#and me frantically trying to do the math to see if I can buy it and run it with $3 and a paper clip and a dream

[notevenghosts]

you either die a hero or live long enough to become an aspiring small business owner

[knivestothroats]

The Professionals - Bargain Price

The Professionals is a crossover of In the Woods Somewhere by me and Professional//Victim by @victimeyez In which Tommy learns the price of trying to bargain. (Follow up to Allowances) CW: Long term captivity, violent whumper, many graphic threats, beating, biting, bchoking

Fletcher let Tommy stew for a bit before they came to find him. They enjoyed their dinner and took a moment to decide what they were going to do to him. 

When they opened the door to his room, it was empty.

Or – mostly empty. Fletcher was good at scanning rooms, and it only took them a moment to spot a bit of a pale foot under the bed. They stepped lightly in and crouched, snagging his ankle and dragging him out.

Tommy yelped as he was wrenched from his hiding spot, immediately putting his hands up in a weak attempt to shield himself. Any vestiges of bravado he had managed earlier were long gone now. Fletcher looked down at him as he cowered at their boots.

“Hey, buddy.”

“Fletcher – Fletcher,” his voice broke. “I’m s-so sorry, I don’t know what I was– I never should have– I can–” Tommy hiccuped out a sob and covered his face with his hands.

Fletcher put a finger to their lips and waited for Tommy to quiet down.

“If you want to act like a child and throw a tantrum, then I’m canceling your playdate.” 

Fletcher pulled their phone from their pocket and opened up Buck’s contact.

“Wait! Wait no, no nononono Fletcher, wait, please!” Tommy scrambled up onto his knees, clinging to Fletcher’s thigh frantically. 

Fletcher held the phone up above their head to keep it out of Tommy’s reach.

“What? You want something worse than being grounded?”

“Please, please, anything else, I’ll – I’ll pay for the wall, and – and you can hurt me, please please just don’t call him!”

“Oh ho, buddy, you are absolutely paying for the wall,” Fletcher sneered. “Do you know how long that’s going to take you to pay off? You can forget about buying anything any time soon.”

It took a moment, but then seemed to fully dawn on Tommy how much it would cost him. Fletcher could see him trying to do the math in his head, the dread on his face as it really sank in. Five dollars a week couldn’t get much, and months would stack up fast.

“I…” He gulped, his eyes watering. “I know, I know, I’ll do it, but please don’t take Buck away.”

Fletcher eyed Tommy for a moment.

“You said I could hurt you? What do you want me to do to you instead? What do you think is enough to make up for it?”

“Well, yes, I mean…..um…” Tommy’s eyes darted nervously around the room, as if he would find something that might help him. He wet his lips. 

“You could…you could…beat me...”

“I could beat you and still send Buck away,” Fletcher retorted. “I can beat you for stuttering when you talk to me. I could beat you for anything, whenever I want. If you want me to change my mind, you have to come up with something enticing.”

Tommy blinked away tears. “You can… you can use a knife?” He offered tentatively.

“Yeah?” Fletcher asked mockingly. “I can use a knife? Can I take off patches of your skin with it? Can I wedge the point under your fingernails?”

Tommy’s jaw moved, but no words came out.

“Can I chop off a finger?” Fletcher continued. “One of your ears? Can I stick it in your eye? Can I open up your fucking veins? Is that okay with you?!”

Their words grew more aggressive and they grabbed the front of Tommy’s shirt.

“I… I…” Tommy stammered.

“What, you don’t want that? Well, can I do something else? What about your bones, Thunderbird, am I allowed to break those? Can I knock out your teeth? Can I hold your head under water? Can I break out the car battery and the jumper cables? Can I burn the bottoms of your feet so you have to crawl? Can I wrap my hands around your throat and tighten them until you stop moving and your last thought before you pass out is that you hope to fucking god I let go before you die? Huh? Can I do any of those fucking things to you?”

“I… I’m sorry, I don’t…”

Fletcher slapped Tommy hard across the face, swinging it to the side.

“Wise the fuck up, kid,” Fletcher snapped. “I can do whatever the fuck I want to you. Maybe it worked for you before where you bat your fucking eyelashes and get on your knees and you get out of whatever you had coming, but I don’t give a shit about any of that. You take what I give you.”

“Yes, Fletcher, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Tommy cried, words coming out barely above a whisper. His teary eyes tracked the movement of the phone in their hand. “I’ll take whatever you give me. Can you please hang up now?”

It took Fletcher a second to process. They looked at their phone and saw the seconds ticking up, timing the phone call.

“Oh shit,” they muttered. They put the phone to their ear. “Buck, you there?”

No answer. Must be a voicemail.

Fletcher ended the call. They hesitated a moment, then punched Tommy hard in the chest.

Tommy made a breathy grunt as the wind was knocked out of him. He dropped to the floor, curled up on his side, and tried a few frightening times to draw a breath before one actually came.

“Don’t punch my fucking wall,” Fletcher growled, standing up. “We aren’t finished with this conversation.”

Fletcher stepped forwards over Tommy and planted their boot down firmly on the side of his face, pinning his head to the floor. He was already trembling with fear, struggling to catch his breath. They called Buck again, putting it on speaker and letting the automatic voicemail answer message play.

“Hey, didn’t mean to call you the first time. Hit the button accidentally. But, look, I am canceling your next visit because Tommy is grounded. I’ll let you know when you can come back.”

Tommy whimpered pitifully on the ground, but didn’t protest.

Fletcher ended the call and sent Buck a text.

Ignore the first voicemail.

“Alright, get up,” Fletcher instructed, stepping off of Tommy. He shakily got to his feet. “Follow me.”

Tommy slinked along after Fletcher, but hung back when Fletcher opened the basement door. His chest tightened. 

“After you.”

Fletcher gestured down the dark stairwell. As much as Tommy didn’t want to go down there, it didn’t seem like a good time to disobey. 

You’ve been in the basement before, he told himself as he forced his feet down each step. You were fine.

But Fletcher wasn’t mad at you then.

Tommy hesitated at the bottom of the stairs as Fletcher pulled the string on the overhead lights. They stood in the empty part of the basement. Nothing but a cement floor with a drain. They gestured for Tommy to join them.

Tommy’s heart was racing. He didn’t feel like he was piloting his body as it approached Fletcher. Instinctively, he began to lower himself to the floor when Fletcher cut him off.

“Don’t get on your fucking knees unless I tell you,” they growled.

“S-Sorry,” Tommy said, quickly straightening up. 

“You wanna fight me?”

Tommy was so taken aback he was sure he heard them wrong. His brain was making things up again. 

“What - sorry - what did you say?”

“I said,” Fletcher stepped closer, invading Tommy’s space. “Do you want to fight me?”

“N-No, no, Fletcher, of course I-”

“You wanted to hit me earlier,” Fletcher asserted. “You hit the wall instead. Isn’t that right? It wasn’t the wall you were angry at.”

Tommy shrank back. “I was just… I didn’t…”

“Well, I’m giving you the opportunity,” Fletcher said. “I’ll even let you start.”

Tommy was wide eyed and frozen like a deer in headlights. Fletcher waited, staring him down with a cold gaze.

“I don’t want to fight you,” Tommy said in a small voice.

Fletcher shoved Tommy in the chest with both hands, causing him to stumble backwards.

“Let me reframe this,” they said, pacing after him. “You can stand there and take a beating, or you can fight back. I am giving you a chance to fight back. Clearly it’s something you need to get out of your system, so you don’t go punching holes in my walls.”

They reached out and grabbed Tommy by the face, squeezing in his cheeks. With a sharp smile they said, “Aren’t I so fucking nice?”

They let go and gave Tommy a slap, but not nearly as hard as they had earlier.

“C’mon. You were a street punk. You never learned how to fight?”

“Fletcher, I don’t…” Tommy put up his hands. “Please, I don’t want to do this!”

Fletcher easily reached through his defense to grab Tommy by the front of his shirt, and punched him across the face.

“You want to stand there and get hit like you always do?” They snapped. “Don’t you want to hit back for once in your miserable life?”

Tommy’s head was swimming. Pain bloomed across his jaw from the strike. His fear and anger rose in his gut, but he felt paralyzed to defend himself. The product of years of grueling training to never resist, to never fight back. Now he had a chance, and he was terrified. When he saw Fletcher raise their fist again, he threw up his arms to guard his face. 

Fletcher’s knuckles collided with the bones of Tommy’s thin arms. He managed to keep his defenses up, so Fletcher went low and drove their fist into his stomach. When Tommy doubled over, dropping his arms to his abdomen, Fletcher smacked him across the face.

“Fucking do something,” they snarled. “This isn’t over until you fight back.”

Something in Tommy snapped. 

He lunged at Fletcher, hand flying out to take a swipe at their face, his fingers curled into claws.

Fletcher managed to block the attack, grabbing his arm and pushing it away. Tommy immediately countered with his other hand, yanking his arm free to make mad swipes and rain fists down wherever he could.

Fletcher parried a strike and shot a fist out at Tommy’s stomach again. He folded slightly but was being carried by the adrenaline, flinging himself back at Fletcher. 

Fletcher blocked his first arm, but the second managed to slip through. Tommy’s nails clawed across Fletcher’s cheek and eyelid. 

Fletcher hissed and shoved Tommy back. He charged forward, head down, colliding with Fletcher like he was trying to tackle them. Fletcher had to brace their feet but remained upright easily. They even let out a small laugh before driving their elbow down into his back. 

Tommy jerked and grunted at the impact but didn’t let go. He tried to strike with his knees and kick at the inside of Fletcher’s legs. Fletcher took the opportunity to pull him off his balance, throwing him to the floor.

Tommy held fast to Fletcher’s shirt, pulling them down with him.

Fletcher could feel their own balance start to go and aimed their fall to land with their knee on Tommy’s stomach. He let out an oof but didn’t stop. Instead he reached up and snagged a fistful of Fletcher’s hair.

In the old days, Fletcher had kept their head buzzed for this reason. Having it used against them now gave them an instinctive jolt of panic, as well as anger. 

If Tommy wanted to go low - scratching, grappling, hair pulling - Fletcher would meet him there. They landed their hand on his face and dug their thumb into his eye socket.

Tommy let out a groan through gritted teeth and twisted his face away to shake off the hand, then back to sink his teeth into it. All without loosening his grip on Fletcher’s hair.

Fletcher let out a roar of pain and tore their hand away. 

Enough fucking around.

They drove their fist down hard into the center of Tommy’s face. They could feel his nose crunch beneath their knuckles.

Tommy relinquished his grip, both hands moving toward his face, but Fletcher caught his arm and bit back, clamping their jaw down on his forearm.

Tommy yelled out in pain. His face was painted red from the blood pouring out his nose like Fletcher had struck oil. He was no longer struggling, just trying to curl in defensively once more.

Fletcher released and stood up. They leaned down and hauled Tommy up by the front of his shirt, putting him in a sitting position.

Tommy was breathing heavily through his mouth, head hanging low, blood running freely down his chin and dripping into his lap. Fletcher took a fistful of his hair and pulled his head up to look at them. Tommy braced for impact.

“Feel better?” Fletcher asked scornfully.

“No,” Tommy said, voice muddled by a clogged nose. Blood sprayed off his lips when he spoke.

“Was it worth it?”

“No,” Tommy groaned. With his nose broken, he had to pant for air through his mouth, blood tingeing his teeth red. Fletcher’s other hand went to his collar, gripping it tight in their fist so it pulled against his throat. Tommy’s hands fluttered around their forearm, wanting to pull them off but unable to muster the strength. He’d already lost - no need to keep digging deeper. 

“Did we learn something?” Fletcher asked, tugging sharply on the collar while keeping him in place with their fist his hair. 

“Y-yes Fletcher, please don’t hit me anymore, I’m sorry,” Tommy pleaded. His voice was congested, and blood was starting to spread through the fabric of his shirt as it streamed down off his face. 

Fletcher cocked their head to the side, considering him. Tommy took the respite to wheeze, struggling not to cough up the blood filling his mouth into Fletcher’s face. 

“Your place is right here, under my boot. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Fletcher.” 

They shook his head by their fist in his hair and he whimpered, clenching his eyes closed against the pain hammering inside his head. 

“Should I be merciful?” Fletcher asked, their voice low. Tommy cracked an eye open, trying to tell if they were asking, or just talking to themselves. They looked pissed, but alive, excited. 

Beg, Tommy, beg for it, a voice urged him. It spoke in Caius’s voice, so close he could feel his breath against his ear. 

“P-please, please Fletcher, you’ve let me - let me live here and I forgot to be grateful, I’m so grateful, please, please don’t hurt me anymore, don’t let me – don’t let me lose the mercy you’ve shown, please, I know my place, please, please don’t kill me, I’ll be good!” Tommy hiccuped, sobs breaking through as the last of his adrenaline rush abandoned him.

Fletcher let him beg, leaning back to take in the full picture. They finally relinquished their fist in his hair to stroke his face with an unexpected softness. Tommy twitched weakly, waiting for more punishment. Instead, the hand wiped his tears, then dropped away. Fletcher placed a boot on Tommy’s leg, holding him in place. With their other hand, they lifted the collar.

The leather dug into Tommy’s throat, digging under his chin and pressing against his windpipe.  It was hard to draw in any breath, and his shallow gasps punctuated the thick silence between them.

They played with him like that for a bit, letting go just when the world started to grey out, returning as soon as he managed a gulp of air. When they finally let go, Tommy was dazed, his eyes unfocused. Fletcher relented and stepped off of him. When they released their grip on the collar holding him up, Tommy drooped forward limply. 

“Forget your allowance until I think you’ve paid for the repair – which you’ll be doing, and doing right. No play dates until you learn some self control. And if I hear a single word about it, I’ll make what I’ve done to you today feel like a vacation. You understand me?”

It took him a moment to process their words, but then Tommy gave a shaky nod. Fletcher leaned in and patted his cheek. 

“Good answer.”

@suspicious-whumping-egg @whumpyourdamnpears @generic-whumperz @lonesome--hunter

@whumplr-reader @theelvishcowgirl @sunshiline-writes @dont-be-gentle-please @galesgallery

@2in1whump @sparrowsage @apokolyps @whumpinggrounds

@morning-star-whump @leviiio @alexmundaythrufriday

@defire @jumpywhumpywriter @watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees

@light-me-on-pyre @slightlydisturbedbeans @dislexiher @paperprinxe @desert-dyke

@just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @burtlederp @whatwasmyprevioususername @cursedandtired

@whump-only @misspelledwitch @redstainedsocks @thehopelessopus @im-just-here-for-the-whump

@thatsthewhump @utopian819 @pretty-face-breaker @thesuffererrrr

[cantyouseeimtrying]

October 21, 2024 | oh gosh what a day

11:55 AM | so far so good!

Today has been pretty good so far. I got out of bed a lot faster than I usually do which I'm very proud of. My morning alarm is set for 7 AM but usually, I take about 20 minutes to actually get up. The fact that I cut that time in half this morning is really impressive. Right now I'm at the public library enjoying my second period free. Although now it's actually lunch time. I'll probably give myself about 10 more minutes here and then I'll walk back to school. Normally I eat lunch with the crush I'm recovering from (we are gonna call the Crush of Doom, or COD (I am in fact sitting here giggling)) on Mondays. Typically I ask them what room they are eating lunch in and then I join them but today I'm not going to join them. When I get to school I'm going to buy my lunch and then go see if I can eat in my math teachers room. If I can't then I will most likely send a very frantic text to my friend to see if I can eat with them.

2:11 PM | I love my friends :)

Whoa, future me! My math teacher's door was closed, so I went and ate with my friend, which was seriously the better choice. We were laughing so hard that when the bell rang, I was struggling to walk down the stairs. I really do love my friends.

6:46 PM | this is the part where I try not to freak out

So....uh. Everything feels terrible right now. I know that that's not the case but we love emotions! I had band after school and the longer the class went on the more and more upset I became. You know the coffee in the photo? Yeah, I drank that on an empty stomach.... anyway so my stomach was hurting. I ate a really sad sandwich for lunch which didn't help at all. I was in pain and apparently it was noticeable enough that COD asked me if I was okay !!twice!! They really are a great friend which is why I feel so bad about my feelings. Other thing that happened was they said something that made me want to cry. It was said with good intentions (I think) but they were a little aggressive about it which I hated.

I also feel bad about the food I've been eating so I'm going to make a little list of healthy foods I like as a little reminder for myself :)

cucumbers

lettuce

mushrooms

bell peppers

avocado

cooked spinach

cooked broccoli

cauliflower

Swiss chard

chives

strawberries

raspberries

blackberries

cooked onions

cherries

corn

tofu

carrots

peas

watermelon

tomatoes

[mlm-writer]

Baby Shark Do Do Do Do Do Do (John Constantine x GN!Reader)

Pairing: John Constantine (LoT ver.) x Gender Neutral Reader Rating: General audiences Words: 1065 Summary: You find a baby shark and you want to keep it. You just gotta convince your boyrfriend. Note: This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but this is for fluffgust.  Tags: Domestic fluff, comedy and I changed King Shark’s origins because I can. 

John called your name as he opened the doors to his place. You told the creature in the bathtub to be quiet with a finger to your lips as you slowly backed away from the bathtub. The young creature smiled at you and splashed in the water. You told him to cut it out as you left him in the bathroom. With still-wet feet, you rushed down the stairs to jump into your boyfriend’s arms. 

John’s face was always so forlorn, but you never missed the glint in his eyes and tug on his lips whenever he saw you. “Johnny,” you cooed as you hugged him. John kissed your temple. “I did not make dinner. Can we go by the drive in?” John gave you a look as he slowly let you go. 

“If I remember,” he started as he circled you now, “there were still groceries left and you, my wonderful partner, have been home majority of the day. So…”  He stepped closer to you until your chests slightly touched. “What have you been up to all day?” 

You grinned up to him and wrapped your arms around his neck. “Don’t you wish to know, demon boy?” John scoffed as his hands landed on your hips, but the raise of his eyebrows told you he was buying none of your seduction tactics. You huffed and retreated, crossing your arms over your chest. “Do you still love me or what? I used to be able to seduce you with a little shoulder before we started dating.”

John laughed and pulled you back into his arms, swinging you from left to right for a moment. “Before we started dating, I just wanted to shag you, love.” You gasped dramatically and hit his chest, but before you could retaliate, there was a loud crash from upstairs. “Stay here,” John said reflexively as he let go and walked to the stairs. 

“Wait, no, John, I can explain,” you said as you ran after him, making him stop dead in his tracks and turn towards you. His face of both betrayal and disbelief got you confused for a second, but you quickly caught onto how it sounded. 

“If I go upstairs, what or who will I find?” He asked, his hands disappearing into the pockets of his trench coat as he shifted on his feet. There was a frantic knocking on the door and you smiled awkwardly at John, before walking past him. You rushed to the bathroom door and opened it. A little shark-like creature with legs fell through, looking at you with what you could only discern to be fear. 

“Oh Baby Shark, I did not abandon you,” you cooed as you picked him up and held it close. Holding Baby Shark like that made your clothes wet as well, but you couldn’t care as he snuggled into your neck. “No need to be scared, it is just daddy Johnny.”

You eyed John, trying to read his expression. He looked like he was doing some high school level mental math. Poor Baby Shark was so scared of John, he clung to your shirt and you shushed him like you would have done were he a normal baby. 

“What is that?” A valid question from John. It took him a while, but he had settled for a very valid question. Unfortunately you had no answer for it and simply shrugged. “Where did you get it?” 

You held Baby Shark close as he seemed to relax in your arms. “I got him from a fish tank left in an alleyway. He was cold and alone and scared.” 

“Him?” You held out Baby Shark, revealing the baby penis between his legs, before holding him close again. “Ok him then… can you please give him some pants?” You chuckled and went inside the bathroom. John stood by the door as you put a towel around Baby Shark’s waist. “You plan on keeping him, don’t you?” 

You pouted at John and hugged Baby Shark. “Please Johnny, he has no home and he is so cute.” 

“Do we even know what he eats?” “Well he is part shark, part… human I guess… Fish should do.” “Do we need to keep him in our bathtub?” “I can buy a fish tank, but he seems to do well without being in water as well.” 

John sighed and rubbed his face. “Fine, but if he bites me, I am throwing him out.” You thanked John as he left, probably to make dinner. You put Baby Shark in a towel and went to town with thread and needle to make some weird toga that covered him up. He was not pleased with it, but until you bought him clothes, he was going to have to do with it. 

When you came down John had made dinner with the ingredients left in the fridge. There was a third plate on the coffee table, warming your heart with the sight of it. “I have a can of sardines in the cupboard, but let’s see if he eats fried rice first.” You put Baby Shark in front of the table and handed him a spoon, hoping he would know how to use one. Both you and John watched with anticipation as you sat on the couch with your plate on your laps. Baby Shark took the spoon, scooped up as much rice as would fit on it and shoved it in his mouth. You were scared for a second that he was going to swallow the spoon as well, but when you saw him taking a second scoop, you let out a breath you did not know you were holding in. 

After dinner, Baby Shark lied across your lap, watching the movie that played on TV with the both of you. Admittedly, it was way too violent for a child, but Baby Shark seemed unbothered. Eventually you had a weird shark hybrid sleeping in your lap. When the movie ended, John was the first to get up. He lifted Baby Shark up and held him like a baby in his arms. “I’ll see you in bed. I’ll put this little critter in the bedroom across from ours, a’right?” You smiled up at him and nodded as you stretched. When you eventually went upstairs, you caught sight of John through the crack of the door, tucking in a sleeping Baby Shark. 

[hazzasgayvodka]

Panty Thief - Harry Styles

So this is kind of a trial run for this fic, I’m inclined to make this a series but I’m not sure how the response to it will be. I have lots of ideas for more parts to this but only if it’s what the people want haha. Here is my belated Valentine’s Day gift to all you lovelies I hope you enjoy this heavy daddy kink/dom harry fic I’ve been working on for ages!

p.s. everyone say thank you Nathan for giving me lots of smut inspiration this is literally based on him sorta 

pairing: daddy!harry x oc

warning: sexual content, smut, daddy kink/dom vibes so if you’re not here for that this is not for you

word count: 5k

In which Harry is a new student at Harley’s university and he seems to just keep popping up everywhere. The tension between them is palpable and she can’t get away from him, especially when he happens to knock on her door with a pair of her favorite red lace panties she left in the laundromat dangling from his finger. 

I roll my eyes as the lady in front of me in line takes out yet another handful of coupons from her purse at the checkout counter. The cashier looks almost as annoyed as I am, but still sporting a smile despite the absolute exasperation rampant in her eyes. She takes the handful of coupons and starts scanning them begrudgingly as the woman digs around in her purse for anymore and I hardly even notice my foot tapping as my eyes instinctively roll once again. I just came to get toilet roll, ice cream, and a bottle of prosecco and the universe decides today is the day coupon Karen ends up at the checkout line five minutes before I do.

“I like your hair.” A voice speaks up behind me.

I know they must be talking to me, I don’t believe any other boring college blonde in this line warrants a compliment like that but the bright purple curls I sport tend to elicit quite the reaction from bystanders, especially the uninteresting conservatives of Publix.

“How do you uh, get it that color?”

I finally turn my head over my shoulder to face the voice, a tall guy with tousled brown hair and quite the shit eating grin on his face. He’s obviously very pleased with himself finally getting me to turn around but I can’t be bothered to entertain this excited puppy of a man with more than a word.

“Dye.”

I’ve barely even gotten the word out of my mouth before I turn back to face the cashier with an uninterested eyeroll. He scoffs behind me, clearly not giving up that easily.

“Wow,” He chuckles, “At least you’re straightforward.”

I turn back around without thinking to face him once again, “Hair dye, idiot.”

“Oh, well I could have guessed that much.”

I turn away from him again just as coupon lady finally pushes her rattling cart towards the exit doors and the cashier gestures for me to come up to the checkout. I drop my basket on the conveyor belt with a thud and she rings it up quickly, sensing my impatience and clearly wanting to get me the hell out of here as quickly as she can. I pay and grab my bags to head for the door and just before I’m home free the voice is suddenly behind me yet again.

“So, are you really not going to tell me?” He asks, catching up to me outside, “It’s going to keep me up tonight, I’m waiting with bated breath over here.”

“Tell you what exactly?” I huff, finally turning to face him.

“How you get your hair that color, of course.”

I roll my eyes, surely, he’s not keeping this bit up for the sake of hitting on me in the fucking supermarket, “Do you want something from me?”

He chuckles a bit, and I’m glad to see my utter frustration is amusing to him, “I mean,” He starts, rubbing the back of his neck, “Maybe your name would be cool.”

“No thanks.”

“Well, I’m Harry-“

I turn and walk away before he’s barely got the sentence out of his mouth. What was he even in line to buy? He wasn’t carrying any bags.

Mental note: always wear headphones to the grocery store.

 ***

“You’re late.”

I collapse in the seat next to my friend Danielle with a huff. She gives me a certain look that says something like you’ve been late the past three times too, but honestly at this point she should know to expect it.

“I’m always late,” I groan, attempting to lean back in the incredibly uncomfortable library chair, “So, why are we at the library?”

“We have a math test tomorrow, or did you forget about that?” She asks, scolding me over the top of her math book.

