s arm with a wet cloth. “I’m an esper, like you, the first in existence to be forcibly awoken by Claw’s crazy torture machines. They kidnap kids with potential latent psychic powers and break them, over and over, until either their powers emerge or they die. It doesn’t matter either way to them.” His expression hardens as he speaks, clear distaste and outright malice evident in his tone. “They awakened me three years ago in hopes that I would become their poster boy, but they never could get a very tight grip on me. I ran away the first chance I got and never looked back. Now, I’m going door to door and blowing up as many Claw bases as I can get my hands on. Maybe if I do it enough their leader will finally acknowledge how badly he’s fucking up and call the whole thing off.” He shakes his head, sighing out, “Stupid father.”

Ritsu blinks in surprise, barely catching Shou’s last words as he spits them under his breath. He isn’t sure if they’re meant for him to hear or not, but the impact is the same nonetheless. Shou’s words say a lot more about his past than Ritsu thinks he probably wanted to divulge, too. If he’d also been awakened to his psychic powers by Claw, then he and Ritsu were the same, both victims. He looks up at the ceiling, swallowing. Those guys are really dangerous, then… he thinks to himself in alarm. The one who took me even managed to defeat my brother-

He lets out a gasp, eyes widening. “Shige! Ugh, how could I forget?” he exclaims, sitting up so fast that Shou lets out a startled yelp. “They were after my brother, not me! They mistook me for him, he might still be in danger, he-”

“Whoa, whoa, Ritsu, slow down,” Shou interrupts, standing up and gripping him by both his shoulders. “Your brother is fine. I sent a guy to stake out your house. He made it home alright after whatever fight went down on Monday and he’s not hurt. You’re parents are okay, too.” He pauses, glancing away, and Ritsu is surprised to see his expression turn remorseful. “He tried to find you, but you disappeared without a trace, at least from his side. As far as Claw knows, they succeeded in their mission in kidnapping Kageyama Shigeo and, as long as they don’t find out they got the wrong guy, they won’t go after him anymore.”

Ritsu’s expression breaks, and he lets his face drop into his hands. He doesn't even care how Shou managed to get the information on him and his family so quickly, just relieved that his brother is alright. The relief is quickly overtaken by despair, though, as he thinks of his brother frantically trying to find him and being forced to return home empty-handed to his distraught parents. “This is a nightmare,” he groans miserably. “He must be so worried… I’ve been gone for two days now.”

Shou swallows, chuckling nervously. “Well, it’s past midnight, so, uh, it’s actually more like three now,” he admits, then quickly shakes his head, grimacing. “But that’s not important. Yeah, things aren’t ideal, but everyone’s alive and mostly intact and the Claw base you came out of is smoldering ashes now so, hey, at least we have that going for us.”

Ritsu uncovers his face to fix Shou with a biting glare, annoyed. “I need to get home, I need my family to know that I’m okay,” he insists, but he can only stay angry for so long before it devolves into desperate pleading. “Please, Shou, I need to talk to them!” He reaches out and grasps Shou by both arms, desperate.

Shou sighs, releasing his grip on Ritsu and tugging himself out of his grasp. He moves back to the chair he’d set up by the bed, sitting down and leaning his elbows in his thighs. “You never slow down, do you?” he asks, raising a brow in an unimpressed manner. “Look, I know that you miss your family and that you’re worried about them, but it’s not so simple. You’re an escapee now, a fugitive. Claw won’t let you go so easily, especially now that they know you’re a successful experiment. They know where you live and where you go to school, and they can easily track you down again if you aren’t careful.” He pauses, expression softening some. “I want to take you back to your home, I really do, but it’s just not safe for you there anymore, especially if you want to protect your family, too.”

“What are you talking about?” Ritsu demands, feeling fear and confusion pooling in his stomach. “You said my family was safe!”

“And they are, at least for now,” Shou says quickly, “but that will change if Claw finds out you’ve been home, even just for a little while. If there’s any chance of your family knowing where you are, they’ll use them to find you again. It’s how they work, the bastards.” He grits his teeth in repulsion, shaking his head. “In any case, the most we can do for them for now is keep an eye on them from afar. If Claw makes a move on them, we’ll be the first ones to find out.”

Ritsu takes a shaky breath, falling silent as he processes this information. “What am I supposed to do, then? If I can’t go home, or back to school, or anywhere else until all this is solved, where am I gonna go?” he asks, quiet and broken. He misses his family already.

