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viviennevermillion · 2 years ago

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finding solace

notes: i don't feel like this one lives up to my usual standards of writing i hold myself to because i wrote it while experiencing writer's block and mental health issues but i really wanted to write something.

also if you like my works, feel free to commission me!

word count: 2.7k

contains: leona kingscholar x gn!reader, comfort, reader has depression

warnings: symptoms of depression, non-sexual nudity (taking a shower together)

dark content creators & consumers do not interact

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The sun broke through the blinds in an almost grotesque, unnerving way. Or at least, that was what it felt like for you. Seeing Leona of all people be more active than you was a bad sign by itself, but your own mood was something you could hardly ignore at this current moment. The more time passed, with you idly laying in your boyfriend’s bed, covered only half by the blanket and the bedsheets a mess from the tossing and turning you had done throughout the day; the worse you started to feel. But anything you could do seemed as pleasant of an idea as climbing a whole mountain right now. You scolded Leona often enough, but this was probably what he felt like all the time. Minutes seemed to turn into hours and you wanted to cry but the tears were far from coming out. You knew crying could sometimes make one feel better but it seemed like not even that was an option for you now.

You scrolled mindlessly through your phone, tired and exhausted; then setting it down and trying to rest but ultimately realizing destiny was hellbent on keeping you awake, no matter if your eyes became red and felt like they were burning. So you gave up and picked up the phone again. What was the point of anything right now?

You wished there was at least something you were looking forward to in the near future that would motivate you to do something or make you feel happier. But all there was, left a bland taste in your mouth and a hopeless expression of defeat in your eyes as you gazed up to the ceiling in a desperate search for anything that wouldn’t bore you to death. Leona wasn’t a big help either. He had his own depressed state of mind to deal with and right now that consisted of laying in bed next to you, not doing anything as well. You tried to snuggle closer to him but no position you found in his arms brought you the comfort and happiness you were used to. It was warm in Savanaclaw and you wished the blinding sun and the heat would be replaced by a cool wind of the night, even if it was just 10 minutes.

Leona had told you a story once of one of the kings of the past who ran away from the palace after a coup when he was just a child; collapsing in a merciless drought and destined to die of thirst and heatstroke had it not been for two kind strangers who’d take care of him and look after him. That was how you felt at this moment. Like you were left in a barren wasteland as the sun was looking forward to grill you alive, even though Leona had put up a ventilator in front of the bed so you’d be more comfortable.

You could see from the corner of your eyes that he was watching you, silently, as the minutes passed and nothing happened. You wondered what was on his mind. He gave you your answer soon enough.

“You don’t seem to be doing too well there, herbivore”, he commented and turned your head to face him. You simply shrugged, not knowing what to respond. Leona’s expression darkened. He was used to this attitude from himself, but seeing you like this; with the same lack of energy and optimism as him; made his heart ache. He had long since given up on himself but in his eyes you deserved so much. You deserved that beautiful smile he slowly but deeply fell for and you deserved to feel excited and hopeful.

He hated to see you like this. If anything motivated Leona on days like these it was trying to make sure you were at least content. Ever since he had confessed to you, he had been coming to classes more frequently and trying to fill his day with more activities. He could hardly motivate himself to do anything for himself but doing things for you gave him that final kick needed to get up from the bed and stay up.

He absentmindedly looked at you for a while; lying next to him with your eyes closed. Leona was lost in his own thoughts and when his attention shifted back to you, he noticed there were tears staining your cheeks now. Your slowed breathing indicated that you had fallen asleep at last and Leona propped himself up on his right elbow to press a kiss to your forehead. Get well soon, herbivore…, he thought and gently caressed your cheek before getting up from the bed.

When you woke up, Leona was nowhere to be found. You tried calling out to him but he didn’t respond. Just as you sat up to scan the room for signs of where he might have gone, the door to Leona’s room opened. Your boyfriend entered and tossed his leather jacket loosely onto the desk chair. You hadn’t even woken up by him leaving.

“Where did you go?”, you asked curiously. “You’ll see”, Leona gave you a reassuring smile, “I got a surprise for you. But first, we should take a shower. It’ll do you good.” You rubbed your eyes in an exhausted motion and kicked the bedsheets off you. “Are you trying to say I smell bad?”, you groaned and Leona rolled his eyes. “No. The counselor they sent me to after I…uh…got a little too enthusiastic about winning the Spelldrive Tournament; well anyway, they said that sometimes a cold shower, a walk or somethin’ like that can already make a big difference in my mood or whatever”, he ran a hand through his hair. That’s a very mild way to say ‘overblotted’, you thought but refrained from commenting on it. “By the way, I got us food”, Leona handed you a bag with a bunch of meaty snacks, “I even got you a vegetable.” You reached inside the bag, inspecting the contents. “Leona, that’s just a whole cucumber.” “If ya don’t want it, I’ll give it to someone else, herbivore.” You glanced at him for a moment before starting to eat the cucumber. Not what you would have picked for lunch, but it was the thought that counted, wasn’t it?

“Anyway, you comin’?”, he asked and gestured towards the bathroom. You nodded weakly before Leona went to grab some towels, but you didn’t find the energy to get up; scrolling through the same five apps on your phone again but having run out of anything new to look at. “Herbivore?”, Leona called out and entered his room again, to find you with one leg and one arm off the bed; trying to motivate yourself to just get up and join him. He sighed and grabbed a water bottle from the desk. “Your mandatory hydration”, he commented dryly as he handed it to you. You raised an eyebrow at him but drank quite a bit of it, finding that you’ve needed this after all. As soon as you had finished, Leona just picked you up and carried you to the bathroom, gently putting you down on the edge of the bathtub.

“Thank you”, you sighed, grateful that Leona had done for you what felt like it’d take you another 30 minutes. When you stepped into the shower, you wrapped your arms around Leona’s waist and rested your head on his chest, closing your eyes once more as you let the water run over you. “It’s cold”, you complained as Leona took care of everything for you. “It’s supposed to be, genius”, he mumbled as he applied the shower gel to your skin, “otherwise you’d probably fall right back asleep and wake up feeling even worse. Trust me, I know.” The last sentence was nothing more but a quiet whisper but you picked up on it anyway.

You remembered the past few days and how you could hardly tell what happened on which day of the week because they all seemed to blend into one another like a never ending loop of mediocrity. You remembered the stress and your worries for the future. And suddenly you couldn’t hold it in anymore. Quiet sobs left your lips and Leona’s ears instantly perked up at the signs of distress coming from you.

You gasped in surprise as you were met with the cold water from the shower head directly into your face. “What the fuck, Leona?”, you hissed. “It got you to stop sobbin’”, Leona shrugged and you noticed that he was right; you were becoming aware of your surroundings again and your breathing calmed down a bit. Leona lifted your chin up and looked into your eyes. “I love you, herbivore. So cheer up. Don’t make me worry so much, alright?”, he said and patted your head.

He hugged you from behind and his voice became softer as he nuzzled your neck. “I love you so much. Don’t forget that, okay?”, he whispered and pressed kisses to your cheek and your neck repeatedly until you had stopped crying, “I can’t stand to see you like this.” To see you like me, he thought but kept that to himself. “I hope I can lift your mood a little”, Leona gave you that soft smile only you got to see and kissed your lips gently.

Once you stepped out of the shower, you felt refreshed and already a lot better than before. You helped Leona dry off his hair, a smile finding its way to your face when you saw how the water pearled off his ears and how they flicked when you were rubbing them with the towel. This didn’t go unnoticed by Leona. He crossed his arms with an annoyed expression. “Why is it that when you feel like shit and you smile for the first time again, it’s always from treatin’ me like an oversized cat?”, you could hear the pouting tone in his voice and a chuckle escaped you. “You’re cute”, you smirked and booped his nose. “Stop that”, he warned but leaned into your touch immediately when you started to caress his ears with your fingertips, sighing softly, "the things I put up with to see you happy..."

“So, what was that surprise you wanted to show me?”, you asked once the two of you had gotten dressed again. “Put on a jacket. Something warm”, Leona grabbed a small backpack and you could hear the jingling of keys, “we’re gonna go on a small trip.” Curious about where he would take you, you followed him out of the dorm. Outside of the Hall of Mirrors, Leona gestured towards a Magical Wheel which had been parked at the side of the building. “I rented that one while you were slumbering”, he tossed you a helmet and smirked at you, “hold on tight or I might just lose you and never look back.” You poked his side in response to his teasing.

“You should put on a helmet too”, you crossed your arms. “I’ll be fine”, Leona said, putting the key into the engine and starting up the vehicle. “Leona.” “Fine, I’ll wear the damn helmet”, he rolled his eyes and then grinned at you, “I’ll keep it on for the rest of the day and watch you complain that you’re not getting any kisses.” You sighed but got onto the vehicle behind him after Leona had put on his helmet. You wrapped your arms around Leona's waist, trying to adjust to the movement of the Magical Wheel. It was a little intimidating at first, given how different it was to a regular car; but Leona kept you safe and even though he teased you a little, you could tell he made sure not to drive any faster than you were comfortable with.

As you made your way down the path on the hill that Night Raven College was located on, you could see the village on the island as well as the ocean; the light of the sun now seemed a lot softer and bearable than it had been about an hour ago. You could feel the pressure of the wind as Leona drove the vehicle across the island, giving you the scenic tour of the area.

The two of you stopped by the lake and the forest for short breaks, laying down in the grass next to each other while gazing up at the vibrant green of the trees and the red apples that grew on them. You could hear the humming of the birds and watched the clouds pass by. “That one looks like you”, you pointed at one and poked Leona. “How the fuck does that look like me?”, the second prince raised an eyebrow, clearly questioning your overactive imagination. “It’s pretty”, you just shrugged and Leona leaned over you, smirking and pressing a kiss to your cheek. “I can live with that answer”, he chuckled and his ears twitched while he did this.

You kissed his lips gently and could feel Leona smile into the kiss.

The sinking feeling in your chest you had felt for the whole day wasn’t fully gone yet, but every new thing you saw and every word Leona spoke to distract you seemed to soothe the pain a little and made it something you could deal with and overlook with ease.

Your final stop was the beach near Royal Sword Academy. The sun was already beginning to set and you had taken your shoes off to walk along the shore, holding Leona’s hand. He squeezed it gently and gave you a reassuring smile, as if to tell you silently that things were going to be okay eventually. You’d figure things out together.

He then grabbed your hand and took a bite out of the hot dog you had bought for yourself. “Hey”, you protested and Leona smirked at you. “Sorry herbivore…but surely you don’t mind sharing with me, right?”, he wrapped an arm around your shoulder, “take some pity on me, the bird took mine.” He gestured towards the seagull in a couple meters distance, picking at Leona’s meal that it had stolen from him. “Prince Leona Kingscholar, king of the beasts, bested by the common seagull”, you exclaimed with a false notion of drama and tragedy in your voice. “I could grill that little bastard here and now if I wanted to”, he crossed his arms and furrowed his brows, “I decided to have some mercy today.” “Sure”, you laughed and raised your eyebrows.

The waves crashing onto the shore felt cold when they met the skin of your feet but in a way the sensation also helped to ground you. “Feeling better?”, Leona asked and you could hear worry in his voice; something he only felt comfortable showing around you. “A little”, you nodded and picked up a seashell from the sand, inspecting it as you turned it in your hand. “Do you feel ready to go back to the dorm?” You hesitated for a moment, then shook your head.

Leona sat down in the sand, pulling you onto his lap and resting his head against yours as the two of you watched the sunset together. “That’s fine by me”, he said, wrapping his tail around you, “we can stay here for as long as you like. I don’t mind.”

You remained silent for a while, running your fingers along Leona’s tail absentmindedly. “I love you”, you whispered and leaned back against his chest. “I love you too”, Leona said quietly, closing his eyes as the wind brushed through his hair and the sunset made his skin feel a comforting warmth. Things weren’t easy on days like these. But both of you knew, come what may, you always had each other to lean on. Things had changed from the days of being alone with your thoughts and having to sort out your feelings by yourself. Whenever one of you was feeling down, the other usually found the strength to get up and drag both of you to a place that gave you comfort.

“You know, I think I’m going to keep the ride for a while”, Leona nodded towards the Magical Wheel with a smile on his face, “nothin’ much to see here after 3 years of being on this island but I’ll make it work.” You nodded and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Thank you, Leona”, you whispered and squeezed his hand, "for everything."

#twisted wonderland #leona kingscholar x reader #leona x reader #leona kingscholar x you #twisted wonderland leona #leona kingscholar #twst leona

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triptychgrip · 2 months ago

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If you like the idea of power-bottom Yuuri turning his husband into a mess...

...then you might want to check out Heatstroke: my newly completed, 16K word story set 5 years post-canon.

It begins during the 2021 off-season, when Viktor decides to send Yuuri a very raunchy video shortly before an important video conference call, in the hopes that his sexy surprise will distract Yuuri from his pre-meeting nerves.

If it wasn't obvious before this, heads up for explicit sexual content below the cut

Of course, Yuuri can't let this teasing go without a "funishment", and the meeting's aftermath features sub Viktor being tied to one of their backyard pool chairs while Dom Yuuri edges and rides him painfully slowly. In particular, I enjoyed writing the part where Yuuri tells Viktor not to take his eyes off of him while he rides a dildo right next to his desperate, keening husband 😲

I almost wasn't going to make a post about finishing this b/c I was feeling shy, but then I was like...no, I've worked hard on this!! And most importantly, I had a lot of fun writing it, so I hope you'll check out the excerpt below and give it a shot (Additionally, I've written several other Yuri!!! on Ice stories, which you can find on my overall ao3 Dashboard)

----

The bridge of the song commenced with a markedly faster tempo, prompting Yuuri to switch from a lazy circling of his hips to full-on bouncing. He dropped down and rose up in swift, punchy movements that caused jagged gasps to spill from his lips. Even so, there was an enviable fluidity to his rising and falling, the intoxicating music he made with his body not faltering even once.

“Mmh, kimochi, Vitya!” he cried, making Viktor squirm, helplessly, as he watched his cock slap against his stomach.

It was an inarguably lewd sight.

Pre-cum streaked across Yuuri’s abdomen in a way that entirely depleted his mouth of moisture.

“Fuckkkkk, this c-could be you, zaichonok,” his love went on, wrenching his head backwards to face the sky, as if in search of benediction. “Sitting underneath me, while I r-ride you so – agh! – so fast and hard.”

Yuuri plucked both of his nipples on the word ‘hard’ and gave a dirty, guttural moan.

Viktor matched it, his brain having honed in on the unceasing drumbeat of Yuuri. Yuuri. Yuuri. that he could somehow feel in the blood pulsing within his dick. Its rhythm was spurred on by the sight of that ample, perfectly curved ass meeting the base of the dildo over and over again, winding the tension between them ever higher with every passing second.

“Pleaseeee, Yusha!” he implored, not realizing he was writhing so aggressively within his restraints until he accidentally sent the remote for the plug that was still inside of him flying off of the chair.

At the clatter of sound upon impact, Yuuri stilled quite abruptly.

He blinked down at the floor of the cabana in what appeared to be an effort to regain his bearings, then looked back at him, a hungry sort of gleam flashing in his eyes.

It was a gesture that Viktor only barely caught, given how his vision had been reduced to slits. Even so, he was proud of himself for managing to obey his spouse’s directive not to look away.

#yuri on ice #yuri!!! on ice #yuri on ice fanfiction #yoi fanfiction #my writing #viktuuri #victuuri #eros katsuki yuuri #post canon yuri on ice

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speedyartist30 · 1 month ago

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Botw AU: Divine intervention pt6

him.He tail lazily flicked against the rock he was laying on and his ears occasionally twitched when someone walked by. Jay wasn’t sure how long the princess planned for them to stay here,it already been two days and he was growing restless.The sound of footsteps made him press his ears close to his head,but his senses picked up the souls aura and he instantly relaxed. Clinking metal came around his left and when Jay opened an eye he saw messy blonde hair and sharp eyes.

