#cause then the wood would have to be stained because they also did that

[sad-ghosts-club]

Furniture shopping when your parents bought unfinished furniture is such a pain in the ass cause you can't find unfinished furniture stores anymore really and they're all so expensive

[poeticallyyron]

ALL YOU NEED IS ME

summary : your naughtiness is just an opportunity for her to reassert her dominance over you

warning(s) : dark!wanda maximoff, toxic relationship, emotional and physical dependence, mental manipulation

authors note : It's my first time writing something like this, also my first language is not English so this may contain grammatical errors

Enough. It was enough. Every day, every moment, was just a game to her, a manipulative game that made you fall deeper and deeper into her macabre plan. You couldn't even remember what your life was like before her, you tried to remember but you never could, there was always a thick fog in your head and when you realized it... the lights went out and you were asleep.

The sound of her heels clicking against the wood made you shiver, you stood up and watched as she approached, her gaze was cold, her eyes were dark, as if there was nothing, as if she had lost every little thing that made her human. Standing in front of you the woman smiled, a smile that for anyone would be calm, but you could see it. "Time to eat my little dove" she said in a soft but deep tone of voice, her hands moved without giving you a single moment to think and when you realized she was holding the spoon in front of your lips about to feed you "I can do it by myself"

A thick silence settled after that, Wanda hummed and dropped the spoon, then her gaze hardened, her aura denoting coldness. "You really think you can do it? Well, if you're so sure... I want to see you try" she said, looking at you and then at the plate of food, encouraging you to do it. Her eyes showed a dark river that the more you looked at it, the more it dragged you along.

For a moment you were afraid, afraid because you knew she was angry, afraid to take the spoon, because if you did that would trigger a series of painful consequences for you. When you realized that, you moved away from the plate, regretting your decision, your action caused Wanda to frown and bring her hand to your chin, squeezing hard, you almost felt the pressure of the grip breaking your teeths. "Didn't you say you can do it on your own? The, come on. do it.

With an angry growl she pulled your face closer to the table, then let go. With a shaking hand you tried to grab the spoon but you couldn’t, it was like it was stuck to the plate, you tried with all your might but it didn’t work, unknowingly the tears in your eyes began to run, no matter what you did, no matter how hard you tried, you could never get away from her. There was no escape, never. The tears kept running, staining the table, a macabre laugh was heard loudly and when you turned to look at her you saw red, her eyes were shining, she approached you and whispered in your ear "What's wrong bunny? I thought you could do it, what's happened? You're so useless that you can't lift a simple spoon?"

She took the spoon from your hands and pulled it away from you, throwing it away, its sound echoing in the silence, her hands now pushing your face colliding with the food and staining it in the process. "Then I guess you'll have to eat like an animal"

"Eat everything" she finished moving further and further away from you, the spoon breaking on the floor thanks to his magic, leaving you alone in the place, hungry and crying for her help. For sure, the only thing you need is Wanda

[hsakuras]

𝑮𝑨𝒁𝑬 | 𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑻𝑨𝑮𝑳𝑰𝑨

warnings: dubcon, stalking, yandere childe, alcohol consumption, facial, blow job, fem reader, degradation, cum eating(?), snowballing, breath play

wc: 4.1k

a/n: im baaaaack, also this is for @jozhenji ily bitch mwah

You hate Snezhnaya. 

The cold that bites at your cheeks, the way your bones ache if you stand outside too long, and how blinding the snow can be on the days where the sun is the brightest. You hate holding onto candle light to maneuver your way down the hallway of your house, only to hear talk of the Fatui growing in size and manipulating more people into joining under the harbingers from the neighbors that stop by to chat in front of your door late at night. 

“They each have their own agenda.” One of them says, as if that’s supposed to justify their actions, like they’re not all connected in some way.

“Did you hear Ajax got into another fight?” 

“Again?”

You hate him. Ajax. You hate how he always needs to be the center of attention.

You hate his laughter, his gaze, the way he starts fight after fight and how he doesn’t care if his father cries or threatens to send him to the military. You hate how he knows so much, how he thrives off of the adrenaline that runs through his veins when he knows he’s won, when he can taste it, feel it in his hands and configure it so that it adds fuel to the fire burning brightest in his chest. It’s the one of the only times his smile reaches his eyes.

You hate that it’s the same smile when he looks at you. When he thinks that he can barge in on your walks to get firewood, or when he finds one of your siblings and walks them home. He only wanted to make sure they would get home safe, he swears. 

 If Ajax could put his pride on a pedestal, he would. He would bellow in letting people watch as it grows and swallows everything in its path to take up more space, thriving on the marvel painted on people’s faces who pass, who watch as he leaves the small village of your hometown to join the Fatui. It shouldn’t have come as a shock when he was recognized because of his ability to fight. 

You think about the time that he went missing for three days causing a search party that grew so rapidly in size because his father is a respectable man, it hurt to see how little he slept. It hurt your community to see him attempt to console his other children. 

It hurt even more when you were the one Ajax showed up in front of first. 

You were looking out to the horizon, the firewood that had been collected by your side, stopping to enjoy the hot stew you had prepared for your siblings in the thermos that had been carefully wrapped to protect it from the bitter temperatures. It wasn’t exactly as hot as you expected but you welcomed the few seconds of warmth brought to your lips. It’s comforting and while looking out to the horizon, you make a silent promise to yourself to move to a nation that is always sunny, where the winds are warm, and the waters are blue. Something that would help your soul feel weightless in contrast to your current surroundings. 

When the forest is covered in snow you can hear everything, the branches that fall under the weight of the ice, the crunching of footsteps when someone passes by, and even the curses of the men who were fetching more wood for their wives; tired, exhausted, and numb. 

That day he came back, you didn’t expect to hear him, much less see him. 

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” You knew his voice, whipping your head around so fast because you never heard his footsteps approaching. His nose was bleeding, staining his mouth and shirt. “It’s nothing compared to you.” He smiled after wiping the blood off his nose and mouth with his sleeve, watching you in awe of how relieved you must have been when he showed himself to you.

He stumbles forward a little, laughs, “Hey, I lov-I’ve loved you from the moment we met.”

You’re the last thing he sees before he blacks out. 

Years have passed since then. You watch when Teucer and Tonia come running by with their new toys, how much easier it gets for his father to take care of himself when he’s promised that Ajax is okay and the financial hardship doesn’t consume his very being. It’s hard not to smile when Teucer looks up at you with a toothy grin, begging you to play with him again. 

You’ve never been able to tell him no, even though he has the same eyes as his older brother. 

-

You feel uneasy when Pulcinella knocks at your door one evening.

It’s routine for him to visit Ajax’s home, he is the one who offered him the position in the Fatui, you knew he had good combat skills but never would have guessed it was enough for him to be recognized as one of the harbingers. His name is no longer familiar, replaced with Tartaglia. He erases the name given to him, fully accepting his role.

You open your door for him, it would be rude not to answer when the mayor comes to your door. 

He smiles gently at you, it does nothing to relieve your nerves, makes goosebumps run down your spine and you will yourself to meet his gaze and return a smile that you would never call your own. 

“For you.” 

You let him place the box in your hand, it's rectangular, flat, and wrapped beautifully. It makes your stomach drop when his hand touches yours, you can feel a letter slip in between your hand and his, it reminds you of when your grandmother would place chocolates in your hand when you were a child. 

“Thank you.” You mumble, mouth dry and lips chapped from the unexpected visit. He nods, leaving you and waving goodbye at Ajax’s family. 

You set the box down next to the fireplace, you can hear the crackles from the wood engulfed in flames, it makes you feel less lonely at night. Now that your siblings have gone and left, you’re left to take care of the house your parents had left behind. 

You carefully unwrap the bow that sits on top, folding it neatly beside you. Your palms are sweaty when you peel back the wrapping paper. The outside is revealed with the name of an expensive boutique known for the intricate patterns of beautifully displayed lingerie. 

You stare at it in disbelief, the measurements are your size down to the millimeter, you feel like screaming. Like locking yourself in your home, blocking out the windows and doors so that no one, no one else could ever invade your privacy the way that he has. 

The black lace is decorated with hints of glitter and the satin lines it feels so, so fine. If it were from anyone else you would be enamored, delighted to wear this for someone that you held feelings for, but the only thing you feel is fear. 

You remember the letter that was placed in your hands. 

You wish you hadn’t opened it. He only speaks of the past, how he never got to tell you how grateful and happy he was to see you after he had been missing for so long.

When you returned home with Ajax, he was different, asking how many days have passed to everyone that came to visit him during his recovery, contemplating how time passes differently where he was in. When you would see him, you had reassured him over and over that it was three days, though he argued it had been three months. He used to make you retell the story again, and again, and again going over the most miniscule details until you were in tears telling him that it’s all you can remember. 

You throw the box and letter into the fire, watching the flames consume it all. You spend the remainder of the night fitting whatever parts of your life that you could in a suitcase. 

You leave the next morning. 

-

Your life in Fontaine is calmer than back home, you’re near the ocean and you bask in the warm windy hills during the day or dive into the ocean once you’ve finished your work at the small little dress boutique in the middle of the city. 

Your boss teases you about one of the Gardes that have caught your attention when he patrols, you even sparked up a conversation about your favorite flowers you’ve encountered in Fontaine. 

“Romaritime flowers!” you exclaim, “They’re beautiful. They look so pure in and out of the water.”

He places one in your hands the next time you meet, promising to take you on a proper date when he finishes patrol. 

You assume the bouquet of them at your front door was from him, assume that you would see him that night when you closed the boutique and assume that he would ask where you would like to go next. 

You spent that morning getting ready for work. Donning one of your favorite dresses, it compliments you well enough to make you stand out, but still allows you to work comfortably. It’s something your boss had given to you when you first arrived in Fontaine, the excuse was that you also needed something when you would go out. How else would you fit in? 

You cried at her kindness, something you had not encountered in years. 

You finish work that night, assuring your boss that you would close up. She gives you a hug, tells you that she wants to hear all about it when you come back after your day off. 

The clouds start to darken when she leaves. You hope it’s only temporary. 

- 

You imagine this is what heartbreak feels like. 

To trust someone with your feelings so easily only to be faced with the hard realization that they didn’t seem to care about that trust to begin with. The rain, which you hoped was short lived,  only rubs salt in the wound. It’s pouring, your shoes are in your hands and your dress is stuck to your body. You waited for two hours after the boutique closed for him to come by, you waited another hour after his patrol ended. You finally left after ten more minutes, when a young woman knew the look on your face and offered you her umbrella. You politely declined, assured her that you would be okay. 

In the end you’re left disappointed, cold, and wet. It reminds you of the numerous times you would come home from the harsh snowfall in Snezhnaya, greeted with silence when you stepped foot into your house shivering and attempting to start a fire. You hated it. 

You ignore the stares from couples strolling the night, instead focusing on the cool pavement beneath your bare feet, how the rain feels somewhat cooling to your face and how you can hide your tears. 

It’s better this way, to only rely on yourself. You’re all you have after all. 

When you return home, you toss your shoes outside to dry. Slamming the door behind you and begin struggling to peel off your dress because the fabric is soaking wet and it’s stubbornly sticking to your skin. You curse when it doesn’t come off, panting and pulling it over your head, you step on something sharp, cursing again when you finally throw your dress off and the tears threaten to spill. You curse and throw the dress into the corner of your living room. 

You’re left cold, shivering, and only in your bra and panties when you look at the blood from your foot. You begin to cry. 

Your gaze then follows the trail of broken glass on your floor, the pool of water leading up to the broken vase of the Romaritime flowers.

“Do you let others stare at you like this?” 

Your blood runs cold. You remember the same feeling back when he found you staring out into the horizon all those years ago. 

He places a hand over your mouth, holds you flush against his chest when he sneaks up from behind you. “Shh, s’kay.”

You can’t scream, you squirm in his hold, kicking and clawing at his arm holding your face. He thinks it would be fun to allow you to think he’s off balance. 

You shift all your weight onto him, hoping that in the fall you’ll have enough time to run, to hide, to fight. You could run to your neighbor’s house, the nice little old couple that lives behind you and hide in their garden until you’re safe. You wish you were safe, you wish you were home sooner. Oh fuck, if only you hadn’t waited for so long into the night. 

He grabs your wrist before you’re able to move, bringing you back to him. You force yourself to find strength to move, to be able to turn around and face him. He anticipates this, he spins you around like a dancing couple would. 

He laughs once and you stop.  

You no longer want to look, you can only see the boy who was missing smiling and complimenting you with blood running down his nose, you remember the lingerie he sent when you were still in the village, how your stomach dropped when the mayor knocked at your door. 

Nothing compares to this, to the goosebumps littering your skin when he peers down at you, blue eyes that don’t ever leave your gaze and make you feel like you’re drowning in the sea waters that surround Fontaine. 

“I was waiting for you” he whispers, peppering your face with kisses while you stand there, frozen. It’s similar to the time when he collapsed in front of you, only this time you can’t find the words to scream.

It’s funny how this time he’s found you. Your poor attempt at hiding from him is amusing. 

“Missed you so much” he continues to kiss you, makes his way down to your collarbones and doesn’t hesitate to get on his knees to kiss the softness of your stomach or the tops of your breasts that are exposed to him. 

“Should have locked you up you know? You ran from me, took me forever to find you.”

“Ajax” you whisper, the tears that sting your eyes are threatening to spill. “Why are you here?” 

You hold in a sob, you know why. You’ve always known why he was enamored by you. 

“Does it matter?” he breathes, shifting his position so he is behind you again, kissing the tears off the side of your face, watching how your breathing shifts when his cold hands touch the bare skin exposed to him. 

“Had to pay that Garde off really well. He wasn’t cheap, you know?”

Your heart breaks further, the sob you were holding building into your throat. “You’re so worth it though, pretty little thing. Look at how I found you, fuck, you missed me too didn’t you?”

He’s guiding you to your couch, laying you down while he towers over you. You feel nauseous when you feel his hardening cock through his pants, “look at you, look at you!” He laughs again, another bout of tears flowing down your cheeks, hot and heavy. 

He leans down to kiss you, you turn your head but Ajax isn’t opposed to using force to get what he wants, you know this. You’ve always known this. He takes your face into his hands again, squishing your cheeks together like he did before except his gaze is demanding, icy, and bitter. 

“Kiss me back” 

You oblige, letting him press his lips against yours and slipping his tongue into your mouth. You flinch at the roll of his lips, clutching at his shirt when he groans into your mouth. He mistakes this as want, giving you more until you’re consumed by him, his presence, his scent, his touch. 

He breaks away to let you breathe, smiles at the string of spit that connects both of you and how your eyes are hazing, even though he can’t tell if it’s from crying or from how dizzy he’s made you when he kissed you. 

“Let’s celebrate” He’s off of you before you can register what he said, grabbing a bottle of one of Mondstat’s best wines. He’s unceremonious, rogue even, when he pops the cork off and takes a drink straight from the bottle before dipping back down to kiss you.

He didn’t swallow much to your surprise, he let the wine pass from his mouth to yours. Pulling away to watch your face scrunch up at the taste, “s’good” he slurs, taking another drink and swallowing this time.

“Here.” He’s pulling you to sit up, he’s so fast it’s hard to follow what he’s thinking, what he’s doing. He’s taking another drink again, it’s smaller this time, more like a sip that he thinks is adequate for you. 

He doesn’t let you pull back, his hand is on the nape of your neck making sure you can’t escape his intensity. You try to keep up, letting his tongue enter your mouth and swirl with his. It’s so sloppy, so hot, and sticky that it makes your head spin. He only gives you a break to drink more wine, to make you both drink more. 

He keeps giving you more and more, loves when you get weaker and you don’t protest as much anymore. When you whine and start anticipating the alcohol from his mouth to yours, it makes the taste more bearable and your thoughts aren’t as loud in your head. 

The wine keeps spilling from the corners of your mouth, leaving a little trail of purple-red for him to lick up to. He’s sucking at the skin of your neck, finding your pulse point so easily. His teeth nip at your skin, you don’t mean to lean into him, the alcohol is making you slow to react. He swears he hears a small moan escape your lips when he nips at the sensitive skin again. 

His hand slides down your chest, feeling your tits through the fabric of your bra, it’s still wet. 

“Ajax” you slur, “wanna wait” you say. He looks at you, he notices the tears again. You feel them spill, you’re cold. You cling onto him because at least he’s offering you that sliver of comfort. 

“Wait?” He repeats, licking a tear off of your cheek. 

“Why would I wait when I know you want me too?” He whispers in your ear, his hands unclasping your bra in one go. His touch is cold, similar to how it feels when you first go into the sea. Your body has to get use to it, it starts to warm up and you feel like you could swim and float for hours. 

It’s the same with his touch, the cool tips of his fingers warm up the more he squeezes. He likes the sound you make when he pinches at your nipples, he takes one into his mouth, sucking and licking. Groaning when he hears the little whimpers you try to hold back. 

He makes his way back up to your lips again, grabs your hands that are clutching at his sides to guide them down to palm the shape of his cock through his pants. 

He’s dreamt of this for so long. 

“Oh fuck” he pants, his breath hitting your lips before he’s kissing you again, his tongue feels like he’s lapping into your mouth getting as sloppy as possible as if you’re going to vanish again. His tongue rolls over yours until he’s aching, cock throbbing for attention. 

“Hey, feel me here.” He pants, eyes red rimmed and the blue of his irises brighter. You feel like you could drown in them. 

He takes your hand and holds it in his, tossing his vision on your table. He’s undoing his belt & pulling his pants down enough for his cock to spring free. 

He wraps your hand around the base, guides you in how fast and how much pressure to place around him, when he lets go of your hand you can feel him looking at you. You’re focused on the length of him, how heavy and hot he feels against your hand. 

You feel like crying again. You oblige him because at least he’ll leave you alone sooner, you’re just another thing for him to win over, to declare victory before he gets bored with you and moves on to this next challenge. 

“More fuck, please more” he pants, hips stuttering into your hand. You can feel the sticky, hot precum that coats the tip of his dick and now your hand. You look up at him and see that he’s got his head tipped back, moaning about how hot you are, how good you are, how he’s thought about this since you saved him. Since you found him, how he’s been in love with you since he found you looking out into the horizon. Even before, he’s been in love with you since the beginning, since he saw you. 

“You owe me this.” he breathes.

“What?” 

He laughs again, the same one that haunts you. 

“Don’t act like you didn’t know. I had you watched wherever you went, I made sure your siblings got into the school they wanted, fuck I even followed you here.” 

He takes your hand in his, knows that your hand is coated in his pre cum, takes one of your fingers and licks it up the length. His eyes ever leave yours as he does. 

“You should thank me.” He deadpans, cock still throbbing and hard when he stands up at full height. 

“Thank me.” He repeats the length of his dick is on your face, rutting against your cheek until the tip meets your lips. 

“Yeah, that's how you should do it.” He smiles, the one that meets his eyes. The genuine one. 

He’s holding on to the back of your head before you can move. He doesn’t care if your hair is messy, it's almost dry now. He takes your hand again, planting it onto his thigh for leverage. 

His grip returns to the base of his cock, tapping the tip on your lips again. 

You don’t open your mouth, new tears building up in your waterline. He shows no remorse for what he’s doing, no concern, he thinks he deserves this. It’s the least he deserves for what he’s done for you. 

He pinches your nose, catching you when you part your lips to shove his length into your mouth. 

You cry, struggling to breathe at the pace he starts at. 

“Woulda been so gentle to you if you would have been good, fuck.”

He seethes, eyes rolling into the back of his head when both of his hands are holding your head to match his hips. Your nails are digging into his thighs, your strength unmatched for how you try to push yourself off of him as he pulls you forward on his length. He can’t handle the hot, wet, tightness of the back of your throat. 

“Fuck yes, more, more, more” he chants, pinching your nose again to see you panic when you look up again, he loves you like this. When your chin is covered in spit and tears and his balls hit you with every rut of his hips. 

“God, gonna paint your fucking face, slut. Gonna cover you in my cum so you can never forget who you belong to” 

You can feel that he’s getting close, he grants you grace for only one second before he’s holding your jaw in his hand again. 

You take in gulps of air, coughing, and crying while he forces you to look at him. 

“Don’t run from me again.” He seethes, forcing you back down on his length. 

He’s ruthless this time, uncaring for the way your eyes can’t focus, or how you look like you’re going to pass out. You’re vision keeps going in and out, you can hear yourself. How you choke and gag around his length how he curses with each “ack. ack. ack” of his dick hitting the back of your throat. 

“Gonna cum—shit”

He pulls you off, using one of his hands to keep you in place while he jacks himself off with the other. 

“Say it, say who you belong to.” 

You can’t understand, hazy vision threatening to go black. 

“Fuck, say it and I’ll cum. I’ll cover your fucking face and never leave you. You understand? You’re mine. “

You don’t know what he’s rambling on about. You want to plead with him, talk this out and let him know he could pursue someone else. 

“Ajax” you rasp. 

“Yeah? You belong to me don’t you? Oh fuck—“ 

He groans, doesn’t hold his voice back, calling you all sorts of names but mostly that you’re his, his, his. 

His cum on your face should be enough to prove it. He looks at you like a masterpiece, taking his finger and dragging it through his cum and putting it into his mouth before kissing you. 

“Don’t let anyone else see you like this.” 

[twstfanblog]

*~Period Drama~*

A/N: This was a funny idea I had and Now I'm gonna do another series with my Yuu OC. Note that I write most of the cast in a platonic sense with my OC because that's how their story formed. I'm fully open to doing requests with characters in a romantic sense. Word Count: 4.7K Warnings: Period mentions, allusions to sexual assault (They are assumed, nothing actually happens), She/They OC Pronouns Pairings: Azul/Reader (Poly), Jamil/Reader (Poly) Enjoy! Start (Here), Part 2 (Octavinelle), Part 3 (Heartslabyul), Part 4 (Savanaclaw), Part 4.5 (Diasomnia pt.1), Part 5 (Diasomnia pt2), Part 6 (Pomefiore)

Yuu was forgetting something, she knew she was. But sitting in her pjs on a Saturday morning, an over-filled bowl of sugary cereal in hand, she couldn't be bothered to really care.

It was shaping up to be a good day too. None of the staff needed her help with anything, her friends all had their club meetings, and the kitchen was stocked with easy-to-grab snacks for Grim. the cat monster himself had even started his homework on Friday night with minimal fighting. Literally, nothing could be wrong, but she still felt uneasy. They woke up feeling weary and oddly bloated.

With an inquisitive expression, she taps her spoon against her bowl. They really hoped they weren't going to spend all day in a strange sense of deja vu…

Then she sneezed and everything made sense. Yuu blinks, moving back to pull the seam of their pj pants, looking down as they groan, "Ah, shit…"

Azul loved Saturdays, they were his biggest money-maker days. Students came to the Mostro Lounge either to get a head start on homework, grab a drink after practice or clubs, or merely have a freshly cooked meal. It also was the day he had most of his workforce available so he could spare the time to walk around campus or catch up on his own paperwork.

But, what he's trying to do was gather his courage and think up a plausible enough reason for him to go visit his date-mate. Not that he usually needed one, they were very vocal about how he was always a welcomed presence in their company.

But, Yuu had been…easily irked? Prickly? Upset. Yuu had been upset for most of the week but anyone who questioned their mood was quickly shot down. The prefect would then tensely state they weren’t mad and then questioned why people thought they were mad. Sure they had a very intense resting bitch face but who didn't at Night Raven? (He's fairly certain you needed to either be handsome or have the most terrifying resting bitch face to be admitted to this school).

So he wasn't too pressed about his date-mate's mood until Floyd said something. He had come into the back office pouting of all things, saying 'Shrimpy smelled off'. They had also punched him when the eel merman attempted to pick them up, which wasn't normal.

Jade handled his twin, trying to cull Floyd’s decreasing mood, while Azul opened a few text chats to ask if anyone had caused Yuu reason to want to kill someone. The genuine confusion and concern that answered back only made him more uneasy.

Now, on a sunny Saturday, Azul made the long journey toward Ramshackle. With an obscure board game tucked under his arm and a bag of exclusive gummy candy in hand, he was on a mission to improve his dear pearl’s mood.

Or he was until he was suddenly being dragged down the dirt road in a different direction. He yelped and shouted, trying to angle himself to see what was pulling him through the mud and sticks. The answer was Sam’s shadows, the black willowy wisps quickly yanking him into the shop and setting him on his feet. Azul looks down at his outfit, scowling at seeing the dirt and grass stains. Sevens, did he rip his slacks?

“Lil fish.”

Azul jolts, eyes wide and semi-fearful at Sam’s echoing tone. The man stood behind the counter, a number of medical supplies laying across the surface as his nails gripped at the wood. Sam’s eyes were wide, pupils pinprick as his amethyst orbs almost glowed under all the shadows. Speaking of shadows…Azul looks around the shop, feeling actual fear stir in him. The shadows were everywhere, zipping through the aisles, slithering in and out of the back room, and some were even racing out of the shop, “Uh…Yes, Sam? H-how can I be of assistance?” He didn’t stutter, he refuses to admit he stuttered.

“Do you know what a pad is?”

…

“Like…Like a notepad or-”

“NO!” Sam slams his fist onto the counter, the lights of the near-endless shop flickering wildly at the force of it. He rests his face in his hands, paying no mind to his makeup and hat that fell to the counter. Looking up, his intense stare was replaced with one of desperation, “You’re killing me here, kid. Look, if you know what a damn pad is, just tell me where to get one! I know you and the lil pup talk!”

“I swear, I have no clue what you’re talking about, sir.” Sevens, had Azul ever felt scared of Sam? He didn’t like this, why was his fellow businessman so frazzled? What kind of pad was he talking about? Why couldn’t he find it and assumed Azul would know where and what the damn thing was?

Sam groans, hands running furiously through purple-tinted lock braids. With a snap of his fingers, the wisps all stop. Either quickly entering the shop or bleeding into the shadows to hide once more, “Look just…Go see the prefect. They called me asking for sanitation pads? That’s the business name they told me anyway…That and just…a lot of pain potions.”

Azul clicked out of his confusion, growing nervous at the potions request, “I…wait are they hurt? Shouldn’t they be in the infirmary?”

“I suggested that, but they insisted they didn’t need to go, just the potions. I’m sending them over soon, Crewel is due to deliver my order in an hour or two. I’ll send him over after ya once he gets here.” Sam grumbles under his breath as Azul rushes out of the store. ‘Primadonna dog hates when I call him while he’s brewing…’

Azul pulls his phone from his pocket, sending a text to both Jade and Floyd. Yuu was in pain, they had requested something called a ‘sanitation pad’? Whatever those were. By the name he could only guess they were used for cleaning of some kind. He sent the twins a message to meet him at Ramshackle ASAP, potentially 119 status. Yuu had always joked about the Octavinelle trio being the first ones they’d call if they needed to hide a body. But, it seemed when it came time for them to actually make the call, the poor thing must have been overwhelmed. He could only think they had done it in self-defense, but the cause didn’t matter. There wasn’t going to be a body in a few hours.

Halfway through the woods to Ramshackle, he hears other footsteps hurrying to catch him. Looking over his shoulder, he raises an eyebrow at the extra amount of people, “Why are they here?”

Ace, Deuce, and Jamil all kept a quick jog behind Floyd and Jade’s long-legged walk. Floyd rolled his eyes, pointing behind him with his thumb, “I was at practice. Crabby and Sea Snake saw the text and wanna help lil Shrimpy too…”

Deuce raises a hand, "I saw them leaving the gym on my way to track practice. Yuu's my classmate and friend, it's only right I help them."

Jamil hisses under his breath, side-eyeing Azul as he sped up to walk beside him, “Plus, they’re my date-mate too, asshole…”

Rolling his eyes, Azul sighed, waving Jamil’s attitude off, “Yes, yes. We can meet with Draconia later about our timeshare lover's crimes. But for now, we need to go and assist them with the dead body I’m sure is on their property.”

Ace sighs, relaxing more as he leans back, arms folding behind his head, “Yuu finally did it, huh?”

“I mean…They can only threaten to murder someone so many times before they’d snap…” Deuce pipes up, rubbing the back of his head, almost dreading getting blood on his uniform again.

Floyd giggled, “I can’t wait to see who Shrimpy squeezed~. I bet they made it real messy!”

“Hmm…I wouldn’t put it past Yuu to kill someone via strangulation. But their MO seems to lean more toward bludgeoning.” Jade smiles to the group, eyes closing in barely hidden glee, “If anything clean up will at least be interesting if we’re just dealing with some blood splatter and a puddle!”

 Ace and Deuce wince, watching Floyd, Azul, and Jamil simply nod at Jade’s examination.

The mood was instantly broken once they came into view of Ramshakle. Floyd and Jade tensed, their smiles dropping off their faces before racing toward the dorm as two teal-colored blurs. Azul shouted, only to choke on his tongue at the smell. Blood. His nose wasn’t anywhere as sensitive as Floyd's or Jade’s but even at this distance, he could smell the sharp iron smell. He jogged to catch up with his dormmates, his expression of panic causing the other three to speed up as well.

All he could smell was Yuu’s blood. Sharp and salty, but spiced and sweet because of their diet. A hint of some type of alien fragrance that no one could place and Yuu couldn’t name mixing it all together perfectly. And that was all he was smelling, not even a hint of another person’s blood.

When the rest of the group had made it to the front porch, Floyd was pounding on the door, eyebrows creased while Jade searched the bushes for the hidden key, “Shrimpy! Open up! Shrimpy!”

Jade’s fingers had just grazed the false rock when the door’s locks clicked open. Floyd swung the door so hard it nearly sent Grim into the hallway wall. The feline monster kept to the ground, eyes wide and teary with fear, “Yuu’s bleeding all over everything and they won’t tell me why!”

Deuce was the only one who had the mindset to scoop Grim into his arms, the rest of them instantly rushing up the stairs toward Yuu’s bedroom. The sound of their footsteps pounding on the floor echoing in the house, each of them calling out in panicked voices. Azul could only grow increasingly worried, the scent of blood growing stronger and stronger.

Jade slams the door open, Ace instantly diving into the bed and startling Yuu awake.

“The-The fuck- hello?”

Ace cupped their face, using what medical lessons Riddle had drilled into his head to see if they had a visible injury, “Yuu! Can you hear me? We were calling you all the way downstairs- Ay!” He tumbles off the bed when Yuu shoves him aside, dark eyes glaring down at the redhead.

“Yeah, I was sleeping. Why are all of you in my house?”

“We smelled blood shrimpy!” Floyd kneeled onto the bed, sniffing around trying to find the main source of blood. Ignoring or nipping at Yuu’s hands trying to shove his face away from her body.

Azul stepped forward, eyes roaming in barely concealed haste, “Sam sent me over. He was worried by a request you had called him about? It’s sent him positively spiraling.”

Yuu raises an eyebrow, having given up on getting Floyd off their bed and wrapping an arm around him instead, “Yeah I was about to ask. Octobaby, what truck did you get dragged behind and did you at least get the license plate?”

Whatever positive flow of atmosphere that was building ended, Floyd grasping the duvet covering them and pulling, “Shrimpy, where are you bleeding-”

A single tug was all it took for Yuu’s bottom half to be flashed. They all look in stunned silence. Fresh red blood on a series of towels under them, a smear on the inside of their bare legs. Yuu shouts but none of them respond, minds spiraling at what could have possibly happened.

“Floyd! By the Seven, I’m not wearing any pants!” Yuu snatches the blanket back, draping it over their legs with a huff. They turn to Floyd only to have their face gripped harshly. Floyd stared at them with a dead expression, his single golden eye almost glowing with the force of his anger, “Floyd?”

“Who?”

“Wha-”

“Who?”

“Floyd.” Jade’s hands come into view, pulling Floyd’s grip off of their face and his brother off the bed. Jade was no better, a pleasant smile on his face but eyes wide and void of any emotion, “It’ll do no good to pressure them into telling us. Let us let our two professionals deal with this. The two of us can brainstorm methods of...disposing of the unsavory culprit once we have a name or description.”

Yuu watched them slowly leave the room. Floyd just barely letting Jade pull him along as his expression started to finally morph into a look of anger. His fists clenched as he gritted his teeth, body so tense his movements were more shaky than his normal loose glide.

Looking beside them, Yuu catches eyes with Ace and Deuce. Ace quickly turned away, a hand covering his mouth as a single tear slid down his cheek and his shoulders shook. Deuce was no better, gripping Grim in his arms as he hiccuped softly with just barely contained sobs. He looked like he was fighting back the urge to go into 'delinquent mode'.