“Of course I remembered,” I say sarcastically, “Math is my absolute favorite subject how could I ever forget we had a test?”

She rolls her eyes, turning her book to the right page to start taking notes and I try my best to follow along, “So do you have a legitimate reason for the lateness or just regular Harley excuses?”

“Actually, I do,” I say matter-of-factly, sitting back up straight in my chair, “There was a freak at the grocery store, dude would not leave me alone.”

“What was he doing?” She asks, suddenly interested.

“Just talking? I guess? He like wanted to have a whole conversation waiting to check out.”

“So, a nice guy just struck up some conversation with you at the store and that’s a bad thing?”

“Yes,” I huff, closing the book once again, “I was just there to get groceries I didn’t need the extra human interaction.”

She opens her mouth to reply but she’s cut off as a group of guys walk in the front door of the library talking at full volume. I can feel almost every person in the room turn in the direction of the loud noise at the front and suddenly my eyes land on him. There’s no fucking way.

“Dani,” I whisper, sliding down in my seat so I can go unseen, “Dani that’s the guy, the guy from earlier.”

“What?” She whispers harshly, trying not to stare as the boys get scolded by the librarian at the front, “You mean grocery store guy?”

“Yes!” I huff, electing to sit in my chair backwards so my back is to him.

“No way Harley, it just looks like him-”

“No Dani, it’s him,” I whisper, “Tall one with the curly hair in the black hoodie.”

“That’s him?” She asks, “You had a problem with that talking to you?”

“Shh!” I huff, “God he’s going to hear you, are they still at the front?”

“They um, yeah,” She stutters, her eyes diverting to her book again, “They’re still up there, at a table now.”

“What’s wrong?” I ask, sensing the discomfort in her voice and turning around myself.

My eyes immediately lock onto his and I look away quickly, shielding my face from him with my hand and turning back towards Danielle.

“He’s staring right at you.” She says, trying not to be too obvious.

“Yep.”

“Are you gonna go over there?”

“Why would I do that exactly?” I ask, my eyebrow raised in disbelief.

“Because a hot boy is staring you down across the fucking library!” She whispers harshly, reaching over to smack me in the arm.

“More like a fucking psychopa-”

“Hey there,” I hear his voice cut in and my whole body cringes in on itself without my volition, “Fancy meeting you here.”

I turn around in my chair, forcing myself to face him while my whole face heats and I’m sure I’m the color of a rather ripe tomato. Something about the way he says hey there in that fucking accent makes my entire body tense up.

“Hey there,” I mimic, “Long time no see.”

I feel Danielle’s eyes on me as the words come out of my mouth, her gaze flickering between the two of us and watching the horrifically awkward exchange play out in front of her.

He laughs, electing to lean on the table, “What are you doing after this?”

“She’s doing absolutely nothing.” Danielle answers for me and I kick her under the table, making her wince.

“Glad to hear it,” He grins, his eyes zeroing in on me once again.

“I’m very busy actually,” I cut in, closing my textbook and throwing it in my bag, “We both are, but um, I’ll see you around.”

Danielle is looking at me with eyes the size of dinner plates as she frantically packs up her stuff, shoving it in her bag to follow suit. I stand up from my chair, slinging my bag over my shoulder and he rounds the table to stand right in front of me, the only thing between me and the front door.

“Can I at least get your name?” He asks, his voice incredibly deep clearly for only me to hear.

“Harley,” I quip, side stepping around him, “See you later uh, Harold is it?”

He gives me a very particular look as I walk away from him, taking steps backward and relishing in the smirk on his face. He knows what I’m doing. I feel Dani’s hand grab my arm and I finally turn around to face the door, walking through it, but even as I’m outside and carrying my feet down the steps I feel his eyes on me, drilling into the back of my head.

“The hell was that?” Danielle asks, “He was so cute and you just, you just blow it like that?”

“Harmless flirting.”

“You call that flirting?”

“Oh Dani,” I sigh, taking out a cigarette and lighting it between my lips, “I call that winning.”

 ***

I’m woken up with a start when I hear the loud roar of music start from Dani’s room. She always blasts music in the morning while getting ready for class. I look over my shoulder to check the time, at least she waited until 10 to start with the noise. My head is pounding ever so slightly, and I realize why when my eyes land on the empty bottle of pink Moscato on my bedside table.

I drag myself out of bed and into the tiny common space between our two rooms, “Good morning sleeping beauty,” Danielle teases, “I noticed the bottle of wine went missing from the fridge.”

“That’s bizarre,” I joke, “Must be a wine thief in the dorms. I’ll get on that mystery right away.”

She shakes her head at me, rolling her eyes as I grab my basket of laundry from my room. I slide on a pair of slippers electing to go put it in the wash, so I hopefully have a single clean pair of jeans for class tonight. I call to Dani letting her know I’ll be right back and as soon as I open the door to the hall I’m staring at him.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” I groan.

He stops dead in his tracks, taking a glance over his shoulder to see me standing in my doorway. He’s dressed in only a towel, holding it closed while it hangs low on his hips. His hair is wet, clearly making his way back to his room from the showers and his chest and arms are rippling with muscles under his damp skin.

God those arms could crush me like a grape.

“Morning neighbor,” He grins, clearly getting a kick out of this, “Someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?”

“You’re in this building?”

“You bet, room 7C down the hall.”

“Well, neighbor, for future reference, most people in this building take their clothes to the shower with them.”

“You Americans,” He chuckles, starting to walk away from my doorway, “So prude, have a nice day Harley.”

He disappears down the hall and then behind his door and my mind gets to work on picturing what he looks like without the towel. You can nearly feel the tension between us in the air, it was palpable. I could even feel his eyes on me, looking me up and down and lingering on my lips. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to clear my head as I take a deep breath and start on my way to the laundry room downstairs.

I put a load in the wash, briefly tuning into the dramatic soap playing on the tiny TV hung on the wall. I decide to head back to my now empty room since Danielle left for class and end up wasting most of my day away on a bad Netflix original movie, only pausing half way through to go move my clothes to the dryer.

I order a pizza for dinner before my night class and go back downstairs to grab my laundry out of the dryer. Just as I’m opening the dryer and emptying my clothes back into my basket I get a text that the pizza guy is downstairs waiting for me.

“Shit, shit, shit.” I huff under my breath, quickly shoving all my clothes in my basket and slamming the dryer shut behind me.

I rush back to my dorm, chucking the basket of clean clothes inside before heading to the stairwell and nearly sprinting down them to get to the ground floor. I meet the rather impatient pizza guy downstairs before bringing the food back up to my room. I’ve just barely finished the first slice half way through a Criminal Minds episode when there’s a knock at the door. I groan, dragging myself from the couch and tossing the blanket off.

I open the door, rolling my eyes, “Dani, you have got to start remembering your key when you-” I’m cut off as I come face to face with him rather than Dani, “Oh, um, hi?”

“Hi,” He repeats, now dressed in a pair of grey joggers and a plain black t-shirt, “I believe you dropped something in the laundry room earlier.”

He reveals his arm from behind his back, holding out his hand with my bright red lacy thong dangling from his pointer finger. I can feel my entire face heat to match the shade of my panties, but I won’t let him get the satisfaction. I go to snatch them from his hand, but he stops me, gripping them in his fist instead and using them as leverage to pull me a bit closer to him.

“Probably want to be a bit more careful where you leave your panties lying around, darling,” He smirks, “Unless you want to leave them on my bedroom floor of course.”

It’s the final straw, those few words spoken in his deliciously deep voice absolutely dripping with that amazing accented tone, on top of the way he’s dressed, every muscle visible beneath the fabric of his t-shirt. I don’t know what I’m doing until I’m pulling him to me by my own grip on the lacy underwear between us, my mouth meeting his and his teeth instantly biting my bottom lip between them.

“Yours or mine?” He breathes out, pulling away from me just long enough to get the words out.

“Where’s your roommate?” I ask breathlessly.

“Vacation,” He says, “Till Wednesday.”

“Yours,” I laugh, pressing my lips back to his, “Definitely yours.”

He walks me backwards down the hall to his dorm room, shoving me up against the wall as he unlocks the door, his lips working down my neck. As soon as the door is open he walks me through it, bending down to grab the backs of my thighs and hoisting me into the air. He kicks the door closed with his foot and I laugh against his mouth as he carries me past his bedroom doorway, slamming that behind us as well.

He lays me out on the bed, nearly tossing me right on top of the mattress, my lacy red underwear still gripped in his hand.

“Any chance you got something this cute under there?” He chuckles, holding them up in both hands to really show them off.

“Why don’t you come find out?” I tease.

He rolls his eyes, finally kneeling onto the edge of the bed and crawling over to me. He starts to lean over me, but I shove his shoulder, forcing him to lay against the mattress before swinging my leg over him. I can feel him underneath me immediately and it makes my legs clench together on either side of him.

“Hi,” I breathe, planting my hands on his chest and meeting his eyes.

“Hi,” He repeats back to me, that bright smile of his making my stomach flip, “You gonna come down here or...?”

“Oh, shut up,” I laugh finally leaning down and connecting our lips once again.

His lips are ridiculously soft against mine while the feeling of his muscles under his t-shirt are quite the opposite. He reaches up to cup my face with both hands, trying to somehow pull me closer as if we aren’t close enough as it is. I can’t figure out exactly where I want to put my hands; his shoulders, his biceps, god, in that amazing curly hair.

My hips start to move against him without my volition and he groans into my mouth, a deliciously deep reverberation that makes me grind my hips into him even more. He grunts against my lips, finally pulling away and resting his forehead against mine instead, breathing heavily.

“You alright there tiger?” I tease him, threading my fingers through his hair, “Need a breather already?”

“Shut your mouth,” He chuckles, grabbing me around the waist and trying to flip us over so he’s on top.

He greatly underestimates the size of his twin dorm bed when he does so, both of us rolling off the edge and tumbling to the shag carpeted floor beneath us. I expect the mood to be ruined, for him to get up and usher me right out the door because how awkward is this, right? I’m beyond surprised when he starts laughing, both of us splayed flat on our backs and heaves out a sigh as he rolls over to face me again.

“That was pretty smooth of me, eh?” He jokes, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

I shake my head, chuckling too, “No I’m okay, just gonna have a massive bruise on my ass most likely.”

He laughs again, finally pulling himself to his feet and offering me a hand to help me up. I’m not sure what I expect past that, maybe a hug to send me on my way now that the atmosphere has completely changed but that tension is still between us, the same tension that’s been building since the moment he said a single word in the supermarket.

The second I’m back on my feet he shoves me onto the bed and I can’t even begin to hide the shock in my features. He’s back on top of me in seconds, his lips pressed to mine and I’m sure the surprised whimper that leaves my mouth fuels his ego to the gods.

“You alright there tiger?” He mocks, and I resist the urge to reach up and slap him.

“Careful.” I quip, pulling away from him to meet his eyes.

“Careful?” He asks, quirking up his eyebrow at me, “I’m sorry are you telling me what to do sweetheart?”

I gulp, the smooth but stern voice he’s using making my thighs quiver. He seems to notice, his eyes darting down between us and a small chuckle escaping his lips. He looks back up at me, his eyes dark and brooding, before they flicker to my hands at my sides. He grabs my left wrist roughly, holding it above my head against the mattress before doing the same to my right arm as well. I’m nearly squirming underneath him, my entire body steaming to the touch as his eyes bore into mine.

“Something wrong, love?” He asks, the condescending tone to his voice making my whole body shake.

“Course not,” I pant, my breath coming out heavier than I anticipated, “Just fuckin peachy over here.”

He chuckles a bit, his grip on my wrists growing tighter, “You’re not very patient, you know that?”

I’m not sure what it is that’s making me writhe the way I am; perhaps it’s the countless months I’ve gone without sex since my last messy breakup, or maybe it’s the way in which this all panned out with a stranger over some fucking underwear, or fuck, maybe it’s just him and the way that cocky smirk on his face makes my insides twist.

“Patience is a virtue,” I say carefully, making sure to keep my tone even, “I’m more about vices.”

His left hand releases my wrist and I prepare myself for his hand reaching where I need him most, sucking in a breath between my teeth and letting my eyes flutter closed but it never comes. My eyes peel back open to see his hand hovering over my neck instead. He meets my eyes before his fingers finally grace the skin of my throat, applying just the slightest bit of pressure almost as if to test the waters.

I’m nearly dizzy as he does so, the temperature in this room suddenly a million degrees. He removes his hand again, the pressure around my throat leaving me and I whimper in distaste, making him chuckle again.

“Poor thing,” He chastises, my legs clenching together on either side of him, “I can’t do it all though, if only there was a way I could hold down both your wrists and choke that pretty neck.”

I watch his hand dig into the pocket of his joggers and once again pull out the thin red lacy fabric of my panties, holding them between us.

“Mind if I use these?” He asks, clearly knowing the answer but wanting to get a reaction out of me anyways.

“Yes, god,” I gulp, “Please.”

He grabs my hands, moving them completely above my head before wrapping the panties around them a few times, tying them together. He tugs on them a bit to make sure they’re pretty secure before looking back down at me, his eyes completely blown out in lust, his pupil swallowing his surrounding iris.

His lips are back on mine in seconds, his now free hands roaming my body before one hand rests on my neck, gripping the sides and applying a bit more pressure than the last time. I whimper into this mouth and curse myself for doing so as soon as my eyes flutter open to see that cocky smirk on his face once again.

“Eager, sweetheart?” He teases, and my hand reaches up to smack him before I remember I’m bound in a pair of my own underwear, “Ah, ah, be a good girl and stay still.”

Hearing the words good girl come out of his mouth makes my entire body squirm and he grins again, that lopsided condescending grin and I know he’s getting off on this, making me writhe underneath him. He leans down to kiss my stomach, hiking my shirt up as he goes before working his way down and tugging my pants down my legs. I hold my breath in anticipation but when I look down the bed to meet his eyes he simply kisses the inside of my thighs, ghosting his mouth over the thin fabric of my panties.

“Fucking please,” I beg, my breath coming out in heaves, “Is this some kind of joke to you?”

“Please what, princess?” He asks, my legs threatening to squeeze his head between them, “Tell me what you want, hm?”

“You cocky bastard,” I huff, my mind getting fuzzier by the second the closer he gets to my center, “You know what I want.”

He stops abruptly, sitting back up from his small assault on my inner thighs, “What did you say, love? Care to repeat that? Couldn’t quite here you down here.”

There’s an edge to his voice, like glass, it cuts right through me and makes my thighs quiver, “N-no,” I stutter, “Didn’t say anything.”

“That’s what I thought,” He grins, leaning back down between my legs, “Now be a good girl and tell me what you want me to do to you.”

I suck in a breath sharply, but I won’t let him know how his words affect me, “Oh daddy,” I mock, rolling my eyes, “Need you so bad.”

He grabs me by the ankles, flipping me onto my stomach and sends an echoing smack to my ass, the stinging sensation that radiates afterwards making my toes curl. He flips me back onto my back, his dangerously dark eyes meeting mine as he spreads my legs apart once again, holding my thighs down against the mattress.

“Want to try that again, princess?”

“Fuck,” I gasp, the edge to his voice making the whispered swear fall from my mouth involuntarily, “Um, yes.”

“Yes what?” He growls, leaning down to hold my jaw in his hand, his eyes drilling into mine waiting for a response.

“Yes daddy.”

“Now you’re getting it, good girl,” He grins, his hand that was gripping my jaw moving to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, “Now open up,” I oblige, slowly opening my mouth and he pushes his middle and ring finger past my lips. It catches me a bit off guard, but he only nods his head, “Get them nice and wet for me love, don’t want to hurt you.”

He pulls them from my mouth, a small string of saliva connecting them to my lips. He chuckles a bit, clearly getting a kick out of how worked up I am for him before finally pushing my panties to the side and pressing his fingers into me. I instantly turn my head to the side, muffling the moan that escapes my mouth into my pillow. As soon as he realizes what I’m doing he grabs me by the hair, holding my head straight.

“None of that,” He says sternly, “Wanna hear your pretty sounds, babygirl.”

I’m dangerously close to the edge just from the words pouring from his mouth in that accented tone that makes my entire body shiver. That condescending smirk finds its way back to his lips and I know that he can tell I’m close, just teetering on the edge already.

“Needy little thing, are we?” He teases, “Already gonna cum and daddy’s barely touched you yet.”

His words are almost just enough to push me over the edge, but I hold off as much as I can, straining away from his touch as much as I can with my hands bound above my head and his weight on top of me. I feel the particular twist in my stomach, that burning sensation in the very pit of my abdomen just as my eyes squeeze shut and my vision goes white. His fingers work me through it, his mouth finally hovering over where I need him most, sucking my sensitive bud into his mouth and making me shake.

I feel his fingers withdraw from me and suddenly he’s pushing them past my lips once again, but this time I taste myself on them, swirling my tongue around each one to suck them clean. I meet his eyes as he pulls them from my mouth and my hips involuntarily buck up to meet the bulge prominent in his pants.

“Still needy, are we?” He chuckles.

“Please shut up and take your pants off already.” I beg, my hips bucking up to meet him again.

“You see I would but,” He starts, sitting back on his heels, “It seems I don’t have a condom, would you happen to have one?”

“Would I, no, you have got to be fucking kidding me,” I stutter breathlessly, my blood starting to boil in disbelief, “What kind of guy doesn’t keep a pack of rubbers around you idiot?”

“Careful,” He warns, his voice dropping into that deep calculated tone that makes me shiver, “And perhaps a guy that just moved in this week and hasn’t necessarily had buying rubbers on the mind,” He says, “That is until he met a spunky purple haired girl in the supermarket.”

His words make my stomach do a few somersaults, but I don’t let it extinguish the pissed off fire burning in my stomach knowing that I won’t be getting the relief I desperately need right now.

“You’re serious?” I ask, “You don’t have any?”

“Serious, darling,” He chuckles, “But instead of moping about it, you’re going to take what I give you and say thank you daddy when I’m done, understand?”

I nod my head vigorously, despite wanting to do the exact opposite. What kind of hold does that goddamn accent have on me?

“Good,” He smiles, clearly pleased with my response, “And maybe if you’re a good girl next time daddy will remember to hit the store.”

“Next time?” I ask, not filtering the shock from my voice.

He laughs a bit, reaching up to finally untie my hands, “Yes, next time, did you want this to just be a one-time thing, princess?”

I can’t form the words I want to say as I sit up a bit, rubbing my wrists only slightly from the rough fabric of the lace wrapped around them, “I um, I don’t-”

“That’s what I thought,” He smirks, standing from the bed and holding out a hand to me, “Now come on, didn’t you get pizza?”

I smile, taking his hand and starting to stand to my feet, my legs a bit wobbly and I’m thankful for the stability of his arm to lean on.

“Do you have anything to uh,” I start, cringing when I feel the wetness in between my thighs, “Clean up with?”

“Nope,” He says cheerfully, “You keep that pretty mess I made between those thighs, babygirl.”

My knees nearly buckle, and I’m cursing him for his lack of condoms and the ache between my legs as I pull my pants back on, following him to the door to the hall. He stops abruptly just inside the doorway, turning back to meet my eyes.

“What’s my name?” He asks cheekily.

“Harry,” I say confidently, “Why? Are you worried I forgot already?”

He grabs my ass in his hand tightly, squeezing the skin, his voice calculated, “I said, what’s my name?”

I gulp, leaning into his grip on me a bit more as my knees wobble, “Daddy.”

He releases his grip on my ass, giving it a quick smack, “’Atta girl, let’s get some pizza in you so you’re ready for round two,” He grins, throwing his arm around my shoulder and tucking me into his side as we walk down the hall to my room instead, “Maybe after we can hit the store, I seemed to have forgotten to pick something up last time I went.”

[osamiiya]

Pairing: Atsumu x Reader (Slight Osamu x Reader)

Summary: Atsumu has a date with his longtime crush, only for him to get sick. Luckily, his twin brother has a can of semi permanent hair dye and an open schedule.

Warnings: Atsumu and Osamu having one brain cell

A/n: Alternative ending with Osamu ?

The first time was when Atsumu was too sick to make it to his 'no makeups' math test. Osamu ran to buy a can of spray-on hair dye and combed his hair the other way.

And it worked, Atsumu got the 100% and Osamu got his chores done for a month.

The second and third times were just for fun, a test to see how long they could go before someone noticed, and usually by practice someone did, but it was always doubted because; "Well, it looks like Atsumu."

The fourth time was when Atsumu scored a date with his longtime crush, a feat nobody saw coming.

Atsumu had built himself up to ask for your number and a date, striding across the classroom amidst the laughs and giggles of his classmates, confidence draining with each step as he neared your desk.

'Act cool, Act cool'

The mantra plays on repeat as he clears his throat.

"Are you free Saturday?" He holds out his phone in hopes you understand.

Nobody expected you to give him a smile and carefully take the phone out of his hand, putting your number in and texting it, waiting for your text alarm before adding his contact into your phone.

And in hindsight, Atsumu should've been careful the following week, not overworking himself and certainly not forgetting his umbrella in the morning.

He layed in bed Friday night, covers pulled up to his chin as Osamu laughed at his sniffling and raspy voice.

"You should just reschedule." Suna offers, watching Atsumu's pink face, from his fever, go even pinker with indignation.

"There's no way, I've been waiting for this for a year now." A cough punctuates his argument and Suna and Osamu cringe behind their facemasks.

"There's no way you'll be able to go when you're this sick." Osamu nods in agreement with Suna's words, feeling slightly sorry for his brother now.

Osamu is quick to jump in when Atsumu opens his mouth to argue.

"You won't be completely better by tomorrow night, that's just crazy."

Atsumu pouts, significantly more whiny now that he was sick.

The trio sit in silence for a moment before a lightbulb goes off in Atsumu's head.

"I don't have to go on the date-"

Suna groans and interjects with a "That's what we've been trying to tell you."

To which Atsumu rolls his eyes and continuous.

"-Osamu can go."

It's silent as the words process in the boy's minds.

"What?" Osamu let's out a shocked laugh.

"You don't have any plans other than gaming with Suna anyways, just go as me and if you score another date I'll go on it. They won't be able to tell."

Now it should be said that sometimes Atsumu has bad plans said with great enough execution where it makes a sliver of sense.

A few minutes of arguing later, Osamu agrees with a huff as Suna laughs.

The next morning Atsumu helps spray Osamu's hair with the semi-permanant hair dye, watching his hair go from gray to yellow before combing it to the other side.

"We still look nothing alike." Osamu's grumpy, and the blond is slightly off, the way they stand completely different.

"Nonsense, you finally look hot."

Osamu can't strangle a sick person, that would be cruel.

But he does anyways, finally letting go of his twins neck at the three frantic taps Atsumu smacks on his shoulder.

The clock strikes 6pm and Osamu finally heads out, his gait changing slightly to be more believable as Atsumu's phone weighs down his pocket.

And he waits for you at the restaurant, flicking through his brothers phone mindlessly, going through his social media feed and commenting on all of Osamu's posts.

And then you arrive.

"Hey." Osamu, no, Atsumu smiles, tucking his phone into his back pocket like he's seen his brother do before.

"Ready to go in?"

"You look nice Atsumu."

Osamu, now Atsumu, smiles cheekily before returning the compliment.

The two of you have dinner, laughing and talking about everything, even holding hands as you walk through the streets, pointing out things in shops and even stopping at an empty store for rent.

"My... brother wants to open a restaurant." The place is perfect, the size, the location, the price.

"Oh yeah, Osamu did want to open an onigiri restaurant, I kind of remember that."

Osamu takes a picture of the store and sends it to his phone, wanting to remember this location.

"Who knows if he can do it, I think he should just stay with volleyball." Osamu's words are an echo of Atsumu's, and a sad glint takes place in his eyes.

It's noticeable enough for you to catch, squeezing his hand slightly to catch his attention.

"I think he can do it."

It's silent for a beat, Osamu completely taken aback before realizing he wasn't supposed to be Osamu.

"We'll see if the idiot actually goes through with it."

You continue walking, swinging your hands slightly and Osamu gets why Atsumu is so infatuated with you, the way you look under the street lights, the sound of your laugh, and gosh, your smile.

He snaps out of it as he walks you home.

"Thanks for taking me out today Osamu." You smile and wave from the doorway, and Osamu waves back, not realizing at first.

And then his face flushes and he let's out a shocked sound of question as you lean against the doorway.

"You think I wouldn't be able to tell my crush apart from his brother? Besides, Atsumu was out sick yesterday too, there's no way he'd get better so quickly."

You think for a minute, studying his face, they really did look similar.

"Besides, your eyes are different."

Osamu's shocked enough where words don't form as you continue.

"Don't tell Atsumu I know, I want to see what happens." You laugh slightly as you wave goodnight and close the door, Osamu standing in shock for a moment before walking home.

The moment Osamu steps into the house, Atsumu's on him like a beast, a flurry of questions sometimes interrupted with a coughing fit as Osamu trys to lean away.

"It went fine, they really like you." The jealousy is well hidden, and if Atsumu wasn't sick and head already feeling muddled, he would've picked up on it.

"Dude, I need to wash this out of my hair." Osamu groans as Atsumu asks more questions, what were you wearing? What did you order for dinner? Osamu payed right?

