#I think. they should both rest. everyone in chainsaw man needs a hug and a nap.

[fromthedeskofelizabeththird]

Habanero

You're a good girl, well behaved.

Absolutely not the type to rail random guys in nightclubs.

Until you are.

Fandom: BNHA

Pairing: Aizawa x Reader, Present Mic x Reader, a sprinkling of Erasermic and eventual polyamorous Erasermic x Reader

Rating: Mature, not smutty but it is a bit gory

Trigger Warnings: Blood and Gore, descriptions of physical violence, nothing worse than on the show, but it’s there all the same. Also some Shirakumo related spoilers. 

AO3: Here | Want to support me? I have a Kofi

Chapter: 13/16 (all chapters)

16-ISH YEARS AGO

“This is a terrible idea, just so you know.”

Shouta hugged his arms around his body, turning to look at the path behind him. His eyes were still growing accustomed to the dark and he had been almost entirely reliant on Shirakumo and Hizashi to guide him through the undergrowth, along a path tucked away by several layers of branches.

He had no idea where they were going, only that it was long after curfew.

“You worry too much,” said Hizashi. “Trust me, it’ll be worth it!”

Shouta pursed his lips together, more than a little conscious of how new he was to class 1-A. More specifically, how any wrong move could realistically end in him being returned to general studies.

He hadn’t wanted to go to the summer training camp, but ultimately the pros far outweighed the cons. Sure, he’d have to eat bad curry and share a room with students he barely knew, but missing out on the opportunity to master his quirk wasn’t something to be taken lightly. His presence there alone was a test, unofficially or not.

He had been exhausted when he finally rested his head, only to spend hours staring at the ceiling. In a matter of hours, he would have to push himself harder than ever and that knowledge alone made him nervous. He hadn’t been able to sleep the night before either, instead stealing glances at the packed bag by his bedroom door. The more he tried to sleep, the more nervous he got, a vicious cycle he knew all too well.

He was still awake at light’s out; still awake when the majority of the other guys tucked themselves into bed and began to snore. He was still awake when Shirakumo and Yamada got up to leave.

He knew them from class, of course. If he had to label them anything, and was loath to do so, they were the closest thing he had to friends on the hero course. Yamada had offered up one of his earphones on the bus ride over to show him the song he’d been obsessed with, while Shirakumo frowned into the other. Shirakumo had nudged Shouta with a wink before dropping so many chilli flakes into the curry that it shone an angry shade of red. Shouta had no idea what his ultimate goal had been, only that the two members of class 1-A who finished their dinner did it on a dare.

Shouta knew they were up to no good the second he saw them tiptoeing across the room, dodging the arms and legs of their sleeping classmates. Whatever they were up to would almost certainly get him into trouble if caught. Even so, he followed them when they motioned for him to.

“We found it earlier,” said Shirakumo, crouching down beside a fallen tree and linking his hands to give Yamada a boost over the top.

Yamada whined as he climbed up and slid down onto the other side, far from pleased at having to touch the tree bark in so little light. Shirakumo turned to him and held out his hands, leaving Shouta grateful for the darkness. In this light, no one could see him blush.

He set his foot down into Shirakumo’s hands and put a hand on his shoulder for balance. He took a deep breath as Shirakumo boosted him, planting both hands down on the damp bark and pulling himself up. He was still much slower than they were, regardless of how long he spent running laps or doing pull ups. He landed on the other side without any sort of grace, stumbling on his ankle and grazing his hands across the floor. In any other setting it would have hurt, but the grass was soft and incredibly forgiving.

“Man,” said Yamada, who was still checking himself for bugs, “I’m going to itch for a week.”

“You’ll be fine,” said Shirakumo, landing softly. “C’mon, it’s this way!”

He raced on ahead, no longer concerned about waking up any of the professors. Shouta turned to Yamada, who grinned back and reached for his hand.

“C’mon!”

He squeezed tightly and followed suit, Shouta trailing behind and staring at their linked hands. It was so intimate and yet so casual and he didn’t know what to do.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to think about it for long, as they reached a gap in the trees and Yamada let him go. Shouta stumbled to a stop, jaw dropping as he took in their new surroundings.

They had arrived at the base of a waterfall, its waters twinkling in a near perfect imitation of the stars overhead. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but it definitely wasn’t this.

Yamada and Shirakumo weren’t nearly as overwhelmed as he was, already in the process of settling down on the grass. Shouta followed suit, wishing he had a dozen or more heads just to take in every detail.

“It’s good, right?!” Shirakumo said as he and Yamada flopped back into the grass.

Shouta laid back far more slowly, taking care to listen to the whisper of the water and cool night breeze. He made sure to smell the flowers that crowned their heads.

“I…” he said, closing his eyes.

He wanted to say it was beautiful, that he was happy they had shared this secret with him.

He wanted to say how grateful he was to have such welcoming classmates who hadn’t hesitated to welcome him into their class.

In the end, though, he merely shrugged.

“It’s okay.”

~~~~

PRESENT

“What do you mean you can’t come? I need you to chaperone the girls.”

“Eraser, be more sympathetic,” wailed Nemuri. “I’ve never had such bad cramps before! I feel like I’ve swallowed a chainsaw.”

Shouta leaned against the bus, rubbing his temples and toeing the gravel.

He had hated summer training camps as a teenager and he definitely hated them now.

Shouta was sick of planning the summer camp. He was tired of so much as hearing about it. It was necessary, he knew that, but this one seemed to have been doomed from the beginning.

The last thing he needed was to have to replace a chaperone at the last minute, especially so early on into summer vacation.

“You’ll be fine,” he said. “Just take an aspirin.”

“I don't have any!”

“I do. Now hurry up, we’re leaving soon.”

He hung up before she could protest, only for his phone to start ringing again almost immediately.

“I already organised a replacement,” said Nemuri the moment he picked up. “A little last minute, but she’s definitely qualified!”

“What are you tal-“

He never got the chance to reply, for you strolled around the corner, rucksack strapped to your back and sunglasses perched on top of your head. You waved the moment you saw him and came rushing over, completely oblivious to the conflict playing out in front of you.

“I’ll call you back,” he said, hanging up on Nemuri for a second time.

She had a point and he knew it. You were the only member of the faculty who didn’t have lessons to plan and papers to grade. Even so, it made him nervous and he told himself it had nothing at all to do with the cutoffs you had on.

“(Name),” he said, “you…”

“Did you speak to Nemuri? Is she okay?”

Shouta slipped his phone back into his pocket, wondering exactly how much she had told you.

“She’ll be fine,” he said. “I’m sorry to put you out like this.”

“No, no,” you said, waving away his concerns, “I was already packed for Yamanashi. It’s not putting me out at all!”

It was just like you and he sighed, cursing Nemuri. He wanted to tell you to go home, but he didn’t know who else he could call in on such short notice and, given the current climate, it was important to keep as few people in the know about where you were going as humanly possible. Even if he called Recovery Girl or Thirteen, it was unlikely either of them would be packed and ready on time and he didn’t like the idea of having them arrive at the camp later, putting more vehicles on the road for the League of Villains to follow.

“We’re taking separate routes,” he said, against his better judgement. “You should travel with 1-B. They’re taking the shorter path.”

He pointed out the second bus, where Vlad was checking over his student rosters.

“Okay,” you said with a wide smile, “I’ll go and tell him about the change of plans.”

He watched as you left, all but bouncing on your heels. He knew you hadn’t experienced much close contact with heroes until recently and your excitement was only natural. Even so, he had a bad feeling about bringing you along, one that he wouldn’t put his finger on until it was too late.

~~~~

Your friends had laughed at you for packing your bags so early. The trip to Yamanashi was weeks away and you had more free time than usual thanks to summer break. Nemuri’s early morning phone call was satisfying in more ways than one. You didn’t need to worry about buying bug spray or picking out walking shoes. All you had to do was throw on some clothes and grab your bag on the way out.

You spent the bus ride turning the pages of a suspense novel, so absorbed in the action that you barely noticed where you were going or how much time had passed. You were almost a quarter of the way through when the bus finally came to a stop and the students pushed their faces to the windows.

“Everyone, calm down,” said Vlad, “back in your seats. You’ll have plenty of time to explore later.”

They groaned, but obeyed, prompting you to giggle and slip a bookmark between the pages of your novel. You were used to dealing with the chaos of 1-A. It was almost a relief to spend time with 1-B.

You and Vlad were the first ones off the bus and you gazed in awe at your forest surroundings. There were trees and mountains as far as the eye could see, wild and unapologetically untamed. You turned on the spot, wishing you could see everything all at once, only to find yourself on the receiving end of a bone breaking handshake.

“Good morning, good morning,” said the stranger. “Welcome to The Beast’s Forest.”

You took in the stranger’s enormous form; his broad shoulders and kitten paw gloves.

“I...um...thank you…”

“The Wild Wild Pussycats are helping us out with the training camp this year,” said Vlad, taking a moment to look away as the students filed off the bus. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“It’s our pleasure,” said the stranger. “I’m Tiger and this is Ragdoll!”

He gestured to the woman beside him, who had on a matching set of kitten paw gloves.

“Pleased to meet you,” she cried out, hopping on the spot. “We’re so happy you chose to come here and train with us!”

“We’ll show you to your rooms,” followed up Tiger.

“1-B,” said Vlad, turning to the students, who by then had started to huddle round you. “Grab your things and get ready to unpack. We have a lot to do today, so no goofing off!”

~~~~

After everyone had unpacked, Vlad and Ragdoll left to take the students on a short hike. You stayed behind to help Tiger prepare dinner, as well as to help the girls from 1-A unpack and settle in once they finally arrived.

By all accounts it didn’t make sense. 1-A had set off before you, yet still hadn’t arrived. You thought about it as you washed and peeled vegetables, wondering if Shouta had done so deliberately as part of a training exercise.

They trailed out of the forest and through the doors at sundown, filthy, exhausted and starving.

“What on earth happened?” you asked, guiding them to the dorms while Pixie Bob and Mandalay finished up the food.

You didn’t get much of an answer, just whimpers of despair.

You watched as they trailed into their room, dragging their legs and clutching their hands over their stomachs, wondering what kinds of tortures they had endured in the forest.

As expected of UA , you considered. This isn’t even day one.

~~~~~~~

After dinner, the students took a dip in the hot springs and retired to bed, exhausted from the day’s events and anticipating an early start. You checked in on them before leaving the dorms, meaning to explore the grounds a little. You weren’t sure how much time you would have to yourself once the training actually started and wanted to make the most of it.

You couldn’t remember the last time you had taken a break outside of the city. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d been away from the city at all. Akira had always promised that one day you would take a week away in a cabin somewhere, though he had always been too busy for one reason or another to follow through. You had told yourself you thrived in the city, but the peaceful night air was proof enough of how wrong you had been.

The air was clean here; the silence broken only by the cry of cicadas in the distance. You had never seen the stars so clearly before and, now that they glimmered above you, you never wanted to stop looking at them.

At that moment, all you could think about was Hizashi. You remembered how it had felt to explore Musutafu with his hand in yours, so caught up in the beauty of your surroundings that you forgot how it felt to be sad.

What movie are we in?

You pulled your phone from your pocket and scrolled through your own songs as you walked, following the dirt path to an exposed area of grass framed by trees. You gave each tree an appraising look, trying to figure out which one would give you the best view, only to flop down in the middle and gaze up at the sky. You had never seen such a clear view of the summer triangle before: Orihime and Hikoboshi reunited in the stars.

Their story had always been one of your favourites, which proved fortunate, as it was your mother’s favourite too. She liked to sit you and your brother down and recite the story of the beautiful princess and her humble lover as a cautionary tale, meant to remind you of the importance of contributing to society, as opposed to childish fleets of fancy. Your brother, ever the dutiful son, had nodded along to her words and condemned the lovers for their passion, but you had always been something of a romantic. You often slipped up and said how happy you were that the lovers were reunited, to which your mother would pinch your cheeks. She liked to remind you that they would not have been separated in the first place if they hadn’t been selfish, nor would they have been reunited without the generosity of Orihime’s father.

Your mother was the only person you had ever met who spent Tanabata wishing for a rainstorm.

You hadn’t talked to either of your parents for well over a year. You hadn’t told them about the break up, nor mentioned your change in career. You weren’t naive enough to think they didn’t know. Your brother was still the obedient one and had texted you on the night of the USJ incident.

You wondered what your mother would say if she saw you now; if she knew Akira proposed to you and you had turned him down. She would probably faint if she knew you had slept with two of your coworkers, one of which had been a complete stranger at the time.

You gazed up at the sky and the summer triangle, finally understanding that you had always wished for Orihime’s happiness because you saw yourself in her. Perhaps your mother did too and that was why she pinched your cheeks so much.

You reached up to touch your own cheek and smiled, thinking of Hizashi and Shouta.

Hizashi was just as much of a romantic as you were and Shouta’s passions ran deeper than you’d ever presume to understand.

You couldn’t choose between them and never wanted to.

You were ready to be selfish and chase the stars.

~~~~

You weren’t the only one watching the stars that night.

Shouta perched in the branches of a tall tree several feet away, hiding in the summer foliage and watching the dorms for any signs of students breaking curfew. The irony wasn’t lost on him.

He had reached for his capture weapon the moment he heard the front door, only to loosen his grip when he saw who was coming.

He had watched you lay down in the grass to watch the stars; had watched you reach out to touch your cheek. He was reminded of a different summer camp at a different time; a time when he too laid his head in the grass to look up at the sky.

He lifted his hand and examined it in the moonlight. This was the hand that Hizashi had taken all of that time ago and, even though the skin had hardened and formed calluses, still tingled at the memory. He could jump fallen trees faster than Hizashi now; could navigate the dark without even trying. Even so, he still thought of hands in his and didn’t know what to do.

He wanted to go back to the waterfall from all those summers ago; wanted to link his hand in Hizashi’s again and lay back to watch the stars with your lap for a pillow.

He wanted to tell you that you were beautiful; that if anyone was to make him feel so illogical, he was glad it was you.

The more things changed, though, the more they stayed the same. He touched his fingers to his lips, tracing the spaces you had kissed even as you got back up to your feet and headed to the dorms, an expression of determination on your face.

He wanted to go after you, but his legs wouldn’t move.

He wanted to whisper the truth of his complicated feelings in your ear, but couldn’t say a word.

He was taller and stronger, yet still no different to the boy from all of those years ago. Now, just like then, he told himself that you were better off not knowing; that one day he would be brave enough to say his feelings out loud, but it wasn’t this one.

He had no idea how far the parallels ran. Now, just like then, he was running out of time.

~~~~~~

On a day to day basis, Vlad didn’t spend too much time with Aizawa or the students of 1-A. He definitely didn’t spend much time with you . 1-B hadn’t experienced as many traumas as 1-A. The only motivation he might have had to stop by your office unexpectedly was to make conversation, though you always seemed to be busy whenever he passed. When you weren’t chatting with students or rearranging the notice board outside of your office, you were chatting with Kayama and Yamada and sometimes even Aizawa.

He had been surprised when you came over to him the previous morning, sheepishly admitting that you had come to join them in Midnight’s stead, but he hadn’t questioned it.

The night before, though, he had definitely started to question some things.

He had drifted out of sleep to the sound of a soft tapping outside of his bedroom door. It was too faint to be his own door, though the idea that it might be a student bothered him. He got up and opened his own door by a sliver and peered out into the darkness.

Aizawa’s room was a little further down the corridor and you were standing in front of it, softly tapping at the wood and shifting on the spot.

“Everything okay?” he had asked, prompting you to jump in surprise.

“I...I um,” you had said, glancing from him to Aizawa’s door. “Everything’s fine, I just needed to…”

You had waved almost frantically, a blush peppering your cheeks.

“It’s nothing...I’m sorry I disturbed you!”

He had watched you scurry out of the men’s dorms, chancing glances over your shoulder at him and shooting awkward smiles.

It was strange to say the least, and he wondered about it long into the night. It still played on his mind as he took a seat at the breakfast table. The students were still in the process of getting up and only you, Aizawa and Vlad himself were around, helping yourselves to bowls of rice and cups of coffee. Vlad picked at his own food, still curious about the night before. He watched as you shot second and third glances at Aizawa, visibly gathering your nerves. He saw you get to your feet the second Aizawa did and follow him to the buffet table. He listened in as you began to speak in nervous whispers.

“Shouta,” you whispered, glancing over your shoulder, “I need to talk to you.”

“You’re talking to me now.”

“I mean...I need to talk to you... alone .”

Vlad dropped his gaze as you looked in his direction and shovelled food into his mouth to disguise the fact that he had been eavesdropping.

“Are you sick?”

“No.”

“Are the students okay?”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” said Aizawa, lowering his cup. “We can talk about it later.”

“But…”

“Later.”

Aizawa left you at the breakfast buffet with no further room for argument, slipping back down into his seat on Vlad’s left as if nothing had happened. You followed, flopping down into your own seat on Vlad’s right, all three of you eating in silence. Vlad’s eyes darted from his left to his right, as intrigued by this new development as he was annoyed.

~~~~~

“It’s okay, deep breaths, deep breaths!”

You patted Uraraka on the back, holding her hair back from her face as she wretched. She clasped her hands over her mouth, self conscious about throwing up in front of her classmates, but too wobbly on her feet to reach the portable toilet nearby.

“Come on,” you said, easing her arm over your shoulders and guiding her to her feet. “Slow steps.”

You guided her to the toilet, only letting go as she shut the door behind her and taking the chance to look around at your surroundings. The sun was up and training well underway. 1-A and 1-B had been assigned individual training exercises to improve their quirks and the result was organised chaos.

You didn’t have any sort of combat training, so settled for weaving your way through the crowds, offering up sips of water, pats to the back and encouraging words. It was something, at least, and gave you ample opportunities to try and get Shouta alone.

You had decided to tell him everything, from your night with Hizashi to your realisations about yourself and your own feelings. You had to be honest with him, even if it meant being rejected. You knew he had some kind of feelings for you. You knew that he wanted you on some level. You needed him to see your side of things, though so far had been unsuccessful. Every time you got closer, he found somewhere else to be.

It was disheartening, to say the least. You wondered if telling him the truth was a mistake, though shrugged off the idea almost immediately. If you never told him the truth, you’d never know his reaction.

You knew that the moment you returned home, back to your house and regular job, you would lose all of your confidence. You’d not only go back to your regular bed, but your regular demons as well.

You thought you knew better than anyone that you were running out of time and the clock was ticking, but had no idea that the end was much sooner than you thought.

You thought you had until the end of the week.

In reality, you had about 36 hours.

35:48:32

~~~~

23:59:47

“So what’s the story with you and Eraserhead?”

Your eyes bulged.

“W-what do you mean?”

You switched off the showerhead and turned back towards the onsen, realising too late that you were on the receiving end of not one but three sets of eyes.

