#I lost it when the explosion was heart shaped

[just-mythyk]

watched promare last night. the kiss wasn't gay but the everything else sure was!

[small-z24]

One-Shot: Shadows of Destiny

Summary:

Amidst the turmoil of a heated argument, an explosion forces Y/N to protect Azriel, resulting in both of them being injured. As Y/N tends to Azriel's unconscious form, the mating bond snaps into place, revealing their deep connection. When Azriel awakens, he must confront his feelings and the bond that has been hidden for years. Together, they face their newfound reality, united by a love that can withstand any challenge.

Word Count: 1118

Warnings: This story includes scenes of violence and injury, emotional distress, and themes of fear and guilt. There are mentions of medical procedures and some explicit language. If any of these topics are triggering for you, please read with caution.

The training room echoed with the clash of steel and the heavy breathing of the two combatants. Azriel and Y/N had been sparring for hours, their frustration and emotions fueling every strike and parry. The tension between them had been building for weeks, and tonight it had finally reached its breaking point.

"You're holding back!" Y/N shouted, her voice trembling with anger as she swung her blade at Azriel.

He deflected the blow with ease, his expression hard. "I'm not going to hurt you, Y/N."

"I don't need your protection, Azriel!" she snapped, stepping back to catch her breath. "I need you to treat me like an equal."

Azriel's jaw tightened as he lowered his sword. "You are my equal, but that doesn't mean I want to see you hurt."

Y/N’s eyes flashed with fury. "You don’t get it, do you? You never do! I’m not some fragile thing that needs to be coddled. I’m a warrior, just like you!"

Azriel’s shadows swirled around him, mirroring his agitation. "I know you’re strong, Y/N. But I can’t just turn off my feelings for you. I care about you too much."

"Care?" Y/N scoffed, tears of frustration welling in her eyes. "You think this is about care? It’s about respect. If you can’t respect me as a warrior, then what’s the point?"

Azriel took a step closer, his eyes burning with intensity. "I respect you more than anyone else. But watching you get hurt... it tears me apart."

Y/N’s breath hitched, her heart pounding in her chest. "Why? Why does it matter so much to you?"

Before Azriel could respond, a sudden explosion rocked the training room. The walls shook, and debris rained down around them. Y/N’s eyes widened in horror as she saw a large piece of the ceiling break free, heading straight for Azriel.

Without thinking, she lunged forward, pushing him out of the way. The debris struck her instead, knocking her to the ground. Azriel scrambled to her side, his shadows wrapping around them both protectively.

"Y/N!" he cried, his voice filled with panic.

She groaned, pain shooting through her body. "I'm fine," she managed to say, her voice weak. "Just... get us out of here."

Azriel scooped her up in his arms, his heart pounding with fear and guilt. He carried her out of the training room, his shadows helping to clear a path through the rubble. Once they were safe, he laid her down gently, his hands trembling.

"Stay with me, Y/N," he whispered, his voice breaking.

She nodded weakly, her vision blurring. "Azriel..."

As she lost consciousness, Azriel’s heart shattered. He had failed to protect her, failed to keep her safe. The guilt and fear consumed him as he held her close, his shadows wrapping around them both in a protective cocoon.

Y/N awoke in the healing quarters of the House of Wind, her body aching but her mind sharp. She tried to sit up, but a gentle hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Easy," Majda, the healer, said softly. "You’ve been through a lot."

"Azriel," Y/N gasped, her heart racing. "Where is he?"

Majda’s expression turned somber. "He’s alive, but he’s in bad shape. He shielded you from the worst of the explosion. He hasn’t woken up yet."

Y/N’s heart clenched with fear and guilt. She had pushed him out of the way, but he had still been injured protecting her. "I need to see him."

Majda nodded, helping her to her feet. "He’s in the next room. But you need to rest too, Y/N. You’re still recovering."

Y/N nodded, but her focus was on Azriel. She moved to the next room, her heart breaking at the sight of him lying unconscious, his body covered in bandages. She approached his bedside, tears streaming down her face.

"I’m so sorry, Azriel," she whispered, taking his hand in hers. "I should have been more careful."

As she touched him, a sudden warmth spread through her, and she gasped as the mating bond snapped into place. It was an overwhelming sensation, a connection that went beyond anything she had ever felt. She knew, in that moment, that Azriel was her mate.

"Azriel," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Please wake up. I need you."

Days passed, and Y/N stayed by Azriel’s side, her heart aching with the knowledge of their bond. She spoke to him, telling him stories and sharing her feelings, hoping that her voice would reach him.

Finally, one evening, Azriel stirred. His eyes fluttered open, and he looked around, disoriented. When his gaze landed on Y/N, a wave of relief washed over him.

"Y/N," he croaked, his voice weak.

She leaned forward, tears of joy streaming down her face. "I’m here, Azriel. I’m right here."

He reached out, his hand trembling as he cupped her cheek. "I thought I lost you."

She shook her head, her heart overflowing with love. "You saved me. You always save me."

Azriel took a deep breath, his eyes filled with emotion. "Y/N, there’s something I need to tell you."

She nodded, her heart pounding. "I know. I felt it too."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You did?"

She smiled, her tears falling freely. "Yes. The bond... it snapped into place when I touched you. I know you’re my mate, Azriel."

Relief and joy filled his eyes as he pulled her into a gentle embrace. "I’ve known for a while," he admitted, his voice trembling. "But I was afraid. Afraid of what it would mean for us."

She held him close, her heart bursting with love. "We’re in this together, Azriel. Always."

Their lips met in a desperate, passionate kiss, the weight of their words and the bond between them igniting a fire that had been smoldering for too long. They poured all their frustration, love, and longing into that kiss, finally allowing themselves to embrace the bond that had been waiting for them.

When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads remained pressed together, their breaths mingling. Azriel’s shadows wrapped around them both, a protective cocoon that shielded them from the world.

"I love you, Y/N," Azriel whispered, his voice filled with reverence.

"I love you too, Azriel," she replied, her heart full and whole.

In that moment, they knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together, united by the bond that had finally snapped into place. Their love, forged in the heat of argument and tempered by their shared strength, was unbreakable. And as they stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, they knew they had found their true home in each other.

[jovialmoonprincess]

AU: Journey to Redemption (Part 5)

The Storm Within

Coriolanus Snow x Fem!reader 

First Part. / The Winter Ball / Champagne Problems / Frost and Thorns / The Storm Within

Summary: Y/N, a young idealist in Panem, dreams of making a difference in a post-war society. As the winner of the prestigious Plinth Prize is about to be announced, a mysterious woman unveils a grim fate for Coriolanus Snow, Y/N's nemesis. Offered a chance to alter destiny, Y/N must navigate her conflicting emotions and intervene in pivotal moments to prevent Snow's descent into darkness. The story unfolds against the backdrop of complex relationships, past connections, and the challenges of a changing world, as Y/N grapples with the responsibility of shaping an unexpected destiny and challenging the very fabric of fate.

Warning(s): None, enemy to lovers, back in time, destiny, Snow being in love, Snow being Snow, possible grammar and spelling mistakes

A/N: I'm on Wattpad now too, click here to read and vote there: WATTPAD

Y/N was furious; each accelerated beat of her heart echoed her indignation. The news of betting on tributes, Arachne being beheaded on camera, the snakebites on Clemensia, and the final blow was the information that they had bombed the arena with Coriolanus inside. Determined to confront Coriolanus, she relentlessly sought him, even reaching the boy's apartment, a place she had never visited before.

The boy opened the door with wet hair, his chest still exposed with bandages. Y/N couldn't help but notice, especially because Snow was much taller than her. His hair dripped, and droplets ran down his torso. She couldn't help but notice his imposing height and the sight of his wet body. That only made her angrier because, despite everything, he still exerted some kind of attraction over her.

"I've been looking for you," Y/N exclaimed, her voice laden with anger.

"I just came back from the hospital, I'm alive," Coriolanus spoke as if everything were under control, trying to maintain composure but failing to completely hide his anxiety. "I'm getting ready to see Lucy Gray shortly. If you could excuse me…" He was about to close the door when Y/N stopped him, entering his apartment.

Without hesitation, Y/N lunged at Coriolanus, her weak blows against his chest unable to affect the boy but revealing the intensity of her frustration. His warm skin matched Y/N's fury.

"You idiot!" Tears glistened in her eyes. "I can't believe you have the nerve to tell me this! Arachne is dead, Clemensia is poisoned, and when I saw the explosion live, I thought the worst had happened. And you dare to keep thinking about the games? You have no soul?" She was furious with the boy. "Why do you still participate in this?" Y/N demanded, her voice laden with disappointment.

Coriolanus laughed in denial, spitting out words full of resentment. "Y/N, I'm not Sejanus, okay? I know you wanted me to be, and I would too, but I'm not. Arachne is dead, Clemensia is poisoned, and Lucy Gray… well, that's another horrible story. I doubt she'll make it to the Games, and maybe it's even better."

"I don't want you to be like him, Coriolanus. In fact, I don't know why you have this fixation on the boy. He's lost, he's afraid just like you."

"If you came here to talk about him, Y/N, you can leave." He pointed to the door.

"You need to get over this one-sided rivalry with him, Coriolanus."

"Sejanus usurped my position, inheritance, clothes, food, and the privilege due to a Snow. Now he's trying to take my apartment, my place at the University, my own future, and had the audacity to resent his luck in getting the best tribute. I even believe he wants to date you." This thought he had never shared with anyone. It was very intimate.

Y/N was astounded, shocked by the information spilled by the boy. Despite having the height and appearance of a man, he had feelings as petty and low as a child.

"Corio, I know you've never shared this with anyone. But these thoughts and this anxiety don't suit you. I won't judge how you feel, but I want to reassure you that these feelings are unfounded. You need to think better, calmly. About what is real or not."

"Stop with the therapy, Y/N. You're making me feel like garbage." The boy tried in every way to avoid the girl's gaze.

"Maybe because you're acting like a jerk."

"You just assaulted me, came to my house to hit me, and you're still offending me with words. I could call the police." My God, this boy was 10 years old.

"Darling, I used all my strength, and you didn't even feel it." He laughed for a moment, but soon his serious demeanor returned. "If I wanted something with Sejanus, I would have had it already. Also, because I'm single." She spoke sincerely, showing her hand with no ring. "But I don't like him that way." The girl approached him.

"Don't go, I don't know what to do for you not to go." She felt a tightness in her chest, and tears returned to illuminate her eyes. "You can't win the Games, Coriolanus. You can't."

He was afraid, didn't know who he could trust. He could have been stung if Clemensia had written the proposal in his place, and if Lucy Gray hadn't come back to help, he would have died in the arena fire. He hid his head in his hands, confused, angry, and, more than anything, afraid. Afraid of Dr. Gaul. Afraid of the Capitol. Afraid of everything. If the people who should protect him played so easily with his life, how was it possible to survive? Not by trusting them, that was for sure. And if you couldn't trust them, who could you trust? Impossible to know.

"Don't you see, Y/N? Lucy Gray saved my life, and I need to help her win. She needs me. My family needs me. This is an opportunity for us, a chance to get out of this difficult life. I can't ignore that." For the first time, real emotions appeared on Coriolanus's face, as if he were, indeed, fearing the consequences of his actions.

Coriolanus ran his hand through his blond hair, frustrated. "I can't change the system alone. But maybe, if I'm in there, close to the power, I can make a difference. I can change things."

"Promise me that when you win the games, you'll protect Sejanus. Please. Promise me."

The boy was confused; what did Sejanus have to do with the story?

"It seems like you're sure I'm going to win the games," he said irritably. "Because you're so concerned about Sejanus? Doesn't my life matter?" It was never about him, Coryo.

"The problem, Coryo, is that you were the only person who appeared in all the visions, alive, well. Not Sejanus, not me, not even Lucy Gray. It was never about Sejanus, it was about you. I don't want you to become someone despicable." Y/N thought.

"I trust in your ability to survive; you're a Snow above all else. Sejanus is your friend; there has never been a reason to worry about him. Don't think of him as your rival; think of him as a loyal friend." Y/N was so close to the boy she could smell the roses and mint from his toothpaste. "I don't want to lose you, Coryo." She rested her forehead against his. "It's not about Sejanus; it's about you. It has always been about you." Her lips touched his. This kiss was more urgent, like a last kiss. It seemed that both would waste time if they stopped to breathe. Coryo's large hands guided the kiss, and their bodies pressed together as if struggling to be in the same place. Y/N placed her hands on the boy's bare chest and could feel his heart beating at an impossible speed. She didn't want to stop the kiss, didn't want to leave, didn't want to let him go. She wanted to keep him there forever. With her.

Coryo gradually guided Y/N to the sofa, lying on top of her. The kiss was more than just a meeting of lips; it was a fusion of souls, a desperate search for comfort amid the chaos. He didn't intend to do anything beyond the kiss, but he wanted more and more. The girl messed up Coryo's hair with her fingers and made sounds of approval during the kiss. It was as if the two of them fit together like two pieces in a puzzle.

Y/N's body was on fire. Coryo didn't even remember there was a war outside. He could only think about how small and defenseless the girl seemed in his arms, completely surrendered to him.

"You're mine," he whispered in her ear, making her whole body shiver.

"Come back to me, Coryo. Fight, struggle, but in the end, come back to me."

With another kiss, Coriolanus silenced Y/N, and after a few seconds, they separated. Y/N returned to her apartment, hoping that her words and the heat of the moment had touched Coriolanus, prompting a profound reflection on his actions and choices.

_____________________________

Just wanted to drop a quick note to say a massive thank you for all the love, likes and comments on my story. <3

THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE CHAPTER

Taglist: @shari-berri @h-l-vlovesvintage @tea-bobba @daenerysqueenofhearts @commanderfreethatdust @glxzillx

TAGLIST AND REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!!!!

[mirai-e-jump]

Animedia July 2023 Issue Erica Murakami x Yuzuki Hirakawa Interview (Translation below)

(Page 136)

"The Beautiful and Strong Kings have Arrived"

"We'll dig deep into their relationship" "Anatomy Practice"

In order to protect the peace of Chikyu, from the five king heroes of "Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger" who fight alongside insect shaped mechanical life forms called "Shugods", comes Murakami-san, who plays the role of Queen Hymeno of Ishabana, and Hirakawa-san, who plays the role of Rita of the Kingdom of Gokkan. The two actors, who play heroes named after insects, report in as researchers on the "OO part" of each other that they have come to see through filming. Furthermore, they also talked about their character's strength and other highlights of the story.

(Page 137)

Discovered by Erica ⭐ Yuzuki's Anatomy Keywords

"Describe Yuzuki in one word…" FULL POWER BOY

Yuzuyan (Hirakawa) plays Rita, who is an immovable character, but she herself is full of energy like a boy! A person who is full of energy and never ceases to smile even at the shooting site. It also keeps me in high spirits. (-Murakami)

"The cute part is…" Making a happy face when eating sweets

When her favorite foods are served on the set, such as sweets and catered boxed lunches, Yuzuyan gets very happy! "Alright! I love these sweets! Oh man, what do I do!" I really love these moments when she doesn't hide her emotions. (-Murakami)

"The OO that only I know is…" Quick at learning the way! Can sing really well!

Toei's studio is quite spacious. I tend to get lost, but she guides me saying, "this way." She is the youngest of the "King-Ohger" members, but she is so mature that I don't believe she's the youngest! The other day we went to karaoke together, which I really enjoyed, but Yuzuyan sang so well that I thought I couldn't sing with her! It's a singing voice I want to listen to forever…💛 (-Murakami)

"The fascinating part is…" The gap between roles and a strong heart!

Isn't it fascinating to have a gap between a character role and the person themself? Rita doesn't talk much, so I really like the gap between them and Yuzuyan, who does talk a lot. Then, even on the most difficult shoots, I see her always trying her best as if saying "I won't be defeated by anything!." I feel the strength of her heart. (-Murakami)

"The surprising part is…" I don't do well with loud noises! Miss Scared

Yuzuyan is a tough, firm and dependable person…but is actually a real scaredy-cat. When there was an explosion shot being filmed right in front of her, she said, "What should I do?! Maybe I should I wear earplugs?" It was so cute! It seems that she doesn't like sudden loud sounds and lights. (-Murakami)

Discovered by Yuzuki ⭐ Erica's Anatomy Keywords

"Describe Erica in one word…" PRINCESS

Her reactions have always been cute, and her very existence is that of a princess! But it's not just about being that she's cute, like a queen, her words and actions are that of nobility. But, I would'nt say she's "selfish" like Hymeno! (-Hirakawa)

"The cute part is…" Feeling "fluffy" when I get sleepy

When we are shooting after lunch or late into the night, Marie (Murakami) goes into a state of mindlessness. When I say, "hey, hey" her response is sometimes delayed by about two tempos. Her spirit sometimes…goes somewhere (lol). (-Hirakawa)

"The OO that only I know is…" You're so brave and cool.