“Well looks like you managed to escape the crowd.”

Link:’Barely,everyone wants to see the Master sword. What about you?’

Jay shrugged and pushed himself up and glanced at the princess,she was holding a conversation with a carrier.Brushing some dust of his chest,Jay stretched and yawned.

“I’m still adjusting…. I didn’t plan for everyone to know about my true form this soon. I kept it secret for my safety and privacy,but I guess my streak is over after slipping up at Zoras domain.”

Link:’Well it’s not all bad. It let’s everyone know you work for the royal family now and it takes some pressure off Zelda….And gives me a break from all the hero chatter.’

Catching the joke,Jay playful whacked Link with his tail,he was not planning on being a canon fodder for these nosy travelers. Standing up, he wiped off his pants and followed Link back to the stable, he was supposed to make fireproof elixirs for the trip to Goron city.He offered the stablehands a polite smile as he got situated by the cook pot,Jay could see people staring at him but he pretended not to notice. Reaching into his bag he pulled out some empty bottles and rolled up his sleeves for the upcoming mess. Link sat on the stool across from him, a curious glint in his eyes. Pulling out a moblin horn and some dead fireproof lizards Jay grabbed a bowl from his bag and started cutting the lizards.

“Hey, did they show you knights how to make elixirs? Or was it just strictly combat?”

Link:’Learned combat and first aid. Didn’t teach anything about elixirs.The alchemist always gave us supplies for the regions were needed.’

“Hmm,well they aren’t that hard to make from scratch,but a pain to buy since prices have gone up.I make elixirs a little different from them though. I can show you if you want?”

With a single nod from Link, Jay quietly explained what was needed and how to prepare the elixir. He crushed the moblin horn between his hands and mashed it until it was nearly dust.With that and the chopped chopped lizard Jay put them in a bowl and added smother wing butterflies. Next he went to the well and got a bucket of water, which he poured into the cook pot along with his ingredients. Grabbing a nearby ladle he stirred it up until it turned gray, reaching into his bag one last time he revealed a small sapphire. With a sparking hand he squeezed the gem until it melted into a glowing blue liquid that dripped into the pot. The concoction bubbled with a giant glow before settling into a black mixture.

“Well that’s it.”

Link:’What was the sapphire for?’

“Some gems have traces of power in them. Sapphires have the power of ice, which I added to make it less likely for us to get heatstroke and if we avoid any fights on the way there that just better our chances.”

Zelda:”That’s smart.”

Jumping slightly at her suddenappearance,Jay titled his head up to see Zelda standing behind him. In her hand was a letter and based of the grip she had around the parchment Jay decided not to ask about it.Fidgeting with his sleeves,Jay grabbed the bottles and started filling them up with the elixir.

“Are we heading to Goron city today?”

Zelda:”We are,but first we’ll have to make a detour. I need to vist the spring of power first.“

Nodding,Jay and Link filled the bottles with the elixir while Zelda sat at the table to write a letter to give the carrier. After cleaning the cooking pot and gathering what they wanted to take,Link grabbed his and Zelda’s horses and the group started for the spring of power. It was surprisingly close by and Jay marveled at all the red and oranges leaves in shadows pass. After a bit of walking they went off path and Zelda pointed out the spring to him,but Jay could sense the spring before they even reached it.Going down the hill and to the entrance,Zelda opened her bag to reveal a white dress. While she walked inside,Jay hung back with Link to ask how the whole process worked.

Link:‘She’s going to pray to Hylia for help awaken her power.’

‘How long does she pray for?’

Link:’Different each time. She goes at it for hours sometimes while others are only an hour or two. Lately it’s been the first.’

Jay frowned, he didn’t think just asking for answers would help her…atleast not asking alone.He does his own fair share of praying to the goddess and he never heard her talk, but she always left him with these feelings that would point him to the right direction and after every prayer he would leave an offering as a thanks.But if he needed to talk about how he felt then he’ll find Farosh.

*Maybe I should talk to her about Zelda. She sent me to aid her,but Hylia blocked me out.”

Feeling a hand tapping his shoulder, Link nodded towards the entrance and Jay followed him into the spring. It was beautiful, waterfalls were on the walls and large trees were stretched towards the sky. In the middle of the spring Zelda stood in a flowy white dress with gold jewelry, she looked exactly the same when he first met her. Link turned away from her and held his sword pointed to the ground, he was on guard. Shuffling his feet against the ground,Jay reached into his bag and gave a pouch of elixirs to Link.

‘I’m going to explore the canyon. I’ll clear the path and meet you two at Goron City.’

Link gave a single nod and Jay quietly left the spring and once he was out of sight he ran to the maw of death moutain. The first thing he could feel was hot steamy air,but he slowed to a stop to drink his own bottle of fireproof elixir, it tasted burnt.Scrunching his face he shook his head and began walking through the trail. As promised Jay cleared out all the monsters he could find as he walked, but the dragon got side tracked by the amount of ore deposits near the water and had to get his hands on the shiny gems inside. A hour went by just from mining alone and he came out with two diamonds, eight Rubys, eleven Topaz ,five Sapphires, ten opals and too many ambers.

“Maybe I should start selling gems too. Monsters part pay enough for supplies but a little more currency can’t hurt.”

Washing his hands off in the lake,Jay stilled and looked up the canyon with perked ears.The pebbles around his feet shifted and bounced as explosion erupted behind him in the distance. Faintly he could hear shouting, so slinging his bag over his shoulder Jay rushed to the noise.The temperature just seemed to rise even higher the closer he got.But causing all the chaos in the haze of heat and smoke was a huge Igneo Talus chasing a group of miners. Slitted eyes viewed the monsters soul to see a bright purple hue.

*Its not corrupted but definitely stronger and smarter than average. Gotta be careful.*

Bringing a hand to his mouth,Jay whistled to grab the lumbering rocks attention. Cracking his knuckles,Jay let his hands spark as he sprinted toward the monster. The lumbering rock raised its boulder like hand and in a burst of heat launches with newfound accuracy. Jay dodged as the rock exploded into flames, shielding his face from the blast. Squinting past the flames Jay released an attack of his own as a bolt of lightning collided with the Talus front, sending it teetering off balance. Sparking, Jay leaped into the air, curling into a ball he extended into a drop kick,sending the Talus colliding into the side of the moutain.

Jumping away from the next wave of heat, Jay grabs his swords and rushes to initiate his next attack, but what to seemingly appear out of nowhere,a group of fire breathing Lizalofs emerged from the flames. Baring his fangs Jay sends electricity around his blade and attacks swiftly and ruthless against the lizards, but with the towering talus looming over him Jay struggled to escape its fury and heat. Wiping sweat off his temple, Jay sliced down another Lizalof and kicked another that grabbed onto his shoulder. Using tail to gain some ground Jay smacked the group away and took a couple steps back. Trying to catch his breath in the stifling air, he stilled when a large Goron joined the fray.With a stone like sword the Goron came down with a loud battle cry as he slammed his weapon against the ground. The force and shockwave was enough to knock the lizaflos back.

???: You alright there?”

Jay couldn’t help but marvel at the strength the goron displayed, the lizards barely stood a chance against his overwhelming strength. Jay nodded his head at the Gorons booming voice and rushed to his side to cover his blind sides with a flash of his electric power.

”Thanks for the save.”

Checking over his shoulder he sees the flaming talus regaining its footing, Jay sent it crashing into the moutain earlier, but it appears his attack didn’t deter the monster. Sending a shockwave of lightning around him and the goron, the group lizalfos screech and drop to the ground motionlessly. Pushing his bangs out of his eyes, Jay pointed at the towering talus

”That’s the real threat right there. I don’t think my attacks are going to take it down. Got any ideas?”

???:”Hmmm, I’m not that fast on my feet alone, but you are. Let’s cordinate an attack. I do the heavy hitting and you smash the weak point.”

“Sounds good. I’ll distract it.”

Putting away his sword, Jay flexed his claws and dashed ahead, slicing down every lizalof that tried to slow him down. Behind him the goron rolled like a boulder getting ready to crush anything in its wake. Clenching his teeth, jay turned his speed to a new gear and kicked the talus to the side to keep it off balance. The Goron swung his weapon against its flame filled body as chunks of rock fell to the ground. They kept the coordinated attack, Jay would attack the ore before getting shook off, the goron would shield himself when a attack was thrown his way. But soon as the talus flames disappeared Jay leapt onto its head and clawed at the weak point. The goron below ecouraged him.

???:”Nice work,little guy! Keep crushing it!!!”

Balling his hands into fist he started pummeling the ore and after a hard right hook it shattered and to Jays surprise it burst into magenta flames. Grunting in pain, Jay felt himself getting thrown off but instead of hitting the ground he felt rough hands catching him and setting him to the ground. Suddenly a crimson shield surrounded him as the talus exploded in a bright pink flames. A dreadful aura followed.

“Its corrupted!!”

???:”Its what?!”

Wincing he nods as he staggered to his feet. The talus withered and shook as the ore grew back on its head. The size of its hands increased as it threw a boulder at the duo still incased in the gorons shield, the sudden strength of the attack had the goron clench his teeth and strengthen his ground. Making a shield of his own Jay raises his hands as gold sparks surged around them and push the talus back

”That monster has pure malice inside! I have to remove it before it gets worse!!”

???:”I don’t think that’s a good idea kid!! Get out of here and leave it to me!!”

Another bolder hits the shields and a large crack stretched across the surface. Death moutain rumbled above them and Jay threw his arms out to keep balance and instinctly grabbed onto the goron to steady himself. But with his power in use Jay felt his power connect with the power inside this gorons soul. Crimson filled his eyes and coursed through his horns as the firm firy strength came from the goron. Looking up Jay sees a flame like aura surrounding the gorons fist. The talus tried to hammer then into the ground but when it made contact a shockwave of fire and lightning pushed it far into the moutain.

???:”WOAH! Would ya look at that, haha! I feel unstoppable! What did you do?”

Jay looked at the goron with red eyes, he wasn’t sure what happened, but he wasn’t complaining about the newfound strength. Looking at the crimson sparks around his hands, he explains what he think happened.

“I think my power fused with yours. I didn’t…i didn’t know I could do tha-“

The talus smashed its body to the ground to make its limbs, before stomping towards them. Glaring the beast down,Jay let his power spark while the goron smashed his fist together

???:”Lets show this boulder what we’re made of! Ready to rock little guy!?”

Jay gave a determined nod and rushed ahead in a flash of crimson, he aimed and attacked the weak point while the goron attacked its body with his stone sword.They worked like a firy tornado and when the goron punched the talus into the air, Jay ran up the mountain side and leapt out and with a larger lightning bolt he slammed it against the ore as the monster turned into nothing but debris. Free falling, Jay managed to slow his decent by floating and he landed on his feet with a stumble. The red in his eyes left as he dropped on his backside, clearly winded and sweaty. Seeing the goron stepping towards him,Jay gave a gentle nod of appreciation

“Thanks again for the help.”

???:”No problem kid. Your actual pretty skilled yourself, what’s your name?”

“Jay, and you?”

???:”Daruk! Nice to meet ya.”

Jay eyes widened at the name and he realized he was talking to the legendary Daruk! Waving his hands in a apologetic gesture, Jay quickly fumbled out.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was you! The princess told me about you, but I didn’t think I see you this soon-“

Daruk:”Wait, your the new guy I’ve been hearin about! The hylian with the tail and fangs!”

Jay shrunk under Daruks gaze, he didn’t think word about his appearance would spread so quickly. But to his suprise the goron gave a hearty laugh and slapped him on the back with a proud grin. Confused Jay tilted his head.

Daruk:”You put up one heck of a fight, Jay. The mines would of been destroyed if you didn’t step in to protect my brothers. There the ones who came and told me to help ya out. I was mighty confused when they said a hyilan was fighting a igneo talus alone.”

Jay gave a tired smile, he wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction. Standing up Jay winced from the burns he got, but it made him wonder how the fire burned him so much. He was more fire resistant than the average,which made him conclude he was weak to malice fire. Turning to the remaining flames of the talus, Jay tensed when he saw a dark figure standing in the flames before fading to ashes.

“Wait! Who….ugh.”

Daruk:”Who’s-Jay?”

Dizzy, Jay pressed his hand against his sweat covered forehead, he got too hot. A large hand landed on his back and Jay felt himself being guided away from the flames to sit on a nearby rock. Daruk gave him a concerned look and asked

Daruk:”Are you alright little one? You looked like you got singed, and I’m far from being a healer, but I know hylian skin isn’t as tough as gorons.”

Glancing down at himself, Jay noticed the burns on his hands and arms, he had a few scorched marks on his clothes. The adrenaline coursing through him stopped him from feeling much of it. The dragon side of him made him pretty fire resistant, but he didn’t take account for malice-induced fire.

“I’m ok, just got too hot for a moment. I can treat my injuries myself.”

Daruk: "No way, Jay. You've done a great job helping us out, and You're coming with me to Goron City. We'll get you properly patched up and show you some real Goron hospitality."

"I don't want to be a burden."

Daruk:"Nonsense! You saved our mines and stepped in to protect my brothers. It's the least we can do. Besides, any friend of the princess is a friend of mine and we Gorons take care of our friends.”

Daruk smile was contagious and Jay found himself returning one of his own. Taking Daruks outstretched hand,Jay let himself be pulled up,grateful for the support when exhaustion started setting in. As they walked away from the battleground, he couldn't shake the image of the dark figure from his mind.

The two made their way to Goron City, the heat from Death Mountain's lava flows surrounding them. As they arrived, the bustling city was alive with the sound of Gorons hard at work. The sight was both intimidating and welcoming, with Gorons of all sizes pausing to nod in respect to Daruk, Jay noticed the curious looks he received and without much thought he floated and sat and Daruks shoulder with pinned ears.

Daruk:”It’s alright,Jay. They’re curious. It’s not common to see a hylian like you.”

“I’ve noticed…”

Daruk gave a chuckle and kept walking while,Jay looked around to satisfy his curiosity. It didn’t take long for Link and Zelda to arrive to the volcanic city. And just like Jay expected Zelda went straight to business and asked Daruk to be the pilot of the divine beast. The goron said yes without any hesitation, Jay didn’t even think Daruk thought about it before agreeing. Then the princess wanted to see the divine beast Vah Rudania, but without Links presences, so the blonde stayed back with Jay, who was hanging out in the medical cave in the city. Jay was shrugging of his jacket when he noticed the teen walking towards him.

“Hey, how did the spring of power go?”

Link:’Not good, but not bad either. Zelda didn’t pray as long, but she seemed….Distracted.’

”What you mean?”

Link frowned and his hands stilled in the air, cobalt eyes clearly thinking of a response. Eventually he slowly signed

Link:’She sounded frustrated. I try not to listen when she prays, I don’t want to intrude when she talks to the goddess. But she just sounded very different compared to the other times.’

Jay sighed, he knew Zelda unlocking her power wouldn’t be easy, but he understood her frustration, he just wished he could help her more.Tugging off his shirt, he applied some burn salve on his burns and bandaged them up, Jay saw links eye widen and he quickly signed.

Link:’What gave you those?’

“A igneous Talus, but me and Daruk handled it.”

Link:’Not that…Those scars.”

Jay tilted his head, he gave a small smile and pulled his shirt back on before shrugging.

“I grew up fighting monsters to earn rupees by selling monster parts. I started pretty young and I was reckless when i fought.This is just the outcome of that, but I learned and grew stronger from it.”

Link gave a nod and to Jays suprise rolled up his tunic to show a jagged scar going across his right side.Bringing his hands up he signed

Link:’From my first Lynel fight.’

“Well you live and you learn right? Come on, let’s catch up with Daruk and the princess.”

Link gave a smile and nodded, Jay shrugged his jacket back on and stood up with a stretch. The two teens walked up death mountain and caught up with Zelda and Daruk. To Jays amusement Daruk was standing behind Zelda while a dog stood across from them. Floating to the dog Jay scratched it on the head, reaching into his bag he gave the dog a raw chicken leg. The dog happily took the offering before trotting away.Jay looked at Daruk with a slight smirk

“Everything alright Daruk?”