Jamil finally moves, a hand on each of Ace's and Deuce's shoulders, guiding them to the door. Softly pushing them out too once Jade had managed to pull Floyd out of the room, “Let us talk to them…We’ll…we’re gonna figure this out…”

Yuu watches stunned as Azul walks toward them as though he was approaching a wounded animal; softly, with just a hint of fear and pity, “Azul…What’s-?”

“It’s ok.” Jamil closed the door, still facing it so Yuu wasn’t sure if he was saying it to them or mumbling to himself, “It's…It’s ok, you’re gonna be fine…”

Azul had finally reached them and they could clearly see the unshed tears in his eyes, “It’s not your fault. This is not your fault, do you hear me?” He ran his fingers through their hair, his other hand gently cupping against her cheek as his thumb shakingly caressed their skin. He opens his mouth, closing his eyes while he sighs a shuddering sob. Gathering his wits again he opens his eyes, a fiery determination glowing in them, “We’re here for you, my pearl.”

“Wha…?” Yuu could only wrap their arms around Azul, the merman diving to embrace her in what had to be the most protective hold he could do with just his two arms. It felt safe and sturdy, like a cool blanket was wrapped around their body. While it was welcomed, Yuu only grew more confused feeling a wet spot start to form on their shoulder where Azul’s face had snuggled into, “I’m…very confused…”

“Yuu.”

If Azul wasn’t holding them, they would have jumped off the bed. Jamil stood right next to them with a blank expression. His face pulled into a mask of neutrality, but his eyes were steely, an ice-cold fire in them waiting to find a victim.

“Who. You can tell me, you can trust me. We’ll handle everything, you won't even have to look at the bastard unless you want to beat him to death yourself.” He kneels on the bed, his hand moving to touch her covered thigh before retreating, a pinched expression breaking his mask before it was back in place, “You have to tell us who did this to you, hayati.”

Did what to them?

Yuu stared at Jamil, blinking when he finally had to look away to bite his lip. He looked to be holding back tears, fully turning around to put his face in his hands to mutter under his breath. ‘How could he let this happen? Why couldn’t he have just one thing with nothing to ruin it?’ a teary sob of ‘Do they not trust him?’

“My pearl?” Azul pulls his face away from their shoulder, sniffling before he removes his glasses briefly to wipe his tears, “Do you…Would you like me to draw you a bath? This can’t be comfortable-”

“Azul!” Jamil whipped around, glaring at the merman, sparing them a worried glance before turning back to Azul and whispering heatedly, “They can’t take a bath until they get checked, you moron!”

“What’s there to check Jamil!? We can all clearly see what happened! Why put them through the extra…extra poking and defilement when we know what happened!?”

“Because we need evidence!”

“What we need is a name! Or a description! I’m not even going to entertain the idea of bringing this to a court. We have plenty of manpower on campus to bury whoever did this 12 times over.”

“Excuse me, what the fuck are you guys talking about?” Yuu spoke up, eyes glancing between the two of them, “Because if you mean the bleeding, that’s pretty standard at this point.” Maybe they just…forgot they had a vagina? Boys normally didn’t react well to period talk in the first place, but this was an all-boy school and Yuu was more non-gendered than female-gendered. Maybe they just honestly forgot.

But, what they said had only made things worse, both Azul and Jamil looking at them in absolute horror. Standard. This was normal. This had happened multiple times already.

Azul starts to openly sob, wrapping himself around them in a way to keep everything else away, nuzzling his head into her neck and whimpering out apologies. Jamil covered his mouth, a look that Yuu could only call devastation on his face before he stood from the bed to pace the room. Mutters grew in volume and speed before Yuu finally realized what they thought had happened.

“Oh. OH!” They quickly pull Azul from their neck, hands pressed to both his cheeks to keep him looking into their eyes, “Sevens! Guys no! That isn’t what this is, I promise! No one hurt me like that!”

“You expect us to believe that!?” Jamil turns on them, eyes wild and red with held-back tears. He gestures to the bed, alluding to the mess of blood under the covers, “What else could this possibly be!? Why are you trying to defend them!?”

“Jamil, I’m on my period!” Yuu looked back at Azul once her words seemed to hit Jamil, “It’s just my period. No one hurt me. I’m…well, not fine. Periods are a bitch. But not that…I swear it wasn’t that.”

No one made a sound past Azul’s labored breathing, the merman’s expression slowly morphing from one of despair into confusion. Once his breathing was finally under control, he pulled Yuu’s hands from his face, a single brow raised, “Your…your period?”

“Yeah…It’s just my period.”

Jamil pulls a face, eyes looking down as his brain worked to understand what Yuu was saying, “...Like the punctuation?”

Yuu frowned, turning to Jamil, “Don’t you act fucking dumb with me.” They press a kiss to Azul’s forehead, letting him slump against their chest, not seeing the gears turning in his head, “You and your sister are basically the same petty soul shared between two bodies. You know what a period is Jamil.”

The two mages catch eyes across the room, both…so painfully confused. Azul takes his time to finally untangle from Yuu, giving a small smile and patting hesitantly at the blanket, “O-okay…A period…right?”

At Yuu’s annoyed nod, Jamil sniffs, checking that he hadn’t cried before looking over to the door, “And…Najma will know. You’re sure she will?”

“I mean basically every girl gets a period so I would think so Jamil…”

The two boys share another look, communicating in a way Yuu hadn’t learned to do with them yet before they turn back to them with those soft, weak smiles. Azul caresses their face again, saying they should go back to sleep and that someone will bring up something to eat later on. It was slow, they clearly didn’t want to leave, but they both closed the door behind them. They share another look in the hallway, nodding before moving to regroup with the others.

The contained chaos they walk in on was almost comical if the reason wasn’t so mortifying. Jade had a hand gripped on each of Floyd’s shoulders while they took up the loveseat, whispering to the taller eel as he held him back. The whispers growing in intensity as his eyes widened in manic glee every time Floyd growled and moved to pull out of his brother’s hold. Ace was leaning against the wall, anger clear on his face as his nails bit into his forearms. He was the only one who looked up when they walked into the room. Deuce sat on the couch, curled around who they could only think was Grim, his shoulders shaking with barely contained cries.

Ace speaks up first, calling everyone else’s attention to their entry, “Well? Who’s the bastard we’re hunting down?”

Jamil and Azul pause, Jamil looking to the side and sighing, “They say nothing happened-”

“They’re lying!” Grim cries from Deuce’s arms. 

The spade Heartslabyul soldier sniffles, raising his head to look from over the couch, “Grim said they’ve been bleeding since this morning. From before he woke up…”

Jamil pulled out his phone, already dialing his sister, “They said Najma would know what’s going on…They were…so sure nothing…happened…”

Ace opened his mouth to yell only to be cut off at the sound of Najma picking up the line on speakerphone.

“Jamil? What’s wrong, you never call me?”

“...” Jamil gulped, gripping his phone before speaking, “Najma, I need you to be completely honest with me. Swear on your life levels of seriousness. Do you know what a period is?”

“...Like the punctuation?”

Azul bit his lip, a hand moving to cover his mouth and start to pace around the room. He walks closer to Jade and Floyd to explain, the two eels listening to his quick words in clear confusion.

“I…Najma, something happened. Is it…normal to…” He let out another sigh, almost wishing it would take his soul with it, “Is it normal to bleed…out of your vagina?”

The beat of silence almost gave Jamil hope. Maybe it was some super secret girl thing that no male was allowed to ever know about. Maybe everyone in the room would have to be killed once Najma confirmed its existence. He knows he would at least prefer that over the alternative.

“Jamil, what the fuck? No!? No, that's not normal!? Jamil who do you know that’s bleeding out of their-”

“Don’t have time, I’ll call you back once this is all settled.” He’s never hung a phone up so fast. It quickly rings again, but he just declines Najma’s call and silences his phone. Now looking around, everyone else in the room is just as confused if not more so than he and Azul were.

“...What?” Jade tilts his head to the same degree his brother does while they both study Jamil, each trying to find…something in the conversation they just heard.

Azul spoke up, leaning his elbow against the fireplace, a hand coming up to rub at his temple, “They said they were simply on their period and that this was normal. They were also very certain Najma would confirm this sentiment, claiming it was a natural thing girls did.”

Deuce sat in thought, his brain working overtime to try and piece together the information they had, “Maybe…Uh…Wait, I can ask my mom!”

“What is your mom gonna know, Deuce!?” Ace hissed, more frustrated than actually angry.

“I don’t know, she’s like...an older girl? Maybe she knows more about it than Najma would?”

“...” Jade looks toward Azul with a shrug, “It’s another source of information. We’re literally going in blind with this.” He looks down in worry, feeling Floyd relax in his arms. His brother wasn’t calm by any means, more so his mood had finally reached so low that his homicidal urges couldn’t properly latch onto it. He just kept Floyd in his arms, holding his taller brother under his arms as though he was a cat.

Deuce pulls out his phone with one hand, the other keeping a grip on Grim as the monster whines. It only took a very rings before the phone was answered again.

“Hi, Deuce! I was just about to send you a text. I found this new cafe and they make the cutest parfaits-”

“Mom, that’s cool. Send me a picture later but. Um…I got a really weird and private question to ask you-”

“Deuce, we talked about this sweetie. There’s nothing wrong with liking certain things-”

“NOT THAT, NOT THAT!” He blushes, quickly cupping his phone away from view of the others. He whispers his question into the receiver, waiting with bated breath when the other line was quiet.

“Sweetie. Am I on speaker?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“That isn’t…that isn’t something that should be happening. Is this…Deuce, is this about your friend Yuu?” At the affirmative, she continued, “I know you said they weren’t from around…anywhere really. But you boys need to tell your teachers about this. Whoever told them this was normal lied to them.”

The nervousness returns, everyone sharing a look, Deuce thanking his mom before hanging up the phone. Pass the stray sigh or muffled rambles no one spoke, each one of them was scared to voice their theories. Everything easily pointed toward…assault. But Yuu was such a level of certain that it was hard to deny the doubt that grew at the idea. There were magical ways of getting the truth out of people, they had Jade and Jamil, so it wouldn't be hard. But none of them wanted to break the trust Yuu had given to them. Not to mention the small chance that something did happen, and forcing Yuu to recount the horrible situation was cruel even by Night Raven standards if they were trying to actively suppress it. 

It seemed like they sat in silence for hours before they all heard the front door slam open, footsteps quickly stepping through the hall before a signature black and white coat filled the doorway. Crewel stood with one hand on his hip, the other impatiently tapping his crop against his leg.

“Ok, what’s going on? I’ve had students running around terrified from Sam’s shadows. I go to see Sam to ask about it and he informs me that he sent you runts to check on my puppy.” Crewel looks around the room, his frown turning into a scowl before he schools his expression again, “And there's no sign of my puppy in this pack of dogs, so what’s happened?”

After a prolonged silence, Ace groaned, deciding to bite the bullet since no one else wanted to, “Yuu’s bleeding from…from their vag and won't tell us why.”

…

“...” Crewel stepped to the side, light gray eyes seeming to look past all of them while he used his crop to point down the hall, “Get out.”

“Sensei-”

“Get. Out.”

The scramble they did out of the room was like a pack of dogs released into the wild, each of them refusing to meet the glacier-level stare of their teacher as they ran past. They didn’t leave Ramshackle property, choosing to instead stand outside and wait to be fully dismissed.

Crewel took the stairs two at a time, flinging Yuu’s bedroom door open. The sound of it slamming into the wall made Yuu groan in protest. He walks to the bed and sits, a hand instantly brushing their bangs back to alert them to his presence. He couldn't tell through his gloves, but they had seemed flushed, “Puppy? Puppy, talk to me. What's happening? I can’t help if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Yuu hums, just barely getting back to sleep before Crewel woke them up again. A hand pressed to their lower stomach and grumbled, “Hmmmm….Period…” “...Pup. What’s a period, explain it to me.” He keeps his hand in their hair, petting in a way to soothe both of them if needed. Period, Yuu clearly wasn’t talking about punctuation. All his mind could reach then was that period was speaking of a state of time. Meaning this was something that happened on some type of schedule.

Groaning, Yuu sits up, letting her head rest against Crewel’s shoulder, “Period, monthly bleed and all that. It’s girl stuff, you know biology, Crewel…”

Taking her in his arms, Crewel rubs at their back. Monthly…It’s at times Crewel is made painfully aware of how lacking he and the rest of Night Raven College were in knowledge about Yuu’s biology. “Yuu…That’s not a thing in Twisted Wonderland.” He can feel the moment they tense up, letting them pull back to look at him.

Yuu stares at their pseudo-father, eyes searching for some sign of the past hour being nothing but a really bad joke. Seeing none, they feel a cold realization hit, “Oh…Well, this is gonna be a real interesting time…”

[jaim-inhothekid]

𐀔 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞

[ W.C ! ] : 1.7k

[ Summary ! ] : Reader is a fairy, Luffy is a human – could i make it any more obvious?. As a fairy, you have the power to make flowers grow! Luffy is eager to see it firsthand | SFW ; GN!Reader ; Fairy reader

⌗ ✎ Author's Note : This was originally a trade piece for the lovely @nina-ya!!

The irregular flooring of a ship's deck couldn't be farther from what would be considered comfortable. Even with the soft sheets layered upon thick duvets in a clumsy, but honest attempt at imitating a similar structure of a mattress, you could still feel the bumpy unevenness of the teak planks under your back, mostly due to the gaps in between the floorboards. Ranging in sizes, caused by the expansion and contraction of wood during different seasons – the floor blocks also seemed to resemble a bow-like shape in some places, in others it resembled more of a small mountain, like there was something underneath making the center higher than the edges. In others, the flooring felt soft under your feet and had a funny smell, with dark stains that seemed permanently engraved into each plank.

Little ol’ Merry has definitely seen its better days, if the obvious signs of age were anything to go by – worn out, tired, but still standing tall despite lacking the shiny glory of a brand new vessel. You could pinpoint exactly where it had been damaged, and then repaired with someone's best efforts, like old scars that were once covered by patterned band-aids and kissed better by a loving parent, it was cherished and cared for. And you had a feeling that, even if it lacked the consciousness for it, Merry knew how dear it was for those who were on board of it. Humans were such funny creatures, beyond the very real and ever present capacity of immeasurable destruction, they were so full of love towards something that couldn't even return it, at least not in a way it could be seen or felt or heard. Something about when an action is truly genuine, when it comes straight from the heart, free of anything but raw emotion, you don't expect a return – you simply do it, because it feels right, because you want to.

Humans were such funny creatures. Dangerous, deceiving, worthy of suspicion – yet compassionate, caring, loving, and kind. They are a family, I've found a family.

This is nice, you thought. Under a sky much too extensive to fully fit in your field of vision, glistening brightly with stars whose names were buried too far in your mind to reach. Your stomach is pleasantly full with the food Sanji gave his best to prepare – “He says that all the damn time, about every meal” Zoro pointed after hearing the giddy exclamation from the blonde, which earned him a kick and a shouted insult, that quickly turned into a match of hurled expletives. You only gawked and smiled at the scene, and your smile widened further when later on, you caught a glimpse of the duo washing the dishes together, funny creatures. Nami slept soundly to her left, ginger hair sprawled around her head and over the white pillow, ember in the snow. The girl snored – but that's okay, you didn't mind, and neither did Usopp, who didn't stir once despite sleeping back to back with the redhead, seemingly accustomed to the noise. Feels like home.

And there's always something special that truly makes a place into a home – family pictures littering the walls, a favorite chair to plop in after a long day, that one cup in the kitchen that you never outwardly proclaimed it's yours but everyone knows that it's yours. Little details of life, of belonging, are what makes a home.

On the Merry, it's Luffy.

Lively Luffy who smiles wide and carelessly, baring all of his teeth, the corners of his lips rounding his cheeks until it squints his eyes, like he never had a reason to frown, like the only feeling he ever knew was joy. Welcoming Luffy who hugs as wide and carelessly as he smiles, arms that inhumanly stretch and loop around waists like the ropes securing the ships to the docks, that traps you in place and grounds you to reality, that make you feel like you belong no matter how far from home you may be.

You haven't been keeping track of how long you've been talking, only that you didn't feel like stopping any time soon. The others are fast asleep and the sky has only gotten darker, yet you feel like you can keep going until it fades back to the soft pastels of sunrise, maybe it's because Luffy just naturally makes people feel energized, maybe it's because she has never met someone who had so many things to ask about you. About your world, your culture, if the fairytales were accurate in their descriptions, if pixie dust was an actual thing – everything that came to mind, he asked, his curiosity had no filter, funny creature.

“Of course I do!” You couldn't keep from laughing at the absurdity of the question Luffy had just made, covering your mouth with your palms to stifle the noise and not disturb the sleeping figures around you “Everyone does, why would you ask something like that?”

“I'm curious!” Luffy shrugged, as if pointing out the obvious, crossing his arms behind his head to cushion it as he looked up at the sky “And not everyone! ‘cause sometimes Usopp gets conisitipated and Sanji has to make him a whole gallon of green tea so he can p–'' Luffy grew gradually quieter as he looked back at you, who had your face scrunched up in an expression akin to disgust “What?”

“I don't really wanna know about that.”

Luffy pouted as he looked back up towards the night sky, eyebrows furrowed softly furrowed in thought as his gaze roamed through the stars, searching for words. When he does, Luffy's eyes widen along with his smile. He turns to lay on his side and rapidly taps the floor below him before speaking “You haven't shown me your power yet!”

“Haven't I? Ah– Yeah! I haven't!” Your own eyes widened as well, pointed ears quirking up. You smiled back at Luffy – just as wide, just as excited. Something unexplainable about how every action of his managed to be so contagious “There's actually something special i want to show you too, it must've slipped my mind–”

You weren't given a chance to finish your sentence, as a firm pair of arms stretched and wrapped around your waist in two tight loops, lacking all resemblance of finesse by yanking you up from your makeshift mattress and onto your feet – when did he get up?. Luffy just kept smiling, with the cheekiness of a man who probably pulled stunts like that on a daily basis, unashamed and unapologetic, like the way he did everything else.

“What's the hold up for? Lemme see!”

—————–

Being mindful of the creaky flooring beneath your feet, you guided Luffy through the hallways leading into the more intimate parts of the ship, said Luffy who did not share the same mindfulness, slippers smacking against the wood as he walked. He kept asking where they were going, what you wanted to show him, and most importantly, could he eat it? You brushed off all of his questions, insisting that he had to see it for himself.

At the end of the hallway, you gently pushed open the last door to your left, urging Luffy inside and then shutting it behind you. Stumbling clumsily into the pitch black room, with the only source of light being the faint glow of your wings, Luffy only grew more and more impatient.

“(Name),” He whined, huffing, “What are you–”

Completely crashing his train of thought, Luffy could only stare with almost childlike amazement at the new form of life sprouting from your cupped palms. Flowing with the grace of a skilled dancer, in a choreography that could not be replicated nor taught, small vines curled and fell in gentle swoops from your hands, adorned with leaves that opened and closed in the same way a butterfly bats its wings. A big, yet delicate flower slowly bloomed in between the vines and leaves, layers upon layers of gradient petals, colored from a deep indigo to a soft lilac, opened to reveal a glowing center – that lightened up the room with a brilliant hue that Luffy has only ever seen in the skies of a distant island in the far north.

“I've read about it a while ago, the flower is called lamperí kardiá, it translates to glowing heart…” You went on about the plant, where did it grow, when it was discovered, something about older generations using its crushed petals as ointment for wounds – all of which flew straight over Luffy's head, rendered speechless for once.

You looked beautiful with your face lit up by the glowing plant, with youe beautiful eyes and your beautiful hair and your beautiful lips. Everything about her was beautiful – breathtakingly beautiful, indescribably beautiful. Under the ethereal lights, Luffy was reminded of how the person in front of him wasn't human, a mythical creature whose presence alone was something out of a tale, something sacred that maybe should make him feel bad for touching so carelessly like he was used to doing with others, you looked intangible, unreal – and yet, on the moment that you looked up from the flower and back at him, you were his reality.

“You're so pretty,” Luffy mused, voice a little airy, eyes a little dazed “I wanna kiss you, can i kiss you?”

You froze, and time seemed to freeze along. You blinked once, then twice – and Luffy was still staring at you with that mesmerized look in his eyes, your cheeks felt hot, and a giggle involuntarily tumbled off your lips as they parted open, “Yes”

Your giggle ripped one out of Luffy as well, and you both just stood there laughing at nothing in particular for a second or two, before Luffy took a step closer and cupped both of your cheeks in his hands – warm hands, always warm, comforting hands.

Your lips touched together, and you dropped the plant on the floor to bring your palms up to cup the ones holding your cheeks. Lips only slightly parted, mouthing at each other in slow movements – you shyly licked your way into Luffy's mouth, and your faces changed angles as the kiss deepened and Luffy swiped his tongue over yours as well, a soft line of spit dribbling from the corner of his lip.

Your hands squeezed his wrists, He pressed your chests together. It felt weird – but good, funny.

Luffy was such a funny creature.

[bonesy-doodles]

(Asking on anon bc my ghost blog is my side blog LOL) but I was looking at your post about Copia learning ballet when he was younger and I LOVE THAT SO MUCH. Do you think any of the other Papa's had any other kind of artistic hobbies? I like to think Primo may have really enjoyed painting, when he had the time [from sacred-coffin]

Hiiii! Glad you liked Copia knowing ballet, I'm glad my years of suffering through the Nutcracker Ballet has come in handy (my cousin was a ballerina). But yeah, I took your question to my council (my two wives), and we all came up with several ideas for each of the other Emeritus brothers! Not all of these are exactly artistic, just kinda became general hobbies or things the papas liked to do.

Primo

I am one of those people that does enjoy Primo as a gardener, but not in the traditional sense. His knowledge pertains mostly to poisonous and carnivorous plants, but he also does know how to make a lot of natural remedies because he just finds herbal medicine practices fascinating. Although, only some members of the Ministry actually trust him and his tinctures.

Primo has “accidentally” poisoned a Bishop once. When asked if he knew that he put something he wasn’t supposed to into the bottle, he said “oh Satanas, my vision must be going”. He definitely did on purpose cause the Bishop took a nasty tone with him once.

In his personal book collection, I feel like he has a lot of vintage plant encyclopedias and anything like that for his garden obsession.

Definitely a purveyor of classical music compared to the other Papas, but in the sense he prefers scores that are evil in vibes. Also, definitely can play the violin. He’s not like, perfect at playing, but good enough not to annoy those that can hear it.

I would love for him to have an electric violin, but Primo is the type to always prefer classic string instruments over electric ones. Definitely has like an ebony stained wood violin.

Primo also has a fascination with insects, probably goes along with his plant fascination. He’s definitely into insect pinning and has frames filled with different moths, butterflies, beetles, and downright terrifying insects within his office.

Secondo

This man is a drinks connoisseur, in several ways. Secondo is big into coffee and alcohol. He’s never been the biggest morning person and coffee has basically been his lifeline since he became of Priest in the Ministry. Has all the shit needed for steaming milk and making espresso and all the jazz. I feel like he can even do that milk art and shit, but only spooky or sexual designs. For alcohol, he’s big into mixology. Grade A mixologist here.

Within the Chapter House, where most of the high ranked and important people of the Ministry have their rooms, some of their offices, and big important meetings, there’s also like recreational rooms for them. One of them has basically been claimed by the Emeritus bro trio for their game nights (Uno and other shit), because it has the bar that Secondo has stocked himself. He always mixes the drinks for himself and his brothers.

When he was Papa, his Papal office also had a personal bar.

I feel like this man is big into suits, reminds me of the way NBC’s Hannibal was big into suit fashion. He knows how to look refined and exactly how to pair a suit to tie and pocket square for every occasion. He’s had an extensive closet ever since he was younger. As Papa, he took every chance he could to be out of his Papal robes and Mitre and be in one of his many suits.

In terms of an instrument he knows, I’m not exactly certain, but I’m feeling a big instrument, maybe a cello, string bass, or something else, but its gotta be a deep and thuddy instrument, but I don’t think he plays it anymore. Left it behind as he went up the ranks of the Ministry.

Terzo

This man is a certified film buff. I mean, look at all his music videos. They reference so much. It’s all 1920’s Art Deco, with German expressionism like the Cabinet of Dr. Calgiri, Faust, and Nosferatu, as well as all the early 1900s horror movies like Dracula, Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, etc.

From that era of horror movies, hands down, his favorite movie is Frankenstein, and loves the Bride of Frankenstein.

Alongside that, I feel like Terzo is very into that era of fashion, considering his second stage outfit and the ghoul outfits. Also just fashion in general. Man likes fancy clothes, it’s just unfortunate Sister Imperator didn’t give his version of the Ghost Project for funding.

Another thing Terzo did when he was younger is theater. Musicals, plays, talent shows, you name it. He always loved being on stage, being the lead of the show, its what helped him be such a charismatic Papa.

I feel like his favorite production he ever stared in was Cabaret.

Terzo picked up the guitar when he was younger as well, plays it every now and again, but not as often as Primo plays his violin. (This is so sad, Terzo play Wonderwall).

Totally didn’t fall in love with both his guitarists (totally doesn’t admire their abilities to play the guitar, totally didn’t pretend to be bad at playing guitar so that they would teach him, totally not).

Also, so good at playing the kazoo.

Bonus, Papa Nihil

He picked up crocheting when he was older to try and make gifts for Sister Imperator.

Unfortunately, Copia would have to be a whole other post as there’s a lot I could say about him as he’s my bestest guy.

[girlkisser13]

iris cabin headcanons

children of iris

• the children of iris, known for being empathetic messengers, anonymously put together care packages for other campers.

• however, people have caught on due to the common items: dream catchers and friendship bracelets, all carried in a basket lined with a tie-dye blanket. the rest of the camp lets these cheerful messengers keep their anonymity, patiently waiting for their own turn.

• every time a child of rainbow dies, iris would create a rainbow to honor their existence.

• double or triple rainbows are caused by the death of twins or triplets.

• they have the power to change the color of any object they touch.

• every friday, they set up a salon outside their cabin with mirrors and chairs. there, they change other campers' hair to any color they want.

• when they do archery, rainbows fly off of the arrows and the bullseye becomes colorful.

• to "please" their mother, they would often run around camp, throwing skittles at the other campers while shouting, "in the name of iris, taste the rainbow!"

• most campers would hide in their cabins, dubbing the event the "dreaded rainbow hour."

• they make sure they always have an array for rainbow apparel around pride.

• iris has only visited her children's cabin once, and when she did, she was appalled by the amount of unhealthy skittles inside. now, there's a barrier placed by the goddess to prevent skittles from entering the cabin.

• they have a knack for making amazing layer cakes.

• they can rainbow travel— similar to shadow travel, but instead of shadows, they leap from one end of a rainbow to the other.

• they can iris message for free.

• they know all the camp gossip because they’re so approachable. if you need news to spread quickly, they’re the person to go to. they’re also great at keeping secrets, and if you ask them to, they’ll keep yours safe.

• in world war ii, they didn't take sides. instead, they created rainbows to guide lost soldiers safely back to their own sides.

cabin exterior

• their cabin is painted in a gradient of soft pastel colors that mimic the hues of a rainbow. each plank of wood is a different shade, seamlessly blending into the next. the colors shift slightly depending on the angle and time of day, giving the impression that the cabin itself is a living rainbow.

• the entire exterior of the cabin is coated with a special finish that catches the sunlight and moonlight, causing the cabin to shimmer and glisten as though it were covered in a layer of dew. this shimmering effect makes the cabin look like it's glowing with an inner light, especially during early mornings and late afternoons.

• large windows line the sides of the cabin, each pane made of stained glass in different colors. When the sun shines through them, it casts rainbows across the ground and inside the cabin, creating a kaleidoscope of colors that dance around the space.

• the roof is made of iridescent tiles that reflect light in a spectrum of colors, much like a soap bubble. depending on the time of day, the roof might look blue, pink, purple, or any number of hues. at night, it catches the light of the stars, giving it a soft, ethereal glow.

• the shutters and doors of the cabin are painted with soft, fluffy cloud patterns. the clouds look almost three-dimensional, as if they might drift off the wood and into the air at any moment.

• small, lantern-shaped prisms hang from the eaves of the cabin. during the day, they capture sunlight and scatter rainbow light in all directions. at night, they are lit with gentle, colorful lights that create a warm, welcoming glow, making the cabin a beacon in the dark.

• the edges of the cabin's walls, doors, and windows are trimmed in celestial bronze, symbolizing the pot of gold traditionally found at the end of a rainbow. this gold trim is polished to a high shine, catching the light and adding an element of elegance to the cabin’s colorful design.

cabin interior

• the walls are painted in soft pastels, shifting subtly from one color to another like a gradient, resembling a rainbow. the ceiling is enchanted to display a gentle swirl of colors that mimic a rainbow in the sky.

• large windows let in plenty of natural light, which would then reflect off strategically placed prisms and crystals around the room. these crystals would cast small rainbows and soft colors all over the cabin, making the interior bright and cheerful even on cloudy days.

• the beds and seating are plush and cloud-like, with pillows and cushions that are soft and comfortable. the bedding are in pastel hues, matching the overall color scheme of the cabin.

• murals of rainbows and clouds adorn the walls, painted with a magical quality that makes them seem almost alive. there are also paintings and sculptures of iris delivering messages to the gods, highlighting her role as a divine messenger.

• a small indoor garden with a variety of flowers known for their vibrant colors, such as irises, are maintained inside the cabin. the scent of flowers constantly fill the air, creating a serene and welcoming atmosphere.

• light, airy curtains in various shades of the rainbow hang over the windows and doorways, fluttering gently with any breeze, making the whole space feel open and breezy.

cabin traditions

• they host weekly art and creativity sessions where campers from all cabins can come together to paint, draw, and create art. these sessions are a way to honor their mother as the goddess of communication and creativity. at the end of each session, they use their powers to bring the artworks to life with moving colors and effects.

• inspired by the vibrancy of rainbows, they organizes color run events around camp. campers participate in a fun run, and along the way, they’re showered with colorful powders. the event ends with a huge celebration, dancing under a rainbow shower that they created.

• once a month, they host a "rainbow day," where everyone at camp is encouraged to wear as many colors as possible. they decorate the dining pavilion with rainbows and colorful streamers, and the day is filled with activities like face painting and tie-dye workshops.

• when one of their siblings leave camp, they are given an iridescent seashell, a symbol of their time at camp. the shell is enchanted to create a small rainbow when held up to the light, serving as a keepsake and a reminder of camp half-blood and the friendships formed there.

divider by @sister-lucifer

[thetrashywritingwitch]

“Be Still, Just for Me” Bakugo x Fem!Reader, Ch. 46

First Chapter

Previous Chapter

(all chapters are available in my masterlist!)

Summary: Bakugo Katsuki, a Pro Hero in Japan, is used to the routine: wake up, kick villain ass, rinse and repeat. He’s living his dream, soaking in all he’s ever wanted and worked for.

During the brief moment he lets his guard down, everything changes.

Tossed into a world without quirks with nothing but the clothes on his back, he’s forced to accept the help of someone who knows exactly who he is: a manga character who should definitely not exist. ---------------

Chapter length: 26k (HIGHLY recommend reading on ao3, wattpad, or quotev if you are a mobile Tumblr user and don't use Tumblr desktop because you will have a hard time with lag or app crashing trying to read this fucking long post)

Warnings: M+ for language, Katsuki-typical threats of violence, mentions of panic attack, sexual content (nothing super explicit)

Reminder that the A03, Wattpad, and Quotev links will be in a reblog so this post shows up in search results! They’re also in my profile header! <3

Co-written and plot mapped by @rose-sparks13

thanks to all my beta readers!!! @birinboom

@bananabossbitch, @dellappatca and @jems-all-in-a-wood and a few others who prefer to remain anonymous. NOTE: please ignore and forgive anytime i might’ve misspelled “Yaoyorozu” because I'll never learn how to spell her name correctly

Chapter Title: The Night We Met, Part II

_____________________________

The celebration on the other side of the outside garden grew quiet and eventually vanished as though muffled by a growing mound of indiscernible cotton. Bushes and creeping vines paused their benign swaying. As the world surrounding Katsuki gradually came to a halt, its energy seemed to seep into his bones and beneath his skin, buzzing and oscillating tortuously. 

This isn’t real, he thought in desperation as his mouth went dry, eyes bulged, and chest tightened in disbelief. There, barely three meters away from him, stood a ghost shivering under the moonlight in a dress the deep red color of blood. Katsuki blinked, expecting you to vanish like you always did… yet you remained statue-still and staring stunned right back at him. 

