#because some of the behavior i see from full grown adults is concerning

[funsetsunset]

Some people need to realize that just because you personally don’t like something doesn’t mean it’s also objectively bad. Maybe it’s just not for you. Dedicating so many posts to shitting on said thing under the veneer of “criticism” seems a little childish to me.

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, 3x8, Let The Games Begin. Part 7 (It's Been A While)

Last chapter was posted May 11th. Apologies for the hiatus. The vibes need to be just right to create these things. You can read parts 1-6 and everything else in my pinned post. On the last episode of TWWGG: "After Lorelai (Rory) exits the (Yale) interview, one that was seemingly a success, she immediately turns to Richard to chew him out for springing the interview on her last minute and not giving her time to prepare. That is more than fair coming from Rory, to be quite honest. And I’m glad to see her standing up for herself." Lesss gooo. Lorelai hauls Rory into a cab. They arrive home at night, even though it was blazing sunshine a short distance away at Yale. Rory asks Lorelai if they can not talk about college for 2 days and she agrees and everything that just happened is brushed aside and forgotten. Kidding. After a brave display of defiance towards Richard moments earlier, Rorynow expresses her guilt for not towing the line for Mommy. Mommy was right. Mommy is always right.

I....you know...forget it.

I think I should cross off "Lorelai and Rory eat at Luke's without paying" from the Bingo Card. Bringing outside food into his establishment? That's just rude. Luke could probably send Jess to college with all of Rory and Lorelai's unpaid checks and stiffed tips.

Saying it outloud isn''t going to change their unethical and frankly downright criminal behavior, Lucas. You know this.

Or at least a bag of Doritos.

Why hello, my sweet baby darling. I'm ready to Cmhrrrh.

Oh, Is "studying" what the kids call tonsil hockey these days? Run like the wind Rory! RUNNNN. I just have this good feeling Rory is totally not going to blow this sacred opportunity to have unsupervised makeout time with Jess or anything like that. Never, in the kingdom of The Queen of Blue Balls. Lorelai and Luke watch as Rory runs after Jess to "Study". Wink wink nudge nudge. Then a few seconds later without a shred of irony or realization, Luke tells Lorelai how he told Jess that as long as he lives under his roof he's gotta keep his pants on.

You're off to a ripping start already.

Lorelai is being rational? She's not running after them? "It's okay"? She's pulling the "They're teenagers, they can kiss in the dark" shit for Jess and Rory like she did for Dean? I'd say "Fetch me my fainting couch" but I know it's all a big fat farce, Lorelai is full of shit as per uszh, and my fainting couch is in the shop.

Settle down, Lucas. You're going to have a stroke one of these days. Or steam is going to come out of his ears like in a cartoon. Or he'll snap and go on a killing spree.

I've never seen two grown adults who weren't in some kind of strict religious sect have such near anyeursms because their adult children want to kiss each other. What are the odds Luke Danes, the varsity athlete, was much sluttier than Jess when he was 18? Probably pretty high. Cross off "Do as I Say Not As I Do" on the Episode Bingo Card.

Pretty rich coming from Ms "Also Has Run Around All Over Town Looking for Jess and Rory" and "Ms. Run Around All Over Town Looking For a Gumball Machine Bracelet"

I can rely on Lorelai being insufferable in every episode, but when Luke is insufferable too I pray for the sweet relief of the end credits. I hope in his Cockblocking Quest of Glory, that he trips on something. Or loses his hat.

Smoking against a gas pump. Living dangerously. I don't blame him for having a bit of a death wish, to be quite honest. Luke should be more concerned that Jess is going to cause an explosion that will level Stars Hollow into a parking lot than him rounding first base. (Where the hell did Luke go, by the way?)

Whatcha thinkin aboutt?

That was such a good HUH. *pets his sweet head*

*gnaws on the drywall* SUCH A GOOD KISS. I have no words. Okay, That’s a lie, I do have words but I ran out of space so I will see you in part 8 for the thrilling conclusion (which is: Rory ruins this precious moment by abandoning Jess and chasing after Dean) Oh god. I just skipped ahead and there's a Lorelai Couch Speech at the end too. Mind if I join you for a cigarette against the gas pumps, Jess?

[simonteacherassociation]

Do Imon and Noelle (Anna) have the same relationship they had before?

I feel like I'm on would have certain feel of lost. Like one thing is taking care of your baby girl (and get used to it) and suddenly your baby is not your baby anymore but mentally grown and who she used to be before.

Imon would do things like "Noelle, come here I will read you a story!" or "Come here I'm gonna help your with that" or those silly little explaining that you have to make to babies an toddlers, and Anna, being pretty much herself with her adult mind would be like "What are you doing?"

I mean that's sort of losing your child.

it's more obvious now but, yeah, the relationship is different. noelle's... anna-brained now, which means she's pretty mentally used to being just that- anna. maybe she's not full grown woman, she still has some little girl behaviors, but this is exactly how imon feels; he got used to being little noelle's dad. he got used to taking care of her, and while he missed anna he was accepting and willing to help this new facet of her, this new life of hers grow up.

and then anna came back. and he was happy, excited even, to see his best friend again! but it's becoming hard for him. that innocent, actual baby noelle that he carried and raised seems like she's gone, and now he doesn't know if he's a dad at all anymore. even if noelle has those adult woman smarts she's still learning and she is, physically, a child, so imon's instincts to be her father are there but now it's complicated. he's worried how this is going to affect her development, he's worried about her well-being since she came from a magicless world before, in a magicless body. ooo is a dangerous place and he feels she is too confident.

and there's the unknown aspect of noelle growing up with wizard brain. he doesn't entirely know what to expect, and it's especially concerning because of the crown magic that obviously has enough control over his body to affect his child's genetics. she doesn't have a crown to be messed with. if she doesn't keep her head above the MMS water, she's screwed. he doesn't want to lose the anna aspect, too.

he's trying to tell himself it's a strange, complicated situation and they'll work through it, but he'd be lying if he didn't admit there's a sadness in his heart at the thought of not being called papa ever again. he feels bad. this is what he wanted when he asked for his best friend back, isn't it? he doesn't understand why it's so hard for him to juggle this- why it's so hard for him to flip back into best friend mode. he knew anna way longer than noelle's been alive.

[golbrocklovely]

I don’t know if this was talked bout (probably was), but i do not really like how snc speak about being hangover everyday, drinking non stop, partying every night etc etc.

Yeah sure, have some fun and go drinking if you want to, nobody is telling you to stop, cause you’re. Both grown up men, who can do wtf they want, but please for godsake limit a bit your glorification of party lifestyle and drinking 24/7. Snc have a wide fanbase full of underaged or just really young people who take them as their role models and when they see snc talking about being hangover every fucking day as something funny and cool, those kids gonna follow up those type of behaviors.

I mean I just do not like how many times i hear snc “joking” about them drinking all the time, partying or being hangover. I am not saying that they should stop or limit that kind of lifestyle, i am just saying that they should maybe limit talking about it on the Internet, because of their younger fanbase.

i've had similar conversations before about this topic, and i usually get pushback when i say my peace. but i get why you feel this way.

however, how i feel about this is that snc joke a lot of time and aren't being 100% serious when they say how often they party or black out or drink. you can tell they're joking just from the switch of their voices or they way they deadpan it. not only that, we don't know how much they drink, so if they're having a single drink once in a while or when they go out (which isn't as often as a lot of fans think it is) that's not really a cause for concern imo.

i think the issue also is that bc they only really post when they go out, it feels like they are going out every night, when reality is they aren't doing that. so if they go out once a week to let off steam…. there are SO MANY adults that also do that that we don't say "hey you shouldn't glorify going to applebees and getting cocktails with your coworkers" bc that would be a weird thing to tell someone who is full grown adult.

also, i get that they have underage fans, but it is not up to them to curb what they talk about just bc someone young might be watching them. snc don't cater to children, they never have. they don't promote themselves as family friendly, they aren't a kids program. they're adult men who act like adult men. just bc someone young might be watching them doesn't mean they have to stop being adult men in case said young person sees something inappropriate. not only that, but if you have a young kid and you're allowing them to watch snc… that's on you. you should be paying attention to what your kids watch and take in. you should be teaching them good habits and what would be safe drinking and all of that stuff. it's not on snc to teach your kids how to do things safely.

but hey, that's just how i feel about it.

[alltheselights]

Yeah, this is not a normal break for a young person to get from daily life. The smoking and drinking and just being bird-boned to start with will have factored in. And I do think he’s surrounded by enablers who just keep cheering his lifestyle choices. I’m not a pearl-clutcher by any means, but the chain smoking and the drinking for a guy whose parents both had serious cancer before they hit 50 is worrisome. People who just drink casually don’t talk about it like Louis does. Getting drunk before his album launch performance rather than after is not great. Nor is associating getting wasted with celebrating. He’s 30. You can see on his face that it’s taking a toll. He does not have a healthy glow. And often has puffy eyes and sallow skin. I’m not judging him. He’s got a daily struggle with the closet he’s burdened with, he’s had serious traumas while feeling he has to temper his own emotions to look out for his family…all that emotional baggage adds up. I doubt he’s ever allowed himself to fully grieve. Glass half full!!! Seems more like he’s self medicating with drink to avoid it all. And not a single person around him who’ll speak the truth. Or who seem to even have empathy for him. Does he have any relationships where he’s the receiver rather than the giver?

To preface my response, I think some of what you said is a little extreme and I don’t think it’s the place of anyone to decide that someone else is abusing alcohol because alcohol abuse looks different on everyone and I know that firsthand because it’s touched my life directly. I’ve said this to people in the past when I’ve gotten worried anons and I think it’s important to recognize.

That being said, I do agree that Louis’ overall lack of care for himself is very concerning and something that shouldn’t be laughed about or celebrated. Just before he tweeted, I was watching this interview where he is asked how he takes care of himself on tour and he explicitly said “I don’t” and then said that he’ll do that when he’s older. Louis, honey, you already are older. Yes, 30 is still young, but there’s a reason why people hit like age 25 and start realizing that their hangovers hit harder and their knees are starting to crack. Your body is aging and needs to be treated better and needs more recovery time. This is true of everyone, but especially someone with such a demanding career.

He’s a grown man and fans have no control over his behavior, but I do wish that he’d make an effort to quit smoking (not only for his singing voice, but for his fucking LIFE) and I wish that he’d at least be more responsible with the drinking in terms of keeping it to a drink or two before and during shows and not always going straight out to the club after a performance. He admitted to being hungover numerous times on tour and you can tell that he’s often exhausted. I want him to be able to have fun and I have absolutely no issue with him enjoying himself, having a beer to take the edge off before a show, or going out. However, there are limits that every person has to put on themselves to make sure that they’re prioritizing their health and in Louis’ case, his career.

I also think the enablers around him are a huge issue. We may not know them, but we can see with our own eyes that they participate in all of these behaviors alongside Louis. They drink and they smoke with him constantly. It’s bizarre to me that Matt Vines, as a manager, has never once said, “hey, Louis, maybe don’t smoke half a pack of cigarettes during an interview.” It’s bizarre to me that Helene isn’t saying every time she sees him, “hey, you're really going to struggle to sing well through full setlists on tour and run around stage when you’re smoking so heavily.” It’s bizarre to me that nobody said to him last night, “hey, let’s save the vodkas for after the performance.”

Again, Louis is an adult! But there are people around him who work with him who could provide some guidance and encourage him to take care of himself, and instead, they seem to be fully embracing his lifestyle themselves and glorifying it.

Fans also don’t help. There will be people angry that I posted this ask. I will lose followers. If you even whisper that maybe a full-time singer with a family history of cancer shouldn’t smoke a pack of cigarettes a day,  people accuse you of “babying” a grown man. The entire fandom romanticizes Louis’ smoking and talks about how sexy he is while he’s blackening his lungs. Any constructive criticism or genuine concern is treated with defensiveness and anger.

Louis has said himself that he doesn’t go therapy, which I think he needs, just as so many other people do. He said in an interview just days ago that he shouldn’t smoke or drink so much but the job is hard and he needs his “vices.” Everyone has vices, but they’re not all so harmful. Louis is doing permanent damage to his body with the smoking, and possibly with the drinking as well. He’s now gotten injured twice in six months, and last night, while we don’t know what happened, it’s safe to assume that he was still intoxicated. And at times, no matter how much I adore him, I also recognize that he’s doing damage to his career and reputation by not reining himself in, especially when he has performances or interviews where he should be focusing on making a good impression and singing as incredibly as he possibly can.

Louis deserves to be happy and have fun. I just wish he found some balance between that and taking care of himself. And I desperately wish somebody, anybody around him gave enough of a shit to help ensure that too.

[muertocountyprincess]

The internet is cruel sometimes.

I’d really hoped this year would be different, and perhaps for once things wouldn’t spoil my entire birth month. May is already a hard month due to old traumas annually resurfacing in my mind, but this time my mental health has been suffering for more reasons than one.

I am still being stalked, harassed, and attacked for simply trying to shed light on an issue in a game that I love and focus all of my content on. And normally I’m strong; I’ve had to force myself to be in all other aspects of my life, but to finally think you’ve done something right and found solace in a community you love just to have it somewhat stripped away by someone who stirred up something that wasn’t even your fault to begin with…. hurts, a lot.

I don’t know who I can trust, and I hate that those feelings are coming back again. Any new follower, someone who joins my server, etc. I’m wary of because I’ve already found several accounts associated with my stalker who either followed me (probably in case I go private) or have interacted with hate posts about me.

I’m just… very uncomfortable.

And the fact that I was right about the game issue to the point of the devs reaching out for my video/more info makes it all laughable. Still concerning, but laughable.

I just want to be left alone. But no, instead I get accused of bait simply for interacting with accounts for a game I love and making posts about my interests/what I care about.

I hate going on about it, because I genuinely just want to do my own thing, but every week there’s some new concerning bullshit from them and I don’t know what else to do. I’m scared the people who support me and I care about will get tired of me yapping if they aren’t already and I’ll lose them too.

Maybe is a trauma neglect issue I’ve had before, but it’s polarizing when you want to be the bigger person and move on but it keeps consuming your happiness.

I’ve already found multiple of their fans/friends following me so they can talk shit but still see what I post.. such weird and teenager-like behavior from full grown adults… And then seeing that they lied about having an alt, so unless I go private (which I don’t want to do, I like interacting with the tcm and sims community), I will continue to be stalked relentlessly due to their anonymity. Going out of your way to screenshot what I post (especially when it has nothing to do with you), trying to have your “fans” get me kicked from other streamer’s spaces, mocking me, liking hateful replies against me… why am I living rent free in your head?

You people are grown adults with bully mentalities. Jealousy is one hell of a drug.

And now, I honestly feel scared to post anything in fear of backlash and more hate. I know I shouldn’t care, but I really does get to a person - especially when I’ve done nothing but try to make this a safe space for myself and others only to be called crazy… my bad for being neurodivergent and posting a lot/talking about the things I care about? Why the fuck do you even care? There’s mute/block buttons for a reason.