“Well…” Shou says, clasping his hands on his knees and leaning forward a bit. “I was hoping you might, you know, stick around for a while. It’s safe here, so you can recover from your injuries and get back on your feet. Then, I was hoping you might want to help me on my mission.” His expression goes from slightly nervous and guilty to starkly determined, obviously quite serious about the offer he’s making. “I’ll just cut to the chase, Ritsu. You’re strong, really strong. Strong enough to take out a whole Claw base by yourself, once you get some practice in. What I told you about your family and about needing to lay low is all true, but if you help me take down Claw, you can make sure for yourself that they never come after you again, you or your brother. Plus, it’ll give you plenty of chances to get your revenge.” He sits up in his seat, offering Ritsu a sly grin. “What do you say?”

Ritsu hesitates. He isn’t a fighter by any means, and the psychic powers now churning beneath his skin are still very new and frightening. It’s all very overwhelming, but Ritsu can’t help but feel a sort of sickening hope at Shou’s promise for revenge. Revenge on the people who’ve targeted his brother, revenge on the scientists who had stared at him with those apathetic eyes while they tortured him. It did have a sort of dark draw to it. “So, if I do agree to this, I’ll have to drop my whole life indefinitely? No going home, no school, nothing?”

“That’s right,” Shou says with a nod. “I’m really sorry it’s come down to this, believe me. If I could send you home right now in clear conscious, I would. I still will, if that’s what you want, but I could really use your help here, too. A partner of sorts, someone to watch my back.” He offers Ritsu a smile, small but hopeful. “I’ll watch yours too, of course. Safety in numbers and all that. Basically, I’m offering you a place to stay for the time being, a chance to get back at the people who hurt you, and a way to protect your family. I’ll even throw in some lessons to help you control your powers better. It’ll make you a more useful ally, plus it’s fun.” He grins at this, his snarky cheerfulness back in full force. “You won’t get to be as strong as me, of course, but with enough practice-”

“I’ll do it,” Ritsu interrupts, cutting Shou off mid-sentence. “I’ll join you, at least for now. The faster Claw is destroyed, the sooner I can put all this behind me.” He fixes Shou with a surprisingly fierce expression, strong and determined and angry. “I’ll make them regret ever targeting me and my family.”

Shou blinks, momentarily shocked speechless, as though he isn’t expecting such a fast and passionate response. Then he breaks out into another grin, pleased and impressed. “Alright, then. From now on, we’re partners,” he says, and extends a hand to Ritsu.

Ritsu smiles, the first smile he’s managed since he’d been kidnapped three days ago, and meets Shou for a handshake with one bandaged hand. “Yeah. Partners.”

[ammacdiaries-blog]

When In Williston....Just Don’t

First entry.  First attempt at writing a short story.  The following is a true story.  Obviously, names aren’t included.  I do welcome all feedback.  Please also share.

Here goes….

Fresh out of training, yet still in my probationary period dubbed first 120.  I began my embarquement from Seattle, Washington to Chicago, Illinois on my normal run called The Empire Builder.  The total journey would be 6-days; 3 there and 3 back.  Assigned to the Sleeper Car, I was in charge of first class services.  This entails providing services to 16 to 24 rooms with 1 to 5 passengers per room; making beds, to-go meals, luggage assist, etc.  I especially like working in the sleepers because of the direct customer contact.

This summer was proving to be an especially difficult one.  Continual track work bestowed us with countless delays.  This resulted in irritated passengers.  Still nothing I couldn’t handle.  Even as we entered Wolf Point, MT and I learned a tornado caused a freight liner to derail just ahead of us, I could still direct the mood of irritated passengers into a more positive one and keep people entertained.  

I guess I was too focused on the people and paid no attention to my arachnid homies, causing one to get especially bitter.  I asleep in my room, while Charlotte spun her web somewhere in the vicinity.  After a long day of whipping out some web, she must of developed a bad taste in her mouth.   

Through her several eyes, I can only guess she saw me as one of two things: An asshole who was keeping her trapped there, or a nice humid incubator where she could sink her teeth into a nice tender thigh.  Since Wilbur never gave her any bacon, after writing all those messages in the web, I assume she saw this as her one opportunity to get some good squealing in.  

I awoke with a burning sensation in between my legs.  Not that of a result of a great time with a complete stranger in a cheap hotel room.  But still one that would require countless antibiotics.  Where’s the fun in that?  I’m not sure whatever happened to Charlotte.  But I’m guessing after her journey to the nether regions of my southern hemisphere, she turned eight feet up and six feet under.  

Now me being me, I of course fell right back to sleep.  If the intruder alarm in my house won’t wake me up for long, chances are some heat near my hot pocket won’t wake me up either.  When I awoke though, I discovered Charlotte’s little parting gift for me.