Atsumu doesn't get a text all weekend from you, leading to an argument between the brothers, Atsumu thinking Osamu had messed everything up, to which Osamu argued that it was Atsumu's idea in the first place.

Until Monday, Atsumu all recovered and sitting anxiously at his desk waiting for you to walk throught he door.

"Y/n!" He's out of his desk in a flash, smiling nervously as he approaches you.

"You, uh, never texted." He prepares to be rejected, and prepares to finally murder his twin.

"You never showed up Atsumu." There's a teasing smile on your face as murderous rage fills Atsumu's eyes, Osamu stood you up?

"I was pretty bummed when Osamu showed up instead."

The lump in his throat goes away as he realizes.

"How did you know?"

You smile playfully, catching eyes with Osamu across the room.

"You have different eyes."

"Oh."

"How does this upcoming Saturday sound?"

Atsumu's confused for a second before he realizes.

"Like a date?"

At your nod he smiles.

"Then it's a date. And with me, not Osamu."

---

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[raw-lesbian-energy]

Burnout

[Image description: Anonymous said

Prompt: a t word fic between young Marcy and Caroline where Caroline comes over to babysit Marcy one day only to find her stressed out because of her families high expectations for her and tickles her to cheer her up.]

Anon, sweetie, darling; I love this idea and everything about it. I had way too much fun writing this and I really hope you enjoy it too!!

——

Summary: Caroline learns that Marcy’s parents are overworking her again and goes to help her little sister take a break and avoid burning out.

Fandom: Amphibia (The Wild Soul AU)

Pairing: None (Marcanne implied) (if any of y’all tag this shipping Marcy and Caroline I will run you over with my car)

Features: Self-Insert

Word Count: 1,248

Warnings: This is a tickle fic! If that’s not your thing, just keep scrolling.

—————————————————————

Knock-knock-knock!

“It’s open.”

Marcy didn’t even glance up as her bedroom door was opened, her eyes fixed on the study papers in front of her. She was trying to memorize each and every one of them, but the task was proving to be much harder than she hoped.

“Hey Mar-Mar.” Caroline’s voice spoke behind her, and soon enough, the teen was leaning over her shoulder. “Notice anything- wait, what’s all this?” Caroline looked over the papers scattered on Marcy’s desk, picking up one of them and reading it over. This prompted Marcy to look up, which is when she noticed the teen’s hair was no longer long and plain brown, but shaved in an undercut with bright purple bangs.

“Quadratic formula-?” Caroline’s eyes were wide in disbelief. “Marcy, why are you studying high school level math? You’re eleven.” The question brought Marcy back to reality, going from looking at Caroline’s new hair to staring sheepishly at her knees.

“I…wanted to get ahead.” She lied. Caroline didn’t buy it for a second, setting the paper back down on the desk and leaning on it with one arm.

“Wanna try and tell me the truth this time?” She asked, her tone slightly firmer than before. Marcy couldn’t even bring herself to look up, guilt swirling like a storm in her stomach.

“I…my parents are mad.” She admitted at last. “I got a bad grade, so they told me if I didn’t focus on studying, I wouldn’t get to see my friends anymore.” Caroline’s expression softened immediately, a gleam of confusion appearing in her eyes.

“Wait, you got a bad grade?” She echoed. “What was it? Can I see?” Marcy’s eyes held nothing but shame as she grabbed one of the many papers on her desk, holding it out for the teen to take. Caroline gently took the paper from her hand, looking down and reading over what had been printed on it.

“…This is a ninety six.” She said at last. “Marcy, this is four points away from a perfect score, and your parents are saying it’s bad?” Marcy nodded slowly, still unable to meet her older sister’s gaze. Caroline let out a sigh, kneeling down next to her younger sister and putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Marbles, I have to be real with you.” She said. “Your parents…are completely nuts.” Marcy snapped up at the statement, looking over at Caroline with wide eyes.

“What? No!” She argued. “T-They just want to make sure I succeed. They might be a little harsh sometimes, but-” she stopped mid-sentence as she had turned back to her notes, only for Caroline to swipe her arm over the desk and knock all the papers to the floor.

“Nope, no more studying for you.” She said sternly. “You’re taking on way more than any eleven-year-old ever should. You need a break.” Before Marcy could even speak, hands hooked under her arms and hoisted her out of the chair, earning a squeak of surprise. She squirmed in the teen’s grip, letting out small giggles from where she was being held.

“Carolihine, put me down!” She whined, kicking her feet as she was pulled into Caroline’s lap. The teen had taken a seat on Marcy’s bed, crossing her legs and keeping a firm yet gentle hold on her little sister.

“Uh oh, Mar-Mar.” Caroline said, a mischievous smirk spreading across her face. “You’re too stressed out; you know what happens when you’re too stressed?” Marcy soon felt her sister’s hands resting on her sides, eliciting a squeak and more giggling from the young girl.

“Nohohoho!” Her voice shot up in pitch as she felt fingers squeeze her sides, turning the small giggling fit into full-out laughter. “Carolihihine!”

“Caroline? Who’s Caroline?” The teen feigned ignorance. “I’m the tickle monster! And I’m here to tickle all that stress away!” Marcy’s cheeks turned pink at the word, her legs kicking out uselessly as Caroline tickled up and down her sides. She gently dragged her nails over the girl’s torso, drumming them against her stomach and earning squealy laughs in response.

“No fahahair!” Marcy barely managed to speak, curling up in attempts to protect her ticklish tum from her sister’s attack. Caroline wasn’t deterred though, instead sneaking her hands back and working them up to her little sister’s ribs.

“Aww, look at how cute you are!” Caroline cooed, playing Marcy’s ribs like a piano. “The tickle monster approves!” Marcy’s face went red at her older sister’s teasing, hiding her face in her hands to try and cover up the embarrassment.

“I’m nohohohott!” She squealed, shaking her head frantically. Caroline couldn’t help but chuckle at the reaction, continuing to spider over her rib cage until she snuck one hand under Marcy’s arm.

The screech that escaped the small girl practically shook the room. If Caroline didn’t have her hands stuck, she would’ve covered her ears, but it was too late for that. So instead, she kept up her ticklish assault, managing to get both hands under Marcy’s arms and earning frantic, squealing laughter in response.

“C-CUT IT OHOHOUT!” Marcy howled, no longer hiding her face as she tossed her head back. Tears had started to form at the corners of her eyes, and as Caroline heard some of her laughter turn to wheezes, she slowly let up so Marcy could breathe.

“So…how do you feel?” She asked, a small smile on her face as if she hadn’t just tickled her sister half to death. Marcy leaned back against Caroline’s chest, slowly catching her breath as she glared up at the teen.

“I will…get you…someday.” She panted. Caroline chuckled, ruffling her hair softly.

“Sure, kiddo.” She replied. “But I was asking about your stress. Is it gone?” Marcy paused at the question, taking a moment and realizing that she did actually feel better. Whether it was because of the distraction or spending time with her big sister she didn’t know, but she felt better nonetheless.

“Yeah, I actually do feel a lot better.” She said. “Thanks, sis.” Caroline grinned, giving Marcy a hug in response.

“I’m happy to help, Marcy.” She told her. “And I’ll be sure to talk to your parents about this, okay?” Marcy nodded into Caroline’s shoulder as she returned the hug, a soft smile still on her face. As long as she had Caroline’s support, she knew things would be okay.

“Oh, nice hair, by the way.” Marcy piped up, pulling back. Caroline chuckled, fluffing her own hair momentarily.

“Oh yeah, I thought I could use a new look.” She replied. “After all, I’m eighteen; I’m an adult now.” Marcy gave her a lopsided smile.

“It definitely makes you look like…you.” She said. Caroline raised an eyebrow, picking up on the subtext easily.

“Says the girl with a crush on her best friend.” She countered. Marcy’s face went pink.

“I do not have a crush on Anne!” She argued. Caroline’s smirk only grew.

“I never named Anne.” She told her. Marcy fell silent.

“I- well-” she tried, but her words died in her throat. Caroline looked back up at her with the same mischievous glint, making Marcy’s blush worsen.

“You know,” the teen mused, “the tickle monster doesn’t like people denying their feelings, either.” Before Marcy could move, Caroline scooped her up again, tickling away and sending her little sister right back into a giggling mess.

The afternoon consisted of playful banter and tickle fights, but if Marcy was honest, she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

[soyeahitsmiddleearth]

Multi-Dimensional Pt. 5

 In which you have a genius idea to take these suckers out, you accidentally do something you’re not supposed to, and you take the taller bit of your friends out. 

----

And then, you realize, that it's getting deeper into October.

As it got deeper into October, the dwarves and hobbit remain in your house. It's been a total of 2 1/2 weeks, now, and you can tell they're getting antsy from staying in one place for so long.

Like, around halloween time.

An idea strikes you in the head like a bag of bricks, and right away you realize that you're a genius.

You're sitting on the couch with Bilbo, Oin, and Bofur when the lightbulb goes off in your head suddenly, and once it does you hop to your feet and run upstairs at top speed, successfully baffling everyone idly watching the nature documentary you put on.

You pass Dwalin and Balin while you zoom to your bedroom, and when they see you run past them like freaking Speedy Gonzales they're both super confused.

Right away you grab your laptop off your bed and pull up a window.

The keys of your compute clack softly while you type in your town as well as 'Halloween Festival' and the first few results as well as images on the Google engine prove your theory.

Every year here people dress up in advance and celebrate throughout the duration of the week leading up to it. Of course, the trick-or-treating only happens on the day of, but there are a plethora of other things for people to do during that week.

People dress up, children go on field trips, there's a festival, and even the grocery stores have little events they put on to promote their business.

You've never really gone before since crowded places aren't the most comfortable for you, but you actually feel a little giddy about taking them all to see the town with you.

Right away you know you're going to have to buy them all costumes, but for the last week you've been pet sitting this rich couples Rag-doll cat, Princess, and your going rate is $18/hr for a week... Do the math ;).

You're going to get paid later in the day today after you drop her back off at their house, and that's not even accounting for the other animals you've been watching for varying amounts as well.

So, essentially, you're gonna be perfectly fine financially.

Anyways, as soon as you're done doing your little bit of research there on your computer you close it and leave your room again, hopping down the stairs with a big bright smile on your face.

When you reenter the living room, everyone is gathered there and looking at you expectantly.

At first, you don't do or say anything since you're super confused, but when the silence begins to drag on for too long you ask hesitantly, "Uh... Is everything alright? What's going on?"

"Well, you left to your room very quickly." Bilbo comments, standing up from his spot on the couch, "But from the smile on your face, I'm assuming it wasn't because of anything bad?"

You nod your head and sigh, leaning down to pet Mittens who is rubbing herself against your legs, "Yeah, everything's fine. It's great, actually." You pause for dramatic effect, then add, "I just figured out a way to take all of you out! Like, to see the town and stuff!"

"You have?" Thorin asks, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Mmhm!" You stand up straight and nod your head quickly, bouncing on the balls of your feet, "See, I figured I'd probably be able to take you and maybe Kili, Bofur, and Dwalin out at some point... like, if some of you were to groom yourselves different or wear hats...," once more you stop your speech and realize that may be offensive, "N-Not that I think there's anything wrong with how you look-"

"Nobody is offended, I'm sure. Go on." Thorin urges, amusement present on their faces from your sudden frantic backtracking so you don't offend them.

"R-Right, uh... anyways, you guys are taller so I knew I could probably bring you along sometime, but I wasn't sure how to get everyone else to come along, and then I realized that this next week is the week leading up to halloween!" You say it like it will answer all their questions, forgetting that they probably don't know what halloween is.

Silence passes by for a few seconds as they wait for you to go on, and when you don't Kili asks, "What's 'halloween'?"

"Oh, yeah, it's like, a holiday where children dress up and go to peoples houses to get candy. And when I say dress up, I mean in costumes." You rub the back of your neck while you explain and add, "In my city, the place we are now, we celebrate throughout the whole week. There are games, festivals, and lots of events... and there are people running around in masks all of the time. So I can get some of you costumes and then I can bring you all along!" Your smile returns as you pick apart the details, and it seems your excitement is contagious.

"Wait, so we will get to walk around the town and see other things?" Nori questions, looking over at his brothers with a smile.

"Yeah, but I gotta get you costumes first. Like, ghosts and some masks of different things. But if we wanna make the most of our time then I should probably go now."

You turn after that and go to the counter to grab your purse, pausing when Balin asks, "So it's a holiday where people run around in disguises, getting candy, and playing games as a community?"

Once again you nod your head, turning around to look at him with the same bright smile on your face.

"So, anyone can be anyone?" The older dwarf asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yeah, pretty much." You look down and go through your purse, making sure everything you need is in there before walking over to put on your tennis shoes.

"Even the man who was here the week before?"

Now that certainly gives you a pause.

Before you were never worried about it, but now with what's happened with him, you aren't so sure that it's so safe anymore.

"Um... yeah, I guess." You'd rather not think about it, so you start to tie your laces up. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Well, you already said that you can bring some of us, so why not do that now? Just to make sure?" Balin asks, though it's more of a 'you should really do it cause we're gonna freak out if you don't'.

You don't respond and instead finish tying your shoes first, thinking over his request.

When you're done doing up your shoes you turn and see that they're all looking at you with similar expressions of worry, and it makes you sigh, "Okay, fine. But whoever goes can't wear their normal clothes cause people will be weirded out. The halloween thing doesn't start for another day."

There's a moment of silence while some of them exchange looks before Thorin speaks, "You mentioned Kili and myself first. Surely that should be fine."

"Um..." You look between the two and tilt your head to the side thoughtfully, arms crossed over your chest. "Sure. But your hair is definitely going to stick out, Thorin."

He nods his head in understanding.

"And what about me?" Kili asks eagerly. It seems he's really excited about finally being able to leave your property.

"You're fine, I think. Am I taking both of you?" You inquire with furrowed eyebrows, walking a few steps forward.

"You might as well." Kili says with a big silly smile.

Well, you can't argue with that logic.

You shrug your shoulders and head up the stairs again, "Alright, go get changed into some of the clothes I gave you."

---

Once they're dressed in t-shirts and sweatpants (you didn't know their sizes so you got whatever would fit at the time) you observe them both with narrowed eyes while rubbing your chin.

"Hm... On a scale of 1 to 10, I give Kili a 9 and Thorin a 6." You say after a moment, turning to look at everyone else and get their opinions.

"What is the scale referring to?" Fili pipes up suddenly, looking up at you.

"How convincing they are."

"Why do I get a 6?" Thorin grumbles, looking at you pointedly.

"Your hair." You reply simply, walking over with a hair tie stretched between your fingers, "Hold still."

You gather his hair over his shoulders and pull it back, putting his hair through it and wrapping it around until it's nice and tight.

As soon as you're finished, you step around him and look to see if it's made a difference, and when you've determined that it's good, you smile, "Okay, now it's at least an 8." You turn towards Kili and ask, "Your hair is fine, right? Or do you want me to put it up?"

He doesn't say anything and neither does anyone else, and when the silence persists you raise an eyebrow, "Hello? Earth to Kili, I just asked you a question."

"Uh, no, you don't have to, thank you." He shakes his head and seems to come to some sort of realization since he starts to smile at his uncle in that big teasing grin you've, unfortunately, become accustomed to.

You nod your head and skip back over to the counter, swiping your keys off of it before heading to the front door.

"Come out whenever, I'm gonna get my car started."

Once you're out of the house some of the dwarves begin to laugh, and Kili pokes fun at his uncle, "Thorin, you have quite a red face, are you sure you can go?"

Thorin glares at his nephew and replies coldly, "She meant nothing by it."

"Right, but is that disappointment I hear?"

The glare he throws his nephew is so withering it could suck the life right out of a flower, but Kili is no flower, so he only laughs more.

"She offered to do yours too, you know." Fili adds when he begins to feel bad for his uncle.

Kili pauses his laughter and glares at his brother, "But she didn't do it."

"She would've."

"Oh hush, you're just upset that she didn't ask to do your hair." Kili shoots back, glaring at his brother.

"I am not, because unlike everyone else, I knew she meant naught by asking." He shoots back with a smirk.

Kili huffs indignantly and glares at his brother, saying no more as he heads out the door after you.

Thorin turns to everyone before following and states, "Try not to destroy anything while we are gone." His voice is firm and he waits until he gets nods from them all before leaving after you.

---

Once you're all in the car you put it into drive and go, turning up the radio so the car won't be completely filled with silence while you drive.

Occasionally, you'll glance at Thorin in the passenger seat or Kili in the back, and each time you do they're looking out the window at the passing scenery with awe.

"If you're impressed now, wait until we get into the big city." You comment suddenly, smiling to yourself while you watch the road ahead.

And when you do arrive in the city, they are impressed indeed.

The gasp that leaves Kili when you drive through the first big street draws a giggle from you, and when he presses his face against the window as you pull into the parking lot of the seasonal halloween store, your smile grows even bigger.

Even Thorin is impressed by all the wonderful things around, and when you turn off the car after parking you turn to look at them, "Thoughts so far?"

"It's wonderful." Kili breathes, looking at the bright, moving signs and huge stores all around.

"Yes, I don't believe I've ever seen anything so grand before." Thorin agrees, looking over at you with a smile of his own.

"Well if this impresses you, wait until we get inside the store. Try not to get scared."

---

The three of you eventually make it inside, and when you do they are in awe once more.

The seasonal store is dark with black painted walls and bright white florescent lights, and there are various halloween and horror things everywhere.

When you walk in there is one of those electronic jump-scare things, and while you were expecting it, the poor dears behind you weren't.

The witch thing pops out and cackles loudly, saying one of her many phrases, and as soon as she does both Kili and Thorin freak out. And when I say freak out, I mean 'pulled out some small weapons they decided to bring and screaming' freak out.

Luckily there is no one around at the moment, so you step between them and the witch and laugh nervously, "Put those away please. We're gonna get kicked out if anyone sees you with those."

They look between you and the electronic woman a few times before slowly putting their knives away and relaxing their stances.

"Thank you..."

"What is that?" Kili asks, glaring at the ugly jump-scare machine while you walk past it.

"It's a halloween decoration designed to scare people. And it seems like it worked too." You reply easily, looking back at them with a more mischievous smile.

Kili looks around slightly nervously and grumbles defensively, "I wasn't that scared... Uncles screams are what startled me."

"My screams? Kili, let's not lie now, clearly you were horrified." Thorin says disapprovingly, shaking his head.

"Aw, you guys are cute." You purr jokingly, waltzing up to the kids costumes isle.

They stop arguing after that.

You browse through the messy shelves quietly for a little while, trying to find the best ones, when you see a doggie in the cutest ghost costume.

A squeal leaves your lips when you see the cutie pie and you cup your cheeks as an adoring expression comes onto your face.

Without hesitation you hop over to the owner and ask excitedly, "Where did you get that?"

The man with the dog looked up quickly upon hearing your excited yelp and when he saw your exuberant form he smiled too, "I bought it a week ago here. They're near the back."

His answer fills you with joy, and you continue to stare at his pupper for a moment before he says, "You can pet her if you want, she doesn't bite."

He doesn't need to tell you twice.

You kneel down right away and scratch behind her ears, and her tail begins to wag wildly at the attention.

It seems that she likes you just as much, because she takes a seat and leans into you when you scratch her all over like you do with your dogs. It's at that moment when you begin to wonder if she'll fit in your purse.

Before you can finish your calculations and plans on stealing this mans dog you hear someone clear their throat and you realize then that you forgot all about Thorin and Kili.

You turn your head and see the two of them standing there with amused expressions on their faces.

Upon realization that they're watching you, and have been for a little while now, you jump to your feet and feel your face heat up. "I-If you make fun of me I'll leave both of you here." You threaten very unconvincingly, crossing your arms over your chest.

Kili starts to laugh but he doesn't say anything about it, looking at his uncle who also releases a few chuckles of his own.

You glance back at the man and see that he's looking at them, and you realize he probably thinks Kili's short stature is a little odd.

"U-Uh, thanks for letting me pet your dog!" You say quickly, heading back over to the two of them with a blush on your cheeks.

You turn back to the shelves of costumes and the man and his dog walk away, and once their gone you glare at the two of them half heartedly. "You guys are total meanies." There is faux bitterness in your voice when you speak as well, and it only brings more laughter from them.

"I only find it cute." Kili states, smiling good naturedly before continuing, "Every time you see an animal you get very excited."

"Cause I love animals."

"Yes, we can tell." Thorin muses, stepping up next to you to look at the spiderman mask in your hand.

You tap your foot against the ground a few times before putting the mask back.

A ghost costume for Bilbo; check.

That is all.

You literally don't have anything for anyone else, and honestly you're beginning to think that it's impo-

And then another idea hits you.

Class of middle/high-schoolers in a fantasy club. It's farfetched and barely believable, but most people won't say anything about it out of fear of being offensive, so it's perfect!

You don't have to buy them costumes at all (minus Bilbo), all you need is stuff to make them look less like dwarves and more like children pretending to be dwarves.

It sounds easier than it actually is, but you think you can pull it off. All you need is some netting, makeup, wigs, and nose and scar wav and you'll be set.

Once you get this idea you run away from the kids section with the ghost section and head toward the halloween makeup isle, seeking out the items mentioned previously without hesitation.

You find what you're looking for in minutes, and once you've got everything you zoom to the checkout since you're going to need to look up some tips on how to pull this off.

You're so excited you nearly forget to make sure Kili and Thorin are still with you, but once you see them you smile in relief and pay for everything.

Once you're all back in your car, Thorin asks, "I thought we were going to get masks?"

"Well, we were. But then I had an amazing idea consisting of pretending you're all students or something who invested in really expensive dwarf costumes. It's perfect, 'cause no one will ask and we'll get lots of compliments."

Thorin nods his head slowly and puts his belt on like you showed him, but before you go you turn and look at Kili expectantly.

The young dwarf doesn't say anything at first, but when your staring consists he asks slowly, "What...?"

"Put on your seatbelt."

There's more silence until he puts it on, raising an expectant eyebrow at you, "Is that better?"

"Much."

[noritoshiikamo]

this is how you fall in love

pairing: kuroo tetsuroo + fem!oc genre: friends into lovers fluff with slight suggestive end tags//warning: nothing major // slight suggestive at the end if you squint enough note: the obligatory trio of mine: not well edited, lowercase intended, english isnt my first language im sorry if i murder it. o wow look ive been posting back to back, ive been writing nonstop lately watch me ghost my stories in few weeks guys my brain = rotting, plus lately ive been feeling emotionally abuseddrained so i need something fluffy

listen to this is how you fall in love by jeremy zucker + chelsea cutler for maximum feels

“you’re a lifesaver.”

kuroo huffed, eyes rolling back with a small laugh as he unlaced his sneakers and slipped the room slipper on. it was odd to see the gymnasium without any nets or balls sprawled around. the gym has been closed for a week now in preparation for the upcoming open school event and currently under the art club’s jurisdiction. under her jurisdiction with her canvases and paints and it pained him to see her ruining his sacred place. he carried two plastic bags and holding two boba teas in the same hand. he wasn’t sure which one she was more excited for; the boba, the paints she made him ran to an art supply shop or him. she reached out, the bobas in his hand exchanged as she settled it on the floor, and she squealed at the sight of the plastic bag. he frowned.

yup, not him.

tins of different colors of paint that she ran out mid painting that she forgot to buy had her dialing his number and now it’s all here. all thanks to kuroo tetsuro. she grimaced at the price tags; it was costly than her usual one. usually, she would’ve gotten her supplies online, but desperate measure calls for desperate solution. she could always claim her expenses with the club. typical kuroo, she huffed. he always preached about getting the best, not minding the price tags but she’ll be the victim of his nonstop complaining that he’s getting broke every single day. she tucked a stray hair back and mentally counted how much she owed the man as she arranged the tins on the table.

kuroo noticed that look; same look she had when they are in the math class and he clicked his tongue, “tch, you’re not paying.”

“i’m reimbursing you with the club money,” she shook her head and reached for her bag, “please kuroo, it’s so expensive.”

he reached for her wrist and she dropped the tote bag as he invaded her space. kuroo rested the palm of her hand right above his heart, his own around the waist and another under her chin as he tilted her chin up. his heartbeat was erratic, and she flushed. “it’s okay,” he said, softly. her lips formed into a small pout and he fought the urge to just kiss her.

their dynamic is something even kenma couldn’t figure it out.

they weren’t exactly dating. they are friends, close friends, and classmates. it has always been him, her and occasionally yaku; creating the chaotic duo/trio of class 5. they both played volleyballs, both captains while he’s the middle blocker, she’s their female team’s setter. they knew a lot of each other’s friends from other schools; he was the reason why she dated akaashi keiji from the first place. it was selfish of kuroo to admit to bokuto a month after they started dating that he disliked the idea of them together. typical kuroo is no longer snarky, he felt lost, felt like he was losing his other half. so, he confided to his close friend, the simpleton ace.