You don’t know me, all of this is parasocial. You don’t know a damn thing about me or the shit I’ve been through, the times where just managing to keep myself alive seemed like the greatest accomplishment. You don’t know my life, my situation, anything besides a username and whatever I happen to post.

People are just nasty, acting like middle school bullies hiding behind a screen with zero repercussions, and if they have any sort of following it’s only worse. I can’t even play my favorite game without being tunneled, having to constantly change my name, having to sort through hate comments/messages, all of that.

The one thing that’s genuinely brought me so much joy and has helped keep me alive has a community with so much loved but equally a lot of hate. The thoughts of no longer wanting to exist in this world are coming back.

I’m strong, but it starts getting to you after awhile.

[spagheddiesquash]

hey i’ll delete this if anyone thinks i should but. is anyone else getting kind of worried about the noticeable rise in like. ableism among kids from around 6th to 10th grade? like i cant go a good 72 hours without hearing shit like “bro youre so sped (short for special ed)”, “oh my god youre so special dude” (used in a derogatory way), and among many other things, “oh my god he is like, SOOO autistic.”

its genuinely kind of worrying how many of these people directly equate these terms with “stupid.” its getting to a point where ive heard people shit talk kids in special ed classes when they literally didnt even do anything to them??? they probably havent even spoken with each other or anything but yet so many folks see the kids in special ed as something to laugh at even though theyre literally just human beings living their lives like everybody else?? like what the fuck??? they do the same thing with autistic kids too, and really just anybody with some kind of neurological disability.

all of this gives me two really big questions:

where are they even getting this from?

why are their parents not doing anything about it?

i would assume that tiktok might be the blame for some of it. ive seen a couple of trends as of late that mock mentally disabled people, like the “its autism awareness month, lets all be aware of [name]” trend, where after saying that it shows a clip of them doing something stupid, dangerous or otherwise ill-advised, but that doesnt answer my other question about why their parents arent doing anything about it. they could also have gotten that behavior from their parents, which is even more concerning because these are full grown adults, and if they are the prime role models for their kids who are relentlessly making fun of people with mental disabilities, what are the parents themselves like?

in conclusion, if you overhear someone in like middle or high school calling another person “sped,” “autistic” or any other variation on that, maybe explain to them why thats not okay?? or like… tell their parents or something if you know them because it is definitely NOT okay that this is even something that needs to be said. people with mental disabilities arent stupid, theyre not less than, and they certainly should not be used as an insult to someone.

again if anyone thinks i should delete this, i will, i just wanted to bring up something that i was concerned about.

[youhavenoideahowbadiwantthis]

Around 2018, I was about 3 years into my job and aside from the manager (Belial) and a couple gossipy bits of drama, it was okay. Everyone in the office, mostly, got along and respected each other.

We had a coworker (Mike) who was essentially grandfathered into the modern day work environment and expectations, despite proving, time and time again, that he was unable to comprehend or adequately perform in his daily work.

I really liked Mike. He was kind and had an awesome sense of humor, but Belial and his supervisor (Hog), a sniveling, spineless piece of shit, did not give him the benefit of the doubt on anything and, instead, carried on a decade long campaign to harass and verbally abuse him.

Things weren't great for Mike. His home life was crumbling as his kids moved away, his wife was thinking of leaving him and his spending was out of control. He was a wreck, but he didn't let it affect his daily behavior and he was always kind and respectful.

One day, I was speaking with a work friend in his cubicle when Mike walked in. Through sullen, sunken, half-shut eyes and slurred speech, he told us how nice it is to have friends, how he wished he had any and how he'd always see us as friends. He slowly meandered away to another cubicle while my friend and I immediately knew what was going to happen.

I went to Hog and told her what had happened and that she needed to call emergency services. She said she was concerned and that she would talk to someone. Hours pass and nothing seems to happen. The clock seems to stop and the silence is deafening. I go to ask Hog what's happened, but she isn't there. I expect she's found him some help.

The next day Mike isn't there (seriously, don't panic). I look for management and no one is available. I hear that the previous day, Mike had been asleep in a friend's office in a different wing, so I go to talk to him. Instead I find his manager.

His manager tells me that Hog came over after he called her to come gather Mike. She was clueless as to how to address the issue. Apparently, Mike's wife was called to pick him up, but had the courage to come confront the antagonists.

Mike's wife came and spoke to Belial's manager/best friend, Hog and a union representative and tore into them, saying that Belial and Hog's treatment of Mike was what caused the situation in the first place and that Belial was never punished because they were friends.

Mike wasn't going home to commit suicide.

He had already attempted it before coming to work with a bottle of pills.

Mike retired after a drawn out disability leave.

Hog was removed from the division and determined to be the sole cause of the problem.

Belial retired, happily, with, about, 33 years of service under her belt with full benefits.

This incident was, literally, never mentioned by management as having occurred and no resources or support services were ever provided for those affected. I've been here for 8 years and have yet to hear a word from them.

A grown, adult man was so frequently and cruelly belittled by two other "professional" adults on a daily basis, for ten years, that he attempted suicide and still came to work.

Never be so invested in your work that your personal life, health and relationships are negatively affected. If you need to be reminded, though I can often need this reminder as well: suicide isn't a cure for anything.

Suffering begets suffering.

Even if you can't do what makes you happy, gain and retain a bit of that control every single day so that you can live in that house once you're done building it.

If you experience these feelings, I promise you're not alone. Please talk to someone before you ever consider such finality.

Thank you for listening, though I'm not sure why you would.

[the-bau-quinjet]

Hygge

Summary: Y/N introduces Bucky to the little things that he missed out on since the 40s.

Warnings: Absolutely none, just fluff :)

Word Count: 3527

a/n: Hygge is a Danish word, and from what I can tell it perfectly encompasses finding happiness in the little things.

This request honestly had me smiling the whole time I wrote it. Thank you to everyone who gave me suggestions of things to introduce Bucky to (including my sisters who don't know why I asked them that question lol)

Also, I find happiness in looking at this gif so I would like to thank @thebritishstanfan for its existence on this app

You heard the door open just as you finished running the bath.

"Bucky!" You ran out to the living room, throwing your arms around him in greeting.

"Hi, Doll." He whispered into hair, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. He instantly relaxed at your touch.

"I have a surprise for you." You grabbed his hand, leading him to the bathtub. "I thought you might want to relax a bit, so I ran you a bath."

Just being in your presence was relaxing to him, but he wouldn't turn down a bath, especially one with the potential of you joining him.

"Are you going to relax with me?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively eliciting a laugh from you.

"Maybe later, this is about you right now." You smiled softly, eager to help him unwind.

He undressed quickly, lowering himself into the warm water as you searched through a shopping bag.

"Okay. Big Blue, Intergalactic, Love Boat, or Goddess?" You looked at him expectantly.

He stared at you, confusion evident on his face.

"Oh, do you want to smell them and then decide?" You questioned with a tilt of your head.

"Smell what?" His brows furrowed, mouth slightly agape.

"The bath bombs silly." You smiled brightly, bringing the bag closer to him.

"Why would I want a bomb in my bath?" He questioned your odd behavior.

"It's not a real bomb, Buck." You shook your head, randomly removing one of the bath bombs from the bag, Goddess. You held it out for him to take.

"Smell it." You instructed.

He was apprehensive in his movements, but slowly moved the purple ball to his nose.

"It smells like flowers." He stated plainly, waiting for you to explain more.

"Yep. Here, smell the rest of them." You handed him each of the bath bombs, waiting to hear his verdict on each one.

"Oh, that's surprisingly citrus-y." He held out Love Boat for you to take back.

"This one smells too clean." He shook his head, dropping Big Blue into the outstretched bag.

"I like this one." He held Intergalactic in his hand, smiling proudly.

"Perfect. Lower it into the water." Your eyes were filled with love as you watched him follow your instructions.

"It's fizzing." He looked at you, concern evident in his bright blue eyes.

"It's supposed to. It dissolves in the water, coloring the bath and also adding scent from essential oils." You did your best to explain.

"Why?" He narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"It's just... have you ever heard of hygge?" You waited for his answer.

"Yeah, I've heard the word. It's like feeling cozy and happy from little things." He looked to you for approval.

"Exactly. That's what bath bombs are for, at least to me. They make me happy, so I thought you might like to try one."

The bath water had turned a dark blue, glitter floating throughout.

"Nobody thought to explain bath bombs to me, I guess." He smiled at you, relaxing into the bath. "What else makes you happy?"

"You know what, I'll make a list of little things that I love and then we can spend a day together where I show them to you." You bit your lip in anticipation of his response.

"I'd love that." He grinned.

"Yay! I'm going to get started!" You quickly left the bathroom, leaving him to relax on his own.

-

"What's got you so excited?" Sam gestures to your bouncing knee.

"Oh, I didn't even notice. I'm just showing Bucky some things that he's missed out on since the 40s." You smile grew as you thought about the list you had made.

You were just about to find Bucky and show him the list when you had to leave for an impromptu mission.

You were definitely annoyed your plans had been delayed, but it made you a force to be reckoned with while fighting.

"So that's why you were so ruthless. You've got a hot date." Sam winked.

"Whatever you say Sam." You shook your head. "I've got to drop by Starbucks before they close. See you later!" You called as you ran from the jet, still in mission gear.

The disheveled state of your clothing and hair earned you some looks from the Starbucks employees, but you were too excited to care.

You quickly stopped in your room to change before heading off to find Bucky.

"BuckyBuckyBuckyBuckyBuckyBuckyBuckyBuckyBucky!" You said his name over and over as you ran to the common area.

Skidding to a stop, you held up the drinks in your hands. "Bucky! Are you ready?"

He seemed to be in the middle of something with Steve, but abandoned it immediately at the sight of you.

"Sorry, punk. I've gotta go." He grabbed a drink from you, sliding his other hand into your newly empty one.

"Wow, jerk. You get a girlfriend and replace me!" Steve yelled after you in a joking tone.

"Don't worry Stevie. Nobody could replace you." You called back over your shoulder, dragging Bucky to the kitchen.

"Okay, I've got a few different categories. The first one we're going to tackle is food!" You smiled brightly, nearly bouncing in anticipation.

"Can you preheat the oven to 350 degrees?" You asked as you grabbed a bag from the freezer.

You swiftly dumped the contents onto the tray, shoving them into the oven while it preheated.

"Aren't you supposed to wait until it's hot?" Bucky watched as you slid around the room.

"Yes, but I've always been impatient. It'll be fine. I promise! While those are cooking, I've got a few other things for you. These are from the 90s."

You handed him a bag of flamin' hot cheetos, watching with bated breath as he opened it and sniffed the contents.

"They smell bizarre. Why are they so red?" He looked at the cheeto in his hand with confusion.

"It's the flamin' hot cheeto dust! It may be unnaturally red, but it's so satisfying to eat." You grabbed the bag from him, eating a cheeto of your own.

He eyed you carefully, slowly popping the cheeto into his mouth and chewing carefully.

"Doll, these are terrible." He deadpanned, grinning when you pouted.

"Bucky!" You whined. "You have to eat more than one for the full experience. It doesn't matter that they aren't the best flavor wise, there's just something about them that's addicting." You laughed, eating a few more cheetos.

"Alright, alright. I'll follow your lead." The two of you snacked as you brought his attention to the next item.

"Okay, these don't really go with the cheeto flavor, but they still make me happy. Starbucks only does holiday drinks around the holidays, obviously. These are my two favorite."

You handed him one beverage, gesturing for him to try it.

"Minty..." He waited for an explanation.

"Yes. Peppermint mocha!" You swapped the cups, letting him try the next drink. "That one is an eggnog latte."

"They're both pretty good, although I still like my coffee black." He placed the cup back on the counter.

"Yeah, I thought you might say that. There's just something about them. Probably because they're seasonal drinks. It makes me associate them with the holidays and spending time with friends and family and that makes me smile."

He pressed a kiss to your nose. "You are too cute."

"I know!" You scrunched your nose, knowing he finds it adorable. "Next item!" You presented him with three different packages of Oreos.

"Why so many?" He questioned.

"Because, they're different flavors. I now Oreos were originally produced in like 1912 or something, that's why I got different flavors."

"Actually, I don't think I've ever tried one." He eyed the blue package excitedly.

"Ahh, while I got double stuffed because they're obviously better than the regular ones. I've also got peanut butter and mint. Honestly, pretty mild flavors all things considered." You laughed, picturing the key lime flavor you avoided.

Bucky grabbed one of each, excited to try all three.

"I think the mint one is my favorite. It really goes with the peppermint mocha." He nodded as he spoke, as if he needed to convince himself.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." You smiled, watching as he ate three more cookies.

Before he could reply, the timer went off.

"The dino nuggies!" You reached for the potholder, pulling the tray out of the over. "This is the last food item."

He looked at the tray, confusion clear in his eyes.

"Doll, are these just chicken nuggets?" He picked up a brontosaurus from the tray.

"Well, yes." You huffed. "But! They're shaped like dinosaurs!" You bit your lip in excitement, bouncing on the balls of your feet.

"So? They still taste the same..." Bucky clearly did not understand the hype.

"Right again. It's so much more fun to eat though. Gives you a childlike enthusiasm, even as a fully grown adult." He eyed you skeptically as he bit off the head of a dino.

He couldn't help but smile as you watched him, anticipating his reaction.

"Ya know, you might be right. That was weirdly satisfying."

The two of you spent the next few minutes eating chicken nuggets, hot cheetos, and oreos, occasionally sipping from the holiday beverages.

After quickly cleaning up the kitchen, you lead Bucky to your bathroom.

"Sit down." You gestured to the toilet.

"Why?" He still did as he was asked.

"Because." You answered petulantly. You filled a paper cup with water, carefully dumping it on his head to get his hair wet.

"Y/N!" Bucky jolted from the cold water.

"Sorry! I forgot it was cold!" You quickly plugged in the blowdryer, letting the warm air waft over his head.

"You know, if that thing was quieter, I think I could fall asleep right now." Bucky stated calmly as you ran your fingers through his hair, trying to evenly distribute the warm air amongst the hair.

"I know, right! There's something about someone else blow drying your hair that is so soothing."

You spent the next few minutes drying Bucky's hair and massaging his scalp.

"All done!" you exclaimed, unplugging the blow dryer and putting it back in the cabinet.

"Are you sure you don't want to do that again?" Bucky questioned, still sitting on the toilet.

"Yes. We've got more things to cover!" You pulled him off the toilet, nearly dragging him to your bed.

"Next category is entertainment, I guess." You brought out your laptop, certain apps already open to show him different things.

"We'll start with animals!" You were buzzing with excitement, and caffeine, as you opened two different browsers.

"Doll, animals existed in the 40s." He shook his head, endlessly amused by your behavior.

"I know that. Have you ever seen a Highland Cow?" You raised your brow, challenging his statement.

"I can't say I have." He shook his head slightly.

"Well, there you go. Animals it is. Actually, have you ever used Alexa?" You questioned him.

"No... Who is Alexa?" His confusion earned a laugh from you.

"An AI." You explained before bursting out into laughter again.

"Oh, like Friday?" He questioned.

"Yeah, but Alexa's not nearly as advanced. Here, watch this." You cleared your throat, making sure to speak clearly. "Alexa, show me pictures of Highland cows."