Marie is often thought of as girly, but in fact, she is actually quite courageous. For example, she is very quick to make holiday plans, and when she decides, "Tomorrow I'll do this and that!" she is able to act accordingly and not get distracted. If she were my boyfriend, she would definitely be the type to pull me along! (-Hirakawa)

"The fascinating part is…" I will put my all into everything

She says, "I have no experience in acting," but Marie faces what she's weak at with a straight face. She also always takes care of her health and physical condition, such as bringing her own packed lunch. Because this is a job where we are seen by other people, we try to manage our body shapes for filming. I want to learn from her professional attitude!! (-Hirakawa)

"The surprising part is…" She's a little clumsy

She often forgets things, and often returns to the dressing room right after leaving. She often stumbles over things in empty spaces. She has a firm, mature image, but she is still cute in that kind of way! (-Hirakawa)

(Page 138)

Hymeno and Rita, two people who seem like opposites but are quite similar

"Please tell each other what you like about the character the other is playing."

Murakami: As a judge, Rita's diplomatic approach to pursue the truth when they have doubts is admirable. I envy you for being able to look at things calmly like Rita.

Hirakawa: Hymeno is fashionable and girlishly cute.

Murakami: ahaha (lol)

Hirakawa: The "Queen" is a noble and scary figure, so it's easy to feel defensive, but the way she fights and the strength of her will to protect her people are cool. I also like the occasional moments when Hymeno shows that she is a true to life girl, and it's fun to watch her emotions change over and over again.

Murakami: Suddenly angry, then laughing.

Hirakawa: That's the kind of girl you can't let go.

"Hymeno and Rita, currently they haven't engaged much in the show, but what are your thoughts on their relationship?"

Murakami: Actually, there will be a story about the two of them in the future, but it's not yet at the stage where it is currently being aired.

Hirakawa: Right (lol)

Murakami: In the beginning, Hymeno was a lot more involved with Yanma, but in the future, she'll have relationships with other people, including Rita. When I read the script, among the other members, I felt that Hymeno has a strong sense of trust in Rita.

Hirakawa: Although People tend to think of them as polar opposites, they share the same desire of "protecting the peace of the people."

Murakami: I think they're both close enough to each other that they could talk to each other back to back without saying a single word. Both Hymeno and Rita have the personalities to sense each other's moods.

Hirakawa: It's true, we may not need many words to understand each other.

"We've also learnt that the animated play "Together with Moffun" was a common point"

Murakami: The Ishabana animation "Moffun" will be explored more in depth in the future…please look forward to it!

"I thought it was typical of Rita to say that spoilers are absolutely NG (No Good)."

Murakami: Because they talk passionately about "Moffun"

Hirakawa: Given the amount of work Rita has to do, I think it's the only thing they find both enjoyable and comforting. That's why they are so passionate about it.

"Please tell us what each of your personal favorite episodes are."

Murakami: I really liked the performance that comes out of Taisei-kun's "Let's do it!" tension scenes. In episode 4, I loved the expression on his face when he eats a raw daikon radish, and in episode 11 when Taisei-kun (Gira) was goofing around while everyone is making a strategy plan was the best.

Hirakawa: The "Archaic Smile" he made at the time was extreme!

Murakami: The way you paraphrased it, that explains it all perfectly!

Hirakawa: I was impressed with episode 12, in which we see the relationship between the additional warrior, Jeramie, and the King-Ohger members. The reaction of the five kings to Jeramie felt fresh. I felt like something new was born during that episodes filming, and I couldn't wait to see the finished product.

"Please tell us about episodes that opened on the boys' side where you found the scenes most memorable"

Murakami: It's the scene in episode 3 with Yanma, who still admires Hymeno, and Gira asks, "Don't tell me, are you in love (with Hymeno)?" When asked about it, I really liked how the president (Yanma) replied, "It's not like that!." I liked his shyness and how unaccustomed he is around girls, it was an unexpected performance.

Hirakawa: For me, it's the scene in episode 5 when Gira's trial took place. Rita's feelings were not that they patronized Gira, but when they looked straight into Gira's eyes, they were made to believe "he's a beloved character who can't be left alone."

"Finally, would you please give a message to our readers"

Murakami: The story develops very quickly, so first off, I would like you to follow along every week without missing a single episode! There will be more in depth stories about the characters in the future, so please look back at the past episodes and enjoy the story that will continue to unfold.

Hirakawa: With the introdction of Jeramie, the story is progressing at a rapid pace, but there is actually various foreshadowing scattered among the broadcasted episodes so far. Someone said something, or an action of a character who was not present in the scene…I hope you will pay attention to these details, as they will play a part in the future development of the story.

[introvertllux]

Chrono Heart (Future Trunks X Black!OC)

*I DO NOT OWN/CLAIM TO OWN ANYTHING IN RELATION TO DBZ. I ONLY CLAIM THE ORIGINAL STORY IDEA AND BLACK!OC IN THIS STORY!*

Chapter 1: The Relic and the Reawakening

The remnants of Dr. Gero’s lab were a graveyard of twisted metal and shattered dreams, a monument to the hubris of a man who played god with circuits and steel. Hidden beneath this forsaken ruin, a capsule hissed open, and from its depths, a figure emerged—Axa. With skin like polished ebony, eyes that shimmered with the golden light of a thousand captured stars, and hair that cascaded down in an untamed torrent, she was a sight to behold—beauty crafted by ambition, innocence shaped by design.

:readmore:

She stood, hesitantly, in the dim light of her metallic tomb, a stark contrast to the vividness of her form. Her limbs moved with an elegance that was almost haunting, yet her expression held the innocence of a child looking out upon the world for the first time.

Unbidden, Axa's body propelled her through the labyrinth of the city, every calculation in her head leading her to an encounter she did not understand. It was as if an invisible hand guided her to a serene park, where the familiar silhouette of Android 18 stood, lost in the simplicity of feeding ducks at the pond—a moment of peace in a life so often marked by conflict.

Axa’s presence cast a shadow over the tranquility, and 18 turned, her eyes widening in shock and recognition. "Axa? Is it really you?" she gasped, the breadcrumbs slipping from her fingers.

Their reunion was explosive—a symphony of fists and flashes of shared history. As they sparred, 18, amidst parries and takedowns, called out to the essence of the girl she once knew.

"Remember when we sparred with 16 in the orchard, the cherry blossoms falling around us like snow?" she grunted, dodging a swift punch. "Or the time we snuck into the city, 17 dared us to ride the rollercoaster and you laughed until you cried?"

Each word struck Axa deeper than any physical blow could, unlocking the sealed doors of her memory. "And that night, the four of us lay in the grass, making shapes out of stars, dreaming of freedom," 18 continued, her voice laced with nostalgia, even as she blocked a kick. "But then you were gone. Gero said you were defective, but you were just... you were just Axa. You were just a little girl, and I... we, I should have done something."

Tears spilled from Axa's eyes, liquid diamonds trailing down her face, an alien sensation that stopped her cold. Her hands came up to her face, fingers trembling as she touched the moisture with wonder. "What... what is this?" she whispered, her voice breaking.

"It's crying, Axa," 18 replied with a bittersweet chuckle, the fight draining from her. "It happens when you're sad... or happy... or even when you laugh so hard, you can't stop. It means you're alive."

Axa's golden gaze, now dulled by confusion and sorrow, met 18's. "I don't... I don't understand," she said, a lost child wrapped in the shell of a machine.

"I know," 18 said, stepping forward to wrap an arm around her. "I forgot to search for you when I found my own life. But now I’m here, and I'll help you. Let me show you the life I've built. You’ll fit right in. Krillin, my husband, Marron, our daughter—they'll love you."

The promise of a family warmed something inside Axa, a spark of belonging that she didn't know she needed.

_____________________________________________________________

The scene shifted to the familial home, where the spark was met with a torrent of fear and misunderstanding.

The home that once held warmth and laughter was now a battlefield of words and emotions. The cozy living room, with its family photos and children's drawings, became the arena. Krillin's face was flushed with a mix of protective fear and incandescent rage. "18, how in the world could you think this was okay? Bringing her into our home without even a word to me?" His voice shook the very foundations of their sanctuary, a volume reserved for life-and-death battles, not familial disputes.

"You're not getting it, Krillin!" 18 shot back, her own voice a force to be reckoned with. "You think I can't see danger? I know danger. I've been danger. But she—" 18 jabbed a finger towards Axa, "—is just lost. We owe her this!"

Marron, with the blissful ignorance of childhood, had wandered over to Axa, offering a small stuffed dinosaur with a smile. "Do you wanna play with Mr. Dino?" she had asked, her voice a sing-song note in the dissonant symphony of the adults' conflict.

Krillin's eyes darted from Marron to Axa, and with a speed that betrayed his martial prowess, he scooped Marron into his arms. "Marron, sweetie, why don't you go play in your room, okay?" His words were gentle with his daughter, but when his gaze swung back to Axa, they were steel blades. "Stay away from her," he snapped at Axa. "We don't know you, what you're capable of—what if you're programmed to…to…"

His words trailed off, but the accusation hung heavily in the air, an invisible smog choking the room. Axa, who stood like a statue wrought from onyx, felt each word strike her. Her hands, which moments ago had explored the texture of the child's toy, now hung limply at her sides. The shine in her golden eyes dulled, a gloss of pain over the brightness.

"Krillin," 18's voice cracked like a whip, her anger transforming into something fierce and protective. "Listen to yourself! She’s not a threat! How can you judge her like this?"

The silence that followed was suffocating. Axa's soft, disbelieving sobs were the only sound, a heartbreaking melody that seemed to wrap around the room. She blinked rapidly, her human-like innocence clashing with her android perfection as she attempted to process the whirlwind of rejection and anger.

"I… I don't want to be a problem," Axa stammered out, her voice a mere whisper but slicing through the tension. "I didn't mean to cause trouble. I'm sorry."

Krillin, his face softening for a moment at Axa's words, struggled with the turmoil inside him. His duty to protect his family warring with the empathy he had learned from his wife. "18, I…," he started, but the words tangled, a mess of emotion and duty.

"No," 18 interrupted, her eyes glistening with unshed tears of frustration. "No, Krillin. She's not just some android. She's Axa. Remember that. She's not the past; she’s someone who needs us now."

In the quiet that followed, the trio stood, the balance of their world shifted, as they each considered the weight of what it meant to be family, to be human, or something akin to it. Axa, still caught in the eye of the storm, dared to hope for a harbor in this tempest—a place where she could anchor her heart.

The turmoil in the room reached a crescendo, a tidal wave of emotion that crashed over Axa with overwhelming force. As Krillin and Android 18's argument continued, Axa's mind began to fracture under the strain. She clutched at her temples, her golden eyes flickering erratically as memories—long suppressed—surged to the surface.

She was small again, diminutive and human, watching through the bars of a crib as giants in white coats and stern faces argued loudly above her. The cacophony of their voices was terrifying, a discordant symphony that crescendoed into an unbearable din. Words like "potential" and "failure" were thrown back and forth, volleying over her head like some high-stakes game she could not comprehend.

Her breath hitched, a robotic mimicry of a panic attack, and her body began to seize up. Her limbs locked in place, and the glow in her eyes sputtered like a dying star. "System… overload…" she managed to gasp out before collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut, her form going limp and unresponsive on the floor.

"18, we need to do something!" Krillin's voice was now tinged with fear for Axa, the protective instinct he felt for all living beings—especially those under his roof—kicking in.

18 knelt beside Axa, her fingers hovering over the android's inert body. Her heart, though not flesh and blood, ached with a mix of fear and protectiveness. "Dammit," she cursed softly, her usual composure fraying at the edges.

Krillin ran a hand through his hair, his eyes darting from his wife to the still figure on the floor. "Maybe… we should take her to see Bulma. She's dealt with… this kind of thing before."

Android 18's eyes narrowed at the suggestion. "Bulma has a good heart, but she's got that scientist's curiosity. She'll want to dissect every part of Axa's programming," she said, her voice a growl of resistance. "And Vegeta…" she trailed off, a scowl creasing her features at the thought of the Saiyan prince's unpredictable nature.

Krillin nodded slowly, understanding his wife's concerns. "We don't have to tell everyone, just Bulma. She'll know what to do," he insisted, his tone imploring. "Vegeta won't lay a finger on her—I'll deal with him if I have to."

The two locked eyes, a silent conversation passing between them. It was a gamble, but Axa needed help that they couldn't give. With a heavy heart, 18 agreed. "Fine. But we're not leaving her side. Not for a second."

Carefully, they gathered Axa's motionless form, her weight a testament to the gravity of their situation. Together, they stepped into the cool evening air, the weight of Axa's fate a heavy shroud upon their shoulders as they made their way to Capsule Corporation, and into the uncertain future that awaited them.

______________________________________________________________

More on Axa (Pronounced: Axe-e-ah or Ahh-x-ah)

*Apologies for inconsistent art styles. I utilized Art breeder. Unfortunately I don't see many resources to help create black!Ocs in consistent styles and diverse poses out there. If you know of any please let me know! As you continue reading the story imagine her in the DBZ art style. Thank you!*

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Taglist!

@thejadetrios @shytothemaxx @variousfandom @konekomews @physicallyherementallysomewhere @ikittybakugou345 @jasxnoamii @enderempresss16 @elliethewitch @carzychameleon @feitanii @hollownight @dragonloverdrawer @moonlight445sblog @yelan-butterpeatea @ringsofpersonti @weeb-boy261 @jkr820 @somehowexist @scrumptiouss007 @emajohn40 @justicetheghost @thirstyhoebutbetteryehsjsg @rasaberrygray @etherialblackrose @random-insomnia15 @deviousmunchkin @galaxys-stuff @bluehibiscusgarden @kunoichis-world @x-bakudeku-x @spectoralstrudel @i-wanna-fuck-monsters @interobanginyourmom @twdhtgawm @kkeidawrites

[paradisins]

some playlists i’ve curated

lotus in bloom: homemade ice cream, wet grass, the sun is out, big dreams, familiarity, learning handshakes, a walk in the gardens, bright colors, hopscotch games, the radio is blasting, growing, picking tangerines, the aroma of baked cinnamon rolls, seashells, blushed faces, taking it day by day

i could stare at ur back all day: tracing the birthmark on your lover’s arm, scattered flower petals, sharing laughs and lollipops, comparing hand sizes, no one else in the world exists, holding on, pink skies, timeless, beauty, reciting poetry, fulfilled promises, pure sweetness, feeling whole

the motherland: golden lanterns, loving, a sunny afternoon, grammar books, cut-up slices of fruits, rivers, open arms, nostalgia, pine trees, belonging, people-watching, first encounters, train rides, playing chess

andromeda: nothing is quite real, the moon on your mind, cold wind, small voices, a mystery, the world is heavy, distractions, a fire, long white dress, spinning, torn sheet music, illusions, apologetic yet brilliant, swords, closed eyes, floating, you are reborn

braking softly: sparkling waters, peace, beautiful innocence, a matcha iced coffee, dried flowers, longing, butterflies, intertwined fingers, a lover’s hair tie, you just turned nineteen, the calm wind, the windows are down, writing in diaries, blowing kisses, bakeries

on some strange angel’s porch: staring into space, surrendering into your own loneliness, why can’t i cry? just let it all out?, home is nowhere on earth, lamp lights, dreading silence, a ghost, poison, everything is enough, the winged nike of samothrace, falling away, decaying

closing distance: a soft kiss on the chest, touching skin, desire, sweet perfume lingers, empty wine bottles, warm breath, whispers, candlelit flames, honey, nurturing, cherishing, a little bit lightheaded, love in one place, stained lipstick

i feel like running: green neon lights, 24 hour motels, pulling up at the mcdonald’s drive-thru at 3am, empty streets, searching, deserted valleys, chaos, a serpent, it was so cold but it’s burning, melancholic, lost memories, echoes, fast cars, faded wounds

backseat luvrs: hands clasped, milk chocolates, the sudden tingling feeling in your stomach when you make eye contact, nicknames, everything is in the shape of a heart, first love, illuminated, letting them in your heart, candied cherries, confessions in letters, endless gazes, the world stops

i’m over it (she’s not): puffy eyes, fragile, sick of trying, holding hope, breaking, explosion, broken fragments of your heart, pouring november rain, emptiness, ruins, infinitely wondering “why”, sorrow and anger, betrayal, gone

i was not ready: another heartbreak, darkness, eating dinner alone once again, words left unsaid, old dreams, bad timing, empty fields, running mascara, a hurt that lasts, feeling selfish, the person they once were, a stranger, the end

one jop this time: a kpop playlist full of my personalised top-tier bangers

ヽ( >∀< ☆ )ノ: kpop again but just the girlies!!!

yumeji’s theme: inspired by wong kar wai’s in the mood for love

love you for 10,000 years: inspired by wong kar wai’s chungking express

[iloveaustinelvisandmannymore]

A king's true love.