You had tried to get Shouta’s attention again at dinner, but he had announced plans for extra lessons with the underperformers in his class. Whatever it was you had to say to him could wait until later.

You had been more than a little depressed at this development, though nowhere near as upset as Kaminari and Ashido, both of whom had begged for you to rescue them.  

You must have looked unhappy as you stepped outside, for you were almost immediately jumped by Pixie Bob, Ragdoll and Mandalay, who invited you to take a soak in the hot springs with them. Maybe it was the prospect of girl talk or the fact that they reminded you so much of your own trio of girlfriends, but you took them up on it.

You hadn't expected them to ask your love life so directly.

“I...I...uh…haha, Eraserhead? Eraserhead and me?”

They grinned at that and you didn’t blame them. In their position you wouldn’t have been convinced either.

You sighed, setting aside the showerhead and getting to your feet.

“We had sex,” you said, sinking into the water. “Twice.”

“I knew it,” said Pixie Bob, nudging Mandalay. “See? I told you. I always know when people are sleeping together.”

“Oh, we’re not sleeping together anym-“

“But you’d like to?!” Ragdoll asked, tilting her head to one side.

“I…I…”

“It’s like a sixth sense,” Pixie Bob continued, seeming not to notice. “A second quirk, if you will.”

“ Sure going to come in handy during a rescue mission,” sighed Mandalay.

“Don’t be so dismissive! We could...I could,” Pixie Bob scratched her chin until inspiration struck. “If someone had heavy blood loss, I could ask their lover for their blood type!”

“What kind of guys have you been hooking up with? Vampires?”

Pixie Bob looked offended at the very idea, though Ragdoll only smiled.

“Does Eraserhead know your blood type, (Name)?” she asked, returning you to the center of attention.

“Honestly? Probably.”

It wouldn’t surprise you, all things considered. You were still convinced he’d read your staff dossier during your first few weeks at UA.

“See,” said Pixie Bob. “Sixth sense. Incredibly useful.”

Mandalay sighed and rubbed her temples.

“You must think we’re crazy.”

“I work for UA,” you laughed, “I can handle crazy.”

“I’m sure you can,” said Pixie Bob, with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows that made Mandalay groan. “Seriously, though, what’s the story with you two? How’d you end up... knowing each other’s blood types?”

You weighed up the pros and cons of telling them, before ultimately throwing caution to the wind. You hadn’t even gotten around to telling your friends the full story, much less about your intentions to confess to Shouta. Hizashi and Nemuri didn’t know about the night at Ego ; it had always seemed inappropriate to tell them.

It was a relief to finally have the whole story off your chest and, for the first time since your arrival, all three of the Pussycats were silent, all pondering the same thing.

It was Mandalay who spoke first.

“We’ll help.”

“H-huh?!”

“Yes,” said Ragdoll, giggling with glee. “We’ll take care of everything. ”

To their credit, they really did have everything worked out.

The following evening, once training was complete, they planned to host a ghost walk, pitting class A against class B. While the walk took place, the teachers would host remedial classes with their underperforming students, just as they were doing now.

Unbeknownst to any of the students, however, they also planned to have a barbecue once the ghost walk was finished. Both Vlad and Shouta had agreed to take a break from the remedial classes around that time in the hopes of restoring the morale of the underperformers, giving them at least one good memory of summer camp.

While the students gathered around the campfire, the Pussycats would send you and Shouta back into the woods to double check all of them had returned. It was the perfect opportunity to have a private conversation and you could hardly wait.

You returned to your room on a high, both so anxious and excited that you could barely concentrate on your book.

Your fingers trembled. You wondered what you would say. You had originally planned to make it up as you went along, but having a deadline gave you more of an incentive to think it through.

You rested your head against your pillows and laid your book down on your chest.

You had a feeling the next day was going to be eventful, though had no idea how right you really were.

~~~~

17:30:24

Remedial classes went about as well as was to be expected. By the time he escorted them back to the dorms, they were in varying states of despair.

“Don’t look so sad,” he said, “it takes dedication to be heroes. If you fall apart at every hurdle, your career won’t last very long.”

He dropped Mina off at the girls’ dorms last of all, waiting for her to close the door behind her before continuing up the corridor and back out towards the entrance. He paused midway, noticing that your bedroom door was open by a sliver and the light still on.

He remembered what you had said to him at breakfast; how nervous you had been. He felt a little guilty for keeping his distance, but had a feeling whatever it was you had to say to him was something that would require one hundred percent of his attention and time, which at that moment he was unable to give.

He knocked at your door before stepping inside, a soft smile creeping across his face at what greeted him. You had fallen asleep reading, a book resting over your face and cell phone in your hand. He could hear you snoring underneath it and took a couple of silent steps forward, just until he was close enough to pick up the front and back covers between his thumb and forefingers and peel it off your face. He slipped your bookmark between the pages and rested the book down on your bedside table, finally reaching across to try and slip the phone out from your hand.

You had starfished your body across the bed and it wasn’t difficult to loosen your grip on the phone. For one nerve wracking second, Shouta thought he’d woken you, for you crumpled up your face and rolled over onto your side to face him, murmuring in your sleep.

“...fair,” you said. “Sh...fair.”

He looked down at the hand closest to him, palm upwards across the bed. His own fingers twitched at the sight. He remembered how it had felt to hold your hand at Ego ; how you had trembled as you followed him through the club. At the time he had dismissed it as excitement, but now that he knew you better he understood it was nerves.

“Shouta,” you murmured, eyes closed and words slurred from sleep.

“I’m here,” he said, putting your phone down on top of your book.

“Sh…” you said again. “...un.”

He pulled the blanket across your body and you snuggled into it, a peaceful smile breaking out across your face. He wanted so badly to wake you up, but couldn't bring himself to. He knew he’d regret it later, though had no idea how much.

“Sleep tight,” he said, stepping back out of your room and switching off the light.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back towards the entrance, oblivious to the fact that he was being watched.

Mina Ashido had gone into the washroom to brush her teeth and comb her hair and noticed your open door on the way back. Initially she had wandered over to wish you goodnight, but froze on the spot when she saw Aizawa tucking you in.

She clasped her hands over her mouth as he walked out of the door, pressing herself against the corner of the wall to remain out of sight. She was curious, yes, but not so curious that she was willing to risk even more remedial classes.

She rushed into the girls’ dorm room the moment he was gone and slammed the door shut behind her.

“Everyone,” she hissed, as the others groaned and rubbed their eyes, far from impressed at the early morning interruption. “Wake up! You’re not going to believe this!”

~~~~~~

14:42:45

“I don’t believe you.”

“I know what I saw!”

News of your late night interlude with Aizawa was the talk of the 1-A breakfast table, even if everyone was divided. While Aizawa’s presence in your room definitely raised questions, there was no evidence it had been anything other than innocent. Mina had seen him tucking you into bed and nothing more, leaving the events of that night up to personal interpretation, of which there were many.

“I’m telling you,” said Mina, “he was smiling . It was weird.”

“She could have told him a really good joke,” shrugged Kaminari.

“In her sleep ?”

“Remember that time I told Professor Aizawa a knock knock joke?” Sero said, grimly. “He made me do laps.”

“It was a pretty bad joke,” chuckled Tsuyu.

“You’re all wrong,” said Hagakure. “She’s dating Present Mic!”

“Present Mic?” said Uraraka, sounding more than a little confused.

“They do seem to get along well on his radio show,” said Deku. “That doesn’t mean they’re a couple, though.”

“Maybe she’s dating both of them,” shrugged Kirishima, to which everyone began to chatter in uproar.

“In any case,” said Iida, bellowing over everyone as he lowered his orange juice, “it’s inappropriate to speculate on the private lives of our teachers.”

“But that’s what makes it fun ,” said Mina, who was more than a little put out that people still didn’t believe her.

She glanced over at the teacher’s table, where you and the Pussycats were deep in discussion and Aizawa and Vlad compared notes on their lesson planning.

She knew what she had seen, but had no idea how to prove it.

~~~~~

1:24:21

The third day of training passed just as quickly as the first. You rushed around the grounds, handing over bottles of water and offering words of reassurance. It felt like a workout even though you weren’t the one training and you breathed a sigh of relief when it finally came to a close.

You mopped your brow and peered out over the horizon, taking in the golden sunset.

It was almost time.

~~~~~

00:24:12

Shouta...I’ve been thinking…

We need to be honest with ourselves. You aren’t Hizashi and Hizashi’s not you. You aren’t each other’s substitute and it’s unfair to everyone to pretend you are.

You frowned as you took a sip of soda.

You’d been lost in thought ever since you’d arrived at the midpoint with Ragdoll, going over and over everything you wanted to say to Shouta. In many respects you felt guilty, for you knew you weren’t paying as much attention to the ghost walk as you should.

You didn’t notice the thump of heavy footsteps nearby until Ragdoll herself hopped to her feet to listen.

“What...is that…”

“Is it a student?”

Ragdoll squinted and moved closer to the trees. The footsteps had slowed, but were still audible in the distance. You got up yourself, but she motioned for you to stay where you were.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” she said with a smile. “Maybe Pixie Bob made one of her earth creatures for extra scares.”

She walked towards the trees, disappearing into the shadows and out of sight. It made you nervous, though you didn’t know why. You tapped your foot against the ground and chewed your bottom lip, listening as both Ragdoll’s footsteps and the heavy ones fell silent.

It lasted only for a second, though it felt like years. You reached for the satchel of extra gear the two of you had packed and rummaged inside of it for a torch. You knew you shouldn’t leave your post, but you wanted to feel just a little safer.

“R-Ragdoll?” you called out, fiddling with the switch. “Are you-“

The footsteps started again and you froze in place, watching as something emerged from the trees. You dropped the torch and it flashed on when it hit the ground, illuminating the enormous creature stumbling towards you.

Your heart froze in your chest and you took a step backwards, insides turning to water.

You recognised this sort of creature from Tsukauchi’s investigation of the events of USJ, though had only ever seen them in photos. You shivered as you took in its exposed brain and dead, fishlike eyes, watching helplessly as Ragdoll thrashed in its grip.

“Get out of here, (Name),” she called out, the creature squeezing her body until the radio fell from her head. “Tell the others!”

You knew that you should obey her, but you were frozen to the spot, unable to do anything but watch as two other figures emerged from the trees. One was a young man with a patchworked face; the other wore a black and white costume that hid any identifying features from view.

The man with the patchworked face glanced from the creature to you, examining you from head to toe as if coming to a decision.

“Hmmm,” he said. “You aren’t on the list.”

You had no idea what list he was talking about, nor why you weren’t on it. You wondered if he was talking about the list of attendees to the summer camp, though prayed you were wrong. The camp’s location was a secret, or rather, was supposed to be one.

“Run!” Ragdoll screamed again and this time you obeyed, sprinting away along the dirt track and back towards camp.

The patchwork-faced man turned languidly to face his companion and shrugged.

“Twice,” he said, “make a copy. We can’t have her alert the others.”

“Right away! Just leave it to me!”

“Honestly, we only just got here and already you’re telling me what to do.”

You glanced over your shoulder just in time to see two identical men with patchwork faces, one of which was beginning to follow you.

Shit, shit, shit.

You ran away, reaching into your pocket for your phone. You needed to warn the others, you needed to-

Shit

You stumbled over an uneven spot in the floor, phone soaring out of your hand and into the trees as your mouth filled with blood.

You rolled over onto your back and crawled over to reach for it, though the tumble had slowed you down significantly. The second patchwork man strolled towards you at a leisurely pace as if you hadn’t bothered to run from him at all. You pushed yourself up onto your feet, but your ankle throbbed and caved in, leaving you crashing back to the ground.

“Ow,” you muttered, shuffling back towards the trees and out of danger, though not remotely fast enough to get away.

“They said I’m not s’posed to hurt you,” he said, taking a step closer, “just scare you a little.”

He smirked, taking in your burst lip and grazed knees; your frantic rummaging through the bag of supplies.

“Looks like my job’s already been done for m-“

He inched backwards as you dragged out the thing you’d been looking for: a flare gun, packed in case of emergencies. It was harmless, of course, but in the darkness looked just like the real thing.

“Tell me,” you said, “are you a clone?”

He raised his hands in mock surrender, conflict visibly playing out across his face at the activation of your quirk.

“I am,” he said.

“Tell me,” you said again, far more forcefully, “do you share memories? Will you both remember this conversation?”

“I share his memories. He doesn't share mine.”

You didn’t know if the clone shared the original’s quirk as well as his memories and were more than a little aware that you only had a short window before he figured out you weren’t holding a real gun.

“ Tell me ,” you said. “Where is the league of villains? Where do they gather?”

He squeezed his hands together, blue flames rippling across his skin as he recited an address. You committed it to memory and then pulled the trigger, limping off into the trees as he dodged the red sparks.

You limped as fast as your legs would carry you, finally collapsing behind a tree to catch your breath. You reached for your phone with shaking hands, writing out the address in a message to Shouta and cursing under your breath when it failed to send.  

“Come on, come on, come on,” you said, tapping ‘resend’ over and over to no avail. You had to warn them, had to tell them.

You gave up on sending the message and used the tree as a guide to get back up onto your feet, wincing as almost every inch of your body ached in protest.

Come on , you willed yourself. Come on, (Name), you can do this.

You weren’t a hero, but none of the kids were yet. You had joined UA to guide and protect them and cuts and bruises didn’t change that obligation.

You froze in place at the sound of footsteps, clapping a hand over your nose and mouth, eyes darting around at your surroundings. The trees swayed in the evening breeze, the stars shone brightly overhead, seemingly oblivious to what was happening within the forest. You squeezed your eyes shut, heart pounding and skin clammy.

Why had the villains come here?

What was their goal?

You wished you had asked the patchwork faced man while you still had a chance.

The footsteps faded, their owner retreating in the opposite direction. You breathed a steady sigh of relief and peeped out behind you at the path you would need to take to get back to the main path. It would probably be faster to go through the woodland and you turned back to get your bearings, heart stopping as you found yourself looking into the mouth of another stranger, one who was currently dangling from the branch above you and grinning widely, revealing a set of shining teeth.

“M...meat,” he said, dropping to the floor and leaning back, one of his canines stretching from his mouth and slicing open your arm. “Fresh meat.”

You knew this villain. You remembered his court case; your father led the prosecution and landed him on death row.

Moonfish

You remembered going for coffee with your brother, who at the time was interning at your father’s law firm. It was his first real case and it affected him deeply. He refused to talk about it, even now that years had passed.

After seeing the villain in the flesh, you thought you understood why. He moved with inhuman dexterity, landing in front of you before you could so much as move.

You saw the blade coming. You heard it pierce the tree.

You didn’t, however, feel it go through your body, not until he jerked his head back in an attempt to free his tooth from the tree bark. You screamed in pain, the wound burning every time he moved.

“Show me,” he said, yanking his head, “show me how you look on the inside.”

His tooth snapped and he stumbled backwards, leaving you to flop forward, blood soaking through your shirt.

“Show me,” said Moonfish, stumbling forwards. “Let me taste your flesh.”

You opened your mouth to protest, ears ringing.

You didn’t know what you meant to say to him, only that you never got the chance. He stepped forwards to land the finishing blow, only to hear a noise in the distance. You heard it, too, eyes bulging in realisation.

The students still didn’t know about the attack and were continuing on the ghost walk. A pair of them were nearby, discussing the possible tactics of 1-B.

You searched your brain for the order, though struggling to settle on a single thought, skin prickling as Moonfish retracted his teeth and disappeared into the night, far more interested in a different sort of prey.

You tried to move, only to cry out in pain. The broken tooth seemed to have gone right through not only you, but the tree. If you tried to pull it out, you would almost certainly bleed to death far faster, but if you stayed there it wouldn’t just be you who bled.

You snatched up your phone and frantically dialled everyone in your phone book, blood soaking through your shirt and shorts.

You dialled Shouta to no avail.

You dialled Hizashi, who was in the middle of recording his radio show.

You dialled Nemuri, who was filming an interview on a late night television show.

“Someone,” you murmured, vision going dark and limbs going floppy. “Someone…”

You looked up towards the sky, taking in the bright stars with a bitter smile.