Throughout the next several hours, I worked as normal.  Trying to ignore the pain of what started out as a pea-sized nob, and then had grown into a half-dollar sized coin.  By the night, I had started mastering the penguin waddle.  You skinny people might not get this reference.  But the penguin waddle is what us larger people do when chafing occurs in between the thighs.  As to not piss our ham hocks off any further, we keep our thighs close together and swish our hips, while keeping our legs straight in order to keep pain at a minimal.   I haven’t had to use this maneuver since my teenage years.  Luckily, it was like hopping on a bike after not being on one for a decade.  Oh the things I take pride in.

Going late into my 3-day, and still no where near Chicago, the abscess between my thighs had now grown to about 6-inches.  Still too scared to seek medical attention, I did find it in my better interest to let a crew member know just in case, you know, something worse could happen.  Despite his years of experience and vast knowledge of how Amtrak handles things, I still chose not to make management aware.  During the first 120, it was ingrained in our heads you will be fired for any mishap.  I must emphasize, this is not the case as I later learned.  

Our layover in Chicago, when on time is approximately 18-hours.  The delay from the derailment lowered that layover to approximately 4-hours.  I had planned on going to urgent care, getting an I&D, then leaving out on my return trip.  Unfortunately, I had just literally pulled a 24-hour shift, and was allotted 4-hours to do laundry, take a hot bath, nap for 1-hour and then return to work the train going back.  I was riding myself hard and putting me away wet.  

The wound had now spread from my groin to knee and was the most beautiful color of dark purple, had it not been my flesh.  Full car coming back, there would be no rest for this wicked man.  

In the distance, I heard the sound of a call light go off.  As it was lunch time, this could only mean they wanted to order their food to-go as opposed to being normal people and eating in the dining car.  Normally I wouldn’t be so irritated by such an easy request.  But my time back on this bicycle was making my ass more tender than veil.  

After collecting their order and returning with their food, I knocked on their door.  The vibrations of the knocking must of set off the richter scale because a splitting of the plates happened.  I ruptured.  The man answered the door with the biggest smile.  Those fresh burgers for him and his girlfriend had finally arrived.  And how he couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into them.

Yes he was greeted with that, but no.  There would be no smell of fresh angus beef and bacon in the air.  There would be that of the foul stench of the walking dead.  I dare not say what just happened.  We both looked at each other as if to say “What hell did you eat?”.  He knew it wasn’t him.  I knew it was me.  But he didn’t know that.  I gave him the look like it was him.  Which I hope made him believe it was his girlfriend.  Both our faces wrinkled to the point of needing an immediate injection of botox.  We still managed to exchange product for gratuity.  If they are still together, I won’t ever know.  

I was at a loss.  There was no more penguin waddle left in me.  I could only now slither like a slug to the nearest shower room and play doctor with my first aid kit.  I texted my partner in crime to let him know that an act of God had just occurred.  And thank goodness because we were approaching our next stop and I had to let passengers on and off.  There was no way I was going to help people with sappy, soupy pants on with the fragrance of that one wouldn’t even smell in a soup kitchen.  

Now seriousness was going to have to take place.  There was no further thing I could do but seek medical attention.

���Good afternoon passengers” came across over the PA system.  “Our next station stop will be Williston, North Dakota.”  

This was to be my stop.  The conductor had called for an ambulance to take me to the hospital.  I had only had about 15-minutes to pack my room, dress my wounds, dress myself and be available at the door.  Oh, and please don’t forget that I’m still only one 1-hour of sleep.  

As I stood there waiting for that next station stop, my passengers had began to cluster around the vestibule area, eager to step off the train, have that much desired cigarette, and of course witness my grand exit.  

I open the door upon arrival and before me are approximately 14 paramedics.  Not quite the paparazzi, but still very intimidating.  Then the press conference begins.

“Why is it you think you need an ambulance?” the one reporter boasted.

“I beg your pardon?”  What the hell kind of question is that?

“Why do you think you need to go to the hospital?”

Am I interviewing for a patient position, I thought.  I turned and look behind me to see my passengers just a chomping at the popcorn, anticipating what I was going to say next.  Well I’m sorry to disappoint.  But your not going to hear me say “Oh I have a compromised immune system and a wound the size of my fucking thigh just blew up in my thigh and I thought this would just be the next fun thing to do in my day.”

“I’ll be more than happy to answer that questions on our way to the hospital without an audience.”  I assertively replied.  

While dancing in the back of the ambulance to every pothole on the road, someone must have heard me say “I have ebola”, because when I got to the hospital, every person was wearing thick gowns, spit guards, and filtered masks.  I’m now so emotionally distraught, and tired, I have no idea what to do.  

