#damn we all fall for villains huh?

[finemealprompt]

DP x DC Prompt #50

When Danny came to Gotham, he hadn't been planning on being a vigilante, he swears! And, technically, he wasn't a vigilante. He was a villain. Sort of. He was Catwoman's sidekick. Her partner in crime, quite literally.

But hey, it hadn't taken a lot of convincing from Catwoman to start stealing things from a bunch of rich dudes. Danny hates rich fruit loops.

[badkitty3000]

What did you think was ooc for Five?

Great question, and I have already covered it a bit in my post here, but I could probably yammer on all day about it, so I'll add some thoughts.

Season 1 -3 Five was focused, determined, manic, arrogant, sometimes mean, violent, out-spoken, and full of love for his family above all. Yes, he insulted them and had no time or patience for their shit, but considering everything he'd been through and what he was up against, there was a reason for it. Season 4 Five? Ok, yeah, I can buy that maybe he was depressed and didn't really know what to do with himself anymore. Myself and others have certainly written him that way a few times. But, damn, he spent like all of season 3 bitching about wanting to be retired and here he could be! He could have played the stock market a few times, bought a little place somewhere, picked up a nice lady at the local Bingo hall and lived his peaceful live he deserved. Instead, he works (inexplicably) for the government and just wanders around with his sad little trenchcoat and CIA-issued pistol and flashlight, taking orders from The Man and just...existing I guess. I could see if they made it so that he joined the CIA to get inside info on Reginald and he had spent the last 6 years quietly plotting to take him down and get his revenge or set the world straight again. But no...he apparently hadn't even tried to look into anything Reggie was doing? Like he was just "*shrug*, it's probably fine".

Five loves his family above all else. We know this. If not, he wouldn't have spent decades alone fighting to get back to them and save all their stupid asses. Now, all of sudden, he just doesn't seem to care? Yes, he's present and has obviously kept in touch. He goes to the birthday party, etc. But there is zero interaction with Klaus, or his nieces, or even Viktor. When at the end, he finally gets some fight back (although for completely absurd reasons) and snaps at Luther, the whole family gasps in shock like this is some new occurence that Five would be mean to them. And he'd said much worse to them before! So, that leads me to believe he just has spent the last 6 years being a completely different person and everyone forgot he's actually an asshole?

And back to the family thing...fighting his brother over his wife? Falling in love with Lila, the same person who: conspired behind his and Diego's back in Season 2, was raised by his villainous boss, was the daughter of two innocent people he killed, tried to kill him with her fists, a frying pan, her feet, a knife, electrocution; and who he tried to kill multiple times as well. Yes, they have had time to heal some wounds and they have a shared traumatic experience with The Handler but come on...he would never! He would never be attracted to her that way. He would never betray Diego that way. And he certainly wouldn't fight him over her, not when she and Diego are married and have kids together. I don't care how many years they were together alone...just no. Best friends? Sure. Lovers? Fuck no.

Physically, where was his prowess? Five is supposed to be the all-time badass assassin, trained in martial arts and weaponry. His body is young at 19-20 years old, and at the peak of his physical fitness. Even without his powers he should be able to kick some ass, or at least try to. And then when he does have his powers, he just doesn't know how to use them correctly anymore? And again, he looks slow and weak in a fight. His solution to taking down the big Bennifer blob thing was to fire an entire clip at long range at it, and then just go "huh...weird that didn't work". Why wasn't he looking around the mall for a weapon? An axe? Something else to fight against it! That's what he does...that's his THING! We were fucking robbed of a Five-centric badass fight scene, when there were so many opportunities for one. Hell, he could have taken down a room full of Keepers with a fucking ballpoint pen while singing along to Abba's Dancing Queen! Why didn't we get that?

Meeting with Reginald. Remember in Season two when Five met with Reggie at the Tiki bar? He sat and had a drink with him, but it was still tension-filled with a lot of emotion there. Then in Season 3, when he was basically like "you're a sadistic lunatic that is going to kill all of us" and got right in his old man's face and told him he was a giant dick? This time...he's just standing around Reggie's house shooting the shit and not even acting like he's mad. That is just not the same guy. I realize this was supposed to be Viktor's fight with Reggie, but they still could have shown Five to have a little emotion there.

So, there you have it. I could probably keep going, but this is way too long as it is. It's just heartbreaking, really. This character that we have all come to love for all of his complexities and faults and heroics was just diminished to a one-dimensional, uninteresting character with no regard for his family. Basically, just undoing three season's worth of plot and character development. And it's not Aidan's fault. He did the best he could with the shit he was given, and I feel sorry for him. For as much as we love this character, Five was his. He made him come to life and there's not many other actors his age that could have pulled that off. So, I'm sad this was his end. They really did him dirty.

[saturnsorbits]

Delinquency

Fandom: My Hero Academia, Warnings: Angst, Smut, Mention of Gangs, Talk of Babies/Starting a Family, Open Ending, Word Count: 2.8k.

Summary: Once a villain, always a villain: Can Dabi really leave it all behind?

‘I don’t have to put up with this…’ Dabi hauls air in through his nose, teeth clenched so tight it makes his jaw ache.

‘You?’ Somehow your eyes get wider. Your lids peel back, exposing the bloodshot white and shining iris’ that almost pop from your head. ‘Please, enlighten me to what you’re putting up with, Touya. Because it sure as shit wasn’t me lying about still being involved with the fucking league.’

Dabi rolls his eyes.

Bites his lip.

Reminds himself that he loves you. ‘You don't -.’