After a brief buffer, the AI responded. "Here are pictures of Highland cows." The google search appeared on your screen.

"So you can ask her anything?" Bucky questioned.

"Sort of, Friday knows way more. Alexa's good for little things though. Tony gets annoyed if you ask Friday to do too many small things because it can take up too much RAM and... You know what, it's not important." You decided against explaining since Bucky already looked confused.

You shifted your screen so he could see the many pictures displayed.

"Okay, so what's so special about a Highland cow?" He scrolled through the images, unaware of the smile forming on his face.

"There's just something about them. You'll find that same explanation for a lot of things I'm showing you, but it's true. They just make me smile. Look at how cute they are!" You emphatically gestured to the screen, nearly squealing at the adorable display.

"I actually see what you mean. Looking at them just makes you smile." He nodded his head thoughtfully, a small grin still pulling at his lips. "What other animal are you introducing me to?"

"Well, I assume you know what a puppy is." You said in complete seriousness.

"I do, indeed." He matched your tone, mocking the seriousness. He was really enjoying the playfulness you were showcasing.

"Well, here is a video of actor Tom Holland... you know Tom Holland, right?" You turned to face him.

"Tom Holland. Tom Holland... What's he in again?" His brows pinched together in thought.

"We've watched a few of his new movies together. Chaos Walking, The Devil All the Time, a few animated films, In the Heart of the Sea."

"Oh! The British one?" Recognition crossed his features.

"Yes! That one. Okay so, this is an interview of him..."

"Okay?" Bucky was more confused now than any other point of the night.

"Playing with puppies!" You're mouth dropped open in a wide smile, clearly excited about even the idea of puppies.

"I think I understand this one without even watching the video." he laughed, laying back with you to watch.

-

"You can't have pitbulls in England?" Bucky was affronted.

"I know. It's so sad." You pouted, still staring at the puppies on the screen.

-

"I have actually always thought puppies smell really good." He easily commented, agreeing with the famous actor.

"I know, Buck. I know." You shook your head playfully.

-

"Twinkies are pretty gross, he's not wrong." It was your turn to comment on his answers.

"I see your point." Bucky agreed as well.

-

"I definitely understand why this one makes you happy." Bucky smiled, kissing you on the cheek. "You know, he kind looks like Peter."

"I mean, maybe a little." You shrugged moving on to the next thing on your list.

"Still in the realm of entertainment, I've got some music for you." You knew Bucky was going to pout here.

"Doll, you know I'm just fine listening to my 40s music and calling it a day."

"Yes, but this is my list and you have agreed to be subjected to it." You queued up a few songs. "The first one, again, just makes me smile. I babysat a lot when I was younger, and there's something about this theme song that really hits different."

"Hits different?" Bucky stared at you like you had two heads.

"Yep. Just listen."

I was a girl in the village doing alright, then I became a princess overnight. Now I gotta figure out how to do it right, so much to learn and see.

You bobbed your head, mouthing the words as the theme song to Sofia the First played.

"I don't get this one." He figured honesty was the best policy.

"You say that now, but a week from now... You'll be singing it while you punch a bad guy in the face." You deadpanned, earning a laugh.

"Okay! Actual songs now." You took a deep breath, tring to prepare for his rejection. "Taylor Swift."

"Taylor Swift?" He repeated, waiting for you to say something else.

"To quote one of my favorite tik toks I've ever seen... 'If you don't like a single Taylor Swift song, I'm taking a crowbar, and I'm propping open your chest to see what's powering that thing in there, because it's not a heart.'"

"That's a bit extreme, don't you think." He eyed you cautiously.

"No. It's true. Her discography is so versatile, everyone can find at least one song they like." Your playful mood from earlier was still present, but hidden behind a slightly threatening glare.

"Which song are you going to play for me?" He was honestly nervous to hear it.

"Actually, you can pick. This playlist is songs of hers that make me smile, so pick whichever one you want." You smiled, eager to see his choice.

He scrolled through the playlist, reading each title carefully.

"Okay, You Are In Love or New Year's Day?" He asked your opinion.

"Both good choices, why those two?" You eyed him curiously.

"Well, You Are In Love because that's how I feel about you and New Years Day because you put it last in the playlist, so I know it must be one of your favorites."

You couldn't hide the way his words made you smile if you tried.

"I love you so much." You kissed him quickly. "Go with New Year's Day, I think it will resonate with you a bit more."

He smiled, tapping the screen gently to play the song.

The two of you remained quiet through the song, just enjoying the soft melody and storytelling.

"Please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere." He quoted when the song ended.

"I'll be there if you're the toast of the town, babe, or if you strike out and your crawling home." You sang softly in response.

He cleared his throat. "I think I understand this one."

"I'm glad. I mean, it obviously doesn't have to be Taylor Swift, but everyone should have at least one song that makes them smile." You leaned into his embrace, enjoying the time spent together.

"What else have you got for me, Doll?" He held you close.

"Two more things. Here." You handed him two slightly sticky balls.

"What the hell is this?" He laughed, prying the toy from his metal hand.

"Throw it at the ceiling." He did as he was told, following your lead.

"Friday, can you turn off the lights?" You asked the AI.

"Of course, Ms. L/N."

The two of you were quickly shrouded in darkness. The balls you had thrown at the ceiling were glowing.

"How do we get them down?" Bucky whispered, his voice matching the darkness of the room.

"Just wait..." You stared at the ceiling, waiting a few seconds before the balls began to fall.

"So you just throw it and catch it?" Bucky questioned, again following your lead.

"Yep! It's weirdly relaxing after a long day." You smiled, catching and throwing the neon balls over and over again.

"You're absolutely right." He laughed, catching the blue ball before it could hit him in the face. "Especially just laying in the dark."

"Exactly! I'll go get the last thing, you can keep going." You pressed a quick kiss before heading to the kitchen. You tossed a few stuffed animal heating pads into the microwave.

While they were heating up, you grabbed yours and Bucky's water bottles to fill up with the fridge filter.

The beep sounded, indicating you could grab the animals and head back to Bucky.

"I'm back!" You called softly as you closed the door again. The room was still dark, causing you to turn on the lights. Bucky was frantically catching and throwing all four balls.

"It's a bit less relaxing when you've got to keep track of so many." He laughed as one fell and stuck to his elbow.

"Yeah, more like a game then." You smiled, happy to see him having so much fun.

"So, what's the last thing?"

You held up a bright yellow duck and an equally bright green frog.

"Stuffed animals? Doll, how old do you think I am?" He laughed lightheartedly.

"They're not just stuffed animals. They're also heating pads." You smiled, handing the duck to Bucky.

"What do you do with it?" He questioned.

"Men." You couldn't help but mumble it under your breath. "Well, after a mission, when you're feeling sore you can cuddle with one of these and it helps soothe the ache."

"Really? Nothing else you've shown me has been this practical." He chuckled again.

"That is true, but the fact that it's a stuffed frog makes me happy, even after the worst day."

"I guess you have a point." He pulled the duck close to his body, snuggling with it. "I like cuddling with you better." He pouted.

"I like cuddling with you too Bucky. Promise." You turned to face him, holding the frog to your chest with one arm.

"Thank you for sharing all this with me. I honestly don't remember the last time I smiled this much." He looked at you fondly, still smiling.

"Me either. There is one more thing that makes me really happy, though." You whispered.

"Yeah, what's that?" He watched you eagerly, waiting for the last thing.

"You." You watched his smile grow. "Even just spending ten seconds with you makes me happy after a totally shit day."

"Y/N, you make me happier than anyone I've ever met, Steve included." He joked. "I love you so much. More than I ever thought I could love someone."

"I love you too. So, so much." You rested your head on his chest, cuddling as close as the stuffed frog allowed. "Goodnight, Bucky." You whispered softly, eyes already falling closed.

He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of your head, sighing contently.

"Goodnight my love."

Permanent taglist:

@averyhotchner @jesuswasnotawhiteman @madewithsebstan

[storydays]

Season 1, ep 7, p2

(3rd POV)

You hummed softly, walking down the hallway with some fire flakes in your hand, and paused seeing Korra spying through a keyhole. You went to grab her shoulder when she stood up straight with a horrified look on her face. "Kor--" she ran down the stairs before you could finish your sentence.

You followed her, slower, and listened to her babble an excuse. "I forgot it's my turn to airsit the babybenders..I-I mean babysit the airbender kids. See you later!" They turned to you with confused looks and you shrugged, swallowing more fire flakes. "It's one of Aunt Pema's daily baby checks." Nevermore squealed in delight as she ate majority of your fire flakes.

"Hey!" You splashed her with water, making the little hothead sizzle. Everyone laughed at the two of you, the old butler even concealing a chuckled behind his hand. "She's been getting so fiesty lately and I don't appreciate the rebelliousness, young lady." You complained and then chided the dragon.

"You know, I read something in a book that says animals tend to imitate their loved ones behavior." Asami teased, making you playfully roll your eyes. "I've been hearing that a lot," you sigh, making your bangs puff in the air slightly. Nevermore curled on your shoulder, chirping happily. "Come on, let's go find my secret stash of fire snacks." You grinned, as Mako and Asami laughed before following you to get some snacks.

*Timeskip*

You blinked, as your Aunt, Uncle and friend storm up to the Sato mansion. "What's going on?" Mako demanded, pushing Korra's shoulder, wincing when you gripped his arm. "Why are they asking more Hiroshi more questions?" "I overheard him on the phone yesterday. Asami, I don't know how to tell you this, but I think your father might be involved with the equalists." "What?! I don't believe this!" She stormed towards her father's office. You followed her, trying to calm her down.

"A-Asami, maybe this is just a misunderstanding." She turned her green gaze to you, "Don't talk to me, (Y/N)! You were in on this, and you didn't think to tell me?!" Your (e/c) eyes burned sadness into Asami's, as she stalked off. You sigh, running a hand through your hair before trailing sadly behind her, before walking into the office, standing in the corner. You studied everyone from the corner of the room, and you were biting the inside of your lip before closing your eyes, listening to everyone's breathing, and focusing on what Toph taught you.

"My father is innocent. Just because we're not benders, doesn't mean we support those awful Equalists." She went to stand next to Hiroshi. "Is that this is about?" He demanded. "I can assure you, I have nothing  to do with those radicals." Mako butted in, "Yeah, you don't know your're talking about Korra." Mako accused. "I overheard you on the phone. You said that Cabbage Corp investigation bought you time, and your getting ready to strike. Explain that." Korra placed her hand on her hips, staring into the man's eyes.

He chuckled, before looking into the Avatar's eyes. "This is all a misunderstanding,resulting from the Avatar's over-active imagination. My number one competitor was knocked out of the game. It's providing me with an opportunity to strike the market with a new line of Sato-mobiles. It's just business--"

You studied everyone from the corner of the room, and you were biting the inside of your lip before closing your eyes, listening to everyone's breathing, narrowing on Hiroshi's breath hitch. Your (e/c) eyes flew open as you declared loud and cleared, "Liar." All eyes turned to you as you approached the now sweating man. Asami looked at you with hurt and betrayal in her face.

"(Y/N), how could you? You've known my father for a long time, and you know he's not apart of th-" "And you know me, Asami. I was listening to everyone's breathing, and Hiroshi's hitched when he spoke just now." "That doesn't mean anything!" (E/C) eyes stared into angry green, as everyone watched you silently. "I was trained by the Greatest Earthbender of all time, I'm a spiritual master, and a waterbender master, if anyone knows about lying signs, it would be me. I'm sorry that your sweet fantasy is being destroyed, but---"

SMACK!

A sharp sting burned on your cheek. You met her emerald eyes, and with a bright red handmark on your cheek, you turned your eyes to your Aunt.  "I know your troops are outside and waiting, but you should use your seismic sense and you'll find something in the workshop behind the house. Clearly, I'm not wanted here, so I'll be anywhere else." You avoided Asami's gaze and stalked out, and hopped onto your polar bear dog. You clicked your tongue and soon you and Neo took off. Your (e/c) eyes watered, from both the wind and from the pain you felt in your heart. You willed them away, and the next thing you knew, you were by a secluded part of the park, no one around. You hopped off Neo, and knelt by a nearby pond, placing your hands in the water, before soothing your stinging cheek, wincing at the faint scratch marks from Asami's nails.

'You know, Cub,' you didn't jump when Neo laid next to you, watching you carefully, 'It's okay to cry when your heart aches.' You shook your head, settling into a lotus position against him. "No, I promised someone special to me that I won't ever cry. That I'll be strong." He rumbled against your back, with a disapproving growl. 'I sincerely doubt that's what she meant.'

You huffed, your bangs puffing slightly. "Hush, 'm tryna meditate." The animal growled again before leaving you to find peace.

*Later that night*

You jumped up using a water shield to block an incoming attack. "You've got to be quicker than that, Auntie." Your eyes softened as your Aunt jumped down from a tree. "I thought I'd find you here." Lin said, gruffly before coming over and sitting next to you. She held out a bag of food, and Neo perked up sniffing in the bag for something.

Lin chuckled amused, before reaching in and handing Neo his treat before turning to you with a concerned frown. "Eat, (Y/N), I know you haven't eaten since breakfast this morning." At that moment, your stomach growled, just as the scent of Lin's meat and vegetable wrap hit your stomach.

Not many people knew, but the latest Chief of Police was an excellent cook.Whenever you were in need of some tough love, you went to Lin and that's exactly what her food was. She chuckled as you devoured the wrap. "Hungry, mali heroj (little hero)?" You hummed in affirmation as you swallowed. "For your food? Always." She watched you with gentle eyes. "I'm worried about you, (Y/N). Everyone is, you haven't been yourself in a long time." You put your wrap down and stared at the twinkling stars, thinking about your vision during this last meditation.

"I'll be fine, Aunt Lin. I'm just..." "You are not alone! You have people who love you,and want to help you, but we can't if you continue to block us out." You turned to her, before she held her arms out. You fell into her warm embrace but said loud and clear: "Maybe it's safer for everyone to stay out. Maybe...I don't want anyone to be burdened with my problems. Not even Gran-Gran has any advice for what's going on. No one can." You gripped her waist, and stiffled your sobs against her heart.

Now, not many people could break her walls, but from the moment she met you, you wormed your way into her stone cold heart, and she loved you like a son, and hated seeing you in pain. This was part of the reason she hated the world, when you were a child you were so open and full of love for the world, but then reality hit you way too hard, way too early. You learned to be strong at a young age, and survived things no grown adult could handle.

You were breaking, and you were breaking fast, and she knew what she had to do when she got you home safe in your own bed.

Even though you're 19, you are still a child, and like all children...

you still need your father.

[catxsnow]

PROTECT YOU D.W.

Request:  Could I request something with angst and fluff for Damian Wayne please? One where there's a mission that he isn't involved in because he's injured but his s/o is on it but then he freaks out when her coms are off bcs reader might have been injured or dead but when they all get back to the cave s/o is fine. Thanks!