I then was blessed to meet probably the only person with a brain, the PA who walked in asking why she felt she was on a movie set instead of a hospital.  As the lambs started “baaaaaaaaaahing” out their reasons, she quickly schooled them and said contact precautions as normal.  None of this additional crap is necessary.  She then looks at my wound and says “Cellulitis and possible MRSA.”  Oh Christ, I thought.  My next emotion was to cry.  Apparently this was something they didn’t know how to handle.  Well not handle so much as acknowledge.  

Because at this moment, I had learned Nurse Ratched had continued her education, becoming a doctor, my doctor and was standing before me.  “If we don’t keep you here, what is it you think you’re going to do?”

I didn't understand the question.  Yes, it was to the point.  I just didn’t see how it related to me.  “What do you mean, what am I going to do?”

“Well do you think Amtrak is going to just give you another ticket?  What are you doing to do?”

Despite Nurse Ratched’s continued education, I noticed she still somehow must have missed any courses involving bedside manner.  It feared me though that once I explained I was an employee and fully insured, how quickly her tune changed.  But that wasn’t a hill I was ready to climb.

While being admitted as an inpatient, I had understandingly fallen asleep to only be awoken by the Hospitalist, a harpy I dubbed Olga the Oger.  “Michael, we need to talk.”

I fumbled to awaken myself.  SInce my bladder felt as if to explode, this initial task was a bit easier.  “I need to use the restroom first.”

I’m not sure what kind of fetishes this harpy had, but she grabs a urinal,sits it in front of me, then sits down herself, giving me the strongest execution of poker face I had ever seen.

“Without an audience.” I commanded.  

While waiting for her to come back in the room, flapping her wings to perch in her nest, I fell back asleep.  Then again with that same shrill I heard “Michael, I said we needed to talk.”

Hold up.  What’s that?  No ma’am.  You obviously don’t know who I am.  It was at that moment my hummingbird ass was put to rest by my alligator mouth.  I couldn’t believe I had it in me.  The harpy looked down, looked at me in the eyes, then said “I am getting security.  I don’t feel safe with you in the room.”

Security must have been busy fighting the meth monsters from the emergency room.  Because she came back with no soldiers.  Which I was fine with.  I grabbed my big boy britches, apologized and proceeded our discussions.

Three more times she ran out of my room in fear.  No my friends, not from my hot temper.  But to change every order she had already written for me because she failed to find out my allergies beforehand.  I was starting to feel that Charlotte and I were going to be seeing each other again in the after life by the way things were going.

Well I survived the that 5-day stay in the hospital.  But no.  Mount Fiji had yet to be conquered.  My final night in Williston was to be at a hotel.  Work had generously called me cab to take me to the Ritz, no Discount something or other inn.

As I stand there waiting for my chariot to arrive, a strong sense of anxiety consumed me as I saw this black SUV come racing towards me.  Oh God.  This can’t be my cab.  I found placing my luggage in the back to be especially easy as the the whole back window had been busted out.  Upon entering the cab, I took notice to the several inches of dirt and dead insects upon my bench.  I especially loved that my “driver” rhythmically licked and chewed his lips as if they were two cheeseburgers from the best burger joint in town.

“Now they told me you would need a receipt.  I told them we give receipts on cards.”

Fair enough I thought.  Wait….What’s this.  Lip Licker hands me the card of a female real estate broker who specializes in short sales at Remax.  On the back of my card it says Cab Fare $17.00 and a signature.  Oh yeah.  Accounting will look at this like seeing a turd floating in a punch bowl.  

Thank Christ, I’m at the hotel!  I walk in to see the accommodations were doable.  Not the Ritz as I dreamed.  But after my week, a cardboard box set up in the middle lane of a highway in a rainstorm wouldn’t seem so disappointing.  “Sir.  We have your complimentary dinner available for you in the hallway over there.”

Dinner in the hallway?  Oh hell yeah!   Jackpot.  I couldn’t wait.  As I stand in line behind every roughneck in the state acting like vultures before 3 metal canisters, I couldn’t hardly wait to see what lottery winnings I could be consuming.  Door number one had something that I think might have been tuna.  Whatever it was, it was shredded, white, and crusty on top.  Behind door number two, chicken so oily, had I dropped it, Foghorn Leghorn would have slid straight to the Canadian Border.  Then behind door number three, corn dogs so hard, I could speer someone’s eyes out from across the room.  I figured between the preservatives, and the 600 different antibiotics running through my system, the speers would be the best way to go.

Oh let the C-Diff begin!!!!

It’s safe to assume, if I’m ever bit again, by anything, I’ll probably not wait so long to address it.  Maybe I’ll start asking for directions too.