The glass in his hand slipped out of his trembling fingers, clattering onto the floor. Neither of you flinched as ice and alcohol stained the wood grain underfoot. 

He remembered waking up this morning. Going on patrol with Mar. Arguing with Kirishima in the agency hallway. Feeding his cat. Riding his bike over here for his stupid birthday party… No, there was no way that the entire day's events and memories could have been more than an illusory dream. 

…Then what kind of sick trick caused a hallucination of you to appear before Katsuki as if taunting him ceaselessly for six months wasn’t enough?

Voice hoarse, arid, and strained, he attempted to speak as if hearing his own voice might jolt him out of this mirage. “Are you a nightmare?” 

Could you hear him? Would you answer? No, of course not. You never did; spirits couldn’t speak. 

You winced at his words, his voice uncharacteristically brittle compared to the strong, unwavering tenor you were used to, the sound you dreamed of hearing just one more time. All you wanted to do was run to him and bury your face in his skin and bathe in his warmth and sob in his arms. But cinder blocks tied your feet to the ground. He looked almost scared, as if reaching out to touch him would splinter the tension and he’d crack beneath your fingertips; the fear and anxiety kept you immobile as the device in your shaking hands translated his words. 

Peeling your tongue from the roof of your mouth, you dared not blink as you managed to weakly shake your head in denial. “No, Katsuki… I’m not.”

More than anything you wanted to capture him, hold onto him, keep him close like a fragile treasure, but tension hung like tepid puddles after a thick rain - the kind that filled your nose and lungs with stale air and upended rot. Don’t cry, don’t cry yet. If you do, you’ll never stop. “W-why a nightmare?”

A bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck and disappeared into the collar of his pressed shirt. He quickly glanced at your hands gripped tightly around the device that somehow far exceeded the accuracy of your phone with its robotic Japanese inflection. But… your voice. It pierced between his ribs like a spear aimed with deadly accuracy to strike with poisonous memories dripping from the sharpened edge. 

Commemorating you through the keepsakes was easy; everything observed months ago, he saw again behind closed eyes or whenever he took out his hidden gifts when waves of longing nostalgia washed over him. However, sight was just a single sense out of five. The language barrier became less noticeable and cumbersome over time as he focused on the tone and inflection of your voice. Though your singing and laughter stuck with him, Katsuki lamented that they became harder to recall with every passing day. 

Dreams were satisfying and light, or comically nonsensical. The ones with you always began happily enough, and often alluded to memories he fought to remember and forget and remember and forget in a never ending cycle. But when morning came and Katsuki awoke, he knew that none of it was real and would never be real again; it might as well have been a nightmare. A looping display that haunted and taunted him knowing all that really remained of you, was just in his imagination. 

Waiting for you to disappear just as he had six months prior, Katsuki stood staring, unmoving despite the wretched hum screaming under his skin.

“Because,” he started, “I always wake up."

Not understanding the connection between you and nightmares, you managed to force your feet to move a single step towards him. "I… no. Katsuki, I'm not a dream or nightmare or anything imaginary. I… I'm real and I'm here and-" 

"You're not supposed to be here," he abruptly interrupted. The shock written across his face slowly morphed into that familiar grimace of frustration he wore like a shield. 

Your fear of rejection seemed like it might come true. 

Back inside the house, a line of people with their ears pressed up against the wall stood tense and impatient while those who had no fucking clue what was happening lingered in confusion. 

Kirishima went first, trying to see if he could hear the conversation happening outside with his face smooshed against the off-white wall. He needed to know if all their planning would actually pay off or if Bakugo was going to somehow blow his second chance at love. Midoriya followed right behind him and Kaminari, hating feeling left out, did the same even though he was only halfway in the know. 

"Jirooooouuuuu, pleeeeease? This is actually super important!" Ashido's black eyes glistened as she begged Jirou to use her earphone jacks to listen to the tense conversation happening on the other side of the sliding door.

Raising an eyebrow, Jirou said, "I don't even know what's going on? Who was that lady that went outside?" 

However, Yaoyorozu came up behind her girlfriend and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You don't have to do as she says, Kyoka. It isn't really our story to tell; that's up to Bakugo-san. The conversation happening outside is private and we shouldn't eavesdrop.” 

Ashido pursed her lips and huffed. "Spoilsport. I know you're just as curious as the rest of us," she claimed before marching over to the wall and lining herself up with the others. 

Deflating, Momo nibbled on her bottom lip as she stared at her friends’ backs. It was true - she did want to know what was happening between you and Bakugo, especially after seeing with her own eyes how much you cared about him and all the trouble the others went through to get you here in the first place. A gentle, familiar hand on hers eased Momo’s worry as Kyoka met her eyes. 

“I definitely wanna know what’s going on because I’m so lost… but if you say it’s not our business, then I’ll just wait for you to tell me later,” she conceded with a knowing smile. 

“It… is a very interesting story, that’s for sure.” 

Towards the back of the room, Sero stood next to Todoroki who loudly sipped from his cup while Uraraka worriedly twisted the hem of her shirt in her hands on his other side. “Hey dude, you know what’s goin’ on? Is this all part of the party…?”

If it were anyone else, the ice in his cup would’ve melted into shards by now, but Todoroki held it in his left hand, a fine mist of frost keeping the mostly-empty cup perfectly chilled. “Yeah. Sort of. I’m just going to watch and see what happens. Uraraka, you shouldn’t worry, especially when you’re pregnant. I think Bakugo will be fine.”

Uraraka let the breath she was holding tumble out while absentmindedly rubbing her stomach. “I know, I know. He’s just so bullheaded sometimes; I don’t want Bakugo-kun to do something else he’ll regret…” 

Off in a far corner of the main living space, the remaining guests - Shinsou, Tokoyami, and Camie - lingered around the speakers and the snack table, all just equally as confused about what was happening, both inside and outside. 

“Should we-“

“Nope.” 

“… Yes, it's probably for the best.” Tokoyami closed his eyes in agreement within Shinsou, but peeked his left one open after a moment when he heard Camie giggle. "And can you tell me why you're so enamored with Dark Shadow?" 

The sentient shadow attached to Tokiyami was laughing, too, while Camie was trying to feed it a snack. "Huh? It's like, kinda cute, ya know? Like one of those little pocket monster things except like, real and stuff. Does it like brownies?" Although she had a high alcohol tolerance, it was obvious the spiked juice was beginning to affect her much to Dark Shadow's amusement. 

While party guests bickered or wrung their hands together with worry, your staring contest with Katsuki wore on. Confusion, tension, and agitation evident in his posture rolled off him like mist. You told Uraraka that keeping their plan a secret probably wouldn't end well, and you hoped she had convinced her other cohorts to come clean… but they didn't, and now you were paying the price. 

Opening your mouth, you tried to find the words to assuage his frustration and save the night from total ruin and heartbreak. "I… Katsuki, I know I'm not supposed to be here. That we both knew that when you left, that was it. That would be the end." Although you tried to keep your voice even and strong, it cracked like brittle china faced with an angry bull ready to charge. "Your friends… Uraraka and Kirishima and some others found a way to bring me here. They wanted… they thought you might want to see me again… I wanted to see you again." 

This wasn't right. None of it was right. He'd ached and wallowed in his own pathetic misery for months before finally managing to get a hold of himself and return to a life of relative normalcy and routine. Coming to terms with the brutal truth of his inability to just be fucking honest with himself, with you, was just as exhausting and difficult as any big villain he'd faced. 

It had to be some screwed up joke to cement him in the past he'd fought to leave behind. That's what you would've wanted. That's what Katsuki wanted. Right? 

But for the first time, you answered him. You didn't just fade away like every other instance. You claimed his friends helped you get here, but that just shoved more questions into his sweaty, trembling hands. 

Maybe this really was a nightmare… or possibly some elaborate illusion based on his knowledge and memories to leave him fumbling and vulnerable. Only the two of you stood outside, but for all he knew someone unseen could be pulling the strings with Black Hole as the resurrected puppet master.

She'd wanted him to suffer, after all. 

The sad, worried look in your eyes, however… did he trust his own senses that rarely led him astray, or was there a way to know if you were truly who you claimed to be? She isn’t. She couldn’t be. 

Unsure of what to do because his so-called friends left you on your own rather than explain to Katsuki what the hell was happening and why, you began to step closer to him, but stopped when he interrupted. 

“Don’t move,” he ordered. Hearing Katsuki so uncharacteristically wary reminded you dismally of his first few days in your home: distrustful, tense, and exasperated. After everything the two of you experienced together, it hurt. Oh, it stung bitterly. “Tell me something only the real (y/n) would know. Something no one else would know.” 

Frowning, you should’ve expected something like this. Rather than come here and be welcomed warmly by the man you fell in love with months ago, you were forced to prove you were really who you claimed to be through some time-wasting test. If by some miracle this actually worked and Katsuki eventually believed you, Midoriya and the others were going to catch a nasty earful for making this already stressful situation so much harder than it needed to be. 

Ignoring that impending argument for now, you focused on remembering everything only privy to you and Katsuki. While you had no idea exactly what he’d revealed to his friends about his time with you, it didn’t really matter; you knew Katsuki in the most intimate of ways; convincing him was - hopefully - only a matter of choosing something that struck a sensitive chord. 

The bear incident was too grandiose and at least a handful of other people knew about it. You recalled the flowers you’d managed to keep alive in your apartment, but you’d told Uraraka where they came from. While the karaoke date was something you’d never forget, it didn’t strike you as the correct choice, either. The amusement park, scheduling his haircut, running into your ex… All of these flashbacks resembled down-facing cards spread out on a table with your hand hovering between them. Every card except one meant permanent defeat. 

Then, it hit you. Something you were positive he kept to himself considering he almost didn't admit it to you at all; and Katsuki gave you a hint without even realizing. 

"The nightmare," you blurted out as if worried an invisible timer would run out and yank you back into your own world at the ringing of a jarring game show buzzer. Katsuki's brows furrowed, his face still written with apprehension, but you continued. "I don't remember the exact day… but I remember waking up in the middle of the night. You were sitting up next to me and I could tell something was wrong… I just… held you and hoped I was giving you some comfort. Like you helped me after the whole bear incident. I didn't know until the next day that you had a nightmare…" 

He remembered. Whenever painful memories tortured him while he slept, Katsuki always remembered, even if he'd much rather forget. It was the first and only time someone had been there when he awoke in a cold sweat with visions of failure and blood far too vibrant whenever he closed his eyes. 

And he'd never told anyone else about it. 

Back inside the house, it felt like an hour as time and tension serenaded each other despite only a few minutes passing. More people had joined in the group pressed against the wall trying to overhear what was happening outside. 

"It's too quiet; I feel like he's blowing it." Kirishima groaned at the thought of his best friend making the same dumb mistake twice which, for someone like Bakugo Katsuki who prioritized a perfect victory every single time, was unheard of. 

Bored after doing nothing for all of thirty seconds, Kaminari had left his place against the wall and was currently leaning on Shinsou's shoulder who played off the close contact like it was no big deal despite having a spike of internal bisexual panic. 

"C'moooon guys! Just go outside and tell him he's being dumb or something-" 

"You do it then," Todoroki suggested nonchalantly. 

Grimacing, Kaminari shook his head and latched onto Shinsou's arm. "If this was less serious, then, yeah, maybe! I don't wanna piss him off again; especially on his birthday." 

Shinsou still wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but distinctly remembered Bakugo's embarrassing outburst at the bar months ago. He couldn't really blame Kaminari for his avoidance of a potential repeat. "Can someone at least tell me what all this drama is about? Ignoring it is getting tough with everyone acting weird and I'm too sober to tune it out." 

"It's… a long story, Shinsou-kun," Midoriya answered as he rubbed the back of his neck and stood next to Uraraka. "Depending on what happens tonight, maybe Kacchan can tell you himself in his own words."

And judging by the strained and hushed conversation happening in the garden things were not exactly going how they all expected. 

The silence between you stretched on far too long for comfort after you answered Katsuki's demand. What else were you supposed to do when all of this apparently rested on your shoulders alone? 

"If… if you really don't believe me or actually want me here… then I'm not going to keep trying to convince y-you." The last word came out as more of a whimper, your throat swelling with strain as you fought back bursting into tears on the spot. All those months of waiting… just to have your heart crushed all over again because of his fucking bullheadedness. I was so stupid to think this was a good idea…

It took a monumental effort to take a step back from him when all you wished for was to be as close as you used to be. Just for a while. Just for tonight. 

As you began to swivel on your heel, pain evident in your glassy eyes and stammering speech, an image he'd hoped to forget sprang forward like a memory resurfaced from the drowned, dark depths. 

That awful day culminated into a horrible night as Katsuki watched you cry and scream before disappearing out the door in a whirlwind of his own doing. He hadn't stopped you then, too stunned to react as you spat his own words right back in his face. The fear and guilt attempting to swallow him back then… it all could've ended so much worse. 

But you took him back. He didn't deserve it, but you did anyway. You allowed his effort at making amends with barely any time left to see the fruits of his redemption begin to ripen into something sweet and filling. 

If this were real… if you were real, there was no way in hell he'd make the same mistake twice. Letting you walk away once was difficult enough, but if Katsuki stood by and accepted watching you disappear, then he deserved whatever sisyphean punishment fate shackled to him for the remainder of his days; but you didn't.

As if Medusa's paralyzing grip on him suddenly vanished, Katsuki lurched forward, his hand outstretched in desperation to keep this illusion from slipping through his fingers. And true enough, he was surprised to find that he didn't phase through your wrist. 

Warmth. Soft skin. Racing pulse. He felt it all through his hardened calluses. "Wait… please."

The sudden grip on your arm tugged your shoulder back, but turning around to face him after resigning that this once in a lifetime opportunity ended in rejection was too much. Pressure behind your eyes swelled as you continued to fight off crumpling in a crying heap on the ground when he asked - no, pleaded - for you to stay. 

Just like before… Except  this time, Katsuki didn't let you run away. You stared at a vine crawling up the side of the house while trying to avoid focusing on the familiar warmth of his hand, the strength of his grip, and even the damp sweat slowly soaking into your skin. But he felt unsteady, something Katsuki never was, his fingers shivering as if freezing despite the comfortable warmth outside. 

So, two distrustful people waited for proof that this second chance would not slip away, one desperate for truth while the other pleaded for patience. All you had to do was turn around and face him. And you did. 

To anyone that didn’t know him, Katsuki looked exactly like you remember him. His ash-blonde hair. Those damn eyes of his that caught light like rubies. The sharp, strong jaw that framed his sharper tongue. The past six months apart just melted away as aching familiarity came bursting through the door. But, just like when he found you at the park, his face and body language betrayed his normal composure: unsure, shaken, disbelieving, desperate… everything you also felt and knew he was seeing mirrored right back. 

Without tearing his eyes away, Katsuki reluctantly let your wrist fall from his hand before cupping your face with his sweaty palms. Warm. They didn’t pass through. He was close enough to smell some faint but recognizable aroma that he’d forgotten with time. Your perfume. Only detectable when you were close enough to touch. You looked like you wanted to cry. 

“I don’t know what the fuck is going on… but I don’t really care.” Logic and reason be damned on his birthday; if you hadn’t disappeared by this point, then he wasn’t going to waste his time fighting against it anymore. “If you’re really here, then- hell even if you’re not, just listen to what I have to say.”

No repeated mistakes. 

“I don’t have a lot of regrets in life. I’m doing exactly what I set out to do since I was a bratty kid. And even though I’ve screwed up a lot, I’ve tried to pinpoint those flaws and fix ‘em.” You’ve rehearsed this a thousand times. “But I made a huge fucking mistake months ago, and I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to live with it while knowing I couldn’t make it right.” 

No more hiding. 

You knew him too well. He wished he hated that about you - how you managed to find shelter in his exposed remains after peeling through layers he didn’t even know existed - but he didn’t. 

Words gummed up his throat when the simplest answer was right here. With his clammy hands still preciously cupping your face, Katsuki leaned his forehead against yours and felt your shaky breath on his lips. 

The kiss was real. You didn’t disappear. Just…

“(Y/n)… Aishiteru.”

Barely audible. Fiercely soft. Perfectly understood. Your lip quivered and eyes screwed shut as the buildup finally overflowed. Katsuki returned your love even now, and nothing else was going to keep you apart tonight. 

The translator device bounced across the ground as you lurched forward and draped your arms around his neck, clinging to his hair, shirt, skin, anything you could reach, terrified of letting him go again. Choking out a guttural sob muffled by his shoulder, your body went limp as the compounding burdens of the day finally disappeared. You didn’t have to hold yourself up anymore; Katsuki was there to support you. 

The sudden noise outside caused Uraraka to chance a peek around the corner to make sure she didn’t need to break up any unfortunate disasters, but whipped back around quickly when she saw the two of you in a tender and intimate embrace on the ground. “Ooh! You g- ow!” 

Ashido had come up right behind her to also eavesdrop and earned them both potential head bruises as a result. “Owwww, sorry, sorry! What’s happening?!”

Ignoring the pain, Uraraka yelled and whispered simultaneously that you and Katsuki were kissing. 

“Ohmygod, really?!”

“YES!”

Kirishima and the others nearby heard this and broke out of their hiding spots against the wall to celebrate their hard-won victory. Kirishima threw a fist in the air, Midoriya slumped against the wall with flooded eyes, and Todoroki nodded in approval with a sincere smile. 

At this point, most of the other guests had wandered into other rooms of the house to enjoy a party with an absent birthday boy, though a few remained behind to observe the inevitable end of this secretive drama. 

“… And then he said they went to karaoke I think, so- oh, are they done now?” Kaminari turned towards the back door to see his friends were no longer acting all sad and weird. 

“Keep going.” Shinsou tugged at Kaminari’s shirt collar to pull his attention back to him. The alcohol was making him stupid and bold and the blonde extra attractive. “It was just getting good.” 

Cocking his head to the side, Kaminari smirked with half-lidded eyes. “Yes, sir, whatever you say.” 

The noisy guests indoors barely registered as you let Katsuki hold you. He kept your relief grounded while you tried and failed to stop crying. His warm, shaky breath on your neck and his arms tangled around your chest reminded you of the final embrace on your couch before he vanished and left you pressed against nothing but air. Only this time, you didn't have the last word; and oh, the bursting elation building in your chest at his words was altogether cathartic. 

He loves me. It's not unrequited. 

Telling the truth never felt so fucking rewarding as it did right then. The reality that none of this made one iota of sense left his mind completely as he buried his face in your skin as his eyes and throat ached with pressure. He saw you, felt you, smelled you, tasted you, every tiny thing he'd craved for six goddamn months. 

"Moushi wake nai," he mumbled while turning his head to see messy tear tracks on your cheek that he gently tried to wipe away. 

Sorry for being a coward. 

"Moushi wake nai…" He pressed chapped lips to your jaw and tasted salt. 

Sorry for leaving you unanswered.

"Moushi wake nai." Your noses brushed as you sniffled, meeting his glassy gaze briefly with bloodshot eyes before properly returning his kiss, albeit weakly as though your energy and strength was completely spent. 

Sorry for making you cry again.

“Aishiteru,” you echoed before kissing him again as if the words themselves reinvigorated you. Hearing it again in your own voice and inflection and accent rather than the embarrassing imitation from his dreams left Katsuki nearly breathless before you shifted in his lap, gripped the collar of his shirt, hands trembling, and glared at him with adoration and frustration in equal measure. Fuck, you were beautiful. 

“Baka ńe,” you bit out, your voice squeaking at the end from strain despite trying your best to rightfully insult him after six months of holding it in. All Katsuki could do was stare dumbfounded with lips parted in a foggy haze before you yanked him forward like old times’ sake to try and kiss some sense back into him, but you didn’t have to; he would’ve met you halfway. Would’ve fought off a hundred bears to hear you call him stupid every fucking day for the rest of his life. 

God, you’d shared many kisses over those last few weeks - some soft, some sloppy, some heart-poundingly passionate - but none of them compared to the satisfaction billowing through him right then. Or maybe it had something to do with the six months he survived on nothing but his own memories. Maybe they were all equally important in their own ways and trying to weigh one over the other was beyond pointless. Didn’t matter. Reveling in the desperation, his mouth chasing you like a starved man presented with a mouth-watering buffet, was more than satisfying. 

Alcohol, fire, and musky cologne. One second you were crying on Katsuki’s shoulder and the next his skin was marked with red trails left by your nails under his shirt collar while you knelt between his legs and a hand slithered under the hem of your dress to grip your thigh. The way your heart raced as your tongues fought for dominance made you forget about wanting to headbutt him for being an emotionally-constipated dumbass. 

This was like the real life version of those stupid Hallmark-esque movies with the tragically separated couple spotting each other from across an airport terminal, running through a bustling crowd, and leaping into each other’s arms in the middle with ear-to-ear grins. Except they never fucked in those movies, and if you weren’t in Uraraka’s backyard with Katsuki’s main friend group inside, then the Hallmark channel would’ve absolutely deemed this heated encounter inappropriate for their prudish audience. 

However, Katsuki seemed absolutely unbothered by potential voyeurism as he practically growled in your mouth and pulled you flush against him as if daring any higher powers watching to rip him away from you again. 

Straddling his lap, you reluctantly pulled away causing him to practically whine while trying to keep you right where he wanted you. But there were things you needed to explain and answers he no doubt wanted judging from the disbelieving comments and interrogation just minutes before. Smothering his mouth with one of your palms, you managed to keep him steady while wiping at your eyes that were still damp from the emotional deluge. 

You sat back on your heels and looked from side to side before spotting the translator you’d dropped. Leaning over to grab it across one of Katsuki’s legs, you really hoped it wasn’t busted from the couple of new scratches on the screen and one of the corners. “Shit…” 

Huffing through his nose at you interrupting your own makeout session, Katsuki took a deep breath to try and calm himself down. As he pulled your hand away from his face, he glanced up just in time to see familiar red hair and eyes peeking around the corner of the back door before quickly retreating back inside after being caught peeping. Only a small part of him was embarrassed, though. If he could finally tell you that he loved you and apologize for his past faults, then dealing with PDA witnesses was a walk in the park by comparison. 

He saw you fiddling with the device in your hand before slipping his fingers between yours and pressing a tender kiss to your palm, resting it against his cheek. Grounding. Warm. Real. The longing ache that had weighed him down for months seemed to vanish at your touch. Zoning out for a second, still pushing away all of the questions he had about how all of this happened, you kissed his other cheek before resting your forehead against his and stared lovingly into his eyes. 

If he said it once, he could say it again. So he did. Telling you he loved you was easier the second time, but no less impactful as you bit your lip and smiled sheepishly but oh so earnest and bright. Enough to rival those park fireworks. To put them to shame. He couldn’t help but smile, too. 

Feeling tired of sitting on the hard ground, Katsuki stood up and brushed dirt off the back of his pants before extending a hand to help you up, too. 

“C’mon… Please don’t be broken. Does this thing still work?” He watched you press a few buttons on the thing in your hand while The same voice from before came through just fine and you let out a relieved sigh. Right as you turned back to him, Katsuki grabbed your chin and stared down into your eyes before glancing at the device. 

“Tell me again for my own sanity that this isn’t a dream or illusion or anything, because that kiss seemed real as hell to me, and if it wasn’t, then I’m gonna lose my fucking mind.”

The tension dropped along with your shoulders as you pulled his hand away, but didn’t let go. “Yes, Katsuki. I really am here, just like I said. None of this is fake or anything. You can thank your friends for setting all of this up, but also blame them for not telling you I was coming in the first place.”

OK. Alright. So he wasn’t crazy after all. Now that he’d had a minute to readjust and most of the shock had finally worn off, your answer sealed the deal. His gut instinct to protect himself through vehement denial of the unbelievable twisted in opposition, but he forced himself to ignore the discomfort. 

Then it hit him and he scowled while running his free hand down his face. 

“Those fuckers,” he cursed, eyeing the now-closed door that led back into the house. “I knew Todoroki wasn’t telling me everything! Who all is in on it? Who do I-“

Before his annoyance levels rose too high, you shut him up with a simple gesture that he rejected from just about everyone else: a hug. You tugged on his hand and pressed against him like a shield. God, he missed this, just burying his nose in your hair and shutting his eyes to savor feeling close and wanted.

"I don't want you to fight on your birthday," you said. "Oh, right. Happy birthday, Katsuki." 

"They started it," he retorted, his eyes still closed as his hands came up to wrap around your waist. "Mm. Are you my gift?" 

Even though you couldn't see his face, you knew he was smiling. "If you want me to be, then yes." Although him calling you a gift was sweet in its own way, it reminded you sorely of his friends back inside and how they seemed to pass you around from one person to the next. You were a person, not a present, and chose to come here of your own volition. 

"Katsuki," you said, gripping his hand tighter in your own. It was heavenly being able to say his name and actually hear him answer you, again. "Why didn't you tell me back then?" 

He knew what you meant without explanation and you swore you felt the pace of his heartbeat quicken through his chest. "I was stupid. I didn't think things would go the way they did, that we'd keep growing closer, and by the time I realized what I was feeling, I didn't know what to do. It…" Katsuki hesitated and you squeezed his hand reassuringly to keep going. "It scared me. I'd never been in love before, especially not to someone I couldn't be with in the end. I could always train and learn and evolve to prepare for whatever the future held as a Hero… but I wasn't prepared for you." 

Your breath hitched as he revealed insecurities you knew were difficult to explain. Of all the things that could scare someone like Katsuki… but thinking back to everything that happened during those last few days together, it all made sense. 

"I was a coward," he stated bluntly. You knew he was frowning just from his tone. "I was angry. Back on the ferris wheel, I knew. It hit me and I knew. I was happy and you were beautiful and I just…" 

"...You panicked." Finishing his thought for him, all the pieces finally clicked together. Katsuki didn't want to leave and you didn't want him to leave, but there was nothing either of you could do about it. Fighting against the unbeatable and coming out on top was something Katsuki excelled at. Something he couldn't overcome… no wonder he lashed out. "You dummy." The annoyingly familiar pressure began building behind your eyes again. "It's OK to be scared or unsure of things. Talking it out can help, though. You're supposed to be smart…" The weak laugh at your own words hopefully obscured him from hearing you sniffle. 

His lips and warm breath caressed your forehead; the tiniest gesture was going to make you cry again from how much you missed it, missed him. "I know that now. And I won't make the same mistake again." 

I know you won't… because my time here is limited. But you refused to think about going back home without him, not when you had so much catching up to do. "You know, I was going to tell you I loved you back on the ferris wheel. I'd known for a while how I felt… but was waiting for the right moment. It was so cliché and romantic… then all the drama happened and I didn't want to make things worse with just one day left." You loosened your arm wrapped around his chest to look up at him; even under the pale moonlight, his eyes glistened like the beautiful red rubies you remembered. "So I waited until the last possible moment. I guess I was a coward, too." 

Back then, he knew. It was noticeable from the way you looked at him fondly with a coy smile that was just for show but also completely earnest. How you reached for him without hesitation. The darkness in the ferris wheel carriage couldn’t obscure what he saw backlit by city lights and fireworks. Katsuki knew, and he’d chosen to run instead. 

“Don’t,” he warned while shaking his head and holding his ground to stare down what he was so terrified of seeing six months ago. “I ran from my problems even though I would’ve called out anyone else for the same thing. There’s way more to strength and resolve than just how hard you can punch or how much you can take before going down. You did what I couldn’t.” He wasn’t afraid of your truth, anymore, nor his own. “So you better not call yourself a coward while I’m around, got it, Clumsy-chan?”

Your eyes widened and brows rose while the corners of his lips tugged into a grin. “Really? Even now, you’re stuck on that nickname?” The way you smiled through your words gave you away. 

“I’ve changed, but not that much. You’re stuck with it unless I find one I think suits you better.” He felt you attempt to tug your hand free from his pitiful rebellion, but his hands and arms were far stronger than the average person’s; it was a fight you’d never win, but the outcome wasn’t the point, anyway. 

Only now with most of his brain fog finally gone did he finally take in your appearance. Your hair was styled in an unfamiliar way, but it more than suited you. Matching earrings and a necklace that sparkled from the backyard light attached to the house. Smeared makeup circled your eyes, but Katsuki didn’t give a damn about that. And the rest…

Blinking in realization, he stepped back - hand never leaving yours - to look at the whole package. Confusion written on your face, he answered you before you had a chance to ask what the hell he was doing. “You’re wearing the red dress.” 

Yeah, he’d been right: you did look good in it. Brain dead idiot of an ex-boyfriend had as much taste as he did sense when he said it didn’t suit you. Red was always a striking color and stood out among a crowd, but you wore it well. When you realized exactly why he was staring, your posture shifted as if trying to appear more flattering to him than you already did. 

“Oh… yeah, I am. I mean, I’d only worn it once before… and I wanted to look nice for tonight. I thought about what you said about not letting anyone else decide what I should or shouldn’t do or wear. I'm guessing it was a good choice, then?" You managed a slow twirl in the uwabaki that didn't match your dress at all, the fabric flowing out from your thighs before settling back down as you stopped to face him expectantly. 

Deku's house slippers and tear-stained makeup be damned. Katsuki yanked you back towards him with little effort, catching you with an arm securely around your waist as he leaned down and caught you in a surprise kiss. The tiny squeak you let out had him smiling as you pressed against his chest and stood on your tiptoes to try and gain back some leverage, but he pulled away before you ensnared him in a willing trap. 

"You don't just look nice." The desiring glint in your eyes shifted to perplexed, but he was ready this time. "You look fucking beautiful. No extra can compare." No repeat of the "what the fuck are you wearing?" situation. 

His lack of hesitation in complimenting you must've come as a mild shock judging from the bashful way you tried to hide your smile, lips sucked in between your teeth; that, or you were still bashful about his praise. "Thank you… have you been practicing flirting this whole time Mr. I'm Bad With Words?" 

This back and forth banter was yet another thing he desperately missed; it was the small, prosaic interactions rather than grandiose displays that stuck with him the most. "No, but I've had six months to consider things I wish I'd said or done. I don't hold back with anything else, and this - you - shouldn't be an exception." 

"Glad you finally learned your lesson on that one," you concurred before leaning back and drinking him in from head to toe. "You clean up nicely, yourself. I'd almost forgotten you had other clothes besides black tank tops and jeans." Humming to yourself, you traced your fingertips lightly across the stiff collar of his shirt before trailing down his bicep. Touch-starved for close contact and affection, the small but sensual movement sent goosebumps across his skin. "Hmm, yes… very handsome, indeed. I like the jewelry, too. And… are you wearing eyeliner?" 

While you and Katsuki traded words, a small group had formed behind Jirou who had her earphone jack pressed up against the wall separating them from their friend outside. After Kirishima got caught peeking around the corner, even Jirou couldn’t hold back her curiosity as to what was going on after piecing together a rough idea through the whispered discussion of her friends.

However, it didn’t take long before her cheeks flushed and she quickly turned to disappear towards the snack table. “O-okay, their flirting really isn’t our business-“

“Flirting?! No way… but I guess he must have some game if he managed to get a girlfriend…” Ashido pondered mischievously about what in the world Bakugo’s flirting would entail as Jirou reached for her girlfriend’s hand. 

Yaoyozoru sighed. “I warned you, dear…” 

“But you totally wanted to know, too!” 

Her free hand flew to her cheek in exaggerated shame. “Oh, I know I did! I just wanted to see how Bakugo-san and Y/N-san were doing… but eavesdropping isn’t the answer. How impolite of me…”

Midoriya stood between Todoroki and Kirishima who all glanced sidelong at each other. “Do you think they’ll come back in, eventually?”

“I would think so, Todoroki-kun. They have a lot to catch up on. At least nothing bad happened…” His relieved chuckle contrasted with Kirishima’s annoyed groan. 

“Yeah, I mean I get that, but we still planned this whole party thing, y’know? And you still have Sato’s cake to bring out!”

Humming to himself, Todoroki pondered while Midoriya and Kirishima talked about cake. "But… I doubt staying at the party means more than spending quality time with his true love." 

The line made Kirishima snort. "Sounds so cheesy saying it like that, especially for someone like Bakugo, but it's also super manly to love who you love without caring what anyone else thinks! I mean, I'm not gonna cockblock my best bro-" 

"K-Kirishima-kun!" Even now as a married man with a kid on the way, Midoriya never fully overcame talking publicly about anything even mildly salacious. Searching around frantically before spotting Ochako, he decided it was the perfect time to check on his wife who was eating mochi while giggling at Dark Shadow acting like a puppy while Camie remained fixated on treating it as such. "They'll come inside when they want to and wecanhavecakethen!!" 