Pairing: Austin!Elvis x chubby reader

Summary: You were a maid, plain and simple, as your mother before you and your grandmother before her, you never dreamed about possibly catching the King's eye but it was already decided for you. The king wanted you as a concubine and his next queen.

Warning: Yandere/possessive Elvis, insecure reader, Bullying, Mean & Cruel Linda, Fat shaming, Crying, Smut (Of course ;).) Branding, Spanking, Biting, Heavy Breeding kink! Dirty talk, Public sex, Voyeurism, Pussy slapping, Praise, Choking, Creampies (Got to have that), Lost of virginity, Attempted murder, Murder, Love confessions.

Today started like every day for the past 15 years, you got up with the rest of the royal female staff, readied yourself for a hard day of working, making sure your uniforms were to perfection, and set to work. Normally you clean around the castle, fortunately enough for the royal physician you're passing by just when he needed someone to get herbs from the Garden, and here you were picking up herbs. Different shades of the color pink, violet, and blue herbs lay in your wooden basket, the sun shined brightly in the sky highlighting, the healthy grass and all the sort of flowers in a way even the gods would be envious of its heavenly glow.

You continued to pick up the plants when you heard a hiccup alike laughter and voices overlapping, the laugh was alluring like that of a siren, you searched for the source, and it came from the shape of your king, you had heard of the God-like Beauty of the king from giggling maidens. His eyes mesmerising with such happiness, his raven hair somewhat a lighter black in the Sunshine, and his smile, radiant like the sun and heavens above. Your heart stopped beating once his blue orbs set on yours, his smile wiped clean, and an unreadable look across his face.

You took that as a clue to departure. You sighed in relief, your heart returned to its rhythmic beating as you kneeled and grabbed a wet rag from the bucket of water. Your thoughts continued to circle around the king, you had heard the tales of his bewitching charm and his enchanting beauty but just as he was beautiful he was poisoning, his anger told to be destructive, explosive, and deadly. Was he gonna have you executed? For simply looking at him? You were..bigger than most of the women in the Palace, was he so disgusted by you, to just erase your existence? "I can hear your thinking from here." a light melodic voice spoke out, looking up you noticed Genevieve looking at you, a tiny smile on her rose pink pump lips, To say Genevieve was beautiful was an understatement, her body made men look twice, her long blonde hair, shiny and silk-like yellow silk, her green eyes like emeralds, it was hard to believe she was a maid, and not a far away princess. "O-Oh, yeah I was thinking about he-herbs that I got for the royal physician, that's why I was late. I have a hard time saying no." you smile back, Genevieve opened up her mouth to reply but decides against it as the sound of wicked laughter of the Queen's ladies in waiting sounded though out the halls and the click of heels on the expensive marble, you felt dread as the Queens heels stopped in front of you.

"Well, what do we have here? a piggy and a swan maid?" she snarled making her ladies laugh behind her "You missed a spot Miss Piggy." she pointed to an already clean sport and stepped on your hand, it took everything in you not to groan out in pain, she then used your hand as a stepping continue on her way. You hold your hand to your chest and watched her walk away, you breathed out and clean, ignoring Genevieve staring, later that day you had the physician bandage your bloody hand. The next day you awoke with some pain, but tolerable.

You were lacing your hair up into a bun when the head maid asked you to follow her, her crop whip in her old left hand, her natural scowl on her wrinkled, tired face. With each step, an intense sense of Doom made itself home in your very gut, neither of you spoke a word until you stopped at a door, tall, grand with white and golden engravings, and two unmoving, stoic guards stand on each side, They began to door the double door as the head maid finally spoke up "The king will see you now." her usual dead voice held an edge as she lightly flicked her whip, testing, daring you to go against the king will and his possible punishment, a secret desire to run away weaved itself in your mind but with your better judgment you did as you were told. The only sound left in the room after the guards shut the door was the scratching of the quill pen against the parchment paper, the king had yet to look at you, and the otherwise silence didn't help the race of thoughts, what had you done to offend your kingdom's beloved ruler? And what was to be your punishment? Was it to be harsh or worse? At least the king looked up, his blue orbs a dark electric, his pink plump lips stretched in a thin line, he pushed his hair back, some that landed in his face from looking down before he clasped his hands together in front of him and his elbows on the desk of his large study, his angelic eyes look you up and down with an unreadable emotion, if you didn't felt nervous before you surely did now. "You'll now be my personal maid, ya will follow me around, cleanin' after me, doin' errands for me and other things. You start today," he said standing up and walking to the door "Breakfast is probably done by now." he spoke, walking out the door once the guards opened the door, you following close behind.

Like he said wherever he went, so did you. Envious stares and whispered insults, from other maids, the ladies in waiting, and even the Queen herself, she, of course, had no promote insulting you to your face, behind the king, Elvis's— he has you call him— back. You couldn't bring yourself to care most of the time, you thought it would be tough since your first and second meeting with Elvis wasn't the best, he always made you feel comfortable around him, and he talked to you like you were his equal instead of below him and he made you laugh, he made you...happy. You could bear the consequences of being close to Elvis, you've come to love the man, even though it was forbidden and wrong, and you just didn't care. you awoke to cold glares like it has been for two weeks now and made your way to the King and the Queen's Chamber, one of your duties where to wake up the royal couple but luckily for you, you only had to wake up Elvis since the Queen and her ladies decided to take a bonding trip.

The room was dark with only a shred of light coming from the curtains of the large glorious window, a annoyed groan left Elvis, turning to his other side as you thrusted the curtains open, letting the sunlight brighten the magnificent room. "Elvis, your Majesty. It's time to wake up," you spoke softly walking to him and yanking off the blanket of his body, his chest was bare and his pants laid low on his hips, "Your majesty, get up." you gently shake up wake, his hand shot up, grasped your wrist and pulled you onto the king size bed, his legs straddled your hips and his hands pined your wrists down above your head"Don't wanna." he said simply, his lips laid claim to your neck, sucking and nibbling. "M-My king—" "Elvis." "Elvis what are you doing?" you stuttered "Taking what's mine," he growled bagen to kisses down your collarbone, you swallowed down a moan, this is wrong, you knew this was wrong, he was married, and of royal blood, you weren't even a noble. His hands knead your breasts, pulling, biting and sucking at your nipples lightly, with one hand he held your wrist, and the other travels along your bigger body, mapping out your dips and carves like a sculpture tracing their masterpiece with adoration, your breath hitched and your heart skipped a beat as his hand stopped at your stomach, squeezing it, he gave your nipple a harsh suck then pulled away, a string of saliva followed before it snapped and his cyan orbs looked dazed. "So perfect." he slurred drunk on desire, he squeezed your stomach again "So perfect to carry and to protect, to provide for my heirs." His eyes darken at the thought of his little maid waddling around carrying his heirs, his children. Elvis couldn't take it anymore he need you like he need the very air to breathe, his fingers raced down to your cunt, checking if you were wet, and lord you were soaking, all ready to take your king's erection. "You're mine now. Do you understand, little maid?" he said, the hand that held your wrists now holding your cheeks, he looked at you expectingly "Y-yes!" you gasped as the head of his cock breached your core "Yes what?" he growled his hand wrapped around your neck, sheathing himself within you completely with one thrust "Yes my king!" you moaned, eyes falling closed from the feeling of your king's cock rubbing along your virgin walls with slow and shallow thrusts, letting you get accustomed his size.

"Look at me when I'm fucking you." Elvis hissed his thrusting speed up, delivering a quick slap to your clit making your eyes snap open for the painful yet pleasurable sensation "M-More." you begged, bucking your hips "Please fuck me harder, i-i can take it." "Goddamn vixen." he groaned, the large bed banged against the walls as he mercilessly pounded you, Deep, chest-rumbling growls left the man as his hand tighten around your neck, his eyes watching as your body jiggled from his rough fucking "You're fuckin' mine. anyone tries to take you, I'll kill them!" he groaned, throwing your legs on his shoulder, reaching a deeper angle, a deep that made your eyes roll back, a deep that his tip hit your cervix, driving you crazy with feverish ecstasy "Aw is my little maid getting cockdrunk?" he asked with that sexy signature smirk, you nodded dumbly barely registering his words. Elvis chuckled before letting out a moan, your pussy clenching as his thrusting became erotic "I gon' breed ya! Got a nice big load to fill your womb and you gonna give me a baby, isn't that right?" he panted, your coil snapped at his words and the overwhelming feels "Fuck!" you cried out "Please cum my king!" you begged "GODDAMN!!" he shouted as he fulfilled his promise.

You both pant as you came down from your highs, eyes gazing into each other with affection, with a groan, Elvis slowly pulled out and cuddled your plushy body closer to him, and in no time you fall asleep. You later woke up from a loud knock on the door, jolting up at the voice of the head maid, "Wake up!" you whisper shouted, shaking Elvis "What?! What's wrong?" he said sitting up "My king?" the elder maid called out "Oh, " he sighed before replying to her and putting on his Royal clothes "Today you won't follow me around, I have some things to do alone. If I need you I'll spend a guard" he kisses you softly and with that left you sitting in his bed as he performed his duties. You in the first in a while, clean around the Castle, judgmental and hateful stares followed your every movement. An hour in a guard came and led you to one of the many guestrooms, the doors closed behind you as you stepped in the room, and the head maid stood farther inside, head bowed "Come and sit child." her voice was surprisingly soft and gesturing towards a beautiful vanity, you hesitated for a second but needless sat down in front of the mirror, expensive perfume, makeup and a brush laid across the vanity, the elder maid picked up the brush, and started to fix your hair "From now on you can call Mildred dear" she said "The king has decided to make you his concubine and has ordered me to get you ready for your ceremony." she spoke up again and walked over to the large bed, picking up a hop golden shaped headpiece, cherry blossoms, pink leaves, and hanging pink pearls sat on it "His what?" you asked shocked looking at her through the mirror as she styled your hair with the elegant headpiece "His concubine, get up now" she backed you to follow to the bed were a beautiful glittery pink dress that of your size.

You took a deep breath in, hands gripping the skirt of your tailored dress, waiting for your clue. A different set of emotions raced inside you, shock, confusion, and..love.happiness "My lady!" Mildred hissed, catching your attention just as the guards begin to open the double doors of the throne room. You gulped as you walked to Elvis's throne, the palace staff's eyes pin to your back, and whispers filled the room, tugging at your ear but none reached you as your eyes solely focus on Elvis. He sat on his gold, black, and white throne, legs spread, his elbow on the armrest, trancing his lip while his other arm just rested on the armrest, and his eyes looking back at you with powerful intensely "My king." you kneeled before him and bowed your head, a pleased hum let him, as he stood up and looked to a blacksmith that stands beside a large golden bowl that held fire and a metal rod, the blacksmith looked back and nodded like he read the kings mind, sat the metal rod in the fire and then pulled out in a minute, you finally got to see was on the end; Elvis's name in fine cursive, the metal a bright glowing red as the blacksmith passed it to Elvis "Are you ready?" he asked you softly "Yes, I am." you smile at him and took in a sharp breath, Elvis noded, and pushes the burning rod on the skin of your collarbone, sharp shooting pain was all that you could feel, the pain had you gasped for air and clenched your fists, after want seemed like forever for you was only seconds. Elvis handed the rod back to the smith, helped you up, and smiled softly at you before addressing the crowd, declaring your new status and your now worth.

That night, Elvis spread a healing herb onto the brand, cooling the pain as you both sat on your bed in your new room, a candle lighting up the room, giving it a warm glow and a kiss goodnight later, you had fallen asleep in your lover's arms once again. It was a month when the queen came back, a month since you had become his concubine a month since the bullying got worst. Even though you were of higher status now that didn't stop the maids from leaving notes, and destroying the gifts Elvis would give you, despite Mildred, with who you had become close, who had become a second mother to you, pressuring you to tell the king, but you refused to bother him. It only worsened when the queen and her ladies come back, the Queen heard that Elvis had an official concubine she wasn't happy and to find out it was you, someone, of zero noble status well you could see the rage-filled plans behind that perfected fake smile. As a concubine, you had other duties besides bringing pleasure to the king like making appearances with the queen which was more of a game of how to torture you than getting along and getting to know each other.

Today Mildred helped you get ready for breakfast, she dressed you into a light blue dress that hadn't been destroyed yet and matching jewelry. She along with a guard that was assigned for your safety walked you to the large dining room, Elvis and the queen had already sat down, and plates of different kinds of food were placed on the 50-long tables in front of the three of you "Good morning your highness's" you bowed before sitting down on the left side of Elvis, the said king sat at the end of the table and the queen, Linda sat on his right "Please call me Linda my dear." Linda smiled with fake kindness as she always did in front of Elvis "Of course." you replied, "Good morning darlin'." Elvis looked at you lovingly a hint of lust as he took in your attire, one thing about the dress you adored it showcased your cleavage and he had no shame looking right there, the animalistic glint in his eyes made a growing patch of slick-filled your panties, even after all the time he had taken you he easily can make you burn with desire, Elvis without taking his eyes off you he snapped his fingers and pointed to the plates around him, quickly a maid grab them and put them on a cart "Come here pretty girl." he becked you over and you happily followed his order, once you stood before him, he put his hands on your hips as he laid kisses on the top of your breasts "Can't wait to have them filled with milk." he purred. You let out a yelp as he turned you and bend you over the table, flapping your dresses skirt on your back, letting him see your underwater "Alright wet for me pretty girl?" he teased and licked a stripe up your clothed pussy, tasting your slick through your soaked underwear before sliding them off you "Dont worry pretty girl, I'll get you nice and pregnant." he spoke softly as he pulled down his pants and underwear, his cock hard, and twitching to be inside you "Please..please my king, breed me." you begged as you look behind you, eyes looking into his with want, Elvis cursed as he slammed into you forcing out a cry from the hard thrust, you suddenly become aware of the several eyes that watched your show but you couldn't bring yourself to care as the table wobbled and shook, the plates and glasses clanged from Elvis hard thrusting, your cries and moans filled the room, your eyes looked up, catching Linda glaring at you with a chilling coldness "Fuck!" you mewled, a sharp slap to your swollen lips and clit brought you back to the mindblowing pleasure, the only thing you could think about, was his cock, and feeling his dick hitting all the right places with experience ease.

You weren't gonna last long and from the king's frantic pounding he wasn't either, with a loud moan Elvis painted your womb creamy white, and you follow soon after, softly moaning as he pulled out, his semen dripping out of you. After pulling your underwear back up, and straightening out your attire and hair, you began to eat like nothing had happened and ignored the stares. You still had to visit with the Queen when you all finished with breakfast while Elvis attended to his kingly duties. When both you and Linda had finished, and said your farewells to the king, the time of your visit with her, she was quiet, and if she said anything it was in four words or less, a coldness surround her, and you were afraid not once had she made fun of you, not once called you names, you feared what was going on in her head.

Turns out, you had every right to.

The bed was warm and inviting to your exhausted body, your love lay beside you on the side he claimed on your personal bed. Your brows frowned as a new weight sat on your body "Wake up little piggy." a women's voice hissed, your eyes shoot open as you felt a sharp point on your chest and your scream muffled "There is she, the home wrecker." Linda growled, pressing the shining dagger more onto your chest, causing a small trail of blood to leak "I don't get why he got so obsessed over a fat maid when he was me! I leave for a vacation and he makes you a concubine! You! But I have been too tolerant this ends now!" she shrieked, rising the dagger, your eyes shut close, you let out muffed wails, and waiting for your cruel end but it never came, a sudden grunt and a sound of bodies hitting the floor, metal clang against the marble, a struggle and finally a scream before it got silent, you look to the noise and the image of Elvis stabbing Linda over and over again with enraged flames in his eyes, blood splattered everywhere, blood covering Elvis's hands and coating the floor. Elvis leaned back panting after he finished his murderous rampage, a breathless laugh left him before he stood and stepped over her lifeless corpse "Ya alright?" he asked worriedly, his bloody hands holding your cheeks "I'm fine." you said shakily, his thumb caressed the apple of your cheeks, spreading the blood more, you weren't scared well not of your king but what could've been your every last breath, you felt safe with him.