‘Don’t you fucking dare say I don’t understand.’ There’s a shake in your voice as you try and hold back tears, but you don’t drop his gaze. You'd been ten minutes away from ringing around hospitals and praying that he'd been admitted to A&E rather than the morgue when he'd swaggered back in, knuckles sore and face bruised. ‘You told me after all the shit with your dad, you'd be done with all of that.’

Dabi sighs. ‘I am.’

You snort.

Falling in love with Dabi had meant a lot of things: learning to live with the burnt hand prints on your fridge, adjusting to the looks and hushed judgements when you walked down the street hand in hand and the coming and going of the former members of the League. You’d accepted all of that, fuck, you’d hosted dinners for his old gang, had the famous Shigaraki grace your God damn table, but the one thing you couldn’t accept was his complicity. ‘Your fucking knuckles are bleeding.’

He shakes out his hand, wincing as the ligaments tug at swelled tissue. ‘It was one fight - Tomura just needed some guy putting in his place, I’m not going back - I pr-.’

‘Don’t make promises you have no intention of keeping.’

‘Doll.’ He steps forward, arms opening to hold you, but you’re backing away before he can close the gap.

Choking back a sob, you lick the dryness from your mouth as the panic of the last few hours bubbles under your skin. ‘You’re almost thirty, Touya. We have a house, a fucking mortgage…' You bite your tongue and screw your nose up. 'Oh, my God, I was thinking about asking you for a baby. What, I - I must be stupid. How could I raise a baby like this… When, when it’s father’s off burning people to a fucking crisp just because his old boss asked him to…’

Air sticks in his throat. The word ‘baby’ ricocheting around his head like gunfire. ‘Shig -.’

‘Oh, Shigaraki can look after himself.’ You snap.

‘I…’ He wets his lips. Suddenly, his joints don't ache – the pain is in his chest instead. ‘Are you serious? About - about wanting a baby?’

‘Well not any more.’

He steps back as if slapped.

You run a palm down your face. ‘What if you go to prison? Huh? I get stuck on my own with a brat and a house I can’t pay for? Then, what? All because you couldn’t tell Shigaraki that you don’t want to be involved any more?’ There's tears spilling over your cheeks that you don't even bother wiping away. ‘What the fuck happens if you die, Touya?’

Chest tightening, he can feel his stomach ache. The now ancient scars of staples etched into his skin clenching as memories of Hell fire and bad blood threaten to overload his system. Then, you're laughing and it’s ringing in his ears snapping his attention back to you.

Your panic is fading now, being beaten out and replace with something stronger. Anger broils in your stomach so hot that you’re mad with it, but you’re too far gone to care. ‘Fucks sake, the girls were right - I should have dated Natsuo. You think his girlfriend has to put up with this shit? I bet you money he doesn’t come home wearing someone else’s blood like fucking aftershave.’

Dabi can't get his baring. His head is too full to think as the image of you cradling a child, his child, fills the void between his ears. ‘It was one job.’

‘Until the next one.’

‘I - fuck -.’

You shake your head, letting out a shaky laugh. ‘Don’t. It’s okay. I should have known what I was signing up for… It’s my own fault for thinking I could build a life here.’

‘No - wait. Doll -’ He reaches for you again, but you're already out of reach.

‘No.’ You lift your arms into the air in surrender. ‘It’s okay. I get it. The League is always gonna win.’

‘The League doesn’t exist any more.’

‘Could have fooled me.’

You go to bed alone. The darkness is suffocating, the bed too large without Dabi's frame, but even that is better than the smell of blood and spit. At some point, the shower gurgles to life, forcing out the menacing ricochet of thoughts that cause you to wonder just how long your relationship has left. It leaves you empty, sucked dry of everything, but the heavy thundering of the man you love washing blood from his knuckles next door.

The water is too hot, scorching the delicate seams of his skin. Scar tissue and skin grafts have long since settled, leaving him now with a more cohesive patch-work than the back-ally surgeons and staple guns could ever manage. He runs a hand over the scar covering the back of his wrist. That life seems miles away now.

Or, it would if he didn't go running back whenever Shigaraki called.

Which he did.

There was always a job his quirk was perfect for, or a meeting he didn't trust anyone else to mediate, a delivery that would only be safe if it was in his hands. Whatever it was, Dabi always said yes. Maybe it was because being a villain was all he had ever known? Or, maybe, just maybe, deep down, he enjoyed it... Couldn't take the restlessness of a house in the suburbs, a girlfriend who loved him despite all his flaws and the possibility of more: a baby. The word repeats on him again.

He'd never seen himself as a father. Never had an interest. Didn't want the responsibility of raising a brat, or worrying at every single turn if he was becoming his father. It had never appealed to him. That was... Until you.

Now, the image of you swollen and fat, round with his child made his balls ache. You'd look stunning, with glowing skin and one hand permanently rested on your stomach. He wonders if your tits would swell too. If your nipples, already so delicate and sweet would become more sensitive as your body prepared to offer new life to the world. Would the taste of your cunt change, once he finally allowed you to feel full of him. Something he's used to denying you time and time again. The image of you dripping with him, your fingers messily spooning the thick spend back into yourself as you beg for him to breed you burns itself into the back of his eyelids.

His eyes snap open.

Swearing, he reaches down and grips the base of his cock and watches as it twitches, helplessly in his grasp.