“you didn’t make any moves, kuroo, you can’t blame them.”

bokuto noted as them both stared at the two setters, playing around the fallen cherry blossoms. bokuto never seen akaashi smiled that much and kuroo could only wished that she smiled the same way to him. kuroo stared at the half bitten onigiri he’d been holding, suddenly every bite he took tasted bitter. every trace of akaashi on her gave him bitter taste. she liked wearing akaashi’s jersey; kuroo longed to see her in his own numbered jersey; she’s his number one after all. her own jersey number is as same as akaashi. it’s not like kuroo could hate anything he did; he treated her well. akaashi was a perfect boyfriend and everyone knew. that’s why kuroo hates him; he gave him no reason to hate the dude. it didn’t last long however, they drifted apart 6 months later, sending her to kuroo’s doorstep soaked in rain.

he stared at her soaked figure with no thoughts in mind.

“he dumped me,” she said, voice hoarse and shivering.

he was alone and was about to leave for kenma’s, but he couldn’t leave her alone. dropping his keys on the small table by the door, he threw his jacket back in the closet. “come in,” he whispered, pulling her figure in. dropping her bag on the floor, she clutched on his sleeves as she kicked off her soaking shoes. “i’m sorry, my mom isn’t home and i can’t find my keys,” she was a blabbering mess and he hushed her. he left her for a few minutes, coming back with a steaming towel and a clean shirt and pants. “it’s from the dryer. you can borrow my sister’s clothes,” grabbing her hands, they ran upstairs where he took her to the bathroom. she was too quiet, so he called her name. when she looked up to him, her eyes were red. she was no longer crying, more confused and upset. her cheeks flushed and he could see her teeth chattering. he wished nothing but to throw his fist at the man. finally, he got a reason to square up the stoic man; he always hates the way nothing could riled up akaashi.

“he’s stupid for doing you like this.”

she shook her head, “it’s nobody’s fault.”

“then stop blaming yourself,” he ruffled her hair, a small smile appeared from the corner of her lips as she watched him disappeared closing the door behind him. he left her with the hot water running, urgently grabbing the mop and bucket from the kitchen, and wiping the trail of her soaked feet has left before it could ruin the wooden floor.

cant come over, busy, ill tell u later

kuroo texted kenma. the pudding head left him on read.

they spend the night together, sitting on the floor with pillows pilling against the end of the bed as they sat in arms. he had his tv opened to one of the late-night game show. they sat in silence, her head rested on his shoulder and her lips pressed into a tiny line. at the corner of his eyes, he could see her phone’s notifications blaring despite being on mute. the number isn’t saved but it was familiar. she deleted his number already, probably out of rage, but it’s a good step.

tell me where you want me to drop your stuff im sorry i hope youre okay y/n? i heard it was storming did you make it back home? give me a call im calling you okay?

just as like what the message stated, the unknown number called her. it startled her which startled him too. she stared down on the screen, he noticed the grip on the phone and wondered how the phone did not break yet. “can you answer it for me?” she said, holding the phone out to the black-haired man. shocked, he took the phone and pressed the green button. he pressed the phone to his ear and heard her name being called.

“hey man,” kuroo cleared his throat, “listen-”

“she’s with you?” the voice- akaashi asked.

looking down on the girl who was pretending to not have any interest in the call at all, eyes focused on the gameshow, kuroo sighed.

“she is. listen, i think you should leave her alone.”

“kuroo, i know about your feelings. for her. bokuto-san told me about it. if you think that this is the proper way to get her when she’s vulne-”

kuroo bit the inside of his cheeks. he was offended that akaashi dared to call him out like that. “so, what? she made her pick,” the girl turned to face him, brows up wondering what they are talking about.

“that’s low, even for you, kuroo-san.”

their eyes met. he didn’t even realize how deep the cut on his palm where he had balled his fingers into a fist until she touched it. he calmed down. “you hurt her. you have no right to say what’s low or not. be a bigger man, leave her alone,” he muttered flatly, before ending the call. they didn’t break eye contact until he realized what he had done.

“i-i shouldn’t have done that.”

she shook her head, “stop blaming yourself,” a small smile on her face.

that was 3 months ago.

kuroo had made moving on easy for her. akaashi and her remained friendly, although kuroo noticed that she tended to avoid him when possible. the breakup was indeed mutual, but merely on the fact that he lost feelings. akaashi had fallen out of love with her and in love with some other girl but who was she to judge when she was falling in love with the rooster head in silence. they still hang out with bokuto and akaashi but rarely with the latter.

she made him apologized to the fukurodani’s setter too and they remained on friendly term, still practiced together whenever they have training camps together where akaashi had admitted one training night that kuroo and her looks better together. kuroo didn’t say anything, not that he knew what to reply to that (his mind scream fuck yeah we do) but shrugged at his statement. “i guess dating her made you less pain in the ass, kuroo-san,” akaashi joked as they resumed the game.

kuroo was pulled back to reality when he felt his lips brushed against something. his eyes widened when he realized what it was. a quick kiss from her. he blinked frantically, trying to comprehend what had just happened which caused the girl to laugh. “did you just?” he asked confused by what had just happened which she nodded. she bit her bottom lip to hold herself from bursting into a laugh. “god, you should see your face. it’s so stupid. and every girl called you the playboy captain huh?”

he huffed and rolled his eyes, “i am not. i’ve been loyal to one girl for many years now, she is the one who hasn’t notice me at all,” he faked his pout, refused to look her directly in the eyes, praying that she wouldn’t notice his reddening cheeks.

“she must’ve been so stupid,” she teased, her nose rubbing gently against his jawline as she rested her figure against his closer. his chin rested against her head.

“she is,” he looked down on her, his arms around her waist tighter, “i don’t think she knows this but if she leaves me, i think i’ll be so broken inside. is it selfish to say that?” a small frown appeared on her face.

“i don’t think she ever talked about leaving you.”

a grin grew on his face, “so you know who i’m talking about huh?” she fell into his trap. she rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out, calling him stupid. he studied her face, his grin softened into what yaku and his volleyball team called the kuroo is stupidly in love with y/n but refused to admit face. his fingers ran into her hair which she had been growing out in few months down to her shoulder because she thinks that he likes her better that way. the way she tried to subtly put on make up to look better that the other girls who’s shamelessly flirting with him. she was too stupid to realize that he had loved her beyond that.

he loves the rough pads on her hands from holding her paintbrushes and volleyball. he loves that she works hard for everything she’s doing be it studying, volleyball or arts, she would put her blood, sweat and tears into it. he loves that she would wait for him to buy lunch so they can eat together in class. he would buy her a box of milk which she insisted that she doesn’t need too; but he convinced it would be good for her. he wants the best for her.

he loves that all the missing clothes he’s complaining about is in the back of her closet or on her. his cream hoodie hanging behind her closet door, his random pile of t-shirts in a basket on the floor of her closet that he liked to left beside the mix pile of her shoes and his one big ass nike shoes. her room isn’t messy, it is because she kept the messiness in her closet. she also like to keep random stuff of him too. the one medal he won from a science fair hung on the headboard of her bed, the misshapen looking hand wax sculpture of their hands intertwined from a funfair where she rested a purikura of them on it and a lucky bamboo plant he gave on her birthday to compromise on the no gift rule.

“for luck,” he grinned.

unlike hers, he kept her item neatly in his drawer. your spare shirts that he borrowed and refused to return, extra towel and her toiletries, some of her drawing blocks and a small cat shaped pouch where she kept her allergies medication. mostly hidden because his annoying friends come over often and would accidentally talk about it in front of his grandparents. but, on his bedside table, he has a cup of pencils by the bed where he collected the art supplies she left behind, random markers and paintbrushes, a clay sculpture of a trinket plate she made from art club (she carved a tiny letter k in the corner beside the obvious looking genitalia drawing) and a fake plant which she was sure he will not be able to kill it.

he loves it when she wore his jersey. he lost his mind when he found out that her current season number is the same as his. he’s in love. the first time he saw her in his jersey, the number one jersey on her body was during their training. he lost concentration; mouth hung a bit. he got so flustered that he let lev served the ball straight to his head. usually, lev would be dead by now, but he doesn’t mind. his nose bled but to see her kneel beside him, clutching on his own shirt screaming how stupid he is, wiping the blood away with towel, he could only say how pretty she looked. all his teammates were startled, her included. she clutched on his collar angrily; her knees stung from when she leaped down to his side, but this idiot could only smile at her with a bloody nose. “you are fucking idiot,” she cried out angrily, pushing him away before throwing the towel on his face leaving the pleased third year laying on the floor.

he loves the way she would find a way to impress him, be it as ridiculous as the halloween costume idea she had where they’ll go as the front and end of a horse or as serious as the submitted college application to the same university he had gotten into. “you are not getting rid of me that easily, tetsu,” the evil look on her face as she clicked the submit button send shivers down his spine.

“if you leave, i think i’ll cry,” he confessed, his smile slowly died.

“kuroo tetsuro is going to cry after me?” she teased. he nodded eagerly. “does kuroo tetsuro realized that we are literally moving into the same university? i couldn’t catch a break from him,” she faked her annoyance which he playfully avenged by sending her on the floor laughing as he tickled her. tears trickled down her cheeks as she begged him to stop, screaming to get away from his grip. “please, kuroo, i’m going to pee if you don’t stop!” he obliged, tears prickled the corner of his own eyes from laughing too much. straddling her waist, he gathered her wrists in one hand over her head. “apologize and said that kuroo tetsuro is the best man in your life or i swear i’ll make you pee,” he threatened her playfully, wiggling the fingers of his free hand close to her waist. her eyes widened in fears.

“that’s not fair!”

“apologize first.”

“fine!” she pouted, “i’m sorry, i won’t make fun of you again. now get off me!”

he raised his eyebrow, “andddd?”

“annddd-” a teasing smile appeared on her face as she said the next 5 words that send him to mars and back; “i love you kuroo tetsuro.”

he froze in shock. he heard the words before but never in this way; never for him.

finally, i think i got the calculation, love you yaku! lev you’re adorable but so stupid, i love it! thank you for letting me borrow your game, kenma. you’re the best, love ya!

the grip on her wrists loosened. taking advantage of his shock state, she pushed him back, straddling him by the waist, pinning his own hands above his head, giving him the taste of his own medicine. “i’m not going to leave your sorry ass, tetsu. i hope you don’t regret it,” she leaned down, capturing his lips with a longer kiss. letting go of his wrist, her hand went immediately into his rooster hair while another cupped his cheek, deepening their kiss. she could feel his cold palm resting against her bare waist and she shuddered. between the kisses, he heard her whispering his name. “kuroo, do you love me too?” she asked so innocently with kisses between the words but the way she grabbed a handful of his hand in a fist felt so dirty, eliciting a strangled moan from the back of his throat. she pulled back, staring down on his eyes as his lips moved.

“i love you too.”

nothing in his hazel eye but sincerity. he groaned when she pulled herself out of his reach, missing her warm body as she laughed. straightening her sweater back, pulling her hair back up into a tighter ponytail before she picked up the paintbrush she dropped. the paintbrush left a white stain on the court. as if kuroo wasn’t here, whimpering underneath her a minute ago, she continued her work. “i need to finish the mural by this week and you’re not exactly helping me,” she warned him, pointing the wet brush his direction. through the corner of her eyes, he was propped on his elbows, still staring at her, causing her to blush profusely. it annoyed him that she would tease him, then leaving him high and dry. before she could crack open the new paint tin, he ignored her warning as he tackled her back into his arms.

breathless against her lips, he told her to continue later. the urgency and rawness of his voice made her putty immediately. looking up the man, she pouted her lips.

“kuroo-san,” she whined as he captured her bottom lips.

he elicited a soft moan from the girl. he grinned against her lips. a hand rested firmly beside her head while another snaked under the sweater. there will be bruise tomorrow, she was sure of it, he will make sure of it.

“it will be quick, baby. i promise.”

she has no objection.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 285: You Looked Like You Needed Saving

Previously on BnHA: Deku was all, “hey guys I’m just gonna fight Tomura one on one and risk my own life rather than risk letting him do the whole Destroying Everything bit again.” Kacchan was all “WAIT NO ARE YOU SERIOUS THAT’S THE EXACT THING I HATE THE MOST” and indignantly launched into his “P.S. I CARE ABOUT DEKU” flashback, which was a revelation in that it proved exactly what Bakugou fans have been saying this whole time, AND YET OUR MINDS WERE STILL BLOWN ANYWAY, BECAUSE HOLY SHIT, HE REALLY WENT AND SAID IT OUT LOUD THOUGH. Anyway, so Deku’s strategy for defeating Tomura is to, you guessed it, break his fucking arms again; and meanwhile a frantic Katsuki is gearing up on the sidelines to do something really awesome and incredibly stupid, probably; and all in all it’s a pretty terrible situation our boys have found themselves in. Terrible for them, but GREAT for me, and I’ve never been so hyped in my life omg.

Today on BnHA: Deku breaks both of his arms like a dozen times over. Like, just pages and pages of arm breaking. Just like in the good old days! Meanwhile Kacchan is all “jesus christ, okay you know what would be a better idea, JUST SETTING HIM ON FIRE AGAIN”, and so he grabs Shouto and Endeavor, and they do a whole Prominence Burn combo thing. The AFO-inside-of-Tomura is all “‘sup it’s me again, but seriously now would be a REALLY good time to let me take over your body”, and so Tomura TOTALLY DOES LET HIM TAKE OVER, WHOOP, and so AFO is all “HELLS YEAH.” And then he STRAIGHT UP STABS MY SON, WHOSE BODY WAS SIMPLY MOVING ON ITS OWN, YOU KNOW, JUST HERO THINGS. Anyway so now Kacchan is fucking dead*, and so if I were AFO I would start putting as much distance as possible between myself and Deku right the fuck now, because boy, IF YOU THOUGHT HE WAS MAD BEFORE? Holy shit. We’re about to see a whole new level aren’t we.

LOL WE’RE OFF TO A GRAND OLD START

Deku’s arms should sue for legal emancipation. I think most of us can agree that they’re probably better off without him. sure they’ll have to buy their own food and stuff, but I think the trade-off is more than fair

oh wow that 100% shit really is something though

too bad it did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!! spoiler alert. I don’t even have to scroll to the next page, Deku. we already know

OH MY GOD ARE YOU SERIOUS

did Deku really pull off some “three hits in one” bullshit, or is this a mistranslation referring to the fact that Deku’s already hit him twice with his left arm, and so this is now the third 100% hit. kinda hoping for the latter, ngl. either way though, I’m really getting a “Deku’s arms are legitimately done for” vibe from this

ESPECIALLY SINCE:

DEKU YOU SHRUB!!! WAS IT WORTH IT YOU EGG FDKF KKDJ YOU DON’T GET BONUS POINTS FOR BREAKING THEM TWICE

goddammit I’m pretty sure he just Detroit Smashed the last remaining hero brain cell. now they have diddly squat to work with, oh this is bad

...

do you guys remember a few weeks back when I was joking about him breaking the rest of his bones and using Blackwhip to move his shattered body around like a grotesque marionette. do you specifically remember the part where that was a joke

holy shit Deku. it’s like we’re all the way back to square one with you. wasn’t that like the first thing Aizawa taught you, not to break your whole body apart? how are you supposed to fight Tomura if you can’t move?? why didn’t you wait for one of your pals who could hit him with an attack from long range WITHOUT BREAKING EVERY SINGLE BONE IN THEIR BODIES. WHERE DID YOUR BIG HERO BRAIN GO

boy you better pray one of those remaining quirks is a healing factor, or else you’re gonna be on IR for a LONG time. anyway. idk why I’m getting so worked up when I already knew this was going to happen lol. it’s just like Katsuki said; he takes himself out of the equation. it’s worth sacrificing his own body if it means he can take out AFO and prevent Tomura from hurting anyone else again. it’s just that... well. you know that saying about taking calculated risks when you are bad at math?

GUH I REALLY HATE THAT TOMURA IS STILL COMPLETELY FINE KSKWOILWKKJ AT LEAST PRETEND TO BE A LITTLE HURT, WOULD YOU

please ignore all of those worried-sounding thoughts; I think we all know that’s a bunch of bullshit. completely and utterly fine. the only person Deku’s attacks hurt was himself. hip hip hooray

anyway. so now, this!

pretty sure he can’t use Decay or AFO without at least touching SOMETHING, so I’m guessing this is another one of his new quirks. dammit Tomura why are you so fucking invincible

HAHAHA MEANWHILE

if I were you, Deku’s Arms, I would simply detach from his body altogether at this point. cut my losses. mmm

OOF HE HIT HIM WITH THE WHOLE OF TEXAS

spoiler alert: again, it did nothing. SORRY TO KEEP RUINING THE SUSPENSE FOR YOU GUYS. is there a single human being reading this who thought for even for the milliest of seconds that this stood a chance of working though

OH MY GOD

DEKU GET IT TOGETHER YOU’RE STARTING TO LOOK LIKE THE ENIGMA OF AMIGARA FAULT AND I CAN’T STAND THIS ACTUALLY

so Tomura is all “there must be something I can do to stop this fucking kid” and shuffling through his quirk pokedex while he’s tossed around bleeding in the air

hey Tomura I’ll tell you right now that you don’t actually need to do a damn thing except not die for roughly the next thirty seconds or so, and then you’ve got this. the quirk that can stop this kid is called “One for All”, and it just so happens he’s already got you covered bruh

and Katsuki’s realized the same thing, apparently!

SHOUTO YOU’RE NOT EVEN LOOKING?? wow that is some trust right there. focused on cauterizing Gran and Aizawa’s wounds, I guess

MEANWHILE KATSUKI IS PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS. HE FOUND A NEW BRAIN CELL! A WHOLE DAMN CACHE OF FRESH NEW BRAIN CELLS, LOOK AT THIS

THANKS FOR THAT, PROFESSOR

OH SHIT SON ARE WE MOUNTING A COUNTERATTACK?

I like how Endeavor is just SITTING THERE in the background looking all disgruntled. yes, sorry about that sir, this is now Kacchan’s show. he’s in charge now. time for that long-range attack I was complaining about them not doing earlier?? hopefully?? omg

OH MY GOD YOU GUYS IT’S A BAKUROKI TRIPLE COMBO?!?!

ARE YOU GOING TO YEET THEM A LA GANG ORCA?? ALSO OH MY GOD, HE REALLY IS IN CHARGE. FIRST DEKU TOOK OVER FOR TWO MINUTES UNTIL HE BROKE ALL HIS BONES, AND NOW IT’S KACCHAN’S TIME. I’M SO PROUD OF YOU KIDS

LOL SHOUTO’S GETTING IN ON THIS TOO

THIS JUST IN, THE KIDS HAVE TAKEN OVER THE MANGA, ADULTS OF BNHA IN SHAMBLES

WELL MAYBE NEXT TIME DON’T LET AIZAWA GET SHOT THEN, YOU HAT!!!

WOOP OKAY WE FLYING NOW

Kacchan, tired of sitting back watching Deku invent new ways to die, decides to improvise a few of his own. hmmmmmmm

(ETA: HE LEARNED FROM THE BEST ORZ.)

OKAY WAIT A MINUTE NOW

why does this sound like he’s planning something on his own after the Todorokis have done their part. KACCHAN. EXCUSE ME, KACCHAN

SDLFKJLKJLJ

OKAY HOLD THE FUCKING PHONE

IS THIS LEADING WHERE I THINK IT’S LEADING, HOLY --

-- ooOF

I WASN’T FUCKING READY FOR THAT ONE. BAKUBULLYING FROM HIS OWN NOW-REMORSEFUL POV. SHIT. FUCKING FELT THAT. HERE I THOUGHT YOU WERE BUILDING UP TO AN “ALL FOR ONE FOR ALL” REVEAL, AND THEN YOU GO AND PULL THAT INSTEAD, WHAT’S GOING ON

-- HOLD UP WE’RE NOT DONE WITH THIS ONE YET MAYBE!!

“ONE FOR ALL IS”??!? KDSLFJAKLSJLKJLKJL AND THEN INTERRUPTING ME WITH THE CUTE BABIES WATCHING THE ALL MIGHT FOOTAGE, OH MY GOD. I’M JUST WILDLY REACTING TO EVERYTHING THAT’S BEING THROWN AT ME RIGHT NOW LMAO I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE THIS IS LEADING

OOF THE NOTEBOOK

KACCHAN THIS ISN’T EVEN YOUR MEMORY HONEY, GET IT TOGETHER

OH MY GLOB

THIS IS THE MOST NONSENSICAL SEQUENCE OF PANELS RIGHT NOW. I’M SURE THIS IS ALL SHORTLY GOING TO COME TOGETHER IN SOME PROFOUND WAY THAT’S GOING TO KICK MY EMOTIONS SQUARE IN THE BALLS, BUT RIGHT NOW I’M JUST ALL “OOH AHH” LIKE SOME HAPLESS RUBE ALONG FOR THE RIDE. p.s. this chapter still doesn’t have a title!! p.p.s. Horikoshi is a knave

(ETA: HORIKOSHI IS A FUCKING MALFEASANT!!)

I CAN’T TAKE THIS??

PLEASE STOP BUILDING UP TO WHATEVER IT IS YOU’RE BUILDING UP TO AND JUST SAY IT ALREADY, I’M DYING OMG

...and we’re cutting back to the action. godfuckingdammit it’s gonna be one of those chapters where the entire thing is just buildup to some huge reveal on the very last page isn’t it

(ETA: [sounds of screaming heard in the distance])

anyway so this next page is just Deku flying in the air, and Tomura flying through the air, and Endeavor+Katsuki+Shouto flying through the air, and everyone’s flying through the air, and we’re all just flying. TALK TO ME MORE ABOUT THE CURSE OF OFA DAMN IT

OOHHHHHH

guess if it was good enough for Hood, it’s probably their best shot huh. better than whatever the fuck Deku was trying to pull at any rate

OOP

gotta admit, if I didn’t already know full well that Tomura could not possibly die here, I’d have been pretty convinced he was dying here lol

DSFKJL ENDEAVOR BUDDY YOU MIGHT HAVE POSSIBLY OVERDONE IT JUST A BIT

wait... is that Blackwhip...?? or???

OH SHIT

WHAT EVEN IS THIS CHAPTER, COME ON

-- FMMMJAKAKJDJL, UM

TIME TO SCROLL BACK UP TO THAT PANEL OF TOMURA BEING MELTED, AND READ WHAT AFO WAS SAYING A LITTLE MORE CAREFULLY LMAOOOO. LOL. WHOOPS. OH NO KATSUKI WHAT HAVE YOU DONE

AHHHHHHHH

WHAT’S WITH THE NARRATION SQUARE ALL OF A SUDDEN AHHHHHH

oh my fresh and citrusy lord. this is it isn’t it. all of my theories converge at once. Tomura being possessed by AFO; OFA is AFO/Deku has AFO; Katsuki does something stupid and loses his quirk. THE PERFECT STORM. THEORY SINGULARITY

oh my lord oh my god oh my lord oh my god honey what are you doing, honey, no

his body’s moving before he can think. WHAT ARE THESE FLASHBACKS OF ALL HIS DEKU RELATED MEMORIES. BULLYING DEKU, BEING SAVED FROM THE SLUDGE MONSTER, RECONCILING WITH HIM AT GROUND BETA, OH MY GOD. I’M NOT READY. [WRAPS MYSELF IN A BLANKET BURRITO AND SLOWLY SCROLLS DOWN FROM THE SAFETY OF MY COCOON]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

HORIKOSHI KOUHEI: [LOADS GUN WITH CHAPTER TITLE AND AIMS DIRECTLY FOR MY HEART]

ME: [SWEATING]

HORIKOSHI: [SMILES, REACHES FOR THE TRIGGER... AND THEN SUCKER PUNCHES ME SQUARE IN THE FACE]

excuse me WHAT. PARDON, THE FUCK. WHY ARE THE FIRST FEW LONE PIANO NOTES OF ADELE’S “SKYFALL” PLAYING. WHAT THE FUCK

excuse me, Horikoshi. excuse me, could I just -- could I get. COULD I JUST GET A WORD WITH YOU FOR A MINUTE. SIR

son of a. ...how am I even supposed to wrap this up. just

sob okay. so let’s just. ...