"No one will ever hurt you again. Ever."

Taglist: @plasticfantasticl0ver, @crash-and-cure, @flwersgarden, @kendralavon7, @devils-blackrose, @littleemo477, @18lkpeters, @chasingwildflower,@reddie-freddie, @olliewhinchester, @emmymaehereeeeee,@poindexstar123, @kenzi-woycehoski,@cruel-winter-nights, @c-rosenn, @cilla-mads, @prompted-wordsmith, @kxnnxy @godesslaura @lillypink @fallinlovewithurlove, @redangel123 @respectmyprivacys-blog,@j-lize, @wolywolymoley, @dkayfixates, @austinbutlersblog, @atheartbreakhotels, @idkwhatimdoingherehonestlyy, @pennyroyalcreep, @mnssasstuff, @galaxygirl453.

[mauesartetc]

Thoughts on Helluva Boss 206 ("Oops")

Holy shit, is this episode... kind of okay? It still has issues and weird quirks that hold it back from being truly good, but I'd say this is one of the better Season 2 entries. At least it's good enough that I have a sufficiently-sized, dedicated "pros" list again. Let's get into it.

Pros:

-FINALLY, we have an mlm couple worth rooting for in this show. Fuck that Stolitz bullshit; Fizz and Ozzie are where it's at. ("Fozzie"? Yeah, that works.)

They're actually kind and caring with each other, they're playful and know how to laugh together, and they treat each other like equals rather than one partner fetishizing and sexually harassing the other. Hell, Ozzie even tends to Fizz's wounds at the end of the episode, and it's powerful to see a high-ranking demon in this society show tenderness and concern for a lowly imp. In a previous post, I expressed my doubts that Fizz and Ozzie's relationship would be any good, but I'm glad to report I was wrong.

-I liked seeing a glimpse of what one of these characters outside of the IMP team does for a day job. Approving designs at the dildo factory? Ehh, it's a livin'. (Though this once again begs the question of why demons live in a capitalistic society nearly identical to that of the US in the human world. Why do they need money to reinforce the social hierarchy when the larger, more powerful demons have special abilities and can just crush the smaller ones like bugs?)

-The heart-shaped flames in Ozzie's fireplace were a nice touch.

And they actually referenced Asmodeus' traditional fire-breathing ability at the end. Neat!

-Oh wow, one of the characters is finally floating the idea of Blitzo using an Asmodean crystal for transportation instead of the grimoire! THANK you!

And at the episode's close, Fizz permits Ozzie to give Blitzo a crystal, meaning he won't be dependent on Stolas anymore. Possible plot progression? How will this affect Stolas and Blitzo's relationship in the future? Would they still be in each other's lives even when the book isn't a factor? I hesitate to get my hopes too high due to the worrying possibility of Blitzo's crystal getting lost or damaged and forcing him to use the book again (though as to why he can't just steal a crystal and use that, I haven't the faintest idea). But I'm cautiously optimistic.

-I liked Stolas getting a chance to show some brain power in helping Ozzie negotiate the contract. This also gave us a nice tidbit of worldbuilding that states any contract signed by one of the Seven Sins is eternally binding. Is this foreshadowing? Will this information come up again in the story? Probably not, but it's fun to dream.

-It was interesting to see Blitzo, Fizz, and Striker have a conversation about each of their relationships with Hell's upper class, though it had potential to be SO much deeper and more authentic (which I'll get into momentarily).

-This is where I learned the white bits on Blitzo and Fizz's skin are actually burns. I always thought Fizz was wearing face paint and Blitzo had some form of vitiligo or something, but the reason he's burned on that side of his face is that it's where the explosion hit him. And Fizz's entire face is white for the same reason, except for his nose, since he was wearing a fake clown nose at the time. It's nice that they kept those details consistent in the flashback.

-Look, I know it's a low bar for most shows, but I appreciated how the story actually gave Blitzo a chance to apologize and redeem himself at the climax rather than making Fizz just forgive him apropos of nothing.

-Oh hey, one of Blitzo's relationships has actually progressed. He and Fizz, after hating each other for years, have made amends. I really hope this friendship doesn't revert to what it was before, like Blitzo and Moxxie's relationship did. But I don't think that'll be the case since Fizz isn't the story's designated whipping boy.

-It was nice how Fizz and Ozzie's respective interactions with Blitzo and Stolas helped them grow and change. I mean, Ozzie still isn't comfortable with anyone outside the palace having definitive knowledge about his romance with Fizz, but baby steps, y'know?

Cons:

-So Crimson's aware he just showed his face to an extremely high-ranking demon, right? He comments that Ozzie is the "weakest" of the Seven Sins, but he's still goddamn royalty, and Crimson is an imp. What's stopping him from sending someone to wipe out Crimson's entire gang after getting Fizz back, or doing it himself like it's implied he did with the lawyer? Crim really couldn't have disguised his voice and stayed in the shadows? Rookie mistake.

Come to think of it, Striker was in that video too, and it never occurred to Stolas, "Oh shit, that's the guy who almost killed me"? Again I have to ask, why isn't Stolas sending people after him? He's a prince, after all, and canonically commands multiple legions of demons. Why the fuck are you allowing this guy to run free, dude?

-I was kinda looking forward to seeing Crimson again, but his reintroduction would have been much more emotionally powerful if it involved getting revenge on Moxxie, which is what the ending of Exes and Oohs implied he now wants. And I know I've said before how going too many episodes without a mention of Striker diminished his menace, but did he have to show up just two episodes after his last appearance?

In general, Oops feels like it has too many returning "guest stars", if that makes sense. Fizz, Ozzie, Crimson, Striker... that's a lot to pack into one episode. Maybe instead of Crimson and Striker, we could have a new villain holding Blitzo and Fizz hostage.

-Speaking of the villains, MAN are they shoveling handfuls of Stupid Pills into their mouths. When Fizz sings his little distraction musical number, they just stand and watch instead of, oh, I don't know, trying to capture him?! Like damn, Crimson and Striker used to be credible threats. This is just embarrassing.

-Also, I know they need to keep Fizz alive until the ransom money comes through, but what reason do they have not to immediately waste Blitzo? Striker hates him for thwarting his assassination of Stolas, and Crimson hates him for crashing his son's arranged wedding. Are they trying to get Stolas to cough up some dough as well? Because that's a pretty major plot development that the script should have made clear to the audience. Basically, the only reasons Blitzo lived through this ordeal are that he has main character plot armor and the villains are being uncharacteristically dumb.

-As expected, in Stolas' subsequent appearance following Western Energy, he's out of the hospital. But I didn't predict he'd be completely recovered from his wounds. Seriously, not even a limp.

Stolas getting hurt was a consequence that impacted absolutely nothing outside of that episode. Are we going to see any scars later on, or perhaps Stolas getting uncomfortable at the sight of knives? Because of how wildly inconsistent this show's continuity can be, I'm guessing no. (And since we don't know how long it normally takes for demons to heal from angelic weapon-inflicted injuries, it doesn't help us get any sense of how much time has passed in the story.)

-Actually, if a royal fucking an imp is such a taboo in this world, why did Ozzie agree to meet with Stolas at all, let alone act so hospitable toward him? If Ozzie's so concerned about his own image regarding imps, wouldn't allowing a known imp-canoodler into his home raise a few eyebrows? More importantly, why in the actual hell does he have a giant, sexy painting of him and Fizz on display in his office where anyone can see it?

And that brings up another question: Why is Ozzie's relationship with an imp being covered in the tabloids, but Stolas' relationship isn't? You might think, "Well, he's a lower-ranked noble, so it's not as newsworthy" but if that's the case, why was there a crowd of reporters snappin' pics when he arrived at the hospital?

"Well y'see it's not really the imp-fucking that's frowned upon; it's the imp romance!" Then why did everyone at Ozzie's club make such a huge stink about Stolas coming there with an imp? The club is located in the Lust ring, where romance is seen as disgusting, so we can safely presume the vast majority of the couples at that club are just fucking. It would be bad form to take someone you're openly romantically involved with to a Lust ring establishment (lookin' at you, Moxxie). Therefore, the patrons and Ozzie himself had every reason to presume Stolas and Blitzo were having sex, and just happened to be right. (Also, if nobles fucking imps were actually no big deal in this world, Stella probably wouldn't have an issue with it either.)

The worldbuilding's an inconsistent mess, is what I'm saying. And Beelzebub's relationship with a hellhound is also strangely unaddressed, making that episode feel even less connected to canon than it already did.

-Man, Stolas is kinda oversharing here, isn't he. It'd be fine if a character who's already been established to let their mouth wander were doing this, but Stolas hasn't previously shown any signs of that.

He reveals he has feelings for Blitzo, to the ruler of a ring whose culture frowns on romance. And... he just expects him to be cool with that, for some reason. At this point he doesn't have solid proof that Ozzie is in love with Fizz; those are just rumors. So this is an extreme lack of tact he's displaying. Also, Ozzie ain't your therapist, dude. And as far as we know they're just acquaintances, not close friends. He could have just skipped to requesting the favor; Ozzie didn't need to know his reasons. Sure, tell him if he asks, but he didn't ask. Or maybe just hint at Stolas' feelings through subtext: His expressions, body language, and all the words he can't say. Visual medium, people.

-For that matter, why is this seemingly the first thing on Stolas' mind right now? "Oh, y'know, I'm going through a very messy divorce and my wife sent a hit man to kill me, and he's still on the loose, probably killing other people as we speak, but can you do this wittle favor for my fuckbuddy, pwease?" We could have just had a quick scene outside Ozzie's office where Stolas communicates with one of his lieutenants regarding updates on the search for Striker. And the reason he's not searching with them? He's still recovering from his injuries. Give him a wheelchair, a cane, a cast, just something to show he's not physically up to it yet. Without this information, where in the actual fuck are his priorities.

-"I know your demons are some of the only ones who can traverse freely and legally." Y'know... This is Hell... Why is legality even an issue in this setting? I think I touched on this for Exes and Oohs, which revealed the existence of Hell Jail. But why is there a Hell Jail? Why are there (presumably) Hell Cops? How does any of this make sense in an environment that thrives on chaos and discord? Oh, and Hell Lawyers are apparently a thing too, because of course. This is why you don't want to build your fantasy world with too many elements that exist in the real one unless you have airtight logic for it.

-When Ozzie tells Stolas Fizz hates Blitzo, his response is, "He does?" The fuck do you mean, Stolas. You were at the club. You witnessed Fizz point out Blitzo in an effort to humiliate him, call him a "total disgrace", and refer to his love life as a "pile of shit". You should already know he hates him. Sure, Stolas doesn't know why yet, but this is why you need editors to cut the parts of your dialogue that don't make any sense.

-I'm not sure what this show's actual stance on the ultra-wealthy is. Fizz tells Blitzo, "Sounds like you just hate him for being a prince", as if princes are a group that's commonly discriminated against-? Sure, a person has no control over being born into extreme wealth and privilege, but they can control how they use it. And when they don't use it to make society better for everyone (opting instead to hoard all the resources for themselves), that will naturally breed resentment in the lower classes.

Another odd thing I noticed about this conversation: You know that one rule in the Bechdel-Wallace test that states a work of fiction's female characters must talk about something other than a man in order for that work to pass? This instance makes me think we need a similar media test regarding class, because here we have three lower-class characters talking only about rich people. Not the societal systems and personal histories that led them to rely so much on rich folks just to get by, but about the rich folks themselves. Hell, Blitzo even says "Royal demons don't give a shit about guys like us", clearly more concerned about wealthy people's opinion of him than the untenable situation their complacence and wealth-hoarding has caused for countless imps. In this scene, the "haves" are very much at the center of the have-nots' universe, and it puts me in mind of a male writer who assumes the only things women discuss with each other are their relationships with men.

Now let's talk about Striker. Time and time again the show has painted him as unreasonable for hating royals, and while his methods are extreme, there's probably a rational explanation for why he holds the views he does (at least if he's being written in a thoughtful, realistic way, which is a MAJOR stretch for this show. But for the sake of this discussion, let's say he hypothetically is). The average imp in this world would have good reason to hold a vague dislike for the royals, but hatred? Passionate hatred? That comes from a deep, personal place. At least one "blue blood" must have done something unforgivable to Striker specifically, and I wish the show would properly explore his motivations. Maybe drop some hints about his backstory once in a while, perhaps in this very conversation? Because this show's villains are really hurtin' for some nuance, and Striker's the one with the most potential for it.

It feels like the writers were trying to say something about real-world issues here, but the message got muddled. Part of it seems to be "don't make broad generalizations about people", which... Okay, nice thought, but if Stolas isn't using his power to improve life for all imps, not just Blitzo, Blitzo has no reason to believe his affection is genuine. For all he knows, imps are still just a fetish to Stolas, and he's only acting nice to keep him around. His love, to Blitzo's mind, is entirely conditional, and until he sees evidence that nobles contribute anything of substance to society, he's not wrong in thinking they don't care and "They're all the fuckin' same". Maybe he'll change his mind if Stolas calls off their deal and offers to hang out with no sex and no strings attached. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

-Also, this was an unintentionally-hilarious gem:

CRIMSON: Hey, hick-for-hire! I said watch 'em, not fuck 'em!

STRIKER: (Immediately leaves)

Great watchin' there, bud. And Crimson is smiling despite Striker going against his orders-? I mentioned in the Exes and Oohs review that there was a disconnect between Crimson's dialogue and what was actually being shown on screen. Old habits die hard, I guess.

-"Everlastingly binding", Stolas? You can't just say "eternally binding", which has the same meaning and would flow more naturally? Under normal circumstances this would feel like a nitpick, but Stolas' phrasing was weird in Western Energy too. He told Blitzo he was "stolen" when "kidnapped" would have been more fitting, seeing as he's a person, not an object. (Hell, he could've just said "spirited away" if they wanted to be fancy with it.) This is a character who's supposed to be well-read, being written by someone who thinks this is how bookish people talk. An abundance of syllables doesn't equal eloquence.

-So if we take a closer look at what Blitzo is holding in the flashback, we see he has a flower and an envelope sealed with a heart sticker, with "For Fizz's eyes only" written on it. This implies he was about to confess his love for Fizz. And in Fizz's flashback, we see Blitzo's dad handing him a card that says "Wish You Were My Son", which I guess is what upset Blitzo and made him storm off, causing the fire.

But those important details are very "blink-and-you'll-miss-it". I didn't catch the card at first, so Blitzo's angry reaction left me very confused. It looked like he saw Fizz being happy on his birthday and just left in tears for no reason. Yes, a good show trusts the audience to piece things together themselves, but we shouldn't have to pause the episode and play it back to see if we missed some crucial element that flashed on screen for two seconds.

-Also, like... Why does romance need to be a part of it. These two have known each other and worked closely together since they were kids, so isn't that kind of like Blitzo having a crush on who was essentially a brother figure? I don't know, it just felt shoehorned in, like Blitzo needs some kind of flirtation or dalliance (or good ol' sexual harassment in Moxxie's case) with every single man in his life except his dad.

-I'm getting tired of these flashbacks dialing the angst and trauma levels up to 11. "This kid was horribly burned... ON HIS BIRTHDAY!" "This kid's best friend was horribly burned... AND HE LOST HIS MOM!" For fuck's sake, it's like these writers are brainstorming what the grimmest possible outcome could be in a given situation, and using that to ostensibly wring some tears out of the audience. Here's the thing, though: We never knew Blitzo's mom. We never saw what her personality was like or what their relationship was like, therefore we can't get nearly as sad as the writers want us to be when she dies.

Think back to past animated stories that did this right. You know why the deaths of Bambi's mom, Littlefoot's mom, and Mufasa were all so heartbreaking? Because we got to know them. We saw how joyful they were in life. How strong, how wise. So it stung all the more deeply when we knew what their children lost.

Blitzo's mom isn't even a character, really. She's a prop the writers are using to exploit the audience's emotions, which is even more unfortunate when you realize that's what Moxxie's mom was, too.

So let's say you're a writer and you want a character to feel guilty about a horrible accident they caused, so horrible that it almost killed their best friend. Okay... It almost killed their best friend. That should be more than enough to make anyone feel guilty, right? Well apparently the Spindle crew felt the need to heap even more guilt onto Blitzo by making that accident also kill his mom. Why wasn't Fizz enough? Why did yet another nameless female character have to lose her life? If Blitzo needed something to distract him from Fizz's pleas for help, you'd think trying to put out the massive fire would suffice, but apparently not. It's all just so forced and manipulative.

-"You're all I had left, Fizz." Wow, so Barb's just chopped liver, huh? Jesus, Blitzo. No wonder she hates you.