Sleep has barely begun to tug at your eyelids when the shower abruptly shuts off. You wait with baited breath, air locked in your chest as his footfalls creep back into the bedroom. You expect him to leave, to sleep on the sofa like he has done in the past when you have argued, but after a moment, he's moving again, rounding your side of the bed and dropping to his knees, still dripping.

Dabi's throat bobs. 'I told him, I'm done.' He mumbles, offering up his phone that he slides to you, screen up, across the mattress.

You push yourself up onto an elbow and peer at the phone where a text chain glows. To his credit, there's a message there – one swearing off further involvement, but still, your heart aches. Biting the inside of your cheek, you bring your eyes up to meet his. 'I don't -.'

He doesn't let you finish. Instead, he reaches for your hand and squeezes. 'I know... I know you don't have any reason to trust me, but look at me and tell me: does it look like I'm serious?'

The muscle in your jaw flexes. You've always had a good read on him. It's the only reason you've both gotten as far as you have.

'Am I serious?'

You lick your teeth.

'I...' Swallowing, he rubs a thumb over your knuckles. 'I mean it, I... Fuck, I wanna give you a baby so bad.'

'Touya – I can't...'

'I mean it.' He cups your cheek with his other hand. 'Don't just believe me, let me prove it to you.'

Covering his hand with yours, you peer into his eyes: searching. You want to believe him. You do. More than anything. 'Touya...'

'Doll.' Dabi leans in, his nose pressing against your cheek as he breathes hot air over your cheeks. In the millimetre of space between your lips, he whispers. 'Let me... Please.'

You close the distance between you and sink into the taste of him. His hand wraps around the back of your neck immediately, keeping you cradled close to him as he lets himself soak into your touch.

Letting yourself fall, you allow his weight to push you back until you're laying flat on the bed, but he doesn't break the kiss once. There's a desperation in his tongue. A passion had always burnt bright between you, hot and fierce, and yet, right now, his whole being is calm. He cages you in, bracketing your head between two strong elbows as he continues to pour himself into you. His tongue breaches the seam of your lips, licking into your mouth with a fever.

'Touya... Touya, please.' Gasping against his mouth, your hands find his hair and tangle in the strands there. You pull, earning yourself a quiet moan that he feeds into your mouth with another scorching kiss. Already you can feel a molten stone begin to burn in your stomach, with each of his touches your doubts are unpicked, his kiss the salve to your worries as he scatters love against your neck.

'Tell me what you need, Doll. Tell me.' Towel slipping from his hips, Dabi finds himself bare. It's odd. To be the one laid so naked while you're still clad in your sleep clothes. It makes him feel stripped, vulnerable and yet, there isn't a single inch of him that is weary.

Letting your hands slip from his hair, you cradle Dabi's face and force him to look at you. 'You... I need you.'

A smile breaks his features then. It still feels strange, tugging unusually at the edges of his mouth as if pulled by invisible strings. Pressing his hips down, he presses his half-hard cock against your pelvis and licks his teeth when he feels the blood pulse under your skin. 'Yeah? You need me, or do you need him, Doll?'

Squirming, you buck your hips anxious to feel more of him. He's searing hot, yet far too cold through the layers of your sleepwear leaving you anxious. You reach down, dropping his face in order to pull at your shorts, trying and failing to slip them from your legs.

Dabi sits back on his haunches, his hands trailing down your body slowly, but firm.

His palms are rough, calloused against your shoulders as they slip lower and take hold of your chest. For a moment he lingers, appreciating with a squeeze. You're so soft and eager, pressing up into him as he kneads at you.

A broad swipe of his thumbs over your nipples has you arching. The desperation inside of you feels as though it might tear you apart as he takes one between his fingers and rolls it, forcing it to pebble quick in the warm air.

'Shh, I've got you, Doll.' Bowing his head, Dabi lays a broad-thick lick against your neglected nipple while slowly pulling at the other. He'd never much cared for pleasure before you. Never really cared about being good. He fucked out of boredom, out of a stubborn biological need that was burrowed somewhere deep inside of him and yet, now... Now he could do without the orgasm. He'd give you his mouth, his fingers, his cock without anything in return if only it meant he was able to bask in your pleasure, to watch, to give.

It makes him want to laugh sometimes, just how much you've changed him.

How much good you bring to him.

If only he could give you something back...

If he could give you the best of him.

'Fuck, fuck... Touy – Touya.' Scrambling, you draw your nails down his back leaving brilliant red in their wake. He likes it. You know he does. Wearing the marks of how he makes you feel, so you don't bother to lighten your touch as you do it again.

Touya drops his head as a moan rolls up his throat and into your ear. The muscle in his back tenses under your abuse, a stark reminder of just how delicate the line between pain and pleasure so often is. 'Oh, baby...' He purrs.

Letting your knees drop to the side, you allow Dabi to nestle between your thighs - closer to where you so desperately need him.

He can feel it, the heat, almost burning to the touch as he reaches down to swipe two fingers through your folds. Usually, he's the one who runs hot, but right now, you're giving him more than a run for his money. His hand comes away wet and sticky. Strings of your arousal drip down his digits, reaching his knuckles before he raises his hand to his mouth and licks you from his skin.

'Touya...' Your heart is racing, hammering against your ribs as you watch him clean himself of you. 'Touya, don't tease.'

'Oh.' He feigns sympathy, before a cruel smirk twists at his features. 'Did you want a taste too, baby?'

There's no waiting for you respond, no answer or rebuttal. There's just a moan locked deep in your throat and then, his fingers pressing down on your tongue. The taste of you bursts in your mouth, mixed with the dull tang of Dabi's spit.