Warning: angst, fluff, Older!Damian

A/N: I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of writing for Damian

GIF not mine

Word Count: 2.5k

Damian hated being left out of a mission. No matter how damaged he was, there was always still argument that he could pull his weight on the team. The time that he had a concussion he had convinced Bruce to still let him go out, and another time when he had a sprained wrist. Damian always found a way to make sure that he was still going out as Robin, especially when you were going with them as well.

You and Damian had been dating just under two years. He arrived at the manor just about a year after you did. It took a while for him to warm up to you, to anyone there, but you seemed to be the easiest to get along with. Damian found himself allured by you. Your skills were comparable to his and when you had put him on his ass in a matter of minutes, he had some respect for you as well.

The more you trained together, the more he was impressed by you. It didn't help that the longer you spent time together, the more you realized that you had grown immense feelings for him. Feelings that were too stubborn to go away or be ignored. It was why, when Damian had won a spar against you, arms pinned to the mat and hovering above him, you had acted on impulse and kissed him.

He was shocked at first, unsure of where this had come from. It didn't take long for his grip on you to loosen, leaving you just enough wiggle room to flip your positions. Damian wasn't sure if he was more surprised by the fact that you had kissed him or that you had used it again him to win your spar.

Either way, it had led to more kisses, more time together, and a relationship that Bruce was weary about. Damian had already acted so high and mighty when he was fighting as Robin, he couldn't imagine what he was going to be like when the two of you fought together. And he was right to be worried.

Damian became protective of you. He wouldn't let you leave on a mission, or even patrol, without him. He would be the one to constantly have your back because there was no one he trusted more to keep you safe than himself. Damian had fallen in love with you and he couldn't bare the thought of losing you to anything.

It was why Damian had once again tried to convince his father that he was healthy enough to go on a mission. His arm was in a cast, but that didn't stop him from wanting to go along side you against a dangerous mission. It was the first time that you were going without him since you had been dating and he was terrified.

It lead to comments about keeping you safe, being there to protect you, and how useless his brothers were. You couldn't stand by and watch any longer as Damian continued to be spoiled with getting what he wanted. This behavior that he had - about only him being able to keep  you safe - it drove you crazy.

"Damian Wayne!" You bellowed. Your voice echoed through the walls of the cave and had caused everyone to freeze in their spots. Damian was yelling at his father to let him go with them as well. He desperately wanted to be there for you, there was just something in his gut telling him that you weren't going to be safe that night.

Damian stopped arguing with Bruce and winced. He slowly turned to face you with his mouth still agape. You stood there with your suit on and hands on your hips, nothing but disappointment fell in your eyes.

Dick looked wearily between Tim and you, unsure of what was about to go down. It wasn't very often that you had yelled at him, much less using his whole name. The tension in the batcave grew as you continued to say nothing until it got unbearable.

"I am a grown adult, I can take care of myself without you being there all the time!" You finally snapped. "I'm tired of you acting like I'm less of a valued member of this team. You go around making it seem like I can't take care of myself! It's degrading. I don't need you to protect me, I never needed you to protect me."

"Beloved, that's not-"

"Save it, Damian," you cut him off, pulling the cowl above your head. He watched silently as you got on top of you bike, revving it up to leave. "Listen to your father, stay here."

Even when you and Damian went on missions together, before leaving the cave, you had always told each other you loved them. There was always the chance that something would go wrong and that someone wouldn't make it back. It wasn't a risk that you were willing to take about missing a final 'I love you'.

However, as you sped out of the cave without another word, Damian had the words hanging off the tip of his tongue. His head hung low as the rest of his family looked at him. They had all known that he was protective of you and that sometimes he did push the limits to keep you safe.

He had never known that you felt that strongly about this. Damian groaned in frustration at your fight, he hated arguing with you, especially right before a mission. You were more reckless when you were angry, and this time he wasn't there for you. No one was there for you, this mission had you going solo.

Bruce looked down to his son, unsure of what to say to him to make things better. He simply squeezed his shoulder before jumping into the batmobile. Tim got in beside him and Dick on his motorcycle.

"Damian," Dick called out to him as the other two left. "They're going to be fine out there, okay? (Y/N) is strong. They aren't angry with you, trust me."

"Better catch up, Grayson."

><

Damian was freaking out.

His father had announced half way through the mission that your comms had been turned off. He wasn't sure if you had done this yourself or something worse. Either way, if it wasn't for Alfred nearly tying him down to the chair, he would have been off searching the city for you. Damian was terrified about what was going on with you.

He knew that this feeling in his gut should have been something he worried about more. Damian should have known that you shouldn't have gone out on your own, he knew that something bad was going to happen. Bruce had full faith that you were fine, he wasn't worried about your comms being off - which had only frustrated Damian even more.

They should be out searching the city for you to see what happened, not come back to the cave where nothing was being done. The mission had been successful, there was no need for worry about where you were. You were the farthest part from the city, it made sense that you would arrive last.

Yet, even Dick was starting to get a little nervous about your whereabouts. It wasn't common for you to turn your comms off, at least not for this long. Whatever happened to you out there, it had to have been for good reason. There was no point in poking the fire with Damian and getting him more worried about you.

It was different for Dick to see Damian so worried about someone. Of course he worried about the rest of his family, but nothing like he worried about you. In Damian's nineteen short years of life, he never expected to love someone so much. It was an unbreakable love between the two of you, no matter how much you argued.

"Where are they!" Damian yelled. He wanted to take his father's vehicle and race out in the streets to find you. He would have too if he wasn't constantly held back.

"(Y/N) said that they were fine right when the mission was over," Tim tried to reassure his brother. "There's nothing to worry about, Damian."

"Bullshit, Drake," Damian snapped. He paused his pacing to glare at his brother. "(Y/N) never does this. Something must be wrong." It was true, you never turned off your comms unless you were meant to go dark. Damian only hoped that you were doing this because you were mad at him still, not because you were injured.

The only thing he hated seeing more than you getting hurt, was you being mad at him. Whenever the two of your fought, there was always a very short period of time before one of you apologized. Damian prayed that this wasn't going to be escalated. He didn't know that you felt so strongly about this, otherwise he would have been less over protecting of you.

The echo of your bike bounced off the walls of the cave. Damian eagerly perked up from his place to wait your arrival. He had no idea what kind of shape you were going to be in when you finally got here, he was worried about you. Damian stood just beside the place you parked your motorcycle with an anxious look.

The second you put the kickstand down and removed your helmet, Damian had thrown himself in your arms. He pulled away from you only to to place his lips on yours. All the concern and anxiety he was feeling melted away with your touch. It was always you that was able to calm him down.

"I was so worried about you, beloved," Damian admitted to you. His eyebrows furrowed as he noticed the small cut along your cheek and the frown on your face. The pad of his thumb gently wiped below your wound. It was then that he noticed the blood dripping down your neck as well. "What happened?"

"Nothing that I couldn't handle on my own," you assured. The tightness in your voice caught him off guard - you were still mad at him. That was confirmed as you pushed past him and everyone else waiting for you. Just as you were about to leave the cave, it was Bruce that stopped you.

"Why were your comms off," he asked. Damian wasn't the only one worried about you. Not to mention that turning them off could have endangered the whole mission - lucky for you, it hadn't. Without another word, you ripped off your cowl and tossed and threw it backwards for him to catch.

The earpiece in your cowl had been damaged. Lucky for you, the bullet shot in your direction had just grazed your suit, not your head. The cowl seemed to satisfy Bruce's question enough, he didn't say anything else as you left to your room.

"I think you messed up," Dick pointed out the obvious. Damian shot a deathly glare at him and stormed out of the cave as well. At that moment, he didn't care if you were mad at him, he was just glad that you were alive.

He hovered by your door for a moment, debating whether or not to knock or just walk in. As he heard the shower going, he decided to just wait on your bed (shared bed at that point, Damian rarely slept in his own anymore). For once, the room seemed foreign to him, like he shouldn't be in there without you.

This fear that resided within him wasn't fear that he normally had when you went on missions, this was a fear that you had finally had enough of him. This kind of fear overpowered every other emotion trying to break through. It left him unable to sit still and cowering from his own thoughts.

The second that he heard the shower turn off, Damian felt as if his heart was going to burst through his chest. His leg bounced up and down as he waited for you to walk out.

"Damian," you spoke as you opened the door. A towel was wrapped around you and water droplets fell from your hair. You knew that he was waiting in your room for you, and yet the surprise of seeing him so nervous shocked you. 

"Beloved, please," Damian stood up to meet you. "I'm sorry that I made you fell this way. I know that you're capable of taking care of yourself, I know you don't need me to protect you."

You said nothing as you continued to pull out a pair of pajamas. Damian sighed at your silence. He hastily grabbed both your hands and forced you to face him. The fear in his eyes took you back. Damian didn't show fear, he always exuded confidence. Seeing him like this, you knew that he was being truthful.

"I love you, (Y/N)," Damian told you. "I only argued to go on these missions because... because I'm petrified that one day something is going to go wrong and that I'm not going to be able to say goodbye, or you to I. If I'm ever going to die out there, I want to make sure that your face is the last I see."

Your bottom lip wobbled as he spoke. You tore your hands out of his so you could pull him into a hug. Tears spilled down your cheeks - you couldn't bare the thought of losing Damian. "I love you, Damian. So, much. I'm sorry that I was angry with you, I know you just want what's best."

Damian shook his head - you were right to be angry, he just wished that he had known about it sooner. Your hands rest at the back of his neck as you pulled him in for a heart-warming kiss.

"Stay with me tonight?" You asked, playing with the few baby hairs at the back of his neck. Your touch sent a chill up his spine. The lingering water on your skin left you cold and you craved the warmth that Damian always had radiating off of him.

"Of course."

"You might not always be able to protect me out on the streets, but you always keep me safe from the nightmares that haunt me."

At the end of the day, that was the protection that you needed the most. You didn't need him to hover over you like a child when you were protecting Gotham. You needed him to remind you that your nightmares weren't real, that they were nothing but a figment of your imagination. Damian was real, and he knew how to keep you safe.

You would always need Damian, even if it wasn't in the way that he imagined.

[redstarling]

My little take on Shuichi’s character

(or things that I see different)

[Warning that this post might include spoilers about the latest chapters and also about the length. This thing here is really, really, really long.]

In the past weeks and months, I’ve been watching some old DC episodes and re-read the manga files just to realize some things. Often I see Shuichi being considered and characterized as being someone who doesn’t know how to treat the people around him (not to mention that he is always considered to be a jerk when it is about the way he treats Jodie from people who dislike Jodie or who hate Red Starling). But there’s just a lot of material out there, about him being cold, and rude and how he seen as the guy who doesn’t know how to handle children. 

But the more we get to know about him, the more I’m convinced that he’s actually a good-natured man with a soft core. He knows how to treat people and while he seems full of himself quite some times, he is never too proud to own his own mistakes.

He doesn’t spare anyone’s feelings when they mess up, but he also doesn’t spare himself either. He is by far not too full of himself to not say when he made a mistake and more than that even, he owns everyone else’s mistakes as well. He never blames anyone, even if it puts his own life in danger.

1. He takes part of the blame every time

On the same page, in the second panel after this panel above, he says “We couldn’t even think of such a method, including me.” (The panel is too big for this post, so I thought I’d better leave it out). 

Even in the latest BO case he took the blame, even when none of the other agents did. 

And here again. Of course this panel has the purpose of making Masumi notice his catch phrase, but he doesn’t just say that without meaning it. He does realize when he said something that offended/hurt/irritated someone and he is very capable of just voicing that as well. This maybe is as close to an apology as it can get. But he is by no means too proud to own his mistakes.

2. He's in fact empathetic

Here he is lying to Jodie. He never spares her feelings when he speaks about her driving skills, but he doesn’t tell her anything that might worry her more than is needed either. Even if his purpose is not to not make her worry, but to avoid her to think bad of some colleagues (namely Camel who she is about to rescue from the police) he still is empathetic enough to think about the consequences of telling her. If he didn’t care or couldn’t anticipate a negative reaction, he would have just told her.

3. He’s not just empathetic but his motivation is his family

I have seen posts around, saying that he is selfish and doesn’t care about his family’s feelings. However the truth is, he does all this because he loves his family. His motivation is his family. He loves mysteries, he said that ten years ago, but he also wants to find out what happened to his father and who did something to him.

He lied to Mary about his reasons to study abroad in the US, because he knew she wouldn’t have 15 y/o him go there if he had told her his motivation that early. He got into a physical fight with her when she found out and she refused to pay him an allowance even when he was of age.

(Also a side note: I don’t see Mary as being a violent mother - see Chapter 902 and 1037; in the first one she’s overly joyful as she watched Shuukichi win his 7th shogi title, even to a degree that creeps Masumi. And in the second one she is so excited for her third baby and tells her teenage boys that their dad will come back soon, because of their “cute sons”. She was and still is very affectionate. Her usual harsh and strict behavior is caused by both her fear of the BO/not knowing who to trust and, ten years ago, the fear of losing her son. She had lost her husband before and as a mother, she makes very clear that she doesn’t want to lose any of her kids either. And last to the same people who (maybe) killed her husband. She might have been a tough mom, but she is not a bad mom by any means. Just scared to lose her children too.)

Now, Shuichi does hurt Mary with his disappearing act, but he does all this for his family in the first place.

He is a little bit too confident here, but he knows that his mother acts this way because she is worried. And he tries to calm her by telling her that nothing will happen to him and their family. 

4. He wasn’t exactly a jerk to Masumi

A lot of people call Shuichi a jerk for his behavior towards Masumi when he first met her ten years ago. To be fair, he didn’t seem too interested and calling Masumi a brat wasn’t nice either. (But then again, he called Conan a brat in a stressful situation too). And considering that he got into a physical fight with his mom, he was probably not in his best mood either. (More about this later). He doesn’t even say hello to Shukichi, but “It’s been a while...” My ass, Shuichi! At least he noticed that his little brother had grown in the past seven years and asked him in what High School class he is now in.

But now, let’s look at little Masumi trying to make him smile. At first she tries to archive her goal by climbing on the parasol. Shuichi doesn’t laugh about it (come on, what should be funny about it anyway?) but merely tells Shukichi that it is dangerous and he shouldn’t let her do that. He doesn’t blame Masumi for her (childish) behavior but tells his brother that it’s his job to watch and stop her from doing things that could hurt her. He just voices his concern.

The second thing Masumi tries then, is doing some failed cartwheels. Shuichi watches her, but regards her with an exaggerated yawn, as if to say “try harder”. He is aware that she tries to get his attention (maybe not aware that she wants to make him smile) but it looks rather like he’s challenging her. And third, she goes over and sticks the fries where they don’t belong. Now see both Shuichi’s and Mary’s reaction to it:

While Shuichi is all relaxed and tells her to not play with her food, Mary is upset about it, if not angry. He isn’t wrong with the things he says and he does it still nicer than their mom. 

And we should maybe also not forget that Shuichi is probably not in his best mood after fighting with his mom, and being bored. Mary wanted him to come back to Japan and be around his family to let go of his plans  in America (even before she knew about his intention to join the FBI). But he didn’t let her change her mind.