Zelda covered her mouth,but Jay could tell she was grinning, Daruk let out a sigh of relief before he scratched his beard with a bit of embarrassment.

Daruk:”Yup…All good here.”

Zelda:”Daruks about to tame Vah Rudania. I going to explain and show him what he needs to do once we board her.”

“Oh, well I’ll leave you all to it then, I’m sure Daruk and Vah Rudanias souls will link just like Miphas did with Vah Ruta. I have to go.”

Turning away to leave, Zelda stopped him by grabbing his shoulder. She looked stressed as she tells him..

Zelda:”Where are you going? We still need to have you go to Vah Rudania. You watched Mipha when she tamed her divine beast.

“You don’t need me here for this. I only stayed during Miphas to see how piloting a divine beats works. Daruk can go to his divine beast without me, taming the beast has nothing to do with my prescence, but the soul of the one who wants to tame. I already confirmed Daruk is fit.”

Offering a gentle smile he reassured Zelda and rested a hand on her shoulder

“You are the one that needs to be here. That mind of yours is what is going to help your chosen pilot the divine beast. You can do it Princess you did it with Mipha and I know you can do it again.”

Pulling his hand away Jay expression suddenly became serious.

“I also need to go to make sure someone isn’t trying to interfere with our work. Earlier me and Daruk seen someone, I could sense corruption in their soul. And if this stranger poses a threat to you or anyones safety then I have to deal with them.I’ll meet you guys at the castle when your done here.”

Zelda gave him a nod, he saw a determined glint in Zelda’s eyes. Link and Daruk gave him a confident steely look, a silent message conveying they’ll keep a eye out and stay on guard. With a wave Jay turned and ran in a blur of gold.

As the sunsetted the moon took its place in the sky, Jay had returned to his home in Faron to rest and recoup some energy after todays work. But once he sensed the presence of a strong spirit, Jay left the comfort of his Minka and began flying to the guardian of the spring of courage. Squinting pass the wind Jay sees the sparks Farosh created, smiling softly Jay started to float until she flew up to him. Letting himself slowly descend he landed ontop of her head. Moving around her horn, Jay lightly rubbed her head, she hummed underneath him, a greeting he grew familiar with. Smiling, he sits down on her mane his hands combing through her hair.

“Hi, Farosh. I miss talking with you, I’ve been busy with the princess and picking the divine beast pilots. There’s two of them now and that brings us one step closer to being ready to fight the calamity.”

Frowning a little Jay, sighed softly and layed on his back. Looking at the inky yet star filled sky he quietly confessed.

“I can’t unlock Zelda’s power…Hylia doesn’t want me to and…I don’t know why. I know divine intervention is a big deal…I’m a walking example of it…But she has no one to help her understand how to unlock it…And her soul is…different.”

Farosh hummed again when he grew quiet,Jay rubbed his hands over his face and continues.

“There’s also this…person that I heard about and now I’m sure I’ve seen him twice. There’s a darkness around him…a malice nearly identical to ganons…Farosh, who is this?”

Jay pulled his hands down and watched Farosh sparks float around him, the warmth from them made him feel safe. Farosh gave a low roar and Jay sat up to see what’s wrong. Looking up he sees a white spark coming from Farosh horn and it gently floated towards him.

“What’s this?”

Waiting for any type of noise from the dragon,Jay was left with silence as the small spark drifted his way. A bit hesitant Jay leaned away from it but the spark continued foward until it touch his forehead and he felt his eyes closing and his conscious going along with it.

Waking up Jay sat up to find his self in a dark chamber with incriptions on the walls. Standing up with a grunt Jay looked around and noticed a torch on his left, grabbing the source of light Jay held the torch towards the wall to see it showing the calamity.

The inscriptions depicted a massive dark beast surrounded by swirling tendrils of malice, comsuming the land of Hyrule. The destruction were both haunting and devastating, telling a tale of destruction and despair. Jay felt a chill run down his spine as he moved the torch along the walls, revealing more of the ancient story.

The further he went to explore, the inscriptions began to change on the stone walls.They showed a group of heroes, the champions, standing against the calamity. Each champion was depicted with their divine beast, fighting valiantly. Jay recognized Link and in his hand he held the master sword. Everyone charged to the calamity.

“Is this the future? Where’s the princess?”

Walking further Jay felt his breath catch in his throat, he held the torch higher. The inscription depicted a figure cloaked in darkness, standing beside the calamity. This figure's eyes glowed with malice, and Jay instantly recognized the malice surrounding it,he knew it was the same figure he had seen twice before. Jay continued down the hall, the air growing colder. He reached the end of the chamber, where a final inscription covered the wall. It showed a massive battle between light and darkness, with Zelda at the forefront, her power shining brightly. But there was also a shadow looming over her, a darkness that threatened to consume her light

*Is the calamity…Stopping her? Is that why how power isn’t coming to her? Is she afraid of it and that’s what blocking her connection?*

While jays mind turned into a flurry of thoughts his ears picked up the sounds of footsteps. Turning on his heel,Jay eyes slitted as the corrupted soul emerged from the darkness. A hylian with skin as gray as ash, a circlet on his temple and a cloak on his shoulders. Jay instantly knew this is the hylian that hurt Chio.The cloak figures deep voice shattered the silence.

???:”Its beautiful isn’t it? The fall of Hyrule. The prophecy of Calamity’s reign. The rise and takeover of Malice.”

“Who the hell are you supposed to be?”

The cloaked figure stepped forward, the dim light from the torch casting eerie shadows across his face. He smiled, a cold and malevolent expression. Jay let his nails sharpen into claws, he kept his face stoic and calm. The stranger spoke..

???:"I am Astor, the prophet of Calamity Ganon. And you, boy, have meddled in affairs far beyond your understanding."

“Your the one meddling, you are corrupting souls of monsters all over Hyrule and making them stronger, and for what?”

Astor:"For the glory of Calamity Ganon, of course. His return is inevitable, and when he rises, Hyrule will fall into eternal darkness. The corrupted souls are just the beginning; they will pave the way for the true power of the calamity."

“Your delusional if you think I’ll let that happen. The divine beast will soon have all their pilots and the master sword has already been claimed by the chosen hero.”

Astor:”Such naivety, You truly believe you and your little band of mortals can stand against the might of Ganon and his malice? Your nothing but dirt underneath his feet.”

Jay took a step forward lightning cracking around him as he dropped the torch. Malice wrapped around Astor his darkness contrasting Jays light.

“I’m not fighting alone, the champions aren’t either. You have ganon in your corner but we have blessed power and the power of the goddess on our side. And we all are coming for you with everything we got.”

Astor eyes narrowed and his smile widen, the shadows around him made him look less human. Astors voice dripped with scorn.

Astor:”Hylias power doesn’t hold a candle to what Ganon is capable of and that power your relying is the same power Zelda can’t even hold, correct?. Without her full power none of you stand a chance.”

Jays tail flicked and he smirked, crossing his arms he boldly told the prophet.

“Your fights not with her, it’s with me. My power is your weakness and I will gladly take you down to give my side a chance and when I’m down with you I’ll go after Ganon next.”

Astor's smile faded, replaced by a look of cold fury. "We shall see about that. Enjoy your fleeting moments of hope, boy. They won't last long.”

Raising his hand malice crawled out the darkness and surged towards Jay with intent to kill. Not moving from his postion, his power grew brighter and collided with the prophets darkness. Jay could feel he was stronger then the prophet so he pushed foward as the light overwhelmed his darkness. A shockwave pushed the two apart, Jay slid back as Astor fell to the ground. Astor's eyes burned with malice as he rose to his feet, dusting off his cloak. Jay frowned,but the movement behind Astor had his blood run cold. Behind him stood a tall figure, with fiery red hair.

Astor:”This is far from over. Ganon's power is growing, and when he rises, everything will perish in his wake.”

Astor was consumed by the darkness and Jay was left alone in the chamber and he felt something pull in his mind. Suddenly he wakes up with a gasp and jolts foward. Breathing hard he looks around to see nothing but stars and sparks from Farosh, Jay looked down to see her purple eye staring at him. In the silence of the night,jay whispered…

“So that’s his name, Astor.”

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darkstar225 · 1 year ago

Text

Twice's 10th member suffers from heat stroke ft SNSD's Tiffany as GF

A/N: Heyyy, I'm coming up with a lot of stuff for you guys so I can make up for the time I'm gone lol! Sry for taking so long to post :D I hope that the anon who gave me this idea on Tumblr likes it!

The request: Hello! May I please request 10th member ft GF Tiffany. Where she collapses/passes out on stage during a concert from heat stroke or fever and Tiffany and the girls, panicking but then taking care of her.

PS: Tysm for everyone who reads what I write, I hope I can bring a smile to your faces every time I post! I'd like to thank whoever sent me this idea 'cause I loved to write it <3

__________________________________________________________

The lights in the concert arena were blinding, and the cheers of the crowd were deafening. TWICE, one of the most beloved K-pop girl groups of the generation, was in the middle of a high-energy performance, showcasing their hit songs to thousands of fans. The stage was a whirlwind of colours, choreography, and music, and Y/N, the 10th and youngest member of the group, was giving her all, just as she always did.

In the midst of the performance, the maknae's vision started to blur, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. Her heart raced, and the heat of the stage lights seemed to intensify. She stumbled on her choreography, nearly colliding with one of her fellow members. Panic set in as her legs felt like lead, and the stage lights seemed to close in on her.

Tiffany, Y/N's girlfriend and a former member of Girls' Generation, watched from the side of the stage with concern etched across her face. She knew how hard her girl had been working, and the gruelling schedule they had all been keeping was taking its toll. Tiffany exchanged a worried glance with the other TWICE members, who had noticed Y/N's sudden struggle.

As the song reached its climax, Y/N's vision began to narrow, and she felt herself swaying dangerously. She managed to finish the routine, but as the final notes played, she collapsed to the floor, a crumpled heap of exhaustion and dehydration.

The arena fell into a stunned silence as the members of TWICE and the audience watched in shock. Tiffany's heart leapt into her throat as she rushed to the youngest's side, the other TWICE members following suit.

Tiffany - Baby!

Tiffany cried, kneeling beside her girlfriend.

The medical team on standby rushed to the stage, and the arena's emergency response protocol kicked into action. The concert was halted, and a hush settled over the once-ecstatic audience.

Tiffany gently cradled Y/N's head in her lap, brushing a strand of sweat-soaked hair away from her girlfriend's pale face.

Tiffany - Y/N, baby, can you hear me? *tapping cheek*

Y/N's eyelids fluttered open, and she looked up at Tiffany with a weak, dazed expression.

Y/N - Tiffany...

Tiffany's heart ached as she held her lover's hand tightly.

Tiffany - You're going to be okay, baby. Just hang in there.

The other TWICE members surrounded them, their faces filled with concern. Jihyo, the group's incredible leader, took charge, speaking to the medical team and the worried staff members. Nayeon, Sana, Momo, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, Jeongyeon, Tzuyu, and Mina gathered around, forming a protective circle around their little sister.

The paramedics quickly arrived on the scene, checking Y/N's vital signs and administering emergency treatment for heatstroke. The members watched with bated breath, their hearts heavy with worry. Tiffany's grip on Y/N's hand never wavered.

The medical team assured everyone that the maknae's condition was stable but cautioned that she needed immediate rest and medical attention. Y/N was carefully placed on a stretcher and wheeled away, leaving Tiffany and the TWICE members to follow in a mix of fear and relief.

In the privacy of the backstage area, Y/N was settled in a temporary medical bay. She was hooked up to an IV drip, receiving fluids to rehydrate her. Tiffany sat by her side, holding her hand and speaking soothing words.

Tiffany - Honey, you scared me to death.

Tiffany murmured as her voice trembled with emotion.

Y/N managed a weak smile.

Y/N - I'm so sorry, Tiff. I didn't want this to happen.

Tiffany leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her girl's forehead.

Tiffany - You don't have to apologize, love. We should have noticed how hard you've been working.

As Tiffany held Y/N's hand, the other members of TWICE gathered around, their faces etched with concern. Jihyo stepped forward, her motherly instincts taking over.

Jihyo - Sweetheart, we're so glad you're okay. But you have to take better care of yourself. *frowning*

The other members nodded in agreement. Sana spoke up, her voice filled with guilt.

Sana - We should have realized you were pushing yourself too hard. *pouts*

TWICE's angel closed her eyes, feeling overwhelmed by the love and concern surrounding her.

Y/N - I didn't want to let anyone down. I wanted to give my best for our fans.

Mina placed a gentle hand on Y/N's shoulder.

Mina - Lovebug, we love you, and we appreciate your dedication, but your health comes first. We should have made that clear to you.

Y/N's eyes welled up with tears, and she squeezed Tiffany's hand tightly.

Y/N - I'm so lucky to have all of you. Thank you for caring about me.

Nayeon - You're not alone in this, kiddo. We're like a family, and we look out for each other. *reassuring smile*

With the paramedics' guidance, Y/N was given the care she needed. She was advised to take some time off to fully recover. Tiffany, ever the supportive girlfriend, promised to be by her side every step of the way.

Over the next few weeks, Y/N rested and recuperated with Tiffany's unwavering care. She realized the importance of self-care and the strength of the bond she shared with both her girlfriend and her TWICE family.

As the members of TWICE returned to their rigorous schedule, they made a conscious effort to ensure that all the members, including Y/N, took breaks and stayed healthy. They had learned a valuable lesson from that fateful day, one that reminded them of the importance of looking out for one another and never taking their health for granted.

And this made them all share one thought:

I'll love my dear chosen family forever.

A/N: I'm sorry for any errors. English is not my first language. Pls, let me know if there is something wrong, ty for reading <3

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danses-with-dogmeat · 1 year ago

Text

S is for -- Sunny Smiles

Sunny was just so much fun, I loved her in-game, and writing for her was great! Ahh, another winner I was really happy to see recognized 😊

I hope y'all enjoy!

And here is the 2k event masterlist, for your browsing pleasure!

Pair: Sunny Smiles x g/n! Six

Dialogue: “Are you sure there isn’t anything I can do to help?”

Word: Savor

Rating: SFW

Category: Hurt/Comfort

Word Count: 1.3k

“So, pardner, you gonna tell me what’s wrong, or are we both jus’ gonna sit here in the dirt and sulk?”

Six only sighed in response, their eyes still trained on the way Cheyenne padded about on quiet paws, sniffing all there was to sniff in the old graveyard, as the meager wildlife came alive beneath the slow-rising moon.

“Hey, not talkin’ to myself here, am I?” Sunny gave Six a shove with one hand, jostling the still-full Sunset Sarsaparilla they held, until little droplets darkened the dusty ground below. “What’s yer problem tonight? Yer the one askin’ me to come all the way up here just afore the sun falls, and fer what?”

“Sorry.” Six managed, but their head felt about as jumbled as it had the first time they found themself in the Goodsprings Cemetery. “I-it’s just…”

They trailed off as the words scampered away from their tongue frustratingly.

How am I supposed to explain a problem like this?

And why the hell did I think Sunny would be the right person to tell?

“You drag me out here to tell me you’re in love with me or somethin’?”

Six had, evidently, chosen the wrong time to take a sip of their sarsaparilla, as that too, sprayed over the ground in their shock.

“Heh, seems like it!” Sunny gave them another shove as she laughed, and though Six’s mind still ached and their conscience still ran amuck in every direction, they couldn’t fight the grin that tugged at their lips.

“That’s not quite… Well, I do like you, Sunny. But I thought that bit was already pretty obvious.”

“Oh?”

They tried to tell themself that they didn’t like that smug look on their friend’s face, but… yeah, it would’ve been a lie. And Sunny could always see through their lies, even from the start.

Six smiled all the more at the thought of it, of their first meeting, the way she’d taught them to shoot, how to live off the land without poisoning themself; helping them, and yet, she'd been anything but sunny to Six all throughout the first month of them knowing each other.