Dabi hums, but the noise gains gravel as soon as you begin to suck at him. He hisses through his teeth, his thumb digging into your chin as he slowly inches his fingers back of your mouth. He growls, hooking a finger to stroke at the plush of your lips. 'For that, missy, I ain't prepping you.'

'As if that's a punishment.' You grin and lift your hips.

There's a hunger in his eyes now. One that is laced with the millions of things he's scared to admit as his expression flickers to match yours. He cocks an eyebrow and reaches for the towel around his waist. Yanking at it, he tosses it off the end of the bed and sits back on his haunches.

You love this bit. The bit were he makes you watch. Your cunt drools onto the mattress, providing the perfect lube for him to begin stroking himself. He dips into you, collecting as much of your slick as he can before wrapping his soaked fingers around his cock.

The slide is perfect. The wetness from you mixes with his own pre-cum, making each pass with his fist divine. It sends shocks of flame up his spine. Licking at his vertebrae, the pleasure builds, bubbling in-between sinew and cartilage, forcing him to bend. He leans into it, letting his body roll to find more of the pleasure he craves. 'Fuck...' He sighs, taking his bottom lip between his teeth. Pressing his cock to your entrance, he tilts forward and then...

His phone rings.

-> Masterlist

[frozenjokes]

If It Ain’t Broke! [it’s extremely broken] Don’t Fix It! [it’s in desperate need of repairs]

“Hotguy, I have something I’d like to tell you.” Grian fluttered down to the scene, distracting Scar right as the villain across from him started to wind back.

Scar grunted as Puppeteer’s large forearm collided with his face, the hit in itself enough to make him see stars, but the following kick to the chest really did him in, falling back and hitting the pavement hard, knocking the place where his prosthetics started to meet skin. Pain like electricity shot up his spine, which, augh, ow, that was unlucky- oh fuck, he definitely landed wrong didn’t he, something was not right here. Hm. Well it was a good thing CuteGuy was here!

“Yeah,” he wheezed, though the word came out a little more like a whine, “Sure, uh, mind helping me out a little first though?”

“No,” Grian said all too simply, and out of the corner of Scar’s eye he saw the other hero cross his arms, looking thoughtful, “I’d rather do it like this. It’s easier, emotionally, if you’re preoccupied. You’ve got it.”

“What a coincidence,” Puppeteer sneered, bright green eyes lit like the fire in Scar’s back, “I also have quite a few things to say.” The snakes that made up her hair hissed as Puppeteer veered over him, Scar throwing up his hands in a weak defense. His back felt a little bit like it was caving in on itself and that electric pain wasn’t getting any better! Oh god. Was he even going to be able to stand? Fuck, what happened? Scar struggled to sit up with a strangled gasp, but Puppeteer kicked him right back down. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Scar threw up his arms, frustration overwhelming his sense, “It’s not like snakes have any feelings for me to hurt, they’re called cold blooded for a reason!”

“That is not what cold blooded means you fucking imbecile!” Puppeteer seethed, “Reptiles are treated poorly enough as it is, we don’t need extremely influential superheroes going on TV and telling the world why it's okay to keep hitting them with their cars!”

“Wow, you said that?” Grian asked, judgment oozing off his voice, and Scar wanted to scream.

“I did not say that! I did not say ANYTHING CLOSE TO THAT. God forbid anyone be afraid of anything! Dare I say it, I think you may be overreact-“ Scar didn’t get to finish, Puppeteer’s hefty kick sending him tumbling in a movement that pulled a real shriek from his lips. His ears rang as his entire head seemed to buzz, his back and body equally numb as it was screaming in stark agony. What was happening??? Somewhere in Scar’s conscious mind, he heard Puppeteer, then Grian, sounding disappointed.

“..never screams for me like that. Damn. What’s your leg routine?”

Good god. He was doomed. He was going to die.

Scar didn’t have the mind to think of the words he needed to yell for help, but even then, he was pretty sure he couldn’t form them anyway, the only noises leaving his throat being muffled whines and groans, none of which Grian seemed to think was odd given that he made zero move to do anything about it. Grian was instead talking to Puppeteer like nothing was wrong- couldn’t either of them see his entire back had caved in? Unless it was internal. It was probably internal. But it FELT like it looked like his back had caved in. Help. Help. He tried to say words, but only tasted concrete. And blood. Decidedly both bad things.

“Geez, you’re really down in the dumps over the snake thing, huh. Whatever, as long as you’re listening,” Scar heard the shift of Grian’s voice, enough to know he was being talked to, but he failed to process any of the words, “So I’ve been thinking about it, and I’ve decided I would like to be friends. Yup! There we go. Friends. I think I’m ready to give it a shot at least, I mean, you’re going to be with Cub a bunch and Cub’s going to be with me and I was just thinking about some things he was saying to me.. I don’t know. Maybe I want to do this for him. Maybe I’m tired of feeling shitty about you. I don’t know exactly what’s going on in my brain, but I’ve made my decision, and I’m telling you so I can’t just back out or change my mind.”

Scar heard Grian’s footsteps, pacing, and gave up all hope of being rescued. He sobbed into the concrete, but Grian clearly didn’t hear him, rambling on, “Plus, I kinda like this gig! I like the theatrics, the costumes, and meeting all these weird new people, no offense Puppeteer, you’re killing it.”

“I know.”