All for One 100% just took Tomura’s body over. like, he was all “Tomura, you’re fucking dying, just give me your body you muppet”, and Tomura couldn’t really argue on account of he really was dying, and so, YOINK. which is the sound that a body makes when it’s being taken over, I think

All for One then activated his forced activation quirk?? which OF FUCKING COURSE he passed on to Tomura as well. so THAT’S JUST GREAT

Kacchan is seriously the fastest character in the series. the reflexes, the sheer speed necessary to intercept that hit? goddamn

every single one of those BakuDeku flashbacks are now wanted by the FBI for first-degree murder of me

this has nothing to do with Kacchan fucking dying and stuff, but is it just me or were there HUGE “Kacchan as Bakugou’s hero name” vibes earlier on in this chapter with the flashbacks to Deku explaining the meaning behind his own name, HMM

and speaking of, this is the first time we’ve gotten Kacchan narrating in the little box panels, unless I’m completely mistaken somehow. Horikoshi really waited almost 300 whole chapters to do that. and it was worth it. holy shit

fun fact, this moment is something that’s been on my wishlist since chapter 12 lol, you can go back and check the recap if you want. back then I called it a long shot. oh how the times have changed

I DON’T KNOW HOW I’M EVEN SO STUNNED ABOUT THIS, GUYS. this is exactly what I predicted at the end of the last chapter. MY CHILD IS DUMB. THAT’S ALL THERE IS TO IT. HE’S THAT EXACT KIND OF SHOUNEN DUMB. WE’VE KNOWN IT ALL ALONG

oh my god. and now Deku’s gonna go ham, arms or no arms. AND BETS ON WHICH NEW QUIRK HE’S ABOUT TO UNLOCK? because the last time someone so much as insulted Kacchan in his presence, he SPONTANEOUSLY GREW SHADOW TENTACLES OUT OF THE BLUE AND ATTEMPTED TO MURDER THE PERSON. so if this kid has got ANYTHING left up his sleeve, I have to imagine that SEEING HIS PRECIOUS CHILDHOOD FRIEND TAKE A DEADLY ATTACK MEANT FOR HIM is gonna leave him feeling SOME KINDA WAY. I literally have no idea what’s going to happen next but I would not count this angry little broccoli out yet. not as long as he’s still conscious

anyway. so I wonder what’s the world record for continuous screaming, and whether or not I could break said record by doing such nonstop from now until a week from now when I finally get to read the next chapter

...lol apparently the record is only 8 mins and 45 seconds so GOOD NEWS GUYS, WITH THE POWER OF THIS NEW CHAPTER, WE ARE GOING TO MAKE HISTORY. DEEP BREATH. -- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[free-pancakes]

Kiss the Drummer

Summary: a LeviHan Jazz!AU

Levi, a talented trumpet player famous in the jazz clubs of New York, is struggling with his instrument and feels burnt out—he wonders if he chose the right path in life.

The bassist of his quintet, an old friend named Erwin, invites a quirky new drummer to play with them, who brings a new spark into Levi’s life.

Notes:  Drum "chops” describe a drummer's technical ability, including a large vocabulary of licks, and how freely they express themselves on the instrument. BPM = beats per minute Songs: Giant Steps - John Coltrane

sorry this AU fic is pure self-indulgence and has become much longer than originally intended lol

crossposted to AO3

CHAPTER 1

He licked his lips and pushed them readily against the smooth, silver mouthpiece, ready to hit the first note of the song, Giant Steps. He suppressed his desire to grumble at yet another fast swing tune.

He stared out into the audience, peering at the people sitting around the tables of the club. Their faces were slightly lit from the reflection of the stage lights, wearing expressions of both excitement and anticipation. “Just another night of the same old thing,” Levi thought to himself, letting out a soft, exasperated sigh, one only he could hear. His stance conveyed confidence, but his eyes spelled apathy.

He heard snaps on 2 and 4 marking their starting tempo at 289 bpm and Levi quickly puffed warm air into his trumpet.

“One… two… one two three four—“

——

Levi wiped down his trumpet, carefully cleaning the beautiful brass after yet another great performance. He gently placed it in his case, and looked up at himself in the dressing room mirror. He stared blankly at his reflection, noting the tinge of purple beneath his eyes—he knew his body was aching for sleep. It had been restless upon restless night for the past year or so, and he wasn’t completely sure why. He looked down at his trumpet case with both affection and disdain. Maybe... he just wasn’t meant to do this for this long.

He didn’t hate playing, but the truth was, he had simply been good at it all of his life. Quite gifted at it, one would say, and thus he passively let it lead him to success. It was just what it was. He was good at jazz, he was good at trumpet. Naturally he studied it at a top university for jazz performance and joined this famous quintet, and naturally he worked hard to improve his skills. But as any routine would, practice and rehearsals became monotonous, grunt work.

While lost in thought, his eyes trailed over to his small, neat pile of math textbooks at the edge of the dresser.

If anything, he did enjoy jazz theory. It was just math, anyway—circle of fifths, cadence patterns, fancy scales—it all just added up and broke down for any message or feeling you wanted to convey with a melody for your solo, and those tools were simply available in your brain to make it happen—tools to play some straight dirty solos that make you smirk satisfactorily when listening. To Levi, it just made sense, to a lot of other people, he was called “genius”. But after years and years of this, he was burning out and he was quite aware of that. He felt like he was losing his edge, and he was just a machine clunking out music most nights of the week. Again he thought, maybe he just wasn’t meant to do this forever. But what else would pay the bills?

Shaking his head, he let his jumbled thoughts fall away momentarily. He picked up a textbook, and leafed through the pages. He clicked open a ballpoint pen and began adding to his lesson plan for one of his students, a young girl named Sasha. Honestly, she seemed utterly hopeless with math at times, but he was determined to help her at least pass her algebra class. Her little friend Connie on the other hand…well that’s a story for another day, he thought, and chuckled softly to himself. If anything, he did enjoy his side job as a math tutor for the local school system. He didn’t really need the extra pocket money, but something compelled him to keep up with it.

As he jotted down notes, muffled noise of cheering and commotion rocked against the door. Tonight’s gig was Nile’s last performance with them, as he was moving out to the west coast to play with another group and accept a teaching position somewhere out there. Levi didn’t care much for his drumming or his personality for that matter, so he wasn’t particularly sad to see him go, nor was he keen on joining the celebration out in the bar. He yawned and continued finish up writing his lesson plan, as he knew he’d probably have to drive his drunk colleagues home.

——

“Levi! I’m gonna miss you buddy!” Nile exclaimed as he aggressively ruffled Levi’s hair, causing the cowlick he spent every morning trying to gel down to stick straight up embarrassingly at the top of his head. “Yeah, yeah, yeah… good luck Nile.” He shoved him and Mike into a cab, as they lived in the same apartment complex. He turned back into the bar to Erwin smiling drunkenly and Nanaba knocked out cold, sleeping soundly as she sat with her head down on a table. Levi grumbled and picked up Nanaba’s saxophone case to haul into the trunk of his car. He returned to pick up Nanaba and carried her on his back, and Erwin walked with them to Levi’s car.

“Hey Levi, Our new drummer is flying in tomorrow. I told her I’d come and pick her up from the airport at 7am.”

Levi looked Erwin up and down with a look of disgust. “In that sorry state, Eyebrows? Tch, go sleep off the hangover tonight, I can go to the airport. What’s her name and what does she look like?”

“Her name’s Hange. She has messy brown hair usually worn up in a ponytail, wears tortoise clubmaster glasses and well… honestly you can’t miss her, I’m sure you’ll find her right away.”

“Okay. So why’d we need to bring in a completely new drummer anyway? Couldn’t we have just brought in Moblit?”

“Ah you know his style doesn’t fit ours as well, plus he’s doing well with his band right now. Don’t worry, Hange and I played together all 4 years of college together, she’s got chops. Plus, I think Hange will probably bring in the change we need. Your playing’s gone a bit stale... hasn’t it, Levi?”

“Stale?! Pfft you’re just drunk,” Levi muttered, irritated as Erwin raised his eyebrows at him. They arrived at their apartment complex and Levi begrudgingly unlocked the car doors, gently woke Nanaba, and the three of them walked up to their floor. Erwin fumbled with his keys, and Levi snatched it out of his hands, frustrated at how long it was taking him. Erwin chuckled, and Levi scrunched up his nose at the stench of alcohol in his breath. As soon as the door opened, Nanaba immediately ran to the bathroom, retching into the toilet.

“I got her,” Erwin laughed. “Go to bed, Levi, you’re the one getting up early. Flight info’s next to the door.”

Levi nodded, turned into his room, and plopped down on the bed. He stared at the ceiling, and wondered how much longer he’d keep playing, or more like, how soon he’d quit. If this Hange person was as annoying as Nile, well… he probably wouldn’t hold out much longer.

——

Levi stood with his hands in his pockets, eyes peeled for this Hange person. He looked at his watch—“Maybe she was still waiting on her luggage,” he thought. He walked over to the small cafe to his left, and waited in line, squinting for any decent teas on the menu. Before he could decide, he suddenly heard a small yelp, and something shoved right into his chest, feeling piping hot coffee running down his white, longsleeve shirt. Before he could yell obscenities at the moron who just ruined one of his favorite shirts, he was met with frantic apologizes.

“I’m so so sorry! Oh my goodness it was a complete accident, can I get you a drink to make up for it? Man I am so clumsy...oh! Maybe you can wear one of my shirts I have here, free of charge! Or I could just—“

He looked up in the middle of incessant rambling to see the culprit—a tall brunette, hair messily tied up in a bun, wearing tortoise clubmaster glasses, and a bright yellow coat.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Levi thought to himself. He looked down to see a large black cymbal case and a stick bag with yarn mallets and drumsticks poking out of it.

—I could just buy you a new shirt! Oh, how bout—“

Levi was livid—this clown was potentially going to be playing gigs with them over the next year? The coffee stained fabric was sticking uncomfortably to his skin and he felt the biggest headache coming on—all this pain just from one person. He reached up and gently placed his hand over her mouth to physically stop her chattering.

“Is your name, Hange?”

She nodded, Levi’s hand still covering her mouth.

“You’re Erwin’s friend?”

She nodded again, her eyes lighting up at the name, Levi feeling her lips forming a smile under his palm.

“Okay, I’m taking you back to our apartment.”

Levi reached for her bags to carry them, but was interrupted.

“Wait—the least I can do is give you the extra shirt I have in my backpack so you can change out of your soiled one,” she said softly. She reached in her bag, and pulled out the shirt and Levi felt his eye twitch in annoyance at the words printed on its front. He sighed, and debated sitting in his wet shirt, but it seemed like he didn’t have much choice—he’d have to wear it.

——

Levi blinked his eyes open. He felt oddly rested, but one thing was strange—he was sitting up, and he felt something unusually heavy on his shoulder.

“What the—“

He looked to the side and saw a mess of brown hair immediately to his right, heard the soft sound of snoring, and felt… something wet on his arm? He looked down and grimaced. “Drool. She’s drooling. On my goddamn arm.”

He looked around for some kind of napkin. He didn’t remember falling asleep, let alone letting this absolute stranger curl up against him. How in the world did he let his guard down this far?

He stared blankly at Hange and thought, “What a mess—what was Erwin thinking? We’ve known each other for less than 5 hours, and she seems to have already made herself right at home. I haven’t even confirmed whether she was good enough to play with us, yet.” He tried to shift out from underneath Hange, but before he could wriggle is way out—

“Kiss the drummer?”

Erwin and Nanaba stood before Levi, both with hair in a complete mess, having just woken up from sleeping off their hangovers. Smirking and holding back laughter, they stared at the scene—Levi wearing an oversized t-shirt with the words “Kiss the Drummer” in bold letters plastered across his chest, along with Hange sleeping quite cozily on his shoulder, her glasses held gently between his fingers. Levi tried covering up the words and scowled at his two friends.

“Laugh it up,” he muttered. “What is this, Erwin? She’s clearly made herself at home already—and we haven’t even gotten to play together yet.”

“Relax, Levi, she’s a great musician. And look, she likes you!”

Levi grimaced at Hange draped over his shoulder.

“Hmph, I still have to hear her play and have my opinion considered. We all get a vote yknow…”

Over their hushed voices, Hange shifted groggily towards all of them and rubbed her eyes. “Erwin?”

Hange’s eyes lit up immediately in recognition, shoving Levi back further into the couch as she jumped up to wrap Erwin in her embrace, excited to finally be reunited with her friend after so many years.

After a few minutes of catching up, Erwin smiled brightly. “Yes, we can take you around the city a bit. Rehearsal’s not til this evening anyway—we did have a gig lined up last minute for the middle of this week if you were comfortable with that, Hange.”

“Of course I’d be down to do that! I—“

“Oi. Like I said, we still vote if you get to play with our group officially. Don’t be late to rehearsal tonight.” Levi then slowly stood up and walked quietly towards his room.

“Don’t mind him, he’s just being strict about our technical audition policy,’ Erwin reassured. He and Nanaba quickly darted for their rooms to ready themselves to take Hange sightseeing for a little while and introduce her to the city, leaving her standing alone in the middle of their living room. Her eyes trailed after Levi, curious about his calm yet sad energy. She felt that she saw through that aura, noticing every little kind gesture he made towards her from the time they met at the airport to the moment they fell asleep on the couch. Hange was determined to get him to show that side of himself a little more. As he turned to grab the door behind him, she smiled at him, and was quickly met with a scowl and the slam of his bedroom door in her face. Seemed it might take some more effort to get through to him than she originally thought.

[scapegrace74-blog]

Mister April

A/N I had an angst-ridden update to the Metric Universe all queued up, and then I thought, nah.  The sun is shining, people are getting vaccinated.  Angst can wait.  So this little ficlet fits into the Metric Universe after The Second First Christmas, but before Calculation Theme.

The entire Metric Universe, now chronologically ordered, can be found here.

March 16, 2019, Spittalfields, London, England

“Wait.  You mean you’re actually Mister April?!”  Several bottles into the six-pack of Tennant’s lager that he had brought home after work, Claire’s exclamation was too incredulous for Jamie’s liking.

“Aye.  Every year since I signed on, save one.  At first t’was flattering, but now, weel...” He peeled the label from the bottle held between his knees, cursing the trajectory of their late night conversation.  The idea had been to take advantage of the fact they were both off tomorrow to spend some time with his girlfriend, listen to a little music, get a bit sloshed, then hopefully fall into bed together.

“Can I see?” Claire interrupted his momentary sulk.  “I mean, I’ve been dating a veritable calendar boy for almost two years, and I’m only just now figuring it out.  Seems a bit unfair, don’t you think?”

“Seems to me ye’ve seen me wearing far less, Sassenach.  But fine, look yer fill.”

Grabbing his laptop, Jamie entered his name and London Fire Brigade Charity Calendar into a search engine.  A stream of results filled the screen.  Claire’s eyes goggled and she grabbed the computer, opening the first image.  A much younger Jamie appeared, rugby shorts hanging from the graceful arcs of his hipbones.  He reminded her of a Thoroughbred race horse, not an ounce of flesh to spare, kinetic energy in masculine form.  She checked the date: 2012, before they had ever met.

Further clicks brought her to subsequent years.  Each showed a beautiful man in the prime of youth, fit, cocky, a devil-may-care gleam in his cornflower eyes.  She knew it was her Jamie, but she barely recognized him.

He was missing from the 2015 calendar.  Claire did the math and realized that he would have been in the hospital when that year’s pictures were taken.  Instead of primping and smoldering for the camera, he had lain in an ICU bed for weeks, before undergoing painful rehabilitation and numerous skin grafts.  The brash young man of the earlier images had disappeared, erased by an industrial explosion in an instant.  In his place, the Jamie she knew had emerged. More cautious.  More prone to sadness, but with a limitless capacity to spread joy.  Would she had fallen for him, had they met before his transformation?  She honestly couldn’t say.

By 2016, the pictures had changed.  Jamie posed in a shirt, sometimes unbuttoned to the waist, but always with his shoulders covered.  The gleam in his eyes had dimmed, and instead of an infectious grin, his smile was forced.  She was certain no-one buying the calendar would notice.  He was still a beautiful man, with his burnished curls and Nordic bone structure.  But she could see what those photos cost him.  She knew.

“Dougal wanted me tae show my scars.  Figured t’would be good publicity, I reckon. Heroic firefighter burnt like a human candle comes back tae fight fire ano’er day. I told him I wasna some charity case he could trot out when it suited him.”

She fetched his hand from his lap, giving it an understanding squeeze.  Jamie had once confessed that he felt comfortable bearing his scars to her alone because she had already seen him at his worst, and that left no room for pity.  He was a proud, stubborn fool, and she loved him.

“You know what this means, don’t you?  There’s only one way to make this right.”

Not waiting for his response, she rose, sought her balance for a moment, and went to grab her phone.  Connecting it to their TV audio, she scrolled her music library, looking for a suitable choice.

“Aha!” she exclaimed, pressing play.  A synthetic tambourine and clap bass filled the room.  He recognized the opening lines of OutKast’s Way You Move.

“What are ye on about, Sassenach?”

“You’ve been sharing your glorious body with the Greater London area and god know who else on the Internet for years, Jamie.  As a philanthropist, I applaud you, but as your girlfriend, I’m a tad perturbed.  I am hereby re-asserting my rights to exclusive content.  Now stop lollygagging and get your fine ass off the couch.”

“Sassenach...” he laughed, starting to grab hold of her meaning and feeling a shot of adrenaline course through his veins.  Even before his accident, he had never...

“Don’t make me put it on repeat, Fraser.  Oh, look, here comes the chorus!”

Claire sat back on the sofa, her legs tidily crossed on their coffee table.  The room was dark, except for the undying city lights outside.  No-one was there to see except the one person he trusted to look without staring, to laugh without mocking, to understand without judging.  He’d never known Claire to ask for something she didn’t truly want, and he wanted to give her everything she desired.  Even if it came at the expense of his dignity.

“Ye ken I canna dance fer shite, right?” he said as he stood, taking an extra long pull on his lager.  He was going to need all the liquid courage it could offer.

“I’m well aware.  But as the woman who shares your bed, I can testify that there’s nothing the matter with your sense of rhythm.  If it helps, don’t think of it as dancing.  Think of it as upright simulated sex.”

His face was already hot from the alcohol and embarrassment, but with Claire’s words he felt the heat spread downwards across his chest and towards his groin.  Almost without willing it, his hips began to twitch in time to the beat.

“Now we’re talking!” Claire exclaimed with a grin, leaning back like the only patron at a very private strip club.

He was still dressed for work.  The navy shirt he wore beneath his jacket had no buttons, so he began by easing it from under his belt, baring his navel briefly before sliding it back down.  Claire sulked dramatically, making him laugh.  

With the song’s next horn flourish, he reached behind his neck and lifted the shirt clean off in a single tug, shaking out his hair afterwards.  When he next glanced at the couch, his girlfriend’s smug smile was gone, replaced by a blatant leer that sent shivers down his spine.  She wasn’t even pretending to look at his face anymore, spending her time somewhere between his shoulders and his waist.  He wasn’t really sweating, but he made a point of wiping his pecs before letting the shirt fall to the ground.

“Enjoying the show?” he asked, already a tad breathless.

“Immensely.  Don’t stop now.”

Fortunately, his boots and socks had already been removed, so with the next verse he made a show of unbuttoning and unzipping his blue trousers.  Claire’s eyes followed the movement of his fingers like she was memorizing them for the exam.  He could feel his cock grow heavy.

With a shake of his ass for good measure, the pants hit the floor.  Only a tight pair of boxer-briefs stood in the way of utter nudity.  They were doing a poor job hiding his belated enthusiasm for Claire’s request.  The fact that her eyes were now glued to the bulge of his erection only encouraged his excitement.

As the repeated chorus faded away, he carefully slipped the waistband over his now-rigid cock.  The material slid down his legs and he stepped free.  If someone had mentioned his scars in that instant, he would have no idea what they were talking about.

In the ensuing quiet, Claire sat up and very deliberately began to disrobe.  Once naked, she came at him like a heat-seeking missile, one hand reaching around his back to pull him tight and the other dragging him into a kiss.  They collapsed to the floor, rolling around on the area rug in a fight for dominance.  He let her win, because feeling her rise and fall over his length like a cresting wave was the best runner-up prize he could imagine.  

The sex was torrid, and frantic, and not at all polite.  The kind that left bruises and invoked daydreams for days.  Afterwards, they lay in a sweaty heap, trying to catch their breath.

“See?  I knew you had it in you,” Claire muttered into his clavicle.  “A bit more practice and you’ll be as good as the pros.”

“I didna realize I was auditioning fer a second job.”  He brushed Claire’s curls away from where they were tickling his nose.

“Oh, I have no intention of sharing your talents, lad.   Never fear.  But I wouldn’t object to a repeat performance.   Besides, I was so distracted by the show, I completely forgot to film you!”

Jamie groaned, pulling her tighter against him as sleep called him away to dreams.

[aotomegane]

He Cheng’s back story au:

Okay guys! Here it comes. I’m sorry for dropping this on you guys, but I can’t help it. Hope you guys will read it till the end. And please let me know what you think of it!!! Enjoy! 🌝😗

*****

The school bell rang signalling the end of school session for that day. After his Math teacher left the class, He Cheng packed all of his stuff. Ready to go home. The others were still hanging around in the class chit chatting. He Cheng was never a part of that. He was never allowed to be part of it. As he walked down the stairs, someone called him.

“Cheng! Wait up!” Who could it be?

It was his classmate, Long Wei. He’s slightly taller than He Cheng with a black hair. Unlike He Cheng, he always had his hair down. He Cheng stopped on the stairs waiting for Long Wei to catch up to him.

“Hi,” Long Wei greeted. No answer from He Cheng.

“Ahh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out or anything. Hahaha. Going home already?” Long Wei chuckled.

“Yeah,” He Cheng replied simply.

“Then, let’s walk together,” Long Wei said. He started walking down the stairs, leading a confused He Cheng.

He Cheng was not someone who talk a lot. Most of the time, Long Wei did the talking. He asked He Cheng a lot of questions. He Cheng was not sure why Long Wei suddenly showed an interest in him. They never talked to each other before. Nevertheless, He Cheng answered all of the questions. With short answers of course.

After a while, they came to a junction. “Alright, I have to go left here. You go right, right?” another question from Long Wei. He Cheng nodded but he scrunched his nose a little bit hearing what Long Wei said. “Ah! I was not stalking you or anything. It’s just that I always saw you since we’re taking the same route,” Long Wei tried to explain himself. “Where are you going?” He Cheng asked, suddenly. “Me? Oh! I’m going to a boxing class. Someone I know teaches it. So, sometimes I go there to learn a thing or two. Hahahaha,” Long Wei answered earnestly. “Is that why you always have your hands wrapped?” He Cheng was curious. “Ahhh yeahhh...I’m still learning so I tend to injure myself,” Long Wei chuckled again. “See you at school tomorrow, yeah?” Long Wei added. Again, He Cheng only nodded. Then they parted ways.

‘That was fun,’ He Cheng thought.

*****

After that, Long Wei always accompanied He Cheng at school. Sometimes, Long Wei would stay a little later until He Cheng was finished with his cleaning duty. Then, they walked home together. He Cheng didn’t mind it at all. All his life, he never had a close friend. Not that he hated people or the other way round, but his father always warned him that he did not need friends. So, he never tried to have one because he did not want to deal with his father unnecessarily. But this time, he wanted different. He wanted to be friend with Long Wei. There’s something about him that attracted He Cheng. His friendliness? His warm smile? His laugh? Or maybe it’s the way he always looked at He Cheng. Who knew.

*****

After months of hanging out together, He Cheng managed to talk a lot more with Long Wei. It was Friday, so Long Wei asked He Cheng to go hang out a little longer. 
“Hey, wanna go grab some ice cream? Or drinks?” He asked He Cheng. He Cheng looked a bit reluctant at first. “C’mon. It won’t be long. I promise,” Long Wei tried to convince He Cheng. “Okay,” He Cheng replied.

They went to buy ice-creams and stopped to eat them by the river not too far from the ice cream shop. There was a long railing by the river, so they leaned on it while finishing their ice-crems. They did not say anything. Just standing there and enjoyed both the view and their ice-creams. Once they finished them, they stayed by the river a little longer.

“Why do you take the boxing class?” He Cheng asked.

“Easy. So that I can get stronger,” Long Wei answered.

“Why?”

Long Wei looked at He Cheng and chuckled before he answered, “So that I can protect people. My friends. My family. You.” Long Wei threw a quick glance at He Cheng. Like usual, He Cheng did not show much emotion on his face, but he asked again, “Why?”

“I don’t know. Isn’t that what people normally do? Wanting to protect the people that they love?” Long Wei’s answer stunned He Cheng. He knew what it meant. His heart started to beat faster.

“What about you? Don’t you have anyone you want to protect?”

He Cheng was silent for a while before he answered, “My brother.”

“I didn’t know you have a brother,” Long Wei said while digging through his pocket.

“Yeah. He was born last year.”

“I see. 13 years gap is a lot.”

He Cheng remained silent, staring onto the river. He had nothing to add to that. Long Wei took out a cigarette out of the pack he just took out of his pocket. He Cheng looked at Long Wei. This time, his face showed a curious expression.

“You smoked?”

“Oh this? Nahhh. I just put in on my lips. I never light one up.”

“Why?” Again.

“Ahahahahaha. You really love that question huh?” Long Wei bursted out laughing. He Cheng’s heart beat even faster.

“My late brother used to smoke this. I guess I’m used to the smell? Besides, it tastes pretty good,” Long Wei explained.

“What does it taste like?”

“You wanna know? You can try it,” Long Wei handed He Cheng the cigarette that he had on his lips. Then, He Cheng leaned closer to the cigarette. But before his lips reached it, it met another pair of lips. Soft lips. Long Wei’s lips. That’s when He Cheng’s heart stopped beating. Long Wei pulled away from He Cheng’s lips but this time, their foreheads met.

“Do you like the taste?” Long Wei’s voice was almost a whispher.

“Can I try it again?”

This time, Long Wei’s heart stopped beating. He Cheng leaned in to kiss Long Wei again. Unlike the first time, their kiss now lasted longer. Deeper. Tongue met another tongue. Discovering each others’ mouth. Gasping for air. He Cheng’s back met the railing, entrapped between Long Wei’s hands. They seemed to forget where they were. Fortunately, nobody was there anyway.

Long Wei pulled away again. “Cheng, I-,” before he could finish his sentence, he was cut off.