You knew it was impossible, and she was far away, but you could feel your mother pinching your cheeks.

~~~~~

00:05:20

Of all of the heroes in all of the world, Eraserhead was perhaps the most mysterious. What few people knew of his existence knew even less about the man. He was a shadow, venturing out of the darkness only to ambush would be criminals and vanish just as quickly as he came.

He worked best after dark where he could travel unseen. Ironic, therefore, that on this night in particular he stumbled over his feet. He sprinted through the undergrowth, phone pressed to his ear.

Hello, this is (Name). I’m not around at the moment, please leave a message!

“Come on,” he hissed, coming to an abrupt halt and dialling again.

Shouta glanced around at his surroundings, entirely in his element, yet powerless to act.

After returning Kota to the lodge, his phone had exploded with missed calls and messages.

“What is it?” Vlad had asked, noticing the blood drain from his face.

“I’m forwarding an address,” he said, copying one of your messages. “Pass it onto the police when they get here.”

“An address? What-”

“Just pass it onto them! It’s important!”

He had no idea why it was important, of course, only that you wouldn’t have sent it to him so many times if it wasn’t.

Your phone went through to voicemail again and he swore under his breath,

“Idiot,” he hissed. “What did I tell you about facing unknown villains?”

He remembered the night you got him with pepper spray.

Why would you try and confront a villain without help? You could have gotten yourself killed.

“You better not have done anything stupid,” he said, dialling your number again to distract himself from the fact that if you had gotten that information by using your quirk, you must have gotten close to a villain.

“Over here!” Tiger yelled nearby. Shouta followed the sound of his voice, arriving at what had previously been the midpoint.

His ears began to ring when he saw what remained of it: an abandoned table, soaked with blood, an abandoned torch flickering on the ground.

“This...this is Ragdoll’s radio,” said Tiger, lifting it up from the floor. “Oh my god…this...this is blood!”

“This blood’s cold,” said Shouta, dipping his pinky finger into it and glancing across at the radio in Tiger’s hands, “most likely hers.”

“There’s so much,” said Tiger, voice breaking, “that idiot...her quirk isn’t suitable for combat. She knows that.”

Shouta crouched down to pick up the abandoned torch.

“There’s no blood on this,” he said, turning it over in his hands. “Whoever dropped it wasn’t injured.” He fiddled with the on switch and turned to face the table, where Tiger had picked up Ragdoll’s abandoned radio. “They were frightened, though.”

“(Name),” said Tiger, picking up his train of thought. “Ragdoll...she must have told her to run.”

Shouta cursed and followed the dirt track, dialling your number as he went. He froze on the spot when he spotted an abandoned flare in the mud.

“This way,” he called out, rushing over and crouching down to examine it.

By then, it had largely burned out, but that wasn’t what caught his attention.

Generally speaking, people fired flare guns into the sky. This one had pretty clearly ricocheted off a tree. Whoever fired it had done so in self defense, as a distraction.

“Did you find anything?”

Shouta glanced over his shoulder to see Vlad arriving from the opposite direction.

“Did you see anyone on your route here?” he asked, stomach churning at the head shake he got in response.

“They’ve sent out a helicopter to track down any stragglers,” said Vlad, pointing to the sky. “We’ll soon have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”

“There’s not enough time,” said Shouta, dialling your number.

He had a pretty good idea of the sequence of events so far and didn’t like it one bit. You and Ragdoll had likely been ambushed by multiple villains. Ragdoll had almost certainly told you to run, not only because you were a civilian, but to raise the alarm. Someone had followed you to this spot, but what had happened next?

He got his answer a few seconds later, for somewhere to his left a phone started to ring.

“That way,” he said, sprinting in that direction, Vlad not far behind.

He couldn’t seem to move fast enough; his legs felt heavy, as if he was wading through water.

He followed the sound to its source and froze on the spot at what greeted him.

It was you, impaled by a long, jagged piece of metal that ran all of the way through the tree behind you. Your hands, lips and clothes were covered in blood, cell phone still ringing in your lifeless hand.

He couldn’t move, couldn’t say a thing, not even as Vlad arrived behind him.

“(Name),” said Vlad, dropping to the ground and examining your wounds. “(Name)...”

He turned to Shouta, ready to tell him that you were still warm, only to fall silent at the sight of him standing there. His mouth opened and closed helplessly, an expression of unspeakable horror and dread across his face.

He clasped a hand over his mouth and turned away from the scene, the scent of blood and smoke making him retch. He remembered every time you had asked to talk to him; every time he had chickened out of saying how he really felt.

Vlad was calling out to him, but he couldn’t make out a word, too lost in memories to be at all coherent.

He remembered you tapping a wet cloth to his face so many months ago. He had been furious then, though it all felt meaningless now.

You need to be more rational in these things. Running head on into danger gets people killed.

Good job I had a big, strong Eraserhead around to protect me.

“Aizawa,” said Vlad, “Aizawa...she’s…”

He didn’t get an answer, though, just a yell as Aizawa dropped onto his hands and knees.

They were in the forest, but all he could hear was rubble crashing to the floor, silently taking Shirakumo with it.

To this day, he still wasn’t fast enough.

Vlad turned back to you and tucked your hair behind your ear, face dropping at the muffled mumbling coming from your lips, intertwined with the muffled sobs coming from Aizawa that he would later pretend he didn’t hear.

“Shouta...it’s unfair...unfair...un...fair.”

00:00:00

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #788: After a Cliff Falling Experience (SSBU X Persona 5)

3:40 p.m. at Smash Mansion's Living Room.........

It was a relaxing, peaceful day at the mansion for the Phantom Thieves (Shiho and Lavenza included) as they watch some TV together. That is until......

'Door Open'

Pit: (Weakly Made his Way to the Living Room While Being Covered in Ashes) I'm.....hoooooome......(Fells Down on the Floor in Exhaustion)

'THUD'

Phantom Thieves: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock Once They've Seen Pit Lay on the Ground) PIT!?

Makoto: Oh my god! (Immediately Makes her Way to Pit Along with the Others) Are you okay!? (Starts Helping Pit Back Up With Ren's Assistance)

Pit: ('Groans a Bit in Pain') Yeah......I think so....

Futuba: Dude, what happened to you?

Ann: Yeah. And why are you covered in ashes?

Lavenza: Were you hit by a nearby fire perhaps?

Pit: Not exactly.....I was uhh....(Starts Rubbing the Back of his Head Back and Forth While Chuckling a bit Awkwardly) Kind of, sort of got thrown off a cliff......

Phantom Thieves: You WHAT!!?

Yusuke: Who on Earth would do such a thing!?

Pit: I dunno....Some guy name Kazuya or some-

Ryuji: Waitwaitwait! You said Kazuya?

Shiho: As in THE KAZUYA MISHIMA!?

Pit: Uh....I think that's what his me is, yeah.

Ryuji: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock as He's Almost Speechless) Holy fucking shit.......

Shiho: (Covers her Mouth in Complete Shock) Oh my god.....

Ann: (Turns Ryuji and Shiho in a Not of Confusion) You guys know him or something?

Ryuji: KNOW HIM!? That's the guy from Tekken!?

Shiho: He's the guy with literal devil powers!!!

Lavenza: (Eyes Widened in Genuine Surprise) Oh my.....

Ren: Ah yeah.....Tekken. (Turns to Ryuji) I remember you telling me about it that time school. (Turns to Pit) What makes you wanna go after that guy?

Pit: Well, for starters, we really haven't heard from Ganondorf all day yesterday. So Kirby and I decided to look for him all night. Once we eventually arrived at this....Volcanic Mountain looking place, the first thing we saw was that Kazuya guy carrying Ganondorf to a cliff and throwing off there.

Ryuji: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock) FOR REAL!?

Haru: (Couldn't Believe What She's Hearing) I-I don't understand! Why would he do such a thing!?

Pit: I'm not entirely sure myself, but he did say something about wanting to fight worthy opponents or whatever.

Yusuke: So he's like Ryu then?

Ryuji: Yes......

Shiho: ......And no..... He's way more cold and ruthless than Ryu is in his Messatsu Form.

Ryuji: And that's all because the whole Mishima Family in general was messed up from the start.....

Ann: (Turns to Ryuji and Shiho) How do you two know all of this?

Ryuji: Shiho and I used to play a lot Tekken growing up.

Shiho: (Smiles Softly at her Girlfriend) You should play it with us sometime, Ann. It's really fun.

Ann: (Shrugs While Smiling at her Girlfriend) Sure. I'm down.

Makoto: Guys, we're going off topic here! (Turns Back to Pit) How exactly did you gotten yourself like this? Did you.....

Pit: Yeah....I tried to fight myself, but...beat me to the punch. (Winces a bit in Pain While Placing His Hand on his Stomach) literally.... And then after that, he tries throwing Kirby off the cliff too-

Everyone: He WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?

Pit: (Gets Startled by Everyone's Sudden Outburst Before Speaking Again) Y-Yeah. After I got beaten up and thrown off a cliff, he immediately grabs Kirby by the head and threw him out there too!

Futuba: (Had Enough) OKAY, SERIOUSLY!? What is with this guy and throwing people off CLIFFS!!!?

Pit: That's what I wanted to know!! It's like he has some kind of sick, twisted enjoyment out of it too! I even saw a glimpse of him smirking while I was falling!

Ryuji: I mean, he was thrown off a cliff when he was six. So.......

Futuba: (Starts Pinching her Nose in Disbelief) Oh my freaking God........

Makoto: (Turns to Pit) Pit, do you have any idea where Kirby must've fallen down to once you were on the ground?

Pit: I.... can't say that I do really. All I remembered is seeing was Kazuya preparing to toss Kirby off there with me. After that, I blackouted....

Ren: Wait a minute. Couldn't Kirby fly or-

Ann: I'mma kill him.

Ren/Makoto/Pit: (Slowly Turn their Heads at Ann with a Surprised Look on Each of their Faces) What?

Ann: (Turns to the Trio With Anger in Her Eyes) You heard me. I don't know who this Kazuya guy is and I don't care at this point!! I am going to find the jackass and pulverize him myself!!

Shiho: (Turns to Ann with a Determined Look on her Face) I'll go with you.

Ann: (Gently Grab Both of Shiho's Hands) No, Shiho. I don't want him to hurt you.

Shiho: (Gently Squeezes Ann's Hands) It's okay, Ann. I may not have Personas like you guys, but I've been training for a while now. I can fight too.

Ann: ('Sighs in Defeat') Fine. But you are staying right by my side in all of this, alright?

Shiho: (Nodded in Agreement) Right.

Ryuji: (Turns to Girls With Anger in his Eyes as Well) I'm going too! I don't give a damn he has crazy devil powers! Ain't no way I'm letting him get away with hurting our friends like that!!! And maybe even Ganondorf!!

Yusuke: You know.....(Puts on a Dark Look in his Eyes) It has been a long time since I've used my blade in action.....

Haru: (Has a Darken Look on her Eyes as Well) Couldn't agree more.....My axe has gotten quite dull as of late.....

Morgana: Normally I don't join in on the violence bandwagon immediately....(Puts on a Anger, Determined Look on his Face) But patience be damn! That devil's paying the piece!!

Haru: Well said, sweetie!!

Morgana: (Turns to Lavenza) Lavenza, you're coming with us?

Lavenza: (Already Has a Darken Look on her Face as Well) Of course.....I will punish thee for his cruel and thoughtless actions that was stow upon our two companions. And I will not hesitate to use my full potential in the process. In other words.....(Summons a Blue Colored Chainsaw on the Palm of Her Hands With a Loud Ripping Sound to Boot) The bastard will pay.

Futuba: (Angrily Pumps her Fist Up in the Air) AH YEAH! Let show that punk who's boss!!

Morgana: (Turns to Futuba) Futuba, you don't even know how to fight.

Futuba: (Pours at Morgana) Oh yes I do! Big sis Sae has already taught me the ropes of Self Defense and everything!

Ryuji: We can talk about that later! Right now..... (Points at the Front Door Fiercely) LET'S GET HIS SORRY ASS!!

Everyone: YEAHHHHHHHH!!!!

Makoto: THAT'S ENOUGH!

Makoto stomps her feet to the ground loud enough to get the rest of the Phantom Thieves' attention.

Makoto: ('Sigh') Calm down and think rationally on this, people! We can't go out there and recklessly fight him like that! He could be powerful enough to stop ALL OF US for all we know!

Ren: Makoto's right, guys. And fighting him is not our main focus at the moment. What we need to do right now is find Kirby and bring him back home.

Lavenza: (Stares at the Couple for a Brief Second Before Sighing in Defeat) The Joker and Queen are right....(Makes the Chainsaw Magically Disappear Out Thin Air) It would be foolish of all of us if we rush in without a proper plan of some kind. We must find Kirby at once.

Ryuji: But how are we gonna him in a huge ass town like this? He could anywhere for all we know!

?????: Poyo!

Ryuji: Hey, Kirby. But as I was saying, I- ('GASPS')

Everyone in the room immediately turns around and sees Kirby happily waving at them.

Kirby: Poyo! Poyo!~

Everyone: (Smiles Brightly at the Smiling Pink Puffball) KIRBY!!~

And with that, everyone (with the exception of Ren, Makoto, and Pit) immediately rushes over to Kirby and express how worried and happy they are about his whereabouts and return.

Makoto: (Watches Everyone in the Background While Sighing in Relief) Well....at least Kirby's back home.

Ren: (Smiles Softly) And not a spec of ashes in his body.

Pit: ('Sighs in Relief and Happiness') I'm so glad......I thought I would actually lose him forever. I would've been really pathetic if that were to happen....

Ren: (Eyes Widened at What Put Just Said) You would've been what now?

Makoto: (Turns to Pit with Worry in her Eyes) Pit, what are you talking about?

Pit: Oh....Well, before or....maybe after Kazuya threw me off of a cliff, he...calls "pathetic".......(Starts to Frown Sadly) And I'm starting think he's rig-

Ren/Makoto: NO HE'S NOT, PIT!!

Ren: Don't believe a SINGLE word from his mouth!!

Makoto: You are NOT pathetic, Pit! And you never will be!

Pit: B-But I lost a fight against him! A-And I wasn't even strong enough to protect Kirby.....

Ren: But Kirby's fine now. He knew he was able to float and use that opportunity to fly away safely.

Pit: I-I mean.... You're right, but-

Makoto: (Gently Place her Hands on Pit's Shoulders) But nothing, Pit. We know what happened to the both of you last night was terrible, but you still did everything you could to stop that man regardless of how strong he was at the time and we couldn't be anymore proud. So please.....(Gently Hugs Pit Lovingly) Don't ever think that way about yourself again.....

Pit: (Almost at a Loss of Words) You guys.....(Tears Starts Falling Down From his Eyes) ('Sniff') I'm sorry.....('Sniff') We didn't mean to worry you....

Ren: (Joins in on the Hug) Hey man, you have nothing to apologize for here.

Makoto: Ren's right. We're just happy that you and Kirby are back home safe.

Ren: We love you, Pit. (Kiss the Top of Pit's Head) Always.

Pit: I....('Sniff') (Gently Hugs Ren and Makoto Back) I love you guys too.....('Sniff') So much.........

@keyenuta

@princekirijo

@caleb13frede

@26shann

@cyber-wildcat

@albion-93

@ma-lemons

[go-dark-turtle]

(Here it is Chapter 4 is complete. Here is a link to part 2 of chapter 3 if you havent already read it.

Please enjoy this chapter just like other chapters there is mild swearing. Onwards to the chapter. TALLY HOOOO! Its split into 2 parts again so here it is part 1! )

Chapter 4 Heart-racing Hectic Hijinxs and a Hol Horse

Jotaro drove for another 3 or so hours heading towards the outskirts of Luxor, most of the way there you had been so overwhelmed with emotions it burnt you out, you fell asleep squished between Kakyion and Joseph, you snuggled into Kakyion's shoulder and he looked down at you and smiled. At moments when Avdol and Joseph did not look his way he would brush his hand against yours, he did it to comfort you. Even in your sleep you had a slight smile whenever you could feel his touch. 

"I think this might be a good spot to crash for the night, what do you think Jotaro?" Polneraff asked. 

"Hm yeah why not." Jotaro sighed he was just as exhausted as everyone else.

Jotaro had parked your car by some old ruins on the outskirts of Luxor and got out to have a smoke, Avdol and Joseph smiled, they got out the car knowing they could stretch their legs and get the luggage from the boot and set up camp. Polnareff joined Jotaro in having a cigarette while Iggy went for a walk along the riverbed. 

"Hey Y/N wake up we are here, come on" The young red haired man gently nudged your shoulder. 

You rubbed your eyes and looked about the empty car in a daze. You blinked slowly and you looked at Kakyion and that's when everything came flooding back. 

"I thought we were gonna be safe, I didn't know she could find me so easily, I'm so sorry I put you and everyone at risk...." You cried softly and Kakyion interrupted you by pulling you into a soft hug. 

"Nonsense Y/N,  you did everything in your power to prevent a horrible outcome with Avdol and myself, for that I thank you" He gently patted and stroked your hair.

"I'm grateful that I changed the future, and some future should change, no way was I going to allow you to be hurt, let alone have your eyes damaged" You pulled out the hug and went to reach for his face. He was still smiling down at you. 

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?" Joseph peaked in the passenger door left open by Polernaff. 

You jolted backwards and clasped your hands looking down and Kakyion softly giggled. 

"I have some scrambled eggs and toast for dinner, heh courtesy of the Speedwagon Foundation. It will be ready soon, come join us at the campfire." The old man smirked and adjusted his hat and exited the door and walked away.

Joseph knew, oh he knew exactly what was going on and it was all thanks to Hermit Purple, he smirked and was loving that you both were finding your way to each other. He was by the stove cooking the eggs and gently roasting the bread, watching on from a distance.   

Avdol noticed his smirk "Mr Joestar did you figure something out?"

"Hm perhaps, but I don't want to give spoilers" He smirked more and pointed at you and Kakyion walking over to the campfire. 

"Oh I see, ah young love isn't it beautiful? Don't worry Mr Joestar I won't let on we know anything.....Wait! When you used Hermit Purple..." Avdol turned to him and figured it out. 

Without a word Joseph tapped his nose and smirked and started to plate up the dinner. Avdol smiled back and shrugged of course he found out with Hermit purple.

****After dinner****

You all sat round the campfire, you were still shaken up by the whole thing and you hugged your knees and placed your forehead on them.

"God I don't even know how I'm gonna tell Tamsin what happened to the Bombay Cottage let alone I got involved with a cowboy working for a vampire and oh yeah I'm a stand user." You just wanted to wake up back at the beach house and this was all a nightmare.

"Listen don't worry about that, I'll take care of talking to Tamsin, after all I am a businessman, I'm sure there's something I can work out with him for sure. Besides, you really have helped us out and lord only knows how long it would take to find out where Dio's mansion is." Joseph sipped his coffee as he consulted you. 

"He's right Y/N we will take care of everything from here on in, you've done more than enough for us, even if it was a day or two breather from Dio and his minions." Kakyion placed his hand on your shoulder.  

 "Unfortunately when you travel with us, trouble always follows, doesn't it, hey Jotaro you remember Anne?" Polnareff asked

"Yeah what about the little runt?" Jotaro grunted

"I think she totally had the hots for you, it's a shame she couldn't travel with us anymore, wouldn't you agree?" The Frenchman smirked

Jotaro glared at him and summoned Star Platinum and karate chopped his head and flatted his hair down. 

"OI! Watch the hair!" He raised his fist. 

"Shut it and dont say stupid stuff" He turned and had a slight blush on his face

"Ohhhhh? Is that a blush I seeeee~" Polnareff teased.

"No, get lost" The young teen placed his hands in his pocket

He then started to walk away and Polnareff followed only to get into a fight and got punched in the arm. The rest of you watched with blank expressions while your eyes sparkled with excitement. 

"WHOA JOTARO HAS A PURPLE PUNCHY GHOST MAN!" You shouted after seeing Star Platinum in all his glory. 

"Heh better than Watermelon bastard" Joseph laughed and he looked down at his hand " I wouldn't want to think you would call my stand Y/N"

"MR JOESTAR!" Avdol turned his head and his eyes widened.

"What? Oh come now Avdol, for once I wasn't thinking anything like that" the old man chuckled and slapped his friend on the back.   

You pouted your lips and folded your arms at him reminding you what you called Kakyion's stand earlier that night. Avdol smiled and said his good nights before heading to his tent, Jotaro huffed at the Frenchman and sat by the river. Polernarff pouted and also headed to his tent, Joseph sat by the campfire having a cup of tea and reading some newspapers and Kakyion walked by the river to wash up the dishes. 

You smiled and approached Jotaro you placed your hand on his shoulder "Hey um Jotaro, thanks for looking after Scorpi and of course getting us away from Mariah" 

"Scorpi?" He questioned

"Oh yeah sorry my car that's what I named her. You see I got her a few months ago, it was a gift from Tamsin for my birthday. Anyway I'm heading off to bed." You smiled at him.  

"No worries, ah I see now, goodnight Y/N, see you in the morning" He walked to the tents as you walked to Kakyion.

"Hey, I was gonna head off to bed now just to let you know." You blushed and looked down. 

"Ah of course goodnight,  I might as well retire also, here let me walk you there." He smiled and stood up and walked beside you to the tents. 

Joseph looked up from his newspaper, noticed you both heading to your tents and he had a massive grin on his face and noticed Iggy.

"Oi Iggy c'mere, you want 2 boxes of coffee gum dont ya?" Joseph waved the boxes at Iggy and he came over and ran around in circles, trying the odd time jumping for them but missing.

"Well I need you to do a favour for me, all you have to do is......" He explained to the dog.

 

***The next Morning***

Joseph gathered most of the camping stuff and popped it in the boot with Avdol helping. 

"Alright everyone here's the plan. We head for Cario. It shouldn't take more than a few hours to get there, we can stock up on supplies and grab a bite to eat at one of the cafe's and then we go from there. Is everyone happy with this plan?" Joseph stood with his hands on his hips as he gathered you all around.

You all nod in agreement and head for the car. You were in the driver's seat with Kakyion next to you in the passenger seat, behind you was Avdol, Polnareff and Joseph in the middle and Jotaro sat behind Kakyion. Iggy of course sat on Joseph's knee and fell asleep. The gents in the back were a little squished but they didn't mind, they had been in worse conditions before. 

It was about half an hour into the drive and the whole car was in silence that's when Polnareff spoke up. 

"Say Y/N do you have tunes or something? It's quiet too quiet for my liking." He asked as he shifted forward off his seat peering over your shoulder. 

"Polnareff sit down! You'll cause an accident." Avdol huffed at him and pulled him back down. 

"Well I do have a few cassette tapes... hmm let me see..." You leaned into the car door pocket and had a rummage about and you felt one of the tapes. "Ah this one will do!"

You popped it into the build in radio and rewind it back to the start, you adjusted the volume and then the opening of the 'Transformers 86' movie soundtrack's Dare started to play. Joseph's face lit up with glee and he clenched his hands and sat forward while Iggy sat on Jotaro's lap.  

"OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS SOUNDTRACK!" He listened to the intro feeling slightly nostalgic. 

When it got to the  chorus both you and Joseph sung the lyrics with Kakyion also joining it towards the end. You smiled brightly as you all sang along.

"Dare - dare to believe you can survive

You hold the future in your hand

Dare - dare to keep all of your dreams alive

It's time to take a stand

And you can win, if you dare" 

Jotaro shook his head knowing that his grandpa was a massive nerd and started to drift off to sleep. Avdol pulled out a book and started to read and Polnareff leaned over his shoulder and read with him. 

As the song faded another one started to play and it was Dare to be stupid by Weird Al Yankovic.

"OH JOTARO! THIS IS THE SONG I WAS TELLING YOU ABOUT THE ONE BY AL YANKOVIC!" Joseph got excited and woke up Jotaro with excitement. 

He glared at his grandpa and shoved his shoulder and got comfy again and closed his eyes. "I dont care, I'm trying to, fucking, sleep here, old man!"

You looked into the mirror and started to sing "Put down your chainsaw and listen to me

It's time for us to join in the fight" 

Joseph continued on "It's time to let your babies grow up to be cowboys

It's time to let the bedbugs bite"

Joseph pointed to Kakyion and he carried on "You better put all your eggs in one basket

You better count your chickens before they hatch"

You carried on afters "You better sell some wine before it's time

You better find yourself an itch to scratch"

Joseph got ready for his line "You better squeeze all the Charmin

you can while Mr. Wimpole's not around

Stick your head in the microwave and get yourself a tan"

Kakyion grinned and when it got the chorus  you all sung in harmony 

"Dare to be stupid

Come on and dare to be stupid

It's so easy to do

Dare to be stupid

We're all waiting for you

Let's go" 

Then at the instrumental part Joseph started to air guitar and at the end of the song you all laughed, you loved that you all started to bond and you were really enjoying their company more and more.

***Meanwhile in Cario***

Hol Horse had bumped into  Zenyatta and Mondatta and had agreed to patrol around Cario to get rid of the Joestars before they could reach Dio.  

Hol Horse suggested they went to a cafe in the middle of the city centre to plan a strategy . Even though he wasn't supposed to, he revealed what his stand was and in turn the brothers revealed what theirs was. 

Jackpot the cowboy thought, he had an evil glint in his eyes. "Don't worry boys let me take care of drinks. I'll be right back just you get yourselves nice 'n' comfy."

"Mondatta, isn't it nice that Mr Hol Horse is treating us to a drink, how lucky are we little bro." He smiled at his sibling. 

Mondatta looked up with a grin "Your right big bro nothing will stop us, we are the super lucky brothers!" 

Hol Horse rolled his eyes at their exchange from the edge of the bar as he collected the drinks, he smirked and pulled a small bottle from one of his pouches.

"Heh looks like big bro is going to have a date with the toilet, muh ha ha ha" He smugly chuckled to himself as he opened the bottle of laxatives and poured some into Zenyatta's coffee. He walked back to the table with a fake smile on his face.

"Ah gentleman a toast to our new found friendship, for you Zenyatta a coffee and for the squirt a nice and freshly made strawberry milkshake." He brought his bottle of beer to their cups and clinked them against each other. 

They all started to make small talk until half an hour later Zenyatta held his stomach and started to sweat a lot.  [*Rhapsody of Brothers totally plays at this point*] 

"Oh good lord, listen, little bro you, GO, with, with Hol horse, and keep an eye, ON, on those nasty Joestars, if, IF, you see them, you hear, OH, no, EXCUSE ME!" He quickly explained while holding both his stomach and his butt, he then rushed past an old lady and ran for the toilets at the back of the cafe. "OOOOHHHHH NOOOOOOO!" 

Hol Horse smugly grinned and glared at the younger brother, just as he was about to run away he grabbed his scarf and then held him with the scruff of his neck "Now you listen here you little shit, we are gonna team up see, and if you want the cure for your dear brother you better keep me from getting hurt with that book of yours, kay?" 

Mondatta nodded a lot and was nervous and scared by his actions. 

***Meanwhile back on the outskirts of Cairo city centre***

You were nearing the city centre and everything was becoming more familiar again. You drove along the river taking in the boats coming up to the dock nearby. 

"We are almost there everyone." You smiled as you had a slight glance at Kakyion playing with his hair.

"Oh that is good to know my butt is getting numb, and I'm feeling very peckish, oh yes I am" Joseph tipped his hat up to see better and looked down at Iggy. 

Iggy raised his lip as if he was grinning and started to stretch his little legs and then he let out a huge fart in Jotaro's face waking him up and then jumped on Polnareff and bite his hair and then wiggled his butt in Avdol's face before jumping out the window. The smell was unbearable 

"Damn mutt!" The Frenchmen raised his fist.

"UGH! You smelly dog!" Jotaro gripped  Kakyion's headrest as he watched Iggy grin at him in the street. 

Avdol sighed and pouted "What did I ever do to you Iggy?" 

You stopped the car as everyone in the back was getting restless at Iggy's actions and the smell started to linger. 

"We will go on ahead, let's all meet up by the market stalls by the cafe. See you in a bit" Joseph quickly ran after the others chasing Iggy down the side streets. 

You shook your head and found a parking area and parked by the wall. You walked around the back of your car and went into the boot and rummaged about for the lemon air spray you found and opened the backdoor with Kakyion leaning against the closed passenger door watching you lean in and spray the back seats.

"I don't know what that was all about but, I feel Mr Joestar was behind that little stunt" You sprayed more making sure every part of your car smelt amazing again. 

"Hmm I agree with you, though that's Mr Joestar for you, he's always up to something" He shrugged but looked in at you checking you were okay. 

He offered his hand as you edged closer to the door of the backdoor and you blushed and slowly reached for his hand.

"I won't bite, I promise" He chuckled softly. 

With your face beaming red you took his offer and placed your hand in his and he helped you out the car. You stood next to him with your keys in your hand you quickly went to lock up. 

"Lets go, shall we Kakyion." You took a deep breath to remain calm as his soft lavender eyes looked down at you. 

***About 20 or so minutes later***

Polneraff got held up by Hol Horse with the barrel of his gun pointing at the back of his head, Mondatta was hiding under a box and waited for his moment to escape. 