-This drawing of Striker's face foreshortens his snout way too much, making it look a lot shorter than it really is.

And for those who haven't seen the episode, this is a held frame, not an inbetween or smear or anything like that, so there's really no excuse for it to look like this. Let's try to suggest more length and structure in the snout, and eliminate the tangents in his smile while we're at it.

I know drawing characters with long snouts can be tricky in a front view like this, but that's what turnaround sheets are for.

-What's ironic about the song "Look at This" is that it's a perfect analogy for how this show uses slick, flashy animation to distract its audience from the amateurish writing. Just an observation.

-Fizz goes on WAY too long about how big Ozzie's dick is. Yeah, great, we get it. Move on, show.

-"Why is it always a sex thing?!" I'm with Striker on this one. Almost every queer male character on this show is preoccupied with sex to an unreasonable degree. I mean Fizz is boinking the actual embodiment of lust and has had sex robots made of himself, so the horniness kinda makes sense for his character, but Blitzo? Stolas? Even Moxxie had his moment where he said "Harder..." to Striker, though that was just to get his guard down. Still, though. It's excessive, guys. It's tired. Come up with some new material.

-FIZZ: You blew me up again, you fuckin' prick!

BLITZO: I did. But this time I stuck around.

Ehh, feels like those lines would have been much stronger if Fizz said them both. Here it sounds like Blitzo's just defending himself, as if he saved Fizz not out of the goodness of his heart, but because he wanted to score brownie points with him. Just feels a little manipulative of him, and out of sync with the more genuine moments the episode showed us earlier. Maybe something more like this:

FIZZ: You blew me up again, you fuckin' prick! (Blitzo looks down, ashamed. But then Fizz realizes something.) But... I'm glad you stuck around this time. (He smiles and hugs Blitzo.)

Allowing Fizz to come to that conclusion on his own is so much more powerful than Blitzo spoon-feeding it to him. Oh, and by the way...

-"Would it fuck up the moment if we made out right now?" Yeah, Blitzo. Yeah it would. Much like how this show can't allow an emotional scene to breathe without making a joke. It's not quite as bad as the tone whiplash with Crimson's wall dildos, but it does spoil the moment a bit.

Overall, not the worst Helluva Boss episode. Not the best, but not the worst. I fully expect the next one to be pointless filler that doesn't advance the story, though, so I might skip it. The problem is, this show's quality boomerangs from bad to okay to bad again in the span of a few episodes. One episode might get my hopes up, the next might dash them, and then there's this morbid curiosity in wondering if the next one might be the one that I finally love. I wanted to like this show so badly (gotta support that indie animation and all), but dear God, this writing.

It's still possible the series could evolve into something great, but my patience in waiting for that is very nearly worn out. Maybe (and that's a GIGANTIC maybe) I'll stick it out to the end of the season, but if the finale sucks, I'm done. Anyway, I need a palate cleanse, so here's more Fizz and Ozzie to end this on a positive note.

[gold-rhine]

anyway, fontaine world quests spoilers, but since Elynas is now my favorite sweet child, here is a little summary\speculations in case ppl mb did not catch some details from the quests and about abyss lore:

Elynas is the monster from the Abyss, some kind of dragon or a serpent. He is gigantic and Elynas island basically formed around him.

He existed in "cosmic cold", i.e. Abyss, until "Mother" summoned him and his "siblings". We know from the logs of fontaine fleet which was following "great beast Elynas" that he appeared during the cataclysm 500 years ago. As we know, Rhinedottir was known to open portals to Abyss that let abyss monsters in, so logically, Elynas was one of these, and "Mother" is most likely Rhinedottir and siblings are other monsters summoned.

Like other Rhine's creation, Durin, Elynas was actually very good natured and didn't wish to harm anyone, but apparently his abyssal origin made him see the world differently and the actions he thought were harmless, were in fact destructive to this world. Spoilers for "Book of Esoteric knowledge", in the domain at the end of this quest we learn that Melusines see places corrupted by abyss not as ruined, but as a beautiful garden and abyssal rifthounds as friendly puppies. And in fact, after we fight rifthound here, it also turns into a friendly dog, hinting that ALL abyss monsters are well-natured, but there is some kind of warp going on that shifts their perspective\actions when they enter Teyvat into being destructive, while they see it completely differently.

after some time, Elynas realized that he was in fact, damaging the world around him, which saddened him greatly and he intentionally sought death to stop suffering of others. He was killed most likely by the fontaine fleet that followed him which i mentioned before, but its not stated directly. He died, but his consciousness still lingered and he is basically aware of his body and whats going on around.

After his death, he didn't rot, but calcified, and apparently many factions, including abyss order, Narzissenkreuz Institute and "spirit of primordial waters" (oceanid? hydro dragon?) explored his body and were collecting his blood and flesh, for which he was glad bc he felt lonely and liked to have company. Especially he liked Narzissenkreuz's Jakob, bc he felt the presence of same cold cosmic power (i.e. abyss) in him and so thought that consuming his flesh will be good for him. Jakob as we know, turned into "Inquitous Baptist" after this, but Narzissenkreuz drama is a different story. But we can at least intuit that one way of turning into abyss lectors\heralds\etc is consuming abyss monsters flesh\blood, btw hey Childe, can we have a word of how you got your foul legacy form? did u eat that whale, Childe???

At some point, there was a battle between former friends from Narzissenkreuz Institute inside of Elynas (mentioned before as Narzissenkreuz drama), which led to huge explosion. As result of this, wounds inside of Elynas were opened by explosions, and Melusines were created from them. Elynas was delighted, thought of them as his children and shaped them into what he thought was a beautiful form. They could hear him telepathically at first and he used this to guide and teach them, but with time, most of them lost this ability. The only one who can still hear him, Mamere, is able to do so because she paints with his blood (she doesn't know its his blood ofc), and so has prolonged contact with him. He still loves them and cares for them deeply.

Jakob tried to restart Elynas' heart with unknown goal, but Elynas didn't want to come back to life, stating that doing so would mean he will keep harming the world, which he doesn't want to. He appeared to traveler in the spirit form in a shape of Melusine bc he thinks they are cute:3 He dreams of being able to exist in the world without damaging it and to show traveler his true form eventually

i did not yet find all 13 pages for "Book of Esoteric Knowledge" quest, so here is probs more info to follow, but I think this is overall what we know of Elynas for now

oh, another thing is that every Melusine was born with a "token", which they don't know what it is, but highly treasure. Elynas doesn't mention them. This token can power a mechanical dog tho and dog calls it "power source". Elynas does mention many "mechanical animals" in the battle that resulted in explosion, so mb these power sources from exploded mechanisms interacting with abyss flesh were the triggers for creation of Melusines? Open question for now, hope to have these Eldritch NFTs explained later

[nobody-nexus]

Mafia and Barista tadc au

Are we going to have more of Agatha lore? In the fic she mention to Pomni (I don't remember the human name you gave her xd) that she was trained by her parents to continue the business. I want to know how she lose her eye owo

I assume you're referring to Amanda lol. Alright, I'll bite. I don't have the entire backstory; however I DO have some bullet points!

-Amanda's parents were two mafia leaders who wedded in order to make their numbers stronger. They fell in love later on, but in a sort of morbid fashion

-Her heart shaped scar came from an acid incident. That was the closest thing to actually killing her

-How her eye was lost was because of a fire-based explosion that actually killed her dad. She was 21 when it happened

-She learned how to shoot a gun at age 5

-Her handy six shooter pistol is from her mother as a hand-me-down before her mother died. She died before her dad- specifically when Amanda was 16

-She used to legit babysit Jax when he just started out working for the mafia

-Amanda has a love for dolls and has a collection of them due to her aunt having them. Her aunt's still alive btw

-Her love for shooting people's kneecaps was due to an incident where she accidentally did so with her uncle

[snorky]

The Water Is Rusted, The Air Is Unclean, And There For A Second, I Feel Free

Hey y’all! After some consideration, I wrote a second part to ‘Cause This Is A Wasteland, My Only Retreat, in which this story takes place in the Defy The Stars!AU. The title is still based off of the song “Hell Above” by Pierce The Veil. I needed to give Quinn a good ending, and this might be it, and Brock Boeser and Elias Petterson make a guest appearance. I hope you all enjoy this fic! Take care of yourself!

Pairing: Platonic!Brock Boeser x F!Reader, Quinn Hughes x F!Reader

Word Count: 4.3k

Warnings: Mentions of major character death, Sci-fi weaponry, Angst, Not too proofread

Part One

—

—

Time passed. It had to. The universe couldn’t just stop because her best friend was lost during a battle. She lived without Quinn since he passed, but it just wasn’t the same. The beautiful sky of Genesis seemed to lack that bright blue. The soft green grass didn’t seem soft, nor green any longer.

It seemed as if she mourned endlessly during the night, her tears would bring him back to Genesis, rather than the cold, bitter air of space where he took his last breath. But, she knew it wasn’t possible. With the lack of technology in Genesis and a strict set of morals, the idea of Quinn being resurrected seemed blasphemous.

Her life eventually had to go on without him, despite the thought of that making her heart ache beyond any possible measurement. She continued to work hard in the Genesis military, dedicating the majority of her work, time, and energy to trying to put an end to the war. All while doing so, she dedicated it to living for Quinn.

She tried her best to see the world in all the bright colors she used to. She spent time with his family, mourning, and reminiscing about his life with them. Every day, when she wasn’t serving at the base, she spent time with his family and friends. Just like he wanted her to.

When she got promoted to Captaincy, she wished Quinn had been by her side, and maybe even being promoted along with her. He had the skill, the passion, and all the qualifications to make it, but he didn’t have enough time.

On one particular night, the winter air seemed much harsher than it was. The snow fell constantly, with the wind howling in her ears, her vision was slightly impaired. Trudging through the snow, she wandered towards the bridge Quinn and she always hung out at.

Memories came flooding back once she spotted the little bridge that arched over the frozen river. Slowly walking towards it, her footprints were left behind in the snow, trailing behind her. She sat down on the bridge, the cold snow brushing up against her, stars gleaming above her.

The stars were something she could easily get lost in, the large multiplicity of them made her mind wander endlessly. It was something both Quinn and she enjoyed doing, counting the stars and laying in the grass in his backyard. Eventually, as they grew older, they were both teased relentlessly if they remained in his yard, and so they wandered to other places in town where it was just the both of them, together.

She remembers his laughter as if she heard it yesterday, the way his eyes crinkled, and the way he smiled proudly, yet she wanted to hear it so desperately as if she had forgotten. 

Tears formed in her eyes, the cold, bitter air pricking at them like shrapnel from an explosion. Blinking, her warm tears rolled down her face, a stark contrast to the freezing temperatures, and she broke out into a sob.

Her bare fingers started to go numb as she idly drew shapes in the snow, a distraction from her thoughts. “I miss you so much.” Her words came out like a quiet mumble as she sniveled, her body shaking with each breath.

The night remained silent but listened to her as the wind seemed to whistle in the snow. A faint crunch of snow sounded, her attention immediately drawn to it. Slowly, she started to remember that some animals could’ve been present, but then again, which?

No elk nor bear should’ve been in the area, even if it was past sundown. It was a light footstep she recalled, and so those creatures were outruled. Frozen with fear, she made no quick movement in order to avoid drawing attention to herself, although she was sure it would’ve seen her anyway.

Her eyes scanned the trees beside the river, searching for—hoping for a lack of a creature. Time seemed to slow, creeping upon her gently, and she could feel the grasp of it. Between two birch trees, a figure stood there, slightly hunched over as if it didn’t want to be seen.

From what she could tell, it had dark hair compared to its complexion, and it looked eerily familiar. Almost as if she could recall each little detail with precision. The snow never stopped falling, distorting anything that was far away enough, and so she kept her guard up.

Only after a few seconds of her noticing the creature, it seemed to run away, snow crunching beneath its feet rather quickly as if it noticed her. Color drained from her face, an empty-bad gut feeling settling within her.

Once the footsteps of the creature seemed distant enough, she ran back towards her home, never once looking back in fear if she spotted something. Through the winding trees, blurry snow, and aggressive winds, the run seemed much more difficult, and she felt much more vulnerable than she should’ve.

As she arrived home, she didn’t feel any safer for some odd reason. Her training allowed her to be attentive, much more than the average person, and to the point of her feeling an unsettling pair of eyes on her.

Quietly and quickly, she made her way to her room, changing out of her winter gear into ordinary clothes. She lay in her bed, mind racing about what she could’ve seen in the woods. It couldn’t have been Quinn, despite how similar it looked. Her mind must’ve been playing tricks on her.

Morning came and she was called back onto duty for Genesis. She packed her bag with some essential belongings, clothes, and a journal, and then parted ways with her parents and siblings.

It was almost a routine thing, despite how serious it was considering she had a possibility of not returning home. Her parents understood deeply, especially after seeing the Hughes family after the loss of Quinn.

When she arrived at the base, it seemed much busier than usual. Soldiers made their way to the station that connected Genesis to outside of orbit. Commanders, Captains, and Generals gave tasks and orders. It was all much more hectic.

“Captain,” a man with a bold posture and golden hair spoke. “Welcome back.” He smiled.

“Thank you, Commander Boeser.” She smiled back. “It’s nice seeing you again.”

“And you as well.”

They both shook hands, a formal greeting between them. She knew Boeser through Quinn since they both worked in the same department from time to time. As time went on, they all grew closer together, laughing at inside jokes, and sharing their dreams and passions.

Making their way down the corridor of the building toward the main control room, the hall seemed as vibrant as the outside sky. All Genesis government buildings were full of greenery and life, reflecting on the planet itself, and natural light shone through the clear glass ceilings.

When they made it to the main control room, they were greeted by another commander.

“There you are, Commander Boeser and Captain. Welcome.”

“Good morning, Commander Petterson.” They both said in unison.

“Lovely seeing the both of you here, despite the unruly circumstances of the weather,” he spoke lightly. “Unfortunately, we need the both of you working out of orbit for the next week.”

They both nodded in understanding, accepting their duties and their responsibilities given. The weight on Genesis seemed to be on their shoulders, but they wouldn’t let that get to them.

War continued to be rampant between Genesis and Earth, the fight never ceasing. It felt like a lost cause, but nonetheless, they continued to fight with all their forces. Protecting their world from the greedy palms of Earth that desired their pristine global conditions was their top priority. Genesis refused to succumb to the temporary desires Earth fell to.

“Will you both accept the risk and responsibility to lead the military?” Commander Petterson spoke, breaking her out of her thoughts.

They both spoke in unison, similar to a chant within a cathedral. “Yes, Commander.”

“We’ll contact you when you both arrive at the station.” He nodded. His eyes seemed darker than usual, tiredness and exhaustion evident.

Both Commander Boeser and she walked out of the main control room, back into the bright corridor, and towards the bay that held the small vessel that carried soldiers out onto the station outside of orbit.

They both changed from their on-planet uniforms to their exosuits, and waited in the lounge, a sense of discomfort filling the air. New and veteran soldiers waited in the same area, but it was evident who was who, where the rookies fidgeted nervously, and the veterans settled into their own routine.

The signal blared, startling a few people, and they stood in a single file line. As she boarded the vessel, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread. She knew that this could’ve been her last trip, but she so badly wanted to go against it.

Slowly, they took off and headed towards the station, the green planet of Genesis fading away, being replaced by tiny dots of stars that scattered the ether. When they landed at the station, everyone was ordered to move from the vessel onto the station. Everyone drifted from their seats and through the tunnel that connected the two ships together.

Zero-gravity was always something that fascinated her, the idea that something could just float so effortlessly, almost flying through the air gracefully. It was one of the few things that Quinn and she talked about often when they were younger. They had a shared love for many things, but especially that.

Once everyone had boarded the station, they remained in the main area as the tunnel to the vessel closed. It had windows from the ceiling to the floor, showcasing the vastness of space just from that one area of the ship. 

She settled into her own routine that consisted of breathing deeply, relaxing her muscles, and taking time to allow herself to not feel too pressured. Being the Captain of a specific fleet meant a lot to her, especially because she wanted this since she was a little girl, playing pretend spaceship with Quinn in his backyard, running freely in the hills. She had to lead with minimal fear, with courage and confidence, she had to be brave for Quinn.

Waving her hand and signaling to the operator to activate the artificial gravity, the lights switched from a soft, bluish hue to a green one, which notified the soldiers about it and allowed them to brace themselves before the gravity kicked in.

When everyone landed, she started to give orders. “Alright.” Her voice held a strong confidence, and yet she could feel it waver slightly. “I need those of Fleet Two-Dash-Seventy to head to their fighter ships. Make sure to check your systems and engines, as well as your exosuits and helmets along with your vitals.”