Even so, it only made them more fond of her.

Her prickly pear personality, her quips and shoves of her elbow into their ribs… But still, she’d helped them more than anyone else in the wasteland. Sure, without Doc Mitchell and Victor, they’d never have made their way out of the grave. But without Sunny? They’d have made it maybe 20 yards outside town before keeling over, dead by some gecko or powder ganger, an unforgiving plant, or just plain heatstroke.

“No, I just…” They continued slowly, still wrapped up in their own fond thoughts, and their jumbled, upsetting ones.

“I came back here for a different reason than that. Hell, if that was it, we could’ve stayed down at the bar for me to tell you.”

“That’s what I was sayin’.”

Six braced themself for another shove of an elbow as their friend raised her arm, but Sunny only took a sip of her own sarsaparilla.

“But okay, so that yer smitten with me ain’t it…” Six let out a giggle at the way she sounded annoyed by that, “Well, then what’s the issue? Spill it, so we can head back down the hill. Place creeps me out. Cheyenne too. 'Specially at night.”

“Yeah, how do you think I feel?" Six scoffed good-humoredly, "I died here.”

“That’s a little dramatic, don't ya think? You look fine to me. Now come on, Six. You’re stalin’, don’t tell me yer not.”

She turned her body towards them with mildly violent intent, and the courier raised their hands in surrender.

“Alright! Alright…” Six took a breath as they looked back out into the, now blue-toned, desert. The heat from the orange sand contrasted greatly to the dropping temperature of the air, and they felt themself shiver.

“I just… I don’t even know if you can help me, honestly, but... you’re the only one I could think of that would be honest with me."

They could feel her eyes burning into them, but Six only made eye contact with darkening horizon.

"Just... you’re sure you didn’t know me, like… before?”

“Not sure I catch yer drift there, Six.” Sunny’s voice was a little softer now, as though detecting her friend’s delicate state.

“I mean, no one knew the real me. I could’ve been anyone, you know? What if I was… horrible, or something? Maybe that’s why I’ve had such rotten luck.”

“Six, you sure yer not–”

“No, but think about it, Sunny. You’re the best– I mean, the only good thing that’s happened to me since I was dragged out of that hole." They gestured to their would-be grave with one hand. "Maybe that’s karma or something, maybe I was kept alive, not because I was supposed to live, but because the world wasn’t done punishing me yet.”

“I can’t be the only good thing.” Sunny said, and though she smiled, Six could see the sympathy in her expression as they turned to face her. It was a strange quality to notice in someone like her.

It made them hurt, to see the way they pained her with their words.

Didn't make their voiced thoughts any less honest though.

“I’m not even that good, you know? So if I'm all you've got goin' for ya, well...”

Sunny cringed dramatically, and they both chuckled a bit. As the laughter faded, Six dropped their bottle to the sand with a definitive sigh.

They’d gotten what they wanted out of their system, just voiced their concerns to the world, to her, those thoughts that’d been spiraling around their troubled head, uninterrupted, for too long now.

“An’ ya can’t… I mean, there’s no way o' knowing.” Sunny continued, placing her own bottle on the ground next to theirs. “Don’t think it’s all as complicated as all that fate and destiny stuff. An’ the karma bit, too. Could just be yer an unlucky clutz.”

“Thanks. That makes me feel better, Smiles.”

As they twiddled their fingers together, looking down into the dark sand between their knees, they felt one arm sling itself over their shoulders, and then Sunny was leaning against them.

“Look, I wanna say the right thing for ya, Six, but thing is, I just don’t know for sure. Like you said, we didn’t know ya in the past, but… That don’t really matter to me now. I like the gal/guy that was dragged outta the dirt by ole Victor, what can I say?”

Another weak laugh escaped Six at that, but they found themself leaning further into her contact at the-- somewhat-- comforting words.

“You know, Sunny, I think you might’ve just said it right, there.”

Six felt themself relax a bit. Maybe they didn’t know who they were before, but… maybe that shit just didn’t matter-- matter as much as who they are now.

“Are you sure there isn’t anythin’ more I can do to help? Yer so sensitive, you know. Jus’ wanna make sure you’re okay.”

“Yeah, no, your backhand compliments are really doing it for me. So I think I’m all better now.”

“Well, I’m not just good for my backhand compliments," They heard the smile in her voice, "I’ll tell ya that much, pardner. Word on the road is, you like me… An’ maybe-- just maybe, now-- I might like you a lil bit too. I thought maybe we could explore those feelings some, how’s that sound to you?”

Six's eyes were wide as her words met their ears, and they felt a warm flush rise to their cheeks, heating their body from the inside out.

Gotta be careful here. Sunny likes to tease me, maybe if I just...

"Care to give me, ah, a little hint as to what you mean by that?" They tried, "I don't wanna assu--"

Before Six could finish, Sunny pressed a kiss-- not to their cheek, not to the side of their mouth-- but she pulled them in with both hands, and kissed them like she wanted to taste the sarsaparilla in their belly.

It was exactly the kind of all-consuming gesture they'd dreamed she'd make one day, and Six couldn't help but smile into it, through their shock, and revel in the fact that that day is today.

#2k event #2k celebration #secret event #fallout #fallout companions #fallout npc #fallout new vegas #fallout nv #new vegas #fnv #sunny smiles #sunny smiles fonv #fnv courier #courier six #victor fonv #doc mitchell

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wanderinginksplot · 1 year ago

Text

Clone Trooper Rambles

Part fiction, part writing exercise, part journal.

Warnings: mentions of rollercoasters and other theme park attractions, mentions of nausea, mentions of overheating, brief mentions of vomiting.

---

Theme Park

“That was disgusting,” Rex decreed, nose wrinkling at the apparent offense.

“Disgusting?” I echoed. “It’s fine if you don’t like roller-coasters, but disgusting? That seems like you’re taking it a little far.”

“No, captain’s right,” Tup told me. He was looking a little sickly. “That was worse than landing in a warzone.”

“That’s not possible.” Maybe it was, how would I know? But it certainly didn’t sound like the truth.

“It’s very possible.” Rex leaned against a wall, studying me with censure. “Aren’t you even slightly dizzy?”

“Um, no?” I shrugged. “That corkscrew at the end gets me a little bit, but I’m past all of that now.”

“You’d fit right in with Skywalker and the 501st,” Cody told me, catching up to us. He had stayed behind to browse the gift shop - his typical excuse when he wanted to scope out the candy selection.

Rex groaned, but narrowed his eyes in the next moment. “Speaking of… Where is everyone?”

“Well, Tup is there,” I explained, pointing. “Fives and Hardcase stayed back to ride the coaster again-”

“A few more times,” Cody interrupted. “They were going on ride number four when I left.”

“Sounds about right.” I couldn’t help but laugh, both at the idea of the pair of adrenaline junkies and at the horrified look on Rex’s face. “I don’t know where anyone else is. I’m going to get a soft pretzel and a bottle of water if anyone’s hungry?”

Rex shook his head and Tup only held up a hand, but Boost, Hunter, and Stone stood eagerly. Behind them, Thorn asked, “Do they have ice cream?”

“It’s a theme park in the summertime,” I told him. “I’m positive they’ll have ice cream.”

“I’m in,” Thorn agreed, leading the group. I gave a last helpless look at Rex and followed the crowd to the nearest snack booth.

When I got back, I offered Rex my unopened water bottle. “You really will feel better if you can drink some water. Just drink it slowly and let it settle between sips.”

Rex accepted the water bottle - as usual, a ghostly afterimage of the one I still held seemed to be in his hand. As I watched, he unscrewed the top and took a sip, then another. Slowly but surely, he drained half of the bottle as I alternated between drinks of water and bites of salty pretzel.

“How are you feeling now?” I asked, shortly before shoving the rest of the pretzel in my mouth.

“Not… bad, actually,” Rex admitted. He seemed suspicious about his own lack of nausea, which made me smile. “How did you know that was all it took?”

I laughed despite myself. “I worked out in this heat for years. If there’s one thing I know, it’s how to recognize the difference between being hot, having heat exhaustion, and having heatstroke. You were somewhere between the first two.”

“I’m used to the climate control systems in the armor,” he admitted.

“Jealous.” I took another drink of water and thought about it. “If I had armor that would keep me from freezing or overheating, I would never take it off.”

Beside us, Tup took a deep swig of his own water. Even as he swallowed it, his face took on a sickly look and he clapped a hand over his mouth. Before anyone could ask him about it, he rushed off to vomit on the nearest bush.

“Yeah, that’s the other possible outcome,” I admitted. “Water will either make you feel better or - if you drink it too fast - will make you throw up.”

Rex gave me a disbelieving look. “Remind me not to take advice from you anymore.”

“That’s rude!” Rex didn’t seem to care about my offense, so I finished my water and stood. “I’m going to console myself on the spinning teacups.”

Two steps toward the ride in question, I paused to watch Wrecker, Jesse, and Scorch fly past. They were spinning so quickly that all I could see was the motion blur of the car. Really, the group’s laughter was all that told me who it was.

“On second thought,” I hedged, changing directions mid-step, “I haven’t been on the swings yet.”

---

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Author's Note - Guess who got to go to a theme park this summer? I love rollercoasters! Others have... mixed opinions. Thanks for reading and happy Friday!

You can sign up for my taglist here. As always, let me know if you want to be removed from the taglist!

Taglist: @rexs-wife @sugarpuffsstuff @just-some-girl-92 @kimageddon @ladysongmaster @carodealmeida @nomercyforthewarrior @bitchylittleredhead @lackofhonor @buddee @salaminus @hikime @808tsuika @ladykatakuri @bikerlorian @torchbearerkyle @frietiemeloen @justanothersadperson93 @leotatombs @rain-on-kamino @itsagrimm @dancingwiththeplanets @theclonesdeservebetter @murder-of-crows-1 @rosmariner @staycalmandhugaclone @marennial @eyecandyeoz @fordo-kixed-rex @lucyysthings @quietplaceinthestars @dinsverdika @xxxcertifiednerdxxx @coruscanticoffee @archangelsunited @kashasenpai @beverlybeav @wolffegirlsunite @pb-jellybeans @jennamelinda12 @thrawnspetgoose @bobaprint @mooncommlink

#clone trooper rambles #ink's fics #ink's life #star wars #star wars the clone wars #wanderinginksplot's fics #not crazy just creative

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the-stars-in-between · 26 days ago

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Conclusion after my first Whumptober participation: 11 stories. Not too bad, more than I expected, but the moment I realized I was allowed to sleep instead of continuing to write it was over for me. Overall it was a fun experience — for me, not for the characters — and the prompts gave me ideas I never would have thought of without it, so thank you @whumptober.

However! I will finish this challenge whether it is finishing the stories I already started or those that are not yet written. I am not giving up. My goal is to finish by the end of January considering that I have a big break for Christmas but nothing is guaranteed.

I leave you now the links of the stories that are already posted and I will update each time I post a new story.

DAY 1 & DAY 19: Every Day You Fight Like You're Running Out Of Time (Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester)

Sam gets lost in the forest. This action has consequences.

No. 1: RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK Search Party | Panic Attack | "If only we could hold on.” (Icysami x Renegaderr, Strangers.)

No. 19: BLOOD TRAIL Abandoned Cabin | One Way Out | "Is there anybody alive out there?" (Bruce Springsteen, Radio Nowhere)

Luffy relives the worst day of his life, over and over again.

DAY 2: Again. (Monkey D. Luffy)

No. 2: ALTERNATIVE Time Loop

Dean is going to die, Sam doesn't know what to think about it.

DAY 3: Did You Bring Me Some Pie? (Sam Winchester)

No. 3: SET UP FOR FAILURE Fingerprints | Wrongfully Arrested | "I warned you."

Law can't escape, even in his dreams. Especially in his dreams.

DAY 4: A Good Night's Sleep (Trafalgar D. Water Law)

No. 4: HALLUCINATIONS Hypnosis | Sensory Deprivation | “You're still alive in my head.” (Billy Lockett, More)

Luffy can stretch and stretch, but he can't escape his pain.

DAY 5: If My Pain Will Stretch That Far (Monkey D. Luffy)

No. 5: SUNBURN Healing Salve | Heatstroke | "If my pain will stretch that far." (Lottery Winners, Burning House)

Bobby is bleeding out, but family doesn't end in blood.

DAY 6: Blood On The Car Seats (Bobby Singer)

No. 6: NOT REALIZING THEY'RE INJURED Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms | Healed Wrong | "It's not my blood."

The heart of a demon, willingly given, is a powerful weapon for the one who wields it.

DAY 7: The Heart of a Demon (Crowley)

No. 7: ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES Unconventional Weapon | Magic with a Cost | "It's us or them."

Zoro can't sleep, ghosts come to keep him company.

DAY 8: Nightmares Don't Sleep (Roronoa Zoro)

No. 8: SLEEP DEPRIVATION Isolation Chamber | Forced to Stay Awake | "Leave the lights on." (Coldplay, Midnight)

Castiel is learning to be human. It hurts. In more ways than one.

DAY 10: Did It Hurt When You Fell From Heaven? (Castiel)

No. 10: BLOW TO THE HEAD Slurred Words | Passing Out from Pain | "I can't think straight."

No. 11: SEEING DOUBLE Convenience Store | Loneliness | “Leave no trace behind, like you don't even exist.” (Taylor Swift, Illicit Affairs)

DAY 11: Fade Away Into The Sunset (Sam Winchester)

No. 12: STARVATION Underground Caverns | Cannibalism | "Just a little more."

DAY 12: (Nico Robin)

The end of a crew. The end of a legend.

DAY 13: Till Death Do Us Part (Straw Hat Pirates)

No. 13: TEAM AS A FAMILY Familial Curse | Multiple Whumpees | "Death will do us part." (Set It Off, Partner's In Crime)

No. 14: LEFT FOR DEAD Hunting Gear | Blackmail | “Because I want you to know what it feels like to be haunted” (tiLLie, kooL aiD mAn)

DAY 14: (Shanks)

The cycle repeats itself.

DAY 15: The Father's Mistakes Fall on the Son's Shoulders (Dean Winchester, Jack Kline)

No. 15: CHILDHOOD TRAUMA Painful Hug | Moment of Clarity | "I did good, right?"

No. 16: NECROSIS Swamp | Wound Cleaning | "No, I can't feel anything."

DAY 16: Where Dreams Go To Die (Sanji)

No. 17: NOWHERE ELSE TO GO Ruined Map | Shipwrecked | "We had a good run."

DAY 17: In the Dark You Can't Tell Ink and Blood Apart (Nami)

No. 18: REVENGE Unreliable Narrator | Loss of Identity | “I see what's mine and take it.” (Panic! at the Disco, Emperor's New Clothes)

DAY 18: (Sabo)

No. 20: EMOTIONAL ANGST Shoulder to Cry On | Giving Permission to Die | "It's not your fault."

DAY 20: (Charlie Bradbury)

No. 21: BODY HORROR Body Horror | Tattoo Gun | Spirit Possession | “Let the bedsheet soak up the tears.” (Apparat feat. Soap & Skin, Goodbye)

DAY 21: D.E.A.T.H. (Trafalgar D. Water Law)

No. 22: BLEEDING THROUGH BANDAGES Tourniquet | Reopening Wounds | "Oh that's not good."

DAY 22: (Jack Kline)

No. 9: OBSESSION Broken Window | Bruises | “Frame me up on the wall, just to keep me out of trouble.” (Fall Out Boy, Irresistible) No. 23: FORCED CHOICE Public Display | Broken Pedestal | "I'm doing this for you."

DAY 23 (+DAY 9): The Hand That Saves Is The Same As The Hand That Wounds (Gabriel)

No. 24: RADIATION POISONING Collapsed Building | Equipment Failure | “I never knew daylight could be so violent.” (Florence + The Machine, No Light, No Light)

DAY 24: Embracing the Sun (Portgas D. Ace)

No. 25: SURGERY Stitches | Being Monitored | "It's for your own good."