The other Stardust Crusaders got curious why Polnareff was taking so long to come back to them. It was then both you and Kakyion reached the narrow alley that led to the market stalls by the cafe.

"Stay close Y/N" Kakyion walked in front and held out his hand for you to hold. 

***End of part 1***

Chapter 4 Part 2

[hot-diggety]

Oh, OH MY GOD YOU DO BEETLEJUICE OKAY HOW WOULD THE SLASHERS AND BEETLEJUICE REACT TO AN S/O WHO TENDS TO WALK AROUND WEARING NOTHING BUT THEIR SHIRTS ILY 💞💞💓💓

THANKO ILY TOO 💖

The Slashers + Beetlejuice reacting to his s/o walking around with nothing but their shirt on.

(Warning: Mild NS/FW)

Michael Myers.

After every sleepless night of stalking and killing, Michael Myers always found peace in watching his s/o wake up in the morning, even if he wasn't with them throughout the night. When he comes home, always at the exact same hour, he silently slips straight to the bedroom and sits on his side of the bed. He doesn't talk, he doesnt touch, he just stares until you're conscious enough to meet him with a sheepish smile.

Now, it's no surprise he was unhappy when he found the white, messy, yet empty sheets on the bed you two shared. He tilted his head, analizing the space on the bed where you should have been; you were never awake at this hour.

The light steps above his head immediatly caught his attention. He stopped for a second to hear them, but wasted no time climbing the stairs to the second floor. Walking meticulously, the wooden tiles barely creaked under his feet, which was a skillful job for a man his size. A dogwhistle would have made more noise.

Knife held at head level, and a tight grip on the handle indicated that Michael was ready to stab whoever dared to disturb the peace he liked to come home to. That is, until he saw you. You came out the bathroom, clumsily as you did when sleepy, and closed the door behind you. Michael noticed something that was his.

He recognized the white, dapper shirt he usually wears under his coverall, hanging just a couple centimeters under your crotch area, complimenting your figure the best way possible. He watched you raise your arms above you to undo the messy bun that was once on your head, quietly loving the sight of your naked skin against the cold air once the shirt flied up.

The Shape was glaring at you like a predator glares at his prey.

You caught him in the corner of your eye. "Michael! I didn't... I didn't hear you come! Uh, I mean, I never do, but..." You babbled nervously, blushing at the way he peered at you lustfully through his mask. You grabbed the end of the shirt, in an attempt to pull it down and hide what was beyond it, but it was too late.

"I, uh... Do you... want me to take it off?" You asked shyly, at the thought that maybe he would be mad at you for stealing his shirt.

Leaning against the wall, with his arms crossed, Michael nodded slowly. You complied. "Alright, then... I'll go change."

But he blocked the way to the stairs as soon as you tried, clashing gently against his chest. He leaned towards you, pressing his body onto yours, and you felt his cold fingertips creeping up the sides of your thighs.

Yes, Michael wanted his shirt off you. Right then and there.

Jason Voorhees

Sundays were always a lazy day for you and Jason. It's the day where you could sleep until 3 pm, but also the day you woke up alone in the bed.

Since Jason's forest ressembled more of an advanced torture machine than an actual forest, he had to make sure all the traps worked without fail, which usually took the whole day thanks to the size of the forest. And, while you didn't like to complain, it did get lonely when he wasn't around.

You tried to convince him to take you with him, but he was worried you would get hurt. You were dealing with deathly traps, after all.

So there you were, lying on the sofa, with his ripped blue shirt on and nothing else. It was a long day of loneliness, and there were at least two hours left before Jason arrived. You groaned at the clock on the wall, as if it were guilty of it all.

You got up and decided to roam the house for the fifth time, just to get you distracted. You were convinced nothing will come out of it, but it's not like you had anything better to do.

Walking through the long hallways, a rusty red thing caught your eye. You apptoached it curiously, and took it with both your hands: you have obtained a Rusty Old Radio!

A smile was drawn on your face. You ran excitedly to the kitchen, to see if it still worked. You pressed the buttons you thought would work, and lo and behold: Mr. Blue Sky started playing, muffled and with a bit of static, but it worked nonetheless!

...

Jason walked heavily, between dry leaves and wet mud, towards his home after a long and rough day of work, the only thing on his head being coming home back to his s/o.

He was aware that he finished earlier than usual, and was excited to spend what was left of the day with the person waiting at home. His pace became quicker at the thought of it.

When he opened the door, he expected an excited (y/n) throwing themselves at him as soon as they saw him, but was met, instead, with a muffled sound coming from somewhere around the house. He tilted his head; maybe they were hiding.

Jason followed the sound to his source, not really knowing what to expect. It became more clear with every step he took; some kind of pretty melody, and the sound of footsteps against the ground. He tried to quiet down the nearer he got, peering around the corner to discretely see what was happening.

What he saw genuinely moved him; his s/o, the person he loved so much, dancing and humming at the rythm of whatever song the small device was playing, wearing his favorite shirt like the prettiest summerdress he's ever seen.

He couldn't resist but run towards you and pick you up in his arms, spining you around. He noticed you were naked underneath, but who cares? You looked so cute.

"Jason! You're home!" You threw your arms around his neck, and he hugged you back putting his hand on the back of your head.

Since that day, you started noticing a lot more shirts just lying around the house.

Bubba Sawyer

Honetly, being in charge of most of the chores of the family wasn't easy. Specially when you have no other choice but to do so.

Unfortunately, Bubba was a big baby, and his passive nature made him an easy target. Everyone ordered him around and threatened if he didn't comply, he was so dependent of his family that it was almost as if he had no mind of his own. You felt bad for him.

So here comes another day, having to wake up earlier than everyone in the family to avoid being yelled at for not keeping the bussiness going. Bubba sat up on the bed sluggishly, rubbing his eyes as he did, and reached his arm for you to caress your hair before he had to leave. Except that you weren't there.

He glazed anxiously at your side of the bed, confirming the emptiness, and shot up the bed, quickly grabbing his mask and his chainsaw resting in the side of the bed between worried grunts and sighs. Making his way out the room, in his underwear and with a dirty white shirt on, he was about to make a mess looking for you. But then he heard your voice.

"Bubba!" You called out sweetly, looking over your shoulder with a smile. You quickly looked back at what you were doing; washing the dishes. Fortunately, it didn't take him long to find you. There you were, with your beautiful face and a pretty smile meeting him.

He let out a relieved sigh, and his eyes wandered off your face for a second, down to what you were wearing, and his eyes opened like two plates.

It was his white, buttoned shirt, that while looked a little big on you, it barely managed to cover your bum. He dropped the chainsaw instantly, beggining to fiddle with his fingers; you were talking to him about something, something to do with chores, but he just wasn't paying attention. He couldn't when your hips moved like that, the white fabric struggling to stay in place.

Bubba approached slowly while you were speaking (to yourself, at that point), as if he wanted to take a closer look. Your butt looked way too tempting not to.

"Bubba, are you listening?" You turned back to see him, and quickly felt his big hands gripping the side of your hips, and his crotch against your lower body. Your wet hands went to grab his instinctively, as you managed to swallow a muffled moan.

"Wait, wait, Bubs, I'm washing the di--" But he didn't give you time. He took you in his arms, putting your body on his shoulder and a hand in your ass, and into the bedroom you were.

You couldn't say you didn't expect this outcome.

Brahms Heelshire

How cute, he thought to himself, you were trying to seduce him.

He admired you silently while watching every part of your body bounce to the rythm of your steps. You were too busy cleaning up the mess in his room, you didn't notice him standing in the doorway, breathing with excitement every time you bent down to pick up something. He wasn't going to stand still for long.

You were minding your own bussiness. You had your mind in another place, thinking about all the things you needed to do for the day, while leaning down to pick up the toys lying around the floor. When, squish! You felt a warm, familiar hand cupping your cheek and squishing it mercilessly.

You shot up with a gasp, and turned around to confront the figure standing behind you.

"Brahm--!" Your angry shouting was cut off by the sight of his mask, being dangerously close to your face. His eyes pierced yours with lust, threatening you from beyond his mask. You stepped back, but he wouldn't stop approaching you.

You swallowed when you felt the cold wall stop you from retreating; he had you cornered, and right where he wanted you. "Brahms, stop it..." You tried to sound assertive, but more of a whimper came out of your lips. Your face was so close to his chest you could smell his faded cologne.

He didn't comply. His hand reached for your cheek, caressing it with the back of his fingers. He hid behind his childish, innocent facade while knowing damn well the intention behind his actions.

His fingertips roamed through your jaw, slowly, finally ending with his hand wrapped around your neck. Bastard.

"Brahms Heelshire, I swear I'll-"

"You'll what?" He interrupted, in his childish voice, while pressing his bulge against your crotch. "I've been a good boy, pretty (y/n). This is my reward."

He forced the mask's lips desperately into yours. You didn't even get to finish the sentence.

Beetlejuice

You had a terrible habit of reading things out loud.

You had just woken up, after a hot summer night where you had the freedom to sleep naked. It hasn't ocurred to you until that night to sleep with no clothes on-- but boy did you enjoy it.

With the air in the morning still feeling warm, you stood up after putting some socks on and were about to make your way to the kitchen. When you catched a glimpse of a white shadow on the corner out your eye.

You stopped on your tracks to take a look at it; a stained, white buttoned shirt, hanging from the edge of your drawer.

You raised an eyebrow, and a smile couldn't help but escape your lips. Had Beetlejuice left his shirt in your room so you would remember to summon him first things in the morning? Probably yes.

Approaching the cloth with excitement, you playfully put it on your naked body without buttoning it. It was a little big on you, but you could always use it as a lab coat, you thought.

You noticed a piece of paper fell when you took the shirt. Bending to pick it up, you noticed the messy handwriting written with a green glitter pen. You couldn't really understand what it said, but you tried to read it anyway.

Out loud, you started. "Betel juzz... Beetle geuse... Beetlejuice?"

Oh, shit.

You didn't really realize what you've done until you heard his infamous laugh behind you, and a green smoke started filling the room. Smart idiot!

"I knew you would fall for it!" He shouted between laughs, not really seeing you at first.

"Beetlejuice, don't--!" You covered your body however you could, with your arms and hands, while frowning in embarrassment at the situation you put yourseld into.

"Come on, babes, it's just-- Wow." He eyed, carefully, your body up and down. Your face went red, and felt a knot tangling in your throat. "Well, damn, haha. Straightforward, I see. I appreciate that."

Beetlejuice, previously levitating, stood on the ground in front of you, watching you with an eyebrow raised. He was smiling devilishly at the way you shyly stepped back everytime he approached.

"You don't know..." He growled intensely, showing his teeth with a side smile. You tried to step back once more, but the drawer stopped you in your tracks Our reader is cornered once more.

"...For how long..." Beetlejuice growled once more, and his resemblance to a hungry wolf was uncanny. You whimpered when he grabbed firmly the side of your thighs, settling himself between your legs. You felt his hands wander towards your the back of your thighs and up, pressing his lower body against yours, and...

"...I've wanted this". Squish.

"BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE!"

"Wha-"

...

He was gone. In an act of desperation, you screamed out his name to send him back to the netherworld. And seemingly, that worked.

You were sweaty, red, and felt weak at the knees. You sat down in your bed with your head between your hands; you were so flustered you acted without thinking. But you definetly need to confront him about this.

Maybe you should call him again?

(Whew, this took so long! I hope you enjoy it, thanks for the ask!)

[smilesthroughfandoms]

Every Single Star vs. the Forces of Evil episode in one sentence or less

I’ll probably post a more in depth-review later this week, as I have opinions literally no one wants to hear but I will proclaim anyway, and then I’ll probably also due a revision of my ‘Past Queens Connection to Star’ post from way back in season 2. Cause that needs an update.

Anyway, enjoy!

Star Comes to Earth: Princess Cinnamon Roll that Could Kill you comes to earth and meets Misunderstood Safe Kid.

Party With a Pony: Spoopy Wardens hunt for the glitter pony while Star gets ice for Marco’s sweaty back.

Matchmaker: In which we learn it was probably a bad idea to give Star the wand in the first place.

School Spirit: Star misunderstands football and Marco tries to get Ferguson to blow his whistle not in that way.

Monster Arm: “Not my bowels! I love my bowels!”

The Other Exchange Student: Star is jealous of the meatball man from Bakersfieldville.

Cheer Up Star: “It’s supposed to be ironic!”

Quest Buy: Very accurate depiction of what it is like to work in retail.

Diaz Family Vacation: Both Marco and Star see new sides of their dads but that’s not necessarily a good thing

Brittney’s Party: Star and Marco party on a bus that Ludo hijacks

Mewberty: Star gets horny and snares boys in her web but not in that way

Pixtopia: Marco messed up and Alfonso marries Ferguson’s rebound

Lobster Claws: “… You can’t eat children.” “Really? Not even the annoying ones?”

Sleep Spell: “Camera Phooone!”

Blood Moon Ball: We’re suppose to ship them now, right?

Fortune Cookies: Love is never the answer kids

Freeze Day: Father Time offers Star and Marco some mud before riding away on his wheel-mobile pulled by giant time-hamsters I am not making this up.

Royal Pain: King Santa Claus destroy mini-golf

St. Olga’s Reform School for Wayward Princesses: Princess Prison sure is a nightma–OH MY GOD ARE THOSE CLUBS?!

Mewnipendence Day: No wonder monsters hate Mewmans so much.

The Banagic Wand: Star still doesn’t get Earth and like all of us, Marco is always hungry.

Interdemensional Field Trip: Miss Skullnick fears the “Big Change” while Marco sends Jackie cat memes

Marco Grows a Beard: Ludo is out, Toffee is in, and Marco will probbaly be terrified of beards forever

Storm the Castle: “SURPRISE!”

My New Wand!: DIP DOOOWN

Ludo in the Wild: Wait, since when did Ludo become badass?

Mr. Candle Cares: “Star and I have recently become smooch buddies… On the lips.”

Red Belt: Marco searches for a meaning in life and Star searches for hammer.

Star on Wheels: *epic remix of Marco saying Star is in trouble*

Fetch: Marco can’t open juice and Star runs away from her problems and sending thank you cards

Star vs. Echo Creek: Star gets high and destroys a police car

Wand to Wand: Both Ludo and Star are terrible at magic also major ship tease

Starstruck: Star and her idol Sailor Super Saiyan destroy a park and Marco is 100002% done with this shit

Camping Trip: King Butterfly has a mid-life crisis and tries to control an eagle

Starsitting: They’re gonna be great parents some day.

On the Job: Buff Dad is best dad and buff babies are adorable

Goblin Dogs: “You might think this line is long, but listen to my goblin song!~”

By the Book: Ludo and Star still suck at magic and Glossaryck is a bigger troll than Alex Hirsch

Game of Flags: And I thought my family was dysfunctional...

Girls’ Day Out: Janna is back and is still awesome btw

Sleepover: “TRUTH! STAR HAS A CRUSH ON MA–” *cue fandom freakout*

Gift of the Card: R.I.P.  Rasticore Chaosus Disastorvayne… He couldn’ get his fucking chainsaw to work

Friendenemies: Star becomes one with Christmas tree while Tom and Marco go on a date and sing a romantic pop ballad.

Is Mystery: Meatfork is apparently a family name and Ludo is really starting to freak me out tbh

Hungry Larry: “He’s still hungry…”

Spider with a Top Hat: He tries and he is awesome and that’s all that matters

Into the Wand: SPAAAAADESS!!!

Pizza Thing: Marco is OCD about mushroom and Pony Head buys skinny jeans

Page Turner: Moon, how did you miss Toffee in the orb he was right there!

Naysaya: Marco is a mood in this episode

Bon Bon the Birthday Clown: Honestly my favorite episode overall

Raid the Cave: Glossaryck is the true neutral asshole.

Trickstar: Weird Al is a treasure and I’ll mes up anyone who makes Marco cry!

Baby: Aw, look at the little deadly baby, I love her!

Running With Scissors: Marco gets a new edition to his shipping harem and she is so cute!

Mathmagic: Why did the chicken cross the road?

The Bounce Lounge: Marco is definitely the mom friend.

Crystal Clear: The Chancellor guy is amazing and Rhombulus just needs a hug and wAS THAT ECLIPSA IN THE BACKGROUND?

The Hard Way: “SURPRISE!” 2.0

Heinous: Oh, so that’s how Marco got all that money.

All Belts Are Off: This is the negative side of “Pro-tag teen hangs out with older adult figure” trope done splendidly

Collateral Damage: Marco how do you not know what a possum is?

Just Friends: I’m fine! *blows up sign to prove just how fine I am*

Face the Music: This song is actually a banger

Star Crushed: Looking back, I’m starting to think the writing peaked at this episode....

BATTLE FOR MEWNI EDITION!!!!!

Return to Mewni: This is… just an exposition filler. Not much else to say….

Moon the Undaunted: B4! B4! B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4 B4!

Book Be Gone: Seriously, did Glossy take trolling lessons from Alex Hirsch this is hilarious!

Marco and the King: This is the  “Pro-tag teen hangs out with older adult figure” done slightly better

Puddle Defender: Aw, look at the little buff babies, they’re getting so big!

King Ludo: The mime stole the show.

Toffee: Yeah, I think the writing peaked somewhere around here...

Scent of Hoodie: Huh, so Ponyhead can be written as likeable, who would’ve thought?

Rest in Pudding: The colors are not doing the censors any favor here, huh?

Club Snubbed: I literally yelled “Phrasing!” whenever they dropped the title

Stranger Danger: Is she the new antagonist of the series? I can’t tell

Demoncism: Tom is a wonderful baby boy and Ponyhead is written as likeable, part 2!

Sophmore Slump: *sobbing* Jackie deserved better, dang it!

Lint Catcher: I’m starting to wonder if there is any competant authority figure in Mewni

Trial by Squire: I think the writers were all like” You think these guys will ship anyone with Marco?” and decided to test that theory.

Princess Turdina: I got more lore out of this episode than I thought I would.

Starfari: Welp, she makes me uncomfortable.

Sweet Dreams: *Sailor Moon-ing intensifies*

Lava Lake Beack: Proof that this fandom will ship anyone with Marco at the slightest inclanation

Death Peck: Rich Pigeon is my new favorite birb and Ponyhead is written as likeable for the third time

Ponymonium: Well, it was nice while it lasted.

Night Life: The writers made so many new ships they had to get rid of an old one!

Deep Dive: “Chicken butt”

Monster Bash: Well, that explains the cheekmarks.

Stump Day: I think they just made an episode based around a picture from that bookcover.

Holiday Special: *insert every cheesy Christmas/Holiday episode trope here*

The Bog Beast of Boggabah: The title is fun to say and the episode is average at best.

Total Eclipsa the Moon: Seriously, I’m supposed to think she’s an ultimate villain.

Butterfly Trap: In which we are all Sean, don’t lie we were all him at the end

Ludo, Where Art Thou?: Dennis is best brother, hands down.

Is Another Mystery: *sniff* I got more emotional over this episode than anyone else did and I’m not sure how I feel about that

Marco Jr.: I… I just… Why? What’s the point?

Skooled!: Epic advertisment fakeout combined with wonderful character development and lore with a shock ending makes a 8/10 episode.

Booth Buddies: Old Man McGucket ships Starco, proceed to react accordingly

Bam Ui Pati!: Ponyhead is kinda likeable in this episod–nevermind she’s back.

Tough Love: Oh man, it’s happening! It’s happening guys here we go!

Divide: We are going to war everybody–And they’re all dead. That was quick.

Conquer: They should have paid Alex HIrsch to voice Glossaryck at this point, it’d be more in character for him.

Butterfly Follies: Proof that someone will always complain about politics no matter what.

Escape from the Pie Folk: Is anyone else disturbed by the fact that he kinda resembles Eclipsa more than Festivia?

Moon Remembers: I was expecting a freakout but was pleasantly surprised

Swim Suit: I’m starting to get a bad feeling about Rhombulus

Ransomgram: Why is everyone in this dimesnion hot?!

Lake House Fever: She’s a good mom

Yada Yada Berries: They missed an opportunity to have a Seinfeld actor guest-star, just saying

Down by the River: I’m glad that she can relax

The Ponyhead Show!: And Ponyhead is offically no longer likeable, can someone toss her into an abyss please?

Surviving the Spiderbites: SpiderSlime is canon proceed to react accordingly

Out of Buisness: How did this place go out of buisness???

Kelly's World: Man, they’re really setting these non-Starco ships up to fail, huh?

Curse of the Blood Moon: Pfft, yeah, sure, Starco won’t be canon at all!

Princess Quasar Caterpillar and the Magic Bell: I think Ludo has the most consistent character arc out of the entire show’s history.

Ghost of Butterfly Castle: Moon, Star is your daughter and Star supports Eclipsa, why would you not tell her?

Cornball: This episode has a heartwarming lesson that I hope more people come to realize

Meteora's Lesson: I’ll take any Toffee scenes I can get

The Knight Shift: I honestly don’t remember what happened n this episode

Queen-Napped: Seriously, can someone please dropkick Ponyhead into an abyss?

Junkin' Janna: The JanTom interaction I’ve been waiting for

A Spell with No Name: These types of episodes stopped being charming awhile ago

A Boy and His DC-700XE: I think Tomco has more ground to stand-on then Starco at this point

The Monster and The Queen: Don Panchito voices Globgor! There’s hope for this show yet!

Cornonation: They’re the best couple/parents/anything around!

Doop-Doop: I honestly think Rick just put Morty through some flux-capacitor or something

Britta's Tacos: Hey, remember these people that we suddenly brought back? No? Me neither!

Beach Day: This feels like a Season 1 episode and it’s nice

Gone Baby Gone: I want a TV show aout them now! Disney, please!

Sad Teen Hotline: Mr. Diaz is way to invested in Star’s love life.

Jannanigans: Hello last minute Janna character development!

Mama Star: So that’s how Mewni came to be--and I don’t care anymore

Ready, Aim, Fire!: Let’s get that finale ball rolling people!

The Right Way: Ok, that spell is actually pretty badass.

Here to Help: There, Starco’s finally canon will you guys just shut up now!

Pizza Party: Moon you idiot you ruined everything!

The Tavern at the End of the Multiverse: Toffee was right all along... I think we all knew that in some way

Cleaved: I expect nothing substanial and that’s what I got

[eggscelsior]

Two Words

The night before leaving for college, Adam lay curled up in Ronan’s arms. They were just this side of too warm under the blankets but Ronan was unwilling to move. Neither of them were asleep.

He’d talked Adam into submitting his two weeks’ to his jobs a week earlier than necessary. So you can cram in time with me, he’d thought. “So you can pack, and wrap up your business in Henrietta without rushing and stressing,” he’d said.

Adam had agreed without much if any hesitation – he’ll miss me, Ronan thought fiercely – and they’d spent a solid week gallivanting around the Barns, swimming like Adam wouldn’t see water for a semester, picking flowers with Opal (making daisy chains and watching her slowly munch them up like a human slurping spaghetti, like a rodent vacuuming in a piece of hay), spending days driving and walking around the fields, spending nights dreaming Adam useful comforts to ease dorm life and silly comforts to make him laugh when the pressure of school was weighing him down. Spending nights together, skin to skin, passionate or chaste, talking, spooning, kissing, breathing each other in.

And now it was the last night. The car was packed, Adam’s clothes were picked out, Opal was asleep, and they were holding on to each other, desperate in a way that was betrayed by how casual their hands grasped. Not sleeping.

His brain was driving itself into the dirt.

Eighty four and a half percent of high school romances end when one of the pair goes to college, the Internet had helpfully supplied him. “I’ll call, I swear,” he said. “And text. Sometimes.” He felt the way Adam pressed a smile against his neck, and hoped it was happy, not wry.

Only two percent of marriages in America were high school sweethearts. Did that apply to him, he wondered? He was a dropout and the furthest thing from sweet, maybe that helped his chances. “I’ll drive up to visit,” he said. Adam squeezed him. “And you can come home whenever you’ve got a weekend free. Seriously, just whenever.” His voice was struggling for casual, and Adam squeezed him about five times tighter.

I love you, he thought. “Marry me,” he said.

And froze hideously. He ran back over the two words – what the FUCK, brain-to-mouth filter – and tried to tell himself his voice had been rough, not cracked, just throwing it out there but still serious. It hurt to lie even to himself, but he couldn’t take back the way it had come out.

Adam was still, so very still in his arms.

So of course, he started to blather. “I’m not just fucking saying that to cockblock you from college hookups, like I mean it, I’m serious about you. And I’m not trying to make you get through college on my money or change your filing status for better loans or some shit,” – shut up shut up you’re not making it better – “I know you’re gonna get jobs, and I get it if I’m pushing and you want to meet smart people in college and compare your options before you just decide to settle—”

Adam’s warm, rough palm smacked over his mouth to cut him off. He felt his own goddamn lips trembling against Adam’s hand. “You think I didn’t consider the odds of meeting someone in college before I ever came back to kiss you on the porch? I thought it through fully before I committed myself to you, asshole. I’m not settling.”

The tone was acid, but it was burning reassurance. Ronan’s heart didn’t slow. If anything, it kicked up another notch.

“And as for marriage…not yet. I’m…not going to be part of this family until I’m a contributing member. We have to be equal partners. So not before I graduate.”

Ronan swallowed and closed his eyes and kissed Adam’s palm. He pretended there wasn’t a wet streak on his cheek and Adam pretended he hadn’t felt the drop hit his finger. When he took his hand away, Ronan said, voice definitely hoarse, “you just don’t want your new college buddies to think you shotgunned your high school sweetheart because he knocked you up.”

Adam’s laugh shook Ronan’s whole body. It was as bright as the sun and almost as big; Ronan thought launching himself into it would be an ideal way to die.

“Dunno if you count as ‘high school’,” Adam teased, his accent poking out around the sleepy smile still clinging to his words. Ronan grinned in the dark. “But you’re definitely sweet enough.” Adam tucked his face back into Ronan’s neck and pressed a soft kiss under his jaw.

Ronan was very quiet for a moment, and then he whispered, “Thank you for not saying no.”

~~

Adam had the phone on speaker while he worked steadily at his Calculus homework. More often than not, it was him calling and letting it ring until Ronan managed to hunt down and snatch up his phone, but Ronan rarely took so long that it went to voicemail, and it never cut to voicemail like the call was rejected. Ronan was really trying and Adam appreciated it immensely. Even with Opal there, Ronan clearly missed Adam. And even with roommates and study buddies and a couple of casual friends he sat in several classes with, Adam was so lonely sometimes that he just wanted to quit and drive home to Ronan and stay there.

Home. The way Ronan had first said the word to him, so casual but so pointed, would never leave Adam.

He glanced at the list of majors on his wall to remind himself why he couldn’t just go back now.

Animal Science

Agricultural and Business Management

Agricultural Economics

Agricultural Engineering

Environmental Toxicology

Horticultural Engineering

Plant and Environmental Soil Sciences

Ranchland Ecology and Management

He was still working through course list comparisons, seeing which ones had enough crossover that he could possibly get a double major, or at least a major and a minor, but he was finishing up most of his prerequisites this semester, having tested out of several of his basic courses before the semester had started. He needed to meet with the guidance counselor to plot out his degree plan, as soon as he decided what specializations would be most useful in the future at the Barns.

In their future at the Barns. His and Ronan’s and Opal’s.

Home.

“Should I let you go?” Ronan’s voice brought him back.

“Sorry, was just thinking. But I do have a lot of homework to get through tonight.”

“It’s cool. I’ve gotta feed the cow.” Ronan had dreamt one cow, hoping that, like his buck had accustomed the wild deer to him, a cow of his own among his father’s herd might somehow accustom them to his dream energy and make waking them a bit stronger a possibility. “I’ll let you know when Opal picks a name that sticks for longer than two hours.”

“That works for me. Talk to you soon.” The casual conversation closer was also a promise and an insistence.

In Latin, sometimes Ronan told him ‘Te amo,’ but in English it was always:

“Marry me.” Two words instead of the typical three, but they both knew what it meant.

Adam smiled and gave his two words in kind. “Not yet.” I love you too.