“But I think I would like doing all these things with you, because even if you’re kind of a loser, I’ve come to the conclusion that superheroes are kinda like worse furries, which is to say, losers having a good time, they just also happen to work for the government and go on weird bad power trips and I- I mean, I’m not immune, obviously. But I want to engage with more of that good loser stuff, and I think you’re a prime candidate. You’re goofy. It’s your best quality.”

Scar wondered if he would ever receive the blessing of passing out, or if he was damned to lay here waiting to die forever. Had Grian decided to gouge his eyes out before speaking to him?

“And maybe, eventually, if you still like me or whatever, I may allow you to try and woo me just as you did to Cub. Take me out, charm me, whatever. Give it your best go.”

“Ah, so the media gossip surrounding you two is true?” Puppeteer spoke, reminding Scar that they were also still here and either not noticing or not caring about Scar’s condition.

“It’s not. We’re definitely not anything, just playing it up in the field. The attention is kind of fun I think, and obviously HotGuy thinks so too even if he’s too pouty to say it. Honestly, I’m kind of shocked. Thought he’d be jumping for joy by now.”

“Looks like he’s going through it over there, I dunno. Breathing pretty hard it looks like.”

“Oh, shit,” Grian paused, and Scar prayed he wasn’t about to leave, “Hey, you good?”

Silence. Well, besides Scar’s own labored breathing and moaning, but apparently none of these noises registered as out of the ordinary to Scar’s new least favorite people in the world. Grian, Puppeteer, and Death in that order. Scar barely registered the footsteps as they closed in on him, Grian saying something before touching, turning him over- ah, so the pain could get worse!

Talons dug into his side, and when Grian tried to lift him, finally, finally, his body graced him with sweet unconsciousness.

***

Scar chuckled to himself as he heard Grian’s anxious rambling from all the way down the hall, talking far too loudly for someone who presumably didn’t want to be heard.

“What do I do? I don’t know what to do. I just- two weeks, it’s been two weeks and he isn’t even out of the hospital yet! Does this happen a lot? How was I supposed to know this could happen? Hotguy doesn’t just go down for the count like this, he gets his ass beat, gets stitched back together and is fine the next day! Do you know how much worse I, personally, have done to him? He just got knocked on his ass! I thought he was fine! Two weeks!”

Scar heard the low rumble of Cub’s voice, probably telling Grian to quiet down since Scar didn’t hear him anymore other than the raised squeak of urgent whispers. However, the noise stopped abruptly as the pair of footsteps neared Scar’s room. The door was open, but Cub knocked anyway.

“Hey Scar, can we come in?”

“Sure, sure!” he bellowed, hoping the cheerful tone would curb Grian’s anxiety, mostly for his own sake. Spending the only hospital visit he could worm out of his bosses telling Grian ‘It Was Fine’ sounded like the least appealing way he could utilize this time. “Please! Come in, come in!”

Cub did so, looking as he as always did with that slight frown and relaxed shoulders. Which is to say, absolutely delighted to see him! Grian, just about as horrible at masking his feelings as it gets, waddled in behind him, lips pursed and wings puffed up to twice their size.

“I’m sorry-“

“Up bup bup!” Scar cut Grian off before he could say another word, “Shush, none of that. You’re fine, I’m fine, you coulda left me there for another week and I would have been fine, though, probably a little more upset with you! But ultimately, fine.”

“But I- we couldn’t even reach you. I couldn’t-“

Scar rolled his eyes, “They’re a little tight when it comes to security, I don’t get the luxury of internet access.”

“That’s kind of fucked.” Cub said, and Scar shrugged.

“Necessary, I’ve been told. There was a public statement on my socials, did you see it?”

“The announcement that you were taking some time off to travel and you’d be back with one of those awful merch calendars sometime next month? That’s not exactly an update- actually that’s a little more concerning than the truth!” Somehow, Grian’s wings managed to grow in size, and Scar couldn’t help but laugh.

“If I was dead they wouldn’t tell the world I went on vacation! And hey! The calendars are best sellers!”

But Grian was not to be distracted. “And if you were in critical condition?”

“I wasn’t in critical condition.”

“Are you sure?”

Scar huffed, patience running thin. “Cool it, Grian, it was just an accident. Something just got bumped the wrong way, that’s all. Things get a little fucky if something goes wrong in my back, it’s just painful, nothing that can’t be fixed. Now, if we don’t start playing a board game or a few games of cards in the next minute I’m going to really throw a fit, so please, I’ve got two hours before they want to prep me for my next surgery.”

That seemed to get Grian’s attention, wings twitching as he glanced toward a shelf full of the games Scar had collected over the years, as well as other knick knacks that had piled up in his glorified apartment of a hospital room. Mercifully, Grian hopped over to check it out without another word, hopefully realizing that arguing about Scar’s condition was not how he wanted to spend his time.

“What do you want to play?” Grian asked instead, and Scar hummed.

“Anything. I know them all. I could teach you something, but personally I’d rather just get right into it with something we all know.”

“I haven’t even heard of half of these,” Grian said, poking through the shelf with a curiosity that made Scar smile, gingerly lifting a couple of the games to look at the boxes and spinning them around.

“Me neither,” Cub mumbled, looking more thoughtful than concerned with being heard. But he didn’t move to look beside Grian, instead drifting next to Scar’s bed. Scar’s heart nearly exploded when Cub’s hand drifted over his in a silent question, and Scar took it eagerly. “You okay?”

Scar closed his eyes, “Happy to have visitors.”

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it,” Cub hummed, and Scar nodded. “You know when you’re going to be out? Maybe you’ll get your phone back sooner than that?”