DAY 25: Grit Your Teeth, Everything Will Be Fine (Sam Winchester)

No. 26: NIGHTMARES Breakfast Table | Parting Words of Regret | “I'm haunted by the lies that I have loved, the actions I have hated.” (Poe, Haunted)

DAY 26: (Claire Novak)

No. 27: VOICELESS Laboratory | Muzzled | “I have no mouth and I must scream.”

DAY 27: EX-FL02 (Portgas D. Ace)

No. 29: FATIGUE Labyrinth | Burnout | "Who said you could rest?"

DAY 29: Run Rabbit, Run (Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester)

No. 30: RECOVERY Hospital Bed | Holding Back Tears | "What have I done?" No. 28: ALTERNATIVE No-Holds-Barred Beatdown

DAY 30 (+DAY 28): When the Sun Dies, the Stars Go With It (Portgas D. Ace, Sabo)

No. 31: ASKING FOR HELP Therapy | Making Amends | "I'm alive, I'm just not well." (Elliot Lee, Alive, Not Well.)

DAY 31: The Hardest Things To Say (Dean Winchester)

#whumptober 2024 #one piece #supernatural

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vitaecryptid · 4 months ago

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Sorry for the lack of writing. Been in a bit of a depression slump on top of busy with life. Gave myself heatstroke yesterday while mowing the lawn on top of it lol. I'm hoping that the concert I'm going to tonight perks me up and I'm able to write cus I miss it.

#vit musings

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pezboisworld · 1 year ago

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Oral History of Filming Holes (2003)

Louis Sachar, author and screenwriter: I didn't want someone to make it into a fluffy children's story. I wanted it to be gritty and tough.

In 1998, Sachar published "Holes," a young-adult novel about boys at a correctional boot camp in Texas. It became a mainstay in English classrooms nationwide, and by the early 2000s, directors and producers were vying for the film rights. They eventually went to director Andrew Davis and his production team.

Andrew Davis, director: The studio originally hired somebody else to try to adapt the book into a screenplay, and this idiot tried to change the whole book.

Teresa Tucker-Davies, executive producer: That writer came back with this insanely dark, dystopian film not even anywhere close to the story.

youtube

Read a copy of the original script

Instead of looking for a new screenwriter, Davis and Tucker-Davies hired Sachar, who'd never written a screenplay before.

Sachar: Andy was persistent in having me write the screenplay. At the time, I didn't realize just how special that was — he was really going out on a limb for me.

Davis: "Holes" was wonderful because it was an independent movie that had studio distribution and financing in place. That's rare.

Marty Ewing, executive producer: Disney really wasn't involved. It's not like they were on the set. It's not like they gave us creative notes that I saw. It's not that they challenged the director's vision at all.

Once the cast was in place, Davis figured out where to shoot the movie. The cast and crew ended up splitting filming time between Hollywood soundstages, the Disney Ranch in Santa Clarita, California, and Ridgecrest, California, in the Mojave Desert.

Miguel Castro, Magnet: We had to do six to eight weeks in boot camp because we actually filmed in the desert. We had to get prepared to be under weather conditions of 115 degrees Fahrenheit and higher.

Davis: Alex Daniels, the stunt coordinator, took the kids and had them digging holes. They had to get callouses on their hands and learn how to do it.

Castro: The hardest part for me filming was the heatstroke. I mean we got to a point where we were hitting 104 degrees, and it was nothing to us anymore — that was a chill day.

Davis: It was quite intense. It was very, very hot inside of those holes and we had to have the kids sprayed down and hydrated to make sure they were gonna be safe.

Castro: I remember one day was 119 degrees. I thought they were gonna cancel the filming, but we all agreed to knock it out. I was hallucinating, and I started seeing water, a swimming pool. The production team gave us thermometers to check the temperatures of our holes. If the holes hit over 125 degrees, we had to get out of there. That day, some of our thermometers broke 130.

Davis took adapting Sachar's book seriously, and from day one, the director included the author in every step of the process.

Sachar: There was one scene where Sam is selling onions to a bald guy to make his hair grow — that happened to be the day Andy remembered he promised to put me in the movie. Because it wasn't in the script, I was the only bald person on set. I'm glad I didn't know about the cameo beforehand. I would've practiced my one line in the mirror until the words had no meaning left.

After months of filming were over, it was down to Davis and the editing team to turn "Holes" into an actual movie. Then the director had to team up with Disney execs to figure out how to promote the sometimes-dark family film.

Sachar: Andy would send me the tapes as it was getting cut down. The initial tape was four hours long, and then gradually, every few months, he'd send me another tape of it tightened.

Davis: In terms of the editing, we didn't have a lot of screenings where Disney executives told us to change things. We finished it and that was it.

#Holes 2003 #dystopian #holes movie #holes magnet #holes zero #hector zeroni #louis sachar #khleo thomas #miguel castro #Youtube #fanfic research #meta #holes meta #holes behind the scenes

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itsfuckinganne · 1 year ago

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12am

Hey, hey. I'm back to debrief just a bit.

track: Supermodel - SZA

So, October.

It's finally getting nice out! Cool 65-70 degrees in the morning and a high of 80-90. That's pretty cool for Las Vegas. This place is heatstroke central. Kinda sad that my tan is going away, though. Anyways, I'm really loving the weather and just being able to sit out in the sun without burning.

The past two weeks of October has been a little hectic for me, lol. Per usual, I'm always working, but I'm taking a semester off of school so I have a lot more free time to myself. It's crazy because I just told my best friend that I feel kinda stupid when I'm not studying because I'm so used to reading books, writing essays, and what not. Now that I have real time for myself...I'm off my usually schedule and I'm still trying to get used to it. I've occupied a lot of my time going to the gym and attempting to stay consistent. I just get so exhausted after work, but I know it'll be worth it so I just think of the end goal and OBVIOUSLY, it motivates me. I've also been spending a lot of time with Hannah and her family. I am in love with their relationship with each other; you can feel the lightheartedness and the love they have for one another. It makes me happy that I've become a part of their family and so has the extensions of me. My favorite, new part of my schedule has been spending SO much time with V. (I have been trying to describe how I feel, but no words can explain this. You can't make this shit up...Ima attempt this). The best way I can really describe it is...funny, I wrote this in a letter I gave him...but it feels like SPRING. It's a season of the weather getting warmer, people start to sit outside in restaurants, and everything feels...refreshing. Like, you just went through the pits of cold air and hoodies, but now you can dress in lighter clothing, sit under the sun and still won't sweat in a jacket, and ground yourself by spending time outside. Leaves look brighter, water tastes more crisp, and you get more sleep. My favorite season, everyone seems happier. I got so emotional today, and yesterday, about the way I feel for V. I can't pin what it is, but I believe it's just a major realization that wow...I am so happy. And guess what? This applies to every aspect of my life. I am just...so happy. So grateful I am supported and loved by people I hold in high regards. It feels like I'm growing in a healthier space because I'm able to do things on my own time. I am so proud of myself for being able to share this part of my life with someone who is so supportive and understanding. It feels so good that I can be able to go to him. I haven't really gone to him about something dire, but it makes me laugh because I don't know how I found myself here, but c'est la vie. He is so kind, to everyone, but he needs to be kinder to himself. I love growing with him because it feels so easy. We work very well together, it's kinda terrifying. Never have I felt a love this strong. I'm so happy to love, and be loved, by you. I might cry again HAHAHA. Got a little sidetracked, but, yeah. I do make time to spend time with just myself. Little things like this, when I debrief, but not really. More like a dump. Or when I gym. Can't really think of it right now. But, yeah, happy Anne.

I'm a little meh, as well, that I haven't seen or talked to my girls but I love hearing, when we catch each other, that they're doing well. Everyone's just doing their own thing, basking in their adolescence, and really...feeling their feels. Everyone has their own definition of 'doing well', but I mean this in a way where we understand that we're trying to figure out shit right now and there's nothing wrong with prioritizing things important to you. I just love that whenever we do get a chance, it feels as though nothing has changed. We're just in our twenties now, making the effort to experience life. Special message to my girlies: I love you. It's time to lock in. Headass. Not really, lol. But, I know you guys are thriving in your space..or not, can be both on some days. Nevertheless, I am so proud of where we've gotten, and where we're going, because we worked hard on this. We're still learning, but it's so nice to hear and see that you guys are keeping things in the wraps.

Wow, I hope that was a good debrief. I just listened to all of CTRL and I feel so thankful. I love this life I live.

Goodnight

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caliburn-the-sword · 7 months ago

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My a/n’s as a high schooler were all insane and were 100% true. These included, under the cut: (tw for fanfic writer typical incidents)

“Hi, sorry I’m a few weeks late!! My teacher gaslighted me and it triggered a traumatic response to my childhood experience of bullying and teachers’ incompetence and I had to spend time starting the healing process all over again”

“Hiii. It’s been a few months. So like,,,, my mum had pancreatitis so I’ve been third parenting again. She finally recovered and I was super happy and then she fractured two discs in her spine,,, updates will now be irregular probably. Mum is out of hospital at least!!!”

“You may be wondering where I’ve been. Basically I had a panic attack so severe that I couldn’t breathe and ended up in hospital and then had to do everything I could to n o t end up in the psych ward. Wrote this as a distraction enjoy :)”

“Was totally gonna write a chapter and then my grandpa pulled a muscle but he overreacted and called us all to hospital to update his will. That ended up taking all weekend :/ will be back on schedule next week”

“Hi I accidentally gave myself a hairline fracture smashing my finger in a door and then gave myself frostbite trying to fix it with ice. Wrote this entire chapter with a combination of speech to text and my left hand alone. Updates will be slower for a while. Enjoy!!”

“Hi i got a stomach bug so bad that i couldn’t keep any food down and spent a few weeks hangry and in so much stomach pain I couldn’t fall asleep. I’m better now!! Updates will be back on normal a schedule now”

“Hi guys, i I got a concussion because my idiot martial arts instructor made me spar without a helmet and then I got suckerpunched before my sparring session even started and every time I sit down to write I feel like my skull is getting smashed with hammers and I also can’t remember many words. Will be taking a few weeks hiatus”

“Okay so don’t freak out but for about a week a girl was full on stalking me and it was stressing me tf out and I didn’t have any time or energy to write. Good news!! She’s no longer stalking me. Will update next week”

“Hi a group of girls almost successfully pushed me into a staircase at school and it triggered a traumatic response (again) and that put me super out of it. I’ll get over it and post next week”

“My sister is in hospital so now I’m running the house while my mum takes care of her. Will be back to the regular updating schedule soon”

“I don’t know how to say this in a way that isn’t batshit but a pipe burst and my entire house flooded so I’ve been dealing with that and haven’t been able to write. Hope you enjoy this chapter!! As soon as insurance has dealt with shit my updating schedule will be regular again”

“Hi guys remember my jerkass martial arts instructor?? He gave us a punishment so severe that most of us got heatstroke and/or vomited and/or become severely dehydrated. I spent the entire weekend physically recovering from this. I no longer go to this gym!! But yeah unfortunately could only write a half chapter because I had such a severe headache from this punishment. Will be back to regular updates next week!!”

“Hi, I nearly accidentally ran over a suicidal woman in my car and it traumatised me so much all I did was stare at a wall for a while. I’m slowly getting through it, will be back to my regular updating schedule in a few weeks”

My author’s notes would’ve been so insane in high school if I had been an ao3 author help-

#all of these examples are the past two years alone because that’s as much as I can remember #I know for a fact I got even more batshit crazy ones even further back than that #being a fanfic author is actually the curse of ra #now that I only do stand alone one shots I have had far less wtf events occur

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smashboxgirl26 · 2 years ago

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strawberry jam

cowboy(ish)! bakugou katsuki x fem! reader summary: This had to count as one of the worst days in your entire life — stuck on the side of the road in the hot sun in the middle of nowhere with your old, stupid, broken down car and no cell service. At least there was a super hot cowboy who stopped to help. contains: FLUFFF OMG JUST FLUFF AND LOVE word count: 11.6k (somebody sedate me pls) masterlist a/n: this is for the loml, @katxn15, for her birthday that was like, a month ago, BUT I FINALLY FINISHED OKAY IM SORRY IK I SUCK (but also, apologies to my followers, i still feel like this writing isn't my best work - but we're kicking writer's block's ass one day at a time) also, here's the strawberry jam recipe

This had to count as one of the worst days in your entire life — stuck on the side of the road in the hot sun in the middle of nowhere with your old, stupid, broken down car and no cell service.

You’d just been trying to drive back home from college for spring break, but no — the universe had decided that it was too much to ask for and decided to dump you here, on the side of the backroad (because, of course, you thought that using the backroad would be quicker to avoid the usual highway traffic; and now there were no cars passing by that could help you) in the middle of some random field on a hot spring day.

You finally gave up trying to call someone — your roommate, your parents, a friend from your hometown — after about twenty minutes, when you realized that the phone stopped ringing completely and a low battery notification popped up.

Fucking hell.

Under the hot sun of the afternoon and without the AC, the car had started to reach its boiling point, leaving it unbearable to be stuck inside even if it offered the smallest amount of shade from the blinding light above. Your water bottle was all finished now too, so you were sure if you didn’t get out, you’d die of heat stroke.

The air was sticky when you finally cracked open the driver’s door, and paired with the direct sunlight overhead you could already feel yourself turn sweaty and breathless in the heat, and yet you pushed yourself out with your phone still in hand and outstretched, trying to catch at least one minute of cell service.

For a minute you thought one bar popped up, but it was gone as soon as it came and you were left with nothing as you flung it back into the car and closed the door out of frustration.

The stupid, fucking car just had to break down in the worst place possible, out in the middle of nowhere where no one was driving by.

“Fuck!” You finally let out in frustration, grasping at your hair and pulling at it as the panic set in.

You’d been sitting in your car for about thirty minutes now, and no one had driven by in all that time.

What if you were just stuck there until you died of heatstroke — okay that was an exaggeration, but at this rate you might have to be stuck on the side of the road for hours, you might even have to sleep in your car until morning.

Your back hurt just thinking about it.

At the very least you’d be extremely dehydrated, you could already feel the energy getting sucked out of you from the sun in reverse photosynthesis — and now that you thought about it you kinda had to pee.

Scratch that, you really had to pee.

There were just miles of fields ahead and behind you, there was nowhere to go unless you wanted to just go at it right there in a bush, but there was no way you were attempting that.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…” You paced around your car trying to will your bladder to stop bothering you, hoping — or praying, more like — that someone would pass by and that they could just take you to their little nearby house.

These fields had to belong to somebody, with the wheat, or whatever it was, that was being grown in bulk, there had to be someone living out there somewhere who had a bathroom that you could use.

And after what felt like an hour of waiting under the sun (though it was only about ten minutes), your prayers were finally answered when you spotted a red, old, beat-up looking pick up truck from across the distance, and the sight was enough to propel you to start waving your arms and jump around to catch their attention.

Maybe it was a nice, old farmer who was just heading to his house nearby who’d be kind enough to let you use their bathroom and phone and to help you with your car.

And that’s who you were expecting to step out when it slowed to a stop — a nice, old, friendly dude.

Except it wasn’t.

Instead, you were faced with a tall, young (your age, it looked like actually), attractive guy wearing worn-out cowboy boots, faded jeans, an orange plaid shirt, and a cowboy hat with blonde strands peeking out from underneath. And not only was he not old or a farmer, he was also scowling at you like it was your fault he’d decided to stop.

That was enough for your open mouth to snap closed in an instant, and instead of explaining your situation to him and thanking him for stopping like you were planning on doing, you stood there frozen with wide eyes, watching as he stomped towards you like he was about to yell at you for something.

You cringed away from his figure with your eyes squeezed shut in response to his expected lecture, only for them to pop open when he spoke in a soft, grumbled tone instead.

“Yer car’s broken?”

“Huh?” you blinked up at him like you’d just been squirted in the face with water.