They all made their way down the corridor that connected the main area to the bay that held the individual fighter ships, boots stomping against the ground. It sounded like the beat of a drum, thumping similarly to a heartbeat.

She glanced over to Commander Boeser, noticing the stiffness of his posture. He reminded her of when she first became Captain, nervous and afraid of making a mistake, the pressure seemingly beyond possible limitations it seemed.

“Easy there Commander’.” She chuckled. “You’ll lead your fleet just fine,”

He nodded in response and gave her a soft smile. “For Quinn.”

They both knew Quinn since they all joined the Genesis military in the same year, graduating at the top of their classes together. The three of them all strived to reach some level of authority or leadership, not for the power, but for hope of a better future. They all wanted to make a change and leave an impact behind.

Making their way to the bay, they started the engines of their ships and got in. It felt comforting, in the way that something routine or familiar was. The danger was always lingering in the atmosphere, awaiting for the right moment to arise, but the feeling of knowing how to handle it dissipated it.

As the ships launched out into space, the stars seemed to blur past them, a streak of white dots and fuzzy colors. She would never get tired of the beautiful view. It was always something she had dreamed of seeing, the mesmerizing stars and colors of the vast space. 

Adrenaline coursed through her veins, setting her up for readiness in the state of battle as she gripped the yoke of her fighter ship. She navigated through the small asteroids and debris easily, like second nature in her soul, and she felt minimal panic or unease. At least, for the most part. Once her systems spotted a fleet of mechs approaching, she knew she had to take action.

Pressing the button that activated the communications system, her hands showed no sign of unsteadiness. “Notifying all those in this area within the Genesis fleet. We have located a large number of mechs within the area. Proceed with caution.” Multiple ships notified her with positive affirmations, alerting her that they received her message. She set the gear of her ship to a higher level, allowing her to fly with more power in less amount of time, and then repeated her message.

Steering her ship in a downward motion to avoid a blast from a mech fighter, she knew it was going to be a much tougher fight. What scared her more was that this fight resembled nothing similar to the fight that took Quinn away from her. It was much worse than that.

Ship after ship came flying by, dangerously close to her own, and she reached for the communications system once more. “More mech fighters within the area, proceed with caution!”

“Copy that Captain,” Boeser spoke.

As a mech fighter flew directly at her, she quickly rolled over, dodging the mech by a mere sliver of space. She held her breath and prayed to some higher power that there wasn’t a Genesis fighter right behind her who was unaware of what was to come after she dodged the mech.

 Another mech fighter came hurling towards her at a rapid speed, and she fired at it instinctually, causing it to split into tiny pieces, drifting apart like stars.

It always caused her internal turmoil when she fought from time to time, considering how much of a human likeness the mechs had. A tactic beyond manipulative, and yet she still fought with all of her passion and might.

Turning her ship around a large chunk of debris, she spotted a chillingly familiar fighter ship, the blue and green stripes bold against the silver surface. It couldn’t be him. He wasn’t here.

And there he was. His messy brown hair stuck to his forehead in his helmet, gentle and angelic as ever. The soft roughness of stubble on his jaw. The look of sheer determination and confidence he always held. Every bit of him in the highest glory.

Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. She couldn’t lose focus now, especially since she was in the middle of a major fight.

Gripping the yoke with her hands, she swiftly navigated her ship beyond what looked to be Quinn’s, and towards the fighter mechs. As she was doing so, she logged an unknown ship within the area to the database, and informed others through the communications system about it.

“Attention! Unidentified ship within the area—” The sound of other Genesis fighters logging in this information onto their ship could be heard, movements almost frantic. “Keep on high alert for a silver fighter ship, blue and green diagonal stripes on the side.”

She knew the number of his ship by heart, the double-digit of forty-three that he logged onto his ship every time. And yet, her ship wouldn’t register his number as recognizable, which was odd considering that each Genesis fighter ship had to have their number on display at all times.

Did he intentionally hide the number? Maybe it wasn’t really him. All these thoughts bubbled in her mind, causing her to swirl in light nausea before she was snapped back into reality.

“Commander Boeser speaking, are you active?”

“Yes Commander Boeser. Affirmative.” She messed up and lost her focus for a moment. It could’ve been devastating, but she was lucky this time.

“Copy that.”

Her eyes drifted beside her for a brief moment, and she caught the familiar ship in her vision again. Keeping her focus on the view in front of her, more mechs started to drift in, and she fired at each with precision.

As soon as the amount of mech fighters present in the area started to decrease, she quickly called an order through the communications system. “All Genesis fighters, head back to the station. Fighting has begun to cease and we advise you to head back to the station,”

Multiple fighters responded quickly in affirmation and from what she could tell on the navigational systems, no casualties have occurred during this fight, despite how heavy it was. A small smile formed on her face, in both pride for the fleet and gratefulness for their strength.

The fighter ships flew back towards the station as Commander Boeser and she kept track of them, taking into account each and every Genesis fighter ship. It was beautiful seeing all the simple, yet pretty design each fighter chose for their ship as it flew past like vibrant shooting stars.

Once all the ships started to dock in the bay, she followed behind them, checking one final time to make sure that all ships were in the bay, afraid of abandoning a miscounted one.

“Don’t you miss me, angel?” A familiar, soft voice spoke through the communications system.

That couldn’t be possible, no. The communications system was strictly between Genesis fighters, specifically coded that way in case of an emergency. But she was so sure that was his voice. The voice she had longed to hear for ages it seemed.

She cleared her throat and spoke, nervousness wavering in her voice. “What is your name?” Her hands shook slightly as she held the radio, unsure if she should flee and return to the station, or stay and allow her curiosity to get a hold of her.

His voice lured her in, like a siren’s song. “Please don’t tell me that you forgot me, please,” he pleaded. His voice sounded so broken, most likely from the hijacked communications system, but she knew that wasn’t the only reason.

“This is Commander Boeser speaking, are you active?”

“Yes, Commander—” Her communications system glitched for a brief moment, evident in the dull hum in the background with her voice cutting out briefly. “My communications system appears to be malfunctioning—”

“Report back to the station as soon as you can, okay Captain?”

“Yes, Commander Boeser.”

Her navigation system was still working properly, with signals being able to be sent and received, but her communications system seemed to struggle slightly.

“Meet me at the bridge, our bridge,” Quinn—maybe Quinn—spoke.

—

As soon as she was released from her week of out-of-orbit service, she headed back home to her parents, the familiarity being something that she always welcomed with open arms. Her parents and siblings greeted her with kindness and warmth, something that was needed during the cold and dark winter.

When they finished dinner together, laughing and chatting, savoring the crumbs and bits of life, she excused herself and left, promising to be back soon. Even if she was an adult now, she still felt the responsibility to not worry her parents to the point of sickness as a habit of growing up.

The air remained cold, just like the night she trudged out into the snow to see the bridge again. Midnight sky hung in the air, barely illuminating the ground below. Everything remained the same, almost pristine and untouched as a fresh layer of snow had fallen in the past week.

It crunched underneath her boots with each step she took, breaking the silent night. She approached the bridge, still the same as she remembered from her childhood, and sat on it, overlooking the frozen river.

Snow whirled around her, drifting in the air as it fell to the ground softly, unlike raindrops that splattered. The wind continued to howl, but it seemed quieter tonight.

Snow crunched behind her, a sound that broke the silence again. She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. A promise was a promise.

“You’re here.” The familiar voice spoke, a tone of surprise lacing his voice.

“I never wanted to leave.”

The snow crunched as he walked towards her, sitting on the bridge beside her. He faced the river, his expression a tired-sad-weary dream as he watched the snow fall from the sky. Silence drifted between them, slowly melting in with the snow that danced in the air. He looked so familiar and yet there seemed to be something that was missing from him.

“You didn’t forget me, right?” He kept his gaze forward, his head not daring to turn and face her.

The silence spoke more words than the both of them, expressing a ‘I didn’t forget you, but you don’t seem familiar to me any longer’ that fell from her lips without saying a word. 

She turned to him instead, analyzing his expression, trying to decipher and decode his words. “Quinn.” She spoke his name carefully, as if she wanted to test if it still felt right on her tongue, if it still felt right to say. “I missed you.”

What did she miss? She experienced all that she had, but Quinn, where was he when she experienced those things?

“Where were you?” Her words came out sharper than she wanted, similar to a mother who cares, worries too much about the whereabouts of her loved ones.

He moved his eyes towards her gaze carefully, and as quickly as he did, he looked away in shame. “I should’ve come to you sooner.”

“Tell me about it,”

“I didn’t die.” He stated this easily, as if it was just pure, simple, undeniable fact. It opposed what she saw with her own eyes. It opposed the fact that his navigation and communications systems disconnected as soon as the blast hit. “I escaped, barely.”

All Genesis fighter ships were equipped with an emergency system, where if manually activated, the cockpit of the ship could disconnect from the larger component that held the weaponry of the ship, leaving the ship defenseless.

“I made it away from the area of the fight, but I latched on to a mech carrier ship, and drifted back to Earth.” Regret dripped from his tongue as he spoke, his palms cradling his head as he looked down in shame.

She wanted to ask him so many questions, but it seemed improper to do so at this time. However, she had one question that she so badly wanted to ask. “Why did you not return to Genesis?”

“I don’t know.” His voice was barely above a whisper, the howling winds almost overtaking it. “I don’t think it was safe to try and fly back to Genesis, considering the amount of conflict going on in that area and where I was.” His fingers traced shapes and patterns into the snow beside him as he talked. “And so I latched and stayed low.”

Getting up from beside him, she started to walk away, he watched her as she did. His heart sunk, twisted, whatever it could to try and understand what went wrong, and he knew well what went wrong.

“Come,” she said quietly. “You need rest, honey.”

His head perked up at the sound of the nickname, noticing how it sounded so perfect, and he wanted to hear it more. He followed her as they both walked to her home, the one that neighbored his own with his family. It was a quiet walk, the midnight sky offering little to no light, and they were only guided by the memory of the path.

Walking beside her now, he slowly reached for her hand, and held it carefully, and she allowed him to do so, giving it a gentle squeeze once he did. His hands felt warm compared to hers, and it was a comforting feeling, knowing that he was, and will remain, beside her.

When they both stepped into the warm, cozy home, they quietly made their way to her room, dimly lit with a small table lamp, and he sat down on her bed.

It was the same as he remembered as a young boy, her collection of comic books and novels on her desk, paper stars hanging from the ceiling, her favorite stuffed animals sitting on her bed, it was a reflection of who she was.

“Go take a warm shower and then relax in here once you’re done.” She looked at him, noticing that he was wearing the base layers that he wore under his exosuit. Her heart felt so upset at seeing him like this, broken, lost, and most likely scared. “I have some spare clothes that I borrowed from you a few years ago,” she trailed off. “I’ll grab them for you.”

She walked to her closet, grabbing a neatly folded pile of t-shirts and gym shorts, all slightly large on her since they were Quinn’s. When she handed it to him, the look in his eyes was almost, grateful, and yet it was teary-eyed and sad. “Thanks.” His words were quiet, but the mood he expressed was far from silence. “Thanks for not forgetting,” his voice cracked slightly.

Turning around before she made her way out into the hall, she gave him a sad smile, “I could never forget you. Never in my lifetime.”

[a-french-coconut]

Travis Stoll (Part 11)

Ringing.

His ears hurt.

Constant buzzing.

His whole body hurt.

What happened ?

Fire, flower, monsters

Connor

"Oh no, no, no, no, no, no !"

He limps toward the explosion site, now covered in the Keres’ ashes.

“Gods, no, no, no,” he pleads as he frantically search the flower, “please be intact, please be intact.”

Nothing but grains of dust and rocks meet his hands.

The flower is gone, destroyed by his stupid actions.

What was he thinking, pulling out a fucking grenade ?

He’s the dumbest demigod to have ever existed, the worst thinker in critical situations.

He’s the one who just killed his brother because he is the most useless big brother to ever live.

Sobs wreak his body, as he cries alone in the dark tunnel.

I’m sorry Connie, I’m so fucking sorry

He won’t even make it to his side to accompany him.

He should have stayed with Connor, never leave his side.

You would have been regretful says Mind Clovis.

And now I’m remorseful , he snaps at him, tell me O Wise One which one is better ?

Mind Clovis doesn’t answer.

“Mister ?”

For a second, he thinks that Clovis have somewhat become real but then he notices the ghost next to him, looking at him curiously.

And screams in higher notes than he is used to.

He scrambles away from the ghost, who seems a little concerned but otherwise makes no move to attack him.

A friendly ghost then.

He can work with that.

“Hey buddy, hum, what’s up ?”

The ghost, a young boy with wide eyes, looks at him with wonder.

“Why were you crying, Mister ?”, he asks tilting his head.

“You can call me Travis, and I-“ he gulps, tears gathering in his eyes” I just lost something very precious to me.”

“Oh ! I can help you find it.” The little boy says happily, “what have you lost ?”

His eagerness to help makes Travis smile sadly.

“A flower but don’t bother looking, it’s gone.”

“Oh,” his enthusiasm diminishing, “can’t you find another one”

“Don’t think so, buddy. It was a one chance thing and I blew it, quite literally.”

“I’m sorry for you Mister Travis, were you going to offer it to someone ?”

“Yeah,” his voice breaks, “to someone I love more than life itself.”

“Do you think that they would like green shining rocks ?”

“Ergh, I don’t think so ? He’s not really the type. Why do you ask ?”

“Because there are some pretty rocks over there Mister Travis.” The little boy points towards the entrance of the tunnel and indeed, something green glints in the darkness.

Bright, strong, exhilarating hope grows in his heart, a fire rekindled and soaring high.

He forces it down, suffocates, drowns it with all his will.

There is not need to climb if the only thing awaiting him is the fall.

But as he gets closer, he sees the rocks more clearly and he can see their shape.

Small, fragile petals.

When he picks up the miraculously intact flower, tears of joy fall and he laughs, a strangled sound echoing in the tunnel.

“Will he like them ?” The ghost asks timidly.

“Yes, yes he will love them ! Thank you buddy, thank you a lot.”

His smile earnestly at him, eyes still shining from the tears but also from relief.

He can still save his brother.

“I have to go, but it was nice meeting you buddy, hope you get a good afterlife.”

“Oh I’ve already been judged ! I work at the palace.”

“Why are you here then ? It’s a little far from the castle.”

“My Queen send me, said she heard a very loud noise and ask me to investigate.”

“Tell your Queen to expect sacrifices for the three next months and every March 14th. I really have to go now.”

He carefully tucks the flower in his backpack, if she survived an explosion she can takes a few hits, and bids goodbye to the young boy.

“Farewell Mister Travis !” The little boy waved at him before vanishing in a cloud of blue smoke.

When Travis finally steps under the sun again, after a terrible interpretation of “Staying Alive” to open the door, he rushes to the nearest store to grab a newspaper.

May 25th.

He left Camp May 24th.

“Hi sir, yes sorry, could you tell me what time is it ? Half past five, okay thank you, have a nice evening.”

He’s got until midnight to heal Connor.

It’s a six hours trip from here to Camp, which means he’ll arrive around ten.

He is going to make it.

Connor will love and he will hug him before yelling at him about going out alone in the woods.

Everything will go back to normal, everything will be fine.

Connor still got a chance guys !!!!

Hehehehe, I guess we have to wait to see if he ultimately makes it through…

[cabinofimagines]

Chapter VI; Manhattan

Took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do here but I did it, after a long while.

Word count: 1.3k

<- prev - mlist - next ->

-Asnyox

A part of you wished that you only came to camp after this war. You were not prepared for the mental image of all your friends being hurt and the only way to escape this was to focus solely on the jobs you had. Your patients blurred together and you did everything in your capacity of helping. The world was no longer in direct risk, however that never brought you any calm.

Percy had taken the lead- but Manhattan was big, and the amount of people at camp was small. Especially since the Ares cabin had refused to join the fight. You wished you knew what was happening, but you simply didn’t. You were still unclaimed- so you got appointed to go with the Hermes cabin, and with your healer kit on your back and an unpracticed sword hand at the ready you ventured out there. Firstly to take a stand, but mostly to find those hurt around Manhattan and get them to the Empire State building. Somehow you were in the zone- you ignored your feelings as you worked, removing any thoughts related to the consequences of what was happening- ignoring the blood staining your hands. 

Until the Manhattan bridge exploded. It was where the Apollo cabin had been situated, and for the first time you thought about your friends, how you cared for these demigods, how death was final. For the first time your heart dropped to your stomach, as you prayed to Apollo that his children were fine- that Will was fine. 