Scar shook his head. “Don’t know, but I doubt I’ll be texting anyone until I’m fixed. Hopefully not any longer than a couple weeks; the tech is a little old and it can be finicky, so they really have to be careful when they work on it.”

“Why don’t they hire The Goat to work on it? He built it, didn’t he?” Grian turned away from the board games, and Scar felt the energy drain from his soul at the hint of snideness edging his tone. He just didn’t want to deal with it. Didn't want to talk about this.

“I don’t know what he told you, Grian, but that’s not true. Not really.”

“Is it not?” Grian narrowed his eyes, and Scar felt his own grip on Cub’s hand tighten. Cub looked wary, but didn’t speak. Too curious to say anything maybe, though that was Scar’s own cynicism speaking. Maybe it was twisting Grian’s tone as well, but Scar didn’t care all that much.

“Well I did ask, and apparently my parents did enlist his help briefly at the beginning of the process, but it was brief. The Goat did some work on my prosthetics, but the blueprints weren’t very good, hardly enough to build a solid foundation. Most everything he did got scrapped. So sure, you could say he worked on it, if being a pain in the ass and producing a faulty outline is ‘working on it.’”

“That’s not what I heard.”

“Grian,” Cub cut in, firm. “Drop it.”

Grian looked conflicted for a moment, stuck between his passion and the surprise of being interrupted so suddenly. Cub took advantage of the silence by tugging his hand away from Scar’s, making a beeline to the board games and plucking one off the shelf more decisively than Scar ever had in his life.

“Let’s play this. Then maybe if we have time, you can teach us another,” Cub looked back to Scar, voice even and mediating. Calm. The forceful kind that grabbed you by the throat, sat you down, and lowered your hackles.

“Ooh, I like that one,” Grian said, and a guilty glance back to Scar was really all the apology he needed. Grian got caught up. It happens. Happened to Scar more times than he could count, and it would happen again just as much. Scar didn’t want any big, sweeping gestures. He just wanted a break. To be normal, if only for a few hours. So he took a deep breath, exhaled, and let the smile return to his face.

“That sounds like fun.”

[satancopilotsmytardis]

Holding Out for a Hero Villain

Pairing: Shigadabi

Rating: T

Contents: Non-graphic mentions of mass murder including of children, suggestive dialogue

Getting caught with a sleeping quirk was not what he was expecting, but Dabi wakes with his hands completely encased in quirk-neutralizing cuffs and locked in an interrogation room and that is pretty much what he expected if he ever got brought in, so that’s something he supposes. He leans back in the chair. He doesn't feel any extra bumps or bruises that might indicate they took a blood sample, but they definitely could have taken hair or swabbed his cheek. He doesn't feel like he's been asleep for longer than seven hours, but the quirk could have a different feel than normal sleep. He assumes that means that they are likely in the process of verifying his identity. Which means--

It's absolutely not a surprise when Endeavor, Hawks, and some cop come into the room as he leans back in his chair and waits. And yeah, Enji's eyes are going over his face desperately, like he's looking for any trace of Toya that might be left and all Dabi can do is give him a vicious grin before he turns his attention to Hawks. 

"Blowing your load a little early, aren't you, birdy? Guess being the fastest hero isn't always a good thing, is it?" 

His wings don't even twitch, but Dabi has been around him for long enough to know that when the spy is holding himself that rigidly, it's because he is trying to keep his mask on. "Dabi, or should we say 'Toya'? Good to see you again, man." 

He shrugs, not paying any attention to Endeavor. This isn't how his reveal was supposed to go and he is not going to start in on him when he can't back the words up with his flames at the moment. "Call me what you want, doesn't matter. You're going to let me out soon enough anyway." 

The cop takes lead next, moving to sit across from him at the table. "You seem confident in that, but you are an A-ranked villain, Mr. Todoroki. Surely you know that we have a vested interest in keeping you here before your relocation to Tartarus." 

"Oh sure," he agrees. "And you are?" 

"My apologies, Detective Tsukauchi." 

"The living lie-detector! Huh, nice to meet you." Hawks can't quite keep his wings from giving an aborted little twitch at that. Dabi doesn't react to it. Hawks had definitely not given him information about Tsukauchi, but their PLF members in the police force certainly had. He's never been more pleased that he decided to take the ribbing from the rest of the League after Deika by showing up 'empty-handed' after going off to recruit again in favor of keeping the double agent as out of the loop as possible. Endeavor tenses too, and he is thrilled to have already put them on their back foot just by knowing more than they expected him to. He reclines as much as he can in his chair. The fact his ankles are chained down is the only reason his feet aren't on the table. 

"I didn't realize my reputation would proceed me." The detective gives him a placid smile. "Can you elaborate on why we would let you out given your... extensive list of crimes?" 

"Because if you don't then you're going to watch Japan fall apart around you." He waits to see if the detective spots a lie, however he manages to do so with his quirk. 

"Hmm, well until then, we have some other questions that we'd like to ask you." 

Dabi settles in. Mostly ignoring them as he starts to count the very faint ticks he can hear from the detective's watch. He's not giving them anything else. Now he just has to wait. 

///

The trio left after about an hour of him stonewalling them and Dabi did his best to just doze again in the chair. He's gonna have so much to catch up on once he's out, that he's damn certain that getting the extra sleep will be more helpful than not. 

It feels like maybe another two hours have passed before Endeavor and Tsukauchi come back into the room, his father definitely a little paler than he usually is beneath his flames, the fire of his mask flickering the way it does when he's agitated enough to be having some difficulty controlling it. 