The redhead laughed. “I guess he’ll never outgrow talking about embarrassing stuff… but man, am I glad Bakugo didn’t totally blow it with… you alright, Todoroki?”

Still deep in thought over inconsequential details, he said, “I suppose with your quirk, you would be the best at cockblocking… like a shield…” He only came out of his trance when Kirishima doubled over with laughter. 

Calming relief replaced anxious uncertainty both inside and outside, although the current tempo of Katsuki’s heart begged to disagree.

“... Can’t believe I almost blew it.” 

Rather than stand around fawning over each other, you and Katsuki sat on a swinging porch bench situated at the furthest corner at the back of the house. You tried not to gush too much when you recognized that the earrings he wore were eerily similar to the Fantasy AU art that everyone always fawned over. They suited him well alongside the thin chain of silver around his neck and expensive-looking watch on his wrist.

It was evident he’d picked up a few pointers from his fashion designer parents when he had more to choose from than t-shirts and tank tops. 

You had finally noticed his hearing aid, as well as the newly-healed scar on his left ear. He'd reassured you that he was fine and the hearing aid was more of a safety net than necessity. It was only a matter of time before his quirk affected his hearing, but something like this would never keep Katsuki down.

“Hm? Blew what?” You leaned against Katsuki's side while he gently rocked the swing with the heel of his foot and stretched his arms across the back of the sun-bleached wood. 

Without glancing your way, he said, "I almost let you run. Half a year trying to move on and find some normalcy in my routine again. Come to terms with everything. My own mistakes. I didn't think it would be as hard as it was." 

"Relationships aren't easy," you reassured. "Especially breakups… including ones that have to happen even if no one wants them to. It was hard for me, too." Katsuki pressed his cheek to the top of your head. The weight was grounding. "Like… a piece of me was missing, and time and distractions just didn't make it go away. I mean, if I was fully over you, then I wouldn’t be here right now.” 

Katsuki remained silent as he continued to rock the bench back and forth. He knew why moving on was so difficult, thinking back to the pathetic state of self-wallowing he turned into after visiting Tartarus. Her second quirk… so, it affected both of you, then. You attributed it to intense heartbreak; and yes, while that definitely factored into it, Black Hole’s quirk complicated everything tenfold. 

Should I tell her…? Katsuki wasn’t so sure it was something you needed to know, at least not yet. 

“After months of trying to accept the mistakes I couldn’t fix and move forward with my life, you step back into it. If you were really here, then all that work I did would've vanished. Like I was back at square one, like your memory was taunting me. So, I almost let you run… but even if it seemed impossible that you were here, I didn’t want to let that chance slip away.”

You couldn’t help but frown at his words. “I told them to tell you what they were planning. Good intentions but stupid execution…” 

Katsuki moved away so he could turn to face you, his expression sincere and his eyes sharp. “How long have you known about this whole thing? How long have they been planning it? How did you even get here?”

Ah, right… you knew he’d want to know the logistics of everything considering how this all came out as a literal birthday surprise. Sighing, you fiddled with the translator in your lap and hesitantly looked up at Katsuki. “I… you know how I said I didn’t want you to be upset on your birthday?”

“I’m not mad at you. It’s not like you could’ve told me what was going on, anyway.” 

You shook your head. “No, I know that. What I mean is, you’re probably going to be upset at your friends, whether it’s me that tells you or them… “ Starting a yelling match between Katsuki and his friends seemed like an awful way to get on the good side of the people he was closest to, but he’d make them fess up either way. “I know I’m technically in the middle of all this, but I don’t… shit. Am I making any sense?”

“I see.” Why did it sound so ominous coming from him? "You don't have to tell me. But I'd rather know everything now while we're all together. If you say I'll be mad, then you're probably right. But I doubt anything they say will make you being here not worth it. They can't ruin that." The soft intensity he gave off was just as flustering now as it was back in your apartment. "And I'll try really fucking hard not to yell…" He hesitated before sighing and holding up his pinky, albeit reluctantly. "For you." 

You could've cried all over again from how adorably sappy it was to know he remembered how you insisted on pinky promises; he didn't need to know you only liked them because of how embarrassed he always looked doing something so juvenile. 

Holding up your own pinky, you twirled it around his and smiled. "I'll hold you to it. I love you, Katsuki." 

The casual way you dropped love into the conversation made his eyes widen and the tips of his ears flush pink. You said it with complete confidence as easily as if discussing the weather. How you could ever call yourself cowardly was beyond him. 

Scoffing and shaking his head, Katsuki snickered before invading your space, keeping you in place by your pinky while close enough to see his own reflection in your startled eyes. "Love you, too." Each time he said it was a little easier than the last. Besides, he couldn't let you outdo him, especially not on his own birthday. 

On that note, while he wanted to pull away to tease you just the tiniest bit, you leaned in close enough for your lips to brush. "Otanjoubi omedetou, Kat-su-ki." The slow, slurred way you tugged at his name like you knew exactly how much slack to give and take to keep him from toppling over the edge made him briefly regret wanting to go back inside at all. 

Over as soon as it began, the kiss was brief but had you smiling before hopping up from the bench, pulling him up by the hand to meet you. God, he was so fucking whipped. 

As you neared the back door where you heard the party moving on without you or the birthday boy, you slowed to let Katsuki overtake you. This was his conversation to have, not yours. Sort of. 

Katsuki paused, glanced back at you, and tugged his head towards the house before giving your hand a light squeeze of reassurance. Don't worry, I'm here. Even if they were all his friends, everyone except for Uraraka was, for the most part, a complete stranger… again, sort of. 

With a final deep breath, you turned off the translator, slid it into your small purse, and let Katsuki slide open the door and lead you inside. 

Almost immediately, you felt far too many pairs of eyes on you as the commotion and conversation died down leaving only the background music playing from the speakers. Even though you technically knew who all of them were, they didn't know you. Some were probably out of the loop completely as to what was going on judging by several confused or intrigued stares. Jaw clenched, body tense, and toes curled inside your slippers, you immediately regretted leaving the isolated safety of the backyard. 

"Oi, stop staring, you weirdos," Katsuki demanded as he kept you close to his side and glared at anyone trying to make a spectacle of the two of you. He had nothing to hide, not anymore. "This is my girlfriend. Don't make a big deal out of it." 

Scanning the various faces of everyone at that curt announcement - some shocked, some excited, some ambivalent - he stopped when he saw the four morons in charge of this so-called surprise. 

Kirishima broke the awkward quiet by strutting through the crowd towards you and Katsuki with a satisfied grin plastered across his face. However, it gradually fell as he came closer and noticed Katsuki’s obvious irritation. Midoriya, Todoroki, and Uraraka stood behind Kirishima. “Uh… happy birthday? Again? You don’t look happy even though… “ Kirishima tried to glance your way, but Katsuki sidestepped to block you from view. “What’s wrong?”

Jabbing a finger in each of their directions, he barked out an order that left no room for debate. "You four. We need to talk in private. Now." 

"What's like, happening? Is the party already over…? Bummer." A tipsy Camie squeezed past Sero and Ashido looking flushed and frustrated at the killed mood. 

Scraping a hand down his face, Katsuki's eye twitched trying to keep his composure for your sake. Fucking pinky swear… "It's not over. This won't take long. Do whatever you want; it's not my house." 

This immediately cheered up Camie who seemed oblivious to the drama unfolding before her like a soap opera. Kirishima, Midoriya, Todoroki, and Uraraka all shared a look before Uraraka cleared her throat. "Um, there's a spare bedroom down the hall we can use." 

Reluctantly, the group filed into a messy line and began walking away from the rest of the party with Midoriya at the helm. Katsuki took one step before you pulled on his arm and beckoned him closer with your finger. Judging by the reluctance written in your body language, you wanted to do this even less than he did, which meant ripping off the bandaid now would hopefully ease the soreness for the rest of the night. "Eh?" He leaned down to let you whisper into his good ear. Gesturing with his thumb, Katsuki ignored the stares from everyone else left behind as he led you by the hand down the hallway after the others. 

Once you’d disappeared, Ashido and Yaoyorozu shared a concerned glance. They’d listened to your story earlier today. The worry regarding how things would turn out in addition to this secretive surprise nonsense and being in a totally unfamiliar world with unfamiliar people was a lot to deal with. At least the Bakugo part of the equation appeared to turn out for the better…

Sero glanced around since he realized someone was missing. “Hey, where’d Kaminari go…?”

As Midoriya opened a door at the end of the hall, Katsuki pointed to one on the opposite wall leading to the bathroom. At least those Japanese lessons with Liviya were paying off a bit. And in all honesty, you kind of wanted to let them all have their back and forth without feeling like a third wheel in the corner; trying to keep up with five different people speaking over each other in Japanese was probably beyond the little translator’s capabilities, anyway. 

Turning on the bathroom light, you took a deep breath before glancing at yourself in the mirror with a jolt. “Oh, god… I really walked back inside like this?” All that crying had smeared the makeup around your eyes and left dirty tear tracks down your cheeks. “Waterproof my ass,” you cursed while digging in your purse for the makeup wipes you rightfully assumed you’d need for some emergency cleanup. 

The last in line, Katsuki closed the door to the spare office behind him as the others stood in front of a desk littered with Midoriya's unmistakable scribblings; a habit he never abandoned even into adulthood. 

Honestly, Katsuki was glad to be alone with them for at least a few minutes because he didn't want you to observe him blowing a gasket. He rounded on the nervous group as Midoriya stepped forward with his palm out as if presenting an invisible peace offering. "Kacchan, I know you're probably confused-" 

"What the hell is wrong with all of you?" His biting cadence shut Midoriya up with a squeak as he glared down at the rest of them. "I know you take pride in trying to solve my own problems without consulting me first, but why the fuck did you think it was a good idea to bring (y/n) here without telling me? How did you even get her here?!"

Katsuki was loud, always had been. Eventually, those that knew him best learned that he was actually most dangerous and serious when he was quiet, when he didn't hide behind roaring noise and bravado. And right now, with a deep set frown and shadowed eyes, the gravel in his voice was honed enough to cut glass. 

Kirishima took up the mantle of attempting to calm him down. "What all did (y/n) say already? And I'm sorry we didn't tell you before now, but we weren't even sure this was all gonna work in the end. It was a huge gamble. Plus, y'know… birthday surprise and all that…" Sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his neck when Katsuki’s grimace didn’t budge. 

“She didn’t tell me much of anything. Said it would probably piss me off, and she’s right even though you haven’t even begun explaining yet. Besides, it’s not her responsibility to fill me in because it wasn’t her plan to begin with.” He accusingly cut his eyes towards Midoriya who was the worst out of all of them when it came to acting without thinking. “So,” he continued while crossing his arms, “start talking before (y/n) comes back.”

It seemed like their plan for a happy reunion came to fruition, but good intentions didn’t excuse the underhanded tactics to get there. 

While the group unenthusiastically took turns explaining the hoops they jumped through to get their friend and his long lost love back together - researching potential quirks, pulling favors, Uraraka paying you a visit - you were just about done cleaning yourself up in the bathroom when someone whispered your name outside the door. 

“(Y/n)…? Daijoubu desuka?” It sounded like… Ashido, maybe? 

Leaving your purse and makeup scattered on the counter, you unlocked the door and peeked outside to see a black and gold eye staring back at you. You opened the door to see Yaoyorozu standing behind Ashido, both with worried expressions. 

“Oh, uh, daijoubu desu.” Before you could attempt to try and listen in on what was happening in the other room, Ashido pushed her way inside the small bathroom with Yaoyorozu in tow before closing the door behind her. Scrunching up her eyes as if you were under inspection, Ashido eventually nodded while Yaoyorozu picked up the translator on the sink and turned it on without much difficulty. 

“I believe this is… there we go. Simple enough. Apologies for intruding, (y/n)-san, but we wanted to make sure you were all right.” 

“We could tell you’d been crying outside,” Ashido explained. “Needed to make sure Bakugo didn’t say something dumb to our new friend.” Even though they’d only met you earlier today, the two of them came to make sure you were OK? “You did a pretty good job cleaning up your makeup, though.” 

You couldn’t help but feel appreciative of their concern; Katsuki was lucky to form bonds with such strong-willed and considerate people. “Thanks, really. But they were happy tears. He almost screwed up, but quickly made up for it. I don't really blame him, though, since I think it would've been much smoother if it all wasn't, y'know, a secret." 

Your reassurance that nothing terrible happened seemed to ease their concern before Ashido huffed and crossed her arms. "Thought so. Boys can be so dumb, sometimes. Don't worry, I gave Kirishima an earful when we got here. But I'll leave most of the finger-wagging to you and Bakugo." 

"Speaking of," Yaoyorozu began while glancing at the bathroom door. "If you need to rejoin the others, we don't want to hold you up if there's nothing else you need from us." 

As you started shoving makeup back into your purse, you paused. Surely they would know, right? "Actually… I have a question about certain Japanese words and phrases since I know they can be highly contextual." 

The two women nodded confidently and said they could provide some translation help. "OK, well… what's the difference between 'dai suki da yo' and 'aishiteru'? I know the latter is generally more serious… what?" 

Yaoyorozu flushed and covered her mouth with her hand while Ashido’s eyes sparkled mischievously as a pursed grin spread across her pink face. “For one,” Yaoyorozu hesitantly began, “using ‘aishiteru’ is um, very rare. It’s reserved for intense and serious situations such as a marriage proposal… It’s a term that cannot be misinterpreted and is used very intentionally.” 

Keeping her sly expression, Ashido added onto Yaoyorozu's explanation. "Mm, yep, it's a super intense term for loooooove," she reiterated while batting her eyelashes. "It's not an everyday term, you know. And some people might never use it at all." It was like this kind of gossip directly fueled Ashido's excited energy.

All you could do was stand dumbfounded. You knew way back before Katsuki left that Japanese was highly contextual and, though simplistic, the dictionary touched on it briefly. So, for Katsuki - someone who knew full well what it meant and the implications behind it - to say it first… "Oh." 

"... Oh?" 

"Did we break her?" 

At that exact moment, all three of you turned towards the unseen hallway as raised voices echoed past the doors. Remembering what was going on in the other room snapped you out of your stupor. So much for Katsuki staying calm. "Uh, guess I should get back and see what's going on," you said while picking up the rest of your things and checking yourself one last time in the mirror. "Thanks for checking in on me. Katsuki's lucky to have friends like you." 

Yaoyorozu seemed to calm down from the aishiteru discussion and gave you a warm smile. "Of course, (y/n)-san. Hopefully, things turned out for the best even if we had a rocky start." 

Ashido nodded before opening the bathroom door to find Sero trying to listen in while pressed against the wall. When the bathroom light illuminated him, he just grinned and shrugged to play it off as no big deal. "Oh, well. Was just trying to feel included is all," he joked. “So, Ashido, don’t you owe me some money?”  You heard him chuckle as Ashido pushed him back down the hall through some incoherent grumbling followed by Yaoyorozu. That left just you standing in front of the door. The voices had died down by now, but you were still a little worried for whatever scene lay beyond it. 

The tension in the office hung heavy as Katsuki glared at a squirming Midoriya. "I can't fucking-" Knock knock. Someone at the door cut him off. Before he could tell whoever it was to get lost, he heard his name on the other side. 

"Katsuki?" 

Taking a deep breath to calm himself after hearing the absolute bullshit excuse of a story they told him to try and explain away what almost turned into complete ruin, Katsuki turned on his heel, walked to the door, and flung it open. 

No wonder you were in the bathroom for so long - you'd cleaned up your makeup and seemed less frazzled than before. He just figured you needed some time to yourself, but it also gave him the opportunity to hear out the morons standing on the opposite end of the room without feeling you side-eyeing his exasperation. 

"Hey. You good?" Nodding, you let him lead you into the room before gently closing the door behind you. Although he appeared collected, the stiff way he carried himself and the vestige of various creases along his brow and around his mouth gave the truth away. Not to mention the four people now staring in your direction looking equally drained. You finally noticed Uraraka's belly, but said nothing as she looked especially apologetic before staring down at the floor.

The room, you observed, seemed like an ordinary spare bedroom that they turned into an office space. How often they actually used it was unclear, but a few framed posters of All Might and various shelves lined with books and Hero memorabilia made it feel less sterile. Of course, the room itself wasn't important; your eyes hesitantly drifted to Kirishima, Todoroki, Midoriya, and Uraraka before Katsuki stomped up to them to presumably continue where they left off before you knocked. 

"I was hoping this would be quick. Didn't think this story had a hundred different chapters to it," he bit out while crossing his arms. Katsuki glanced over his shoulder to see you leaning against the wall. The sooner he could get this over with, the sooner he could get back to what was actually important. "So, if I'm not missing anything, you," he emphasized with a glare in Midoriya's direction, "told Melissa personal shit that wasn't her damn business, then she went and told some extra that I don't even know because he had a teleportation quirk?" 

"For the most part, yes," Todoroki answered. "We exhausted our own resources while searching, so Midoriya reached out on his own. If this didn't work, then we would've been out of options." 

While the secrecy of it all was infuriating, Katsuki was honestly amazed, but not at all surprised, by the massive hoops they jumped through for his sake. No one here would dream of giving less than 150% when it came to helping each other out; he realized that back at Kamino all those years ago. "Right… and this guy-"

"Devin-san," Midoriya quickly corrected. Katsuki narrowed his eyes. 

"Devin, whatever. Is he even a Hero? How does his quirk work? Why did he agree to help you all, anyway?" All four of them shared glances as if silently trying to figure out who would do the explaining. That didn't bode well, but Kirishima was the one who finally spoke up. 

"Alright, so, one, he isn't a Hero, but his mom is or…?" Side-eyeing Midoriya, Kirishima continued when he saw a confirming nod. "His mom, yeah. She's a Hero over in America. That's how Melissa knew him since she or her dad probably worked on support items and tech over there. Apparently, Devin owed Melissa a favor, and she used it on this." Unimpressed, Katsuki stood silently and waited for the redhead to get to the point. "Uh, as for his quirk… it is a teleportation-type quirk, but it works differently than Kurogiri's." 

Those types of powerful quirks were rare; not as uncommon as they used to be when quirks were overall simpler and less powerful, but still coveted all the same. What made this guy's quirk so special, then? "Well? Tell me how it works, Kirishima." He needed confirmation of something he was unsure of last year. Something that irked him, but he lacked proof for any kind of confrontation. And judging from how hesitant Kirishima appeared to let out the full extent of the truth, this was either going to close the case or leave it indefinitely unresolved. 

Kirishima visibly deflated and seemed to resign himself to finally telling the truth. "It works by using important objects. The more emotional attachment the object has, the further Devin can teleport, including to places he'd never been before. But he had no idea if he could even go to a whole different world. The only way we could try and make it work was to have something… really meaningful." 

Tightening his jaw while staring daggers at Kirishima's sinking frown, Katsuki took a single, measured step forward until they were almost nose-to-nose. His words held dangerously steady like a dagger pressed against a windpipe. “I want to hear you admit it.” Katsuki felt your eyes on the back of his neck, watching to see if he’d keep his promise. 

At least Kirishima’s eyes looked as fearless as ever as he stared down at his long time friend with a mixture of determination and heavy guilt. “I’m really sorry, Bakugo… yeah, I took the note (y/n) wrote for you. I swear I only saw the first couple of lines before realizing what it was-“

“I should Howitzer you in the fucking mouth.”

It was one thing to defy teachers’ orders and go on a dangerous rescue mission to save his life. But it was something else entirely for them to just assume they knew what was best for him and steal his things. “I deserve it,” Kirishima admitted easily. Telling the truth seemed to dispel most of the strain he was holding in his neck and jaw. 

Flaring his nostrils like a cartoon bull preparing to huff out a stream of angry smoke before charging at a taunting red cape, Katsuki let his hands fall to his sides and took a step back before cutting his eyes to the other three. “And you all just went along with everything? It’s obvious that his quirk did work, so why the hell didn’t you just tell me everything then, huh? And-“ Something Kirishima said struck him as odd. Creasing his brows, Katsuki turned on his heel to look at you with confusion before turning back to the group. “You put the note back,” he stated while pointing at Kirishima who nodded obediently. “Which means you didn’t use it to bring (y/n) here, today. So what the fuck was it for?”

This time, it was Uraraka’s turn to solemnly raise her hand. “Um… that’d be me. I sorta volunteered to test out Devin-san’s quirk to make sure it would be safe to go back and forth since he’d never done anything like this before…” 

"Safe?" It was just one blow right after the other with this lot. Katsuki stomped over to stand in front of Uraraka, incredulity written across his face in bold lettering. "You mean to tell me you went to her world and presumably saw her and still didn't think to just fucking tell me what was going on?" Wiping a hand down his tired face, Katsuki breathed out a mirthless chuckle. Of course they had to have some kind of contact with you before this point to explain things and get you on board with their scheme, but everything compounded was just too much to take in right then and there. "Ya know what? I don't even wanna know the rest of it." Maybe he should've listened when you insisted that confronting this now would sour his mood, but he couldn't change it now. It would've eaten at him until he heard the truth, anyway. 

He hated what he needed to do, but it was necessary. Holding out his hand to Kirishima, he said, "Gimme my spare apartment key back." 

Kirishima appeared taken aback and hurt at the request, but handing over the key Katsuki gave him as a symbol of trust and friendship was just the natural consequence of his actions. Without complaint, he pulled out his keyring and slid the key off before wordlessly dropping it in Katsuki's waiting palm. 

Avoiding looking at the others, he kept his back to them and trudged over to you with his hands jammed into the front pockets of his jeans. You looked about as tired as he felt, and you couldn't even understand most of what was being discussed. While there was more he could've pried into, salvaging the remainder of his birthday by spending time with you was far more important than wasting the rest of the night thinking about all this shit. 

Katsuki angled his head towards the door that led back to the main hallway to signal he was done here, but to his surprise you weren't ready to head out just yet. You shook your head, whispered, "Chotto matte," and brushed past him to stand in his previous spot in front of Kirishima, Todoroki, Midoriya, and Uraraka. 

You didn't want to do this. You really didn't want to do this… but it was one of those unavoidable adult situations that needed to happen. So much discussion around regret and second chances forced you to confront your own anxieties about how the day didn’t exactly measure up to your expectations. Holding the translator up like a microphone, you nervously addressed the group. 

“Um… hi,” you reluctantly began. Meeting Katsuki’s closest friends and some of your favorite characters from the series would’ve been so much more exciting if the circumstances weren’t so somber. “I think you all know who I am, but I really only know one of you.” Cutting your eyes to your right, Uraraka was already staring in your direction with mixed emotions. “I know that Katsuki just talked about some things…” Honestly, ‘talked’ was a much kinder word than how Katsuki would’ve described it, but you didn’t want to rub unnecessary salt in the wound. “Still, I wanted to say a few things while I have the opportunity.” 

Deciding to start on a positive note, you brought your hands down and bent forward in a shallow bow. Staring down towards the floor, you saw Kirishima and Midoriya's feet shuffle awkwardly from your peripheral vision. "I wanted to thank you all for helping me get here to see Katsuki again. I know it must’ve taken a lot of work and planning. Me being grateful doesn’t dismiss some of the hurtful things you did, though.” Standing back up to your full height, you forced yourself to look everyone in the eyes; you wanted them to see you - truly see you - for who you were. 

"In all honesty, today didn't go at all like I thought it would. I came here unsure of who or what might greet me. I didn't know anyone and was in an unfamiliar place." You noticed as realization finally seemed to spark in Midoriya's eyes as you tried to articulate your feelings regarding their treatment of you. "The only two people I did know weren't there, and almost as soon as I arrived I was practically pushed out the door-" 

"You WHAT?!" Katsuki's raised voice would have startled you if you hadn’t expected at least one interruption. However, you didn’t need him fighting on your behalf, not when he had his own grievances to worry about. 

You held up a hand to motion to Katsuki that you could handle yourself as you watched Uraraka quietly chastise her mortified husband. “I felt like more of a burden than a guest,” you continued as the room quieted down once again. “But I’m grateful to Yaoyorozu and Ashido for helping me out even though you didn’t tell them what was going on, either. By the time I was brought back here for the party, I felt like… you all just used me as a means to make Katsuki happy.” 

At that, Midoriya wasn’t the only one appearing regretful as the consequences of their eagerness finally set in. Todoroki’s frown was small, but not insignificant if you took into account the usual calm control he exuded. Furthermore, it really pained you to see Kirishima, normally so bright and positive, looking like a kicked puppy. Even his signature spiked hair drooped as he hung his head in apparent shame. 

“I’m not a gift to give to someone. I’m a person who has just as much stake in this whole thing as Katsuki.” Only when you finished speaking did you realize your hands were shaking. Still, explaining yourself lifted yet another weight from your chest as relief washed over you. “So… while I do appreciate everything you all did, I’d like an apology. And I think you owe one to Yaoyorozu and Ashido, too.” 

Requesting an apology from Kirishima, Todoroki, Midoriya, and Uraraka wasn’t exactly on your to-do list for the day, but you knew that ignoring your feelings was the perfect way to feel terrible and anxious when all you wanted to do was celebrate the remainder of Katsuki’s birthday. 

Uraraka stepped forward first and it forced you to analyze her discomfort when you tried to avoid looking at her completely during your speech. You considered her a friend by the time she left, so knowing she’d gone along with keeping their plan a secret after you tried to convince her it was a bad idea made the hurt more personal. Wringing her hands together, she dipped into a shallow bow. “I’m so sorry, (y/n)-san. Both you and Bakugo-kun are right. We should’ve explained things once I returned, but then we found out about the baby and… n-not that it’s an excuse or anything. I will say I yelled at my husband when I realized he let you leave without telling me, first.”

Having someone bow to you was probably something you’d never get used to. They didn’t need to present some ostentatious apology for it to matter; they just needed to understand why you were upset in the first place and promise to be more considerate in the future. “Thank you. I-” Reflexively, you were about to give your own apology for dragging out this little drama party, but bit your lip to stop yourself. There was nothing to apologize for, but old habits were hard to break. "I appreciate it." 

Uraraka straightened up, allowing you to really see how her rosy cheeks had rounded out even more as the baby grew from the last time you'd seen her. "And congratulations. Really, I'm happy for you." At the very least, you didn't want to add to her existing stress of, you know, being pregnant. Smiling softly, she folded her hands under her belly and uttered a soft, "arigatou." 

Turning to look pointedly at her husband, Midoriya stepped forward with frantic speed before dipping into an excessively low bow. And another. And another. It was like he'd turned into one of those old drinking bird toys that bobbed perpetually up and down, except turned up to about one-hundred and the bird babbled out a long stream of strung-together apologies in Japanese. 

You stumbled back at his sudden whirlwind of movement, but something wide and sturdy appeared at your back to help keep your balance. "Uh-" 

"Don't make it weird. We got two more apologies to hear," Katsuki grunted out right above your head as he kept a grounding hand on your waist. So, he literally had your back on this; Comforting to know. 

Uraraka tugged on her husband's shirt collar to pull him back in line as Todoroki took his place. While he didn't bow like the others, you knew his words were sincere. "Sorry about the mess we made. I suppose good intentions don't overshadow the problems they might cause. Oh, right. I never introduced myself. I'm Todoroki. Nice to meet you." 

"You didn't even- fucking hopeless." You couldn't even argue with Katsuki's indignant grumbling. Even though you technically knew who Todoroki was, it was true that this was his first formal introduction. You kept it short and simple and thanked him for the apology. Just one more left until you could hopefully put this awkwardness beyond you…

Honestly, out of everyone you knew you might meet here, you were most excited about Kirishima. He was a fan favorite from the very beginning with his talk of manliness and friendly attitude. As the first person to really make an effort in befriending Katsuki, it was no wonder they were still close years later. Even though it wasn't technically your fault, it still hurt to see the current wedge driven between the two of them.

You felt Katsuki's grip on your waist tighten the tiniest amount as Kirishima sheepishly stood in front of you. He glanced up above your head, but even without seeing his face you knew Katsuki was giving the redhead a hardened glare. "If you didn't already know, I'm Kirishima Eijirou, but you can just call me Kirishima. And… I'm really sorry," he admitted before giving his own apologetic bow, his long red hair spreading across his shoulders. "It was all the opposite of manly. Everything you said was right and it took guts to speak your mind like that. If it's worth anything, I respect that a lot. I can see now why Bakugo likes you," he confessed while standing up to his full height which was just a bit taller than Katsuki's, excluding the hair. 

Under different circumstances, you might've felt bashful at his words, but you were tired, annoyed, and your hospitality meter was almost running on empty. "You took something important that I gave Katsuki, right?" 

Clearing his throat, Kirishima nodded. "Y-yea, I did." 

"Mmhm," you hummed, wanting to make him sweat for a moment. "That was fucked up. Don't do something like that again. Understand?" At your demand, all he managed was a slow, purposeful nod. "Good," you sighed. "OK, I'm done chastising your friends.”

Katsuki took the hint and grabbed your hand to finally lead you out of this stifling room. But as he ushered you out the door, he turned around for a final glare over his shoulder and mouthed, “I’m still going to kick your asses,” before slamming the door behind him. 

Kirishima, Todoroki, Midoriya, and Uraraka stood together in silence for a second before letting out a collective groan. Well, that didn’t go well… 

“So much for the idea that she’d protect us from Bakugo… I guess we had it coming, though,” Kirishima admitted, still melancholy over making his best friend and his girlfriend so upset. "Didn't expect her to look so intimidating…" The way you held yourself had him convinced that, despite being quirkless and a good head and a half shorter than him, you could've put him in the ground if you tried. Or maybe that was what you wanted him to think. Either way, Kirishima had no plans to make things worse for his friends or himself from this point forward. 

Once the two of you were in the hallway, you barely had time to glance back towards the living room before Katsuki grabbed your hand and tugged you in the opposite direction. He quickly rounded the corner at the end of the hall before you nearly bumped into him as he came to a dead stop in front of an unfamiliar door and wordlessly turned the knob. 

What neither of you expected to see were two figures suddenly illuminated when Katsuki flipped the light switch. 

“AGH!”

“Ow! You shocked me, Kami-”

“Ugh, gross.”

“Oooh… oops.”

Katsuki grimaced before turning the lights back off and shutting the door. All he wanted was an empty room, but those two idiots just had to be sucking face while half naked and- A dry retch escaped him before the cursed scene was complete. He glanced down at you, a hand clamped over your mouth to stifle a giggle before he pulled you further down the hall to hopefully find a room that was actually empty. 

Luckily, the next door he opened that happened to be at the very end of the hallway fit the bill as Katsuki ushered the two of you inside before closing the door. 

A light shade of green paint coated the walls while various pieces of an unfinished crib lay in the far corner. Ignoring all of the boxed-up decorations and lingering smell of paint for what would soon become a nursery, Katsuki leaned his forearm against the wall, putting you in shadow in front of him. 

"What-" 

"I'm sorry." You looked up at him in confusion as his jaw tensed. "I called you my gift earlier. I didn't know." Had he been aware of all the trouble you went through today, he would've chosen his words more carefully. To think that you'd been here all fucking day, passed around from one person to the next all for some stupid birthday surprise. The shit you put up with for his sake was frustratingly astounding. 

"Shit, don't scare me like that," you remarked with a huff and light tap on his chest. "I thought something was actually wrong. But that's nothing to apologize for," you clarified. "They were the ones treating me that way, even if they didn't mean to. You can call me a present if you want, just for today." 

It wasn't like he wanted to be irate on his birthday, not when he had you at arm's length again. He was about to switch the subject with a comment about unwrapping you to hopefully lighten the mood, but you cut him off as he opened his mouth. 

"I'm sorry, though. Not for anything I said back there, but just… " You leaned your head against his arm, still pressed against the wall. "I didn't want to put a wedge between you and your friends. And I wanted your friends to like me after all the stories you told me…" 

Putting an end to this shitty mood was his top priority at the moment, because if you were sad, then he was sad, and he'd been sad for six fucking months. "Listen," he said, leaning down close to make sure you looked him in the eyes. "Don't apologize for shit. You warned that I'd get pissed, and I did it anyway to get it over with. That whole conversation sucked, but I'm not gonna spend the rest of the night grinding my teeth over it. You shouldn't, either. And for your last point, they'll get over it. If I know them like I think I do, then you standing up and chewing 'em out made their respect for you shoot through the damn roof." It wasn't easy standing up to people you didn't know, but he expected nothing less from you at this point; it was one of the many things he loved about you. 

You sucked your bottom lip between your teeth before pushing off the wall to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. When you pulled back, you were smiling. "Thank you, Katsuki. You're still number one at motivational speeches." 