~~~

When Adam’s graduation ceremony finally let out – “We’ll confiscate diplomas at the door from anyone that tries to leave early; even the people in the Z’s deserve a full house when they get up to the stage” – he was caught up in a mash of hugging bodies in an instant.

Tan and tan and tan, Blue and Gansey and Henry, flown all the way back in from the end of a semester at sea (college on a boat, thought Adam fondly, of course they would find a way).

Opal was suctioned to his leg, sitting on his shoe and arms and legs wrapped tightly around his calf. Chainsaw, not to be outdone, was quite literally hopping on his other shoe and anxiously tugging his lace untied.

And Ronan…Ronan wasn’t even trying to squeeze into the group hug. He clasped one of Adam’s hands in both of his own.

He didn’t pull anything out of his pocket. He didn’t get on one knee. He didn’t even say those two words that always meant everyone else’s three. Possibly he couldn’t manage to speak. Instead he just arched an eyebrow and quirked his lips, questioning and hopeful and attempting to look casual, and Adam said, “Yes.”

“Fucking finally.” Ronan tried for exasperation, for a growl, for complaint, for just a rough edge to his voice. But instead it was cracked, and neither of their eyes were dry, and everyone was smiling. Their friends let Adam go so they could squeeze each other tight and kiss and just breathe relief into each other’s mouths. Opal and Chainsaw did not let go, but that made for a very nice family hug.

~~~~

They went to the Henrietta courthouse but held the ceremony in the courtyard, partially because the courthouse was associated with memories of Robert Parrish but largely so Chainsaw could be there.

Gansey was best man/witness and Blue was best woman/witness and Henry was self-designated photographer. Opal held the flowers she had picked and pelted Ronan with half of them at unprompted intervals during the ceremony, and waited until they were back in the car to eat the rest messily. Chainsaw bore the rings in her curved beak and hopped distractingly back and forth between Ronan’s and Adam’s shoulders and the minister was appropriately and respectfully alarmed.

In other words, it was perfect.