“Young master Cheng,” both Long Wei and He Cheng was startled hearing someone called out He Cheng’s name. It was Mr. Huan, He Cheng’s father’s personal assistant. He had been serving He Cheng’s father ever since He Cheng was a baby.

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to interrupt you but Master He will be home soon. It’s best if you come home now.”

He Cheng knew what would happen even without Mr. Huan saying it. He Cheng looked back to Long Wei. “I’m sorry. I have to go now,” He Cheng than walked towards the car that was already waiting. Before he could walk farther, Long Wei grabbed his hand, “See you at school, next week?” He Cheng smiled weakly before he continued walking wishing that Long Wei did not let go of his hand. Mr. Huan looked at Long Wei and bowed, “Excuse me.” He then joined He Cheng in the car. Long Wei watched the car went away.

*****

“STOPPP! NO!!” The elderly woman screamed as the men in black shirts kept on thrashing her small shop. “PLEASE!!! DON’T DO THIS!!” She cried. All of her stuff was wrecked by the men.

Long Wei was on his way home from his weekend part time job when he heard the elderly woman. It was his neighbour. He ran towards the shop. When he saw all the men, he started fighting them. “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS DOING?” He screamed. He punched one of the men only to be beaten by the others. They were so much bigger than him. Much stronger. Ignoring all the pain, Long Wei kept on fighting back. Then, he was hit hard on his head. As he fell down, his head hit the floor causing more blood to come out. Long Wei was unconscious. The elderly woman came running to him, trying to wake him up. But her effort was useless. The men were still destroying her belongings. They only left after they found some valuables that they took.

*****

He Cheng ran. He ran as fast as he could. He ran when he heard about Long Wei. He was walking to his room when he heard one of his father’s men reported to him. At first, he didn’t pay attention to it. But when he heard the name of a certain shop, he knew where it was. Long Wei had mentioned the name of the shop before. His heart dropped when he heard the report.

It was raining heavily, and it’s starting to get dark. He Cheng’s mouth started to get dry. He felt his chest closing in on him. He hated to think that something bad might happen to Long Wei but his instinct screamed it to him.

‘Oh God! Please let me be wrong!’ He Cheng prayed.

Once he arrived at the small shop, his heart dropped once again. He Cheng could see two figures in front of the shop. He ran towards them.

“LONG WEI!!” He screamed.

“What happened to him?” he asked frantically to the elderly woman.

“He tried to fight the men just now. One of them hit him on the head and then he fell,” the woman was still crying. Shaking.

He Cheng tried to wake Long Wei up. He tapped on his cheeks couple of times. Nothing. Without wasting anymore time, he carried Long Wei on his back. He Cheng struggled a little bit since Long Wei was taller than him.

“I’m going to bring him to the nearest hospital,” He Cheng said to the woman before he started running again. The rain did not stop him. The cold did not stop him. Not even the ache in his heart could stop him.

‘Please! Hang in there!’

*****

After two hours in the emergency room, Long Wei was brought to a ward.

“He had a bad injury on his head. There are some other injuries on his body too. He’s in a critical condition, but we did our best to save him,” what the doctor said kept on ringing in his head.

He Cheng looked at Long Wei. He had the oxygen masked on. The monitor showed that his heart beat slowly. Lots of wires connected to Long Wei’s body. He Cheng’s mind went blank. To him, time had stopped. To him, nothing matters anymore.

‘He’s my only friend. You took my mother. Do you have to take him too?’ he cursed in his heart.

He Cheng heard a small knock on the door, so he turned around. Mr. Huan was standing just outside the ward.

“What are you doing here?” He Cheng asked dryly.

“I’m just checking out on you, Young master Cheng,”

“Are you sure you’re not here to drag me home?” Mr. Huan could sense venom in He Cheng’s word.

“No, I’m not,” he answered short.

“What about father?” He Cheng frowned.

“You don’t have to worry about Master He.”

One thing about Mr. Huan, he never failed to protect He Cheng. Mr. Huan had always backed He Cheng up whenever he had to deal with his father.

“Thank you,” was all He Cheng could muster.

*****

It has been a week since Long Wei’s death. It has been one whole week since he lost his first friend. It has been one week since He Cheng lost his first love. At the funeral, He Cheng couldn’t stop his tears. He remembered that night when the monitor suddenly beeped so loudly, waking him up from his sleep. He stayed by Long Wei’s bed. The nurses and doctor came running into the ward.

“What’s happening to him?” He panicked.

“Sir, you need to wait outside!!” One of the nurse forced He Cheng out of the ward. They were racing against the time.

“Please! Please save him! He’s my friend!” He Cheng managed to say before the nurse closed the door right in front of him.

At the funeral, he also remembered what the doctor said when he walked out of the ward. His steps were slow and small.

“I’m sorry. We tried our best.” That’s when the darkness consumed He Cheng.

Now, he’s standing in front of Long Wei’s grave. Hoping that this was all a dream. A bad dream. He Cheng started crying again. The pain in his heart was too much. If he knew losing a friend hurt this bad, he would have listened to his father. But how could someone deny a blessing in their life?

*****

He Tian was crying so hard in front of him. He Cheng was trying to stop the blood on his right shoulder.

“I shouldn’t have brought you out camping.”

“It’s all my fault...” He Tian cried.

“If you got washed away, the old man would have killed me.”

“Waaaa...brother..” more and more tears came out of He Tian’s eyes.

“Don’t cry. Listen well,” He Tian tried so hard to calm himself down.

“I hate weaklings. If you want to rescue others in the future... then you must become the strongest of them all,” He Cheng added. Then, He Tian helped his brother to put on a bandage on his shoulder.

He Cheng decided to camp for one night since he managed to control the bleeding. After all, He Tian had begged him to go camping for a while now. Suddenly, He Tian asked him a question. One that he, too, once asked.

“Brother, why do we need to be strong to rescue others?”

Silent.

“I don’t know. Maybe because it’s what people normally do. Protecting the people that they love.”

He Tian looked at his brother, not knowing what to say.

“You should go to sleep. We’ll go home tomorrow morning.”

“Goodnight, brother.”

“Goodnight.”

[adamfoolcry]

How the Tables Turned (One-Shot)

pairings: Reader x Hendery, Lucas(mentioned)

rating: PG-13  

warnings: none just cringe inducing fluff

genre: comedy, fluff

synopsis: You are a student assistant at the library and Hendery seems to love staying in the library past open hours.

word count: 1,734

a/n: Mentioning @nctcreations in case the tags don’t work. I love Hendery he exudes so much positivity and is very thoughtful.

Everyone who is acquainted with you knows that you are good-natured and possess a calm temperament. Right now though, the way you are glaring at the back of Wong Kunhang's head makes you resemble a bull seeing red complete with steam blowing out of your nostrils. The ticking of the old clock as it counts every second passing by infuriates you as if it's its sole purpose. It is already past five in the afternoon to other high school students it isn't much of a nuisance but to you, it is life or death. You need to be out of the school premises past five and should be on the way to the cafe you work in the evenings. Being a minute late at your part-time job means that you will receive a lengthy sermon from the cafe's owner as if they will not deduct it from your salary. But here you are still at the library waiting for Wong Kunhang to go on his merry way so that you can return the book he is pretending to be reading back to its respective shelf. Honestly, you would have let this pass but it's as if he is doing this on purpose for the past seven days. Adding salt to the wound, for every single day he takes a different book bringing it to his desk leafing through the pages eyes unfocused. Making you conclude that he is not doing any reading at all but just drops by the library to spite you. Each time before he leaves he will try to approach the desk where you are situated at and as if changing his mind in a millisecond he always makes a hasty retreat, exiting rather abruptly. You have reached your threshold and decided that you are going to confront him, for whatever his game is this got to stop. You walked towards the desk where he is, standing from behind his seat. You cleared your throat to get his attention. He craned his head back to look at you.

"Ummm, hi"

He immediately stood up from his seat in a frantic manner and rise to his height to stand opposite you. The seat's leg scratched the concrete producing a screeching sound.

"Hi, my name's Kunhang you can also call me Hendery if you like." He scratched the nape of his neck sheepishly smiling.

"I know who you are it is past five and the library closes at 5:00 PM sharp and I need to be at work -"

"I can totally take you there!" Kunhang exclaimed cutting you off. His words echoing in the empty library. You were not expecting that, the heat started blossoming on the tops of your cheeks.

"Uhhhmm, I was going to say that if you can, you know tidy up before five that would be great." You replied awkwardly.

"Ohh uhmm sure sure." You can see that he was embarrassed. He picked up the book from the desk. "I am sorry, I am gonna put this book back." You watched him as he put the book on its respective shelf and exited the library leaving you bewildered. Well, at least you got that over with.

After that incident, you no longer have to deal with him as he does not visit the library anymore. But he now occupies the other half of your brain you see him from your peripheral vision wherever you go. It seems that you are hyperaware of his presence and you can't take your eyes off him. How could you not notice before that he sits a few seats away from you at classes? By the things are going you can probably write a one-page essay about him.

He likes cats, not fond obsessed is the right word. His pencil case is imprinted with cat designs. He keeps a picture of his cats in his wallet, you know because you peeked over his shoulder at the cafeteria while he is paying for his food. He always remembers to feed the school's resident stray cat every morning. You saw him one morning bending down at the bushes near the outskirts of your school petting and feeding the stray cat.

He always hides a manga behind his textbook during classes snickering quietly so that he wouldn't be caught. Strangely enough, for someone who is not trying to do his best academically, he excels in maths and sciences and actively participates in those classes.

He likes to exchange crumpled notes with Yukhei. Maybe containing a joke or two because one time the teacher caught them they were kicked out of the class and got detention for the rest of the afternoon.

You can't deny that you are fascinated with him the same Wong Kunhang that you used to curse in your mind. You might even develop a tiny crush on him. This is why you found yourself boring holes at the back of his skull with the intensity of your gaze. Looking for minuscule details to add to your Hendery's cute and quirky habits list. Yukhei caught you in action sending you a wink and a teasing smile like he knows what's going on in your mind. He leaned down and whispered it to Kunhang.

Oh god no ...

Which made Kunhang spare you his attention looking at you with his biggest signature goofy smile. You abruptly hide your face behind your textbook and pretended that you are not gaping pathetically at his back so intently. You avoided looking at his direction for the rest of the day but you can feel Kunhang's eyes following your every move making you flustered and rendering you to something akin to tomato for the rest of the day.  

You do not feel good scratch that this is the worst menstrual cramp that you have experienced in your life. Top that with the fact that your PE teacher has instructed your class to do ten laps in the field under the sweltering heat. Your peers are already ahead of you and you have long given up trying to match their pace. You stopped jogging and clutched your stomach the spasms intensifying making you double over in pain.

"Hey _______, you okay?" Kunhang kneeled at your crouched figure.

"Yeah, I am fine." As soon as you said that your abdominal muscles contracted so hard and a whimper escaped your lips.

"Let's go to the clinic you don't look so good." Kunhang reached for your forearm and slung it on his shoulders providing support to your frail figure helping you stand up. Although feeling like you might pass out any minute you can't help but observe Kunhang now that your bodies are now in close contact. His perfect side profile, tall straight nose, big doe eyes, plump pink lips, his floppy hair that frames his face, and his light perfume which smells like the sea breeze. As Kunhang led you to the clinic he started telling you about the time he collapsed due to over-exertion at one of the PE classes blaming the teacher's strenuous routine and launching on his tirade about what a pain in the ass the teacher is. You giggled finding his attempt to comfort you adorable.

"I am on my period Kunhang. The cramps are a bit on the painful side today."

"Oh ..." Hendery said embarrassed.

After dropping you off at the clinic Hendery got back to the PE class to inform the teacher about your mishap and that the nurse advised you to take the rest of the day off. You decided to rest up at the clinic and head home after the classes are over. Exiting the clinic you advanced your way to the classroom to collect your belongings when you froze on the spot upon seeing Kunhang leaning at the opposite wall to the clinic. He was carrying your bag on his shoulder. Noticing your presence he greeted you with his smile.

"I thought it'll be a hassle for you."

You can't help but smile back at him, taking your bag from him as the two of you walk towards the school gate Kunhang started bribing you to buy him ramen as payment for his good deeds.

He has this habit of looking at you but he isn't trying to hide it, in fact you think he is waiting for you to catch him because every single time you caught him redhanded he'll flash his goofy smile at you. The first few times you caught him your initial reaction was to start blushing but after the novelty of being embarrassed wears off you just shook your head smiling your eyes crinkling in mirth.

He'll always approach you and start acting cute doing silly little poses sometimes Yukhei drags him off before he starts embarrassing himself other times Yukhei will join in and start imitating Kunhang's comical poses resulting in overjoyous laughter erupting from your classmates.

He leaves you food and other trinkets on your desk. Lately after coming back from the cafeteria the ever-presence of food at your desk baffles you sometimes it contains other miscellaneous items like hair clips and ties. It was not after that your cramps manifested again that you finally knew who the culprit was for in your desk is a hot water bag. You quickly looked in the direction where you knew Kunhang was sitting, his head thrown back laughing at Yukhei's joke. As if sensing your stare he turned his face in your direction and grinned charmingly doing another of his silly poses.

It's fifteen minutes to five o clock and you need to make sure that every book is on their designated shelf and there is nothing out of its place scrutinizing the library with a sweep of your eyes you deemed that everything is in order. You grabbed your bag under the desk when the sound of the door hinges creaking got your attention. You quickly look to whoever dares to come in at the library fifteen minutes to its closing time. Surprise it was none other than Wong Kunhang. You walk up to him to stand at his opposite side, clearing your throat to get him to address you.

"Is the offer of a ride to my workplace still up?"

"Only if we go to the movies afterward."

"It's a date then."

There it is Kunhang's goofy smile. Perhaps you are too, smitten with him.

a/n: Read more of my works for NCT here:masterlist.

[apexqueenie]

Hi sweet! Welcome to Tumblr ❤️ I was wondering if you could do a Bakugou x reader, where the read is quirk-less and hides it from him, then he finds out and angsty stuff happens, but it ends in fluff. Feel free to change bits ❤️

Yasssssssss sorry this took so long!!! I recently took a trip to Oregon and couldn’t write as efficiently as I wanted to, please enjoy!!!

The Bitchy Couple (Bakugou x Quirkless Reader)

Warnings: swearing (duh)

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You remember the first time Bakugou laid eyes on you. It almost felt like it was yesterday. He tried to kill you then.

You roamed the middle school grounds, looking for someone to hang out with during lunch. The latest pop music blared in your eardrums as you lost yourself in your imagination, pretending you were in a music video or something. You were so lost in thought that you didn’t even see the three people that were headed your direction, equally distracted. The one in front was walking backwards, spouting loud nonsense to the two. He had no idea that you two were on a collision course straight for each other until BAM, your face collided into his shoulder blades.

“HEY, WHAT THE FUCK YOU NERD?” he turned around and yelled

Annoyed, you readjusted your headphones and scoffed. “You were the one walking backwards asshole, and you’ve got 2 goonies who coulda warned you, but I guess all you were too stupid!” You spat, walking off.

Back then, you were the only one who threw his shitty attitude right back at him. Bakugou didn’t wanna admit it, but he respected someone who could fight his fire with fire. Screw bullying the lower classmen, they weren’t as entertaining after a while. Besides, he found a new hobby, and it was to outdo you.

Almost every day, your conversations would end up something like this:

“Hey you wench, where’d you get those shitty headphones?”

“Up your mom’s ass, dickhead”

“Oh yeah? At least she has an ass. It looks like your back just extends to your legs”

Then, it escalated more into:

“Suck my dick, Bakubitch”

“How bout u suck mine? I’ve prolly got a bigger one anyways!”

“Nah, I know you’ve choked on waaaaaaaaaay more dick”

-And it got to the point that people were taking bets on who won the insult fest that day. In your school, you two were a famous duo, often being referred to as “the bitchy couple”, well, at least to the outsiders.

Away from the eyes of your classmates, Bakugou was a little more...sweet? You weren’t really sure what to call it, but it was a side of him that wasn’t always angry, someone who didn’t feel like he had to put on a show all the time. You worked hard to uncover that side of him, and damn were you proud. You did nearly everything to annoy him at first: telling everyone his most embarrassing secrets during lunch, purposely pairing with him during class projects- you even got your mom to contact his mom so they can arrange “study sessions” for you two. In return, he’d send the most embarrassing pictures of you to guys who asked you out, steal the shoes out of your locker so you’d walk to class with smelly feet, and blew up your jacket a couple of times during the winter. Eventually though, when the two of you walked home together alone and away from your audience, he’d lend you his jacket, promising to buy you a new one to replace the one he destroyed. During those class projects, you’d pour your all into obtaining a good grade when no one was looking. Underneath the mask that the two of you showed everyone, you guys were almost a couple.

Almost.

“Baka-gouuuuu” you hummed.

“What?”

You pouted your lips at him, earning yourself an aggravated blush from the gremlin.

“Disgusting” he said, “come to UA with me”

“Haha- wait what?” You stopped, completely baffled, “you want me to WHAT?”

Bakugou scoffed, not meeting your eyes. “You heard what I said.”

You scanned his face, looking for any sign of sarcasm or jokes...anything-but no, he was dead serious. That was completely out of character for him, even you were amazed at how sudden his behavior flipped. You looked down, thoughts spinning in your head as you processed the question. You were nervous, but why? He asked you to go with him, THE Bakugou asked you to apply at the same school when he basically bullied half the rest of the school out of even THINKING about it, so why aren’t you excited?

“Hero course” he said, and pointed to himself, “like me”

Then it clicked in your head, not once in the entire time the both of you had together did you ever show off your quirk like he did. Even when he’d challenge you, you’d always end up saying something like, “I don’t need a stupid quirk to make you cry like a little baby”. He’d think nothing of it and continue squabbling with you. No one, not even your own mother has ever outright told him you were quirkless. Maybe part of you was scared of what his reaction will be, judging from the way he treats Deku. Maybe some of it was shame from being a part of the minority in the world. You didn’t really know, and it was just something you never really wanted to find time for. Now, all that laziness was coming right back to bite you in the ass.

“Bakugou, I don’t really-“

“I’m gonna need someone to bully at UA...other than shitty Deku” he said, but his eyes told you what he really wanted. He wanted someone loyal, someone who would stick around through all his bullshit when no one else would. Even his goons were intimidated out of applying at UA. There wasn’t anyone left to compete against and keep Bakugou grounded except for, well, you.

You sighed, wondering how you were going to explain this to him.

“(Y/n)-“ he started again.

But you were faster, “I can’t apply to the hero course, Bakugou.”

He looked at you, confusion written all over his face. “What? Why?”

You looked down, averting his gaze. “Uhm, because... I can’t be a hero without a quirk, can I?” You say quietly.

It seemed like the world just stopped the moment those words left your mouth. The wind stopped shaking the leaves of the trees around you and Bakugou just...froze. You stayed silent, letting him take it all in.

His mouth moved as if he wanted to say something, but he turned away instead, muttering something under his breath that you couldn’t quite hear.

“Baku, I can’t hear you.”

He turned around, rage in his eyes. He spoke low and aggressive, sending shivers down your spine, “so you were just a quirkless nerd this whole time? Did you hear me that time you little bitch?” He took a step towards you, towering over your smaller frame. You stumbled backwards and almost lost your footing, fear rushing through your veins. You were well aware of what Bakugou could do, but you never thought that you’d be on the receiving end. Is this what Bakugou was like as a true bully?

Bakugou scoffed at your reaction and continued advancing in your direction, “How noble of you, following me around and wasting time with pathetic insults when I could’ve been training. Do you feel proud of yourself? DO YOU?”

You were shocked. He hasn't talked to you like that before. Not like this. Tears threatened to start forming at your eyes, flushing your face red. Bakugou blinked, realizing what he just said. Deep down, he felt awful from the very first sentence, but his ego wouldn’t let him apologize. He turned around and walked on home, leaving you silently crying where he left you.

He nearly broke the hinges of the door off when he got home, ignoring his mother’s yells and climbing up to his room. He cursed over and over again, fighting his conscience and his ego at the same time. Dammit, he was supposed to be fighting villains, not his own head! On one hand, he just couldn’t believe that you would tolerate him calling quirkless people pieces of shit, but on the other hand, he thought maybe it was his fault for making you feel unwelcome at the topic. Either way, he wasn’t sure what to be angry about, so he got angry at everything.

“aaauuAAAAAGH” he yelled in frustration, as he slams his body down onto his bed. What the hell was he supposed to do now? You probably-no, DEFINITELY didn’t want anything to do with him by now. Still, he just couldn’t help but feel bad. It was gnawing at his chest relentlessly, urging him to go back and make things right, and that was exactly what he was gonna do.

“KATSUKI!!! WHY IS IT SO DAMN COLD IN THE HOUSE?” Mama Bakugou yelled. She waited for an angry response, but heard nothing. She walked up the stairs, expecting her son to have passed out already, but was instead greeted with an empty room...and an open window. “Stupid kid,” she scowled, “coulda walked out the front door ya know, or at least close the damn window.”

***

Bakugou didn’t break a sweat running to your house, but he panted hard. His mind was jam packed with the things he wanted to say to you, he just had to find the courage to say it. Hah, Bakugou Katsuki... afraid of something? That was a first. He climbed the side of your fence up along a pipe, just like he’s done a million times before. He’d come and leave before your mom could smother him with her home cooking and conversations about arranging a marriage between you and him. It honestly became a little too overwhelming, and he’d just sneak in and out whenever he’d have to tutor you on something.

He pulled the window open and slipped in only to find a lamp being swung at his face. He dodged nimbly and stopped your second swing with one hand, ripping the lamp out of your hands before you could try again. You turned around and grabbed a book off your desk, yeeting it at his face before kicking his stomach. The lamp made a thump as it landed on the floor, Bakugou now occupied with the gigantic math book. You frantically looked for something else to throw, knowing he recovered quickly in combat. Your eyes landed on a half eaten pork bun on your bedside dresser and you quickly lunged at it, managing to hit Bakugou’s forehead before he could see it coming.

“God DAMMIT stop tryna hit me with shit!” He yelled, shoving you on to your bed.

You staggered a bit before falling and growled in anger, “you have some fuckin nerve coming back here after what you said!” You yelled back.

“Honey what’s going on?” Your mother called, opening the door. You two were so caught up in arguing that you didn’t realize how much noise it was making...or the footsteps coming upstairs. Your mom gasped as she saw what happened. You lying on the bed, hair messy, shirt a bit ruffled...Bakugou standing over you just OOZING dominance...oh yeah, she got the picture. The WRONG picture.

She blushed bright pink, “oh uh, hi Katsuki, be careful you guys ok?!?! Okbyedontforfettouseprotection!” She said before slamming the door closed in a hurry and climbing down the stairs.

“MOM WAIT NO IT'S NOT LIKE THATUUUUUUUUUGH” you yelled and plopped your face into your hands. You weren’t even angry anymore at Bakugou, just frustrated.

You sighed, lifting your face from your hands and stared into empty space. Bakugou took the empty spot next to you, looking at the ground. There was a long and awkward silence between the two of you. Painfully long. Bakugou eventually sighed, making a move to break the extremely thick ice.

“I didn’t really mean what I said, (y/n)-“ he started.

“Then why did you say it?” You snarled.

Bakugou looked up at you, then back at the ground, fiddling with the fabric of his pants. “I was just, I dunno, angry at myself ok? Fuck off, wait no don’t fuck off, I...” he shook his head and took a big huff of air. Admitting his own wrongs wasn’t his forte, but it was definitely entertaining. You resisted the urge to smile a bit. He didn’t deserve that yet, not until he apologized. “I was just angry cuz...cuz I thought only people with quirks could be strong. But then you showed up and I thought you were probably the third strongest person I’ve ever met-“

“Third?” You cocked an eyebrow.

“After All Might, then me” he said, furrowing his eyebrows, “anyways, back to the point, look, I’m just sorry, for everything and I guess I shouldn’t have said that. I got upset at the fact that...I can’t beat your ass in hero course now. I can’t do projects with you anymore. And plus, if you aren’t going to UA anymore then-“

Bakugou was interrupted once again when you sat up, walked over to your desk, and dug through your drawer. You pulled a few pieces out before finding the one you wanted, then proceeded to wave it in the gremlin’s face.

“Who said I wasn’t going to UA?” You said, watching as his face just stared at the paper in awe.

“You’re enrolling in support?!” He yelled, taking the paper out of your hand.

“Yep” you said, giving him a small smile.

Bakugou lowered the paper and hung his head, “(y/n), I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted to see me again.”

You sat back down and scooted over to lean on his shoulder, something he’d only ever let you do in private. “It’s ok Bakagou, I know you were only scared of losing me to some quirkless job like accounting or-“

“SHUT THE FUCK UP IM NOT SCARED OF WIMPY SHIT LIKE THAT” he yelled, a small and almost unnoticeable blush appearing on his face.

You giggled, “sure whatever, look, I won’t be able to fight villains with you, but I can help you fight villains better by making support items for you. So I guess...that kinda makes me the hero behind the hero huh?” You smiled.

Bakugou scoffed, “Heh whatever, you better make me the best fuckin support items out of anyone there cuz I’m gonna need em to be number one, understand?!”