5. He’s good with kids

Camel was surprised to see Shuichi (as Subaru) with the Detective Boys, and even thought that Shuichi didn’t have it easy (to which Shuichi was surprised and asked “You think so?”  as if he never considered it hard). I don’t want to mention Subaru though, because some like to argue that everything Subaru does is an act and none of Subaru’s behavior is the “real” Shuichi. 

So we stay at the beach, ten years ago since we saw him a lot around kids. Most of the times when he talks to Shinichi, Ran and Masumi, he shows affectionated gestures (like placing his hand on their heads) or crouches down to get as on eye-level with them. 

(I put them all here on imgur to not make this post bigger than needed. Just check these panels out if you want.)

I don’t think it’s a natural behavior to always kneel down and speak on eye-level with them, instead of just speaking down to them. However, I think for kids this makes a huge difference (though, I really don’t know about it, I could just imagine). 

And, something a friend of mine noticed, is that he always asks the people around him if they could do the thing he instructs them to do. He always gives them the chance to opt out of it. He does that with the kids, and he does that with adults as well. He doesn’t force anyone to do anything they don’t feel okay with, but especially kids.

He also protected Shinichi and asked him and Ran to play with his sister, probably thinking that she’d enjoy kids her age more than him (or even Shukichi for that matter).

6. He’s a good and proud big brother and he loves his family

Just like Mary, he follows his brother’s shogi matches and he looks all proud of his younger brother when he wins his 7th title. Also he does actually risk his mission to save his family (Shukichi, chapter 1045/1046). If it comes down to his endangered family, he’d probably risk a lot to save his family.

I don’t even think there’s anything else that needs to be said. This is his raw expression when he thinks about his little sister being all grown up now. He also told Conan that he doesn’t tell Masumi about him in an attempt to keep her safe. He says he wants to keep her out of this as much as possible.

And also Mary. He gets worried when he hears Masumi talk about their mother in past tense, so he tries to get information about it and even shows a relieved smile when Masumi tells her that Mary is still alive. 

He is a family guy. He might need his space at times, but overall, it shows that he loves his family and that he wants them to live a life without fear - and he wants himself to not worry about their well-being in these dangerous times. 

The thing with him is just, that his life hasn’t been easy. He has gone through a lot of dangerous and traumatic things for sure. And these things left traces on him, but he’s still motivated by his loved ones and he does know how to be gentle and nice to both kids and adults. He’s acts matter-of-factly and strict when needed, he does his own things as well, but at the end of the day, he still cares and also shows his softer side, is gentle and affectionate when the situation lets him. 

[simplybakugou]

Warmth

↝ Following a traumatic event from a few years ago, you find yourself in a moment of panic before your boyfriend is there to comfort you.

BINGO SPACE: Sharing Clothes

⋆ PAIRING: prohero!kirishima x fem!reader ⋆ WARNINGS/TAGS: reader undergoing a panic attack; fluff ⋆ WORD COUNT: 1826

A/N: when i got this prompt i was initially going to write another purely fluff scenario but for some reason i wasn’t feeling the best earlier this week and decided to make this so here’s another @bnhabookclub​ bingo fic for kiri. thank you to the anon who requested kirishima for this prompt! the transparent kirishima cap is from the bnhabookclub drive!

FULL BINGO MASTERLIST

✐posted 08.25.2020✐

The apartment felt colder than it did on most days, a shiver travelling down your spine as you huddled under your blanket to provide some heat for you. Your eyes glanced back and forth from your phone which was sitting on the coffee table and the TV screen right in front of you. You flipped through the various channels, rolling your eyes as the occasional gossip site would cover some bullshit story about pro heros and other celebrities. There were even some reporters covering a story about your relationship with Kirishima, who happened to be one of the top heroes in the world.

Finally you settled onto a regular news station as the woman on the screen informed the audience that the professional hero conference was a success and those who attended, Kirishima included, were on their way back home. You smiled at the sight of photographers and paparazzi capturing several videos of Kirishima waving to them as he was at the airport and was on his way back to you, which you were absolutely ecstatic to see him once again.

You grabbed your phone, deciding to send him a quick text to make sure he was safe and to ask if the flight back home was okay. Although the news indicated that he was in Japan once again, you wanted to hear the confirmation directly from him.

Kirishima replied right away, letting you know that he was at the airport and to give him ten minutes till he got into the car. It may have been overbearing, but you missed him terribly during the week that he was away for the conference. 

Your relationship with Kirishima was one that felt like it lasted a lifetime. You both went to the same middle school, Mustafa Private Middle School. You were close with Ashido Mina and together the two of you stood out as the two happy-go-lucky girls. Mina was always upbeat and caring with the way she spoke with others and while you were kind in your own way as you didn’t hesitate to stick up for anyone who needed it. It was one thing Kirishima still admired about you and it was what made you stand out from the other girls in his grade. You even almost got suspended once for nearly getting into a fight with a boy for bullying one of the girls in your class. Needless to say, you impressed Kirishima quite a bit. Although you were known for your confrontational behavior, you had no interest in being a hero like Kirishima. Either way you were a hero in his eyes.

By the time you graduated from middle school and were on your way to high school, you and Kirishima parted ways and he was enrolled at U.A. while you were attending a regular high school. You hadn’t heard from him since then, only seeing his face on the news occasionally during the U.A. sports festivals and from when class A would often be targeted by the League of Villains.

With time you flourished into an adult and began working a boring office job, one that you didn’t mind as at least it was paying the bills. One unfortunate day at work, it suddenly began pouring with thunder and lightning striking the bleak skies. While you were at your desk working like you did every other day, a villain sent a lightning strike right into the office building. The scene was quickly put into a state of panic as people began freaking out as their lives were quite evidently put into danger.

You assisted as many people as you could, urging your coworkers to calm down as everyone attempted to evacuate before the heroes and authorities could come. And soon enough Kirishima was one of the heroes who came onto the scene, using his quirk to protect people as the building began to crumble at an alarming rate. 

As you had finally helped out as many people as you could, due to your selflessness, you weren’t able to protect yourself as efficiently as you protected others as you ended up being trapped between large chunks of cinder block and cement blocking the exit. The villain was still inside the building, causing as much damage as he could before he was reprimanded and restrained. 

It was a terrifying experience, watching those you couldn’t help be crushed under the weight of the building and feeling like you could have done something if you were faster and stronger.

Eventually help arrived in the form of your middle school classmate. Kirishima broke through the makeshift barrier and right when one of the beams holding the building up was about to collapse and crush you along with it, Kirishima dove right in front of you, using his body as a shield as he held the weight of the beam.

You locked eyes with him during this as you were frozen in fear and shock from what had happened. In a matter of seconds he recognized you and you already knew who he was because he was the Red Riot. 

Eventually the situation was under control and you had gotten outside, being examined by paramedics who had come onto the scene to bring those who were injured to the hospital. Your eyes scanned through the area as the rain continued to pour down. You shivered from the cold and your head was pounding as the thunder continued to roar through the sky.

You managed to find Kirishima’s blinding crimson hair in the crowd, approaching him before any reporters could swarm him. You wanted to personally thank him and a small part of you wanted him to recognize you. He was glad to see that you were okay and you had grown into a fine woman. Being as bold as you were, you gave him your number, wanting to catch up with an old friend from middle school once you realized he had recognized you.

Somewhere along the way during the time you and Kirishima would text each other nearly everyday, you ended up asking him out on a date. Since then you had been dating for three years.

As you were waiting for Kirishima’s call, the crack of thunder roaring echoed throughout the area and you flinched from the sound. Since the accident at your previous job, even the slightest sound of thunder or flash of lightning terrified you and you couldn’t help but be scared in that moment as well.

Your phone began ringing, taking your mind off your fears as you smiled softly at the sight of Kirishima’s name and picture popping up on your screen.

“Hey, are you okay?” Kirishima asked, his voice filled with concern. He knew how scary these thunderstorms were for you, having seen the way you reacted when you heard the initial thunderstrike. 

“I’m okay for now… just waiting for you to come home,” you replied, your eyes darting towards the window as the rain was pelting the glass harshly. 

As you were about to say something else, you let out a yelp as the thunder belted in the sky and the power went out right after. 

“What’s going on? What happened?” Kirishima asked from the other line and before you could give a proper response, the call was cut as the power shortage cut the internet as well, ultimately interfering with your call. The phone dropped from your hand as you felt nauseated, your head spinning in the process.

With each thundering roar belting through the air, echoing through your mind like a punch to the head, you felt yourself get up, trying to find a space that could quieten the maddening sound. You practically ran into your bedroom, locking yourself in the small area in your shared closet with Kirishima. 

You fell to the floor, your knees brought up to your chest as you covered your ears. Your heart was racing a million miles per minute against your chest and your body was trembling in fear. Although the thunder was not as loud as it was outside, you could still hear it faintly and it made you whimper and cower even more in fear. The memories of being trapped and feeling helpless a few years ago flooded your mind as you were reminded of the horrific event. 

One of Kirishima’s hoodies that you managed to snag from him fell off the hanger, landing on your head. You sniffled, removing the material from your head as Kirishima’s scent invaded your nostrils. It felt comforting and so you slipped it over your head. You hugged yourself with the oversized hoodie enveloping you, as if Kirishima was right beside you during this terrifying time.

While this was occurring, Kirishima slammed open the door to your apartment, dropping the suitcase to the floor as he used the flashlight on his phone to see where you were. “Y/N?!” He called out, hoping you would answer.

He navigated throughout the apartment, already putting two and two together as he knew where you were. He had grown accustomed to these panic attacks you underwent during thunderstorms and the minute he landed in Japan and saw the meteorologists inform the Japanese public on the news that it would thunderstorm all day, he couldn’t stop worrying about you.

He entered the bedroom, darting straight for the closet. He knocked on the door before opening it to let you know he was there. He opened the doors, moving several articles of your clothing out of the way as he knelt down in front of you. 

Kirishima wrapped his arms around you, lifting you up from the floor as he sat down and held you on his lap. “It’s okay. I’m here now.”

You clutched onto him as he rubbed small circles onto your back, easing the nauseating feeling from before. You hadn’t even realized the tears that were streaking your face as you nuzzled your face into Kirishima’s shoulder as he held you in his arms.

Shortly after the accident, you had to deal with this trauma on your own. It was terrifying, feeling like something dangerous was about to happen like you had no control over what would happen. The villain from back then used his thunder and lightning quirk to instill fear into all of the employees in the building that day not to mention he attacked innocent civilians in the process. As a result, you were traumatized everytime you heard thunder or even saw the slightest flash of lightning from the distance. You never felt more alone until you had to deal with these moments of panic on your own.

But in that moment you felt safe as Kirishima was holding onto you tightly, not daring to let go for a second until he could confirm that you were okay.

You never had to worry about being alone anymore as the warmth from his body and his presence was there to comfort you.

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[westallenfun]

A Most Unexpected Love, Chapter 2

WestAllen secret santa gift  

From: @jade4813

For: @sophisticatedloserchick

Author Notes: For the lovely @sophisticatedloserchick from @jade4813! Merry Christmas, and I hope you like my first fic after a long hiatus!

Title: A Most Unexpected Love

Rating: PG

Synopsis: Iris has loved Eddie Thawne Allen her entire life. When she returns home just before Christmas, it looks like she might finally have a chance to catch his eye…unless an accident puts his older brother, Barry, directly in her path. Story inspired by Sabrina (with some quotes lifted more or less directly from the source material).

Chapters: 2/7

Chapter Two

Iris squinted at the glare of the sun reflecting off the fallen snow, pulling a pair of sunglasses out of her purse and sliding them on before grabbing the handle of her suitcase and giving it a tug. It had been a long journey, but she was finally home, arriving just in time for the holidays. Her father was supposed to pick her up, but she’d jumped at the opportunity to take an earlier flight than originally scheduled. It would make a tremendous surprise for him, she decided upon landing, and so she walked purposefully toward the taxi station, rather than calling to update him on her change of plans.

The drive didn’t take long, but she still needed to stretch some kinks out of her muscles when she stepped out of the car and fixed the Allen house with a critical eye. It looked almost exactly as it had in her memory, though it appeared someone had affixed the shutters with a new coat of paint at some point in the three years since she’d last stood in this spot. She’d missed this place, she realized, as well as all the people who worked there. Not to mention Eddie. She could never forget how much she’d missed Eddie.

But Eddie wasn’t her primary concern at the moment. She ran a hand down the fabric of her skirt, smoothing out the wrinkles. She wanted to look her best for her first meeting with her dad. Of course, they’d seen each other numerous times over the last three years. He’d come to visit her at school, and they Facetimed at least once a week. But this was her first time coming home as a college graduate – and an adult woman who had proved herself capable of running her own life. She wanted to make him proud.

Thanking the driver, she passed him a tip before grabbing her bag, pulling it behind her as she approached the house. It was rather heavy, so she pulled it to the side of the house, where it would be out of the way until she could retrieve it later. Then she stepped indoors on a quest to find her father.

Knowing he often stopped by the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee, she decided to head in that direction first. On the way, she heard the clattering of balls knocking together in the game room and peered in on her way past, curious to know who was inside. Her heart skipped a beat when she caught her first glimpse of Eddie, his tousled blond hair falling expertly across his forehead as he leaned over to line up his cue stick with the ball. As though sensing her presence in the doorway, he glanced up and straightened abruptly at the sight of her, his eyes growing wide.

“Wow. I mean, hi,” he greeted her with that boyish grin that had captured her heart so many years before.

Feeling a little shy, as she always did in his presence, she threw him a small smile. “I don’t mean to disturb you. I was just looking for someone.”

“Whoever it is, I’m happy to pretend I’m him if it means you stick around,” he reassured her hastily, setting his pool cue aside.

The obviousness of his pickup line, combined with the headiness that his attention was focused on her for a change and the astonishment that he didn’t seem to recognize her, made her laugh. “I’m afraid not,” she said, pulling off her sunglasses so she could get a better look at him. How could he not know her? Granted, it had been a few years, but they’d grown up together, and she didn’t think she’d changed that much.

But still, while she was a little disappointed in his continued ignorance of her identity, she was warmed by the gaze he swept over her body. “Let me guess…you’re looking for Barry. He’s always had all the luck. Well, today is also your lucky day because he happens to be my brother. So I’m pretty much the same thing, right?”

As he teased her, he threw her another one of his devastating grins, prompting her to laugh again. “I don’t think so,” she said, shaking her head. As tempted as she was to linger and bask in the glow of his flirtation, she couldn’t wait to see her dad, so she took a step back, intending to walk away.

Eddie wasn’t content to let her go, as he bounded after her. Taking position by her side, he walked with her as he chided her gently, “You’re really gonna make me work for it, huh? And here I was, hoping we could get to know each other better.”

Iris threw him a wry look out of the corner of her eye. “Really? And here I was, thinking you just liked the chase but you wouldn’t know what to do with me if you caught me.”

“That is categorically untrue!” he protested, feigning offense. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand gently, and Iris thrilled in the warmth of his touch. “But, you know, I won’t be able to prove that to you if you don’t let me catch you.”

“I suppose that’s true,” she conceded, humoring him. Then, succumbing to curiosity, she pressed, “You really don’t recognize me?”