~~~

Even after the marriage, even after a special blessing from Ronan’s priest since they couldn’t get fully married in his church, even years together afterward, Ronan never completely gave up saying the most emotional two words he had, for the more typical three.

Adam always smiled fondly and retorted his two words in return. “I did.”

[the-lupine-sojourner]

Takara Yamada’s Hero Academia Season 1 Episode 2 [Eijiro Kirishima/OC] [Female!Aizawa/Hizashi]

As usual, here is a link to Takara’s bio. 

This is the prologue, and Here is the first episode’s insertion. 

I was proof-reading earlier, got distracted, and ended up not posting til now. Anyway, hope you enjoy, guys! I really do appreciate even just a like, but feedback is amazing, too!

Also, I’m really trying to keep everyone in-character, even Shota. I know I made her a woman, but I’m trying not to let myself write her as too emotional and stuff. Hope y’all like it! 

Taglist: @dailyojiromashirao (I included an incredibly tiny interaction between Bakugo and Takara for you, hun! XD It’s so small, you might have to squint, though.)

God Bless and Good Day!

~The Lupine Sojourner

“Without a Quirk?” Toshin-Oji asks. I knew, from a day not long after I first met All Might, that he had inherited the Quirk that made him the #1 Hero in the world. He had once been in Midoryia’s shoes. He still hadn’t told me what specific Quirk he has, but it was enough that he trusted me with that part of the secret.

He then grunts as if in pain, reminding me of our situation, trembling as smoke began to rise from him. I begin to panic, but Izuku doesn’t notice Toshin-Oji’s condition, his eyes still squeezed shut as he awaited All Might’s answer.

“Not now, damnit! Not here!” Toshin-Oji hisses under his breath as I move to try to block the view. Izuku’s eyes are on the floor despondently.

“People think I don’t have a chance.” he murmurs. “That not having any powers makes me some kinda weakling.” He continues meekly, absently playing with his hands. “My classmates like to make fun of me.” My eyes go wide. He was really baring his soul here, huh? Toshin-Oji was, unfortunately, in hardly any position to truly listen to Izuku. In both an effort to make this poor kid feel at least a little better, and hide Toshin-Oji further, I hug him. He lets me, even letting his arms carefully wrap around me. It felt a little awkward, but at least the secret should be safe now. “But, you know what? That makes me want to prove them wrong. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve thought that saving people is the coolest thing you could do. I want people to see my fearless smile and feel safe.” His eyes light up with a sparkle and I move to end the hug. His eyes close again. “I want to be the kind of hero everyone in the world looks up to. Just like you!” With that, before I can do anything, Izuku looks up and sees the smoke clear to reveal Toshin-Oji’s real form. It sends Izuku into another freak-out, with him promptly screaming. I huff.

“Look, he’s still the same guy.” I point out, crossing my arms. “Calm down.”

“I- -wait- -who- -what happened? You deflated!” He shrieks, unable to process what happened.

“Izuku, please listen. There’s no reason to keep freaking out.” I soothe, to no avail. Izuku then goes into denial, looking around as if to find the All Might he knows.

“You...you’re not him!” He protests. I sigh, letting him get it out of his system before trying to explain what happened. “You’re a fake! An imposter!”

“Look, you know that’s not true. There’s no one else up here.” I begin, but Toshin-Oji puts his hand on my shoulder.

“I assure you, I am the real All- -” He’s cut off as he coughs and blood comes up. Izuku yet again shrieks.

“You really have to stop that!” I snap, hands on my ears. “Geez!”

“Impossible!” Izuku cries, going pale.

“You know how guys at the pool are always sucking in and flexing and trying to look buff?” Toshin-Oju explains, seeming to startle Izuku into silence. “I’m like that.” He’d explained it to me in a similar way soon after we started hanging out on a more regular basis.

“This can’t be real!” Izuku moans. I nod.

“It can and it is.” I reply. “Look on the bright side; you know All Might better than anyone you know now.” I try to boost his mood. It doesn’t seem to work.

“I’m dreaming.” Izuku mumbles. “All Might is a giant who saves everyone. He defeats all obstacles and wins the day with a fearless smile.”

“And that person is still standing in front of you.” I point out. This was getting real old, real quick. Toshin-Oji sighs.

“There’s plenty of fear behind that smile.” He explains, then sits down. Izuku only seems to respond to Toshin-Oji, I note, and I decide to sit with him, trying not to take it personally. “I’m counting on you to keep your mouth shut like Takara here.” He instructs firmly. “Don’t go talking about this online or telling your friends.” He’d said almost that exact thing when explaining this to me, too.

“This is serious, Izuku.” I add gravely. It was vital people didn’t know that All Might had a weakness, so that villains don’t get cocky and launch an uprising or something. Toshin-Oji then lifts his shirt, revealing his ugly, expansive scar to Izuku, who flinches, gasping in shock and maybe sympathy.

“Pretty gross, right?” Toshin-Oji murmurs, as if in contempt at his wound. “I got this in a big fight five years back. My respiratory system was basically destroyed. I very nearly lost my stomach.” It was the first time he’s talked to or in front of me about just how bad the wound really was. I cringe, imagining the agony and suffering this poor man had to go through, possibly to this day, from this ‘big fight’. “All the surgeries have pretty much worn me out, and it can’t be fixed.” He lets the shirt fall back down. “Right now, I can only do hero work for about three hours a day.” That much, I’d known. In fact, it was what made him a regular drop-off point for my parents, who still thought I needed someone to watch over me. I didn’t mind, though, as I got to hang out with Toshin-Oji. “Rest of the time,” He continues, “this is what I look like.” Izuku has yet to say a word, standing there in shock that All Might was trusting him so much.

I gotta be honest; I was wondering that myself, too. I suppose most of it is due to the fact that they were both once Quirkless.

“No way…” Izuku finally murmurs. “Five years ago? So, does that mean it was the fight with Toxic Chainsaw?” He asks. I raise a brow. I knew Toshin-Oji had been in a lot of fights, but I could never tell you who he fought and when he fought them. Izuku is on another level of fanboy. It takes true dedication to result in Izuku’s level of knowledge. Toshin-Oji nods, impressed.

“Wow. You know your stuff.” He muses. “But no. The punk may’ve landed some hits, but he couldn’t bring me down.” He explains. “Most of the world has never heard of this fight.” But I had, to some extent. Kāsan had told me it was a villain dead-set on Toshin-Oji’s destruction. Not just his body, though. This guy was so full of hatred for my adopted uncle that he wanted to eradicate the very essence of what All Might stood for, what he meant. This incarnation of evil wanted to take All Might’s legacy before he’d let All Might die. It was bone-chilling to think or hear about. And I doubt Toshin-Oji even knows how much I know. “I did everything I could to keep it under wraps.” For good reason. Again, it’d point out to the world that it’s #1 Hero could be beaten. It would mean that All Might himself has a weakness, causing villains everywhere to flock together and attempt to do what this guy did, except this time make sure All Might went down for good. Toshin-Oji’s sigh brings me rushing back to reality. “I’m supposed to be the guy who’s always smiling, right?” He asks rhetorically. “I’m the symbol of peace. People everywhere have to think I’m never afraid.” I think that’s putting too much pressure on himself, but I don’t comment. I’d tried telling him that, but he refused to listen. “But, honestly, I smile to hide the fear inside. It’s just a brave face I put on when the pressure is high. This job isn’t easy.” I swallow. I’d been told this same thing many, many times.  

“Which, again, is why it’s so important you not tell anyone about this.” I add, staring Izuku in the eye. “I know this is a lot to take in and ask of you, but the public can’t know about this.” I press. Toshin-Oji nods.

“Exactly. Pro heroes are always having to risk their lives, but some villains just can’t be beaten without powers.” I suddenly realize what Toshin-Oji’s been trying to say, why he showed Izuku his scar; he didn’t want Izuku to become a hero. He didn’t want a life of pain, blood, and hardship for such a sweet, innocent kid. “So, no; I don’t think you can become a hero without a Quirk.” Izuku’s face melts, deflating into a crushed, defeated shell of the former light I’d seen when he talked about wanting to be a hero. It pained me to see him like this.

“I see.” He murmurs weakly.

“Izuku, I’m sorry. Wanting to help people is such an amazing aspiration. You’ll figure out a way.” I mumble, unsure how else to reply. Toshin-Oji sighs as we stand.

“Exactly. If you want to help people, there are plenty of other ways to do it. You can become a police officer. They get crap cus the heroes catch most of the villains, but it’s a fine profession.” But not the one he dreams of. I sigh internally. My heart drops further and further with each step I take and I find myself spinning and hugging Izuku again.

“You’re an amazing person, Izuku, and I am so sorry.” I whimper, feeling horrible for Izuku. Izuku, however, just nods glumly.

“It’s not bad to have a dream, young man.” Toshin-Oji says, standing by the door, but not looking back. “Just...make sure your dreams are attainable, realistic. Understand?” That was a little harsh, I thought, squeezing Izuku a little harder. He still hasn’t said anything, but I can feel him trembling.

“Go ahead. I know the way from here.” I murmur to my uncle. “I’ll tell Kāsan I’ll be back a little later. I have money for a cab after I get Izuku home.” Toshin-Oji sighs.

“Alright, but don’t blame me if she’s upset.” I nod and he closes the door. There are a few moments of awkward silence, then an explosion at least five blocks away shocks us into moving.

“What the heck?” I murmur, watching thick black smoke rise against the blue sky.

“A villain!” Izuku cries, running toward the door. “I wonder which hero will show!” It seems automatic for him, but he halts like there’s a wall, twitching a little.

“You okay?” I ask, worried. He’d just had his dream shot down by his favorite hero. It can’t have left him unrattled. He slumps.

“I…” He sighs heavily and drags his feet, but we go through the door. “yeah.” I have to restrain myself and walk at Izuku’s pace. I’d said I’d get him home. I had to follow through on that, no matter how worried I was that Toshin-Oji would see and try to fight the guy, whoever he was. We walk down the stairs in silence. After all, we’d just met. We didn’t know how to talk to each other, or really anything about one another. But, one of my life mottos is the Golden Rule, so I continue walking with him, resorting to hoping my uncle doesn’t push himself too far.

Once we’re on the street, Izuku brings out his notebook, reviewing his previous entries. I decide against asking how it got so worn and...burnt?

Yeah, something tells me I shouldn’t open that can of worms.

Eventually, I notice tears in Izuku’s eyes. I find tears in my eyes, as well. I wrap an arm around his shoulder and blink them back. Poor kid didn’t need me adding to his problems. “Those are awesome drawings.” I mumble, grasping at anything that might cheer him up. It doesn’t work. Izuku closes the notebook and clutches it to his chest, sniffling as I let my arm fall back to my side.

“Even All Might said it.” He whimpers. “A hero needs a Quirk. I knew this, deep down, all along. I’ve just been avoiding reality, so desperate to prove myself wrong.” It honestly breaks my heart to hear the hopeless despair in his voice. I find I can relate to his drive and ambition; simply wanting to help people as a hero, become someone people could look to and depend on in troubled times. Someone people could rally behind.

Suddenly, I find myself stopping Izuku and looking him in the eye.

“Forget what All Might said. If you still think there’s a chance, you have to fight for it!” I bark, something driving me to speak my mind like I should have done back on the rooftop instead of being a coward and allowing this innocent kid to have have his world shattered, likely not for the first time. “If it helps at all, I still think you can be a hero! With the right gear and costume, you’d essentially even the playing field and become the first Quirkless hero!”

“Thanks, but- -” A nearby explosion interrupts him, and we both realize where our feet led us. “Is the fight from earlier still going on?” Izuku asks listlessly. I shrug.

“I don’t know. Wanna go see?” I reply.

“What’s the point?” He murmurs softly, shrugging.

“There are still empty pages in your notebook.” I snap. I was through being nice. He needed to snap out of this funk. “Your dream isn’t altogether gone, you know. Go over there with me, fill those pages with your genius analysis and learn more about being a hero. If you are still willing, you can keep working hard to attain your goal.” He nods mutely as we walk over. We gasp when we see what’s happening. “That’s the guy who attacked me!” Izuku squeaks, no longer depressed, shock overriding it. “Didn’t All Might capture him?” I frown.

“Yeah…” I then remember that Toshin-Oji’s pant pockets were empty when he stood up to leave. “Shit! The bottles must’ve dropped somehow!”

“He dropped it.” Izuku murmurs. “That means...it’s my fault. I grabbed his leg.” I pale. It made sense. Those pockets weren’t exactly secure, especially with the mid-air struggle before All Might let Izuku make it safely back to the ground before leaping off again.

“Why aren’t the heroes doing anything?” Someone in the gathered crowd asks. I take another look and pale. That guy was right! I see Kamui Woods, I think Powerloader, Death Arms, and Backdraft, all just...standing there. I then, upon remembering their Quirks and this guy’s pliable, slimy body, I realize that it makes sense. They can’t do anything.

“It looks like they’ve met their match. Plus, I hear the villain’s captured a kid.” The man next to the first one to speak replies. I pale in horror. What?! Izuku has a similar reaction, both of us snapping to look closer at the villain. “Things aren’t looking good for him.” The man continues. I gulp. That guy said it! That’s a disgusting way to be restrained.

And, if he was suffocating like Izuku was, then he probably didn’t have much time. I lick my lips. My Quirk wouldn’t do much. Best I could do would be throw ground at or splash the villain. But, it would probably just be either absorbed and enhance the villain, or just sit there, or (worst-case-scenario) it hits the kid.

Not to mention I don’t even have a provisional license. I’m as useless as those heroes right now! Someone else points out that this guy was the one All Might was chasing, and I pale. Another civilian asks where All Might is, and why he isn’t helping the heroes. I do a quick scan and, sure enough, there’s Toshin-Oji, head hung low and clutching his injury at the edge of the crowd. Crud! Izuku goes into another state of total shut-down, and I’m torn between staying with him and going to Toshin-Oji. Maybe I could ask my uncle how to use my Quirk to at least try and get that poor victim away. Maybe water? But I’m sure Backdraft tried, right?

What do I do?!

Izuku, for better or worse, makes my mind up for me by disregarding everything and running forward, into the fire and toward the villain. Instantly, my legs follow, reaching out for the water in the nearby fire hydrant. It bursts toward me and I clear a path through the fire and debris to help Izuku get close.

“Stop, you idiots! You’re going to get yourselves killed!” Death Arms roars after us, but we can’t stop. It’s like we’re not in control of our own bodies anymore.

“You two again?” The villain roars. I glare at him, having to refrain from spraying him right in the face, due to the fact that I wasn’t supposed to even be using my Quirk in this situation, I don’t think. Especially not directly against the villain. I grit my teeth, choosing to swirl the water around to clear away more fire as Izuku hurls his backpack at the guy’s face. The villain roars and rears up in shock and pain from the weight of the backpack hitting him, thankfully allowing the kid inside some air.

“Kacchan!” Izuku screams, running closer and clawing to try and get the victim out. The other boy, with spiky blonde hair, seems to recognize Izuku, too, and looks pissed about seeing him here.

“What the hell?!” he growls angrily. “What’re you doing here?!”

“We’re saving your life!” I snap, trying to resist the urge to wash this slimy villain away and be done with it. I create a protective shield over and around us, so Izuku can keep clawing without having to worry. Surely, laws allowed for self-defense, right? I mean, sure we decided to run forward, but now it was life and death, right? But no; I couldn’t do more than what I was doing or I’d be in serious trouble and (most likely) so would my parents. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing!” Izuku practically sobs. “My...my legs just started moving!” Tears are streaming down his face as he continues his desperate attempts at a rescue. The villain pounds on my barrier, but it holds, at the cost of draining my energy like a leaky cup; slow, but noticeable. “Kacchan, I couldn’t just stand there and let you die.” Izuku adds.

“Hate to interrupt, but this isn’t working!” I point out. “And I can’t use my Quirk to directly attack! It’s illegal!” Just then, as I hear the Pros rushing forward, the villain somehow causes an explosion! I barely manage to close the sphere of water around us, but it breaks almost instantly, sending Izuku and I backwards a few feet.

I groan, wobbling to my feet. Something breaking or straining my constructions meant it took a lot of energy out of me. I couldn’t keep it up if he’d keep breaking what I made. When we face the battle and take it in again, I see something I’ve both never been happier to see and wish I hadn’t; All Might, holding the guy back one-handed, grinning like nothing’s wrong.

“Shit.” I curse under my breath. He was pushing himself too hard!

“All Might…” Izuku mumbles, shocked as I was. “But- -”

“I really am pathetic.” Toshin-Oji growls at himself. “Here you are, Takara, doing more than even the pro heroes could, and without attacking the villain directly, too, where I was hesitating. Sorry. And to you, young man; I told you the traits of a great champion, but I see now I wasn’t living up to my own ideals!” He continues, angry with himself.

“Less talk! We gotta wrap this up!” I bark back, trying to get us back to the fight at hand. The water swirls back around Izuku and I as I try to move us away. I can only watch, however, as Toshin-Oji’s mouth spews more blood, even as he speaks.

“Pros are always risking their lives!” He continues, like he needed to get it out. “That’s the true test of a hero!” I notice All Might grab where this ‘Kacchan’’s arm is, the other clenched fist drawing back.

“Damn you, All Might!” The villain roars, angry at the hero for intervening again.

“Detroit...Smash!” Toshin-Oji roars, punching the villain while yanking this ‘Kacchan’ guy out of it’s grip, and just like that, the battle is over. I pull the sphere back over Izuku and I as the wind slams into it, and it barely holds at all! The force of the wind puts too much strain on the sphere and it breaks as the wind increases. 

I black out, unable to take that kind of energy drain. When I slowly wake up to a headache and bright light, I see Kāsan leaning over my bed, glaring at me with the overhead light shining directly into my eyes.

“What were you thinking, Takara?!” she growls, in a rare angry mood. “You know it’s illegal to use your Quirk to fight until you have a license!”

“I know! I used it only for defense!” I reply, grumpy at both my headache and the volume of my mother’s voice. “Izuku made the move, I just backed him up and made sure we didn’t both die.” I explain.

“That doesn’t give you the right to jump into those situations.” Kāsan replies. “I’ll say the same thing to this ‘Izuku’ when I him again, but know this; your actions might not be technically illegal, but you easily could have gotten hurt or killed out there! Did you even have a plan?”

“Yeah; keep the villain, fire, and debris away and back up whatever plan my friend came up with. He’s not stupid, just a bit reckless.” I protest.

“There’s no difference between the two!” Kāsan snaps waspishly. I’d rarely seen her this angry. “Your Quirk is not to be used lightly! It’s a responsibility!” I huff.

“Well, it’s not like the pros were doing anything!”