You scoffed back, “Number one my ass, maybe third place at the MOST.”

He growled as he whacked you with a pillow, making you shriek with delight. High school with this angry gremlin was gonna be interesting.

[birdsandspades]

Memories (A Todoroki Shoto Oneshot)

- What do you get when you mix a pressed daisy, a broken ceramic, a comic, and a soba receipt? A bunch of chaotic dates with Todoroki, and maybe a few memories along the way too!

-Word count- 11K

- Hi, this one is kinda long. But it took awhile to write and Todoroki makes me all giggly so I figured I would share this cute idea with you folks! It’s mostly chaotic Todoroki fluff! Let me know what you think, and thank you for reading!

—-

After three years of training, interning, and studying it was finally your last day at UA. The dorm was a buzz as everyone packed up their rooms for the last time, today was the day they graduated.

Sadly for you it was not in the conventional sense. Sure you were finished with UA, your time here on exchange had been to grow your power. But you were still an American citizen with one more year of schooling and licensing left. It had been gracious that they let you stay for an extra two years with the people you had grown to love and admire. But it was time to pack up and go home.

A soft knock sounded on your door, “I brought you more boxes, are you doing ok?” Todoroki pushed the door open with his foot, a pile of condensed boxes and tape in hand as he walked into your room. 

“Oh thank you, I was kinda wondering if I had enough.” You looked between him and the dwindling pile laying on your bed, he took it as a sign to set his pile beside it. “Are you finished already?” You brushed your hand over his own, a sweet gesture he was all too familiar with.

“I haven’t started, my father just brought me more boxes and I figured I would see if you needed more.” Todoroki looped a finger with your own, swinging your arm slightly as he pulled you closer. “Do you want me to stay and help you pack?”

“No, that’s ok. You should get started before your father tries to come help you.” You giggled as he tensed at the mention of the man still waiting in his bedroom. You reached up to cup his face, drawing him down just enough to place a soft kiss on his lips.

Todoroki smiled sweetly, staring at you for a moment before standing back up. “ Then i’ll hurry so I can help you. Then we can figure out what you want to do tonight.” He squeezed your hand once more before turning to leave. His heart heavy as he walked back to his room. 

You turned back to the disheveled state of your bedroom, reaching for another box with a long sigh. You knew you had to pack eventually, but part of you knew that as you packed up your belongings you were also packing up all the memories you had shared with Todoroki in this very room. The belongings that lined your shelves, hung on your walls, sat on your desk, they were all mementos of the years you had experienced together.

You set the box down at the base of your desk, sitting down in the chair. “I might as well start with all of this.” You sighed, fingering through the stacks of assignments and notebooks. A shiny red book peeking out from in between a few course books caught your attention. You pulled it out looking over the cover of the comic. “This is Shoto’s Spiderguy comic, how long has this been in here?” You brushed your fingers over the smooth cover, a blush creeping up the back of your neck. They had always been his favorite comics, the stack he had accumulated over the years was close to monumental. You smiled as a memory bubbled up from the back of your mind as you flipped through the colorful pictures on the pages.

—-

You had been looking everywhere for your math book that morning, the panic of having to buy a new one sending you spiraling. “Maybe I left it in Todoroki’s room, we were studying pretty late. I’m sure I just forgot it.” You grabbed your keys off the desk chair before making your way to the dorm elevators. You had a nice room on the second floor of the dorm building, the perfect distance for sneaking late night snacks from the kitchen below. But Todoroki had been lucky enough to get a top floor room, the view from his balcony breathtaking as it looked over the nearby park. 

You pushed the button for the 5th floor once you entered the elevator, trying to think of the last time you had the book in your possession. “ I went to Shoto’s room to study around 7:00 p.m, we called for food around 9:00 p.m. I closed my book at 9:30 when it came, and I….slid it under the table to eat. It’s under his table…” You wanted to smack yourself as the elevator opened, why didn’t you just check his room in the first place.

You knocked on his door, shifting nervously on your feet. You and Todoroki had been together for a little over three months now, but no matter how many times you came to his room alone the nerves never quit. 

“Come in”, his voice was soft from the other side.

You turned the knob of the door, opening it as you made your way inside. “Hey Shoto, I think I left my math book here last night. Can I get it…” Your mind trailed off as your eyes met with your upside down boyfriend, his feet glued to the ceiling with a sheet of ice. 

“I found it when I woke up. I set it on the desk.” He motioned towards the desk with his head, turning the page of his comic as he continued reading. 

“Ok, um Shoto what are you doing?” You questioned as you made your way around him towards the desk. You slid the book off the desk carefully, still staring at your upside down boyfriend.

“Reading.” He looked away from the comic, wiggling it slightly before turning his attention back to his favorite american hero. “It’s the new Spiderguy comic, you can borrow it once i’m done reading it if you would like.” He looked up at you over the edge of the comic, a soft smile pulling at his lips.

You were more shocked at how unfazed he was by what he was doing, and less the fact he was hanging upside down from the ceiling. “Oh, ok…thanks Shoto.” You figured it was best to leave your boyfriend to his own devices at this point, two was starting to feel like a crowd. You slipped past your boyfriend again, careful not to bump him as you made way for the door. 

“Wait F/N, can you stay and help me with something?” His brows were knitted together as he analyzed the page in front of him.

“Of course.” You were sure he needed help getting down, the ceiling he was dangling from a good way from the floor. You made your way over to your hanging boyfriend, standing in front of him as your face met his.

He turned the comic around, handing it over with a confused look. “I don’t get why they did this. Wouldn’t it be easier to just kiss normally?” 

You looked at the cluster of panels on the page, the rainy scene playing out as the protagonist hung off the railings, his love interest pressed against him in a romantic interaction. “I don’t know, Spiderguy said some of it was fake. I’m sure they didn’t have a romantic first kiss so the writer made something up.” You handed back the comic to your boyfriend, his eyes vacant.

He sat there for a moment, working out the scenario on the book. The gear grinding in his head as he struggled to understand why anyone would want to kiss someone upside down. “The lips wouldn’t line up correctly, the ratios would be off.” He mumbled to himself, trying to put himself in the mindset of the webbed superhero.

Your boyfriend often got confused by loving gestures, that was one thing you noticed early on in the relationship. He had never been on the receiving end of it as a child, and he had never been on the giving end of it as a young adult. 

You watched as the gears in his head grinded to a halt, his ah ha moment was upon him. “Would you be willing to try it? I think i’ll understand it better if I experience it.” He pointed to the panel in question, looking at you hopefully. 

You could feel the warmth spreading across your cheeks at the mention of sharing a kiss with Todoroki, your first kiss. You opened your mouth to protest, frantically waving your hands in front of you. 

Todoroki reached a hand up, sliding a finger under your jaw. His other hand on your hip, grasping at your shirt as he pulled you closer to him. He didn’t speak, instead he tilted his head to meet your flustered eyes. He couldn’t help but laugh as you looked around the room trying to find a way out of the situation. His mind was set, he was going to kiss you. 

You were frazzled trying to put together a sentence to explain that it was in fact your first kiss and you were unsure how any of it worked let alone a comic book rendition of it. You managed to get out a surprised noise as his thumb and finger gripped your chin, pulling you a mer inch away from his own face. 

He brushed his lips over yours, watching for your reaction. Once you relaxed into his touch he leaned up, his lips meeting yours for the first time. The kiss was delicate, his hands gripping the fabric on your waist to keep himself center. Your fingers tangled in his dangling locks, cradling his head as you lifted him up to deepen the kiss. 

You pulled away after a moment, unable to meet each other’s gaze as the bufferlies set into your stomach. “D-did that help?” You stuttered out, backing away from the equally flustered boy. 

“Yeah, I think i’m starting to understand why they did it…” Todoroki was trying to pull his hair over his eyes in an attempt to hide his growing blush, gravity pulling small pieces back to it’s upright position. 

You picked up your math book off the floor before giving your boyfriend an awkward wave. You rushed out of his room and down the emergency stair well in an attempt to get away from the thoughts flooding your mind. Once you made it back to your room you shut the door, throwing yourself on your bed.. You clutched your chest, a bubbly giggle escaping as you let the feelings take over.

 A permanent smile plastered your face that night, a faint blush creeping back up your neck every time you thought of the multi-toned boy somewhere above you. You wondered if he had felt the same way as you did. If he had the same feeling bouncing around his nervous stomach when he thought about doing it again. 

“I wonder if he ever got down, maybe I should go check on him…”, you sat up on your bed, swinging your legs over the edge. A few floors up a loud crash reverberated through the walls. You had gotten your answer.  

—-

The box sat on your chair was soon filled up, all your important documents placed neatly inside leaving the top of the desk empty. You sat the comic back on the table, making a mental note to give it back to your boyfriend before you left the following day. 

You reached for another box, setting it beside your bookshelves. They had filled up over the years, each one stuffed with training books, niknaks, and the occasional complete collection of romance manga. It was going to take a good number of boxes to safely transport all the items that littered the shelves. You sat down on the floor, pulled the empty box closer. You had to start somewhere and the bottom shelf seemed as good a place as any. You made short work of the first two sections, most of the books finding themselves packed and ready to be shipped. 

The third level of your shelve was mostly dedicated to the most delicate, breakable items you had. It seemed the safest place in the room, especially with Bakugou living next door. His temper tantrums had shaken a number of things off the walls over the years. 

You carefully picked out each item, wrapping it in newspaper before placing it inside the box. You reached towards the back of the shelve, finger grazing over a rough object hidden in the far recesses of the back corner. After a few attempts you finally got a good grip on it, dragging it to the front of the case before picking it up. “Huh, that’s where you’ve been.”

You turned the ceramic sandcastle over in your hands, the layer of dust rubbing off as you felt over the details. The top part of the highest tower had been broken off long ago, a pleasant reminder of the day you shared with Todoroki.

—-

You were walking hand in hand with your boyfriend along the beach, the festivities on the horizon as you approach the summer festival. It was you and Todoroki’s six month anniversary, a day you wouldn’t normally fuss over. But to him it was special. You had chosen to spend half a year with him, and he wanted to thank you.

“Where do you want to go first?” You looked over the day’s itinerary as he leaned over your shoulder. 

He had wanted to come early to experience everything the day had to offer. An entire day, completely uninterrupted and he got to spend it with you. “Are you hungry? We could go to the cooking competition first if you want to.” He ran a finger over the itinerary, highlighting the event. 

You nodded in agreement, folding the paper and placing it in your back pocket. “That sounds like fun.” You reached for his right hand, lacing your fingers with his as you walked with him towards the event. Your shoulder rubbed against his own, the chill of his skin seeping through his shirt onto your exposed arm. 

“Hey, look, it’s five weenies!” 

Todoroki turned his head at the sound, his eyes glued on a group of grade schoolers running towards the two of you. “ Hello again, are you all here for a school trip?” Todoroki leaned down, meeting the kids eye level as they stopped in front of you. 

“Yeah, we came for the sand building competition!” The kids chatted with Todoroki, telling him about the castle they had built for the day’s biggest event. “Will you come see it with…your girlfriend?” One of the children’s eyes bore into his hand, still holding on your own. He shifted his gaze up to you, giving you a small smile.

You returned it, waving at the group of students before you. 

“Of course.” Todoroki stood back up, smiling as the kids turned to run back off towards the rest of their class.

“Five weenies?” You questioned, giggling at the nickname your boyfriend had managed to get.

“I’ve told them my name is Shoto multiple times, I’ve just given up on them calling me anything else.” He sighed in defeat, the only kids he’s met so far that liked him and they can’t even get his name right. 

“Oh wow, look at all the people here!” You pointed towards the rows of vendors, shaking his shoulder. “It smells so good.” You inhaled, sighing as the aromas wafted your way. 

Todoroki nodded you on, smiling as you drug him towards the first vendor that caught your eye. It was no surprise your first stop was the nearest Taiyaki vendor, you lived for the sweet treat, some nights even begged him to walk you down to the convenient store off campus just to get one. 

You bounced up and down, excitedly looking over the menu as the line moved forward. Once it was your turn you were already fishing your money out of your purse, “One chocolate taiyaki please, and… Shoto, do you want anything?” You looked behind you where your boyfriend should have been, your eyes meeting with a strange pair. Your boyfriend was nowhere to be found, suddenly lost in the crowd of people. “Um that’s all…” You traded the man for your food, handing him the money owed before leaving to find your missing partner. 

You were walking up and down the stales, frantically searching for Todoroki when your eyes fixed on a mismatched pair. You pushed your way towards your boyfriend, cradling your taiyaki as you bumped shoulders with those around you. “Shoto!” You waved your free hand in the air, drawing his attention your way. “I thought I lost you…” You looked between him and the street vendor, offering them a soft smile. 

“I saw someone’s grill go out, so I offered to light it for them. A few others saw and asked for my help too.” Todoroki looked behind you, nodding at someone across the sea of people. “I think they need help too.” Todoroki offered the man he had previously helped a swift nodded before taking your hand. He pulled you along, guiding you over to the next vendor.

This continued for a while, everytime the wind picked up someone else would need your boyfriend’s help. He never refused, happy to lend a hand to anyone that required it. You followed close behind him, offering him bites of your taiyaki as he made his way around the rows of vendors. Soon enough he had made his way through most of the stalls, everyone happily chattering about the two-toned kid that had saved their cooking. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sure that wasn’t how you wanted to spend the last two hours.” Todoroki and you were now standing just outside the still bustling cooking competition, his mood souring. He had ment today to be for you two, but instead he had spent the majority of it with others. 

“I’m with you, there isn’t any other way I would spend the day.” You gave him a cheesy smile, pressing a quick kiss to his warm cheek. 

He had always tried his hardest to make everything perfect when you two were together. He never had a perfect image of what a healthy relationship looked like between two people, because of that he always over compensated whenever you and him were together. Any little inconvenience would dampen his mood, especially when it came to dates. He wanted everything to be perfect for the person he cared about most, and he would stop at nothing to accomplish that.

Todoroki looked around for a moment, eyes widening once he found what he was looking for. “Stay here please, i’ll be right back.” He pushed down on your shoulders, sitting you down on the bench behind you before running off back into the crowd of people. 

“He probably saw someone else who needed help.” You chuckled, shaking your head. You loved the fact that your boyfriend never hesitated to help those in need. You had told him the day he asked you out that you wanted his hero work to be number one, even if it meant putting you on the back burner. He had been confused at first by the request, all his relationship advice had come from the media and this was definitely not something the girls usually did. But over time he had come to realise that it was your way of telling him that you would be with him no matter what, so he didn’t have to put all his energy into making it work. He really appreciated it, even if he couldn’t help but try to make your time together perfect.

After a moment Todoroki emerged from the crowd again, two popsicles in hand as he made his way back to you. “I got you coconut. But if you don’t like it you can have mine, it’s cherry.” He offered both of the frozen treats to you, letting you pick whatever flavor peaked your interest.

You took the coconut flavored pop from him, looking over his soft features as he took a bite off the top of his own. He had always bit into his popsicles, the habit sending a shiver down your spine every time you saw it. But he was cute, and that was enough for you not to question him. 

He offered you his left arm, letting you loop your own through as he led you down to the beach. “We should go see the sand castles before the competition starts, it will be less crowded.” He had already finished his popsicle as you arrived at the first of the sand structures, throwing away the stick in a nearby trashcan as you passed by.

You walked with him, pointing out what ones you liked the best. The sun hot as it beat down on the two of you. You had been under it all day with little to no cover, the red tint starting to show on both of your exposed skins. 

“Oh, Shoto. I think you’re getting burnt already. I should have bought sunscreen…” You let go of his arm, digging in your bag for something to help stop any further damage. 

“F/N, your popsicles melting.” Todoroki pointed to the half eaten treat as a drip traveled down the base of the stick.

“Oh, I’ll finish it really quick.” You leaned in to lick the melting treat, stopping as Todoroki wrapped his right hand around the entirety of it, refreezing it. You looked between the icy pop and his hand, your eyes widening in shock. “Shoto…”

“Now you can take your time with it.” He gave you a sweet smile, taking your hand in his as he guided you to the next castle. He was completely oblivious to you staring down in slight disgust at your popsicle, thinking back to all the things you could recall your boyfriend touching throughout the day. 

Before long the sun was setting, the evening fast approaching as the festival wrapped up. “We should head back to the dorm before curfew Shoto.” You tugged on his sleeve, pulling his attention from the horizon. 

He nodded in agreement, turning around. “I bought something for you earlier.” He fished around his jacket pocket, pulling out a small ceramic sandcastle. “ I wanted to say thank you for being my girlfriend. You mean alot to me and I’m happy we’ve gotten to spend six months together.” He turned the gift over in his hands, smiling before handing it to you. 

“I’m happy too Shoto, I couldn’t have asked for a better boyfriend. I love you.” You reached for the gift, unaware of the words you had just told your boyfriend for the first time. 

His grip on the ceramic loosened as his eyes widened. He fumbled with it as it slipped between his fingers. You both watched in horror as it collided with the concrete, the tip of the tallest town breaking off. He leaned down, gingerly pickup up the broken castle. “F/N, i’m sorry. I’ll go get another one, I’m sure they are still open.” Todoroki turned to leave, cradling the sand castle.

“No, I want that one.” You reached a hand out, stopping him. You took the gift from him, clutching it to your chest. “ I don’t want a new one, I like this one.” Crimson painted it’s way across the bridge of your nose as you looked at the still shocked man in front of you. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that…I understand if it’s too soon.” Your heart clenched as the regret set in. 

“I love you too.” Todoroki took a deep breath, grabbing your shoulders. “I love you too, I’ve wanted to say it for a while but I never knew when the right time was.” He pulled you into his chest, holding you and the broken sandcastle. The contact ended too soon as he pulled away, looking over you with concern. “I can go get you a new present, I have my dad’s card so you can pick anything you want.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, shaking your head. “No, I like my sand castle.”

He shrugged, wrapping an arm around your waist. If you were happy, he was too. 

—-

 You wrapped the sand castle in a layer of newspaper, wedging it between a few shirts for an added layer of safety. It had made it three years surviving in your dorm room, you would be damned if it didn’t make it to America in one piece.

Your phone buzzing suddenly in your jacket pocket, the soft vibrations pulling you away from the now nearly empty book shelves. You pulled the phone out of your pocket, Todoroki’s name flashing across the screen.

“What’s up?” You giggled into the phone. Your boyfriend hardly called, always preferring to just walk the distance down the hallway to your room if he needed to see you. 

“If this overgrown campfire doesn’t leave my room in the next five seconds I will take this whole building with me.” Todoroki whispered harshly into the phone, clearly reaching his limit of Endeavor interactions for the day.

“Is family time not going so well Sho?” You laughed, phone resting between your cheek and shoulder as you packed away the last of your books. Todoroki was to most a very calm and collected person, many of his classmates and colleagues praised him for his cool head and leveled nature. You had believed the rouse at first, but slowly he relaxed around you, letting his true nature show. 

It started with small slip ups, moments that you hardly caught. But soon enough the soft spoken, calm man you had met in the courtyard of the school had disappeared. Left in it’s wake was a scatterbrained, snarky, chaotic mess of a human that you loved with every fiber of your being. You liked that most people didn’t know about this side of Todoroki, it made the moments you shared together all the funnier. 

“Oh, I think it’s going well. He’s only asked me about when I plan on having children of my own SEVEN TIMES. If I paid a share of rent could I come to America with you?”He was half serious, the slight pain in his heart proved that. Sure he was desperate to get out of this small room with his father, but he also wasn’t ready to see you leave.

“Did you finish packing yet?” You questioned, knowing full well what the answer was.

“No, I have not.” He huffed in reply.

“Finish packing and we can talk.” You laughed at the disgruntled noises coming from the other end of your phone before hanging up.

You set the phone down on the desk, sitting up to resume packing. You looked around the room, deciding what to tear apart next. The pictures that hung around your walls seemed as good a place as any. You walked over to the cluster above your bed, eyes avoiding the mess of a closet you would soon have to deal with.

You started by carefully pulling them off the wall, setting them each on your unmade bed as you made your way around the room. Most were pictures of your friends and family, a few some silly All Might posters you had framed after forcing him to sign them on the first day of school. 

You pulled down the last frame, the pressed daisy looking just as vibrant as the day you had gotten it. It had once belonged to a bouquet years ago, but it had outlasted the rest of it’s flowery friends. Even after a month it was standing tall and beautiful in the vase. You had decided to press it that day, a reward for it’s perseverance. It was a reminder of the one and only bouquet of flowers Todoroki had successfully gotten to you in one piece, a fond memory of the first few months you had interned for your first pro hero. 

—-

You were finishing up a long patrol with Fatgum, the day coming to a close as the sun started to set behind the tall buildings. The agency building came into view as you walked up the street beside Fatgum, the tension in your back finally dissipating at the thought of getting out of your hero uniform.

You waved a goodbye to your mentor, thanking him for a wonderful day before walking into the locker room. It was silent, everyone else had gone home hours ago. You pulled open your locker, taking out your phone. It had unplugged during the night leaving you with a whopping 20% to use for the day. Instead of risking it you left it at the agency to charge for the day. Anyone who could have possibly needed you had Fatgum’s personal number, there was really no reason to worry.

You opened the now fully charged phone, eyes widening. You had almost thirty missed calls from Todoroki in the last four hours. You quickly dialed your boyfriend, shifting nervously as you waited for the line to pick up. Nothing, the line went straight to voicemail, you would try again. After almost a dozen attempts you let out a shaky sigh. He had never called you this much, what if something happened? 

You threw on your civilian clothes, shirt clearly backwards as you ran out of the locker room and down the emergency stairs, phone in hand. The receptionist caught you on the way out the door, waving you down to stop.

“Oh, H/N I have a message for you. Someone called with an address, their phone cut out before I could get their name.” She gave you a soft smile, handing you the note.

You shakily took it from her, looking over the address. “What did they sound like, was it Todoroki by chance?”

She shrugged, giving you a confused look. “Maybe, the phone was kind of distorted so it was hard to make out what they were saying. But I think the address is for the park down the street, maybe whoever called is still there?” She offered you a warm smile, sitting back down in her office chair.

You thanked her, waving a goodbye as you ran out the front door of the building and down the street. Todoroki had never been the type to call unless it was urgent. Of course the day you leave your phone at the office he calls 28 times with no voicemail. You couldn’t help but think of the worst, the anxiety building as you rounded the street.

As if on cue you felt the first raindrop, the sky opening up before you. The forecast had called for light showers, but this was anything but. You could finally see the west opening of the park coming into view, groups of people running for cover as the rain beat down.

You started scanning the people walking by, looking for familiar tufts of peppermint hair. As the crowds opened up you caught sight of vibrant red. There he was, sitting on a bench a ways down the park trail, his coat resting on his lap. 

“Shoto!” You yelled, running towards him. “Shoto!” You tried again to gain his attention, his gaze set on his shoes. “Shoto!” You tried once more, his eyes finally landing on you as you pushed through a group trying to escape the rain.

“Are you ok?” You leaned over, resting your hands on your knees as you attempted to catch what breath you had left. Peeking up from between your wet bangs you caught sight of his soft smile as he unwrapped something from his coat.

“Happy one year anniversary F/N.” He pulled out from under his coat a small bouquet of daisies and baby’s breath, untouched by the rain. 

You stood up, looking over the soaked man in disbelief. “So you’re ok? Nothing happened?”

“Why wouldn’t I be ok?” His brows knitted together in confusion, “Do you not like the flowers?” 

You let out a small laugh, covering your mouth to mask the rest bubbling up. “Shoto, you called me twenty seven times, I was scared something happened to you.” You wrapped your arms around the man, pulling him into your embrace. 

“I called you twenty seven times?” He pulled his phone out of his back pocket, clicking the power button a few times.“ That’s probably why my phone died so fast.” He pulled away from you, chuckling lightly. “I called you to see when you would be off work, I must have redialed you when I sat down… alot. When I saw my phone was dying I tried to call your office, but I cut out before I could tell her my name. I’m sorry I worried you.”

That sounded like your ditzy boyfriend, not even knowing he had given you a panic attack.

He lifted the flowers again, tilting them towards you. Water dropped off the white petals, dripping onto his hands. 

“These are beautiful Shoto, did you keep them dry with your coat?” You looked over your boyfriend, completely soaked with his coat in his hand. 

“I tried too.” He huffed, looking up to glare at the clouds. “I just wanted to finally get a single flower to you in one piece.” He reached out, running a finger over a dampened petal.

This had been his fifth attempt at getting you a bouquet of flowers, each previous attempt ending in disaster. The first time had been a simple mistake, the delicate flowers dying in the heat of his locker before he could get them to you after school. The next two had been destroyed on the way to you, falling apart in his hands when you opened your bedroom door. The fourth had been crushed by Midoriya on the bus seat, a perfect imprint of his butt set into the wrapping. And the fifth, those were eaten by Koda’s misplaced pet rabbit before they even made it out of Todoroki’s room. It was his mission to get these to you in one piece and he was ready to kill anyone or anything that threatened that.

“Thank you, this is the best gift you could have given me.” You lifted the bouquet up, the fragrant flowers tickling your nose. “Happy anniversary Sho.”

He smiled, taking your hand in his. “Since your off work now are you hungry?”