He rolled his eyes before they rested back onto your face with that same scowl. “Is yer car broken?” he asked louder.

“Oh, yeah” you quickly turned away to point at it as you babbled dumbly. “I think it’s the engine. It’s really old so it kinda sucks now.”

“Lemme take a look,” he walked around you towards the hood of your car — and you just stood awestruck as your mind finally registered that he wasn’t about to attack you, and that he was instead looking down at the wires and stupid things in the hood of your car like any other normal, nice person would have.

Why’d he look so angry then? A super bad case of resting bitch face?

You trailed after him, watching from the sidelines as he fiddled around with stuff you didn’t understand, biting the inside of your cheek when he reached up to wipe away some sweat that was dripping down his face before he continued working.

You know, now that you thought about it, he was actually super good looking. Under the small shade from the hood of the car, you could carve out his features: red, piercing eyes, clear skin, a strong jawline.

Your roommate would be so jealous if she found out some super hot cowboy helped you with your car. It was straight out of a romance book actually. If only you hadn’t thrown your phone back in the car out of anger, you could’ve snuck a picture of him and sent it to her when you finally got cell service.

You could already imagine the look on her face if you were able to get a picture of this guy, all screwed up in anger and—

“Engine’s gone,” the cowboy’s voice came back, and you were back to being an idiot.

“What?” you blinked up at him.

“S’not fixable. Engine’s dead,” he responded as he shut the hood. “Yer gonna need a ride then?”

“Yeah, uh actually,” you rubbed the back of your neck that was definitely gonna be sunburned, “I kinda have to use the bathroom. Do you live nearby, or—”

“Town’s about thirty minutes away, n’ I live past that.”

“Shit,” you mumbled under your breath while turning away.

What the fuck were you supposed to do now?

“Jus’ go here,” he gestured to the blowing wheat field around you. “No one’s gonna find out.”

“Um, no,” you stopped him. “I’m not gonna do that.”

“Why? Yer too civilized for that shit?”

“I never said that—”

“Ya cityfolk have never had to piss outside before?” he challenged with a raised eyebrow.

You knew he was just trying to rile you up for some odd reason, trying to challenge you into doing something stupid and dumb just for the hell of it. And yet, and this sounded so idiotic, you felt like he was trying to guage something about you, to test some limit you had to see how far he could push you, and for some goddamn reason you were letting him push you past it.

Or maybe it was just because you had to pee really bad and were getting to the point where you really didn’t care anymore.

Either way your patience was running thin.

“I literally never said anything about any of that,” you huffed. “Stop putting words in my mouth. But fucking fine!” you raised your arms up in despair. “I’ll go piss somewhere out here. Happy now?”

The cowboy’s face twisted into surprise for a split second, but you watched it switch back into a frown as he stared boredly.

“Don’t take long. I’ve got places to be,” you could almost hear the chuckle in his voice — he really wasn’t as attractive now that he’d opened his mouth.

Mr. not-so-attractive-anymore cowboy didn’t even help you when you had to pull your overstuffed suitcase out of your trunk and stick it in the back of his pickup.

“A little help?” you’d looked at him with your hands on your hips after trying to hoist it onto the back of his pickup truck and failing.

“I’m the one doing you a favor,” was what he replied with before he just went and sat in the driver's seat — in response you stuck a middle finger out to his back.

It took a couple of tries, but you finally got it up and secured it — though you could feel the sweat that’d built up from you trying to lift your heavy, overpacked suitcase out in the sun and humidity.

Damn you really wanted to kick yourself in the head for being stunned by his looks when you first saw him, his personality was actual garbage.

“Took ya long enough,” he grumbled when you swung the passenger door open, and you scoffed and rolled your eyes, making sure to close the door harsher than it needed to be in response.

You almost expected him to get angry at you for it, but at that point you didn’t care because you finally had AC. It was a sigh of relief after being stuck outside in the sweltering, afternoon sun for almost an hour, and you let yourself lean against the headrest as you finally let yourself breathe something other than the humid air outside that made you feel like you were choking on your own lungs.

The cowboy didn’t say anything after his initial comment, and you both instead drove down the road in silence as you stared out the window, watching the blur of fields and green that passed, with only the sound of the AC blasting to keep you both company.

You found yourself staring at him from the side after a while, perhaps out of boredom; and though you berated yourself once more for being so attracted to him because of how good he looked despite his personality, you couldn’t not thank him for helping you out in a dire situation.

“Thank you,” you found it in yourself to utter it somewhere besides your mind, and you noticed the slight tinge of a smile on his lips and the way his eyes slid over to you for a second.

“What was that?”

“You heard me the first time,” you groaned, resting your head in the palm of your hands while your elbow leaned on the door handle.

That elicited a small chuckle from the cowboy, and somehow you found yourself smiling in return.

“What am I supposed to do with my car?” you took advantage of the more normal mood. “I can’t just leave it on the side of the road.”

“I know someone who can deal with that in town, s’not really a problem.”

“Is there cell service there?” you instantly shot up. “I really have to tell my parents about what happened since they were expecting me to be home in the evening.”

“There’s nothin’ really in town, to be honest — most people use landlines ‘round here,” he shrugged. “Where I live’s got service though, I can bring you there.”

“...Thank you..” you found yourself choking out again. It had to be his stupidly handsome face, there was nothing else that could explain it.

You noticed the small twitching smile on his lips again before it disappeared into his resting bitch face, but he wasn’t cocky about your thanks this time.

“S’not a big deal,” he grumbled back.

“I’m Y/N.” You decided to make the leap before the car settled back into the sound of blasting AC.

“Katsuki,” he replied without missing a beat.

At least now you knew Mr. Cowboy’s name.

“Town’s up ahead,” Katsuki spoke after a minute or so, pointing towards the small sign posted at the side of the road that read Welcome to Auburn Springs — and you watched the deserted-looking fields transform into roads and small buildings through the window as Katsuki began slowing down to adhere to the changed speed limit.

It looked straight out of those old western movies your dad was obsessed with for some reason — with small, cramped and shabby buildings lining the main road, though they all seemed to be out of use with either boarded up doors and windows or peeling signs that read CLOSED.

These used to be businesses, you quickly realized, from the couple of handpainted, faded logos that were still stuck to a couple of windows; but they all had to be shut down for some reason. Perhaps the buildings were too old?

“This is town?” you turned to Katsuki, confused. How did people get anything done?

“Old town,” he grumbled back. “Main street’s up ahead.”

You nodded before turning back out the window, taking note of Katsuki turning right at the edge of the street to where you were met with a lot of buildings with very obviously newer construction (though it was still quite old fashioned — but it wasn’t historic).

Smaller, obviously Mom and Pop shops, lined the street — you caught a motel, a café, and a small grocery store — following the curve of the road as it went into a roundabout at what you guessed was the center of town. A towering fountain stood in the middle of the small square, a young man standing proudly in the middle of it, watching over all the stores for their protection.

Katsuki pulled past the roundabout into a small parking lot behind one of the buildings on the side, and quickly gestured for you to get out.

“I’ll take ya to the tow shop first,” he guided you back towards the stores, and you got a better view of the small town center and the shops that lined it, the small boxes of flowers that were laid out on the sidewalk next to the streetlamps, the single stoplight at the end of the road with a blinking yellow light — you guessed a lot of people didn’t come by.

“Ya comin’?”

You hadn’t realized you’d stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to stare.

Your head snapped back to where Katsuki was standing. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry.”

He nodded slightly, gesturing to the shop behind him and for you to follow him in. When he opened the door to walk in, you half expected him to let the door fall closed behind him; you couldn’t really stop your eyes from widening when he held the door open for you, stunned in place until he glared at you and gestured for you to walk in.

You were immediately blasted with air again, coming from the large fan attached to the cracked ceiling, met with a small shop: an empty counter in the back, and a couple of comfy old armchairs chairs in the foreground with a round, wooden table in the middle.

“Ei!” Katsuki called out, and it startled you out of the calm silence that was present in the shop.

“One sec Katsuki I’m coming!” someone called out from somewhere in the back, maybe there was a hidden room back there.

Katsuki huffed before walking towards the counter while you followed behind him slowly and unsurely, guessing you were waiting for whoever Ei was.

“Sorry, Sorry I–” a tall, red-haired guy (who was also very attractive — was this where all the hot guys had gone?) appeared from some side door that you hadn’t noticed, pausing when he saw you standing there behind the counter as well. “...I was just eating lunch really quickly. I, uh, how can I help you ma’am?”

You opened your mouth to answer but Katsuki was already talking just as the words were forming in your head.

“Her car’s stuck on the side of the highway — the side road ya know? ‘Bout thirty minutes out of town — engine looked like it was busted.”

“Ei” stood there for a few seconds, blinking between you and Katsuki for what felt like hours before his eyes brightened and smiled at the both of you.

“That’s not a problem ma’am,” he nodded towards you. “I can grab it easily and bring it over to Sero’s across the street. He can fix it up for ya if it isn’t too messed up.”

“That would be a life saver, thank you,” you spoke before Katsuki could say anything. “How much do I owe you?”

Ei just let out a smile. “S’not a problem. Any friend of Katsuki’s is a friend of mine.”

“She’s not a friend,” you heard a pained grumble from beside you, and you rolled your eyes.

“No, I insist,” you pushed, turning back to Ei. “I can’t ask you to do something like that without paying you for it.”

Ei let out a small chuckle, with a look directed towards Katsuki that you couldn’t exactly make out, before replying. “Twen’y dollars is enough.”

You dug through the wallet that had been sitting in your back pocket, fishing out a fifty dollar bill instead and placing it on the counter.

Ei opened his mouth to ask about giving you change but you stopped him before he could speak.

“Keep it. You don’t have to charge me a heavily discounted price.”

A slow, toothy smile spread on his face once more, as he glanced back between both you and Katsuki before sliding the bill back over the counter to his side and tucking it to somewhere you couldn’t see it.

“I’ll let ya know tomorrow when I get the car over to Sero’s. Ya got a number that’s good to call?” he grabbed a notepad from his side of the counter and a pen, scribbling quickly as you rattled off your phone number.

“Great, I’ll give ya a call tomorrow ma’am,” he nodded his head slightly.

“Oh, you don’t need to call me that,” you stopped him. It felt weird being called something that made you feel so old. “Just Y/N’s fine.”

“Good to know,” he reached his hand out towards yours over the counter, eyes sliding over towards Katsuki in a way that you didn’t notice. “I’m Eijirou, Miss Y/N.”

You shook his hand with a smile — two super attractive dudes in one day? Your roommate was gonna be mad mad that she decided not to come back with you when you’d asked. “Nice to meet you Mr. Eijirou.”

“Likewise.”

Katsuki cleared his throat, and both you and Eijirou’s handshake broke apart in time for Katsuki to come close enough to grumble in your ear that you looked like you were going to pass out.

“Go get somethin’ from the café across the other side of the fountain,” he pointed out the window. “You’ll get heatstroke otherwise.”

You could barely get yourself to register how close he was standing next to you as he practically breathed down your neck with the smell of his woody, spicy aftershave swallowing you — so you nodded quickly, waved bye to both (and the cool air from the fan) before you pressed open the door and stepped out to shield them both from the view of your flushed face. You could practically feel the heat radiating off your cheeks as you power walked across the sidewalk, trying not to think about what’d just happened in less than a minute.

“Who was she?” Eijirou gave a cheeky smile as he leaned forward on the counter once the door closed behind you. “Ya finally got yourself a girl, man?”

“No one you fuckass,” Katsuki rolled his eyes as he sneered.

“She didn’t look like no one,” Kirishima’s smile widened.

“Jus’ found her on the side of the road and she needed help. Nothin’ more than that.”

“Yeah right Katsuki,” he let out a chuckle. “Yer not known to be the most helpful out there.”

“What’s that supposed t’mean?”

“I’ve known you since we were kids, ‘kay? Yer not exactly known to hold open doors for girls,” Eijirou rose his eyebrows in a smug look. “And I can’t blame ya. She’s pretty.”

“Whatever,” Katsuki crossed his arms over his chest as he turned away.

“Would’ya mind if I asked her out then?” Eijirou hit him with the ultimatum, a growing smirk on his face as he watched Katsuki’s shoulders tense in anger. “I already got her number too, I could ask her tomorrow when I call ‘bout her car. Maybe we could go down to the bar and get a couple drinks, I’ll invite her back—”

“Fine, ya little shit.” Katsuki whirled back around with a scowl imprinted into his features. That’s the reaction he was looking for. “She’s pretty or whatever, ‘kay? I just stopped ‘cause I saw her jumpin’ on the side of the road like a lunatic. But that doesn’t mean anythin’. I don’t like her or nothin’.”

“I never said anything about likin’ her,” Eijirou chuckled. “S’not a bad thing, man. It’s good that yer letting yerself out a lil’. And she seems like a nice person to do that with.”

“Gimme that fifty back,” Katsuki opened his palm over the counter. “Put it on my tab instead.”

Eijirou stuck it in his palm without hesitation, a small, knowing smirk resting over his face as he watched Katsuki stick into his back pocket.

Katsuki liked you.

As it turned out, Katsuki had gone to the city for a farmer’s market (as he did every Sunday and Tuesday), which meant he had to go to that little grocery store you’d noticed to sell off the couple extra crates of fruit he had sitting in the back of the truck. Even though you tried to tell him that you could help him carry at least one as thanks for giving you a ride, he told you that your “noodle arms” weren’t gonna be of any help to him, and carried all of them across the street while telling you to stay by the pickup truck with your iced tea.

It was winding down towards the evening, you realized, as you watched the wispy clouds overhead take their slow strides across the blue sky; the sun was definitely leaning towards the western hemisphere of the sky now, towards a string of mountains that laid in the distance.

Out of plain curiosity, you slipped your phone out of your pocket to see if there was any cell service available. Even a little bit would’ve been fine at that point, you just had to tell your parents what happened and that your trip was probably canceled.

But, as Katsuki had said, there was nothing, not even a single bar, and you only had about five percent of battery left. Great.

You shoved it back into your pocket without another thought, sipping from your iced tea while shielding your eyes from the sun.

“If ya drink like that yer gonna have to piss again.”

Mr. Cowboy Katsuki was back.

“Shut up,” you rolled your eyes and flipped him off before walking towards the passenger’s side.

He only barked out a laugh that startled you, leaving him in a lopsided smile that you couldn’t exactly understand — but you were both on the road before you knew it, passing by a couple of different farms that he pointed out because you couldn’t tell the difference between wheat and barley.

It wasn’t long until he pointed out that they’d passed his property line, and you watched the wheat fields turn into corn as Katsuki turned into a smaller, winding road up to a large house you could see from the distance.

“That’s the main house,” Katsuki knew to explain from your curious stare. “I don’t live there. It’s where my boss lives.”

“Oh. What’s your job then?”

“I’m a ranch hand, I help out with stuff ‘round the property. Takin’ of horses and cows n’ shit.”

Well that explained the cowboy outfit.

“I thought you said you were taking me to where you lived.”

“I do live here. I don’t live there, though,” he gestured towards the house specifically. “There’re smaller cabins scattered around the property — two others live on site too.”

“Ranch hands, you mean?”

He grumbled in agreement, and you nodded as you watched the house grow larger and larger until he’d parked the truck right in the middle of the driveway.

You followed him out of the car as he marched straight into the house as if he owned the place, taking hesitant steps until you closed the front door behind you to observe the cozy space that’d been made; a beautiful stone fireplace was what you noticed when you first walked in, as well as the two tufted, brown leather couches with, what looked like, a hand-quilted blanket tossed over the side, and a wooden coffee table in the center to complete the living room.

It made you want to curl up with a book and a cup of coffee just from the sight of it, but you were in some random person’s house you had to remind yourself as you followed where you saw Katsuki disappear to the kitchen (which was small, quaint — with a pretty bowl of fruit on the counter and a dark stained dining table already set with four places of silverware) and the back door where you could see him standing through the window talking to someone.