Katsuki snorted. "Of course I am." Dipping down, he smirked against your jaw before caressing your skin with his lips, feather-light and teasing. In all honesty, watching you act bossy was kind of hot if he didn’t think too hard about context. Too bad he didn't get very far before the door suddenly opened. 

Todoroki poked his head inside the room, locked eyes with Katsuki who gave him a ferocious death glare, and shut it a second later. He could hear conversation in the hallway. One familiar, whiny voice was complaining about being "interrupted". Knowing he'd get no privacy while in someone else's house, Katsuki backed away from the wall and stuffed his hands into his pockets as you suppressed a snicker. 

"Well, tell me what ya wanna do. We can stay here for a while longer, or we can leave and head to my place." He checked his watch: 9:47 PM. How the hell did it get so late? Wait- "How long are you here for? When do you have to go back?" With everything else coming to light, he'd forgotten to find out exactly how much time the two of you had together. If you only had a day and those idiots wasted it for some stupid surprise- 

“I’m here for a week.” He visibly relaxed at hearing that. While a week was much better than only a day or two, it wasn’t long enough; it would never be enough. “If that works for you, that is. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do if things didn’t, y’know, go well.” 

Thank fuck he came to his senses before you walked out of his life forever. Again. “Why would it be a problem?”

You shrugged. “I mean, we’re kinda in reversed positions. I’m here unexpectedly, interrupting your life, relying on you for stuff even though I brought clothes and things I need with me…”

"I guess so," he admitted. "But unlike you, I'm technically my own boss. Unless it's an emergency, the others can take care of things for a week. They did it for a whole month, after all. But we can talk about it more later. Answer the other question: what do you wanna do?" His apartment was a much quieter and more comfortable space to talk and catch up properly, so he hoped you chose to leave rather than stick around much later. 

“I dunno why you’re asking me when it’s your birthday, but fine.” You glanced to your left at the closed door leading back to the hallway where you could hear faint voices and music. “While I definitely don’t want to stay super long, do you mind at least introducing me to your other friends first?” There was no way you were going to pass up an opportunity to meet some of the others. You’d spotted Jirou, Sero, and a few other semi-familiar faces; even if you didn’t get a chance to talk more with Kirishima or Todoroki, you wanted to be able to look back on some unforgettable memories with Katsuki’s other friends. 

Even though you saw his eye twitch, Katsuki didn’t argue about wanting to stay. “Yeah, fine.” Maybe a bit of mingling could distract him from falling back into a sour mood. Opening the door for you, he led you back down the hallway where, unsurprisingly, a small group had been waiting for your reappearance. Another upside of introducing yourself was to hopefully diminish the amount of gawking aimed your way. 

Wasting no time, Katsuki immediately honed in on Yaoyorozu and Jirou who were chatting off to the side. He steered you to stand in front of him as he quickly introduced you to Jirou and vice versa before guiding Yaoyorozu off to the side for some private conversation. Well, being personable wasn’t exactly his strong suit…

Luckily, Jirou took the lead and rolled through the initial awkwardness. Apparently, Yaoyorozu had filled her in on what was happening and who you were, so at least you didn’t have to recount all of that again. Rather than pry into your relationship with Katsuki, Jirou asked about what you did back home and your hobbies while you inquired about her quirk. 

Talking with her was easy and comforting with her chill demeanor. When Katsuki and Yaoyorozu rejoined the conversation, he blurted out that you were a good singer which prompted a sudden urge to strangle him. It was one thing to sing for yourself or for Katsuki, but Jirou’s parents were professional musicians and she no doubt inherited a ton of their music-making talent. Luckily, Jirou didn’t ask for a demonstration of any kind, and instead, just encouraged you to keep practicing if it was something you enjoyed. You thanked her and, before you could say goodbye, Katsuki was already ushering you towards a different friend group. 

“That was weird, but she’s nice,” Jirou commented once she and Yaoyorozu were alone again. “Seeing him hold hands with someone is kinda bizarre since I never thought it would happen, but I’m glad it did. Oh, what did he want to talk to you about?”

Yaoyorozu smiled softly. “Bakugo-san wanted to thank me for helping (y/n)-san earlier today. He said he owes me a favor whenever I may need it.” Jirou’s eyebrows shot up into her purple bangs and glanced over at the two of you now talking with Ashido, Sero, and Tokoyami. Getting a “thank you” out of Bakugo was rare, but having him admit to owing someone a favor was downright unheard of. “He really is a caring person. It’s unfortunate that she can’t stay with how happy he seems…” Yaoyorozu leaned down and gave her girlfriend a light, chaste kiss upon her hair, grateful for the joy by her side. 

While it was one thing to grow accustomed to pink skin and minor edits to the human bodies you were used to, seeing Tokoyami and Dark Shadow up close was more jarring than you assumed it would be. You knew there was nothing to be nervous about, but trying to make sense of Dark Shadow's sketchy, ethereal appearance proved difficult. Reflexively, you kept Katsuki at arm's length while Sero chuckled at how sad Dark Shadow looked at your hesitation to touch it. 

"C'mon, it isn't that scary-" A flick to his temple from Ashido cut off Sero's harmless mocking.

"Dummy, she said people don't have quirks where she's from," she chided. "I mean, they don't even have people with pink skin! Their loss, honestly." 

Luckily, Tokoyami didn't appear insulted; maybe he was accustomed to people finding his quirk intimidating. "I see. There is nothing to fear. However, your comfort remains most important." 

While you nodded and cautiously held out your right hand while gripping Katsuki's arm with your left, he reassured you that everything was fine. "Nothin' to be- ah shit." Seemingly out of nowhere stumbled a more-than-tipsy Camie who was looking around for "ghost doggy" whatever the hell that meant. If there was anyone here at this party with the potential to embarrass him in front you, it was Camie. And Kaminari. But he was hopefully too busy hooking up with Shinsou to cause any real damage. 

"Like, found you," she declared before confidently patting Dark Shadow like someone might pet a- oh. Ghost doggy. Duh. "Hm? Who's this huh? New bestie?" Did she totally space out during his declaration earlier? "Why's this phone talking weird?" She pointed a nail at the translator in your hand as you stood by awkwardly. 

"Go drink some water," Katsuki ordered while knowing damn well that Camie could down a staggering amount of alcohol before passing out on a toilet. "And since you have elevator music and emojis between your ears, I'll say again that this is my girlfriend." 

It seemed to take Camie a good five seconds to process that information, but when she did, Katsuki swore he saw a twinkle in her eye. "OMG, for realsies? You're like, so brave and stuff," she remarked with complete sincerity towards you while Sero and Ashido were already cracking up. "Cute dress, tho. I'm Utsushimi Camie, but just Camie is chill.”

“Uh, hi.” The translator butchered Camie’s words, but at least you caught her name. “Nice to meet you. You can just call me (y/n).”

Camie smiled before pointing her pouting lips up at Katsuki while still holding tight to Dark Shadow; Surprisingly, Tokoyami didn’t seem to mind, at least not outwardly. “Bakugoooo, why didn’t you spill that you were off the market? I thought we were fam.”

“Why can you never talk normally?” He could already feel impending bullshit creeping nearer. "And I didn't even know she was gonna be here, so don't throw a damn fit." While that was true, there wasn't much of a point explaining your whole backstory if your stay here wasn't permanent or at least longer than a week. 

Camie tilted her head with a blank stare before finally letting go of Dark Shadow and cocking her hip. She glanced down at you, winked, then held her hand up to her chin. “Don’t you fucking-”

Too late. A stream of opaque, light pink smoke poured out of her mouth and swirled into a tall cloud, effectively catching the attention of everyone else in the room. It only took a second for an image to appear in the smoke. A mirror copy of Katsuki now stood in front of you, albeit the fluttering sparkles surrounding him weren't exactly normal. Katsuki wanted to scream. 

"Hey there, beautiful," the fake Katsuki purred with a wink. "You made my birthday wish come true by being here." Ashido and Sero sputtered with laughter; even Tokoyami couldn't hold back a low chuckle. The only one in the room who didn't seem to be laughing was the real Katsuki. However, before he could blow up Camie's cloud, you paused your shocked giggles to point at the imposter's face. 

"Ahem… nice try, but he doesn't look right," you accused with squinted eyes. "The nose is off and his eyes aren't the right shade of red. Also, the real Katsuki has a way with romantic words that this fake just can't compete with." Accepting his defeat with mocking grace, the illusion huffed and shrugged with a smirk before the smoke dissipated, leaving only the smiling Camie behind. 

"Wow, you're like, pretty cool. But I think the birthday boy is broken or something." Her eyes drifted up, causing you to turn and see a glowing-faced Katsuki who refused to look you in the eye. Oops, I'll make it up to him later. 

Sero and Ashido took turns making kissy noises before being yelled at by Katsuki. "SHUT THE HELL UP! WHERE'S MY DAMN CAKE SO I CAN GET OUTTA HERE?!" 

While you were being introduced to his friends, Midoriya and the other chewed-out friends hung back and out of the spotlight to give the two of you some space and reflect on their actions. Uraraka rested her swollen feet in a recliner they'd bought once the pregnancy was announced. Midoriya stood nearby with Todoroki before heading to the kitchen in silence to bring out the requested cake since Bakugo’s voice cut across everyone else in the room. The most forlorn of the bunch, Kirishima leaned against the wall while finishing off a drink that smelled of strong alcohol. 

"Kirishima." Todoroki calling his name barely made him look up. "You should try to talk to him. Not tonight, but-" 

"Nah," the redhead interrupted with a shake of his head. "I've pissed him off enough for one day. I'll let him come to me when he wants." 

Uraraka and Todoroki shared a concerning look. While the earlier confrontation was far from pleasant and gave them much to think about, they knew Bakugo wouldn't be mad at them forever; they'd shared too much throughout the years to let this be the end of their friendship. Maybe Kirishima needed some time to accept his faults and mistakes just like the rest of them. 

"Oi, about time." Midoriya had lit the candles and carried the cake into the main room before giving Katsuki some space while the other guests crowded around the faint orange glow. "Candles? I'm not a damn kid- wait, how many are on here?! I'm not that old!" 

Kaminari poked his head out of the crowd. “Hey! You’re lucky I resisted eating some frosting before now! No one told me I had to do math today.” 

Katsuki groaned. “Counting isn’t fucking math- whatever…” Standing behind him, you grabbed his shoulders and turned him back around to face the cake to keep him from arguing with Kaminari. Grimacing at the candles - there were at least thirty - the sudden sound of a few people beginning to actually sing him a happy birthday song forced him to wheel back around and shout, “You all got a death wish?!” Only two notes made it out before he blew out the candles in a single gust like the Big Bad Wolf; a few of them even toppled over into the icing.

You sat beside Katsuki on one of the couches in the living room, a plate piled high with a large cake slice in one hand and a fork in the other. Of course, he’d given himself the first and largest slice and you the second. He didn’t even bother with a fork, opting instead to just eat it with his fingers. “I thought you didn’t like sweets that much?” 

“I don’t,” he answered before licking orange and white icing from the corner of his mouth. He missed a spot, but swatted your hand away before you could wipe it away yourself. "But one of my old classmates made it and he's a damn good baker because his quirk relies on sugar. He made most of the birthday cakes for us while we lived in dorms." 

"So I guess he knows what you like, then," you murmured before taking another bite; by the large bites he took, you suspected Katsuki's vocal aversion to sweet things wasn't as authentic as he claimed. It really was delicious, though - not as sweet as a typical store-bought cake, but still flavorful and rich. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw someone approaching the two of you, but the moist cake in your mouth kept you from greeting him properly. 

"Aren't ya gonna introduce me, Kacchan?" Hovering in front of the couch, Kaminari smirked down at Katsuki who barely acknowledged his longtime friend. 

He stuffed another bite of cake in his mouth before retoring, "Only if you lock the door before you try and fuck in someone else's house." Kaminari sputtered and spun his head around to make sure no one overheard Katsuki's jab even though Uraraka chewing him out earlier was loud enough for most of the guests to hear. "Speaking of, where's the insomniac?"

You shielded your mouth to keep icing from flying out while you attempted to recover from choking on your laughter. "Keep your- what the hell, man?!" Katsuki snorted at his incredulous face, a rare sight for someone with so little shame. "Shinsou's probably in the bathroom or something. But don't make fun of me for shooting my shot when I just wanted to say 'hi' to the girl you've been simping over for months." 

He opened his mouth, closed it, and shook his head. "Too easy," Katsuki sighed. "But one, shut up, and two, what the fuck is a 'simp'?" You had to set down your plate before it toppled to the floor as you struggled to catch your breath. Their dynamic seemed even more chaotic now than what you recalled from the anime. "Oi, you good? The hell's so funny?" 

"She knows I'm right." 

"About what?"

"That you're a major simp." 

"Stop callin' me that! If it's short for 'simpleton', then that's definitely you, not me." 

"Nope. Wrong," you managed to sputter while wiping tears from your eyes and a few final coughs as both Kaminari and Katsuki stared at you. "Katsuki, that's not what simp means. But you're not one, anyway. So, you're both wrong. Also, hi. Nice to meet you…?" 

"Kaminari," he answered while a confused Katsuki pouted through his cake slice. "And same to you. But also, are you suuuuuuure…?" 

You nodded before picking your cake back up and turning to Katsuki knowing what he was going to ask. Of course, you already knew Kaminari's name, but since you hadn't formally met yet, it was a good idea to exchange brief introductions. "I'll tell you what it means later, but being labeled a simp is an insult." He was more like a kept man mixed with a snarky house husband… boyfriend… yeah, something like that. 

He licked the last of the icing from his fingers while staring daggers at Kaminari who by this point, knew the guy was mostly bark and only mildly bitey. "You're fuckin' lucky I'm in a good mood, because I'm giving you a head start. One." 

"Head start for-" 

"Two." 

Pursing his lips, Kaminari understood and began moving away to a safe distance before bending down and whispering something in Katsuki's ear. Whatever it was sent sparks flying from his palms as he yelled and leaned over the arm of the couch trying to snatch the tail of Kaminari's shirt, but for once he wasn't quick enough and Kaminari escaped towards a very perplexed Shinsou hiding out in the shadows with Tokoyami. 

It didn't take long before the whiplash of the day finally caught up to you. A single yawn had Katsuki asking if you were finally ready to go, to which you gave an affirmative nod. "Mmyeah. Just lemme ask Uraraka something first." 

While you headed over to the recliner where Uraraka was sleepily chatting with Yaoyorozu, Katsuki scanned the room and zeroed in on the sullen redhead on the opposite side. Despite not wanting a repeat of everything that pissed him off earlier, just leaving Kirishima to simmer in his own self-pity felt… if things were switched, Katsuki knew what would happen. 

A shadow poured across Kirishima's face, cheeks tinted pink from yet another drink as he looked up to see Katsuki standing over him.  

"Huh-" 

"Kirishima. Stop drinking and listen to me." He lowered his drink and winced as if bracing for round two of the harsh-but-deserved verbal barrage cage match. "I meant everything I said, and I bet (y/n) did, too. The way you guys went about all this was shitty." Kirishima frowned, but Katsuki continued. "One thing I didn't say, though… was thanks. 'Cause I know you idiots only did it to help me out with all this stuff." The love stuff, really. At that exact moment, Katsuki cut his eyes to find you standing in front of Uraraka, but you were looking at him, because of course you were. "But don't you ever do something so fuckin' stupid again, got it?" 

To anyone who didn't know him, Kirishima's sudden blubbering could've been caused by all the alcohol he downed in the past hours. But Katsuki knew he wore his emotions, even the sappy ones, right on his sleeve. "Man, I'm still so -hic- soooooo sorry! And I super duper swear-"

"You already apologized. An' I'm still pissed at you and the others. I just didn't wanna leave without saying that your screwed up plan was worth it." He left those final words as he walked away to find his way back to you. 

"Everything ok?" Your eyes flickered between Katsuki and Kirishima as you headed to the genkan to replace your house slippers with your heels. 

"Mm, fine," he grunted while flicking a wave over his shoulder in a wordless goodbye to everyone. "What'd you need Uraraka for?" 

You leaned against the wall for balance as you slid into your own shoes; even though you loved these shoes and appreciated how they made your legs look, walking around in them all night would have been tortuous. "Oh, I asked if this translator thing needed a charger or something, but she didn't have one? That the girl who made it didn't mention anything about charging it…" Four months of Japanese lessons weren't nearly enough for conversational edification despite how hardcore of a teacher Livia was, so this thing needed to supplement your gaps in grammar and knowledge since your phone didn't work here. 

Without warning, Katsuki grabbed the translator out of your hand, turned around, and yelled over the entire room in his raspy Japanese to catch Uraraka’s attention while you fiddled with the buckle of your shoe. “Wh-?” All you caught through the barked Japanese back and forth between him and Uraraka was a name: Hatsume. 

He dropped the device back into your hand with a, “Should be fine,” as you stood at your full height plus heels. Without moving his head, Katsuki gave you a not-so-quick up and down with his eyes, pausing as he stopped to meet your own. Though still shorter than him, it was nice not to have to crane your neck so far to see him. Either he appreciated that too, or admired how the shoes made your legs look. Maybe both. Probably both. 

As he buckled his polished leather motorcycle boots, he called back around the corner to someone else, but you turned to open the door and hide a yawn. He placed a sturdy hand on your lower back while leading you outside into the warm spring air. 

“Feels weird takin’ you back to my place for a change.” You felt his fingers trace a line from your waist to your hand, his fingers lacing with yours through muscle memory. He ignored the cars parked in the driveway and stopped next to his motorcycle. “My ride. Like it?”

You remembered how he stared at the stopped motorcycle all those months ago and smiled. “Looks nice; very you. Guess you decided to give into some self indulgence for once? And does this mean I get to ride back with you?”

After a second, both of you realized that, for different reasons, you could not ride back with him and said “shit,” at exactly the same time. 

Your luggage was still in Yaoyorozu’s car, and Katsuki was not going to let you ride while wearing zero protective gear. "Not tonight. I gotta…" At that moment, Yaoyorozu and Jirou came outside, the latter holding a large slice of birthday cake in a clear reusable container. Perfect timing. 

“Bakugo-san!” Yaoyorozu waved to the two of you. "Todoroki-san said you asked for some cake to take with you. And we still have (y/n)-san's suitcase in my car. We were about to head home as well and wanted to catch you before you left." 

"Suitcase?" Ah fuck, right. You actually brought shit with you, so riding with him was out even if you had the right gear. "If you're heading out anyway, can she ride with you and just drop her and her stuff off at my building?" Yaoyorozu was smart enough to pick up on the unspoken addition to his growing list of owed favors. 

She looked down at Jirou who nodded. "Sure, it's no trouble. I think I still have your address in my texts somewhere, but send it to me again." 

"Ya fine with riding with them?" Katsuki asked, pulling out his phone. "We can take the bike out tomorrow. Show you the city, just like I promised." 

That hypothetical "what if" scenario about how much he'd spoil you if he had the chance was about to come true. By the way your eyes lit up, you hadn't forgotten, either. "I'd like that." 

Yaoyorozu glanced at her reflection in the rear view mirror as Jirou slid in beside her. "I figured today was gonna be busy, but not this much," Jirou joked while balancing the cake on her lap. "How does a relaxing bath sound when we get home? We can use that new tea blend you got the other day." 

Her answered smile was tired, but fond. "That sounds perfect, Kyoka." Both women turned to see you presumably saying your goodbyes to Bakugo as he sat on his bike, his boots planted firmly on the driveway to keep his balance steady. 

"Drive safe, OK?" 

"What, think I'll crash? Not a damn chance." 

"Just accept my concern, birthday boy." You tried to flick his forehead, but a quick hand swatted you away before easily sliding your wrist between his thumb and index finger and letting his hand slot with yours as gravity swayed it back and forth. Just a twenty minute separation was proving tough to swallow now that he had you back, temporary though it was. Like he'd speed off and arrive at his apartment only for you to never meet him there. But you knew his faraway looks by now and squeezed his fingers to make him feel just how real you were. "I'll see you there. Love you." 

He was never gonna get used to that, but he didn't want to. Each repeat was like hearing it for the first time - minus all the miserable heartbreak. But now, he could say it back. "Mm. Love you, too." 

"Aww, that's kinda cute," teased Jirou as she leaned across her girlfriend to mentally snapshot the two of you kissing. It reminded her of getting caught making out in the U.A. dorm kitchen by Sero and Ojiro. She was too embarrassed to look them in the eyes for a week. 

"Kyoka! Don't stare!" 

"You're staring too!" 

"N-no I'm not! I'm just waiting for (y/n)-san," she argued before turning away right as Bakugo was adjusting his helmet, his gloved middle finger waving in the air towards Jirou who just laughed. The two women quickly composed themselves as you opened the car back door. 

Buckling your seatbelt, you gave a small wave to Katsuki who revved his bike engine before pulling out of the driveway and disappearing down the lamplit street. 

You took a deep breath and slumped into the car seat before seeing Yaoyorozu and Jirou staring at you over their shoulders. "Uh… thanks for driving me. And everything else, today. Again." Having strangers haul you around town and depend on them for everything… no wonder Katsuki's short temper was pushed to the limit during his first few weeks staying with you. 

"It's no problem," Jirou reassured as Yaoyorozu pulled out of the driveway. "Bakugo's place isn't super out of the way. Considering we probably ask more of him than he does any of us, it's the least we can do." 

Self-sufficient to a fault. At least you felt somewhat prepared with what you brought with you. 

Most of the drive was silent. Yaoyoru and Jirou spoke in hushed voices over the phone directions as you gawked at the towering neon lights of late night Tokyo that closed in with the residential neighborhood left behind. 

The main glow of the city centered around a tall building that you guessed was Tokyo Tower. Although you appeared to be within city limits, Yaoyorozu drove along the outskirts and avoided the condensed city core. Bright neon signs embellished shop windows and jumbo screens cycling through product ads were plastered on corners just high enough to catch in your peripheral vision as you passed. Sirens cried in the distance and you wondered if a villain was causing mayhem between the maze of claustrophobic structures. The clasp on your purse became the perfect fidget toy for your twitchy fingers. 

As the car slowed to a stop at a red light, you looked out the window to see none other than Katsuki parked one lane over and one car ahead of you; the grenade on the back of his helmet made him easy to pinpoint. Somehow, Yaoyorozu had caught up with him which meant you'd probably arrive at about the same time. He must've noticed in his side mirror because he swiveled his head, headlights and neon reflecting off his helmet, to look right at the car. Even though the opaque visor, you felt his stare before the light turned green - no, blue? Either way, it wasn't long before you lost sight of him again as the bike sped off with practiced ease. 

How the hell did they catch up to me? He wasn't a speed demon on the bike, but sitting behind some old hag who should've had her license taken away a decade ago would've dragged down anyone else when he could slip through shitty late night traffic. While he didn't want to keep you waiting, not after six agonizing months, there was something he needed to pick up before inviting you into his home for the next six days. 

Rounding a familiar corner, his building stood a few blocks away on the left. All he needed to do was park in the garage, run into the konbini next door, and wait outside for you to pull up. Easy. 

Was the garage door always this slow to open?! His knee bobbed impatiently before he slid under the creaking door while ducking his head. His spot, the one he always parked in, was predictably empty. None of them were assigned, but there was an unacknowledged, collective agreement between tenants not to take anyone else's space. Besides, no one was dumb enough to park near his bike, anyway. 

Once parked, Katsuki slid off his helmet and shook his head like a wet dog to dislodge the flattened hair… then skidded back to check his appearance in the side mirror. Good enough. 

With helmet in hand, he strode through the lot and shoved his wallet against the reader before shouldering open the door leading into the main lobby. Now, all he had to do was- 

"Welcome back, Dynamight." The ever-present Takahata tossed out a greeting from his desk. Katsuki never saw anyone else watching over the building. Hell, did the guy ever leave that damn desk? Maybe it had to do with his quirk. Katsuki never bothered to ask. 

Waving over his shoulder, he stomped across the polished tile to exit back out onto the street. But no sooner had he walked ten paces when Yaoyorozu's car pulled up next to the curb, Jirou spying him through the glass. So much for running a quick errand before you arrived; it wasn't a big deal if you accompanied him, anyway. 

When the car door opened and your heels swung down to meet the sidewalk, it really, finally hit him that you'd switched places: he, totally unprepared, was letting you live with him. Share his space, his food, his routine… fuck, was his bathroom clean?! 

A honking car blazing down the road made his eyes snap back to the present, landing on you digging in the trunk for something. Way to be a good host, Katsuki. 

Before you could drag the suitcase out of the car, he leaned over you, picked it up by a handle on the side, and set it upright on the sidewalk. It wasn't heavy, but he'd packed smaller bags for longer trips in the past and wondered if you'd sat on it just to get it to zip. 

You patted his arm before waving for Jirou to roll down her window so you could thank her and Yaoyorozu for a final time. Maybe you could ask Katsuki for a way to show your appreciation with more than just words. Of course, they brushed it off as no big deal - it was a big deal - as a hand came from behind to rest next to yours on the window opening. 

He boxed you in and extended his own rare display of gratitude before Jirou held out the forgotten container of cake. Holding it close, you waved them off into the night with his chest at your back. It was just you and Katsuki now under the illuminated sidewalk. You turned to him with a tired smile, but the fancy-looking building behind him pulled your attention away. The flawless white exterior, covered balconies, and crystal clear glass entryway exuded luxury and comfort; it wasn't Yaoyorozu's mansion, but if he lived here, then his place was no doubt bigger and nicer than what you were used to back home.

"Hey." Before you could step towards the building, Katsuki slid an arm around your waist, his lips brushing against your hair before leading you away from the building. You grabbed your suitcase handle from him as you followed and wondered if your assumption was wrong before realizing he was headed towards an open shop on the corner with an orange, green, red, and white striped sign stretched across the top of the brick walls. 

The sliding doors opened with a pleasant ding while you kept pace with Katsuki. Aisles and aisles lined with boxes, bags, bottles, and baked goods all crammed in a corner store that appeared deceptively compact from the outside. Even a common convenience store held novelty while visiting an unfamiliar country. 

It was easy for Katsuki to find what was looking for considering he stopped by this konbini at least once a week since moving in next door. The last minute snacks before a long patrol or a fresh box of bandages before returning home made him a regular customer; after a while, the things he bought in regular rotation never seemed to be low in stock. 

Behind him, the sound of your suitcase wheels rolling across the floor tiles in perfect repetition set him at ease. You were within reach. While in his world, it was his responsibility to keep you safe; lucky you, saving people was in his job description. 

The late hour meant there were probably as many customers in the whole store as there were employees working. Four, maybe five, the two of you included. He only passed one person crouched in front of a display to restock a low shelf on his march down the personal hygiene aisle. Recalling the hellish embarrassment he'd felt when you'd tasked him with picking out condoms was as predictable as it was laughable. The last time he bought some was over three, maybe close to four years ago. Now, it only took him a few seconds to grab what he needed without distress - being able to read the fucking packaging did help, though. 

With his helmet still tucked under one arm, he turned to find you looking every bit like the tourist you were. Eyes scanning across completely mundane items no doubt trying to decipher what they were if the packaging didn't make it obvious, you finally noticed him staring and smiled in that same pleased way you used to whenever he untwisted his tongue long enough to say something sincere. Those tiny, silent gestures were some of the most missed.

Heading towards the register with you at his side, Katsuki paused in front of a section of savory snacks and grabbed a small bag of his favorite extra spicy chips. He felt a tug on his arm as you hooked your elbows together, keeping him in place as you looked over the snacks, too. If you wanted one of everything just to try it, he'd hand you his platinum card and keep his mouth shut just to make you happy. But no, you didn't load your arms up with everything you could carry. Instead, you picked up a canister of chocolate and vanilla wafer cookies with little dancing pandas on the label. He snickered at how predictable you were before grabbing the tin and tugging you along towards the front of the store. 

Lucky for Katsuki, the chatty older clerk that always held a one-way conversation with him wasn't around. You continued holding his arm as he tossed his things onto the counter. Condoms and snacks: the late night birthday essentials. 

The cashier rang everything up while he dug in his back pocket for his phone. He didn't need his wallet half the time since most places took quick and easy payment through phones so long as you didn't carry around an outdated brick. 

The air was crisp as he led you back outside to finally go home. All he had to do was make it past Takahata and he'd be fine.

The front doors opened for him with you close behind, your suitcase wheels skipping over the tile gaps in a quicker pattern compared to the konbini floor. Expectantly, no one was around except for Takahata who looked up to welcome him back like he always did. "Good to see you back, Dynamight- oh." Pause. "You have a guest?" Takahata was quick to slip back into his usual composed and polite self, smiling as the two of you approached the elevator past the front desk. 

Still, his obvious surprise made Katsuki bite the meat of his cheek. "Yes," he grit out with you still close behind and none the wiser to their passing exchange. "Staying with me for a week. That fine?" It wasn't a question of permission, but one of formality. 

"Of course," Takahata answered with a nod. There was no reason for him to interrogate you, not when Katsuki had been living here for years and never caused trouble… aside from those idiots busting down his door, but that was their fault, not his. 

You waved your fingers in greeting to the man behind the front desk. The exchange between him and Katsuki must not have been important since he didn't stop to chat. No apartment you'd lived in had an on-duty security guard, so the upscale style wasn't just for show. 

Katsuki punched the elevator call button with the side of his fist, causing the metal doors to slide open. You rolled your suitcase across the threshold, yawned, and let your head rest on his shoulder before the elegant lobby disappeared behind the closing doors. 

Takahata, now alone, chuckled to himself. My, how unexpected. Quite an exciting night. Good for Dynamight-san. The Hero never had guests outside of other Heroes because Takahata had seen every single person that came in and out of the building for the past eight years without fail. So, anyone new - especially if they accompanied someone as busy and stern as the #2 Hero in Japan - stood out. 

Waiting in the elevator, you felt his free arm snake around your waist and watched his nostrils flare through your lashes. After all these months, you still remembered how to read him. There was nothing for Katsuki to worry about; you weren't a dream or nightmare or anything else that would vanish before morning. 

Only when the doors slid open did you glance at the panel to notice you were on the top floor. You wondered how the gleaming city must look from his window, envious of the imagined view compared to your own parking lot. 

He nudged you out of the elevator while you dug in your purse for the translator. Carrying a small bag meant things never got lost at the very bottom. You balanced pulling your suitcase, carrying the birthday cake, and fiddling with the translator buttons as Katsuki slid a keyring out of his pocket. Maybe you'd expended all your nervous energy earlier, but being able to finally rest was higher on your priority list than snooping through all of Katsuki's things or judging his decoration preferences. 

"Shit." As if realizing something for the first time, he hung his head with the key in the lock. "When you go in, do not wander around. Just gonna make sure it's not a fuckin' mess because I wasn't expecting guests," he said accusingly, to which you just stuck out your tongue and shrugged. "But I've got a roommate. Sorta. And she's a bitch when it comes to literally everyone who isn't me. And still hates me most of the time." 

Confused, you looked to him for answers, but he was already pushing his way inside. A… roommate? He didn't mention it earlier, and most of his closest friends seemed to be at the party, so who could it be? And why would he live with someone who apparently hates his guts? 

All your questions went unanswered as you traced his steps into the dark apartment. With the flick of a switch, the lights illuminated the genkan where he was already kicking off his boots. Well, shit. You knew his place would be nice, but it looked more like a display home set up for flattering photos than a lived-in space. 

"Just," he started as he stepped further into the living room before turning right back around to grab your suitcase and hoist it over his shoulder with little effort. "Stay here. If she comes towards you, don't make any sudden movements. And-"

"Katsuki."

"What?" 

"Calm the fuck down." For someone so self aware, he seemed oblivious to just how frazzled he was acting. "I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to make things perfect. I'm just here to spend time with you." 

His nostrils flared again, but you got your point across. If you could survive him dropping in while you were asleep in your underwear, then there should be no issues having his girlfriend stay over for a week. You watched him suck on his teeth and just out his bottom lip that threatened to twist into a smirk. "Don't move." 

God, you were so- You didn't even have to try to read him so easily and it drove him fucking crazy. But he loved it. Loved you. "Stupid," he growled through a grin as he stomped down the long hallway towards his bedroom. 

He pushed open his door and swung your bag off his shoulder to sit against the wall. A moment passed as he stared into his shadowed closet, eyes cast down where he knew your other bag - the one he'd originally taken with him - lay neatly among pressed shirts and spare gear. 