You nodded, walking with him down the park path. “Let me buy you soba for being so sweet.” You smiled to yourself, shaking your head.  Your anniversary was in fact tomorrow, but he didn’t need to know that. 

“The lady who sold those to me told me to put them in sugar water when we get back to the dorm. She said they should last longer if we do. She also told me…” Todoroki repeated the instructions given to him by the florist as he walked with you to the soba shop, happy to have finally gotten a complete bouquet of flowers safely into your hands. 

—-

You closed the top of the box, taping it shut. Your room was close to finished, most of the items already packed and ready to move to the truck waiting downstairs. You had managed to put off your closet the entire time, hoping that it would manage to pack itself. But that wasn’t the case as you looked at the disheveled mess of shirts poking out of the semi organized mass. 

You pushed a few more boxes over to the mess, saying a few prayers for whatever was inside. 

It wouldn’t take you long to fold everything and stuff it in a box, if you had listened to Shoto months ago and sorted out what you really didn’t want or need. But that took time and effort, two things you really didn’t want to waste on a closet. You had instead wasted it away on other more important matters, like video games with Denki, and shopping with Uraraka. 

You started by pulling out all the clothing, laying it out on your bed as you slowly cleared out the multicolored mess. Each bundle uncovering secrets you had forgotten yourself. Why did you have so many blank tank tops? Where did you get this Shiketsu High jacket, and why did you have three of them? When did you steal Kirishima’s UA gym shirt (his name written messily along the inside collar), did he have yours you had been missing for most of the year? And most importantly why did you have the entirety of Shoto’s hoodie collection hidden amongst your own?

You knew the answer to the last question at least, those hoodies had been given to you by your perfectly temperature regulated boyfriend every time he saw you without a jacket of your own. He insisted that it was because you were always getting sick, and to his defence the dorm common room was always freezing. But you knew he just liked seeing you in his oversized clothes. He tried to hide, oh boy did he try to hide it.  But you could see the possessive gleam in his eye when you walked out in his far too large hoodies. It was like a big sigh on display to everyone around, “Todoroki’s girlfriend”, but he wouldn’t ever tell you that. 

You fingered through the vast majority of the borrowed clothing articles, pulling everything of his aside to take to him later. Your finger stopped on the plush black fabric of one, pulling it out to look at the cracked design on the front, paint faded and worn. You had brought it back from the states one holiday. His favorite manga had a limited run set of merchandise released in the states, and it was just your luck that you had gotten the last of the hoodies he had shown you months before when you saw it in the store window. 

“I should probably give this back to him soon, I bet he hasn’t even noticed it’s missing.” You chuckled to yourself, fully pulling it out of the pile. A small piece of white paper caught your eye, the corner sticking out of the connected pocket. You pulled it out, unfolding it. It was a receipt from your favorite soba shop dating back to last weekend. You thumbed over the printed words on the front, it was your last study date together before finals. Todoroki had insisted on buying that night, demanding it really as he hid your bag. 

—-

“You bought last time Y/N, that means it’s my turn to pay.” Todoroki shook his head at you, watching you shimmy out from under your bed.

“No Shoto, you bought last time, it’s my turn. Where is my bag, you’re not paying.” You glared his way, pushing him over to check under him.

“You won’t find it, i’m going to pay and you’re going to eat what I pay for.” He was stern, rolling back over to his original seated position. 

“Fine, but we’re doing dutch from now on! You’ve abused your boyfriend privileges!” You pouted in defeat, folding your arms over your chest. You sat down next to him on the bed, pushing your shoulder into his as you attempted to scoot him over. 

Todoroki looked at you curiously, he was already confused by the use of the word dutch, but now you were aggressively rubbing against him. Did you want him to move? He leaned back on his hands, watching as your shoulder slipped off his own. 

With your leverage gone you had nowhere to go but over, into the lap of your amused boyfriend. You looked up, the confused look shifting into a smile as his eyes met yours.

“Would you like Soba?” He chirped, hand resting on your head. He was completely oblivious to you melting at his touch, unable to stay mad at the sweet boy before you. 

“Do you want soba?” you asked, it was a dumb question honstley. He ALWAYS wanted soba, it was to him a major food group at this point.

He took that as a yes, phone already in hand as he typed in the order for the food delivery. “Would you like what you always get?” He peaked down at you long enough to see your nod before turning back to his screen. He had the order for all of your favorite restaurants memeriesed, everything from how you liked it cooked to what things you always took off. He felt it was just another way to show you how much he loved you, the ability to bring you home your favorite foods when you had a rough day being something he prided himself on. 

You shifted in his lap, getting comfortable as Todoroki’s fingers tangled with your hair. His other hand finishing the order before setting his phone down on the bed. “So, what subject do you want to work on first?”

You groaned, burying your face in his lower abdomen. Todoroki’s light chuckles softly bounced your head around in his lap, his hand running down your back. “Y/N, we need to study, or do you want to fail?” He teased, earning another groan. 

“Fine, we can start with math!” You moaned into his shirt, ready to just be done with your course work. It was your last weekend in the dorms with Todoroki, and even though you wanted to spend this time in other ways, you knew this had to be done first. 

You worked for a bit, Todorki leaning over your shoulder as he worked through your more difficult problems before turning back to his own. He had gotten attached to studying with you, almost yearning for it when you were away. He loved sitting at your small table, arms pressed against each other as you both fought for surface space to do your work. He had burned into his memory the feeling of your hand grazing his as you flipped the pages of your textbook. The way you would toy with the corner of your homework, folding it over and over when you got stuck on something. Even just the light glint in your eye when you got sleepy.

He liked the fact that he could lean over your shoulder, resting his head on your own as he guided you though the problem in the privacy of your own rooms. His fingers softly danced over the exposed skin of your legs as he calculated the numbers in his head, the pads of his fingers tracing each one out as he worked. 

“Sho, are you ok?” you questioned, looking over your spacy boyfriend.

“Mmm, yeah. Just thinking about something.” He smiled, he reached for your hand. Stopping as his phone began to vibrate on the table.

You picked up the device, turning it over to see the incoming message. “Oh, the delivery driver is here. It says he’s at the front door of the building.” You watched as Todorki pushed out his chair, standing up to pull his wallet from his back pocket. “Want me to go get it?” you asked, pushing your own chair out to follow him.

“No, keep working on your papers. I’ll be fast.” He smiled, sliding the door open to the balcony. 

“Let me come downstairs with you. You’re going to need someone to buzz you back in…” You watched in horror as your boyfriend swung a leg over the balcony ledge, sitting down on the side of the brick before dropping off of it. “Shoto?” You screamed, running to look over the edge. You watched as he landed, standing back up casually to walk over to the equally shocked man holding your food. “Shoto what are you doing?” You shout down to the dumbfounded boy. 

“I’m paying for the food.” he wiggled his wallet at you, the black square barely visible from your second story balcony. He pulled out a large bill, handing it to the awestruck man before taking the bags from his hands. 

The man dug around in his change bag, handing back the remaining money wrapped in the recipe for the order. His hands shook as he dropped it into Todoroki’s free hand.

“Thank you, have a good night.” He beamed, pushing the receipt bundle into his hoodie pocket before walking back up the steps to the dormitory doors. 

The delivery man gave Todoroki a small nod, backing up a bit before looking up at you. He offered you a small wave, watching as you returned it before sprinting back to the front gates. 

Todoroki pulled on the door handle with his free hand, the door firmly locked as he jiggled it a few times. He sighed, walking back down a few steps until he could see your face from the balcony. “Y/N, would you please open the door? I think it’s locked.” 

Your eyes widened as your boyfriend disappeared again up the stairs, your head turning in disbelief. You were too confused to utter words, the definition of everything seemed to slip away as you tried to compile enough reason to justify what you had just witnessed. You walked over to your door, turning the handle slightly. “God I hope he doesn’t do this from his room…”

—-

You laughed, tucking the receipt back into your own pocket. After all the years you had spent with Todoroki he never ceased to surprise you. He was chaotic to say the least, but you loved him. 

A soft knock pulled you away from your packing, the door opening slowly as Todoroki peaked his head inside. “I’m finished packing, do you need help?” he looked over the mess of clothing laid out on your bed, “You’ve made some progress…” He smiled slightly, his tone double sided as he picked up one of his hoodies out of the pile. 

“I think most of this stuff is yours actually, I got all of my stuff packed up.” You teased, pointing to the boxes of clothing you had just finished packing. 

“And how did all these get in here?” He laughed, pulling an empty box over to the side of your bed. 

You pushed him playfully, knowing full well how you had amassed such a large pile of Todoroki’s belongings. You helped him put them in a box, packing them up for him to take back to his own room. 

“We just need to get everything into the truck…” He trailed off looking at your now completely packed up room as you tapped the last box shut. He nudged one with his foot, sliding across the floor as he fought to ignore the lump forming in his throat. 

“Help me take them down?” You questioned, tilting your head to meet his sad gaze. You hadn’t openly discussed that would happen while you were away in America, the topic lightly danced around whenever it was brought up. You knew he was worried, you were after all going away for an undetermined amount of time. Sure you were planning on coming back to Japan one day, this was your home. But finishing your schooling, taking all your hero licensing exams in the states, and getting a visa to eventually come back permanently would take time.

“Of course.” Todoroki smiled softly, trying to hide the tears brimming his eyes. “What would you like me to take?” He questioned, looked around the room.

“Anything, it all needs to go.” You giggle, watching him pick up a box close to the door. “Let me get my bag and I can follow you down.” You reached over a few stacked boxes, pulling your purse off the desk. You looped it over your neck, situating it before leaning down to pick up a box full of books. 

Todoroki leaned up against the open door, holding it for you as you maneuvered your way out with the large box. He followed behind you, walking through the empty common room and out the door. 

Everyone had mostly left earlier that morning, excited to start their lives as pro heroes. Your goodbyes had been said the night before, everyone wishing you a safe trip before retiring for the night.

Todoroki watched as you carefully walked down the stairs in front of him, your head craned to peak out from the side of the box. His eyes followed down to your bag, swaying slightly as you took each step. He squinted at the small plushie the hung from the zipper, “Y/N why do you still have that stupid thing?” Todoroki compained, stopping you as you reached the end of the stairwell. 

“What, my Endeavor keychain?” You looked over your shoulder at the felt plushie that dangled from your bag. “Because you got it for me.” You looked back at Todoroki as he passed you out the door, shaking your head.

“I wish you would let me get you something else. I hate that thing.” He grumbled that last bit, pushing the box into the back of the moving truck. 

“I like it! It was a special day…” You frown at your boyfriend as he took the box from your hands, sliding it in next to the other one. 

It was like so many other things in your room a fond reminder of yet another special moment you had shared with Todoroki. The day seeming so long ago now that you thought about it. 

—-

You had been pacing around your room for a few hours, trying to walk off the nerves that sat in your stomach. They had been there since your encounter with Todoroki early that morning, the concrete weight starting to erase whatever lingering feelings of ease you had left.

It had been a normal morning, you got up early to run. Stopped at the convenience store on your way back to campus for a snack. You studied when you got back before everyone woke up and the dorms came alive. Once everyone woke up you ate breakfast with your friends, and after went back to your room. Well tried to at least.

You were met with a frantic Todoroki outside of your dorm room, lost in thought as he toyed with his finger. He looked your way as you rounded the corner, walking towards you at a dizzying pace.

“Todoroki-kun, are you ok?” You questioned, trying your best to hold eye contact with the boy before you. It was weird enough that a boy was stationed outside your door waiting for you, let alone your bestfriend  you had been quietly crushing over all year long.

He shook his head, “No, I don’t know how to do this…” He held your gaze for a moment, turning away abruptly when he saw the confusion knitting your brows together. 

“Todoroki-kun?” You took a step towards him, reaching out.

He clasped his hands around your extended hand, closing his eyes. “Y/N, I want to ask you on a date tonight!” He yelled out, his grip tightening. Everything was silent for what seemed like an eternity, his courage wavering at the consistent sound of his heart thumping in his ear. It had taken him months to work up to ask you that, the threat of rejection bitter in the back of his mind. You had been a wonderful friend to him since you started your exchange program at UA, possibly his best friend. You understood him in a way that others just couldn’t, and he couldn’t handle losing that because of some simple infatuation. He peeled an eye open, followed by another, worried by your lack of an answer.

Your eyes widened at the sudden outburst, all thoughts leaving you but the constant echo of his question. Months, you had liked Todoroki for months. At one point you wanted to act on it, but as time went on, and your days dwindled at UA you gave up on the idea. But now, here in your grasp was your chance, the inkling of hope that maybe this was worth the risks. You hadn’t realized the length of time you had been lost in the possibilities until you saw Todoroki open his eyes, hurt slowly tinting the multi colored hues. Everything at once came flooding back, the ability to process words coming to the forefront of your frazzled brain. 

“Y-yes!” You frantically nodded, leaning closer to the shell shocked boy. “Tonight?” You added, the one word answers being just enough to convey what you needed to get across. 

“Um, the pier carnival?” He was in the same boat as you, most of his proper vocabulary seeming to leave him when he needed it most. 

You nodded again, grinning from ear to ear.

Todoroki nodded in understanding, releasing your hand. He turned to walk away without another word, his feet carrying him fast down the hallway and out of your view as if nothing had ever happened. 

You watched his hasty retreat, the blood flow coming back to your numb digits as you started to giggle like an idiot. 

Now you were dressed, impatiently waiting for the knock on your door. You wanted the night to start, whenever that was. You had realized your mistake of not asking any important questions the second you closed your dorm door. You didn’t even know what you were doing tonight, let alone what time he was going to come get you. Was he going to come get you? Was he waiting outside for you, what if he had been waiting for hours?

A soft knock sounded from the other side of your door causing you to stumble over your feet and questions. You rushed over to the door, failing to unlock it a few times before throwing it open. 

“Hi Y/N…” He gathered himself from the surprise, “Are you ready to go…” He trailed off, the calm Todoroki you knew and loved showing itself. You nodded, pulling the door closed behind you. 

“All ready!” You beamed, turning around to lock the door. You turned the lock, giving it a test turn to make sure it was indeed locked before turning back around. Your nose grazed the fabric of his jacket as you looked up at the multi-toned eyes looking down at you. You attempted to back up, pressing your back flush against the door. 

Todoroki smiled down at you, taking a step back to give you room. “You look nice, that color suits you.” He always thought you looked nice, you had a way of making anything you wore look it’s best. He usually never said anything, keeping the admirations in the back of his mind. But today seemed as good as any to finally let them out. 

“Thank you, you look…handsome.” The word rolled off your lips, your hand coming up to smooth the navy jacket that seemed to fit him in all the right places. You took his complement as a sign to let loose, the things you always wanted to say finding light between the two of you. 

Todoroki choked on his breath, his heart tugging at you acting affectionately towards him for the first time. Sure as friends you had shared in the occasional kind words, maybe even a hug of two. But the look in your eyes was pure adoration, directed only at him. 

“Are we taking the bus to the pier?” You questioned, blushing at Todoroki’s heavy gaze. 

“Oh, yes! We should hurry or we might miss it.” Todoroki grabbed your hand, pulling you down the hallway with a new sense of urgency. That would be a terrible way to start the night, missing your only way to the actual date. His hand squeezed yours as you both made your way out of the dorm and down the stairs to the campus gates, the bus turning into view as it pulled into the stop. 

You looked down at the soft hand in yours as your feet dragged behind you. You had imagined what the feeling would be like to have his in yours, the touch, the temperature, the tenderness. It was all better then you had pictured, everything heightened past anything you could have imagined. Your skin buzzed against his, your hand vibrating in his at any slight change of contact. You loved it. 

You had stepped up to the bus just before the driver closed the door, thankful that the driver had made the decision to stay for the two of you. Todoroki thanked the man before guiding you to an empty seat near the middle of the bus. He let you slide in first, a gesture you found sweet. Todoroki always liked the window seat, it gave him something to focus his constant nervous attention on. But he had something far better to distract him today. 

He settled into his seat, scooting closer to you. He relaxed his hand, attempting to slide it out of your own. You grip tightened, giving him a displeased look as you pulled his hand into your lap. He blushed at your brash response, it was unexpected to say the least. But wonderful nonetheless, the action making him feel that much more confident in the contact. 

“Have you been to the pier before?” You questioned nonchalantly, unaware of the steady thumping you were causing in his chest. 

“No, today will be my first time…” He had stated it so simply, the same sad tint to his voice every time he correlated something to his traumatic childhood. 

You knew him well enough to know what he really meant, no real need to ask further. “Me either, I’m excited to experience it with you!” You beamed, squeezing his hand in yours. 

He smiled, the corners of his lips tugging up at the thought of having this memory with you. He would never say it outloud, but he had been planning this date for a while. Every aspect of the day color coded and time organized in his brain all hopefully leading up to a perfect date. 

You chatted the rest of the ride, the conversation easing into something so naturally comfortable it felt like every other day together, just with more hand holding. He could get used to this.

The bus pulled to a stop, the both of you coming back to the world around you as the passengers filed out of the bus. Todoroki stood up, pulling your hand slightly to follow him as he made his way into the line, you in tow. 

You tightened your grip on his hand as you made your way off the bus, the crowd of people thickening as you made your way towards the ticket booth. You pushed through people behind Todoroki, small apologies spilling out of your lips as you fought to keep up with your date. 

You were at the front of the line, standing in front of the booth before you even realised you had been in the line. Todoroki pulled out his wallet to pay the teller, he exchanged a few paper notes for bright wrist bands and a few ride tokens, thanking them before pulling you over to the entrance of the park. 

“We have to put these on to enter the park, do you want help with yours?” He flipped the thin plastic, holding out the white backing for you to place your wrist on. 

You extended your arm enough for him to wrap the admissions bracelet around, his long fingers clipping the end closed. He slid a finger under the band, pulling slightly to check if it was comfortably secure. 

He wrapped his own around his wrist, closing it just as he did yours. “ Ready?” He looked up at you, a small blush creeping up his cheeks. His heart picked up again, thumping loud in his ears. With where you were standing, the sunset hit the ocean water just right. The soft oranges and pinks, tinting your features. Each one highlighted in a way that possibly made you the most beautiful he’d ever seen you, but only possibly. He had thought the same things yesterday when he saw you reading on your balcony early in the morning, the sunrise reflecting off the glass doors behind you. He would probably think the same thing tomorrow as well. 

You waved a hand in front of his face, his eyes shifting as he came back to the present. “I’m ready.” You giggled, it wasn’t everyday you saw Todoroki out of his element like this, you liked it. 

He nodded, walking with you to the workers scanning everyone into the carnival. You both raised your wrists once it was your turn, smiling at the worker as you pushed past the spinning turnstile gates.

The pier opened up to you, bright lights and stalls as far as the eye could see. Every pick up of the breeze bringing a new smell from the food vendors in the distance. You tried to pick out each one, popcorn, cotton candy, chocolate, funnel cake…they were endless as you brain rattled on. 

“What do you want to do first?” Todoroki questioned, he knew what your answer would be. He had seen the twinkle in your eye when you first caught sight of them between the fence posts. 

“Carnival games!” You beamed, looking at the rows of prize lined activities. You had loved games since you were a kid, now you had hundreds to explore for the night. 

Todoroki nodded, letting you pull him towards the stalls as your eyes scanned for one to play. Todoroki had “borrowed” his father’s card for this occasion, you had no limit to the amount of games you wanted to play tonight.

Your eyes landed on a grid of glass bottles, a worker waving you over to give the game a try. “Want to try your hand at ring toss?” She shouted, flashing a few rings in his hand. 

Todoroki handed a few coins to the woman for a play, watching as she handed you a small stack of rings. 

“If you make all five you get a big prize, three for a medium, and one for a small. Go ahead!” She stepped back, giving you a clear view of the rows of clear bottles. 

You tossed your first ring, watching as it bounced off the rim of the bottles and down to the hard concrete. The next three followed suit, landing among the other attempts on the ground. You took a deep breath before tossing the last ring, your breath hitching in your throat as it rimmed the neck of the bottle before ultimately falling to the ground. You sighed in defeat, looking at the rows of large plushies that would remain just out of your grasp. “That one was hard.” You chuckled, turning back to Todoroki. 

“We can always try other games.” He smiled, nodding his head towards the rows of games before you. 

You nodded, picking out your next target. You started out hopeful, but each one dampened your mood slightly as you wracked up lose after lose. After your tenth game you had given up hope of taking home any prize, your attention turning to the rides on the other side of the boardwalk. “How about we go ride something instead…” You gave Todoroki a soft smile, tugging him towards the bright rides. 

Todoroki pulled you the opposite way, eyes fixed on a stack of bottles before him. “Let’s win you a prize first.” He was determined now, you were getting a damned prize. He had watched you walk away from everything you wanted all night, he was going to win you something. 

He stopped at the front of the stall, handing the older man a few coins in exchange for a single ball. It was the last of his pocket money, and with no ATM in sight maybe the last chance he had to win you something to take home. 

“It’s simple enough, knock down all the pins and get the big prize, knock down atleast one and you get one of these small ones.” The man shook a brown box full off small felt hero keychains before setting it down on the counter in front of him.

Todoroki nodded, rolling the ball over in his hand. He only had one chance, so he had better make it count. He reeled his left arm back, giving off just enough added quirk power to send the ball hurling towards the stack of bottles and all the way through them. The thick bottles toppled to the ground, clinking on the concrete as they rolled to a stop at the man’s feet. 

Todoroki looked back at you, a proud smile pulling at his lips as he caught sight of the surprised look adorning your face. 

“Hey no quirks, you lost, no prize!” The man yelled at the two of you.

Todoroki whipped his head around, glaring at the man. 

“That’s unfair, where does it say we can’t use quirks?” You angrily questioned, stepping up to the counter.

The worker hastily undid his pencap scribbling something out on the paper in front of him. “Right here.” He spat, flashing you a badly written “No quirks allowed.” sign

“You just wrote that!” You yelled, leaning towards the old man. 

Todoroki placed a hand on your shoulder, pulling you back. “No it says it right up there too Y/N…” Todoroki pointed to the wall behind the man, frowning.

The man turned around, scanning for the mentioned sign.

Todoroki quickly reached over the stall, plunging his hand into the box of small prizes. He pulled out one, grabbing your hand with his other before turning to run. 

You looked between Todoroki and the disgruntled man, his cries dying behind you as Todoroki ran towards the beach, his hand firmly closed around your own. 

Once you ran far enough, the carnival noise soft in the distance he let go. Hold his chest in an attempt to catch his breath.

You leaned over, hands on your knees. “Todoroki, y-you…” You couldn’t find enough breath for the rest of your sentence, panting at the burning in your lungs. 

“He was a dick…” Todoroki airly laughed, catching your gaze as you stood up. “I don’t know what one I grabbed…” He pulled his closed hand out from behind his back, opening it to examine his prize. 

His face contorted in annoyance as he turned the rough felt Endeavor plushie over in his hands. “Lets just take it back.”

You laughed, plucking the toy from his angry grasp. “You can’t return it Shoto, you stole it.” You turned the item over in your hands, feeling over the poorly made stitching. It was perfect. 

“Have it…” He waved, giving the toy one final dirty look. 

“So what now? I don’t think we can go back to the carnival.” You laugh, clipping the plushie to the zipper of your bag. 

Todoroki looked off into the horizon, reaching for your hand. “I wouldn’t mind some soba…” His mind trailed to the soft rumbling in his stomach, yours was soon to follow. 

He started to walk down the beach, beckoning for you to follow as he started the long walk back home. 

“So does this mean I can call you my boyfriend now?” You teased, matching his pace.

“I would like that.” He smiled over at you, wrapping his arm around your neck, fingers laced together. 

—-

You handed Todoroki the last box, watching him slide it into the back of the truck before closing the door. “Was that everything?”

You nodded, taking one last look at the dorm building. “Yeah, that’s it…” 

Todoroki wrapped an arm around your neck, kissing the top of your head. It was the end of you two being kids, the rest of your lives ahead of you. For most it was a happy day, you all graduated, you were all ready to become heroes. But adulthood came with it’s own new set of problems, and for the both of you it was something you have to figure out separate from each other, at least for now. 

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared of the next step, scared that everything would be too much for the both of you. He hated to think about the fact that in less than twenty four hours you would be on a plane, in forty two you would be a whole world apart. He didn’t want to think that this would be the end for the both of you, but his mind wandered to the worst of the what ifs. 

You turned towards him, “Shoto, stop worrying so much.” You giggled, pinching his cheek. 

He still hadn’t gotten used to you reading his mind like that, even after almost three years you knew what he was thinking, sometimes better than he did. He chewed at his lip, unsure what to say.

“I love you.” You smiled, cupping his cheeks. You leaned up, softly pressing your lips against his. 

He smiled into the kiss, but you always knew what to say.

You pulled away, settling down on the heels of your feet again. “So what do you want to do for our first date as UA graduates?” You beamed, walking down the courtyard to the school gates.

“I was thinking soba.” He called, picking up his pace to reach you. 

No one knew what would happen while you were away, if you two would even stay together. But he knew that whatever happened, wherever the two of you were. He would always love you. And if things got tough, or he really missed you. Well the open ended plane tickets in his back pocket would fix that.