You quickly made your way outside, where Katsuki was talking to an older man with a large crate in his hands; he was thinned and tall, with blonde hair that stuck out from under the straw hat he was wearing and bright, cheerful blue eyes — with a small smile peeking from his lips when he noticed that you were standing there.

What did Katsuki say to him?

“Sorry to hear about yer car,” he approached you, a gentle tone in his voice. “I do hope it can be fixed tomorrow so you can go home. In the meantime, why don’t you stay in the guest bedroom upstairs?”

“Are you sure?” you blinked. You hadn’t even said anything to the dude and he was already offering to let you stay the night? “I don’t want to be any trouble, I mean there was a motel in town I could just stay–”

“Ya can’t even drive there by yerself,” Bakugou interrupted. “And I’m sure as hell not driving ya there.”

“It would be no trouble,” the man said as he walked up onto the porch. “I have more than enough food ready and the guest room’s always prepared.”

“Uh, then yes. Thank you, Mr…”

“Toshinori,” he nodded as he passed you to step inside. “Just Toshinori, no need for honorifics.”

“Thank you, Toshinori.”

“Of course. Katsuki, get ‘er suitcase outta the trunk, will ya? And show her where the guest bedroom is,” Toshinori said before disappearing into the kitchen, and you inwardly smirked when Katsuki grumbled under his breath about having to lug your heavy suitcase up the stairs yet showed you back through the house and up the stairs without saying anything to Toshinori.

He just pointed towards the room from across the hall, told you the bathroom was right across from it, and trudged back down the stairs with his heavy boot fall to go get your suitcase.

You wandered into the room, taking in the simple wooden bed frame and linen sheets, the matching dresser and nightstand set as well as the lacy curtains that were tied to the edges of the window to let the sun in.

It was pretty and pleasing and simple, and you sat down on the bed without thinking about it to grab your phone from its spot in your back pocket, only to be greeted by a (what seemed like) a thousand notifications from your parents and your roommate — which meant you’d finally gotten some cell service.

You called your mom first, of course — she would’ve killed you if you hadn’t — and she was almost crying when you told her that you were okay and that the car had just decided to be a piece of shit and break down in the worst place possible. She seemed hesitant to hang up once you’d finished, but she ran out of things to tell you about and finally had to let you go after about two minutes.

Your roommate though, you savored that conversation.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she screamed. “You just happen to be stuck where all the hot people are and you can’t even send me a picture of one of them?”

“It was only like, two hot guys but whatever.”

“Okay, okay, okay — what about the cowboy though? You said he was an asshole but he was hella good looking. Like how good looking, describe him.”

“Um, well he’s blonde, and tall,” you bit the inside of your cheek. “Super attractive. Probably toned too, I mean he does work on a farm all day, I’m sure he does a lot of heavy lifting.”

“Anything else?” she pressed. “Give me specifics here.”

“His eyes are red, like a really pretty, vibrant red — kinda like a strawberry, sorta. And he’s always kinda frowning. That’s why I was scared of him when I first saw him! I thought he was gonna come and yell at me, I swear–”

You were interrupted by knocking, where you whirled around to find Katsuki standing at your open door with your suitcase, his (what you guessed, at this point you only knew him for like, two hours) usual frown on his face but with a new look you hadn’t seen in his eyes.

Shit. He fucking heard me, right?

“Dinner’s in twen’y,” was all he said before he left — and you let out a sigh of relief in return at the lack of reaction.

By the time you’d washed your face and gotten downstairs, the table had already been joined by two other guys, who, you guessed, were the other ranch hands Katsuki was talking about earlier, along with an additional place setting at the end of the table. One of the guys was covered in freckles and had green hair, and the other had dual-colored red and white hair. Izuku, who you learned was the green-haired guy, asked you a million questions about college: what you majored in, what it was like living in the city, how it was to attend classes everyday — everything he could probably think about; in the meantime Shoto, Mr. red and white hair, sat quietly and nodded along to whatever Izuku said.

Surprisingly, Katsuki did the same as Shoto did, with the occasional grunt to something or a one-word answer when Toshinori told him about something that had to be done the next day, and it was surprising to see him act un-snarky compared to how he’d been earlier; you kinda wanted to kick him under the table just to see what he would do in response, but you didn’t want to be rude, especially not when his boss was nice enough to let you stay the night without even meeting you — for all he knew, you might rob the place and sneak away when no one was awake.

And honestly, it was nice to sit down and eat at a dinner table, it felt like you were at home when you were in highschool, where your mom did that thing where she made everyone go around the table and talk about one thing interesting they learned that day; it was so different from the nights you’d spent cooped up in the quiet library with a simple sandwich so you could get through your essay in time.

You were quick to offer help in cleaning up (since you’d been upstairs pacing around your room trying to convince yourself that Katsuki, in fact, hadn’t heard what you’d said about him and the weird glint in his eye was made up in your mind) since you’d been upstairs when they were setting the table, stacking all the plates silverware and bringing them over to the sink where Katsuki was already washing his.

“Just put ‘em down, I’ll do ‘em,” he pointed to the counter space next to the sink.

“I can help though,” you crossed your arms over your chest. He hadn’t even let you carry one crate when you were in town — he had to at least let you help here.

“Clean up the lefto’ers,” he rolled his eyes before going back to scrubbing a plate. “There’s smaller containers in that cabinet next to the fridge. Put ‘em in there and bring me the bigger dishes.”

“Aye Aye Captain.”

You heard him grumble under his breath and you laughed as you stuffed leftover carrots into a smaller tupperware container.

It was kinda funny, actually, how your perception of him had changed in the past couple hours: you’d gone from being scared of him, to thinking he was attractive, then finding out he was an asshole, and now you were stuck in this weird limbo of being friendly and awkward with him.

“Do you have a phone charger I could borrow?” you asked as you placed the larger dishes next to the sink. “My phone is about to die and I forgot to bring one.”

“No.”

“I won’t lose it or break it if that's what you’re thinking,” you stood next to him as finished up the dishes.

“Can’t,” was all he said as he used a towel to dry his hands.

“Why not?” you raised an eyebrow at him.

“I don’t have one.”

That made you pause for a second, stuck in place as you watched him shuffle to the other side of the kitchen to do something.

“What do you mean you don’t have one?”

“I don’t have one,” he shrugged.

“What do you use to charge your phone then?”

“I have one but it won’t work on yers.”

“Why? What phone do you have?”

And damn, were you shocked when he pulled an old flip phone out of his back pocket to show you.

“Are you serious?” you blinked between him and the phone in his hand, watching as the scowl on his face deepened — and that was about all you could take before you burst into laughter. “How do you do anything on it? Can you even text on it or what?”

“Oh shaddup,” he grumbled as he shoved it into his back pocket, watching as you could barely hold yourself up as you laughed about him being a grandpa and the phone being from the 1990s.

The both of you’d actually forgotten that everyone else was still in the kitchen with you — until Midoriya told you that he had a phone charger you could borrow, leaving you and Katsuki standing there and staring at the rest of the kitchen with wide eyes until you could finally muster out a “yes” and a “thank you”.

Waking up the next morning without the sound of your phone alarm screaming at you to get up so you could lug yourself to class was refreshing, to say the least. It was almost strange to wake up naturally, to the sunlight streaming in through the window and the view of the green fields outside.

It was probably the most relaxed you’d felt in a while.

In fact you were so relaxed, that you stumbled down the stairs after just crawling out of bed in need of some coffee since you remembered that you’d noticed one when you were in the kitchen yesterday. It was already late morning, so you expected that everyone else would be out doing whatever their jobs were anyways, it wouldn’t matter what you looked like.

The wooden floors creaked underfoot as you stepped into the kitchen, beelining straight to the coffee pot that sat on the counter next to the fridge — a smile perking up when you realized there was already coffee in it, and it was still a good temperature.

But you almost spilled coffee all over yourself when someone cleared their throat, and you whirled around to find Katsuki sitting at the kitchen table with a mug in hand; a stupid smirk climbing up his face as he realized he’d scared you.

“Did sleeping beauty finally wake up?” he sipped his coffee, looking up at you through his eyebrows.

You only rolled your eyes as you took a sip from your own mug, though you pulled away after a second because it was way too bitter.

“Do you guys have any creamer or something?”

“Fridge,” he grumbled — eyes following as you opened it and grabbed a small glass container, pouring it into your coffee and putting it back before stirring it with a spoon and coming to sit at the table.

“What time do you wake up?” you asked after a moment. “I’m guessing you didn’t just get up and come here to grab coffee.”

“Around six,” he shrugged. “We try to do more work in the mornings so it’s not too hot.”

You just nodded as you went back to sipping on your coffee, watching from the windows as the fields swayed in response to the wind. Life seemed to move so much slower out here, which was so strange compared to the busy lifestyle you were used to.

And what felt even stranger was Katsuki sitting next to you, sipping on his coffee, without a care in the world — strangely domestic, even. You could find yourself imagining your future like this, in a small little kitchen being served pancakes and coffee as you stared out to the pretty, lush fields outside.

But, why were you thinking about this with Katsuki?

You turned to look at him discreetly, watching his throat move slowly as he sipped on his coffee, the steam still rising from the cup.

How was he able to drink it when it was so hot? Was he secretly burning his tongue and keeping quiet about it?

“Ei–Eijirou call you yet?” Katsuki (speak of the devil) asked suddenly, his voice harder and colder, a contrast to what it had been when he’d first called you out for sleeping in.

“I don’t think so,” you shrugged, sitting up straighter. “I haven’t checked my phone yet. But I’m pretty sure his phone call would’ve woken me up.”

“Let me know what happens,” he said as he pushed himself up from the table. “I can drive ya into town if it gets fixed.”

“I will,” was all you could say before he was already out on the porch, back door slamming behind him as you were left staring at the rest of the empty kitchen.

The sudden change in his behavior threw you off, leaving you with whiplash as you took another small sip of your coffee. You thought the both of you would continue being as friendly as you had been yesterday — if “friendly” could be defined as trying to get a rise out of the other, but to you it meant the same.

What’d happened in the few minutes that neither of you were talking?

You could only let out a sigh, pushing yourself up from the table to wash your mug in the sink with a small, unnoticed frown settling over your lips. And it, once more, led you towards the question: why were you thinking about Katsuki?

And you could try to justify it by saying it was because he was the only person you’d really talked to in the entire town — maybe the only person you really got to know (in a small way). Maybe it was just because he was attractive, and there was some sort of pull that always seemed to lead to wherever he was — you really weren’t sure.

Omygodddd…. I’m getting hung up over a guy I’ve barely met.

And with that, you headed upstairs to take a shower and clear your head.

You were, once again, reminded by the circumstances of your trip when you opened your suitcase to only find it stuffed with winter clothes — a byproduct of you still having a majority of your wardrobe stuck in your room at your parents house. You’d been planning on switching out your winter wardrobe with the summer clothes from home over your week spent there, since the sweaters and puffy jackets took up too much space for anything else to fit in your small, shared dorm closet.

The only thing that seemed to be appropriate for the weather outside was an oversized university t-shirt that you’d gotten at the beginning of the year that you’d promptly forgotten about, only found a couple days ago when you packed your whole wardrobe away — and a pair of jeans.

The shirt seemed to swallow you though, since the university had just given out large sizes for everyone (maybe because they expected everyone was gonna be a giant football player for some reason), so you tied it up into a somewhat crop top just so you wouldn’t drown in the cheap cotton.

If you weren’t able to go home this week and switch out your clothes, you might find yourself dying in the heat when you went back for classes next week. At least then you’d have an excuse to tell your parents to buy clothes instead of school supplies.

As you went through your suitcase to see if there was anything you could wear in hotter weather (maybe something had just slipped in), your phone started ringing.

You only assumed it was your mom, asking what an update was on the situation with your car, and answered it without looking at the screen.

When “Hey, it’s Eijirou,” came out instead of Hi honey, you had to pause just to register what was going on.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Eijirou,” you finally answered, sitting down on your bed. “Sorry, I’m going through my suitcase.”

“Nah yer all good. I wanted to tell you I brought yer car to Sero’s already. He said the engine looks real old. He’s gonna try and fix it, but he said there’s no promises. I’ll call ya later in the evening once he’s finished.”

“Damn, that was fast.”

“Yeah, well there’s not exactly a lotta business ‘round here. Only luck we have is if someone’s drivin’ and their car breaks down — like what happened with you.” You heard him chuckle from the other end of the phone before it settled into silence for a second or so. “How’s Katsuki treating ya?”

The topic startled you. Was he reading your mind or what? And, what exactly were you supposed to say when you knew they were probably friends of some sort? Katsuki called him Ei.

“Um, fine?” you sounded like you were unsure, which wasn’t what you were going for since you were just confused as to where it came from.

“Lemme know if he’s being an asshole — I’ll whack him upside the head for ya. He doesn’t exactly have a lotta experience being open with others.”

WHERE IS ALL THIS COMING FROM??

“I’ll, uh — I’ll keep that in mind,” you responded just as unsure, which was then met with an awkward silence that he finally ended with an “I’ll call ya later about the car” and a goodbye.

You hung up the phone feeling more confused about what was going on with Katsuki than you’d started, and just decided to ignore all of it to head downstairs and tell him about the situation with your car — he did say to tell him what happened when you got the call from Eijirou.

No one was in the kitchen when you stepped out to the back porch, making sure to close the door behind you. It was the first time you’d seen the rest of the farm in its openness, and not through a window.

A vegetable garden was what first caught your eyes, sitting in a small fenced area just next to the porch with neat little rows and small wooden signs labeling each crop. A faded red barn sat just a couple hundred feet past that, with a couple of windows you could see horses through as you walked past a separate patch of strawberries.

You spotted one of the cabins that Katsuki had been talking about earlier towards the left of it all: a neat little wood cabin with a small, clean porch, a welcome mat, and a rocking chair out front.

You found Katsuki standing at the side of the barn with a hose and a bucket, washing a foal who looked like they’d rather do anything than be there at that moment.

He didn’t say anything when he noticed you’d approached him, evidenced by the double take he’d given your figure before he went back to brushing the wriggling horse to make sure the soap cleansed them thoroughly.

“Eijirou called about the car.”

He didn’t look up as he responded. “And?”

“He said that Sero said the engine looked pretty old, so it might not be able to get fixed. But he’ll call later in the evening to let me know for sure.”

You heard him hum before he doused the foal with hose water.

“I’m not really sure what to do now,” you continued, leaning against the wall. “If the car isn’t fixable does that mean I’m stuck? I don’t wanna ask my parents to come out all the way here just to get me.”

“I’ve gotta go to the farmers market in the city again tomorrow,” Katsuki grumbled as he towel-dried the foal (who snuggled into his warmth). “I can jus’ take ya with me.”

“Are you sure?” you pressed. “I don’t want to be a burden and–”

“Stop talkin’ shit,” he rolled his eyes as he scooped the foal up and walked back into the barn with you following. “M’already going there — S’not a burden if I’m already headed there anyways. Jus’ lemme know what happens later and we’ll see.”

“Thank you,” you sighed, watching him place the foal back into the stable with its mother, where it rushed straight to nurse from her. “What’s their name?” you turned to Katsuki.

“The foal? Her name’s Lavender.”

“That’s pretty,” you hummed.

“Thought it was fitting for a spring baby,” he shrugged, rearranging some of the tack equipment to their proper places on the opposing wall.

You walked over to another horse, a pretty brown mare who had her head sticking out of her stall, trying to gauge your attention.

“You named them?”

“Some of ‘em, yeah,” he gestured to the pretty girl who was now nuzzling your hand to encourage you to keep running your fingers across her face. “She’s Iris.”

“I used to love naming horses,” you gave your full attention to the creature in front of you, scratching the sides of her ears as she bent down. You could feel Katsuki’s stare from the back of your head.

“My grandparents had horses,” you continued. “They lived not too far from the town I live in, so we’d try and visit them in the summer. They used to let me name the summer babies when we visited — one of them was Baby. She was a baby horse so I only thought it was proper to name her Baby. I was three, I think,” you chuckled. “Another one was Strawberry — because I had an obsession with strawberries when I was six.”