"Already? I thought you'd hold out at least a day." He had been settling in for a week at minimum with torture, but he'll take whatever he can get. 

"Sekoto Peak is gone." 

Which. Oh. Okay. Dabi blinks. That's not what he expected his father to say, but still, "That's wild. So are you taking the cuffs off now or after you let me back onto the street?" 

"We're not letting you go," Enji growls. 

"Okay. I'm going back to sleep then." 

"You don't seem very surprised about this. Were you aware that this attack was coming?" 

"That wasn't an attack, that was a warning shot." He yawns. 

"A 'warning shot'?" 

He hums, "He's giving you a chance to stop being stupid and let me go before he escalates." 

"Shigaraki? He didn't come for any of the other members of the League that we've captured, why would you be any different?" 

"I'm his favorite." It is funny to see his father glance at the detective to see if he's telling the truth. "You let me go, or what happens next is on you." He shoots a vicious smile at Enji, "Not that you've ever cared about the consequences of your inaction before." 

They try to wheedle out anything else they can from him, but he doesn't give an inch until they leave. 

///

It's only an hour before Hawks and the detective return, Hawks' feathers shining because they've gone sharp with his fury. 

Dabi waits for them to speak with a lazy grin. 

"Endeavor isn't here because his home, the hospital that your mother was located at, and the school your sister works at were destroyed." 

"Oh, that was a big hospital wasn't it? And Fuyumi's a grade-school teacher isn't she? Man, that must have sucked for her. I wonder if she tried to hold any of her students together before they crumbled into dust." 

"This isn't funny, Dabi!" The bird loses his temper. Always been able to get him furious by just barely laying on his buttons. "Two hundred children and five hundred people are dead."

"Yeah they are, and that's entirely on you, birdy. You could have kept playing ball and I still wouldn't have given you anything, but you wouldn't have the blood of seven hundred civilians on your hands." He considers. "Did Rei and Fuyumi survive?" 

"They didn't." It's a lie, and not even a good one. The bird's wording of the casualties gave too much away. His father would only not be here because he suddenly had no choice but to very publicly take care of his family in the wake of a tragedy.  

"Well isn't that interesting." Because if they did survive, if Duster decided to start with those places, then that means the treatments have progressed well ahead of schedule. "Are you letting me out now? Or do you want to see how much more damage he can do?" 

"We're preparing your transfer to Tartarus." The detective tells him. "We'll complete your interrogation there and move forward with pursuing a trial." 

"Okay, then everything else is on your hands too." 

///

He's not expecting the next person who opens the door to the interrogation room. Dabi had thought that it would be the police, heroes, whoever they found to escort him to the transport or whatever. He was not expecting a red-eyed Natsuo to step in the room, face an aching mixture of fury and sorrow. Dabi forces the tightness in his own throat away before he leans back in his chair again and drawls, 

"Hey little brother." 

"Toya this has to stop." His voice trembles, cracks, tears slipping over his cheeks. "My school-- everything around it-- Toya, it's gone. He destroyed it. He killed everyone else." 

"Yeah, I told them that would happen. It's going to keep happening until I'm back home--" Neither he nor Natsuo are prepared for the detective and two even more harried looking cops to burst in at that moment. 

"Jaku, Otheon, and Esuha City have all been hit simultaneously. Eight city blocks have been wiped out." Huh, must have gotten Twice's help with that one. 

"From each? Wow, he's losing his patience, haven't seen him mad in ages." The cops usher Natsuo out before he can get a word in and the detective stays behind, dragging a hand over his face. "Look, I told you: This is not going to stop until I'm free and call him off. You can keep holding out, you can try to trick him, kill me, whatever, but it won't stop until he has me back home. And if you keep waiting like this, he's not even going to have to tear this place down, because I'm sure the average citizens, the people who you're letting die, are going to get fed up sooner rather than later too." 

There's an achingly long beat, but then the detective tells the others, "Prep him for transport." 

They manage to get him up and locked in with four armed guards who take him downstairs to the vehicle bay, and loaded into the the back of the truck before the next call comes in, Tsukauchi not moving nearly far enough away to hide the crackling of his walkie-talkie that says that, 

"The HPSC building has been destroyed. A new drop-off point is being selected." He leans back against the wall of the armored van and waits as they lock his limbs back into place. 

Not even a full day and they break. Pathetic.

///

They drive him out into the middle of Deika. He knows it as soon as they open up the back of the van, and he gets the barest glimpse of the surroundings before they put a bag over his head and then they stand and wait. And wait. And wait. 

Eventually Dabi risks getting shot and just plops down on the broken ground. He can feel the warmth of the sun on his skin for a little while, but it fades, and the light behind the cloth blinding him also goes. Whatever. 

"He didn't show." Hawks. Which, okay, didn't know he was here. "Maybe you're not as important to him as you think you are." 

"Maybe." 

"Let's bring him to Tartarus." 

Hands on his chains again, pulling him off of the ground and loading him back into the van. Dabi lets them lock him in. It takes ten minutes before their little caravan is trundling along again. They drive for an hour, until the wheels are going over smoothly paved roads again, before he starts to hear it. 

From somewhere in the distance, there is crashing, crunching, screaming. The cops around him start to shout, trying to figure out what's happening and Dabi just does his best to brace for impact. He doesn't know if this is Shigaraki himself, Gigantomachia, Geten, or any of their other heavy hitters, but something is coming to hit this caravan. His ears pop as wind rushes in as the doors of the vehicle are yanked out of place with a wrenching metallic tear. He's chained down, but god, that motion makes his stomach twist. He hears the cops yelling, but the sound grows more distant as they're pulled out of the car, Hawks shouting, 

"Everyone off the ground!" 