She knew full well that Eddie wasn’t a good enough actor to feign the surprise that crossed his features. “Why? Should I? I can’t imagine we’ve ever met. I’d definitely remember you.”

“You might be surprised,” she returned in a dry tone.

Eddie might have lost the battle, but he wasn’t about to concede the war. Instead, he pressed, “Well, that’s all the more reason for you to give me a chance. I tell you what. We’re having a Christmas party here tonight at eight o’clock. Say you’ll come. We can catch up on old times, just the two of us.”

Chuckling, Iris shook her head. “You don’t give up, do you?” she asked, secretly pleased with his efforts. After all these years, he’d finally noticed her. He was finally chasing after her. Perhaps it was small of her to revel in their altered circumstances, but recognizing that fact did nothing to change it.

“Nope,” he replied with a shameless grin.

Iris nodded. “All right. I’ll see you tonight. Eight o’clock.” His display of elation at her agreement didn’t even come close to that which she secretly felt. She managed to hide her smile until she walked away and turned a corner. Then it was all she could do to bite back her shriek of joy. It was all she’d ever hoped for, catching Eddie’s eye, and the reality was so far better than she’d even imagined.

That night, Iris gave her reflection one more critical look before leaving her room and heading to the party. Her dad had been overjoyed to see her, but his happiness had been diminished slightly when he’d heard about her interaction with Eddie. She knew he was just worried about her; he’d never approved of her attachment to the younger Allen son. Though he loved the family and would give his life for any of them, he’d confessed he didn’t think Eddie was good enough for her, but she’d always dismissed his opinion as being clouded by paternal affection and a life-long overprotective streak.

His concern did nothing to diminish her excitement, and so she’d shrugged it off as she’d dressed into one of her favorite gowns, obtained during her studies abroad. Floor-length and deep red in color, it was strapless, with a chiffon skirt and beaded top with a sweetheart neckline. It was the perfect dress for a holiday party, and – more importantly – she knew it would draw Eddie’s eye.

She was almost skipping with joy as she walked into the party, her eyes sweeping over the crowd looking for one face in particular. But it wasn’t Eddie who caught her eye first; it was Bartholomew. Tall and lanky – and able to wear a tuxedo like he was born into it, even more than his brother (though it seemed traitorous of her to think so) – he’d always stood out from a crowd. She’d recognize him anywhere, even when his back was to her as it was now. She watched as the tall redhead before him said something to him, nodding toward Iris in the doorway. He turned to follow her gaze, his face breaking into a heart-warming smile when he caught sight of Iris.

She watched as he said something to his companion and then raced toward her, stopping barely a foot away. For just a moment, she thought he was going to pull her into a hug, but he didn’t. Instead, he smiled at her warmly and cried, “Iris! You’re home? Why didn’t you come by and say hi? How was your trip?”

Before she could answer, Eddie appeared as though out of nowhere, stepping in front of his brother. “You came!” he said gleefully. “I wasn’t sure you would.” When Bartholomew cleared his throat, Eddie stepped to the side and looked at his brother in surprise. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I – wait, do you two know each other?”

Bartholomew looked at his brother in confusion and concern. “You’re kidding, right? It’s Iris.” When Eddie didn’t seem to register the name, he prodded, “West? Joe’s daughter?”

Eddie’s head whipped around in surprise. “What, really? Iris?” As his gaze swept over her again, understanding dawned in his eyes, and he pulled her into a tight hug. “Oh my god, it’s so good to have you back! Now you really have to dance with me. Let’s go.”

He grabbed her hand and started to pull her away, and she was more than happy to follow, but his brother intervened. Clearing his throat, he moved slightly into Eddie’s path and cautioned him, “Is this really a good idea? How is Patty—”

Eddie cut him off. “Barry, I know that you excel at being a stick-in-the-mud, and you’re twenty-five going on eighty. But it’s a party! Surely you can go bore someone else? Iris just got here.” It was the first time in her entire life that she could recall being so taken aback by or disagreed with Eddie’s behavior, and when he grabbed her hand to pull her onto the dance floor, she hung back. Finally, her reluctance seemed to get through to him, because he stopped to ask her what wrong.

“I know he’s your brother, and the two of you…well, you don’t always get along. But that was unfair. He a little serious, but he isn’t a bad guy,” she reprimanded him gently.

He grimaced. “Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry.” He gave her another one of his boyish grins, which had gotten him out of trouble over his entire life. “I’ll apologize to him later, too. But for right now, I really do want to dance with you.”

Iris almost protested, but then she was in his arms and he was sweeping her around the dance floor, and it was better than she’d ever dreamed. She felt herself get lost in his eyes, barely noticing when the song changed to something soft and slow and he pulled her closer, tempting her to rest her head on his shoulder.

“You know what I want?” he murmured in her ear. “I want to dance with you.”

“You are dancing with me,” she shot back with a slight laugh.

His grin was unrepentant. “I want to dance with you alone. It’s too public here; we can’t really talk.” Then, as though the idea had just occurred to him, he added, “Hey, there’s something you should see.”

She’d seen him pick up enough women that she knew what he was about to suggest. He was going to suggest that she meet him in his mother’s solarium. He would meet her there with a bottle of champagne and two glasses, and they would dance under the twinkling lights that were undoubtedly strung along the ceiling in observance of the upcoming holiday. While they danced, he would woo her with his words, and then they would kiss. Just because it was a scene she knew had played out dozens of times didn’t means she didn’t want to be a part of it.

“Okay,” she breathed, swaying toward him.

“Meet me in my mom’s solarium?” He paused, grimacing, as he realized that she wasn’t like most of the women he courted in this manner. “Oh, I just realized…you’ve probably already seen my mom’s solarium, huh?”

Afraid this hitch in his plans would cause him to grow skittish, she reassured him, “But I haven’t seen it in years! Will you show it to me?”

“I’d love to.” He danced her closer to the exit and came to a stop, though he didn’t immediately release her. “Head over, and I’ll follow you in a minute. I want to grab a bottle of champagne first.”

“Sure,” she breathed, watching with a wistful smile as he stepped away. The entire stroll to the solarium, she felt like she was walking on air.

[thathopelessromantic]

Reckless Good (6/?)

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia/My Hero Academia Fic Rating: Explicit Chapter Rating: Teen+ Pairing: Todoroki Shouto/Midoriya Izuku Note: Thanks again for your amazing support so far! I really appreciate all of you and your comments have been making my weeks since posting <3 This fic will be going on a short hiatus...I'm not sure how long it will be but July has been shockingly busy this year and has only continued to get crazier so I need a little more time to write more of this fic 

Todoroki Shouto had accepted his fate as a public figure when he became a pro-hero, but there are some parts of his private life he would like to stay private. When he gets invited to be a speaker in a college lecture series, he goes to the meeting with one goal: to give the coordinator a piece of his mind and finally put an end to people hounding him for information about his family.

The last thing he expects is the curious, and quirkless, hero- and quirk-study professor, Midoriya Izuku, who has no interest in his family’s history, and, somehow, even more ties to the hero industry than Shouto. Intrigued by the professor, Shouto tentatively agrees to the lecture series, unknowingly intertwining their futures.

But the more Todoroki sees of Midoriya, the more questions he has. When a villain attack leaves them living together until the culprits are apprehended, maybe he’ll finally get some answers.

AO3: (x) Beginning/Chapter One: (x) Previous Chapter: (X) TDDKBB2021 Companion Art: (X)

It’s been three days since the debriefing, and Shouto hasn’t been able to think about much else besides the weirdness of everything that happened in the meeting. Even now, standing under the scalding spray of his shower, he’s going through the motions, but his mind is in the hallway outside the conference room with Ingenium.

“I’m sorry about lying to you regarding Architect,” Ingenium had said solemnly. They’ve grown and their costumes had both changed since then, but without his helmet on, head bent to discuss something quietly, Shouto was reminded of the in-class exercises they used to do in high school. Off to the side in a hallway, as if creating a strategy. Somehow adult-Ingenium had gotten even more serious than his high school counterpart. “I know it was wrong to mislead you, but I knew he meant no harm. I knew he could help with Kou.”

“How?” Shouto had asked, but even then he had a feeling he knew the answer.

“…I’ve worked with him before,” Ingenium admitted. “I know the law, but he…he just wants to help people. And he does good hero work.”

Ingenium couldn’t say afterwards if he thought Architect would still somehow help the case. He knew he would want to, but with more people involved, and more people who knew he had been there before, it would be harder. Shouto can’t articulate exactly why, but somehow knowing he might be what brings more scrutiny towards Architect makes him feel…guilty? It’s not his fault that he didn’t know, nor is it his fault Architect is technically doing something illegal, but he feels guilty anyways.

Shouto’s phone chimes just as he steps out of the shower. Even before he checks it, he knows it’s a new text from Midoriya. While Shouto has thought of little else but the weirdness that had transpired at the debriefing for the last three days, Midoriya has acted as if it never happened. He had been quiet the rest of the day afterwards, but the next day Midoriya had picked up their text chat where they had left off as if nothing had happened. The few times Shouto tried to broach the topic of Midoriya’s behavior at the debriefing, his contacts with heroes, the vigilante Architect, anything from the debriefing, all he got was an abrupt subject change or radio silence for a few hours. After a day and a half of the back and forth, Shouto gave up pushing the subject. For now.

Shouto slings a towel around his hips and grabs his phone off the counter. There’s a new picture attached to the message. Midoriya’s scarred hand holds a large navy book out in front of the camera. The sidewalk serving as a background and the blurred edges of the image suggests he was walking somewhere as he took the picture.

I found a copy of the book!! The text underneath reads.

Shouto can’t make out any title in the picture, but he knows what book it is anyways. There was only one they had really discussed in-depth that would warrant such an excited text. It was an early study of dual quirks. Apparently, according to Midoriya, some of the information and conclusions they came to is now outdated but it is still considered one of the best introductory texts for understanding how dual quirks come about with inheritance. He had been suggesting it to Shouto practically since they had started their text conversation.

Another text comes in before Shouto can come up with a reply.

I can keep this copy in my office, if you would like to come by for it sometime.

Shouto wouldn’t mind going by the professor’s office again. It wasn’t that far out of his way, and it would be a good excuse to see him and talk to him some more – either about quirks, or whatever the hell was going on at the debriefing in an environment he can’t escape so easily. But as he mentally goes through his schedule thinking of a time he might be able to get there, it would be at least another week, if not two.

Shouto grimaces, running a hand over his face.

between normal wrk nd this new case itll be a while…

Of course I understand you’re busy! Oh unless you wanted to read it sooner

Shouto glances at the time. He still has almost two and a half hours before his next shift starts. It would be enough time. Probably. Depending on how long it takes to get Midoriya to agree. He has an idea but he knows Midoriya isn’t going to like it.

are u in musutafu now?

Yes. Of course! I could drop it off at your agency!

i was thinking just my apartment

Shouto puts his phone down to find something to wear. He doesn’t usually wear normal clothes under his uniform, but he figures he has a little while before he needs to change into it. He expects to get a flurry of messages protesting his suggestion as he finds and pulls on a pair of sweatpants, but a full three minutes pass before his phone chimes with another message. It just reads: what, lacking even Midoriya’s usual proper grammar and capitalization.

Shouto snorts. He knew he wasn’t going to like it.

im at the hospital on guard today and ill be out of the office the next few days. it would be quicker

That does set off the flurry of texts he expected the first time, Midoriya insisting that wasn’t necessary and he didn’t need to read it that quickly and a few that just said no a few times. The texts are still coming in, the notification that he’s typing still lit up on the screen, when Shouto presses the phone icon next to his name and starts a call.

The phone starts to ring. And then continues to ring for so long, Shouto thinks he’s going to go to voicemail, when Midoriya suddenly answers. There’s a shuffle on the other line for a moment.

“Entro-er, Todoro…hello?” Midoriya says.

“Hello, Midoriya,” Shouto replies.

Shouto’s simple greeting seems to knock Midoriya out of his stupor, because he immediately jumps back into his protests, picking right back up where he left off in his texts. Shouto waits until he has to stop to take a breath.

“I figured you would really frown upon me texting you my address, so I thought I’d call. Do you have something to write with?”

Midoriya sputters for a moment before he sighs. “You…yeah, go ahead.”

Shouto blinks in surprise. He really expected more of a protest than that. Still, he rattles off the address before Midoriya comes to his senses and changes his mind. Midoriya has him repeat it once, just to be sure he copied everything down correctly.

“Okay. I guess I will see you in a few minutes,” Midoriya says, sounding resigned.

Shouto almost laughs at the tone. “You don’t actually have to bring it to me if it’s any trouble. I can get it from the office eventually.”

“No, I don’t mind and it’s not that far out of the way actually,” Midoriya admits. “I’m a little concerned by your complete disregard for privacy or self-preservation but otherwise, it’s no trouble.”

“‘A lack of self-preservation and privacy’ is pretty much in my job description.”

Midoriya sighs. There’s some quiet mumbling Shouto can’t make out through the phone before Midoriya seems to give up on arguing the point for the moment and says his goodbye.

Shouto plugs his phone in by the bed to charge until he has to leave. Monarch and Momo still haven’t let go of the last time his phone died while he was on duty and he’s sure even being away from the agency for the next few days won’t save him from their ire if it happens again.

Shouto is still toweling off his hair when there’s a knock on his door. He glances at the clock on his wall, but even without the visual confirmation, he knows it has only been a few minutes since his call with Midoriya had ended. It was unlikely he found his apartment that quickly. He throws the towel over the bar in the bathroom and grabs a t-shirt on his way out of his room.

He opens the front door, expecting to see one of his neighbors in the hall. Instead, it is Midoriya staring at him from the other side of the door. He looks almost the exact same as the first time they had met with his thin, crooked wire frame glasses and oversized leather satchel hanging at his side. Though he had replaced his ill-fitting cardigan with a Froppy sweatshirt and a jean jacket over a button-up. Midoriya’s eyes scan over him quickly, pausing briefly at his middle before jumping back to his face and then to the space next to his head.

“Hello,” Midoriya manages quietly.

Shouto tugs the bottom of his shirt the rest of the way down.

“Hello. I…wasn’t expecting you to find the place so quickly,” he replies simply.

“Um, yes, it was closer than I realized too,” Midoriya finally looks him in the eye again, only to look away a moment later to bow his head. “I’m sorry, I should have announced myself somehow.”

“It’s fine, Midoriya. I’m glad you didn’t have to go too far out of your way.”

They stand in an awkward silence for a moment before they both seem to remember themselves and try to speak again.

Midoriya fumbles with the leather bag at his side, searching for the book. “Right, I’m sure you need to finish getting ready for work-” he starts to say.

At the same time, Shouto steps back, opening his door further. “Would you like to come in?”

Midoriya stares at him in surprise for a moment before his gaze jumps to something behind Shouto, brow furrowing.

“Todoroki, do you live alone?”

“Um, yes?” Shouto glances over his shoulder but doesn’t see whatever it was that Midoriya must have seen.

He turns back around, but Midoriya is still staring hard at something in the distance.

“Midoriya, what did-"

A loud crash of breaking glass cuts off the rest of Shouto’s question. Midoriya reacts a second before him, grabbing Shouto’s arm and throwing them both down the hall, away from his door as flames erupt in the apartment behind him.