Tossing his helmet, convenience store bag, and leather jacket on the bed, he wondered briefly if his sheets were clean before remembering he'd changed them a few days prior because someone decided it was the perfect place to cough up a hairball. Next, he swiped up discarded clothes around the room to drop into his hamper. He knew you wouldn't care about something so trivial, but he cared, dammit! You were right that he was far too wound up when the hard part was in the past and all he needed to do was enjoy your company. But he was gonna enjoy it without feeling like a slob. 

He listened down the hallway for any sign of trouble before moving onto the master bathroom. While it wasn't the absolute cleanest, it was acceptable considering there was no time to scrub the whole room since keeping it hygienic was essential to prevent mold and mildew.

Japanese bathrooms were far more elaborate than the average bathroom in other countries. Temperature-controlled soaking tubs, options for dehumidifying the room or drying your clothes, heated toilet seats, and digital touch pads for all of it. Of course, Katsuki's place had all of the modern comforts plus a few extras that he didn't even use. The bathroom was a big selling point for the apartment considering he needed somewhere to unwind and relax his muscles after rough days. 

Scanning the room for anything worth hiding, he spotted an open bottle of lube on the counter. He snatched it with a curse and dropped it in the nightstand drawer next to his bed. Not that you'd care since sex wasn't the same worry it was in the beginning, but whatever; he was too accustomed to hiding all of his personal things for the sake of privacy, and Kirishima's earlier admission did little to assuage that reflex. 

"Oh, Kaaaaaaaatsuki!" 

Hearing you call his name had him realizing he hadn't seen Princess Explosion Murder since returning home. Shit. Katsuki stomped down the hallway and hoped he wasn't about to find you fighting off his-

"So, why didn't you tell me you got a cat? Hm?...What?" Just like he'd ordered, you hadn't moved from the genkan, but the whole scene made… no sense. You knelt down with your hand outstretched while his terror of a cat rubbed her face against your knuckles, her fluffy tail swishing back and forth in the air. 

He ran the pad of his thumb against his bottom lip, totally baffled at what he was seeing. "... What'd you do to-? She hates everyone."

You just looked between the purring cat and Katsuki and shrugged. "I doubt that. I just did the slow blinking thing and let her come to me. You're so pretty and fluffy, yes you are! Such a sweet kitty… your dad is just making things up, yes he is." 

To be honest, he should've seen this coming. You with your otherworldly ability to befriend the most ill-tempered person around: first him, now his demonic cat. The absurdity of it all made him snort out a laugh, but it switched to a hacking cough when you called him a "dad". "What the fuck. Do not call me her dad or any equivalent." 

Ignoring him, you stood up and gestured down at Princess. "You still haven't told me her name- wait! Let me guess… mm, Snowball is too cliché. Knowing you, it must be something ridiculous and over the top." 

"Tch. You'll never figure it out, but it fits this bratty cat perfectly." As if knowing she was being insulted, Princess leapt to the back of the couch and stared at him with what he could only describe as unfiltered disgust. He was used to it at this point, though, and sneered right back. "Gimme this," he said while taking the cake slice in your hand and walking it to the fridge. 

"Your apartment is nice." You followed him into the kitchen and soaked up what you couldn't see from standing in the genkan. Just like he mentioned, it was much bigger than your own home and could've passed for a single story house from the living room and kitchen alone. "And such a big kitchen… oh, before I forget, did you like the hot sauce?" 

With the cake put away, he closed the fridge with a shoulder lean and turned to you. "What're you talking about? What hot sauce?" 

You reached across the counter to examine one of the many spice bottles lined up on a matte black floating shelf. Despite the organized minimalism evident in his personal design choices, little details made clear exactly who lived here. "The one Uraraka was supposed to give you during the holidays. Wait, don't tell me you never got it." 

Poking out his bottom lip, Katsuki narrowed his eyes until they cut back to the fridge. He yanked it open, rattled some bottles and jars around until he pulled out a familiar bottle. "This? This hot sauce? Uraraka gave me some story about a fan wanting me to have this, but- damn, I knew something about the taste was familiar…You made this with the peppers that made me sick, didn't you?" 

"I mean, yes," you admitted without shame while stepping closer to examine the bottle that now looked half empty. "I was worried you wouldn't like it, but glad to see I was wrong. And I tasted it before giving it to her, so I know how spicy it is. I think this was the… second batch I made."

He twirled the unlabeled bottle around to mix the settled contents while shaking his head. "You're ridiculous." His eyes flickered from the homemade hot sauce back up to you, tilted grin and all. "Was she right, though?" 

You knew that tone, dipped in his own specialized brand of fiendish teasing paired with a small side of bashful consideration. Leaning back against the black marble counter, a flash of déjà vu tickled at your memory. "Right about what?" 

One step, two, three. If you were a stranger, having a scarred man with burning eyes lock you against the counter between his arms might've been intimidating. But your composure remained steady. "Are you a fan?" 

"Of the one and only Bakugo Katsuki," you began as you rested your arm against his and let your fingers fiddle with the fabric rolled snug around his forearms. "Or of you the Hero? Or both?" 

You felt the muscle twitch under your palm while he hovered as if simmering on a low, steady heat. "I'm no different out there than I am in here. No fake persona. Me an' the Hero Dynamight are one and the same." 

As you listened to the translator, something sounded unfamiliar. You tapped his forearm with a nail and said, "Dynamight? Dynamight, like the- wait, is that your Hero name?" 

"Yeah? Technically, it's longer than that, but got shortened- whatever, you know that." 

"No, I don't. You never told me."

Now, it was his turn to be confused. "I definitely did."

"Uh, no?" Incredulous, you poked him in the chest. "I would've definitely remembered considering how big a fan I am," you argued, tossing his words back in his face. 

When it came to you, Katsuki was all bark and no bite. His lip curled as he squished your cheeks with his hand. Maybe he knew he was wrong and just didn't want to admit it because he missed the pointless bickering as much as you did. Whatever the reason, you didn't mind his softening glare rimmed with crisp eyeliner. "Dummy." The way his eyes lingered on your puckered lips lined with the faint tint of faded lipstick made his intention obvious. 

Katsuki pressed his mouth to yours while he loosened his grip on your cheeks. The edge of the counter dug into your back as he stepped fully into your space, his breath tasting of mint flavored gum. You dug your fingertips into his tense forearm as your eyes closed and mouth opened invitingly. 

Calloused fingers traced the profile of your jaw down your neck, goosebumps accompanying the shiver down your spine as his canines tugged at your bottom lip. To refamiliarize yourself with his taste and touch and smell, to open the map you'd drawn from traveling his peaks and valleys in what seemed both like a lifetime ago and no time at all meant everything. His heart was finally bare, ripe, and within reach. 

Your pulse was warm and rapid between his lips and across his tongue as he pressed his hips to yours and fisted the cherry fabric of your dress. There was time for softness and patience, but that time wasn't now. Not when- 

CLATTER 

Both of you stilled. Katsuki ground his molars together and huffed through his nose before slowly craning his neck to glare over his shoulder with your fingers still gripping the top fastened button of his shirt. 

A green plastic cup rolled across the kitchen floor before stopping at the edge of a growing puddle of water. 

"Mrow."

The culprit sat staring at the two of you, the tip of her tail flicking over the edge of the counter. Katsuki sneered and you snickered in his ear. Getting cockblocked by his own fucking cat... I hate you.

"Oi," he snapped. "You know you're not allowed on the damn counter!" Twisting away from you, he hissed out a vulgar string of curses and slammed his palms down on the marble. The intimidating tactic worked, sending Princess Explosion Murder hopping to the floor with a chirp. 

"Katsuki! Don't be mean." Coming up behind him, you lightly flicked him on the side of the head before picking the cup off the floor. "She's a cat. Cats knock things over if you leave them sitting out." 

You didn't know that brat of a cat like he did. The cute and innocent act was just a front before she revealed her true nature when you least expected it. Sure, maybe she'd become more comfortable around him over time. And yes, maybe the scratches on his hands and arms had finally begun to fade. But deep down, she was still a menace, just like him. 

Not wanting to start an argument over something so small, he huffed before snatching a dish towel and tossing it over the spill. "Anyway," he said while his foot led the towel in a circle. "It's still my birthday for about…forty minutes." For the first time in years, Katsuki wasn't eager for his birthday to end just yet. "Ya want a quick apartment tour or what?" 

You swiveled on your heel and scanned the kitchen and living room. There were photos lined up on a bookshelf you wanted to ask him about. The minimalist, modern style coupled with specks of his life and personality begged to be studied. And of course, the still-unnamed cat who stared at you from a tall cat tree in the corner no doubt had an interesting backstory. But you had time; not a lot, but you could ask about all these things and more tomorrow. 

"Lead on, Dynamight," you affirmed, holding out your hand for him to take. Without hesitating, Katsuki reached across the counter and seized your fingers to pull you behind him with a small, satisfied grin. A laugh bubbled out of you as he dragged you down the hallway in his cute little house slippers. 

When he said quick, he meant it. Despite opening up just about every door leading directly to the hall, you had a generous thirty seconds to look around each room before he insisted on showing you the next. One was empty aside from one of those fancy robot litter boxes and some toys, another was an office covered in a thin layer of dust, and the most used room was filled with well-loved workout gear: a punching bag, a rowing machine, a rack of hand weights, etc. 

Even his bathrooms were fancy; not quite as extravagant as Yaoyrozu's, but certainly the nicest apartment bathrooms you'd ever seen. "Unfair," you murmured, jealous of the simple advancements that appeared commonplace in most Japanese bathrooms. "What's it like having a tub big enough to actually relax in?" 

Katsuki snorted. "Pretty damn nice. But I don't use this one much. The one attached to my bedroom is bigger.” 

“Bigger?” Did he have a jacuzzi or hot tub or what? “Seeing all this, I’m kinda surprised you didn’t complain more about my cramped little apartment.” 

He looked almost offended with matching slanted lips and brow. "I wasn't gonna complain about you givin’ me a place to stay. Maybe when I was a bratty teen, but not so much now.” 

Aside from that first stressful week, he really didn’t comment at all on your mismatched furniture or lack of space. Honestly, your apartment was cleaner when he was there compared to when he wasn’t. “Fair. But really, your place is very nice. Kinda big for just you, though.” 

You turned to find him leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking more solemn than you expected. He shrugged, the weight visible on his broad shoulders. "Shacked up with Kirishima after we graduated, and Kami was basically a roommate who didn't pay rent with how often he crashed there. But I like my own space." 

So much left unsaid. You padded back across the cool, white floor to mirror him. Under the fluorescent lighting, his exhaustion was more apparent, like he'd aged at least a year rather than six months. "That's something I like about you. Loud quirk, loud opinions, loud mouth." He couldn't argue with the truth as he rolled his eyes. "And you're still fine just, y'know, sitting with silence. I could lay on the couch and read and you'd cook and– and I really missed it. You. All of it." 

Katsuki's knee bounced as he pulled his lip between his teeth and stared, searching your face for something only he could see. "Yeah. And you're right. This place has more space than I need. Just didn't realize it 'til you came along."

The lump in your throat grew the longer his eyes lingered. "As much as I admire your guest bathroom, can we finish up the tour now?" 

He hummed before backing out of the doorway with small, slow steps. You followed him down the hall while he ignored the rest of the unexplored rooms and pushed open a final door at the end of the hall on the right. "Here's my– hey! Little fucker." 

Poking your head around the corner, you had little time to take in the one room you'd seen so far that actually looked lived-in before spotting the Unnamed Cat using your suitcase as a scratching post. "Hmm, well that's not nice." As Katsuki tried to shoo her away, she instead climbed on top of the bag and sat her fluffy butt down on the handle. "Alrighty, let's go Miss Troublemaker," you said before attempting to do the same, but even your gentle hand earned a swat that would have left a nice scratch had you not pulled away. "Wow, and I defended you earlier. I see how it is." 

Rather than fight a cat to take back your bag, you bent down and pushed it across the floor with her still sitting on top before letting it coast right out of the doorway. "Sorry! Be nicer next time!" She meowed as you closed the door with a wave. "Maybe don’t scratch my things next- what?”

Katsuki stood with a shit-eating grin, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. “Told you she was a bitch," he bragged. "But if you leave your bag out there with her, she'll shred it out of spite." 

"As long as she can't get inside it, then it's fine since the bag is old, anyway. And just tell me her name so I don't have to spend all night guessing," you conceded while plopping down on the end of his bed. Your palm slid across the plush, dark comforter as you cocked your head to the side.

"Give up on guessing after one name? Weak. But fine. Princess Explosion Murder. Don't fuckin' gimme that look! She's a spoiled brat filled with malice disguised as a cat." 

Your shoulders shook as you heaved with laughter at how beautifully awful the name was; only Bakugo "Dynamight" Katsuki whose failed attempt at naming himself King Explosion Murder as a teenager would've carried on the legacy through his very first pet. "Y… you're the one who spoiled her!" Trying to talk through the giggling made your chest hurt, and his exasperated grimace just added to the hilarity. "Her collar has rhinestones on it! Princess Explosion Murder, oh my god… I love you so much." 

As you tried to catch your breath, Katsuki's hand groped the wall behind him for the light switch and dimmed the bulbs low; one of those small quality of life things he never used, but was now grateful for. His steps were quiet as he made his way to the edge of the bed before digging one knee into the mattress and shading you from the ceiling glow, hands on either side of your head. It felt like no time had passed at all as he hovered, watching your eyes crinkle and cheeks swell. How easily he fell back into old routines of chatter and jabs that often ended in delighted silence. At last, you looked up at him, smile still wide and bright and full of- 

"You swear you're real?" Despite everything, believing you were really here still seemed too good to be true. Too much of a dream for reality to uphold. 

The corners of your lips dragged down into something more solemn, but your gaze remained steady with your hands on your chest gripping the translator. "Yeah, Katsuki. I'm real. Are you?" 

His fingers clawed the sheets as he licked his bone-dry lips. "Yeah," was all he managed before you reached a hand forward with careful grace. Goosebumps pebbled his skin as you caressed his jaw, his cheek, his hair. 

“Show me,” you implored with soft words and hard eyes.

So, he did. 

While the last time the two of you were together was saturated with slow and memorable passion, you met his lustful fervor with hunger of your own. Six months of dreaming, imagining, and yearning for each other culminated in clawing hands and starving mouths hunting to whet their appetites. Knocking teeth went ignored in your fervor to grope every inch of warm, bare skin you could reach, but it wasn't enough. You swore you heard a button fly and hit the wall when he flung his shirt to the floor, desperation mixed with adrenaline to press heartbeat to heartbeat. 

The bed was unfamiliar and big. The room, too. Everything was foreign, except for him. You knew him then and you know him now and you wish with everything - more than you could ever fathom - that you would know him in the future. Every lifetime, every universe where you and he may exist. Praying with blistered hands until your knees were raw and bloody to never forget the fiery salvation of loving Bakugo Katsuki. 

Piece by piece, clothing piled onto the floor, save for your dress. He took care with the back zipper, fingers slowing to let the fabric fall away before folding it with deft hands and draping it across the back of a chair in the corner. You wouldn’t have cared much if it got a few wrinkles, but the sweetness of his consideration was endearing. The dress you hated before he came along now reminded you of his ruby eyes that you'd yearned to see one more time. He said you were beautiful in it, and now you felt beautiful out of it, too. 

Katsuki found solace in your thighs, your hips, your ass, wherever his hands could grip after flipping you over to sit right on his face. Six months? No, it seemed more like a lifetime of waiting led the fervor that surged through him while you folded your arms against the headrest of his bed and whined into the crook of your elbow. He put that sharp tongue of his to work and left a trail of finger indents behind - evidence to find tomorrow that tonight was as real as any other.

Sweat pooled behind your knees as Katsuki kept you right where he wanted you. He countered every attempt at hovering with a breathy grunt, yanking you back down as if insulted at the miniscule distance you tried to create. 

Katsuki was a sun: hot, searing, bright with energy and passion. A man made of starfire and kindling just itching to combust under ripe conditions. The way his mouth moved - without hesitation and burning with hunger - confirmed his piety. You were the idol of his worship. His devotion. His tongue pushed hymns from your lips, eyes closed in ecstatic prayer. 

"A-ah Katsuki… fuck, I'm-!" To drown in your waves was holy bliss, holding you in place with sweaty palms while your thighs squeezed and back arched. Glancing down between your legs, he was already staring up at you, eyes dark and blown wide with lust as if committing your ecstasy to memory. Of course, he wouldn't be Katsuki if he didn't throw in a smug smirk, too, boastful even when his mouth was full and messy. Panting and whimpering through your teeth as you edged towards overstimulation, you reached down, grabbed a fistful of blonde hair, and tugged so you could lift yourself from his greedy mouth. 

Eyes rolling back for only a moment, Katsuki groaned as the growing need between his legs throbbed. Even though the day had been long for him and even longer for you, the room sweltered with lecherous and passionate energy. With your hand still in his hair, you leveraged the headboard to straddle his hips and crash your mouth into his, lapping up the stickiness that covered the lower half of his face; he'd always been a messy eater, why would this be any different? 

He hissed as you slid against his length, neglected from focusing on you and your pleasure. But the way you scraped his chest, skipping the teasing in favor of wordlessly begging for more, as much as he could give. You had his love, wrapped up like red silk shibari with all of its tidy knots and careful weaving. You could have his body, too. 

Growling in your ear, he groped the crease where your ass met your thighs and decided a riposte was due, flipping your positions. You landed with a squeak as your head hit his pillow, but quickly recovered to wrap your arms around his back. He just needed-

Fuck, where is it?! Leaning up on his hands, Katsuki glanced around the bed looking for the konbini bag while you scraped along his skin, whining and trying to pull him back down. With reluctance, he untangled his legs from yours and almost dove over the side of the bed before spotting the bag and his helmet. Goddamn cat must’ve tried to score a late night snack without him noticing. 

In one swift motion, he snatched the box of condoms out of the bag and tore it open with his teeth. The box and condoms scattered onto the floor as he destroyed the foil wrapping before finally getting the condom on. And despite putting up the bottle of lube barely an hour ago, he spaced out for a good two seconds trying to remember where the fuck he put it while you slid over and tugged on his arm, eyes pleading in the darkness to hurry the hell up, already! 

When the neurons in his brain began firing properly, several things on his bedside table threatened to topple over when he yanked open the drawer to grab the bottle of lube. It dripped onto the floor and edge of the sheets before he tossed it somewhere unseen. He ran his tongue along the corner of his mouth as he lunged over you, slick hands pinning your wrists above your head. 

Your chest heaved and mouth parted below him as he slotted between your legs hanging off the edge of the bed. He felt your pulse throbbing under his palms, fingers grasping at warm air circulating around the closed room. You were so fucking beautiful and just… here. Not an obscene daydream. If you were, this would immediately go from the best to worst birthday in recent memory. The way your hips shifted urged him to come closer. 

So, he did. 

The way you bit your kiss-swollen lips begged for him to dip down and meet them with his own. 

So, he did. 

And you had to do nothing at all for his hands to slide up and intertwine his fingers with yours. This time, his love would not be silent. 

The mattress had moved off-center from the frame and slats. The sheets had all bunched up at the end, cascading down into the floor. The heavy pants, raucous moans, and salacious slapping of sweaty skin had quieted. All that remained was Katsuki's breath in your ear, his chin tucked into your neck, and slowing heartbeat heavy against your back. Katsuki wrung you dry of every speck of energy you'd scraped together after barely sleeping for the past forty-or-so hours. All you wanted to do was pee and sleep for however long he let you. 

Wriggling your arm free from under his muscle-heavy weight, you gave his backside a light tap to try and get him up. When he didn't move, you wondered if he'd fallen asleep without even pulling out. But eventually, he peeled himself from your back with a raspy grunt. Cool air sent goosebumps along your exposed skin that sounded like Velcro when he pushed himself up from the mix of dried sweat, lube, and saliva covering both of you. Hissing when he pulled completely out, you clenched at the emptiness right as Katsuki flopped next to you, arms outstretched and limp. Knowing you'd fall asleep if you didn't move, you forced yourself up on shaky arms and moved to balance yourself, but Katsuki shot out a hand to grab your arm and pull you back down so he could kiss you without even bothering to open his eyes. Like he knew exactly where you'd be. Like he'd always know. 

When he heard the bathroom door close, Katsuki sat up with bleary vision and wiped at his face. Fuck, what are wild birthday… he glanced at the clock nearby, squinting to read 12:37 glowing in the dark. He nearly slipped when standing up from the spilled lube and wrapped condoms spread all over the floor. "Fuckin'..." Too tired to bother cleaning it up right then, he grabbed a towel from the hamper and tossed it over the mess before opening the bedroom door with a yawn and promptly stubbing his toe on the bag you left sitting right in the middle of the hallway. "Shit!," he cursed, sucking in a breath through his teeth before kicking the suitcase into the bedroom, letting it roll to a stop as he stumbled down the hallway to clean up. 

Far too exhausted to do any of your normal bedtime tasks, you dragged your feet across the floor before turning out the bathroom light. You wouldn't die from not brushing your teeth or washing your face for one night. Was it terrible to sleep in makeup? Yes, but whatever. Sleep came first.

You fell into bed and grabbed the crooked sheets, pulling them up to your chin while burying your face in the single pillow that remained on the bed. Already feeling yourself drifting off, you felt the bed dip before a warm arm snaked around your middle. You buried your face in Katsuki's scarred chest and draped your own arm over his waist. Waiting six months just for the opportunity to fall asleep with him again. To smother in his scent of burning caramel and musky wood. To whisper into his skin. Yeah. Yeah, it was worth it. 

What was the… ah, right. "Dai suki da yo, Kat," you mumbled with your last bit of drained energy. With his heart pressed against your cheek, you kissed his skin stained with dried, salty sweat. Katsuki’s legs languidly tangled with yours while he buried his chin in the crown of your hair. 

“Mh. Dai suki da yo…” Quiet. Sleepy. But still, you heard it. You wished you could hear it every day. Every night. Forever.

___________

ummmm here u go byeeee plz kudos and comment and share with ur friends and tell me how the wait was worth it so i can cry a lil :')))) please follow my tumblr https://thetrashywritingwitch.tumblr.com bc i live on tumblr, it's my main website. come talk to me, send me asks, and keep up to date with what i'm doing do yall dont think i'm dead :))))) ALSO since this has become an issue int he past year: DO NOT EVER USE MY WORK IN AI OR TEXT GENERATORS!! I don't consent to anyone "finishing" or "continuing" my fics through AI in any form!!!! AND DO NOT use my work in any youtube/asmr/tiktok videos without my written consent!!! you can mention me and link back to my work and post about how much you 💖 my fics hehhe BUT you cannot do voice overs of my fics or anything like that, esp not for ad revenue or profit!!! ok fr byeeeeeee (no the fic isn't over or done we still have like six or so more chapters until the end 🥰)

Tagged list: @featherboawing @108052921 @bemyhero-academia @hentaidemon69 @makarovs-brat @alexparrsih @desia22 @justalittlecrazybutimok @trashqueenbitch @loverbug1123 @manq-fandoms @theworldsgreatestdisapointment @dabwithperkins @sarcasm-is-my-form-of-attack @i-am-fandoms-and-satan @eternal-apricot @grumpbisexual @apsara-study @nyantodamax145 @bakuhoetoedoroki @stargazerunlimited @fairyf3v3r @the-abyss-of-fandoms @raeyn-muir @lilithbasically @spicywrites

[artiststarme]

Sunflowers

You know, it's kind of concerning that it's easier for me to write angst and heartache than it is to write happy fluff. Oh well, I hope you enjoy it and please leave your thoughts in the comments! Thank you to @doubleb11, @nburkhardt, and @carlyv for the prompt ideas!

~*~*~*~

Eddie was in over his head. He’d dreamed of dating Steve, of taking him out on dates and being the perfect boyfriend. The problem was, he was all talk. He had no experience with dating and Steve was blowing him out of the water. 

Because Steve was the perfect boyfriend and Eddie didn’t know how to handle it. With every whispered flirt or door held open or any other small act of chivalry, all Eddie could do was blush a deep scarlet and pull a chunk of hair in front of his face. Last week, Eddie had choked on his beer because Steve told him he looked handsome under the starlight. Two days ago, Steve came to his set at The Hideout and gave him a thumbs up which caused Eddie to very nearly mess up his lines and fall off the stage. And when Steve picked him up today, he brought both he and Wayne homemade breakfast sandwiches and a thermos of coffee. 

How the hell was this guy so good at being a good boyfriend?! Literally, they’re sitting at a picnic at that very moment in a valley in the woods, surrounded by sunflowers, and Steve kept flustering him. Eddie’s face was going to be stained permanently red if he kept blushing like this. 

“You look really cute today. I love your Metal guy shirt, it really brings out the softness of your hair.”

Now what the fuck was he supposed to say to that? Steve wasn’t even trying and Eddie could feel his face heating up just from the small comment. He had to one up this guy and fast.  

“Um, first of all, it’s Metallica. I know you can read that from there. Also, I don’t know why my hair looks soft. I used the same two-in-one I always do.”

Steve’s face does something complicated, a mix between scandal and constipation. Eddie could tell he was holding himself back from saying something. Oh shit, he said the wrong thing. Flirt Eddie, flirt!

“You look really hot with the sun hitting you like that. And the yellow flowers remind me of your sweater at Lover’s Lake. Very hot. I’m literally sweltering just thinking about it.”

Steve blushed and looked up at Eddie through his eyes. “Yeah?”

“Oh yeah! 

Eddie had his opportunity. When Steve blushed down to his neck and looked down at the ground with a soft smile on his face, Eddie plucked the nearest sunflower to them and moved to kneel on one knee in front of him. 

“Stevie, my baby, my love, the paladin of my dreams. Would you do me the sacred honor of accepting this sunflower that displays the affections I hold for you?” Eddie waited with bated breath. They’d only been officially dating for like a month and this was essentially a half-assed proposal. Nice going you dipshit, you’re going to scare him off-

Steve’s shy smile turned into a beaming grin and he yanked Eddie into a bruising kiss. “I’d love to, Eddie! Give me the flower. Did you know sunflowers are my favorite?”

Eddie smiled as he tucked the flower behind Steve’s left ear, brushing his fingers against his cheek as he did. “Of course I did, sweetheart. They’re sunny just like you. And might I say, you look beautiful.”

Steve couldn’t do much in the face of his compliment but smile adoringly and pull him in for another kiss. 

Eddie might not believe himself to be a good boyfriend because he would never be able to match Steve’s flawless charms. However, Steve couldn’t imagine how he got so lucky as to have such a pretty and kind metalhead boyfriend that gave him his favorite flowers and called him beautiful. Eddie was the smoothest person there was and he could never measure up to it. They might both question how much they deserved each other but they had a lifetime to prove it.

Permanent tag list:@doubleb11 @nburkhardt @zerokrox-blog @newtstabber @i-less-than-three-you @carlyv @pyrohonk @straight4joekeery @trippypancakes @conversesweetheart @estrellami-1 @suddenlyinlove @yikes-a-bee @swimmingbirdrunningrock @perseus-notjackson @anaibis @merricatty @maya-custodios-dionach @grtwdsmwhr @manda-panda-monium

[jangmi-latte]

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆... ʕ calamities always causes disasters. disasters are the mainstream of danger — and danger causes pain. To define such instances, would your apology suffice the grieving guilt that’s eating away your soul despite being granted with the ability to breathe for another day? This is a rhetorical question, and yet if it wasn’t, would you have the answer as you sit in his chambers in silence…? ʔ

𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑: BIRD BEASTMAN!ROOK HUNT X READER

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆: near death experience, angst if you squint, hurt and comfort, emotional breakdowns, overthinking (reader), descriptive mentions of wounds and blood, the concept of being hunted down and chased (outside party), whump.

while the warnings say otherwise, this is pure fluff with no signs of character going against the reader. Gender!neutral reader. rook hunt has wings. rook’s siblings/family are/is mentioned. all description of family affiliations is purely HEADCANON

i can make a part two...

𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒

h-h-hurt and comfort while rook's being overprotective yet injured like the man he is hahwushhahah that unique magic of his does shit to my eyeballs. also because i'm having a breakdown over this half bird theory after the tamashina mina event harharhar (⁠ ⁠ꈨຶ⁠ ⁠˙̫̮⁠ ⁠ꈨຶ⁠ ⁠)

𝐑. 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭 ʕ 100% loading...ʔ

The pitter patter of the rain held nothing against the endless ringing of your ears while medics ran in and out of his bedroom. In the heart of a storm, everyone should’ve been within their safe haven — a home, some shelter, a person to seek for. Sunset Savanna was supposed to be a lively country.

The blanket held no warmth, no matter how thick or how it covered your hunched body. It felt too clean; you shouldn’t be this ridded of impurities. Save for the mire and muck that tainted your arms and legs, it still felt so unjustifiable that you were still… unharmed. All you got were cuts (that has already clotted and was patched). Your hair damped of grim and sweat, not like it even bothered you at this point.

It felt like a sin, a curse, to only have this kind of stain. The room felt empty — despite the presence of another male across from you paced back and forth.

It was cold.

Too cold.

 His blond hair held great resemblance to him, his eyes held more of his mother than his father — in comparison to his brother who got their father’s slender eyes. You heard his pacing slow down and felt his eyes settle on you; looking all fragile and scared.

“He’ll be okay,” he said, his voice holding the same comfort and tone like how Rook spoke it to you merely an hour ago. You’ll be okay.

You did not respond. You continued to stare at the leaves — that entered through the window from the restless wind — that danced on the bedroom’s floor.

“y/n…” he called, sitting down beside you.

It hurts, it’s not like you wanted to be this hurt in the first place. It’s not like you wanted him to be hurt at all. It wasn’t either of your faults and yet you truly felt like it was yours to bear. If only you didn’t run through the woods, if only those hunters didn’t see you as a potential prey; let alone they shouldn’t even have seen you. You were an innocent civilian wanting some fresh air before the storm settled in.

He saw you. He used his unique magic on you. He made sure you were still safe. He protected you.

His family was a group of hunters too — he, himself, an adept one but that doesn’t excuse that he wants you to be hunted down. Albeit let it be a simple game between you two, no outside parties allowed. Now where was he? You’ve never heard him so panicked, like he was scared (even though he tries not to be). He wasn’t scared for himself; he was scared for you.

Because, compared to your little game, he could not control your safety.

“…Do you want to see him?” Rook’s older brother — the second oldest — asked.

“Please,” you replied instantly, desperation and distress strangled your words. Looking up at the man before you, you would’ve commented at how similar they both are to one another, to compliment how handsome he was, too. Now was not the time.

He had an arm laid on your back, a hand holding on your other shoulder. His eyes, that used to hold the same exuberance as Rook, only held worry and stress as the weight of being both a brother to his other siblings and a pillar of strength was getting to him.

“I’ll come with you.”

And here you are standing in his bedroom. What used to be a room full of life, smelled of nature, and the occasional scatter of bows and arrows, now held the scent of blood and petrichor, added with the aching smell of antiseptics. Bandages, swabs, cloths, endless of them scattered across the room. It looked like a mess— no, it was a literal mess.

Not the mess you would often see.

Now broken arrows made your heart ache instead of making it race with glee, no teasing laughs, no voice cracks when he spoke so fast as he showed you a good hunt. It was so quiet.

And on the bed, Rook laid quietly with his wings spread out. If it wasn’t for the bandages on one wing, you would’ve run and snuggled on those thick and white feathers.

White feathers…

They were red and taut now. It made you wince as you remember. You remembered so vividly.

Those wings—those beautiful white wings—

“I can’t guarantee that he’ll be able to fly. At least for a while.”

Your eyes burned, your nose was itchy, your skin crawled. It’s like pins and needles butchered your scalp down to your palms. You didn’t even know the head medic was there.

“Otherwise, no vital organs were hit. Most of the damage were on his wings.”

“How severe was the damage?” asked his brother.

Five. It was five arrows that hit his wing. And two of those hit a membrane.

It was repeating again — the rapid beating of your heart that echoed repeatedly through your ears when he saw you, the relief in his eyes, when he welcomed you in his arms. The grip he had on your body when he released his wings that he valued so much.

“You’ll be okay. I’m here. I see you.”

The solace when he took to the skies in one big swing, battling with the strong wind as the rain was starting to fall, until one arrow shot straight to his wing. It pierced so deeply that it stabbed through the other side, immediately painting his feathers red and for him to yell in pain. A yell you never, not once in your life, imagined would come from him.

And to the Great Seven you beg to never hear again.

The rest became a blur, when he began to lose control, when he swerved and held you tightly, and when it hit that membrane around his inner wing did, he toss you away when you both crashed to the ground. The rain already soiling you both in mud and water as you crawled towards him. Deaf from your heartbeat, the rain, and the yells of hunters from the distance.