“They knew when to draw back and think of something else!” Kāsan roars. I decide it isn’t worth aggravating both my mother and my headache further and sigh.

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry, Kāsan. I just have a headache and it makes me cranky.” To her credit, my mother sighs and takes a breath to calm down.

“Promise not to let yourself use that much energy to fight again until you’ve gotten proper training, okay?” I nod meekly. She was right; in that situation, I was way out of my league. It could have gone so much worse.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“All that being said, Takara...I’m proud of you for reacting like a hero. I don’t like the result, and I don’t like the toll it took on you, but I’m glad you and the other kids are safe.” I nod, grateful she was past her angry stage.

“Thanks, Kāsan.”

[mychemicalrachel]

I started thinking about Adam at college and I accidentally wrote a thing.

Read on ao3. 

Adam had anticipated college to be stressful. The good kind of stress, if such a thing existed. He’d expected the overload of homework and reading, welcomed it readily. But with a full ride scholarship to one of the best schools in the country, for once in his life, Adam didn’t have to worry about where money for his next meal would come from. And that was the kind of stress he would gladly live without.

For the first few months, Adam still saved every penny like it might be his last. He kept a cereal box under his bed stuffed with extra cash, eventually giving in to opening a checking account at Gansey’s insistence. After getting a job at the local mechanic’s shop, Adam slowly came to realize that he didn’t have to scavenge for money anymore. For the first time, Adam had money he could spend on whatever he wanted.

It started to show in small ways at first; Adam splurged the extra two-dollars on the good toilet paper instead of the sand-paper off brand. He ordered coffee instead of water when he spent late hours studying at the campus coffee shop. He was even able to fill up the BMWs gas tank instead of buying gas in ten-dollar increments when it started getting low.

So yes, Adam had anticipated college to be stressful, and it was, but withdrawal from Henrietta was even more so. The first few weeks were the worst. Nightmares were still fresh in his mind, memories of Gansey’s death and Ronan’s almost unmaking. More often than not, he still dreamt of his own hands on Ronan’s throat, squeezing until he could feel the breath stop. Some nights, he simply dreamed of Cabeswater, what it was now that it was nothing.

He called Ronan on those particularly bad nights. On the occasions that Ronan didn’t answer, Opal did. She would talk to him, sometimes in English or Latin or that other language he didn’t understand. Somehow, she knew it didn’t matter what she said. Just to know that she was okay, that her and Ronan were safe, it was enough.

The days were even worse. Something small could set Adam off into a spiral; a girl who, in passing, looked like Blue; a boy whose laugh sounded like Gansey’s; a breeze would close a door and Noah’s name would slip off his tongue before he remembered that Noah was gone. Adam did his best to cope with their absence alone-- he couldn’t very well call his friends every time he missed them. They had lives, and Adam needed to let them be without worrying about him all the time.

The first pack of cigarettes Adam bought was for a friend who didn’t have the cash on him. His friend gratefully handed him a single cigarette from the pack, saying thanks. He left Adam alone, staring at the thin white stick curiously; he’d never smoked before. It had never occurred to him, never been an option or a lure, but staring at it now, it seemed to call to Adam. A pull that he hadn’t felt since the death of Cabeswater. Adam went back into the convenience store and bought a lighter.

He choked on the first drag. It burned his throat more than anything, left his lungs feeling full and deflated at the same time. He took another drag, slower, and exhaled. Staring into the smoke, like searching for shapes in the clouds, Adam felt himself relax.

When he crushed the butt of the cigarette against the pavement, he told himself it was a one time thing. One cigarette didn’t make you an addict.

Adam went back the next day and bought himself another pack.

By the time Adam’s first year of college had officially ended, he realized he might actually miss this place when he goes back to Virginia for the summer. For the past nine months, this dorm room had been his home. Leaving it feels surreal. But the draw of Ronan and Blue and Gansey is even stronger. He packs up the BMW and leaves college behind.

It’s an almost seven hour drive to Virginia, and Adam spends the whole time anxiously tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. Blue texts him a few times, reminding him to pull over and rest if he gets too tired, but the pull of home fills him with adrenaline. He can’t wait to be back. Not to the town, or even to the Barns, but to see his friends again.

Everyone is waiting at the Barns when Adam parks the BMW and climbs out. He can see the Pig and his Hondayota parked to one side of the drive. The sun is kissing the horizon, the beginning of dusk leaving everything glowing orange and pink. Magical, as if the Barns could ever be anything but.

He’s not even up the porch steps when the front door crashes open and Blue is charging him. She flings herself at him, and Adam barely manages to grab her and steady them before they both fall down the stairs. He staggers back, laughing, as the familiarity swarms him. Gansey is right behind her, not even waiting for them to part before inserting himself into the hug. Over Gansey’s shoulder, he spots Ronan standing back, watching them. There’s a hint of a smirk tugging the corners of his lips.

Adam disentangles himself as best as he can. He stands at the bottom of the stairs, Ronan at the top, with four steps between them. Adam leans against the railing. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Ronan mimics.

“Your hair is longer,” Adam notes. “It looks good.”

Ronan lifts a hand to brush through his hair, like he’s just noticed. Then he shrugs casually. “I figured you might want something to pull.”

Adam grins at him. “That’s presumptuous, Lynch.”

Ronan jumps down to the ground, not bothered to use to the steps. He casts a look toward Blue and Gansey. Blue, seeming to take the unsubtle hint, grabs Gansey’s arm. “We’ll give you two some privacy.” She tugs him back toward the house, leaving Adam and Ronan alone. Without an audience, Ronan seems to soften a bit. He nudges his shoe against Adam’s. “I was serious, what I said about my hair.”

Adam reaches up to pull a few fingers through the hair. He gives it a experimental tug and Ronan’s eyes narrow, either an invitation or a challenge. Adam assumes it’s a mixture of both and he finally leans in to capture Ronan’s lips. The heat that immediately surrounds him, the warmth that seems to come from the inside out, it’s all familiar. It’s addictive and safe and tantalizing, all at once.

And then Ronan pulls back, frowning. “You taste weird.”

“I didn’t brush my teeth,” Adam admits. “And I had onion rings for lunch.”

“No,” Ronan shakes his head. “That’s not it.” He watches Adam for a moment, rubs his thumb along his lower lip in a gesture that seems distinctly Gansey of him. Ronan frowns a little more. “Have you been smoking?”

“Oh,” Adam realizes. “Yeah. A little.”

“How do you smoke a little?” Ronan demands. “Either you’ve been smoking or you haven’t.”

“Okay,” Adam corrects himself. “Yes, I’ve been smoking. What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you so mad all of a sudden?”

“It’s fucking gross,” Ronan snaps. “Since when do you smoke?”

“Since school is stressful, I guess.” Adam shrugs. “What’s the big deal?”

“They’re bad for you--”

“Oh, you’re one to talk about bad habits,” Adam laughs. “You’re the one who used to drink himself into oblivion to avoid dealing with feelings.”

Ronan chooses not to acknowledge that. “What if Gansey and Blue found out?”

“So what?” Adam asks. “I’m a big boy. Gansey is not my father. I can do whatever I want.”

“And you want to kill yourself?” Ronan says. “There are easier ways, man.”

Adam is taken aback. “What the fuck, Ronan?”

Ronan’s nostrils flare. He looks down, shuffling his feet. At his sides, his hands tighten into fists. Ronan turns to walk away, but Adam catches his wrist.

“No, Ronan. Do not just shut me out. What the hell is your problem?”

“I’m self-destructive,” Ronan snaps. “I know that. Sure, you’re right; I drink myself stupid sometimes. But I’ve never fucking smoked because those things kill, Parrish. They fucking kill you. Slowly. And I cannot lose you.”

Ronan drops his gaze, sighs, and Adam can see the way his shoulders deflate. The fight leaves him. For some reason, this Ronan seems harder to deal with than an angry Ronan. Adam says, “You can’t tell me what to do.”

Ronan barks out a bitter laugh. “Thank God for that, huh? You’d never listen to me anyway.”

“I didn’t know you would hate it so much.” Adam nudges Ronan’s arm. “I figured it would make me look hot.”

Ronan rolls his eyes.

Adam clears his throat. “If you hate it so much, I can try to stop.”

“I’m not your fucking father,” Ronan says. “I’m not going to make you do anything. I’m not giving you some fucking ultimatum, like if you don’t stop I’ll break up with you.”

“I know,” Adam says. “But you don’t like it. Relationships are about compromise, right? And you grew your hair out just for me.” Adam laces his fingers through the hair and tugs at it again. It makes Ronan smile. “So I’ll try to stop. I’m not making an promises, though.”

“If it’s about stress, I can dream you something,” Ronan says. “There are millions of ways to relieve stress.” He pulls Adam into his arms, mouthing at Adam’s neck, his throat, his jaw. “I can dream you up a sex doll that looks just like me. Sex is shown to be a great stress reliever.”

Adam laughs, shoving at Ronan’s shoulders. “I would love to explain that to my roommate.”

Ronan bites down on his lip and watches Adam carefully, suddenly serious. “Promise me you’ll call if you get too stressed out. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night, I will drive your shitty Hondayota all the way to New Jersey if you need me.”

And Adam knew that Ronan would be there for him, was always there for him, but hearing Ronan offer like that… it made something in Adam’s chest swell. “Yeah, I promise.”

“Good.” Ronan laces his fingers with Adam’s. “Now, we should go see the others. Opal missed you…”

Ronan leads him inside, launching into a story about Opal and Chainsaw. Adam smiles as he listens, feeling more settled than he ever had before. For the first time in months, his fingers don’t itch for a cigarette. He doesn’t feel the tension and the stress like a physical weight on his back. He feels calm, relaxed. He feels like he’s home.

[sweetnestor]

You Look Happier | Chapter 5

university au, teamiplier + jack

platonic/romance/angst/(smut at one point but it’ll only be on ao3)

previous chapter

“It was awful!” I rambled, anxiously pacing around my living room. “Oh god, it was going so well and then it just fucking - ah!” I rubbed my hands together, my mind buzzing horribly.

“I didn’t know Hollywood Hills had business hours,” said Jack, who was sat on the couch. “Did you get a fine?”

“No, but I did have an anxiety attack,” I groaned.

“Oh no.” Jack sat up. “What did Ethan do?”

I cringed as I remembered the irrational crying and hyperventilating. God, it was so embarrassing and stupid, I was trying not to reduce myself to tears. “Nothing. He didn’t know what to do! He just rubbed my back and told me to breathe!”

“So he didn’t do anything wrong?”

I shook my head. “But it was so stupid! Everything was perfectly fine until I ruined it!”

Jack then stood up and went to me. “Hey, it’s okay. You didn’t ruin anything, and I’m sure Ethan told you the same thing.”

“Yeah, and how long will it be before he gets tired of it? How long do I have before he starts rolling his eyes at me?” I asked, knowing exactly how insane I sounded, but I couldn’t stop these thoughts from spilling out.

“You need to trust him,” Jack firmly said. “And it sounds impossible, but it’s not. It just takes time.”

I sighed. “I don’t want to be afraid of him. I don’t want to run away from him… I don’t want to be sad anymore…”

“I know. You won’t always be said, you have to know that.”

This was exhausting. How long was I going to be like this? When would I stop being such a stick in the mud? When will everything just stop?

Jack gently hugged me as I started to cry. I wanted all of this bad stuff to be over. I wanted to give up, I wanted to stop fighting. It was more tiring than just being depressed and anxious all the time. At least I know what to expect with the latter; It was easier to stay on the ground.

“No one said recovery was easy,” he told me. “You have to take the good with the bad. And you have to remember that this is only the beginning. You have plenty of time, and you have plenty of people who want to support you.”

I didn’t realize that I had said any of that out loud. I didn’t care. None of this was worth it. It was always going to be this way.

“No, it won’t,” Jack reassured. “And it’s completely worth it. You’ll have your good days and bad days. That’s how you can appreciate the good.”

He kept telling me these things as I cried Things were hard to hear. My knee-jerk reaction was finding a reason to stay in my private, comfy sinkhole of depression. In that moment, I couldn’t believe that I could get better. I was broken beyond repair.

However, once the worst of it was over, I wondered why I acted like that in the first place. Yes, Ethan and I got a stern talking-to by a Hollywood Hills security guard, but it wasn’t that big a deal. Yes, I was trying to get my shit together, I had done this before in the past. I knew from prior experience that I couldn’t just expect everything to be better overnight… as much as I wanted it to be like that.

~

I had forgotten how consistent you had to be when it came to communication in relationships. Ethan sent me a text a few days after the Hollywood Hills incident that made me feel kind of like an asshole.

“Hey, you’re not mad at me are you?”

Of course not. I’ve just been too exhausted and embarrassed to talk to specifically him. How does one say that without sounding crazy or rude?

“No lol I’ve just been kinda busy,” I typed before sending. Then, as an add-on, “Sorry for the silence.” Then I realized how cold and distant I sounded, so I sent some emojis following my two messages. That was three. I just triple texted.

Although, Ethan didn’t take ten years to respond this time.

“Okay, just making sure. Besides that, is everything okay?”

How can he tell? What did I say? Was I really that obvious? Was the storm cloud above my head actually visible? I was hesitating. I didn’t want to lie to him, but I didn’t want to be a burden either.

“Sometimes I’m bad at keeping in contact, even if it’s people I really like.” I sent it before I could panic.

My heart pounded as I read his reply.

“Aww… I’m the same way lol… I really like you too.”

FUCK. ABORT. RUN AWAY!

“Ay, no seas pendeja,” I mumbled to myself, catching my immediate reaction before it could spiral. “We’ve been at it for this long, we’ve already established this crap. C’mon Bella, no seas chillona.”

I sent back the monkey covering its eyes and the blue heart emojis. Then, I filmed a video to distract myself. Thankfully, I was able to be by myself again, which meant that I could film a cover while Jack was away on campus.

While I was doing my makeup, I got another text from Ethan. He was what I was doing, and I told him. Then, he asked if he could listen somehow, and I was convinced to let him in on a Skype call.

“Hey!” he greeted when his face popped up on my laptop screen.

“Hi! Don’t mind me, I’m just putting on my actual face,” I told him. “I’m nearly done.”

“Take your time,” Ethan said, resting his chin in his hands. “Work your magic.”

I took my laptop over to the bathroom and moved my products aside. Then, I continued with my routine, not really conscious of the fact that I was being watched. Strangely enough, I didn’t really mind people watching me do something I knew I was good at. Plus, I was sure Ethan would get bored of me and open another tab until I was ready to sing.

“How do you do the wing?” he asked, much to my surprise.

I paused, letting that surprised feeling pass over. “Um… I’ve had to sacrifice all my babies,” I finally answered. “I also had to summon like, five different demons with the blood of a virgin.”

“And who did you murder to get that contour?” he egged on.

I sighed as I applied highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones. “You know too much already.”

Ethan giggled. “Well, I’ll stop asking questions, Miss Makeup Artist Person Expert.”

“Yeah, stay in your lane, Mr. Gamer Person Man.”

I finished up with my makeup routine by spritzing some setting spray onto my face. For a second, I forgot I was being watched, and I had a moment of… “feelin’ myself.” I turned my head from side to side, watching my highlight catch the light. I appreciated the sharpness of my winged liner and the flawlessness of my eyebrows.

Suddenly, I heard a shutter sound and snapped out of my vain moment. I turned back to Ethan on the screen, my eyes widening.

“I’m not doin’ nothin’,” he said, feigning innocence.

“Oh god. I can only hope I look good in that screenshot,” I said timidly.

“You always look good.”

I rolled my eyes and put on my best “white girl” accent. “Aw, thanks boo!”

Then, I took my laptop back to my room. I set it down on the bed and went to get my keyboard. I stood it in front of my bed, since I didn’t have a proper bench. After, I went to grab my lights that I left in the living room.

“What are you gonna sing?” Ethan prompted.

“I’m thinking Dodie,” I replied as I went to grab my camera and tripod. “Or something else, I’m not sure.”

“Dodie,” he said. “You gotta sing Dodie.”

I hesitated as I turned on the camera and lights. “I’ve been practicing ‘When’ but I don’t know if it’s good enough.”

“Let’s hear it then. I’ll tell you if it’s good.”

It was more nervewracking knowing that Ethan was the one hearing me sing. I always needed to sing for someone before posting on my channel, but since it was going to be the guy I liked this time, I was a little nervous. I also found the song because of him, too. I could only hope I would do it justice.

Nervously, I sat down on the bed and placed my fingers on the keys. After breathing deeply, I played the first few notes of the song, but I had to start over a few times. To be honest, I was just stalling, but I got to it eventually.

“I think I’ve been telling lies, ‘cause I’ve never been in love Everyone falls for the sunshine disguise Distracted by who they’re thinking of”

The vocals were a little too soft for my liking, but the lyrics and Ethan’s persistence are what won me over. The more I sang it, the more lost I got in it.

“Am I the only one wishing life away? Never caught up in the moment, busy begging the past to stay Memories painted with much brighter ink They tell me I loved, teach me how to think”

Part of me wished for the day I would find a happy song that I could relate to.

I sighed when I finished the song. Sheepishly, I turned to Ethan, who had a huge smile on his face. He started with a slow clap.

“You’re so talented!” he exclaimed. “Ah, your voice is so nice! I love it!”

“Thanks,” I replied, blushing furiously. “That should go on my channel, then?”

“Yes! Record it and post it, like, right now,” he excitedly told me.

“Ahh, should I?”

“Do it. Do it, and… then we’ll go out after?” Ethan said the last bit slowly and softly.

Honestly, that was all it took for me to hit “record.”

~

This time, we went to the beach. It was cold as hell, being mid-January. But it was quiet and lacking of other people. It was also getting dark, which only made it colder. I was comfortable.

“Leggings were a bad idea,” I commented as we walked on the sand. “You’re gonna have to cut off my legs later.”

“You should’ve told me sooner,” Ethan replied. “I would’ve brought a chainsaw or something.”

We both stayed silent. Then we looked at each other and laughed. Thank god we had a similar sense of humor. It was easy to be around him.

“Hey, so,” Ethan said, changing the subject. “I… I overheard Mark saying that he was talking to you again?”

Spoke too soon.

“Uh, where did you hear that?” I asked in response.

“He was telling Tyler at the office,” Ethan explained. “I just happened to… be in the room. So, it’s true, then?”

“We’re making amends,” I told him, looking out at the distance. “It’s just that… we were friends before we dated and… we want to get over the things that happened. And, I think if I don’t try to work out these things, then I’ll wind up making the same mistakes in other relationships.”

Ethan didn’t say anything at first, which prompted me to ramble.

“I’ve known Mark for two, almost three, years,” I added. “We have a lot of history. I still want him to be my friend. A-And like I said, I don’t want my past mistakes to happen in this relationship.”

“I get it,” he finally said. “That’s good that you still wanna be friends.”