They tumble to the ground. Shouto lands hard on his back as they roll for a moment, the floor below him and Midoriya landing heavily on top of him knocking the air from his lungs. One of Midoriya’s hands cushioned his head in the fall, but he pulls it back quickly as if Shouto burned him.

Midoriya quickly lifts himself up, carefully checking Shouto over. “Are you alright?”

Shouto nods, not yet ready to try speaking again. The sound of a vicious fire cracks behind them and the smell of smoke is already starting to fill the hallway. Whatever was thrown has a fast-moving fire and Shouto can feel the heat even from a few feet away.

“Will your fire alarm alert the authorities?”

Shouto pushes himself to a sitting position . “Don’t have a fire alarm,” he chokes out. They really need to move. “They go off too easily.”

Midoriya stares at him for a moment like he’s lost his mind before realization dawns. “Right your quirk would probably make that a pain. Okay, I’ll call for help. But we need to get as many people out as we can before they get here.”

Shouto climbs to his feet, using the wall to hold himself up for the moment. Everything seems to feel okay, so he doesn’t think he’s injured, just winded. Midoriya looks worried but he still scrambles to his feet a moment later.

“I can get my upstairs neighbors out,” Shouto says.

“I’ll help everyone below evacuate,” Midoriya offers before Shouto has barely finished speaking. He takes off for the stairwell, glancing back at the last second. “Be careful, Todoroki.”

Shouto stares after him for a moment, incredulous. ‘I’m the pro in this situation,’ he wants to remind Midoriya. ‘And probably marginally more fire-resistant than you.’ “You too,” is all he manages instead as the stairwell door swings shut behind Midoriya. Faintly, Shouto remembers another time he watched a civilian run head-long into trouble, but he brushes off the otherwise long-forgotten memory. It was so long ago, he’s not sure what dredged up the old memory, but dwelling on it won’t help anyone right now.

Shouto forces himself away from the door and his desire to go after the apparently reckless, mysterious, crazy-overachieving civilian he just let run into danger and heads for his closest neighbor. There are only three apartments on each floor. The one next to him has been empty for months, and usually both of the Fukudas were at work during this time of day, but he pounds on the door just to be safe, calling for them both. Smoke is finally beginning to fill the hallway and he knows it will only be another minute or two before the fire itself begins to crawl its way out of the apartment too.

Shouto breaks through the door, calling for either of the Fukudas to answer as he darts through the handful of rooms laid out in a mirror of his own familiar apartment. Satisfied that it is empty, he goes back to the hall heading for the stairs. He can feel his right side rapidly growing colder as his quirk tries to regulate his body temperature. The overheated air burns his already sore chest as he runs.

Shouto is already shouting as he reaches the next floor, hoping to alert as many of his neighbors as he can. One door opens as he throws himself down the hall, an older woman looking at him suspiciously through the crack in her door. For once he’s thankful for his unique appearance because he sees recognition dawn on her a moment later, even without his hero suit.

“A fire started on the floor below, I’m trying to evacuate everyone on this floor and the next, if you have anyone home with you, get them!”

The woman nods in understanding, throwing her door open and running back into the apartment calling for someone. Shouto goes to the next closest apartment, banging on the door and calling for anyone who might be inside. The door to the apartment next door opens and a man looks out.

“What is all the racket about? They went to their parents for the week, no one is in there.”

“The apartment is empty right now?”

The man glares at him, but Shouto pushes on before he can start an argument with him. The first woman comes out of her apartment with her grandson and a small dog in tow. “Sir, there is a fire on the floor below. We’re evacuating everyone.”

The man still looks like he wants to argue, but a moment later the sound of sirens grows louder as help arrives on the scene and that seems to be enough to convince him to cooperate. The three tenants follow him up the stairs to the last floor. Two of the three doors are already open, the tenants looking out obviously wondering what all the noise is about. The woman and her grandson greet one of the two women, immediately filling them in on what’s going on. Shouto goes to the last door.

“She’s at work,” one of the women calls to him. “She lives alone. Except for a cat.”

Shouto nods his thanks for the information. “I’ll go in to get the cat. Do either of you have a window that faces the front of the building?”

The other woman raises her hand. “I do!”

“Please take everyone into your apartment, clear a space in front of the window if necessary and I’ll be there in just a moment.” Shouto instructs. He waits just a moment to make sure everyone is complying before he forces the last door open. The cat in question makes itself known immediately, rushing to the door crying for attention before it realizes he is not their owner. The cat turns tail and darts deeper into the apartment.

Cursing, Shouto uses ice to create a small blockade in the hall that leads to the bedroom and bathroom, limiting the cat’s escape routes as he darts after it, sliding across the hardwood floor leading into the hallway. He catches himself on the wall just as the cat skids to a halt before the ice, trying to turn quickly but the floor is more slippery than its accustomed to and Shouto manages to grab it as it struggles to find its footing. He gets a few heavy scratches across his arms for his trouble, and the cat does its best to escape his hold, but he manages to get it out of the apartment. He wishes he had his tool belt on him, where he might have something that could contain the cat better, and make it easier to transport, but even if the fire-resistant fabric had lasted this long, it wasn’t worth it to try and get back into his apartment for it.

He rejoins his neighbors in the other apartment. Along with the three from the first floor, there are the two women from this floor, one of whom clutches a still-sleeping baby to her chest. From the window he can see the ambulance and two fire engines that have already arrived. And based on the sounds in the distance, the police and at least one more ambulance would not be far behind. Someone offers to take the disgruntled cat from him as he throws open the window.

Smoke is billowing from a window on a lower floor, obscuring his line of sight for a moment as the winds shift. Shouto swears under his breath, he can feel his neighbors growing anxious behind him, but he knows he needs a clear shot of the ground for this to work. It takes a few minutes for the view to clear enough for him to see a good landing place. By then a few people from the lower floors have started to evacuate, and he can see the first responders meeting them as they come out. He can’t tell from here if Midoriya is with them yet, though he has a feeling the answer is no.

Pushing his concerns aside for the moment, Shouto takes a deep breath to focus. Even after all these years of playing catch up, he still has a much better control of his right side than his left, but the overheated air is already putting a strain on his right side as it keeps his body cool. He creates an ice ramp, or perhaps more accurately a slide, from the window to the ground besides one of the fire engines. It’s as far as he dares to go to keep the slide from being too steep without also becoming too thin. He reinforces the part connected to the building and as much of the underside as he can from where he is to keep the fire from melting it down.

He turns back to his gathered neighbors. The adults gathered look unsure at best, if not down right afraid, but the young boy looks excited.

“It’ll be cold going down, but you should be perfectly safe,” Shouto promises. “Who’s first?”

Shouto helps the first woman up to the window. Once she is down safe, the woman with her baby goes, climbing up by herself first before Shouto hands the infant off to her. The young boy volunteers next before his grandmother can stop him, scrambling up to the window and then asking Shouto to hand the dog up to him. The older woman goes next, clutching the terrified cat tightly to her chest as she disappears down the slide.

Shouto waits until the older man safely reaches the bottom after her before he prepares to go down himself. Taking one last look back before he drops, he sees the smoke begin to curl around the edges of the apartment door.

 The fire chief stops Shouto first once he’s down, thanking him for his help evacuating the civilians and asking about the conditions inside. Shouto gives as much information as he can about the fire and where it started. He ignores the concerned expression the chief gives him as he explains how it began. He knows it seems like an attack, and a targeted attack at that, but he doesn’t want to focus on it just yet. Eventually, the chief figures he’s gotten as much as from Shouto as he’s going to for the moment and sends him off towards the paramedics.

Shouto dodges them for the moment, finding the neighbors he helped down first to make sure everyone actually made it down unharmed. Everyone seems okay, the baby somehow still blissfully asleep and the young boy excitedly asks Shouto if he can go down his ice slide again some other time. One of the first responders found a carrying case for the cat until they could get ahold of its actual owner. He recognizes a few of the other neighbors gathered around from the lower floors. A few have shock blankets on and one person is perched in an ambulance with a paramedic attached to an oxygen machine, but there don’t seem to be any major injuries.

Midoriya is arguing with a paramedic, insisting someone else is in more pressing need of care when Shouto finally approaches one of the ambulances.

“What’s that saying about doctors being the worst patients?” Shouto asks.

Midoriya jumps, startled by his arrival, though he quick recovers from his shock to glare at Shouto.

The paramedic throws his hands up. “Entropy, please try and talk some sense into him. This is the fourth time he’s refused care.” The paramedic turns back to Midoriya and waves a warning finger at him. “I’m running out of other patients to look at.” He warns before storming off.

“Are you alright? What happened?” Shouto asks once they’re alone. Midoriya mostly looks okay, his glasses are missing and he’s a little sooty and disheveled, but Shouto figures everyone probably looks about the same in that regard.

“Nothing,” Midoriya starts to say as someone nearby loudly clears their throat over him. Midoriya scowls. “I think I might have landed on my hand funny earlier, but it’s fine, probably just sore.”

Shouto frowns. “You should at least have someone look at it, just in case.”

Midoriya opens his mouth to argue but a ringing phone cuts him off. He fumbles with his phone for a moment, struggling to pull it out of a pocket with his opposite hand. He winces as he finally pulls it out.

“Shit.”

“What?”

“It’s a video call.” Midoriya doesn’t elaborate anymore. He shifts around before he answers, holding the phone up at an angle that keeps his arm and the ambulance mostly out of the camera. He pastes on a bright smile. “Hi, Eri.”

“Oh Izuku, are you okay? I heard you were involved in a fire. Are you injured? What happened?” Dr. Aizawa asks in a rush, her worried face fills the screen. Red eyes move quickly, obviously taking note of Midoriya’s disheveled apperance.

“I’m fine. Everyone’s fine. We’re not sure exactly how it started yet,” he lies. “But no one was hurt.”

“Where are you? I’ll go-”

“No,” Midoriya cuts her off. “I’m fine and I’ll come by the hospital later so you can check me over yourself if you’re really that worried, but I’m fine. And I want to make sure someone is keeping an eye out for Kou.”

“You think this has to do with her?” Dr. Aizawa asks, surprised.

“I’m not sure yet, I would just feel better if I knew there was extra security around her.”

Dr. Aizawa nods. “Okay, Izuku. I’ll make sure someone has an eye on her at all times. I’ll call you later to check up on you.” She says. “And I’ll know if you don’t let the paramedics check on you so don’t even try it this time.” The call ends before Midoriya can refute her last statement.

“I’m supposed to be taking the next shift on the hospital,” Shouto realizes. “I still had another two hours before my shift began when you arrived, but I should let someone know.”

Midoriya offers Shouto his phone. Before Shouto can step away, the paramedic returns with his arms crossed.

“Ready to cooperate?”

Midoriya looks miserably over his shoulder at Shouto but lets the paramedic force him into a seat.

Shouto calls Momo on her private number.

“This is Creati.” Momo answers stiffly after a single ring.

“Momo, it’s Shouto. My phone is…I don’t have my phone right now. There was just a fire-”

“At your apartment building. I know I just got the alert. Are you okay? You were still home, weren’t you?”

“Yes. I’m fine. No one was injured, but they’re still putting out the fire and I’m pretty sure my apartment is gone. It started there.”

Momo takes a long time to reply. “Your quirk?” She finally asks, but she sounds like she already knows the answer.

“No. I think…It seems crazy, but…” Shouto hesitates. He lives on the third floor, but crazier things have probably happened to him. “I think someone threw something through my window to start it.”

Momo curses under her breath. “I was afraid of that. You haven’t heard from anyone else, yet, have you? There was another attack, across town. Not a fire, but a building came down. A few civilians were hurt, and…”

Shouto tries not to lose his patience with Momo as she hesitates.

Finally she sighs. “The latest report from the police just came over the radio. Mr. Smith was one of the only heroes in the area. He was severely injured while helping trapped civilians. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital a few minutes ago. No one’s sure of his status yet.”

“Fuck.” Midoriya was right. “This is about Kou. The girl from before you have to-”

“I know your schedule, Shouto.” Momo interrupts. “As soon as I got the alert I let them know you might have been targeted. Someone has already been assigned to your guard shift and they’ve added extra security to the hospital.”

Shouto feels himself relax for the first time since the fire began. If there’s one thing he can count on, it’s Momo to be on top of things. “Thank you.”

Momo replies with a quiet hum of acknowledgement. “Is there anything else I can do for you right now? Do you need anyone else at the scene?”

“No, everything seems pretty well in hand for now. But if you could let my mother and sister know, that would help. They’ll see it on the news eventually, but even if my phone survived the fire it will probably be a while before I can get it to contact them myself.”

“Of course, I’ll make sure they know you’re alright. Can I contact you on this number again?”

Shouto glances back at Midoriya. He’s, miraculously, still sitting in the ambulance doors letting the paramedic wrap his hand, but he also managed to call over one of the firefighters to discuss something about the attack. “Yeah, you can use this number again.”

“Let me know when you learn something more.”

“I will.”

“I’m really glad you’re okay, Shouto.” Momo says just before she ends the call.

Me too, Shouto thinks, looking around at all the people gathered in front of the apartment. He and Midoriya had managed to get everyone out, but if Shouto had been alone he might not have been quick enough. Hell, if he hadn’t been answering the door at just the right time, he might not have been able to save anyone at all. He would probably be right beside Mr. Smith in the hospital. I just wish it could be said for everyone.

Shouto returns to the ambulance, passing the cell back to Midoriya. Midoriya takes one look at his face and knows.

“You heard about Mr. Smith too?”

Shouto nods. “Creati already sent word to the hospital for extra security and for someone to cover my shift watching Kou.”

Midoriya cracks a small smile. Other than the one he wore to briefly pacify Dr. Aizawa, it’s the first smile Shouto thinks he’s seen from him all day. And bizarrely, it puts him at ease for a moment, lifting some of the weight of the attack.

“Remind me to send her a huge thank you gift when we finally get out of here,” Midoriya says, and even though Momo is just doing her job in her own efficient, overachiever way, he knows Midoriya is serious.

Midoriya moves over, offering the extra space for Shouto to sit down. Another paramedic almost immediately descends on them, finally checking Shouto over for shock, smoke inhalation, over-extended quirk usage, and other injuries. Other than the handful of cat scratches that they clean and bandage, he comes out with a clean bill of health. Midoriya is comparing their injuries, complaining that his “bruised wrist” didn’t need more bandaging than Shouto’s cuts, but while his tone is light, his eyes keep focusing on something in the distance, his attention obviously not on their conversation. Shouto can practically hear the wheels turning in his head as he thinks.

The fire chief eventually joins them as the fire dies down and more of the firefighters exit the building for the last time. “Thank you again, Entropy, for your help evacuating tenants before we arrived. And…Midoriya, was it?”

“Dr. Midoriya,” Shouto corrects when Midoriya simply nods. Midoriya elbows him in the side, but Shouto ignores the jab.

“Dr. Midoriya, thank you for your help as well. That was very brave of you. A number of the tenants I’ve spoken with were extremely grateful for your assistance.”