The impenetrable darkness that blurred your eyes — whether it was rainwater or your tears, you didn’t know. You counted the five arrows that ruined his wing, you don’t know how to remove them and logically he will not be able to fly.

His blood was being washed away by the rain when you hulled him to a nearby cave.

“Rook,” you sobbed. He was heaving and gritting his teeth, despising his current state of vulnerability at the moment.

“I’ll...be fine…” he groaned.

Only then did you realize that you were close to the Elephant Graveyard and was found by a search and rescue team.

You shivered when you closed your eyes to rid of the image of his blood caked wings. He’s safe now, sleeping in front of you; but it didn’t settle your heart.

“Thank you,” you heard his brother speak behind you while you slowly approached Rook. They removed his shirt and laid him on his stomach so his left wing was tucked while the right was stretched out, the whole thing was bandaged yet soaked. Upon closer inspection, you saw the damage those arrows did.

Your eyes stung as you laid a gentle yet shaking hand on the sensitive wing, feeling his heart beating steadily through the bandages and the warmth it emitted to your hand.

“Rook…” you whispered, inhaling quaveringly.

“I’m sorry.”

A sob made its way up your throat as you sat down next to him. He didn’t wake up this time, not when he was utterly exhausted from both the pain and the energy he had to exert while flying and to keep himself from fainting.

His brother watched you in pity, feeling guilty that he wasn’t able to save his brother in time either. He knows he’ll be okay, but as a wing-bearer himself, it would nonetheless be traumatic to lose the only thing that kept his whole identity.

It is a part of him, his family, and his strength. He prayed that he truly will be able to fly again.

“Rook.” You combed your fingers through his hair and cupped his cheek, watching his parted lips take in even amounts of air. Your tears soaking the sheets and sniffling as you placed your lips on the side of his head.

“Great Seven please let him fly again,” you prayed against his head. Not a rustle on his other wing either. He was out cold.

You believed it was really your fault. If you hadn’t gone that deep into the forest, if you didn’t argue with those hunters, he would’ve been safe. You should’ve taken the damage, not him. He was innocent. Now the consequence was too much to stomach.

“We’ll…” inhaled his brother, “We’ll find a way to help him fly again.”

“I’ll help.” You didn’t move from your position, “I…I’ll look for a medic somewhere o-or a wing therapist— anything…” you wept.

For it will break you too if you saw him sitting on the porch while his siblings flew without a care in a world. Even if those lips of his smiled at the freedom his siblings have, deep down those skies are his home as well. If he wouldn’t be able to touch the clouds again, losing a part of him that’s part beast man is like skinning an animal alive.

The hunter was hunted.

© 𝐣𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐦𝐢-𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞 2021.

[infinite-criseas]

Remus stared blankly across the pages of his book. He had read the same passage a couple times, not actually comprehending anything. His mind was stuck on the same question that had been perplexing him all morning. “Why didn’t he invite me?”

….

Earlier that day, Remus was enjoying breakfast while reading about his latest fascination - high wizard society and its history. A subject which his boyfriend Sirius seemed to have infinite knowledge about, albeit not learned willingly. James ran in, sweaty after quidditch practice.

“Moony!! Want to find tuxes together this afternoon?”

“What for?” Remus replied, confused.

“The Black family gala of course!” James replied, “my parents might also have some extra suits we can try on, they might look a bit dated but I’m sure you can make dated work considering u dress like an old geezer already” James said jokingly

“I- I don’t think I’m going” Remus replied, suddenly embarrassed of himself. Sirius never said anything about a gala. Why wouldn’t he want him there? Many reasons came to mind, but he avoided thinking about them as to not spiral immediately.

“WHAT?! You have to come Mooony, Sirius will be devastated! And the whole gang is coming… Peter, Marlene, Lily, Dorcas…” James whined.

“No- I- Sirius didn’t invite me.” Remus said quickly, slammed his book shut, and ran out into the hall, leaving behind a stunned James. Remus kept running, as the spiraling thoughts began to set in. Was his boyfriend embarrassed of him? Did Sirius not want to invite a werewolf to his family? After all who would want a violent beast at such a royal event? Or was it because he wasn’t a pureblood? Did Sirius even love him as much as he thought? Tears welling up in his eyes, Remus ran into the woods.

…

Meanwhile Sirius walked into the common room, flowers in hand, excitedly searching for Remus.

Two nights ago, Remus showed him some muggle movie- the name he can’t remember- but there was a cute scene where the guy extravagantly asks the girl to be his date to the dance. Remus explained to him that muggles from across the pond had a dance in their upper levels called “PROM” and they’d ask their dates in very elaborate “prom-posals”. Sirius fell in love with the idea.

When he found out about his family’s gala, he decided to ask Remus to be his date with a “prom-posal” of his own. He consorted with Lily to get learn a spell to write out “Be my date to the gala?” in the air. James of course helped him practice the spell during which they cause a couple small fires (none deadly). And he got Peter to help him find these absolutely beautiful golden flowers, which matched the glisten in Remus’s eyes.

Sirius looked for Remus, only to find the room empty. James ran through the entrance, completely out of breath, “oh Merlin, I’ve been looking for you Pads. I’m an idiot, I accidentally told Moony about the gala and now he thinks you don’t want him there. The map says he’s somewhere in the forest” James blurted out, gasping for breath at the end, “I’m so sorry for ruining the surprise Pads”

Anger. Confusion. Reassignment. “Ah its ok Prongs we all know you’re lips are as loose as your arsehole” Sirius joked, patting James across the chest as he ran off to find Moony, once again leaving a stunned James Potter behind.

Sirius found moony under a tree, open book in his hand, tear stains streaking his face. “Oh Moony, babe” Sirius puts down the flowers and runs his arm around Remus, embracing him. Remus instinctively buries his face into his boyfriend shoulder. Sirius rubbed his hand across Remus’ back comforting him.

“I didn’t invite you to the gala because I wanted to surprise you with a promposal”

Remus looked up innocently “like the movie we watched?” He whispered softly in surprise.

“Exactly, my love” Sirius cast the spell, which began to write out “Be my date to the gala?” in sparks of colorful flames across the air. He picked the flowers off the ground next to him and gently offered them to his boyfriend who was once again in tears. Remus started giggling through the tears.

“It’s beautiful, Pads” he sniffled “I love you” Remus clasped Sirius’ face in his hands and brought their lips crashing together. The flowers fell to the floor again, as their kisses deepened each pulling the other one closer.

“So will you?” Sirius asked when the finally pulled apart for air.

“Will I what?” Remus asked

“Be my date to my cursed family’s stupid gala?” Sirius laughed

“I couldn’t possibly say no”

[fantasy-relax]

Ineffable plan

Part 4

In order to collect information, you needed to approach the women who decided to stay in the castle despite having finished the time stipulated in the contract, understandably they were also the ones who had higher-ranking positions in the castle.

Greta, 58 years old the head maid and Lady Dimitrescu's personal maid, in the months you have been there you have known her as a serious, severe and strict woman. However, her efficiency was undeniable, the castle was enormous and it was her duty to keep it clean and impeccable, you admired her ability to coordinate a tremendous amount of staff and carry out the matriarch's orders.

Jenica, 37 years old, was in charge of the vineyard and just as Greta lived under a lot of stress, she was always locked in Lady Dimitrescu's office or with Lady Bela.

Why stay here when they had more than enough money to retire without problems in the town? Furthermore, the responsibility was enormous as well as the stress, you had seen women of their respective ages with less gray hair than them.

Dorotthea, the 49 years old Chef and person in charge of the kitchen area, almost as strict as Greta, you didn't blame her, the kitchen team was the smallest in the castle, however the one that was most watched by the Dimitrescu. The kitchen helpers not only suffered from severe training to enter, they were also disowned by the other maids because the food prepared for the lady of the house and her daughters was made of human flesh that in many cases came from colleagues who broke the rules on too many occasions or were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In her case you could understand why she would stay, the rumors fly, you doubted that she could have a peaceful life after handing over her neighbors on a silver platter (literally).

Relia, the 47 years old master carpenter, relaxed with everything except her work, her passion for her craft was so much that she also was in charge of instructing the lumberjacks and checking the wood that was delivered. If it did not meet her standards, she did not hesitate to return it something the perfectionist Lady Dimitrescu let her do.

While she would face some disdain for being a woman, her experience would be very useful in the village as it needed serious improvements to increase the quality of life, the creation of fences and more resistant houses was a matter of life and death, they had to accept her help.

Alana the 35 year old gardener was... peculiar she was always mumbling while she ate, while she drank while she walked she was always whispering about the plants in the garden or the vineyard. She wasn't rude or anything, but it was hard to strike up a conversation with her that didn't involve plants.

She was intelligent, but her eccentricities would cause her problems in the town.

Soreana, the 38 years old stable manager, she was gentle but it was easy to see how she preferred being with animals to being with people. You didn't understand why you had seen the beasts that were called horses that carried Lady Dimitrescu's carriage, they terrified you as much as the lycans.

How could you approach them so you can ask their reasons?

-------------------------------------------------- ---------------------

“Do you wish to work as a specialized maid?” Miss Greta's voice showed a hint of curiosity.

“Yes, but I can't decide in which area in particular, you see, I have done various jobs in the village, I have had my hands stained with ink and dirt, so it is a bit difficult for me to decide where to go” You used the merchant skills that you had acquired after so many meetings and business with the Duke. “So I wanted to know if it was possible to spend a day in each area to experiment and see which one suits me best.”

The woman seemed to think about it before speaking with a tired tone. “There is a lack of personnel in all areas, the workers in recent years have been problematic and consequently have been... discarded.”

You swallowed, knowing well what she meant by that.

“I'm going to see what I can do, for today follow your normal schedule.”

You nodded, afraid and curious about what awaited you.

-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

The next day while you were getting ready for work you heard someone knock on the bedroom door, something strange since to avoid conflicts due to your peculiar biology you woke up much earlier to be able to use the bathroom with privacy.

You opened the door only to be met with an irritated Greta.

“Already in uniform? Perfect, follow me” the woman didn´t wait for a response, walking quickly, almost stumbling, you closed the door and followed her.

“Excuse me, ma'am, but what happened for you to come pick me up so early?”

With a voice full of annoyance, she answered you. “A group of maids destroyed the window and part of the wall of the Hall of Joy” How?! “I still have to investigate where they got the explosives from” Again, how? “Lady Dimitrescu wants it fixed today” Daniela surely had something to do with that request “You said you knew about carpentry, right? “

“Yes ma'am, I also know a little about construction.”

Your response made the woman stop and grab your shoulders with a look that you can only describe as manic even if her voice was even as always. “Did you work with bricklayers?”

“A friend of my father is, sometimes he took me with him when they had work together” Maybe your father considered you a phenomenon, but if you could be useful to him, he was capable of taking you to hell.

“That will be helpful, Relia is the only one who knows anything about masonry, so your support would be more than good for her.”

So your research has begun.

[gothgril69]

Levi Ackerman/Fem!Reader Royalty!AU

Summary: You dream of another life, a simpler one under the rays of the warm sun, where you find love and your brothers live happily.

But you're destined to serve, to be the black sheep of the family and married off to whoever your father pleases because your parents can't seem to harbor any love for you. Your brothers will serve in the war, side by side with their Chevaliers, and you'll be left to pick up the pieces or die trying.

And the one you thought always hated you, will be right by your side to catch you when you fall.

Overall Warnings: themes of sexism, minor character death, angst, depression, minor character death, smut (please check ao3 for all tags)

Chapter warnings: light smut? MDNI

Chapter Length: 8.6k

ao3 link

The shores of Mirlenas disappear into the horizon, the home you’ve known for your whole life turning into a small blip before its gone. The sea waters are rough and choppy, causing the modest boat Erwin procured to rock back and forth. He suggested traveling in a smaller boat instead of a navy vessel to appear non-threatening to Kaslogon and you had agreed to his suggestions, trusting every word of his – he has far more knowledge than you do. It would also mean less crew members and less mouths to feed on the journey. Roughly half of the ships population were your own soldiers while the others were seasoned sailors.

You lean against the wall of the ship, looking out as you sail on. The new men surrounding you regarded you as their queen, but you could sense that they were uneasy. Many of them never stray too close to you, and you notice them all laying a hand on an iron horseshoe that’s mounted in front of the quarterdeck.

“Feels strange to leave,” Levi’s voice sounds from behind you as he steps to look out at the choppy waters with you.

“It does,” you agree, eyeing him instead of the sea.

“Good day, Your Majesty,” a sailor nods at you, dipping his hat. He passes you to touch the iron horseshoe, placing a kiss on his fingers that meet the metal.

You give Levi a questioning glance. “It’s bad luck not to touch it,” he answers.

You furrow your eyebrows at him. “A sailor’s superstition I presume?”

“Yes. A woman’s presence is also bad luck.” He walks over to the horseshoe and briefly touches it with his thumb.

You scoff and harshly pat the horseshoe. “I suppose I should set up my quarters then.” You brush past him to enter the tight corridor that leads to your small bedroom. There’s enough room for a small bed and your chest with your clothing and belongings – the dark stained wood makes the space feel more cramped. Levi follows you.

“It’s just sailors’ superstitions,” he says from behind you. “You said it yourself.”

“I suppose Mikasa and Sasha are not welcome either then?” You turn around to face him, posture relaxed with your arms crossed in front of your open bedroom door.

“They are soldiers and regarded as such,” he sighs. “Just how you are their Queen.”

You hold the small knob on your door and gesture for Levi to follow you in. You all but collapse on him the moment the door is shut, allowing him to catch you and wrap his arms around your waist. “I feel as though this journey will be forever long,” you sigh, arms limp by your sides, face squished against his chest. “It has only been two weeks of travel and I have yet to do anything we’ve set out to do. I am supposed to face Zeke, but will I be too tired by then to even care? If the ocean takes me I do not think I would mind.”

“Never speak like that again,” Levi vehemently whispers to you, using a hand to tilt your face to his. “It will all be worth the effort, to face him and be there for your country, for us.”

You look back and forth between his grey irises, finding frustration and sadness within them. “I did not mean it, Levi,” you whisper. “I only wish for a break from my never ending thoughts is all.”

“Tell me what I must do to help and I will,” he whispers back, a thumb stroking your cheekbone.

You relish in the feeling of his touch, of a familiar presence there to comfort you from your treacherous thoughts. A friend – that you wish could have been there all your life – a person that might be able to stitch your heart back together without Auguste or Theo’s help. Someone that you can look to for solitude or courage to move on, someone that can offer a helping hand when you need it most. You can only hope that you are there for him as much as he is here for you.

“I just need you,” you tell him honestly. “You are my one saving grace.”

“Then I am here,” he answers instantly. “I’m here now.” Because he knows he should have been there for you sooner.

You find a surge of courage in your heart, and reach to place a small and gentle kiss on his cheek to show your appreciation of him – a gesture that may show the depth of your feelings for him.

His cheeks flush and his eyes widen with surprise, the harsh blinks his eyelids move in make you giggle, surprising both yourself and him again. “I should be on the deck.” You gently step back, removing yourself from his arms in the process. “Join me when you feel you’re able.” 

You cover your mouth to stifle a laugh, finding amusement in how much emotion you can draw out of the usually stoic man.

Levi stands still as you leave, placing two fingers on his cheek where your soft lips once were.

The top of the deck is covered in sunshine, hardly a cloud in the sky as the wind whips against the large white sails and carries you onwards. The air is balmy, more humid than you ever imagined and warmer for a late autumn day. The crew is running all over, your own soldiers following some to learn their own duties and you’re proud to see the youngest of them eagerly listening to their teachers. Erwin and Hange seem to be lost in conversation, Hange’s hands moving so fast you can hardly see them, and their grin tells you they’re enthralled in their own story.

You spot the Captain behind the wheel on the quarterdeck and lift up your skirts to climb the stairs. The man is less unruly looking than you had initially anticipated, assuming all sailors had a certain level of grime they wore as a requirement. His hair is grey, but neatly pulled back low and the wrinkles around his eyes aren’t too deep. He looks around fifty – old for a sailor. He’s not handsome by any means though, and fits the image of a sailor perfectly with rough tanned skin and slightly battered clothing. You’ve never known any different than the handsome men that worked for you at your castle. Your cheeks flush at the thought.

“Captain!” you shout over the bustling crew and waves hitting the sides of the ship.

“Your Majesty,” he greets you. “Captain Beaumont, but you may call me Charles if you please.”

“A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Captain,” you smile politely, putting your minor diplomacy skills Auguste had taught you to use. Although, you assume the Captain doesn’t prefer such pleasantries just like yourself.

“It would be an honor to have you dine with me this evening in my quarters, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you. I will knock when dinner is being served.” You nod your head and look out at the rest of the ship.

You spot Levi heading towards your soldiers, arms crossed and the blush gone from his cheeks and replaced by the stern look he gives the young ones. He yells something you can’t hear from your spot on the quarterdeck, but you see your soldiers stand tall with a salute. Erwin walks up to him and places a hand on his shoulder, leaning down to mutter in his ear. Levi follows Erwin’s movements and turns his head – you meet both their gazes. You take it as your que to join them, giving one last nod to the Captain of the ship and lifting your skirts to climb down the steps.

“Everything alright?” Erwin immediately asks once you are within a meter of them.

“Yes, of course,” you answer. “The Captain invited me to his quarters to dine with him this evening.”

Levi narrows his eyes at you, but Erwin speaks before he has the chance. “Excellent. He is a good man, but Levi has informed me of the sailors’ superstitions that do not sit well with you. Be cautious of his intentions.”

“If he is a good man then I would not need to be cautious of him, Erwin,” you calmly respond and turn to Levi. “I’d like you to guard the door.”

“Of course.” His response is instantaneous, as if he were already thinking of doing so himself.

—

Captain Beaumont opens his door wide, allowing you to see the spread of food he has on his table and a large desk that sits behind it. He gives Levi a small nod, seemingly understanding of his presence, and gestures for you to enter. You give Levi a very quick and small smile before stepping across the threshold into his quarters.

“Thank you for having me,” you state as you take a seat across from him.

“The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty.” He takes his own seat and begins offering you the food that lies on the table.

A neat array of a couple choice meats are on a platter, along with a row of cooked carrots and potatoes. You’re grateful for the vegetables and ample amount of meat, but you can’t help but feel guilty about indulging in such foods while the rest of the crew gets rations instead. 

You hesitantly take your fork and stab a piece of what looks like chicken for your plate, and an ample amount of carrots. You take your first bite and chew slowly – it’s bland, but you never expected it to be a delicacy by any means.

“Captain–”

“You may call me Charles while we are in private, Your Majesty,” he interrupts you.

You give him a tight lipped smile. “Charles,” you start, clearing your throat. “It’s come to my understanding that your crew has some… unusual… superstitions.”

“On the contrary, Your Majesty. My men need those superstitions to give them hope that they have done everything in their power to have a safe journey.”

You furrow your eyebrows. “That also gives them the opportunity to lose that hope if they believe someone has not contributed.”

“Perhaps, but quite honestly your presence is more bad luck than not touching the damn horseshoe,” he scoffs as he digs his knife into his piece of meat, using his fork to shovel the food into his mouth. “Quite honestly,” he says with his mouth full, “if we had our way you would be bare-breasted to please the sea, but you’re lucky the figurehead at the front of the ship does it for you.”

“Excuse you?” Anger is clear on your features as you watch the man pick food out of his teeth with his fork – you grimace. You set your own flatware down on the table.

“A woman’s bare breasts calm an angry sea,” he states, as if this were common knowledge. “It prevents any curses from being thrusted upon us.”

“Well how kind of her,” you spit out. “I think I’ve had enough for one evening. Thank you, Captain.”

You stand up from your chair, the legs screeching against the wood floor as you throw your cloth napkin down on the table, and the Captain mirrors your actions.

“Your Majesty,” he frantically says, seemingly realizing his poor mannerisms. “I did not mean to offend you, I merely wanted you to understand the men’s customs.”

“That’s quite alright, Captain, but I’ll be taking my leave,” you scoff at him and begin to make your way to the door.

“Your Majesty!” He exclaims. “Please. I do not wish to disappoint you. I just wanted to give you perspective.”

“You may do so without insulting me,” you sneer back at him, meeting his eyes with a fierce gaze.

“Please.” He gestures to your previous seat. “Let us try again. It was my mistake.”

You reluctantly sit down, but you don’t touch the meal in front of you – you’ve lost your appetite. “Need I remind you of who I am?” you question. “I’m aware of your status as Captain on this ship, but I am still your Queen and you are still a subject of Mirlenas.” You detest using your status as Queen to earn your respect, but with a man as daft as Captain Beaumont you’re not sure you have much choice.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty,” he apologizes. “I would like to give you insight on the views of my men on my ship. They are simple, believing that men are above women.” You stare at him with narrowed eyes as he continues. “I am not a man with such opinions.” He holds a hand to his heart. “But they were quite surprised to see a woman becoming Queen without a husband to join her as King. It is quite rare for a woman to come into such power, let alone lead a group of soldiers to enemy soil.”

“Well they can thank our enemy for putting my brothers into the ground and in turn making me Queen,” you reply. “I did not ask for this position, but I’ll be damned if I sit back and watch as my country falls apart by the hands of a man like Zeke Jaeger.” You leisurely stand up from your seat – the Captain rises quickly. “Your men have a lot to learn, and I suggest you begin teaching them how to respect their Queen. Thank you for the meal, but I’ll be retiring for the night.”

You don’t spare him a second glance and you don’t wait for him to open the door for you, instead choosing to swing open the door yourself and close it behind you swiftly. Levi raises a brow at you in question.

Your shoulders drop in his presence. “I’d like to be alone if you don’t mind. Just in my quarters,” you sigh when you see him open his mouth to speak.

How much more difficult does it have to be to convince the people of your country to be content with your ruling? That you didn’t want this just as much as they would rather see one of your brothers on the throne instead, but that you’ll still take care of them. You’ve devoted your life to your country now – traveling to an enemy country to negotiate their safety should prove that notion. Instead, you’re told that you are a daft, moronic woman who has no hope of ruling her country.

You never make it to your quarters, instead choosing to watch the waves crash into the sides of the boat as the wind carries the sails. It’s a cold night now that the sun is gone from the sky and the winds carry the chilled almost-winter air, but it’s clear and you can see the stars.

Footsteps sound behind you. “Forgive me,” Levi’s voice barely sounds over the waves. “I know you said you wanted to be alone.”

“I have forgiven you a thousand times over, Levi.” You don’t turn around to face him, only keeping your eyes on the distant stars. “You know,” you say as he finds his place by your side. “Auguste was always so knowledgeable when it came to the constellations. He always pointed out his favorites, quoting Galileo and being so much more astute than I could ever hope to be.”

His arm snakes around your waist, holding your backside to his chest – a first that you find yourself sinking into. “You miss them?” His deep voice is soft in your ear.

“Terribly,” you respond immediately, dolefully.

“Then believe they are in the stars,” he murmurs. “Believe that Auguste, Theo, and Furlan are looking down at you right now, proud that they had the chance to live by your side.”

“They would think I’m a fool,” you whisper back.

“Never.”

“Auguste would call me a dolt, and Theo would agree wholeheartedly,” you argue miserably.

“When have they ever done such a thing?” Levi questions. “They would never chastise you for being so strong, for being so resilient.” You’re quiet because you know he’s right. “You are only a dolt for thinking so.”

You laugh and relax further into his arms. “You are honest to a fault.”

Levi raises his other hand, the one not snaked around your waist, and tilts your head to the side so he can look you in the eyes. “Always,” he whispers. His eyes dip down, briefly looking at your lips, before they’re back on your own gaze in an instant.

Your own are flicking back and forth between wanting to hold his gaze so desperately, but the urge to feel his lips on yours again is overwhelming. You can’t be so desperate for affection, can you? Is it your unbearable desire to feel someone against you, for comfort or for pleasure, or is it your deepening affections for the man himself? Have you lost yourself so completely in the drowning stress? Or have you just always wanted Levi? The man who you can no longer doubt you are falling for.

“Tell me no,” Levi whispers, his lips slightly grazing your own. “Tell me you don’t want me to.” His thumb strokes your cheek softly as he holds you so delicately in his strong arms. Your pulse is thumping rapidly. You don’t have the words – you can’t speak.

You tilt your head the miniscule amount you need so that your lips are now pressed against his. The kiss is soft, but chaste and quick, much like the first one. What is technically the third is more firm, your lips now languidly moving against his as he spins you around to pull you close to him, and you lose count the more passionate the kiss grows.

Your arms wrap around his neck, pulling him as close as possible as he does the same to you. You’ve somehow been wedged between the edge of the boat and Levi as he presses his body into yours. Your mind is swirling, lost in how he feels against your body and the realization of how fond you are of the man. The kiss is only broken when a small moan escapes you as you end up lost in the pleasure of it all.

Levi presses his forehead against yours, only barely removing some of the pressure on your body from his own. “And Auguste would say he told me so,” he breathes, a small chuckle escaping the smirk on his lips.

“Always a man of wisdom I suppose,” you breathlessly tell him. “Glances into the future we all wish we could tell.”

He leans back from you. “Always told me I’d grow fond of you one day,” he mutters, a hand resting on the side of your face. “Thought that man was a true dolt.”

You huff, a teasing glare directed at him. “How kind of you,” you quip.

“I never realized how right he was,” Levi confesses. “Always the stubborn sister of Auguste and Theo, until I watched you become a woman as I became a man. You deserve more than the world has given you, Aeron.”

“I have all that I truly need,” you disagree, because you have him, and while you miss your brothers terribly you do not feel the lingering dread of going to sleep any longer. The fear of seeing them in your dreams has dwindled, even if only slightly, and you know Levi is right when he tells you how they watch from the stars. You’re grateful you can still remember their features, fearful that you’ll forget one day. But they will live on in your heart, always, and if Levi is by your side you can accomplish anything. You can accomplish anything even if he were to leave you as well, because you are strong and it is your duty to live on for yourself and your people.

“I would give you the world if I was more than your Chevalier.” Levi takes a step back and looks down, as if realizing he is not meant to touch you.

“You are a million times more than a Chevalier, Levi,” you argue and take a step towards him so you are close once again. “What an idiotic notion that you could ever be considered less than.”

“But I am, aren’t I?” Levi meets your gaze with sadness lacing his grey irises, brows furrowed. “I have only ever been that to you. I am hardly fit to be a King by your side.”

“And you could say I am hardly fit to even be a Queen,” you dispute. “A woman with no man by her side, hardly any royal training to accompany her.” You scoff. “As if our country wants me on the throne – my ruling is hardly conventional. Do you honestly think they would mind as long as a man is there to tell me what to do?”

“I would never–”

“I know. But that is not the way our society works now, is it?” You sigh, and close your eyes for a moment before looking at him again. “You are more than just a Chevalier, Levi. I–” You love him. “I need you.”

“Then I’ll be there.” He nods, the sadness gone from his gaze and replaced by determination.

“Join me in my quarters tonight?” you inquire gently, testing the waters and seeing if there’s any hesitation in his actions.

Levi instantly takes your hand and guides the way to where you sleep soundly for the first time since your brothers joined the stars.

—

You’re in a daze. Your blouse is sticking to you uncomfortably as your corset squeezes your waist, strands of hair have plastered themselves to your forehead, and the loose skirt you’ve chosen to wear provides no comfort. You’ve found a hat to help block the harsh sun rays from your skin. 

Levi has been wearing a loose white blouse, the top two buttons undone to allow for some airflow and his normal tight uniform pants. He hides his pale skin with a hat as well to shield him from the sun, although it doesn’t stop the sweat from sticking to his skin – something you both hate the feeling of.

The ship hasn’t moved for two weeks now, stuck, stranded, in the middle of the ocean with no wind to guide it and no clouds in the sky to block the harsh rays of the sun. You’ll run out of fresh water to drink if you don’t get moving soon and the Captain has understandably cut everyone down to half their rations. 

Your anxiety is at it’s peak it seems, and not just about dwindling resources. The longer you are out at sea, the longer it takes to reach Kaslogon and negotiate with Zeke. You’ve worried your chapped bottom lip to the point of splitting, and the hem of your blouse has started to fray from so much fidgeting. Levi has tried his best to comfort you, but he knows you’ll only be pacified once you begin moving again.

“Captain, you tell me what kind of situation we’re looking at here,” Erwin huffs. “We’ve wasted enough time.” His voice is loud in the salty air of the Captain’s office, bouncing off the dark stained walls. Erwin is separated by the table you dined at two weeks ago, but it feels as though he looms over the Captain. Everyone is exhausted and running out of time and you’re growing more anxious by the second as you watch the two men argue. 

“I cannot control the weather, Commander Smith,” Captain Beaumont fires back. “Do you doubt that I have done all that I can to get this ship moving? Do you really believe that I want to be stranded in the middle of the damn ocean?”

“Well clearly–”

“Aeron,” Levi’s voice interrupts Erwin as he barges through the door into the Captain’s office. “The men. They’re fighting.”

“We’re gonna have a goddamn mutiny on our hands if you don’t get your men under control, Commander!” Captain Beaumont accuses, angrily pointing at the taller man.

Erwin ignores him in favor of rushing after Levi to the main deck. You stop the Captain from following with an arm across his chest. “Captain, I do ask that you refrain from disrespecting my soldiers.”

“I have pledged my loyalty to you alone, Your Majesty,” he scoffs. “Your Commander does not deserve such respect.”

“He does, because he is under my command,” you calmly tell him. “Try your best to remember that we are all on the same side here.” You don’t speak any further, removing your arm from across his chest as a sign to let him join everyone on the main deck – you follow promptly.

There’s absolute chaos once you’ve reached the main deck. Your men are arguing against Captain Beaumont’s, a clear line separating the two groups as Erwin, Levi, and the Captain try to calm their men down. You’ve never seen your soldiers so defiant.

You don’t waste time and immediately step on a crate that sits in front of the quarterdeck, still on the main deck. You put your thumb and a finger in your mouth and whistle loudly, loud enough that the sound pierces the noise of arguing and even has some covering their ears. Everyone looks at you bewildered – except when you meet Levi’s gaze he almost seems smug.

“Who wants to tell me what the hell is going on?” you yell at all of them. You’re exhausted, sweaty, and fed up with being on an unmoving ship for too long. Your journey has been extended by two weeks and you’re livid.

“Your Majesty!” Jean yells.

“No! You have no idea what you’re saying!” one of the Captain’s men yells at Jean. Chaos ensues.

You whistle again, louder than the first time. “If one more person speaks you’ll be sent down to the cellar to join the rats,” you seethe. You notice Armin has been cowering behind your own soldiers, observing fearfully. “Armin,” you single him out. “I’d like you to tell me what’s going on.”

The timid young man clears his throat. “Captain Beaumont’s men have accused us of not touching the horseshoe and cursing the ship.” He pauses, clearly debating his next words. “They think that’s why there’s been no wind and they want to throw someone overboard to please the sea.”

You could throw yourself overboard. “No one is going over the edge of this boat.” You jump down from the crate and stomp towards the crowd – it parts for you like the Red Sea. “You act as though nature does not have a mind of it’s own.” You look back and forth between the groups, mainly addressing Beaumont’s men. “I’m sure you have faced countless angry seas with your own men, and surely you’ve faced hardships no matter how many people participate in your beliefs.”

“Never one so callous as this!” A man interrupts you. Your glare must give him all the warning he needs when his mouth snaps shut.

“There have been tales,” Armin’s voice sounds next, surprisingly. You step into the crowd as your own soldiers part for him. His cheeks are flushed, both from embarrassment and the heat, but he continues on. “Of how the wind gods become angry with the sea god.” A few men chuckle uneasily – you listen intently. “The Anemoi wind gods take their wrath out on Poseidon, depriving him of nature’s winds and eventually unleashing their might upon him when he does not amend his wrong doings. Boreas, the cold breath of winter, shows their wrath the most. They create strong winds and rainstorms, hurricanes even if he had wronged them enough.” He hardly glances to the side out at sea. “Their wrath is coming soon.”

A strong gust of wind almost knocks your hat off.

Everyone’s eyes widen and cheers sound around you. 

“Man the sheets, lads!” Captain Beaumont’s voice rings out. Chaos ensues again, but now in radiating cheerfulness as everyone runs off to man their stations.

“Aloft, topmen!” the Captain’s secondhand yells. “Layout and loose the foretops! Man halyards and sheets!”

You swipe a hand over your face and stride over to Armin once the crowd has dispersed. “How did you know?” you ask him immediately. Levi stands at your side.