“Yeah, I probably should’ve told you sooner,” I said. “I feel like that’s something you deserve to know.”

“It’s okay. I mean, he doesn’t know about… this.” Ethan gestured between the two of us. “So I guess that’s fair.”

I wanted to ask what we are but… you know the cause by now. All I knew was that we definitely weren’t just friends.

“You wanna get food and eat in the car?” he asked after a while.

“Absolutely.”

_______

next chapter

[imaginedeux]

Beautiful (Jack Barakat Plus Sized Imagine)

Anon: Hello! I was wondering if you could please do a Jack Barakat imagine where the reader is plus-size? I feel like I don’t see a lot of imagines/fanfiction where the reader/character is plus-size, and that upsets me as a plus-size woman. Lots of fluff! Smut too, if you’re OK with that because BBW’s enjoy sexy times too. If you're not, I totally understand. Thank you! ☺️💕

As a plus sized woman, I understand the need for imagines like this, so thank you for requesting! I unfortunately do not do smut, cause I would probably be shit at it. But I hope you like it!

Trigger Warnings: Body Image Issues

“(Y/N), come on, come out so I can see it!” Lisa yelled happily from outside the changing room, while you were struggling to fit into the biggest size this store had. You had to admit the dress was beautiful, and the color looked amazing even with your skin tone, but it didn’t look right, it didn’t look right on you. The dress made your stomach look even bigger than it actually was, your back rolls looked horrible as the fabric clung to them. The worst part was, the dress didn’t have sleeves, which turned you off in the first place but Lisa had insisted on you trying it on. You’ve never liked your arms, they were always bigger and to you just didn't look right, which is why, even in the dead of summer, you always wore a t-shirt. You sighed taking off the dress and put it back on the hanger it was on originally.

“It didn’t fit Lisa, it was too small.” You murmured emerging from the cubical, back in the clothes you were in when you got to the store.

“Damn it, it’s so pretty as well. It’s okay, we’ll just go to another store, we’re not leaving the mall until we find you a dress for the wedding.” Lisa said taking the dress off your hands and gave it to one of the workers there, thanking them for helping you all. You’d known Lisa since both of you had graduated high school and started working at the same shop together. Both of you became friends instantly and have been close ever since. It was through Lisa that you were able to meet All Time Low. You instantly befriended the group of men, one more than the others, aka Jack, a man you instantly fell for. Not wanting to scare him off you placed yourself into the ‘friend-zone’, but grew closer to him as the years went by.

It was Lisa’s wedding in a couple of weeks and you still hadn't found a dress to wear to the wedding, you were starting to panic. Hours passed and you were still without a dress.

“Lisa, it’s getting late, and we’ve gone to every store in the mall, hell, we’ve even gone into the plus sized section of Forever 21 and none of them looked good. I’ll just come next week, they might have new shipments.” You sighed walking out of another store. “Hey I gotta get home, I promised Jack we could have a movie night at my place.” You said grabbing your keys out of your purse. 

“So, you and Jack? Huh?” Lisa said wiggling her eyebrow at you.

“No, no.” You blushed. “Its just that um...”

“You’ve got to tell him you like him (Y/N)! I know for a fact that he likes you.” Lisa said happily.

“You can’t bullshit a bullshitter Lisa.” You said laughing, “I’ll text you later.”

A couple of hours passed and you were arguing with Jack, who had just arrived not to long after you did, over what movie to watch.

“Why can’t we just watch ‘Home Alone’? We both love it, and it won't give me nightmares like freaking ‘Texas Chainsaw’ will!” Jack groaned from next to you. Jack and you shared the same taste in music, TV shows, hell shared the same taste in fashion, you honestly lived in black t-shirts and dark jeans, but the both of you would constantly butt heads with what movie to watch. He loved his Home Alone, and you love your Horror movies.

“Jack, we just watched ‘Wayne’s World’, and you know how much I hate it, I think we should watch something that you’re not particularly fond of, which is almost the entirety of my movie collection. Besides, Texas Chainsaw isn’t that scary.”

“ISN’T THAT SCARY?! THIS SHIT IS BASED ON A TRUE STORY LIKE THERE WAS AN ACTUAL GUY WHO DID THIS SHIT!”

“Not really, the guy who did exact thing wasn’t in Texas, and he was caught, Texas Chainsaw was based on another thing that ‘supposedly’ happened. But they never caught the guy so...” You explained as if it was nothing.

“THAT MAKES IT WORSE!” Jack yelled grabbing one of the pillows on your couch, cuddling it for dear life.

“Look, lets make a deal. We make it through this movie, and we can go for Fro-Yo, my treat. And if you’re still scared shitless, we can watch Home Alone 1 and 2 next time.”

“Fro-Yo, then we come back and watch Home Alone.” He bargained lifting his head from the pillow.

“Fine, deal.”

“Fuck you (Y/N), fuck ‘Texas Chainsaw’, fuck horror movies.” Jack mumbled in-between scoops of the frozen treat. The entire drive to the shoppe, every time he was forced to stop at a light, he would instantly check if the doors were locked, if the windows were all the way up, and checked if there were any people near the car.

“But did you die?” You asked laughing taking a bite out of the chocolate candy you had put in with your fro-yo.

“I will of a heart attack. Hey! Did you end up finding a dress for the wedding? I just remembered you and Lisa went shopping.”

That’s when you lost your appetite, you instantly regretting getting the unhealthy bits to your Fro-Yo. You sighed, pushing the treat away from you.

“No, couldn’t find anything.” You said remembering how bad you felt seeing that none of the dresses fit, or didn’t look as nice as it did on the hanger. Your felt your heart drop at the fact, your nails leaving crescent moons in the palm of your hands at the memory.

“Damn that sucks. I was really hoping you did so we could go suit shopping for me.”

“How can you NOT have your suit? That takes so much more time to get fitted! Jack this is your best friend’s wedding you can be waiting last minute to get this done! And why did you hope that I had gotten a dress already?”

“Cause-” Jack started before loud voices broke through the silence that filled the place. The both of you turned to see a group of Jack’s friends, most of them looking like they were drunk. “Hey!”

“JACK! How you doing buddy?” One of the guys asked coming to your table, trying to bring him in for a hug. “We were bar hopping and decided to get something to eat, do you wanna join us after?” His words slurring a bit.

“Nah man, I’m hanging out with a friend tonight. Maybe another time.” He explained giving his friend a side hug before gesturing to you. “Leo, this is (Y/N), I’ve known her for about 7 years now, (Y/N) this Leo, i’ve known him since high school.”

“The cow hasn't changed has she.” He slurred giving you a once over. Straight through the heart, you felt yourself sink into the metal chair. You instantly felt as if you were taking up too much space in the almost empty shoppe. That feeling only doubled hearing his group of friends laugh at his remark.

“What did you just say?” Jack asked, his voice rough.

“I knew who she was in high school, she’s still the same fat ass she was before.” He laughed looking at you. You looked down at your jean clad thighs, wanting to scratch away at it. Before you knew it there was a thud, and the guy was on the floor, holding onto his face. “WHAT THE FUCK JACK!?” 

“Never, ever speak to me or (Y/N), ever again. Or I will fuck you up. Come on, (Y/N)...” Jack said grabbing your hand, dragging you out of the shoppe.

“Jack! Hey, slow down! JACK!” You yelled taking your hand back from his grasp. “What’s wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me? Didn't you hear what that asshole said?!” Jack yelled back at you, his voice rough with anger.

“That asshole was your friend! And yes I heard what he said but you don't think I’ve been hearing that all my life Jack?!” You yelled getting to his car, taking your seat in the passenger seat. It took a minute for Jack to cool down and join you in his car. The entire way back to your house, the car was silent neither of you wanting to cut the tension that had accumulated through out the ride.

“Thanks for the Fro-Yo Jack, hope you get your suit.” You said, quickly getting out of the car. 

“Wait no, (Y/N)!” Jack yelled getting out of his car running up to you. “What did you mean you’ve been hearing this all your life? This isn’t the first time someone’s come up to you?”

“People have commented on my weight since I was in middle school, and no this isn’t the first time someone’s said it to my face. This is nothing though, you should ask your fans how they feel about me hanging around you and the rest of the band.” 

“The fans? They’ve told you things? Why haven't you told me? Or even Lisa, she would have told Alex!”

“Because nothings going to change Jack! Don't you get it, as long as I continue to weigh this much, all those shitty comments are going to keep coming in and Im going to have to put up this fucking façade that their comments don't fucking feel like they're putting thousands of knives in my back!” You yelled as you reached the door, tears water falling down your cheeks. “It hurts so fucking much Jack, I've tried for the past 10 years to lose weight, but school and work never helped, I'm so tired of being the ‘fat friend’. You sobbed leaning against your front door. “Everyones input online doesn't help either, why don't you think I have little to no photos of myself on any of my social media anymore? Its all my friends family and anything I like. And when you or one of the guys post a photo with me I see the shit your fans post.” You explained opening the door to apartment.

“Wait when?” Jack asked confused following you, he knew how cut throat his fans were but he never knew the anger was pointed at you as well.

“My birthday a couple months back, when you flew me out to one of your shows, there were a couple of fans who uploaded videos of when you pulled me on stage to sing happy birthday to me, and all they were yelling was how fat I was, how I should just go and die, and so much more, since then I've refrained from posting any photos of myself on twitter or insta.” You sobbed walking into your living room, happy to let all of this frustration out, but scared that Jack was seeing this part of you.

“(Y/N), please don't listen to them, they aren't real fans if they come after you.” Jack whispered bringing you in a tight hug, allowing you to sob into his shirt. “You have no idea how fucking beautiful you actually are do you?”

“Don't lie for my sake Jack.” You sniffled, not wanting to hear anything. You had already talked to your mom and siblings about this, and they all said that you were beautiful no matter what, blah, blah, blah. You didn't need to hear more lies, especially not from Jack.

“I’m not lying (Y/N). You’re honestly the most beautiful person i’ve ever seen and had the honor to meet.”

“Jack stop lying...” You murmured trying to get out of his grasp. “Stop lying to me!”

“IM NOT FUCKING LYING (Y/N)!” Jack yelled, something out of character for him. “(Y/N), I-I, geez, I really, really like you (Y/N). If I would have known you were going through this I would have shut up those fans as soon as I found out. I would have made sure that the fans knew how fucking important you are to the band, to Liza, to me. (Y/N), you know no idea how much I want to protect you from everything.” Jack said finally letting you go.

“I can protect myself J-Jack.” You retaliated almost at the verge of tears.

“I know you can, I really know you can, but I want to help you. You’re too amazing to have to go through this alone. Even if you don't want my help, please, please know that I’ll always be here for you.” Jack pleaded getting a hold of your hand. 

“Okay, i’ll let you know.” You caved, giving him a small smile through your tears.

“Thank you babe. Now come on, lets watch Supernatural or something.” He laughed leading you to the couch, bringing you in for a cuddle.

“I t-thought that you wanted to watch ‘Home Alone’?” You asked, a huge blush on your cheeks from the pet name he mentioned.

“Changed my mind, Supernatural is a show i’ve been wanting to get into, and I saw that you’ve seen it on Netflix from when we were looking for something to watch. Come on babe.” Jack said grabbing the remote switching over to Netflix, clicking on Supernatural.

“W-whats with the p-pet name?” You asked as the episode started playing.

“I didn't think you would notice it. Li-Like I said before, I really like you (Y/N), so I was wondering, if you wanted to be my girlfriend?” Jack asked scratching the back of his neck as a blush played at his cheeks.

“Sure.” You replied after a minute, a small smile on your face.

“Sure?”

“Yeah, now shh, this is one of my favorite episodes. And remind me to get mad at you for not getting your suit yet.”

[hopesoldcomicblog]

Fuck me gently with a chainsaw

A.N. Jason's significant other finds out Jason is back from the dead. hilarity ensues. inspired by an ask on @uncpanda

“well fuck me gently with a chainsaw.”

That was all you could say when faced with the person in front of you eating the banana bread you had made earlier that night. You heard Alfred yell at you from the other room. Something about being ladylike and swearing, you loved the guy you’d think he’d be more forgiving considering your dead boyfriend, your un-dead boyfriend was eating your food.

“sorry Alfred.” You called. You stared at the person in front of you, he was leaning against the (expensive, custom made, Italian) granite counter top shoveling the remainder of your baked good into his mouth. Crumbs dribbled down his now strong jawline, his more green than blue eyes stared into your (e/C) orbs with a mix of fear, nervousness, happiness and sheer confusion. You put your hand on your hips looking up at the taller man who had just been a boy when he ha been taken away. A smirk found it’s way to his face and he reached out to pull you into hug. You accepted the hug.

“Oh hay bab-“ he was trying to press his lips against your jawline, you placed your hands in between you and his lips as a barrier.

“don’t ‘Hey babe’ me Jason Peter Todd. You faked your death for five years, didn’t tell me, ate all of my banana bread and you told literally everyone else in the family except your romantic partner. Oh excuse me former significant other and ex-fiance. Couldn’t you at least have had the decency to warn me? Or tell me? Why did you tell him and not me.” Your finger jabbed at his chest as your venomous words poured out. Each question grew in coldness. You pulled off your simple engagement ring and through it at his chest. It bounced off and rolled to the floor. After you were done there was a silence shared between the two of you as the iciness of your words and actions settled

“(y/n) I ca-“ before he could explain you spun on your heels. He followed you out of the kitchen and into the living room attempting to explain himself. He grabbed your wrist, you spun around and grabbed the nearest item. Which happened to be a vase filled with lilies and water and dumped the contents on you on him. you then flung the vase at a the wall (narrowly) missing Jason’s head as it smashed against the wall.

“that’s for my banana bread you bastard.” You yelled as you stormed away leaving the black haired man in a puddle of water and trampled flowers.

Bruce found you in the batcave reading photo albums in a pile of used tissues and chocolate wrappers. He sat down next to you and carefully moved the stack of photo albums next to him.

“so Alfred told you.” You sniffled as you pulled your legs up to your chest.

“actually no, the shouting, broken ming dynasty vase and a wet Jason lead me into the direction that you had.”

“sorry about the vase.” You murmured into your knees not meeting your mentor’s gaze.

“it’s okay, I can get another one. Its one of the perks of being a multi-billionaire.” He winked at you in a succeeded attempt to cheer you up. “you know he actually did die, he was actually dead. The joker did murder him and we did bury Jason. It was Ra’s who brought him back using the pit.” You sat up straight, stared at him your hands balled up taking your shirt in your hands in an attempt to keep your fists from shaking. Tears began to well up in your eyes threatening to pool over your (s/t) cheeks.

“How long?”

“what?”

“how long have you known?” your voice was slipping into the same cold tone from before.

“Three months.” Bruce said sheepishly refusing to meet your gaze. You let out a small chuckle.

“looks like everyone in this family knew that my boyfriend has been alive for three months except me.”

“if it helps Barbara slapped him.”

“it doesn’t but thanks for the sentiment. How did you find out?” you had a small smile on your face as you stared at your father figure.

“You know the Red Hood?” Bruce asked as he rested his hands in his lap.”Well, while you were away in Europe three months ago on that mission for Barbara we caught him red handed-“

“pun intended?” you asked grinning. He nodded and continued with his story.

“he told us not to tell you because he wanted to do it himself. He wanted to apologize and woo you, his words not mine. I was so overwhelmed by having him back I never questioned it. I loved having my son back, I should have understood that you would want to have his lover back too. (y/n), Jason loves you, so please give him a chance to redeem himself. Please give me a chance to redeem myself.” Bruce’s words were gentle as he took your hand and placed your ring in the palm of your hand.

“Thanks Bruce” you said as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders. The two of you stood up and parted ways. Him to wherever the hell Bruce spends his free time that wasn’t the bat cave and you to Jason’s room. You opened the door to the room that had been left in almost museum-esque condition after his death. There you found Jason asleep on the almost bed that had been too large for sixteen year old Jason and now seemed like a doll bed for the new man. There were tear marks on his cheeks and a few new scars. His face seemed older, more worn, more scarred. You ran your fingers through his hair playing with the new white streak that according to Bruce had been a product of the Lazarus pit. He needed to touch up his roots, the strawberry blonde was sticking out from underneath the dark hair. You ran your fingers down his forehead, down his face, you touched his jaw. His stubble stabbed your soft thumbs.

Your hands ran down his neck, down his chest to the ‘Y’ shaped scar across his bare chest. You gently touched the white scar tissue, he stirred before his eyes flashed open. He grabbed your wrist before he was able to register who it was.

“(y/n)”. you nodded. You stared at him, he loosed the grip on your wrist not meeting your gaze. You wrapped your arms around him, burying your face in the crook of his neck. Tears pricked your vision as both of you sat there gripping each other like you could be ripped apart at any moment.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” And then he kissed you. It was a slow Hollywood kiss, corny and gentle. He pulled away and then nestled his nose into your (color) hair.”you changed your shampoo.” He murdered as he breathed in, you nodded.

“hey babe, I’m sor-“ you cut him off with a feverish kiss. It was rough and passionate, you straddled him as you carefully held his hand in yours. You pulled away breathing heavily.

“Shush, Bruce explained everything.” You kissed him again, it was slower but still passionate. And then suddenly clothes were coming off and kisses were being shared under the covers.

He held you in his scar littered arms, your breathing matched eachother’s. your arms wrapped around his well defined waist as you both stared at each other (e/c) meeting aqua eyes. Both of you were smiling like idiots, like nothing was wrong.

“you kept the ring.”

“yeah, it felt wrong to get rid of it, to love someone else. To finally let you go, to finally except that you were actually gone.” He pulled you closer.

“I’m sorry I had to leave. But I’m back now and that’s what matters.”

“I’m glad you’re back.” You nudged your nose against his chest.”so Red Hood?” you teased.

“Yeah.” He grinned back.” I thought it was ironic. You know? Taking on the mantle of the man who killed me. Also aren’t you a little young to be making 80s chic flick references” He said with a wink.

“We’re literally the same fucking age Todd, also Heathers is a cinematic masterpiece. But seriously this explains the flirting. I was honestly starting to get freaked out that murderous, mentally unhinged, vigilante actually had a thing for me.” You said with a smirk.

“He does” Jason pressed a sloppy, wet kiss against your cheek.

“you know what I mean.” You teased back playfully swatting at him.” but I guess you can’t resist me”

“what can I say I’m a sucker for (h/c) haired cuties in skintight costumes with daddy issues and a thing for orphans” You said as he rubbed his freckled nose against your neck affectionately.

“You’re supposed to be my lover, not an asshole”

”I can be both. Ready for round two?” he said with a smirk his green-y blue eyes clouded over with lust.

“only if you bake me a replacement banana bread. I needed that for a meeting I have tomorrow.”

“don’t talk about work when I’m about to make love to you, you moron. Also consider it done” Jason said as he kissed you.