Midoriya shrugs a shoulder, as if he had truly done nothing of note. “I’m just glad I was in the right place to help, at the right time.”

“Do we know anything else about the fire yet? Or the building?” Shouto asks.

“The fire is mostly out, we just have a few more people inside checking for any hidden fires or areas that weren’t extinguished completely the first time. As for the building…it will take a little while longer to properly assess all the damage but the third floor where it started, and the second and fourth floors, took the most damage. At the very least it will be a day or two before it’s safe for the tenants to move between the floors to get their things.” The chief explains.

Shouto expected about as much, honestly he was prepared to hear worse, but it doesn’t make it easier. “Thank you for letting us know.”

The chief nods. “Of course.”

Shouto turns back to Midoriya as the chief walks away. “Can I borrow your phone one more time?”

Midoriya politely, but unnecessarily, turns away as Shouto crafts a text to Momo.

the tenants will b displaced for at least a few days. can we do smthing abt accommodations for them?

It only takes Momo a few seconds to reply.

Of course. Send me the number of people and their contact information and I’ll take care of everything.

A second text comes in almost immediately.

Will you need something too? You could always stay with me and Kyouka. Or I’m sure your mother would be happy to have you for a few days.

Shouto stares at the message for a moment. “Shit.” He hadn’t been thinking about himself. Obviously he couldn’t stay in his apartment. But he wouldn’t want to be housed anywhere near his neighbors, in case whoever attacked tried again. But that would put his friends, or family, in the same line of risk.

“What’s wrong?” Midoriya finally turns back, looking over Shouto’s shoulder. “Was there another attack?”

Shouto shakes his head. “No, sorry to worry you. Momo just reminded me I’ll need a place to stay for a while. I don’t want to risk a hotel or some public housing, if they try to attack again…”

Midoriya doesn’t need him to finish his thought before he nods in understanding. “And you don’t want to stay with your friends or family for the same reason. There’s too much of a risk they will try to target you again.”

Shouto groans, running a hand over his face. Maybe Midoriya was onto something with all his concerns about ‘privacy and self-preservation.’

“Stay with me.”

Shouto’s head shoots up. He thinks he had to have misheard, but the serious expression on Midoriya’s face suggests otherwise.

“What?”

“You can stay with me. No, you should stay with me.”

Shouto feels like he was just transported to a parallel universe. He was actually fairly confident his role as the only one to suggest ridiculous things in this newly-started relationship was already established.

“I-No. I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“You’re not asking, I’m insisting.”

Shouto ignores him. “I can stay in the dorms at the agency.”

Midoriya rolls his eyes. “That’s an extremely short term solution, at best. And a huge risk. If these villains have kept close enough tabs on you to find your personal apartment and attack it, it would be child’s play to figure out you were staying in your office, with a publicly available address, and target it too.”

“You would still be at risk,” Shouto says, baffled as to how Midoriya somehow managed to miss that very important fact. “The same way Momo and Kyouka or my family would be, I can’t put you in that position.”

“Todoroki,” Midoriya says, deadly serious. “You are not a very social hero. It is common knowledge who you are close enough with to consider a friend. And your family has been in the spotlight for years. Staying with any of them is an obvious and dangerous choice. I’m a nobody. No one knows me, no one knows you know me. Also my house is…private, secluded. Even if someone does eventually figure out you’re there, it will take much longer than any of the other places. Enough time that we can come up with another plan.”

Midoriya reaches over and takes the cell out of his hands. “Now, unless you have a more convincing argument, I will text…” he looks at the phone for a long moment as he trails off. Shouto has no idea how he can casually insist on Shouto staying with him and in the same breath be visibly uncomfortable texting a different hero. “I will text…Creati and tell her you have a place to stay. You should go collect everyone else’s information for her.”

Shouto stares at Midoriya in disbelief while he pointedly ignores him and struggles to craft a text to Momo. He only finally moves when Midoriya all but shoves him off the ambulance step, claiming to be unable to type while he was being watched.

“I…can’t make sense of you,” Shouto finally admits. Midoriya has baffled him basically since the moment they met and he’s beginning to think he might never fully understand him.

Midoriya looks up from his phone with a curious expression, as if surprised by Shouto’s admission, before it transforms into a smile Shouto has never seen before, but that he wants to pull from him again and again.

“I like to think that’s just a part of my charm.”

[ourloveisforthelovely]

The Fall 5

Harry Potter AU 

Pairings: Sirius Black x Reader 

Link to Chapter 4

Rating: M

______

You stood in the kitchen looking down at the potion that Tonks brought you for your hand.

“It will hurt like hell but you’ll be perfect as soon as it dries.”

You muttered a few choice words under your breath as Harry stepped in. He looked down at your hand with a knowing look. Harry had grown used to seeing you come home with random injuries from your job.

And for some reason, he wants to be an Auror too.

You thought with a smile as he walked over to kiss your cheek.

“Alright?”

You nodded.

“I will be. You should have seen the other guy.”

“That’s the same thing she said to me.”

Harry and yourself turned as Sirius walked into the room. It didn’t take you knowing the man better than anyone else in the room to know something had made him mad. He had that frown that made it look like he was ready to burn the world down.

You made a mental note to talk to him later about the conversation with Remus. Now, in front of Harry, it didn't seem like a good idea. The last thing that you wanted was to worry the boy with the concerns of adults.

“Let's take a look at that hand.”

Sirius said softly as he gently lifted you onto the table. You could automatically see Harry’s questioning gaze as Tonks gave him a smirk. He had probably gotten used to you screaming at Sirius whenever he was within 5 feet of you and now here he was standing between your legs. This would be another conversation that you would have to have with the boy later.

The pain shooting through your hand pulled you from your thoughts. Sirius slowly unwrapped the bandage and sighed at your scorched skin.

“Darling, this looks horrible.”

You handed him the potion and closed your eyes a little more dramatically than necessary.

“Just get it over with!”

Sirius shrugged and poured the liquid on your hand. You automatically winced in pain. Tonks definitely wasn’t kidding about this hurting!

“Fucking bloody hell!”

You groaned. Sirius’ eyes rolled to you with a smirk.

“That’s what happens when you have to be the rebel.”

You opened your eyes as the pain finally started subsiding. Your hand was perfectly healed.

“Well, I wonder where I got that behavior from.”

Severus Snape, who knew one even seemed to notice was in the room, stood. He had enough watching Sirius and yourself already!

“Let me guess the little power couple is back together again?”

Both Sirius and yourself automatically turned in Snape’s direction with matching scowls. You slid off of the table ignoring Sirius, who had reached out in some feeble attempt, to stop you.

“Looks like you can see things! Good job!”

Snape frowned. He already dreaded being on the same side as the two of you. Every time he looked at Sirius and yourself, Snape was reminded of his horrible childhood.

“Ms. Potter, your sassy attitude is no longer cute.”

You raised an eyebrow. Normally you wouldn’t argue with this tool in front of Harry but today was a new day.

“You know, Severus, you say a lot of shit for a man who doesn’t talk much. Oh, while you’re here, I thought that I would give you a friendly warning if I find out that you give Harry any trouble this year...I have no issue coming to Hogwarts and kicking your ass. I’ve done it before and I can do it again.”

“You little bit…”

Sirius stepped in at this point. He was perfectly amused watching you hand Snape his share of an ass-chewing but the moment the word “bitch” was about to be thrown out; Sirius was done.

“Whoa! I’ll give her a doughnut to kick your butt.”

Snape looked between the two of you with a scowl before turning and storming out. You smirked, knowing that you had won this round.

“See you later!”

You called out before turning back to Harry.

“That was fun.”

“Brillant.”

Harry said with a smirk as Remus walked in looking rather annoyed. Had it been another time, Harry would have asked Remus if he was alright, however, he was still taking in the news about Sirius and yourself.

“So the two of you are together now?”

Sirius glanced at Remus, who was shaking his head. You had quickly put together what happened and knew this would be a fun conversation later.

“Yes, we are.”

When Harry smiled a genuine smile, you were pleased. That told you everything was fine with him. Why it wouldn’t be, you weren't sure. Maybe now he could have the family that he wanted (and deserved).

“Cool!”

You reached out and attempted to fix his messy hair before turning your attention to Remus. The poor man looked dreadful. The full moon was the day before so the cuts on his face made sense. Walking over, you gently put a hand on his forehead.

“You’re burning up.”

You were used to being the one that took care of Remus. That had been your job as a kid and it just made sense to continue as an adult.

“I’ll be fine.”

Remus said, gently. He wasn’t about to snap at you. Why he snapped at Sirius, he wasn’t sure. Remus had a feeling that the two of you would be back together rather quickly. Maybe he was concerned that you would just end up hurt again like you had years before. If Sirius got locked up again, it would be Remus that would have to pick up the pieces (and he would do it without complaint). Maybe it was the protective friend that was trying to pop out

You, meanwhile, wasn’t about to let this go because Remus said I’ll be fine. He would be a fool if he thought for a moment that you would.

“We need to put something on your face. How is the scar on your chest?”

Remus sighed, miserably.

“Tore open again.”

He didn’t have to look up at you to know that you were giving him that motherly concerned expression.

“Take your shirt off. I can fix that too.”

Remus shook his head.

“It's okay, Y/n.”

You rolled your eyes ignoring Sirius’ worried expression. This was the argument that the three of you + James had every month when it came to Remus’ transformations. It was usually Sirius and James holding him down while you played doctor.

“Come on, Remus. I have seen every man in this room naked. No need to be shy.”

After that sentence left your mouth, you had to bite your tongue at the expression on Sirius, Remus, and Harry’s faces.

“What? It's true.”

You said with a smirk before walking to your bag and looking for the healing agent that you kept for Remus’.

“I really hate that thought.”

Remus muttered. You chuckled.

“Remus, it was hard being friends with you all and not seeing nakedness. I had to change Harry’s diaper, and Sirius...well...you can put that together yourself.”

Before you were able to even get to Remus, Tonks came back into the room looking rather pale. You knew that look well.

“What?”

You asked. Tonks sighed.

“Marlene Mckinnon’s niece was found dead today.”

You put the potion bottle that you were holding down and quickly looked up. Sirius and Remus were as pale as you had turned. Hearing Marlene’s name brought back even more pain.

“This is the one from Marlene’s brother that survived. Things look suspicious.”

Tonks said as she timidly held out a file to you. You quickly took the file and started reading down the report.

Suspicious was putting things lightly. This looked just like Marlene’s murder years before. You sighed. Looking up, you met Sirius’ gaze. The two of you had been there the night the McKinnon’s were found.

“Kingsley and I took the case...we knew that you would want to investigate.”

Tonks said softly. You put the file down before turning your attention back to Harry.

“Better go get your school things ready.”

Harry nodded and quickly walked from the room. He knew that expression on your face well. It had been the one that he saw the day that you read about Sirius escaping from Azkaban and many other unhappy times.

Once Harry was gone, you turned to Tonks.

“We should go.”

Sirius was by your side in an instant.

“Love, I really don’t think you need to be going out there…”

You turned to look at him with a sad expression that broke his heart.

“Sirius things are starting just like they were years ago. I owe this to Marlene. This is just an investigation.”

“Want me to go with you?”

He asked, softly. Your eyes immediately widened.

“Sirius, you know you can’t leave the house.”

Sirius rolled his eyes.

“Animagus here, love.”

You shook your head. This was the last thing that you were even about to agree to at the moment. Sirius was crazy if he thought for one moment that you would say yes! The two of you had just gotten back together for heaven’s sake. You were not about to risk him being taken from you in any way! If Sirius thought that he was going to be tagging along with you one every job to make sure that you didn’t get hurt; he had another thing coming.

Damn his protective nature…

You thought before wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

“No. I want you to stay here.”

“Y/n…”

“Sirius, no. I don’t want to risk anything.”

Sirius finally nodded. He wasn’t happy but he decided to back off. You were in a fragile state at the moment and he didn’t want to make it worse! It had everything to do with Marlene. Sirius knew that you were reliving another best friend’s death.

“Fine. Be careful.”

You nodded and kissed him softly.

A few moments later…

Tonks and yourself stood outside of an older home in the country. You smiled seeing Kingsley standing on the porch. He nodded as you walked up.

“Y/n, sorry to ruin your good day.”

You shook your head, politely.

“It's fine, Kingsley. I would have wanted the two of you to call me. So what have we got?

Kingsley turned as you flashed your badge to the two wizards at the door to step inside.

“There was no dark mark but everything was just like before. The place is destroyed and she was definitely hit with a killing curse.”

You looked around the disheveled living room before taking a breath when looking at Sarah McKinnon’s dead body on the floor.

“You would think the idiot would be a bit more creative...maybe take something from those muggle serial killers. Damn. Looks like we have some death eaters out of the closet.”

Tonks nodded.

“Which one could it be?”

You looked thoughtful.

“Well, there’s Malfoy, Kararoff, Pettigrew, and Greyback. The last two are definitely on my list.”

Kingsley looked thoughtful as he made a note on parchment.

“Well, start keeping a lookout for them.”

Walking back into Grimmauld Place that night, your mind was a pretzel of thoughts. You were thinking about Marlene, the murder of her family, and how you were going to get your hands on Pettigrew.

Sirius’ arms wrapping around your waist pulled you from your thoughts. You didn’t object when he turned you around. Instead, you snuggled your face into his shoulder. You smiled feeling Sirius press his face into your hair.

“Is it what we are thinking?”

You didn’t move from your place before nodding.

“It's exactly what we're thinking. Things are going to be like they were before.”

Sirius didn’t reply for a moment.

“We’ll figure it all out. At least you came home in one piece.”

You looked up with a smirk.

“Yes, I did.”

Sirius slowly pulled away.

“We should get you in bed?”

“Yours?”

You asked with a sly smile. It was a bold move. You knew if Remus was there he would probably be giving Sirius and yourself an earful about moving too quickly.

Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“I figured we were going to do that whole taking is slow nonsense?

You smiled. Maybe taking it slow was the “smart” thing but after a day like today; you wanted nothing more than some physical affection.

“Since when have we been the whole taking it slow type of people?”

Sirius smiled. In the dark, he looked just like the man that you had fallen in love with all the years before. “Yeah, we are more like the hell hath no fury type of people. Come on.”

The next morning, you stood making sure that Harry had everything ready for school.

“I think that I’m good, Auntie.”

He replied after you checked his list for the 12th time. Sirius smirked from his place in the corner. This was your typical behavior. When the two of you were kids, you were the one that made sure that James and Sirius were good to go.

You smiled.

“Here is where I give you my ceremonial be good speech...be good.”

“That's it?”

Sirius asked with a laugh. You shrugged.

“I feel kind of like a hypocrite telling him to be good after all of the stuff that we pulled.”

Sirius was quiet for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah, be good.”

Harry smiled. For the first time, he actually felt like he had parents. It was nice feeling like an actual family for once!

“Will you two be fine?”

Harry watched as Sirius and yourself exchanged looks. You smiled.

“Of course!”

Harry’s attention was drawn to Molly Weasely who was motioning him forward. He quickly gave Sirius and yourself a hug.

“I’ll see you both at Christmas.”

____

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