The hours dragged on and you caught no sight of any Apollo camper. You never entered the Empire State Building, leaving whoever was hurt in the hands of those stationed there. You were tired, you wanted a break but a break meant laying down and crying. You never wanted to be here and stopping meant facing the possibilities that people were dead. 

At some point someone told you the Ares cabin had joined the fight- you saw a glimpse of Will, but didn’t get further than a touch to the shoulder before you had to focus on another wounded, everything was fucked. Then, in another breath you heard from Travis the whisper that Silena had died- that she might’ve been the traitor. But maybe you misheard, and what did it matter. She died, for camp, for you and your friends. What did anything matter in this war?

The first breather you got was when Kronos showed his face. It was weird seeing Luke, a boy barely college age, leading an army. The horror that was the reality of his face and body carrying the titan Kronos was one you wouldn’t face. You were breathing heavily, clutching your kit close to you. At some point you had lost your sword, but a dagger was tugged into your belt. You couldn’t make out what the conversation was about- at some point you got caught near an explosion and although the ringing had stopped, the sound still sounded a bit muffled. 

But that didn’t matter- you stood at the ready, for either an attack or to drag someone out of the fight and keep them alive. You stood ready, as you noticed the enemy forces behind Kronos stir, as they parted uncomfortable as if forced to. You weren’t sure how to act, so you simply stood still as a loud bark sounded, and you saw Mrs. O’Leary ran towards Percy, ignoring the monsters around, and just a moment later you saw him. 

Nico, wearing a skull-shaped helmet. You slowly started making your way towards the front- if Nico was there you wanted to be near him in the fight- help him if he needed it. It wasn’t a rational thought, but you considered Nico your friend and that was reason enough. As you got closer you felt the ground rumble, and saw cracks appear underneath your feet. You jumped back as skeletal hands clawed their way out of the ground. The sky turned cold and you swore it got darker as a war horn sounded, and as the skeletons formed ranks. 

An enormous chariot raced down Fifth Avenue, pulled by horses that resembled living shadows. The chariot was inlaid with obsidian and gold, depicting scenes of death. You could not believe your eyes as you realised that the person holding the reins was the Lord of the Dead, Hades and that behind him were Demeter and Persephone. You couldn’t help but smile as you realised that Nico had managed to convince his father to help the fight- that finally it was no longer Camp Half-Blood versus Kronos and his army, but that the gods were on your side. 

Hades wore black armour and a cloak the colour of fresh blood. On top of his pale head was the helm of darkness: a crown that radiated pure terror. As you watched the crown changed shapes- monsters to bones to flames. Yet you looked away, fearing that if you got too close to the crown it might take your worst nightmares and change into the shape of those. Unlike the previous conversation, Hades’s voice reached far, and as you slowly inched closer- only stopped by the skeleton ranks- you could finally hear what was being said. 

"Hello, Father. You're looking . . . young." The Lord of the Dead spoke. 

"Hades," Kronos growled. "I hope you and the ladies have come to pledge your allegiance." 

"I'm afraid not." Hades sighed. "My son here convinced me that perhaps I should prioritise my list of enemies.As much as I dislike certain upstart demigods, it would not do 

for Olympus to fall. I would miss bickering with my siblings. And if there is one thing we agree on—it is that you were a TERRIBLE father." 

Hades drew his sword, a double-edged Stygian blade etched with silver. "Now fight me! For today the House of Hades will be called the saviours of Olympus." 

"I don't have time for this," Kronos snarled. Kronos struck the ground with his scythe. A crack spread in both directions, circling the Empire State Building. A wall of force shimmered along the fissure line, and you noticed that outside the barrier, car engines revved to life. Pedestrians woke up and stared uncomprehendingly at the monsters and zombies all around them. You saw that Nico took a turn towards the mortals and quickly followed, finally meeting up with him. 

“Good to see you here!” You greeted Nico, spotting no injury on him, and therefore moving to his side so you would have his back while you made your way forward together. Nico didn’t say anything in return, but he glanced over quickly and you saw that he was smiling. Whether it was from seeing you or the general adrenalin you weren’t sure- but you did know that somehow the smile fit him, he deserved to be elated. 

Suddenly a gun sounded, Nico’s sword was bigger than your dagger as he pushed you behind him and thrusted it out, right into the giant monster that was pushed your way. As it dissolved you saw a woman and man - both way too old to be from camp, and as Percy ran your way it became clear that the woman was his mother. 

"When did you learn to fire a shotgun?" Percy demanded of his mother. The woman blew the hair out of her face. "About two seconds ago. Percy, we'll be fine. Go!" she urged him, and from next of you Nico agreed. 

"Yes,we'll handle the army. You have to get Kronos!" 

"Come on, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth yelled from behind Percy, and he nodded as he looked at a pile of rubble . Before leaving Percy instructed Mrs. O’Leary to dig Chiron out. And then the hero ran off with his friends, to make the last stand in the war.

[becauseplot]

A Liz and Thiago fic I wrote! Spoilers up to the end of OSNF under the cut <3

(Update! Edits have been made to include more details and refine existing ones, and an Ao3 link has been added :D)

Still Feel

Post-canon fix-it AU I'm affectionately calling "Still Kickin' AU" where Thiago survives both the spiral symbol carved on his back and the explosion that killed him in canon, though his sacrifice is not without consequence.* This takes place a nebulous errr month or two after the end of OSNF. Read Liz and Thiago's relationship however you like in this, I just think they're neat. Fic title from the song "still feel" by half alive. *Side note: in this AU, Liz lost 22 years to the Death God, and Thiago lost 24. They are 50 and 57 respectively.

So no, there is nothing else, not really, not ever. Only him and the symbol before him, behind him, beneath him, above him. Around and around it goes, and so he goes too, around and around. The symbol spins and the void is white, bright, but never blinding. The path ahead is obvious, clear, natural. Just the symbol. Just the symbol.

So no, there is nothing else, not really, not ever. Only him and the symbol before him, behind him, beneath him, above him. Around and around it goes, and so he goes too, around and around. Days, weeks, years, centuries, eternity—it doesn’t matter, has never mattered. Just the symbol. Just the symbol.

So no, there is nothing else, not really, not ever. Only him and the symbol before him, behind him, beneath him, above him. Around and around it goes, and so he goes too, around and around. He has always never been, and will always never be, and this makes perfect sense. Just the symbol. Just the symbol.

So no, there is nothing else, not really, not ever. Only him and the symbol before him, behind him, beneath him, above him. Around and around it goes, and so he goes too, around and…

He blinks his eyes open. Suddenly, it’s dark.

Air bursts into him like a punch. He scrambles to sit up—when did he lie down? Where is he? Where is the symbol? Where is the symbol? He frantically glances about, but he finds only alien shapes in the shadows. The surface beneath him gives way when he shifts, and there’s something snared around his—his—he doesn’t know. Where is the symbol? Why was it here? Where is he? He can’t remember, and he should remember…

He looks down. Hands. Resting on legs. Lap. Twisted blanket. The fingers move. They look so far away. Days, weeks, years, centuries, eternity stretch between each gasp. What is going on? Where is he? What was he doing before? What’s…

Shaking hands clasped on a mouth. Oh God. What’s his name?

But it’s all blank. He doesn’t know. He can’t think. 

Movement. He gasps, jolting, and looks to the side. A shape shifts in the darkness, a slide of heavy shadow, weight to it. A cascade of long hair. It lifts up, and eyes blink at him blearily in the darkness.

His next breath comes a little easier. He knows that face. He knows those eyes. Liz’s lips move, but it’s too muffled for him to hear. Hands come down from his…yes, his mouth so he can speak. “Wh… What did you say?” 

His voice sounds muffled to him too. He doesn’t have his hearing aids, of course he doesn’t; it’s uncomfortable to lie down on his side with them in. They both know this. The thought is both familiar and foreign in his head, like déjà vu, unnerving. Liz sits up properly, shifting and leaning to the side to reach the lamp. She flicks on the light, bright enough to make him squint, and for a moment he swears, he swears—

White. The symbol. Around and around it goes, and so he goes too, around and around— Where is he, what was he doing, what’s his name— Blank, all blank— He should remember— 

“Liz,” he says. His heart pounds in his chest. He doesn’t want to get lost again. “Liz.” 

She leans back over and puts her hand on his—his shoulder. Her grip is firm but not harsh, as is the look she captures his gaze with, holding him steady on both fronts. 

Liz lifts her free hand. “I’m right here,” she signs, lips moving to form the words along with it.

“The— I saw the symbol—”

Liz shakes her head. She takes her hand away from his shoulder to continue: “The symbol is gone. Santo Berço burned. You destroyed it, remember?”

He… He finds that he does. Years and years spent dangling in the grasp of Death, a detonator clutched in his withering hand as he looked back at the retreating forms of his friends. He hit the button and he watched the explosion grow beneath his feet for some hours. Then he watched the silent screams of his fleeing friends for a few hours more. And then everything got really fast, and really, really loud and hot, and the world tumbled around him as he was thrown and plunged into darkness. And then he woke up in the hospital in Carpazinha.

Carpazinha…

He thinks, and he swallows. Blank. He should know this. Tip of his tongue. His heart pounds. He should know this. “…Liz, where are we?”

At those words, Liz’s hard expression melts into something a little softer. She shuffles to sit closer to him, and her hands grasp—

—his. Her hands grasp his.

“Your name is Thiago Fritz,” she tells him, close, loud, and clear enough that he can understand the words without needing the signs. “We live in my house in São Paulo. You moved in last month. You dream about the symbol symbol sometimes, and you always wake up confused. You were just dreaming. We’re okay. Joui, Cesar, and Arthur too. We’re all okay.”

Thiago looks down at his hands, held by Liz. Old, weathered skin cradled in old, weathered skin, one with enough burn scars for the both of them.

Right. That’s right. Thiago remembers this—well, no. It’s more like he knows this. He never forgot it. His life has always been there, in his mind. He just blanked. Got lost. Thiago looks around, and the room is no longer foreign shapes and shadows. Instead, it is their bed, their blankets, and their bedside tables; their dressers, their cluttered desk, and their photos hanging on the walls; their shelves with their mementos from their past lives and past missions.

Their bedroom. São Paulo. Santo Berço and the symbol are gone, save for the dead, scarred remnants on his back. So much was lost along the way, so many people, family, but…

Thiago squeezes Liz’s hands.

“We made it,” he murmurs.

Liz squeezes back.

“We made it.”

He sees the shape of the words on her lips more than he hears them. By now, he has them memorized. They’ve had this conversation at least a few dozen times, after all. The last time was, what, three nights ago? Two? 

Thiago takes a deep breath and releases one of Liz’s hands to scrub at his face, sighing. Yes. It was just two nights ago. How did he ever manage this on his own? (Well, he knows how: he barely slept.)

Liz’s free hand reaches into his field of vision. “Okay?”

“Yeah,” he exhales. He looks back up at her and pulls together a grateful smile, because he might be tired but God, does she deserve it. He signs as he speaks: “I’m perfect, my dear. Thank you.”

Liz shrugs and tilts her head to the side, eyes briefly closing. “Of course. It’s alright.” She uses her free hand to stifle a wide yawn.

Thiago stifles a yawn too. He stretches, and he realizes that the sweat from his panic earlier is making his shirt cling to his chest and back, gross. He shifts his back as he untwists his clothes, and something pops. “Mng, fuck.” Liz snorts. “What time is it?”

Liz grabs her phone from her bedside table and shows it to him. 05:12. 

“Oh, beautiful,” he drawls. “Only two hours before we’re supposed to be up. Practically sunrise. Good morning. I might as well head to the Order now, right? Early start?”

Liz flicks his forehead. “We’re going back to sleep,” she signs. She puts her phone back on her bedside.

Thiago squints at this. “Ehh. Not sure if I feel like dreaming again, if it’s all the same to you.”

Liz adjusts the blankets around her. “Then I will sleep," she tells him, "and you will lie here and rest until it’s time to get up.” She flops back onto her pillow, gray-white hair fanning around her head. “Come on, we’re middle-aged now. Waking up too early and staring at the ceiling is what we do best.”

“Is it?”

“Lie down, Thiago.”

Well. Liz tends to be very persuasive when he knows she can and will fight him if he tries to go make himself a coffee at this hour. And goddamnit, he doesn’t have the energy for that right now. Thiago lies down.

He rolls over onto his side so that they’re facing each other. Liz stares at Thiago. Thiago stares at Liz. Her face is the same but different, after being held in that limbo. Stress lines heavier, laugh lines deeper, years stolen away. He’s seen his own face in the mirror, and he knows he looks much the same.

“Hi,” she murmurs. He sees it on her lips, just barely.

“Hi,” he murmurs back.

“Good morning.”

He raises an eyebrow at her. “I thought you were sleeping.”

She flops over and flicks off the lamp. Back around again, she closes her eyes. “I am,” she says, or something equally matter-of-fact. He can tell by her expression alone, just barely discernible in the darkness.

“Okay. Sleep well.”

She drags her hand up and briefly places it on his cheek. Then she tucks her face into her arm and settles in. 

Thiago watches her breathe for a moment. He rolls onto his back and stares up at the ceiling.

He knows that they got lucky. That he got lucky. For all intents and purposes, he should not have survived. His fate was to burn, and to take Santo Berço with him. He thinks that’s why the symbol still comes for him in his dreams; he was never meant to escape it. 

But, they made it. Not unchanged nor unscathed, not without a loss so great it chokes him some days, but they made it. Despite everything, they still have a little bit of time left. 

Thiago breathes in, feels the stretch in his chest and the ache in his lungs, and breathes out. He slides in close to Liz. Without prompting, she opens up her arms, shifts, and slots into place against him, chest to chest—her grounding weight on top of him as she buries her face into his shoulder, his arm around her as he holds on a little longer. His fingers trace lazy, shapeless patterns along her back, and her breath is soft and steady against his neck.

Over Liz’s shoulder, Thiago can see the bedroom window. It’s dark on the other side of the curtains, but as his eyes adjust to the shadows again, he swears he can see just the faintest blue light of dawn. He can’t hear them anymore, but Thiago wonders if the birds are chirping yet. If not, then it won’t be long now. No, it won’t be long at all.

[not-your-fucking-kacchan]

deaf y/n x kirishima fluff? Y/n getting made fun of cuz she cant pronounce words properly?

-shuu

Omg this is so cute I loved writing this <3

Do I want to make this an entire fic with separate parts and everything? Absolutely I do sjjabekbfbd weewgwggegwheheb plspslpslslsls cus it's gonna be so good and ah- 😩😫 cus no because like omg and I made the reader sorta like toph from atla but really- just bc of the heightened senses and sensitivity to vibrations and omganakdnnd my midoriya brain went OFF on this maksnjdbf and omg I imagine reader would be BESTIES with mei hatsume najwobdjsn and omg Bakugou as well??? Reader would absolutely gain his blessing to be kirishimas gf and they would be thick as thieves- a trio of doom, you will, and omg I have so many ideas about reader helping bkg to protect his hearing BC she wouldn't want to see a friend suffer the same fate, and nansjdnbd Kiri only loves her more bavjsbfnd bye bc midoriya would love to come up with ideas for mei to help reader and sndnfknd bye

Anyway hope you enjoy :D

Warning: Ableism...

Masterlist <3

Kirishima x Deaf!Reader- Hearing Problems

You had lost your hearing a long, long time ago, but that doesn't make it much easier on you in the long run.

You had the kind of hearing problem that rendered you almost completely dead, save for the grating tinnitus that followed with every step.

It was almost always a problem for you, and had almost left you completely incapable of being a hero. Imagine having all control over your life stripped from you because of some dumb fuck's drunken driving. It filled you to the brim with rage every single day, along with the fact that you were punished for someone else's mistake when they only had their licence taken away.

It did more than make you angry, really. It fucking broke your heart. You almost lost access to your dream after he permanently disabled you, and what did he get? A slap on the fucking wrist?! This must be some sick joke.

You had tried your absolute damnest to adjust and get stronger to compensate for the loss of a pretty vital function, and it worked! In the end, you turned out stronger than ever. You had trained every sense you could learn about, because as it turns out, there's more than just six of them, and all of your exhaustive, mind-numbing hard work had been repaid.

Of course you weren't the best, yet, but you could absolutely beat some ass if you wanted to, and during the entrance exam, you did exactly that.

Things were going so well, and you were racking up points like no other, until you weren't.

You were having a little trouble with finding the other robots because they were quite a ways away. Luckily though, Kirishima could tell you might've needed a hand.

He could see that you didn't react to sound the way that others did, and it was when the high pitched ring of a far off explosion made everyone flinch but you, that he could finally tell you were deaf.