When you looked back at Katsuki, he was leaning against the opposing wall, staring at you — more like observing you, actually; like you were some animal in your natural habitat on some nature documentary.

“The first horse I ever named was this black mare when I was ten,” he spoke, hands dug into his sides with his arms crossed over his chest. “Called her Cherry.”

“That sounds like a hooker’s name,” you raised an eyebrow, watching as the soft expression he wore turned into a playful sneer.

“Hah? As if Baby and Strawberry aren’t hooker names.”

“Well, I mean, they could be,” you rolled your eyes. “But I feel like they’re not as obvious as Cherry.”

“Whatever,” he bit back, pushing himself off the wall. “Still a better name than Baby.”

“I was three!”

“Whatever you say,” you heard him chuckle as he strode out, hands shoved into his pocket with a cocky stance. “Now are ya gonna help me, or are ya just gonna stand around and stare?”

“Help you with what, exactly?” It was your turn to cross your arms over your chest with an eyebrow raised. “I thought I was too weak to help.”

“This is different.”

“What is it?”

“Strawberries.”

“...Strawberries?”

He didn’t answer you as he charged straight out of the barn, his stupid cowboy boots leaving you in the dust as you were forced to follow behind him without an answer.

Katsuki led you past the vegetable garden you saw earlier to the small patch of strawberries you’d noticed, though you didn’t get what he meant by saying he needed “help” with them. Picking them?

The cabin you’d noticed earlier lay nearby as well, under the cool shade of the grove of trees outlining the main house — and you stood, watching as Katsuki ran up the small steps of the porch to grab two baskets, before coming back to hand you one.

“That cabin’s yours?” you squinted in the sun, almost jealous that you weren’t wearing some bigass cowboy hat that would protect your eyes.

“Yeah,” he grunted. “Strawberries are mine too,” he gestured towards the small, fenced area. “I grew ‘em myself for the market.”

“Really? That’s so cool,” you followed him, stepping over the fence. “So you sell them for yourself then?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “The old man said he doesn’t really care what we do since we’ve already helped him for so long.”

“Do you just sell them as plain strawberries — or do you make stuff out of them?”

“Jus’ jam, usually,” he grunted, leaning down as he began picking the fruits off the bushes and tossing them into his basket. “Don’t really get enough time to do much else.”

You hummed, leaning down at another bush as you plucked off a couple strawberries and placed them into the basket held in the crook of your elbow. They were so vibrantly red, like the color of expensive lipstick your roommate liked to wear out to a bar (under the guise that it’d attract rich, hot dudes) — like the color of Katsuki’s eyes, just as you’d noticed the night before.

You kind of wanted to eat all of them, though you weren’t sure that Katsuki would be happy about you gobbling down all of his strawberries. He’d probably tear you a new one. But, maybe a taste wouldn’t hurt.

You plucked a small one, as ripe and red as some of the larger ones you’d picked, just so it would be more discreet — a small smile creeping up when you saw that Katsuki was busy doing what he was doing; you were about to pop it into your mouth when you noticed a beetle making it’s journey through the leaves of the bush before it crawled into one of the branches and disappeared into the plant, and immediately decided against trying any of them before they were washed.

It wasn’t too long til your basket was filled to the brim, threatening to overflow from the way they were piled on top of each other; it was heavy enough that it required two hands to hold it.

Katsuki was just about finished too, finally standing up to his full height and wiping away the sweat that’d dripped down his forehead with the back of his forearm before his eyes settled on you. A small, sly smirk had made its way up to his lips, though you couldn’t understand why he was looking at you like that.

“What’s the look for?” you raised an eyebrow.

“You need both hands to hold the basket?” he snorted.

You wrinkled your nose as soon as you realized he was carrying his own with a single sturdy hand — almost making the stupid basket look as light as air, even though you knew how heavy it was since it was just as filled (if not more) as yours was.

“Well sorry Mr. I work on a farm and basically lift weights for a living, that I need two hands to hold the basket so I don’t fall on my ass,” you huffed, rolling your eyes when he let out his bark of a laugh.

“Jus’ gimme that,” he walked towards you, holding his other hand out.

“No. I can carry it on my own.” Even though my shoulders are killing me. But feminism!

“It looks like yer arms are about to pop off,” he took another step closer. “Give it.”

“Nope,” you answered, making sure to pop the p while rolling your feet back and forth between your toes and heels.

“Give me the basket, shitty woman.”

“You said I should be helping you,” you emphasized. “This is me helping you.”

“You can help me — by giving me the basket.”

“How is that helping you?”

“Ya can’t exactly do anything else if yer arms fall off,” he rolled his eyes, ignoring the offended look you gave him. “B’sides, I want ya to go grab the jars for me.”

His hand comes to grab the handle you’re gripping tightly, fingers accidentally brushing against yours as the smell of aftershave hits your nose, just as it had yesterday from how close you’re standing — it makes your stomach flutter from how warm and rough his hands are, just from that little glimpse you catch of him, and you almost drop the basket in the process.

“Wh-Where are they?” you don’t break the eye contact that’s connected you, his hand still over yours.

“M’house,” he rasps — and you swallow, thickly, letting the weight of the basket shift from your hands to his before he continues. “They’re on the counter.”

You nod slightly, finally breaking the heat of his stare and his fingers when you fully let go of the basket and turn to the small cabin, thankful for the cool shade of the trees when you step up the porch from how hot your face has become, like you’d gotten a sunburn.

The little welcome mat invites you in as you push open his front door; and though it feels strange walking into someone’s house like that, you don’t want to look back at Katsuki and give him the opportunity to notice your flushed face.

You settle on not being nosy as you make your way into his kitchen after wiping your shoes on the welcome mat, just taking note of his decor’s simplicity and the cleanliness of the small cabin. There was a cardboard box filled with jars sitting on the counter, just as he said there would be — which you grabbed easily before making your way outside.

Katsuki was still standing where he had been, feet rooted in the same position under the sun with flushed cheeks under his cowboy hat — an unreadable expression on his face before he turned and began trudging towards the house with you by his side. There was nothing besides the crunch of dirt underfoot and the birds you could hear from the trees. Your shoulders occasionally bumped due to your unfamiliarity with the uneven ground, but he never said anything — so you left it.

The kitchen was quiet too, when you both walked in, with only the sound of the fan whirring from the living room ceiling while you looked up to Katsuki, wondering what’d happened again.

Every time there was a moment between you, it disappeared to reveal Katsuki being harsher than he had been previously — and it was always in a matter of seconds. Sure, he hadn’t been welcoming when you met him, but he was still willing to stop at the side of the road to help a complete stranger; that could tell you enough about his character.

You watched from the kitchen table as he washed the strawberries in a large plastic bowl in the sink, rinsing them out a couple of times before he placed them between your seat at the table and the one next to you. As he turned away to get whatever else he needed, you stole a strawberry — popping it into your mouth, eyes widening from how good it was.

After plucking the stem off another, a firm hand stopped you from taking a bite out of it; and Katsuki gave you a sneer after stealing it and taking a bite while he sat in the seat next to you.

“Cut ‘em small,” he pushed a knife and a cutting board your way.

“What’re you doing then?” you raised your eyebrows, watching as he finished off the rest of the strawberry he’d stolen.

“Making sure ya do it correctly,” he leaned back in his chair.

“That’s not fair.”

“It is if yer a thief.”

“It was one.”

“I saw you take the first one,” he smirked, leaving you to roll your eyes before pulling the bowl closer and getting to work.

He hovered over you for the first five you did, commenting that you were cutting the strawberry cubes too big or too small (though you weren’t sure it mattered if they were ‘too’ small — didn’t you want it as small as possible for jam?). But when he finally approved of the size of the pieces, you built up a pace for yourself — slicing them long twice before cutting them three (or four, depending on the size of the strawberry) ways across — tossing them into a different bowl Katsuki’d provided when the cutting board became too full.

It didn’t take as long as you would have expected, your fingers stained red and ready to prune when you finished, before looking up to find Katsuki’s nodding head bobbing alongside you.

“Not too bad for a newbie,” he smirked, standing up and grabbing sugar.

After adding the amount he deemed necessary, he showed you how he got it ready to cook by mixing the sugar and strawberries with a spatula until the mixture was soupy and liquidy. He transferred it to a pot on the stove, still stirring it with the same spatula as he explained what to do.

“If it starts sticking, ya need to take it off and lower the heat,” was one of the pieces of advice he gave (the only one you retained) — but all you could do was watch the top of his cowboy hat bob up and down from your spot on the countertop, kicking your legs slightly as you watched him go through the motions of making strawberry jam.

It continued on for twenty minutes, of him explaining small things that you weren’t really listening to as he continued to stir it; until you watched the foam bubble down to reveal a shiny jam, darker than the color of the original strawberries.

“Put the kettle on,” he ordered, and you kicked your legs out as you pushed yourself off the counter.

You wandered to the other side of the kitchen to do as he asked, watching as he turned the gas off and let the pot start cooling down while stirring.

“What’s the water for?”

“So the jars don’t break,” he looked up. “The glass shatters if the temperature difference is too high.”

He had you pour the water into the jars to warm them up before he came to the table and started filling them up with a ladle stolen from a kitchen drawer, handing them to you to seal and cap them.

The process was quiet and concentrated, as you both went through the motions of filling up each jar and sealing them, until you were finished and left with about thirty jars.

It was when you finished that you realized how close you were sitting next to each other, shoulders almost touching, your pinky fingers basically intertwined; you could practically feel the heat radiating off of him. And when you turned to look at him, you noticed how close your faces were to each other — how you you could practically feel his breath fanning your face when he did the same, how his eyes seemed to roam your face the same way yours were doing to his — and how it felt like you were getting closer; an invisible string was drawing you together, bringing you both closer and closer as you stared at his lips.

“Oh — jam?”

All it took was an instant for the both of you to break eye contact, turning to stare at the back door. Shoto had stepped in, completely disregarding the both of you as he walked forward and picked up a jar. You barely realized when Katsuki’s expression had turned into a sneer and he’d stood up from the table without missing a beat.

“Beat it half n’ half.”

“But, it’s lunch,” Shoto stared at him blankly.

And just like that, it was like nothing had happened. Again.

Lunch consisted of peanut butter and jam sandwiches (because Katsuki had argued that you couldn’t refer to his jam as jelly — even though they were basically the same thing), and earned you the nickname “strawberry shortcake” when you dropped jam on your shirt.

(“Didn’t ya say you were obsessed with strawberries?” Katsuki smirked when you asked him where it came from.)

Eijirou called after lunch to let you know that the car wasn’t able to be fixed and that Sero wanted to buy it so he could use some of the parts. The news wasn’t that surprising, since your parents had bought it second hand as soon as you got your driver's license when you turned sixteen and that you were now a rising senior in college; and after a quick phone call to your parents to let them know about the situation, they agreed the best thing to do would be selling it so you could buy a new car.

You didn’t even notice when the sun began hanging low in the sky — and the afternoon turned to evening.

It was during dinner that you realized that you probably wouldn’t get a chance to see anyone ever again. Even if you hadn’t spent time with Shoto or Izuku — it was easy to see how nice and welcoming they were. It led to the four of you (Katsuki tagged along too) laying outside beside a small campfire and drinking beer, trading stories as if you’d known each other your entire life.

It was fun to learn about their lives in a small town: how everyone had practically known each other by the time they were five and all the shenanigans they would get up to. They told you about their other friends, the ones who’d moved away for bigger opportunities in bigger cities — and you noticed the way Katsuki’s face seemed to fall when the topic was brought up, even though he hid it by sipping on his beer quietly.

Both Shoto and Izuku eventually waved their goodbyes when they got up to go to bed, in the case that they wouldn’t be able to see in the morning if they were too busy, leaving you and Katsuki to quietly sip beer by the flames in comfortable silence.

“It’s weird to think that I won’t see you again,” you murmured after a while. The couple of beers you drank seemed to loosen the restraint your mind was holding on your mouth, and you stared up at the sky after a moment when he didn’t answer. “I won’t get the chance to be here again.”

Katsuki hummed in response, watching as you began tracing out constellations with your finger, muttering the names to yourself in the exact stupid way Deku used to. But, he wasn’t annoyed when you did it.

“Can I ask you something?” you turned to him suddenly, watching as he put his beer down.

“Shoot.”

“Why was your mood changing all day?”

“What d’you mean?” he blinked.

“Like, it felt like we were close at times — but then you’d seem angry again,” you looked back up at the sky and sighed before trailing off. “I just, I thought…”

“I heard you yest’rday.”

You snapped back to where Katsuki was staring at the ground.

“No one’s compared my eyes to strawberries before,” he commented. “Usually it’s rubies n’ other shit.”

“You heard?”

“M’pretty sure everyone heard shortcake,” he chuckled. “You were fuckin’ yappin’ at the top of yer lungs.”

“I was not!” you huffed. You could feel your face burning up as you huffed and turned away.

It remained silent for another minute or two before Katsuki spoke again.

“Back in highschool, I was with someone,” he started. “And I thought we were gonna stay like that — that she was gonna go away for college and come back so we could get married. I proposed to her, and she said no and left.” He looked back up and you watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed thickly. “You– uh, I guess you reminded me of her a little.”

You could only blink in response to his confession, watching the light from the fire dance off his face as he stared almost wistfully off into the distance.

“I do think, that uh, yer…pretty, or whatever,” he coughed out. “But, it’s not permanent. Yer gonna go back tomorrow and eventually forget.”

It was silent again, the sound of the crackling fire remnant of his car’s old air conditioning.

“You don’t know that,” you finally spoke hesitantly, scooting across the log to where he was sitting.

He looked up at those words, his eyes scanning your face, your expressions, the way you’d placed yourself so easily next to him.

“And even if I don’t stay here, it’s not like there’s no way to contact you — or even see you again. You live a couple hours from me, and you come to farmer’s markets there,” you paused, gathering your thoughts before you looked back up at him and the soft look on his face. “Katsuki… whatever she did — I’m not her.”

Maybe the beer had a larger effect on you than you thought it did — you weren’t one to admit something like that as easily as you just did, but it was probably a combination of the hazy spell your mind was experiencing as well as the intoxicating atmosphere of the night. You could feel your heart jump in your chest as Katsuki just stared at you, his eyes flicking down ever so often until he moved himself closer to you, his hand hovering just above your cheek as you inhaled his scent once more.

“...may I kiss you?” he whispered.

You nodded slightly, shocked, before he’d pressed his lips up against yours in a sweet, chaste kiss. You could taste the beer on him as his hands rose and cupped your cheeks gently, his thumbs stroking the tops of your cheeks as yours tangled around his neck, playing with the back of his hair.

He took that as an invitation to pull you closer, pulling you up onto his lap with his arms wrapped around your waist and rubbing small strokes up the small of your back — melting into each other as sugar does into jam, slowly and gently and passionately through small touches and gazes.

When you finally pulled away for air, you could see the flush of his face as he stared up at the sky and panted, pulling you flush against his chest.

“Damn shortcake,” you heard the smirk in his voice — though it didn’t seem to be as cocky as you would’ve expected. “You know how to kiss.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you murmured into his chest, feeling the rumble as he let out a short chuckle.

“Nothin’,” he pulled away for a second, and you noticed him grabbing something from his jean pocket.

In the light of the fire, he showed you his beaten leather wallet, with cracks and scratches — pulling out a fifty dollar bill that he then handed to you.

“What’s this for?” you sat up, your head leaning against his shoulder.

“S’the money you gave Ei,” he flipped it over, revealing a phone number on the other side, before looking away in embarrassment. “I was gonna give it to ya tomorrow when I dropped ya off — Ei suggested it.”

You couldn’t help but let out a giggle to the red that was rising on his face, becoming even more flushed than he had been when he kissed you.

“Thank you,” you smiled. “Now I can call you on your ancient phone.”

“Yeah, well, now I can teach ya how to make strawberry shortcake.”

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