Armin blushes, glancing between you and Levi. “The Albatross.” He points out at the waters. “When they fly high, the air is light, dry, no rain. When they fly low, the air is heavy.”

“Rain is coming,” Levi says, almost absentmindedly as he looks out at the sea. Armin nods.

You smile at the young man. “Thank you.” Armin walks away with a smile.

You look over to find Levi already looking at you – you love when he does that. “You did well,” he comments.

You roll your eyes and turn to hide your smile as you begin walking away from the bustling of men. “They’re all idiots,” you deflect.

He scoffs, a smirk tugging at his lips. “You’re just now realizing this?”

You’re about to respond when a drop of water lands in front of you, and is suddenly joined by multiple coming down harshly. It’s pouring rain, and you’ve never been happier. You take off your hat and tilt your head up to the sky to feel the rain on your skin, to allow it to wash off the grime that you’ve endured for the past two weeks. Your shoulders drop and you feel the tension disappear from your muscles, your anxiety diminishing into a small ember instead of a raging fire.

Men are shouting around you and yet you can’t find it in you to care as you make your way into the safety of your quarters. They’re rolling empty barrels everywhere, positioning them under makeshift funnels made out of fabric to capture the rain for more drinking water. Levi is hot on your heels and as soon as you close the door to your quarters he’s practically on top of you.

“How am I supposed to stay away from you now?” He questions right before his lips meet yours.

You kiss him back eagerly, only breaking away to quickly mutter, “you can’t wait until we return to Mirlenas?” and your lips are on his again, only to separate when he registers what you’ve said.

His arms are wrapped around your waist, holding you as he slightly tips you backwards in his previously impatient attempts at kissing you. “Wait for what?” he asks vacuously.

He allows you to stand straight, his grip loosening just enough, but still keeping his arms wrapped around you. You laugh nervously. “Were we not talking about the same thing?”

“Are you–” He blinks, processing. “You would allow me to claim you?”

“Why would I not?” You stare at him dumbfounded, slightly flushed from embarrassment that you’ve said the wrong thing. “If that is not what you meant, I understand–”

“No,” he interrupts. “I mean– I would–” He sighs, flustered. “I assumed you would want to wait until marriage,” he finally mumbles out.

You laugh boisterously this time. “As if anything about me screams traditional, Levi.” You grin at him.

He rolls his eyes, muttering a quiet, “shut up” before pressing his lips against yours with bruising pressure. It’s hot, and passionately impatient, as he starts to walk you back to the small bed in your cramped quarters. The back of your knees hit the edge of the thin mattress and he gently lays you down before crawling on top of you, his head bumping the wall next to you. “Fuck,” he grumbles, but still proceeds to move his lips down to your jawline and then your neck, sucking at your pulse point. 

You can’t help the moan that escapes your lips. “Levi,” you practically mewl.

He gently puts a hand over your mouth, supporting himself enough to look at you now. “If you don’t be quiet someone will hear us,” he scolds. You nod, but he still keeps his hand over your mouth as he dives back down.

His lips trail further down your décolletage and you tilt your head back to give him more access. You’re hardly breathing through your nose, unbearably still as Levi continues pressing his lips to your skin. “Breathe,” he mutters, nipping your skin lightly before he soothes it with his tongue. You whimper underneath his hand and your chest starts moving up and down as you catch your breath through your nose. His lips travel lower and he kisses at the top of your breasts that are being pushed up by your corset, your blouse revealing enough to allow him access.

You moan against his hand as he starts sucking at your skin again and nibbling enough to lightly mark the skin. Everything he’s doing to you feels heavenly, and all you want is more. Your hands have been gripping the thin bed sheets, but one flies up to grip Levi’s hair when he bites particularly hard and when you pull he groans. He lifts his head and removes his hand just to kiss you again, using his tongue to coax your mouth open as you pull on his hair again.

“Keep doing that and I don’t think I can wait to be back home,” he mutters against your lips, his voice deep and raspy.

“Then don’t,” you whisper, looking into his grey eyes. 

He sits back on his haunches, staring down at your breathless form. You’re so beautiful, he thinks to himself, observing how swollen and red your lips are from him kissing you, and the blooming marks on your breasts practically make him swell with pride – he wants nothing more than to have you now. Your skirts have fallen, revealing some of your legs and he so badly wants to squeeze your thighs, but he wants it to be so much better than what it would be here. “You deserve so much more than I could give you here,” he tells you honestly. You look sad, but it’s gone from your features in an instant.

He lies down next to you, holding you close to him now that the two of you are no longer eagerly pawing at each other. He can hardly fathom how he’s gotten here, how he’s gotten to the point of lying by your side instead of looking at you with disdain. Theo had always teased him when it was just him and Furlan by Levi’s side, always telling him he was just confused. Perhaps he saw something in Levi’s eyes that he could have never recognized as fondness at the time, and apparently so had Auguste. He knew there was more to it the moment he had asked Levi to be your Chevalier on the castle grounds instead of his own. There was a mischievous glint in his eye when he also teased about Levi’s underlying fondness for you, but he had brushed it off as your brother being an idiot – Levi knew he could never be.

You shift, pressing the side of your face into his chest despite the damp fabric. Your fingers trace his exposed skin from the top buttons of his blouse being undone, featherlight touches giving him goosebumps. He can tell you’re lost in thought.

“What is it, mon cœur?” He feels you smile against him once he’s broken you out of your trance. He uses the hand holding your body close to his to brush hair out of your face.

Your smile falls, sighing, and then clearly hesitating – you’re nervous. “Madame Elise was quite fond of you,” you state plainly, fingers still tracing light circles into his smooth skin.

He blinks, unsure of what the intonation in your voice suggests. “She practically raised me,” Levi hesitantly tells you. Your finger stutters in it’s movements before continuing.

He’s afraid to tell you about how he lived before Erwin dragged him out of that hell hole. Afraid that you won’t see him the same way anymore and the rose tinted glasses will come off to reveal the brutal truth behind his true self. The him before arriving at the castle was someone entirely different – someone you had no idea existed.

“Will you tell me more?” your soft voice asks, slightly muffled as you keep yourself close to him.

And so he does.

Levi takes his time in telling you the whole story, never omitting details or sugar coating his actions. He starts from the very beginning, when his mother was just a whore in that very same brothel you both visited, and how his father was just a one time visitor. “I barely remember her face,” he tells you sadly, holding onto the vague image of the pale woman with strikingly beautiful features. She had died when he was just a little boy, probably five or six around the time, and Madame Elise had barely allowed him to stay. How could a little boy living in a brothel be any good for business? Levi supposes she just happened to have a soft spot for the scrawny little boy with long black hair.

She took care of him for the most part, realistically only offering him the bare necessities to live. She cut his hair for him, kept him well fed and clothed, but not without a price. He became her personal scavenger, a small and unsuspecting pickpocket. It was easy money really, stealing from wealthy men and just having to sneak around to get close to them. He’d play it off as if he wasn’t there to begin with, or act like he was helping the ladies if they needed it. Everyone was in on the small business he had created for Madame Elise and would assist in any way they could. They loved having little Levi around.

Levi hesitates to tell you more, but you should know all of him – all of his flaws. As he got older the more Madame Elise expected from him. He was supposed to be stealing more, acquiring the most for her and the other ladies of the brothel, but it grew increasingly more difficult to do since he was growing into a man. He wasn’t the little runt anymore and was instead seen as another potential customer by the other men in the brothel – even by the women. They all knew him, but that didn’t stop their advances on him as a young and inexperienced teen boy. They would grope him quickly as he passed by in hopes of taking him to bed with them, taking someone who was pure and untouched by the outside world. Levi hated it, and never indulged in the company of any of them, but it didn’t take away the feeling of being seen as an object. He could hardly believe the same women that knew what that felt like would do the same to him. You tell him it’s not his fault, sympathy and guilt lacing your voice – he knows now.

He had started to grow tired of being there, needing a way out and soon. It was when he was distracted by his own mind that everything turned sideways. He was pickpocketing still as a young teen, barely fourteen, and hadn’t noticed the Mirlenas army emblem on the coat that was hanging over the chair.

“You stole from a Mirlenas soldier?” you ask incredulously, propping yourself up on one elbow on your side to look at him.

He scoffs and rolls his eyes. “I didn’t realize it. The Commander’s emblem is different from the rest.”

“Erwin?” you squeak out, eyes wide.

He nods, continuing to tell you how Erwin caught young Levi snooping around his coat pocket. He had caught his wrist, preventing Levi from pulling out the dainty green emerald necklace Erwin had in his breast pocket. Erwin had been there for a meeting with another officer, immediately abandoning it in favor of taking Levi outside the establishment to scold the boy and figure out what the hell he was doing.

But Levi saw his way out. Erwin was an understanding man just like he is now and felt sympathy for the young boy that was only ten years younger than himself. Erwin was a young commander, perhaps naive at the time, and allowed Levi to straggle along with him instead of living day to day at the brothel. It gave Levi a purpose.

“I was good at it,” Levi sighs. Good at killing, his mind tells him, but he knows he doesn’t need to say it. “Being a soldier. I felt like I could finally fucking do something with my life.” You lie your head back down on his chest, drawing your soothing circles into his skin again.

Levi was quickly recognized as the best soldier and was quickly appointed to be a Chevalier for the royal family at just fifteen.

He huffs out a laugh. “I remember the ceremony,” he reminisces, a hand mindlessly trailing along your bare shoulder. “And I remember the brooding girl on the edge of the royal seats.” His voice is teasing, but you almost sound sad when you respond.

“Not brooding.” You pause and prop yourself up again. You look into Levi’s eyes, the colour of your irises sparkling as you look at him with such fondness despite the dim light. “You’ve been through so much. I’m so glad it led you to being a Chevalier at the castle.”

“You don’t seem repulsed,” Levi observes aloud. You still look at him with the new light he’s seen in your eyes recently. The same look you get when he’s close enough to feel your heartbeat, the same one you looked at him with when he couldn’t help but connect his lips with yours.

“I could never be repulsed by you, Levi,” you scoff, the light still not leaving your eyes. “You’ve managed to find your way into my heart and I cannot find it in myself to be angry with you for it. I welcome your affections with open arms now.” You kiss his chest and he swears you can feel the way his heart pounds against his ribcage. “I would be nothing without you.”

“You’ve bewitched me,” he breathes. He loves you. He knows the feeling in his chest has always been love, and he can finally admit it to himself now. It feels as though a weight has been lifted.

Levi pulls your body up to be eye level with him, using his other hand to tilt your face up the slight amount he needs to press his lips against yours. It’s soft, and sweet like honey, as your lips move languidly with his. He feels intoxicated by you, but allows you to relax despite his desire to get drunk on your taste.

He thinks about how nice it will be to bathe tomorrow morning, and enjoys your company by squeezing you closer to him as you drift asleep.

—

You couldn’t have been asleep for more than two hours when you’re woken up by your body crashing into the wall your bed is pressed against. It startles you, jolting you awake in an instant, and you realize Levi isn’t next to you anymore.

There’s shouting that’s muffled by the wood in between your quarters and the main deck, and the boat sounds like it’s being pelted over and over by bullets. Another harsh movement of the boat causes your body to jolt into the wall again, your head narrowly missing collision. You use one hand to rake your hair back out of your face, the other preoccupied by ensuring you don’t get knocked out by the boat’s erratic movements.

Standing is difficult, but you manage to balance yourself enough to straighten out your skirts and walk to the door. You swing it open, using a hand against the walls to keep yourself stable, and it’s then you realize just how hard it’s raining. It’s pelting the boat so harshly you’re not surprised you mistook the sound for shots being fired, and the thunder that booms through the sky and penetrates every being sounds like cannon fire.

You’re almost panicking at this point, wondering if everyone is okay on top. You push yourself through the hall, needing to make sure everyone is alright, or if you can at least assist in some way. Rain drips through the cracks in the planks of wood above you and climbing the stairs proves to be even more difficult than lifting yourself out of the bed, the boat being rocked harshly side to side and causing you to slip in the water.

When you reach the top of the stairs your breath is practically stolen from you from the pressure of the rain, harsh pellets of water almost bruising your skin. You grasp onto whatever you can, in this case a rope that’s secured to the side of the boat. You’re soaked almost instantly, eyes scanning to find anyone, but more so Levi so you can make sure he’s alright.

You spot each other at the same time, locking panicked eyes. He’s trying to help Erwin steer the wheel relative to the waves, or at least trying to keep them from completely breaking the rudder. Everyone else is trying to hold on to anything they can, all while keeping the ship afloat. You can barely hear the voices over the sound of crashing waves, the torrential downpour and the thunder that booms loudly, all of them being lost in the wind.

You keep hold of the rope, pulling yourself toward Levi as you sputter water out of your mouth and attempt to wipe the unruly hairs that plaster themselves to your face so you can see. You’re close enough to hear them now.

“Steer with the wind!” Erwin shouts at Levi. Both men are clenching their teeth, putting all their strength into turning the wheel. Waves crash over the boat, wiping some sailors and your own soldiers off their feet while you hang on to the edge.

“Aeron!” Levi shouts for you, his eyes finding your form again. He wants to run to you, to shove you under the deck again so you’re safe. “What are you doing?! Get back down!”

“I can help!” you insist, knowing there has to be something you can do. You can’t sit around and be useless.

“Don’t be a brat!” Levi shouts at you. He turns to Erwin, frustrated. “It’s useless!”

“We’ll get below deck!” Erwin resigns, reaching down to tie a rope to one of the handles on the wheel to keep it relatively stable while Levi does the same. “Grab Aeron!”

Levi grabs anything he can to keep him upright as he fights his way toward you, clothes plastered to his own skin and eyebrows furrowed in anger. You’re trying your best, clinging onto the rope that lines the edge to pull yourself forward, but your gaze snaps upwards when you hear a loud cracking sound above you. 

The center mast is breaking, the wood splintering and starting to tilt as it pulls the sails with it. The sailors are yelling at your soldiers to get down below to safety – everyone’s given up on the losing battle. 

Levi yells at you, but everything is drowned out when the mast comes crashing down, pulling rope and fabric with it. Everything is a blur as the boat tilts to one side, a massive wave crashing so harshly on top of the boat that all you hear is more wood splintering as you lose your grip on the rope and get tossed over the edge.

—

You’re comforted by the quiet that envelops you, serene darkness shadowing your eyelids and something that feels almost as soothing as a hug wrapping around your body. No more abrasive sounds of rain pelting the wood of the boat, no more shouting and arguments, no more politics.

No more.

Levi stands up unsteadily, swiping a hand over his face to rid the water from his features and pushes a hand through his hair. He looks around frantically, searching hopelessly for you to no avail. There’s only one option, to his absolute horror: the water. He doesn’t hesitate despite Erwin yelling at him. He won’t lose you too – he can’t.

His body breaks the surface of the water and he opens his eyes, spotting a massive sail that's roped around the mast that had broken before he sees you attached above it. You’re slowly being dragged down by the weight of it and he wills himself to not panic, to not waste time during the only opportunity he has to save you like he did with your brothers.

He pushes his limbs through the water as hard as possible, pushing himself forward fast enough to get to you before he runs out of air. You’re wrapped in rope when he gets close enough to see you in detail, your hair floating above you. He doesn’t take a single moment to see how peaceful you look – how tranquil – and instead immediately assesses that he can’t untangle you. He rips his dagger out of it’s sheath on his belt and frantically saws at the rope without cutting you.

Your body feels weightless in the void. The warm hug from before is gone, but you can see Auguste’s brown eyes staring back at you along with Theo’s green ones. They’re beautiful, and you’re so happy when you see them again, even if you don’t realize they’re vaguely floating in the dark waters in front of you.

But they look back at you with such sadness, and their mouths open as if to tell you something, but nothing audible comes out. You frown, upset until their images are gone and Levi is in front of you instead, his warm grey eyes looking at you with so much affection it hurts your heart. 

You love him. You had admitted it to yourself before.

But where is Levi? You’re starting to panic, no longer feeling the blissful serenity that was casted upon you. You need him.

His lungs burn by the time he cuts through the ropes, struggling to pull you completely free and kicking hard to propel the two of you upwards. He can feel the oxygen running out, his brain growing slightly foggy and his limbs growing slightly weaker, but he can’t give up – not when your life is at risk.

He gasps when he breaks the surface of the water, your body held in his arms, and he frantically reaches for a pallet of wood floating on the water. He grabs the edge and hauls your body on top, pulling your arms up so they’re draped over the wood and your face is above water.

“Come on you stubborn brat,” he cries. He can’t tell if the salt in his mouth is from the ocean or his tears. Levi tries so hard to gently slap you awake, pushing your hair out of your face so he can see your features clearly.

Levi?

Levi.

Levi.

“Levi,” you mumble, your voice barely audible.

He gasps in relief. “Oi, you stupid brat,” he laughs, hysterical and happy and relieved–

“Levi?”

“I’m here,” he says immediately, reaching a cold wet hand to caress your cheek. You’re okay. You’re alive.

You don’t say anything else, just a quiet mumble he can’t make out over the sound of rain pouring into the ocean around you. He has no idea what to do but simply float on the surface of the water and hope the boat will come into view once the storm clears up. 

But no matter what he has you, he’ll take care of you.

Levi wraps his arms around the wood, pushing his body up against your barely lucid one to keep you safe.

[thelampisaflashlight]

This Temple

[Mountain reflects on the past, and Dew sees dead people. No, like, really.] Below the cut.

The abbey's library had not always been a quiet, introspective place of learning, no.

Indeed, some centuries ago, before the church made its home there, Mountain had seen, personally, the state of the building at the time... and it was far from the pretty, ornate temple of knowledge it was today.

He can recall the day one of the monks who summoned him dragged him here.

Showed him the stains on the earth where blood penetrated the very stone beneath their feet, and asked him, half mad with guilt and shame, if he could erase it.

The answer then, and still, was no.

He could pull the iron from the rock, but he could never cleanse the darkness that cultivated itself within.

And Mountain had watched.

Given a solemn vigil.

As the monk painstakingly carved and crafted the ornate carvings on the walls out of hearty wood, and knelt on the stone, arranging tile after tile to make the intricate mosaic that decorates the floor to this day.

Worn in places where people roamed, unaware of the sins hidden just inches below their feet.

But Mountain can feel it intimately, like a whisper against his skin, sending a shiver down his spine every time he steps through the threshold.

He avoids the library for the most part because of it, but sometimes it's unavoidable.

Bowing his head to step through the doorway -his horns would brush the transom if he did not- Mountain's gaze sweeps across the room, searching high and low.

And then he sees him.

Sat in a plush armchair, head bowed over a yellowed copy of Dracula, is Dew.

His cheek is resting in his hand while he reads, clever eyes moving subtly across the page, never looking away or acknowledging the giant standing in the doorway.

It may seem strange to find the ghoul there, fire and libraries don't mix well, but Dew had vowed long ago, sworn up and down like his very life depended on it, that he would never destroy this place.

But, then again, it also makes perfect sense that this room would be made his temple.

Fire, across many cultures and beliefs, represents wisdom and knowledge, and, above all else, passion.

And Dew was quite passionate about his books.

He was a voracious sort, and reading sustained and occupied him better than anything else the human world had to offer.

The church lucked out in that sense, Mountain supposes, having seen the destruction and chaos an under-stimulated ghoul could cause.

His approach is careful, but the floor creaks beneath him regardless.

Dew lifts his head, groaning slightly as he feels the ache in his neck and shoulders from being folded in place for what was undoubtedly hours now.

Mountain gives an amused hum as the ghoul yawns and stretches, watching his tail snake between the pages of his book to keep his place.

"Need something?" he asks, sitting up straight.

"Mn, I was just wondering where you were." Mountain says, leaning against a nearby reading desk, "I hadn't seen you all day, so I was curious."

Dew sets his book aside, "You don't come in here that often."

Mountain nods, "Not my... aesthetic, I guess. A bit stuffy for my tastes."

"People might argue you belong in here more than I do." Dew inhales softly, relaxing back in his chair, he's more relaxed than Mountain has seen him in quite some time.

"You seen rather at home here yourself." Mountain comments, "I don't get how you can be so comfortable in a place like this..."

Dew leans his head back, closing his eyes.

"It's quite easy once you get used to all of the noise." he remarks, making Mountain give pause and listen for a moment before he hears Dew's gentle laughter filling his ears.

"I'm kidding, of course... This place is surprisingly quiet for what it is..." he sighs, stretching once more like a lazy cat before standing, picking his book up off the side table he'd placed it on and motioning for Mountain to follow him.

"What it used to be anyway."

Trailing after him, Mountain wonders aloud, "How much do you know about the abbey's history, the library's?"

Dew looks back at him as they step out into the hallway, "Do you know where I go when I'm dreaming?"

Mountain stills.

"When you're dreaming?"

Dew nods, "When I sit up in the middle of the night and leave my side of the room... do you know where I go?"

When Mountain doesn't immediately answer, Dew gestures behind them, the implications obvious.

"Why?"

"I see them, Mounty." he says, carrying on down the hallway, "Like they're still here."

"...The monks?" Mountain asks, his mouth feeling a little dry.

"The nuns."

Ah.

Another dark part of the abbey's history.

One Mountain was not personally there to witness, but was nonetheless aware of.

Dew traces his fingers along the wooden molding along the wall.

"I follow them around, like I'm the ghost and they're alive." he whispers, "I talk to them, and they acknowledge me and smile, and it's weird."

"Dreams tend to be a little weird, Honeydew." Mountain reassures him, settling a large hand on his shoulder.

Dew looks up at him, "Mn. I guess, but you want to know the weirdest part?"

Mountain squeezes his shoulder gently.

"When I come here when I'm awake, it's like I'm surrounded by them." he says, "Like I am expected, like they want me there. Like I'm supposed to be there, like it's 'our' place."

"...I don't really get it." Dew adds, "But when Omega brought me here the first time, it just made sense."

"I suppose there are stranger places to feel welcome." Mountain says, at a bit of a loss.

"True enough."

The walk back to the dorms is a quiet one, but as soon as the door to the common room swings open, the mood shifts and Dew seems to visibly change.

From contemplative and withdrawn to bright and chaotic with a swiftness that almost gives Mountain whiplash to see.

He's so out of it in that moment that he forgets to lower his head and-

THUNK.

"Motherfucker-"

Dew laughs watching Mountain rub the base of his horns, "Forget to duck, big guy?"

"At least I can reach the top of the door frame." he quips, making Dew hiss.

"Rude!"

[queers-gambit]

hiiii, if u have time can you do billy and reader running away back to california together after high school, maybe the reader decides to go to college there?? reader isn’t from there but they both just want to escape to somewhere

hi, hey, hello, i've been sitting on this one for a bit.

i hated every "imagine" or "one shot" i was writing, so, i decided to simplify it for me, hope it's satisfying enough. all my love 🖤

but the repeating themes i keep coming towards?

reader decided to go to college out in California, and maybe Billy's maternal grandparents have a condo out there that they let reader and Billy have. they feel really bad for what Neil did, they didn't know the true extent - so, when you two come around, he tells them the truth, and out of guilt, they offer the only thing they can. it's already paid for, so, like, they're cool letting y'all pay for utilities and whatever - no rent. "least we can do," they tell Billy.

wouldn't that be nice? no rent? sheesh.

anyways, it's a cute lil apartment / condo thing, and while Billy hates accepting help, his grandparents insist it'll go to him in their will anyways so he might as well take the keys now. so, fuck it, you know?

reader goes to school full time while Billy works, maybe at the local mechanics shop? just imagine that - Billy... mullet and all... overalls, grease-stained white wife beater... oh, yeah, that's a good mental image for me. yum, you know? and maybe he even gets you a part time gig as the receptionist for you to work between classes.

it would mean you two see more of one another and reader would often see Billy working. gets reader goin', yah know? vroom vroom.

anyways, reader def doesn't stay at the receptionist job 'cause of the college degree, yah know? internships and shit. so, Billy doesn't mind picking up extra shifts, he's content to support reader's dreams and aspirations, and you know what? reader turns him into a house husband eventually! he still has his mechanic job, but it's mostly part time after reader graduates and gets their first big-time job.

that money upgrade? lord, have mercy! and no rent? all there is to do is SAVE money! oh, it must be nice!

anyways, wife him up, yah hear me? reader is the breadwinner, but that's only 'cause Billy held it the fuck down during reader's schooling. no matter how long it took, he was happy to see his lover working hard. and sure, yeah, there's years of turmoil and fighting and disagreements, but life gets really good after that 'cause all Billy needs is consistency.

anything outside of that isn't really okay with him. Billy's used to things being so shitty that when reader's busy with school, it makes him uneasy. part of the reason he got you the receptionist job, you see? he likes physically seeing you, it comforts and assures him, but it also was a routine for him. he knew your work schedule and just had to adjust to your school schedules. poor boy loses his shit after the first semester because classes change in the spring and fall and he *just* got used to the first semester schedule.

however, being in Cali really helps. it's his neck of the woods, it's where he's confident, so, eventually, he learns that while you're in school, he has to make the effort in the relationship. it takes a lot of work on his end, and Billy's not used to that, so he has a difficult time adjusting but for his lover? he'll make do. y'all establish a life there, a routine, a home - and eventually, you move out of the condo for a "starter home" because now? that you've graduated? yeah, Billy's ready for marriage.

never thought he would, but after he realized you had given up your entire life in Hawkins to move with him back to Cali? the boy is considering something long-term. something committing. something permanent. so, literally only 3 months after you start your new job, Billy's posing the question - just to get a feel for the feelings surrounding marriage. he likes where things are, doesn't really wanna shake things up, but when reader's like "yeah, i'm down," he's getting a ring and running to the courthouse.

it's simple, it's official. it's the way things are supposed to play out.

[yarnprism]

I have been struggling on how to word this, because this is the first time I’m doing a tickle request, but for Gabriel from Ultrakill, all I can imagine is after Gabriel kills the Council, he runs into V1 again, but doesn’t want to fight cause existential crisis. So V1 starts touching and inspecting Gabriel cause he’s curious, and finds out Gabriel is ticklish. I’m not sure how Gabriel would react to that, I’ll leave that up for you to decide :)

Okay I’m not good at writing fics because I deadass haven’t written like this since 2017 so I’m rusty.

But this prompt seemed cute so uh.

THE LAUGHTER OF AN ANGEL

Warnings : ULTRAKILL spoilers kinda. Fluffy tickles (never would’ve guessed)

Word Count : 1.3k (A short one I know)

Also shoutout to my friend @giggleeclown beta read this and gave me grammar corrections and such!! Please go show her blog some love I beg

Pure unadulterated emptiness. That was a fair description for describing how the fallen Archangel felt as he sat by the fire under a sky full of stars. The blood of the people he once both ordered and followed stained his hands: the council. He mourned not for the loss of the Father and the council, but for the part of himself that died with them. Gabriel stared into the flames, taking in the warm colors of the blaze in front of him. The crackling wood brought a sense of peace, like heavy rain in the middle of the night. He looked down at his hands, clenching his fingers into fists before relaxing them. The armor he wore seemed dull, almost tarnished, through his eyes, not wielding the splendor it was once made for. Gabriel sighed, looking back down at the fire. He thought back to the atrocities he committed under the name of the Lord. The thousands- no, millions he had condemned to suffer eternally. To drown, to burn, to be mauled until nothing remained. To experience death for the last time, in the worst ways possible regardless of how big or small the sin. “All in the name of the Lord.” He used to say, but the name of the Lord had long since wilted, only giving disintegrating petals of dimming light. At that moment, Gabriel felt sorry. Sorry for himself, the souls he condemned, sorry for the dying will of the father. He knew feeling sorry couldn’t change the present, but it was all he could muster.

A sudden whirring sound tore him from his thoughts. His eyes shifted and met with the glowing eye of the machine. He wanted to be angry, furious at seeing the thing that beat him twice in his own game. Now, however, he didn't have the energy for it. Gabriel felt more numb than anything, staring silently at V1. It stared back, the crackling of the fire being the only thing to fill the empty air. “Come to mock me, have you?” Gabriel started, staring the machine down. V1 didn't respond, only tilting its head in curiosity and beginning to approach the archangel. Gabriel looked down at the fire once more, expecting the machine to try and kill him. He’d be dead soon regardless, so what did it matter? Instead, V1 just stood by him, eventually sitting beside the angel, still staring with its mono eye. The silence was awkward, the gentle hum of the machine’s inner workings filling his ears. He grumbled as he could hear the cold metal hand of the machine grazing over his blood-stained armor. Logically, he knew it was just the machine trying to soak up the blood that had splattered onto him.

Admittedly, it disgusted him to think that something could be that focused on survival. Only focused on how much blood it can get. Strangely, he understood, V1 just wanted to survive like anyone else. That was its main objective, after all, its purpose. Gabriel couldn’t help but think back to that word: purpose. What was his purpose? Now that the council was dead, and he had practically gone against everything he was made to be, what now? For the first time since he was birthed from the heavenly light, he felt unsure of himself. “I envy you, machine.” He started. “You seem to have everything cut out for you.” The android looked up and tilted its head at Gabriel, stopping its momentary prodding of the angel's body. Gabriel sighed, staring back aimlessly before he turned back to the fire. He let the outer sights of his vision fade away as the fire caught his attention. The way the fire licked the wood it was given for fuel was encapsulating, he admired the wood as it crumbled and crunched down into— “eEEk?!” A squeak suddenly ripped from his mouth as he wasn’t paying attention. Gabriel felt his cheeks burn beneath his helmet as he realized just how undignified it was. He slammed his hand over his mouth, eyes darting down to the culprit at his side. It was V1’s dull claw that had curiously scraped against his exposed skin. The machine tilted its head at Gabriel, wondering why he had made such a sound. Before the angel could protest or move away, V1 inquisitively scratched at Gabriel's side, earning a yelp from him. “H-hehey!! Quit it!” He objected, quickly drowned out by his own incessant giggling as the V1 started to scratch at his exposed sides and tummy. An odd sensation filled him that he couldn’t describe, one that just made him want to laugh and laugh even though nothing at the moment sparked his humor. In fact this was anything but funny. It was humiliating. He shouldn’t be here, lying on his back laughing because of the machine's dull claws.

Yet, still he could do nothing but squeak and giggle like he were some mortal. He silently cursed the blacksmith who made his armor cropped, and he himself for accepting it. “Stahap thihis insoleNCEE!!” His voice suddenly went up an octave as V1 curiously squeezed a part of his midsection. It made an almost happy sounding whir at Gabriel’s reaction, taking it as a sign it was doing this properly. V1 had seen humans do lots of things, they were very social creatures after all. Though it remembered one specific gesture certain humans would do with each other as a form of playing, it never got a name for the action however. Though the way Gabriel laughed and squirmed, it figured it was doing something right, even if it didn’t originally mean to. V1 curiously kneaded its claws into the soft flesh of the other, earning a squeal. The Angel let out a loud, shrieky cackle as the tips of the machine’s claws provided just the right amount of torturous pressure. “N-NOHOHO!! THIHIS IHIS ABSURD!!” He shrieked as V1s ‘nail’ pressed and wriggled where his navel would’ve been, had he been human that is. As he writhed, he couldn’t help but feel a wobbly, almost dare he say giddy smile cross his originally hardened face. For some reason he found himself..enjoying this? The way the laughter poured from him in a shrieky unstable stream, the way his face felt like it was on fire, everything about this felt so…nice. Though a part of him felt admittedly ashamed, he shouldn’t enjoy something like this, only mortal children like this. And he was far from any child.

V1 curiously continued to prod and poke, seeming pleased at Gabriel’s shrill laughter. As its claws pressed just a little bit harder, it appeared to appreciate the almost screams of laughter he let out at even the slightest scratch. “I s-swehear Machine I’ll tehehear yohou lihimb from liMB—EEK!!” He shrieked once more, his wings fluffing up and twitching. A hoarse laugh poured out of him, a wheeze following suit. Though this was fun, he could feel himself growing tired as his laugh grew wheezy with the occasional shriek here and there. “S-stop-! St-STAhap!!” Gabriel pleaded before grabbing the wrists of the machine, forcibly making it stop its onslaught. V1 stopped, and curiously tilted its head at the now panting angel, making an inquisitive whir. Gabriel huffed and felt his body relax, the tension from before leaving his body. Oddly he felt..calmer, almost happier than before, and he had no idea why. He looked back up at the machine and quickly repositioned himself to sit back up, “I uhm..I’m not certain on what that was but..thank you…” He only got a slightly confused whir in reply, but Gabriel didn’t mind the simplicity.