His eyes widened and his mouth formed a little 'o' shape as his brain finally connected the dots, and he made his way to you with a smile as he spoke normally to you, still not sure if maybe you were just partially deaf or could maybe read lips or something.

Meanwhile, all you could hear was that same high pitched ringing of tinnitus, which drowned out the similar effect of the explosion, and you were starting to get frustrated with wondering which way to go. There was no telltale smoke, or faraway sparks of people fighting. There was only silence. So you were especially surprised when this fiery looking ravenet walked up to you, speaking normally. You assumed he didn't know you were deaf, and you read his lips as normal, however his suspicions were confirmed when he saw the direction in which your eyes were focused. So you do read lips.

Surprisingly, he was leading you towards the action. Oh. Maybe he could tell you were deaf.

It was nice to have someone know that and not give you the same pitying look they always do. You wanted to be respected, not pitied. This guy seemed to respect you though, and you were thankful as you followed him to the next gathering of robots, letting out a loud "t-thank you-!" when you saw someone side-eye you and laugh.

You didn't like the snide look on their face at all.

"What? Are you deaf or something? I've never heard someone speak like that! You must've lost some braincells to these robots. You'll never pass if you sound like a total idiot!"

Comments like these never ceased to make your heart ache and bring a lump to your throat. It'll never get any easier to deal with comments like this.

It's not like you were gonna let him see your hurt though, so just as you make a step to tear him a new one, you're interrupted by Kirishima, who didn't want to see you disqualified for beating another kid half to death.

"That's really not cool, man! Have you heard yourself talk? You sound like someone's bigoted grandpa- I hope your mother smacks some respect into that ugly head of yours soon, because you'll be the one who never makes it as a hero with talk like that! Heroes are supposed to be actually good people, you know? Buzz off!"

Both you and that ableist prick are stunned into silence, and you can't help but smile as you read his lips and see his condescending glare. Secretly, you thank whatever Gods you can think of that your little emo friend seems like a truly respectable guy, and as the two of you pair up for the exam, you find that you work relatively well together for two rookie kids that have never met.

The judges watch on from behind the cameras and smirk as they blacklist the ignorant kid from passing, though he was running rather low on points in the first place. None of them are surprised either, when the two of you gain points placing you among the top scores. It seems like you both were fated to be friends.

When the exam is over, you end up exchanging numbers with your favourite little red-eyed emo, learning that his name is Kirishima Eijirou. And when he flashes you a smile that you would die for, your little heart melts right there and then as light pink dusts your cheeks.

You put your name in his phone in silence, and send a message to confirm that you wrote your number down right, thanking him for standing up for you.

You find you're quite pleased with yourself when he develops a bashful blush too. Oh yeah, you're definitely not letting him go, even if one of you doesn't make it to UA.

[bakugotrashpanda]

Two Truths and a Lie

Chapter 8: A Ring, a Red Carpet, and an Ex

Bakugou x Fem!Reader

◈ Pro Hero, Fake Engagement ◈ Word Count: 2834

◇ Chapter Select

◇ Previous Chapter

!!: cheating mention

You step onto the red carpet with Bakugou for the first time.

Options, options. There’s too many options on the damn tray in front of Bakugou, and none of them are right.

“What about this ring?” you ask, picking up a thin band with a modest stone in the center. He takes it from you and holds it close to his face. If he has to hold it like this to properly see the gem in the middle, it’s not good enough. 

“From me? That’s too simple.” He puts it back in its spot on the velvet lined tray and surveys the other rings in front of him. One catches his eye above the rest. “I like this one.”

You take the ring and slide it on your finger. Based on the way your lips pucker, you’re not a fan. “Yeah, if I want to have a freakin beacon on my finger.” You move your hand in the light. An explosion of sparkles dance around the ceiling of the hotel room. “I could signal SOS if I’m lost at sea.” You rip it off your finger and put it back among the others. Both of you pick up another and hand it to each other. 

Bakugou frowns at the simple silver band that twists around itself before settling behind a princess cut sapphire. “This would be one I’d get you if we were straight out of school and had no money.” It would work, but now that he’s made a name for himself and built up his bank account, he can do better — will do better. 

You frown at the pear-shaped diamond nestled in a halo on an intricate band. It doesn’t even get the privilege of sitting on your finger for a moment. “And this one is on every ring shame group on social media.”

“You could say it’s basic and move on,” Bakugou says flatly. What the hell does he know about rings? Ring shame groups? People complain about that shit when it’s supposed to be a symbol of love from the person they want to spend the rest of their life with?

You try, and fail, to cover a snort with a cough. Your hand shoots out and picks up a thick rose gold ring. The entire ring is encrusted with pink and white stones with a large diamond sitting at the apex. “This,” you laugh, “This is way too outlandish.”

“At least we can agree on that.” Bakugou shakes his head. “What about this one?” The square stone is as big as your knuckle. Truly awful.

“I will wear that when hell freezes over.” You fan yourself with your hand and stare up at the ceiling, teardrops welling up in your eyes from laughing too much. 

You both stand there for a moment longer, the challenge of finding a ring seeming like a never-ending task. Bakugou sighs and picks up another one. When will it end? Is there even a design that’ll satisfy both of you? Halfheartedly, he hold out the ring and shrugs. “What about this one?”

You gingerly take the twisted band, one strand dotted with small diamonds and the other plain, all topped with a cushion cut diamond. You slip it on your finger and study it silently. Bakugou watches as you turn it this way and that. “I can live with that I guess,” you nod. He lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

Success. 

A voice calls out from the door. “Verity, we're ready for you.” Looking at your finger one last time, you walk off towards the rest of the rooms rented by the agency on the floor for gala preparation. Bakugou’s heart stutters for a second when he sees the way your lips curve and your eyes glitter as much as the ring on your finger.

“Wow, you two sure argue a lot.” A hand slaps his shoulder. Of fucking course he’d show up.

“Kaminari.” Bakugou’s stomach curdles. How much had he heard? You’re lucky neither of you talked about… your arrangement. “Didn’t your agency rent out the other half of this floor? On the other side of the building?” Where’s Kirishima when Bakugou needs him to be a social buffer?

“Just making an observation,” Kaminari says cheekily. “And we’re all friends here, what does it matter where I get ready?” Bakugou shrugs Kaminari’s hand off his shoulder and heads out the door.

With seven rooms on the floor dedicated to his agency, not Kaminari’s – Kaminari’s area is down the hall past the elevators – that one particular room was only jewelry. Bakugou didn’t need anything yet, maybe some specialty cufflinks later once he has his suit. There are also rooms dedicated to hair, makeup, clothes, and changing rooms.

“Get your head out of your ass and tell me what’s on your mind.” He shoves his hands in his pocket and walks towards the clothing room. With any luck everyone will kick Kaminari back to his section and Bakugou can dress in peace. “You know I hate it when you beat around the bush.”

“That’s Midoriya’s ex.”

“Yes.”

“Are you really marrying her?”

Bakugou stops in the middle of the hallway. Designers and stylists bustle around him, leading other heroes at the agency to their rooms. “Are you saying I shouldn’t because she’s been with him?” There’s an ache in his jaw and Bakugou has to remind himself to release the tension before he breaks a tooth. Again. 

How dare he say that? Rage floods Bakugou from his heart out to his fingers. He takes three long strides over to the blond and jabs him in the chest. In a low voice so no one else hears, he hisses, “Of all people to give me shit about this, I didn’t expect it from you.”

“No! You’ve got it all wrong!” Kaminari takes a quick step back and holds his hands up defensively. He looks around as if he has the biggest secret in the world before whispering to Bakugou. “I know Midoriya didn’t want them out, but we all knew they were a thing for years and they broke up what, two months ago? Doesn’t it seem… soon?”

Two months ago…? But two months ago… he’d been about to ask Ochako out… and had a horrible lunch where he practically stomped off. 

No. There’s no way. Sparky must’ve fried himself one too many times and messed up the timeline. 

You didn’t talk about how things ended, and honestly he didn’t want to hear it. If you wanted to talk about feelings and crap, you could go to a counselor or something… Had you mentioned the breakup? He knew you were together for five years, but that was it. 

Golden eyes wait apprehensively. Right. Gala. Kaminari. Bakugou doesn’t want to lie to his friend about this. He mulls over his words until he can find the right ones. “We’re engaged. We’re happy. You and everyone else can mind your own damn business.”

“Dynamight, we’re ready for you,” a stylist says as he walks down the hall. The man doesn’t even wait for Bakugou, expecting that the hero will follow. Bakugou may be the hero in the streets, but for the stylist, this is his world and Bakugou is his pawn.

“Y’know what?” Bakugou raises an eyebrow at Kaminari as he takes a step back. “That asshole was wrong about her. In every way. It’s his loss.”

Bakugou’s had many moments in life where his heart, for one reason or another, nearly stopped; being taken by the slime, watching All Might nearly sacrifice himself, the countless times there had been ‘close calls’ on the job. Now he can add ‘seeing you walk down the hallway dressed to the nines’ to the list.

Even as you fidget with the bracelet on your wrist and tug at the side of your dress, he can’t help but stop and stare. When you finally notice him, you stop and take a minute to gawk at him.

“Well?” you say and strike a pose. “How do I look?”

Bakugou holds his hand out and spins you around slowly once you take it. “Stunning.”

“I feel ridiculous,” you lament.

“Stop. Everyone’ll be lookin’ at you the moment you step onto the carpet.” The way you stare into his eyes, fear of the unknown that you’re walking into… This is your first time. He’s never seen photos of you at these types of events before, nor does he remember fucking Deku taking you anywhere. Maybe that was how you wanted it. Or maybe that bastard thought he could tuck you away until he found something better. “He never took you to one of these, did he?”

Bakugou already knows the answer.

“No.”

Fuck.

“Follow my lead then. Smile at the cameras and ignore the questions.”

“When do you ever smile for them?”

Bakugou pointedly ignores your question. “Get ready.”

The cacophony of questions and flashes hit him like a freight train. He does his best to situate himself in front of you to lessen the brunt of everything, but even from the small glance your way, he can see the strain on your face. 

Guiding you up to the first mark, he takes his standard pose – with one minor alteration. Instead of having both arms crossed or both hands in his pocket with his signature sneer, he has his left hand securely around your waist. Your right hand grips the back of his suit jacket as if he’d disappear and leave you alone in front of the wolves.

“Dynamight! Dynamight! Over here!”

“Verity, is this the ring?”

“Tell us how you met!”

“When’s the wedding?”

“Dynamight, what quirk do you expect your children to have?”

“Is it true you were dating Pro Hero Deku before this? Why didn’t you two ever go public?”

“Dynamight is this your first relationship?”

At some point in the barrage of questions, you laid your left hand against his chest and turned up the charm. From the corner of his eye he watches you bat your eyes and smile coyly at the cameras. That is, until the next couple is announced.

The first question from the paparazzi directed at them shatters your facade for a mere second.

“Deku! Uravity! Are there wedding bells in the future for you as well?”

Bakugou suavely takes your hand from the death grip at his back and spins you around once so you have a brief moment to collect yourself.

“Let’s go,” he whispers.

The inside of the conference room turned extravagant for the gala is jaw droppingly gorgeous, and Bakugou’s sure that under normal circumstances, you’d be stunned into silence taking everything in. But right now you look like you’ve found the sourest lemon on earth and decided to eat it whole.

“Well this should be… exciting,” you say tartly.

“We can leave.” Her first event and that fucker already ruined it. We didn’t even get in the door.

“No,” you wave him off, “You’re expected to be here. Plus if I say I’m not feeling well then there will be ten tabloids running ‘Dynamight expects first child’ headlines.”

Bakugou catches your elbow before you can turn away and pulls you in close. His mouth is against your ear so only you can hear the genuine concern in his voice. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Are you?”  you counter, “This is the first time you’ve seen her since…”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine.” And surprisingly, he means it. “I’ll go find out where we’re sitting.”

It doesn’t take long to find your name placement. Since he’s one of the best, you’d both naturally be near the front. Thankfully, everyone else at your table was well known, and more to the point, not Deku. Only fate with a cruel sense of irony would place Deku and Ochako at the same table.

You’ve moved from the spot he left you at though. Scanning the crowd, Bakugou finally sees you near the bathrooms – with fucking Deku at your side. His smile and gestures may look genuine to most, but the way you back away from his touch and your fists curl, whatever’s being said is anything but pleasant. You snap out some retort that he can’t hear, but it irritates Deku and his smile falls. 

Bakugou sees red as you’re backed into a corner. Whatever that asshole has to say, he can say it to the both of you. He doesn’t care how many people he shoulder checked on his way over, you’re the only one he cares about.

“Deku.” Bakugou says frostily as he tries to approach with forced casualness. “What are you doing with my fiancée?” Smooth.

Midoriya smoothes out his frown and replaces it with his trademark smile. Given what Bakugou saw before, it feels extremely out of place. “I need to talk to her.”

“And I said I would rather choke on Shigaraki’s crusty ass dick.”

“And there’s no need for dramatics,” he replies with faux-concern lacing his brows together.

“Don’t patronize me,” you sneer.

“We’re at table three,” Bakugou interrupts the rehashing of the conversation. Already some eyes wander your way. “Get some water. I’ll meet you there.” The silent conversation that passes between the two of you practically has him begging for you to back the fuck off. Little do you know, he knows things.

Only when you’re well out of earshot does Bakugou speak. “Let’s walk.” He leads Midoriya towards the entrance, away from 

Midoriya breaks the silence first. “You’re really with her.”

“I told you that when you fucking texted.”

“Kacchan, I-”

“Don’t ‘Kacchan’ me,” Bakugou sneers. “You don’t know me. And she doesn’t know what you did.”

“What are-”

“Smile, Deku. The cameras are watching.” He smiles smugly and waves at the paparazzi aiming their cameras at them. No doubt some lesser tabloid will spin this into a meeting of the rivals. For once though, that’s alright with him. “You’ve been with Uravity for what, a month now?”

“So what?” Midoriya says through a forced smile.

“That’s funny,” Bakugou tilts his head. “Because when we got lunch, she told me you’d started dating a couple months ago.”

There’s a long silence. Too long. Check mate. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Wouldn’t it be funny if that got out? That Deku and Verity were dating two months ago and yet he was also dating his current girlfriend? What would the public say about their darling number one hero? What would your precious girlfriend say?” Bakugou turns his back to the cameras and leans in, ready for the kill. “Because even if the public didn’t believe me, she would. Think about Ochako’s reputation. She’d be labeled a homewrecker even though she didn’t do anything wrong. I bet my next paycheck that she didn’t even know about Verity.”

Bakugou could’ve tied a board to Midoriya’s back with how stiff and straight he stood. “What do you want?”

Bakugou’s smile falls. “Stay the fuck away from my fiancée. She doesn’t need you. She has me, and I make her happy. Unlike you.” With that nail in the coffin, he stomps off, not wanting to hear what the bastard has to say. Any paltry excuse would only make him mad.

Bakugou takes the flute of champagne from your hand and sets it on the table beside the two of you. He cups your face in both his hands, the whirlwind of needing to find you crashing with the wish that time would slow down. His thumb strokes your cheek as he drinks in your features. He makes you happy. 

Tilting your head towards his, Bakugou closes the distance. Your soft lips taste of the dry, sweet champagne and he can’t get enough of it.

“Katsuki,” you murmur, stunned from the kiss. “What happened?”

“He won’t bother you anymore. Let’s get out of here.”

“But everything’s about to start?”

“I’ll write them a check,” Bakugou says and tugs your hand, leading you towards the exit.

You pull him to a stop. “What’s the hurry?” The way your brows knit together and worry presses your mouth into a pout has Bakugou weak. He wants to smooth away your worry – anything to see you smile again. 

“You. I…” Bakugou takes a deep breath. She’s not my actual fiancée… It’s all pretend… except… For tonight, I want it to be real. “I want to ruin you. I want to rip that dress off you and run my hands all over your body.” His chest is pressed against yours, his mouth and hands ghosting over your skin. His lips come to a stop, hovering over yours, waiting for permission to close the far too wide gap between the two of you.

“Katsuki,” you murmur, the taste of your breath intoxicating to him. “Take me home.”

Truth: Katsuki makes you happy.

Truth: Seeing Midoriya in person for the first time since the breakup felt like all the air was sucked out of the room and your lungs were seconds from bursting.

Lie: You and Katsuki both woke up alone, in separate rooms.

◇ Next Chapter

A/N: Hi tag list people! I know it's not Tuesday, but I’m uploading the remaining chapters right now so this will be the last notification! (If you’re here before the Next Chapter link is up, give it a minute while I link things together)

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