Oh good. That means it is his lover after all. The truck swerves, hits a bump, and Dabi goes weightless for a second before something very solid is grabbing onto him. He hears the chains snap, and then the distinct sound of something decaying, before he's feeling his body covered in a deluge of dust. It takes him a second to realize that he's in someone's arms, against their chest for a handful of weightless seconds before they land back on the ground, skidding to a stop. 

"Are you hurt, firefly?" 

Wait. "What the fuck, are you ripped now?" 

"Dabi." 

"I'm fine, put me down and get this shit off of me. I have a bird to turn into fried chicken." 

Duster does put him down and then Dabi feels his hand, his whole hand, against his cheek through the bag. The fabric turns to dust and he blinks it away as it falls over his head and shoulders. Decay crawls over his skin harmlessly until it reaches the cuffs at his wrists, the ones still tight around his ankles, and those fall away as well. And Tomura really is right here. White hair much longer than before it was when he went into the tank, body corded with fresh muscle, and control over his quirk that Dabi didn't even know would be possible. 

No one can really blame him for that all being so hot that he immediately tangles his hands in that thick, soft hair and pulls him into a kiss. Least of all Tomura, because his lover's hands wrap tightly around his hips and pull him in close, kissing him back just as fiercely. Kisses him like they haven't gotten to in two and a half months and after an entire day of worry. Definitely ruins the moment when a gun goes off. 

Dabi is expecting pain, or expecting Tomura to be in pain, but he doesn't even flinch as the bullet connects with his shoulder. As he pulls away and glares up somewhere behind him as the bullet is pushed back out of his skin and the wound heals over. He lifts a hand and there's a loud sucking sound as all of the air seems to be pulled out of the vicinity, the pressure changing so fast it makes his ears pop, and then Duster lifts his hand and sends out a blast of air so intense that the closest two cops who were floating, held aloft by Hawks' feathers, turn into ragdolls as their bones are snapped from the force of it, the boom loud enough Dabi's pretty sure his ears will be ringing for a few days, as Hawks retreats back even further from them with the rest of the convoy. It's practically a small army that he'd tried to save before Duster got to them, but he has plenty of feathers for it. Or at least that would be the case if this was like Fukuoka and there was somewhere for him to land as he used the feathers for rescue only, but as it is now, he's visibly struggling to hold himself up on the tiny wings he has left as the others keep the rest of the police and a handful of other heroes aloft, none of them wanting to risk touching the ground after seeing what Shigaraki can do. 

A few heroes, including his father, but no, "They didn't send Eraser Head?" 

"A double took a parade to Musutafu." Tomura explains, settling one arm back around his waist. "I'm not sure how much longer that distraction will hold, if you want to finish these ones off, firefly?" 

"Tempting," But he doesn't know if the one who knocked him out is here. He didn't get a good look at them before they hit him, and he would hate for both of them to end up back in chains after how much effort his lover put into coming and getting him. "But I'm more interested in going home and seeing what else your treatments changed." He presses in even closer, like he'll be able to feel it through the plates of armor beneath his new suit. "Did anything else get even bigger?" 

"You're incorrigible." 

"You're shockingly romantic. All of my family members?" 

"I figured you would be upset that your reveal was ruined." 

"I love you." 

Tomura's eyes soften and he presses another soft peck to his lips. "I love you too, baby. Come on, let's go home." 

The tar claws its way up their throats, and in a matter of seconds, they're gone. 

[thetreefairy]

hi! If you don't mind, may i request headcanons/scenarios (whatever you think is the best!) platonic Aizawa and Present mic where reader (who’s in class 1-A) after like a villain fight they pay the reader on the head and say “Good job, I’m so proud of you” And the reader is just standing there and they go to check on them and sees that tears just falling down there face because that’s the first time they heard that. (Honestly I cried after some told Good job, I’m so proud of you since my life is completely shit Tysm~)

NUH UH <3 no negativity. I am proud of you >:(. I did a beginning scenario with some headcannons. Sorry that it's so short, I wanted to get it out as soon as possible because I loved this idea No warnings, pure fluff. A lot of comfort, and I swear, I am weak to people who need comfort, like I'll write all the comfort fics in the whole damn world >:).

Reader couldn't believe it, they won a villain fight, not without getting injured, but they won, they got the villain arrested.

The ambulance workers were scolding Reader, saying they could have died, they were stabbed quite a few times. And asking if they feel uncomfortable anywhere or if somethings wrong.

"Reader!" Present Mic's loud voice rang through their ears. Suddenly Erasermic was in the ambulance with them to the hospital while sending the workers away, saying that they will take care of them. Reader expected to be scolded by their teachers. "You did well." Eraserhead suddenly said. "And we are proud of you." Present Mic added.

"huh?" Reader asked, while their voice breaked, tears filling in their eyes. "Are you in pain?" Eraser asked, his voice filled with concern and empathy. "You- you are proud of me, Eraserhead, Present mic?"

Reader started to sob loudly. Causing Present mic to instantly comfort them. "Of course, we are proud of you, you captured a strong villain, a villain even All might had trouble catching. And just call us by our names." Hizashi rambled to Reader, trying to comfort them to the best of his ability and get them more comfortable with them.

"Can you tell us why your crying, kit?" Eraserhead whispered in a soothing tone, petting their hair, trying to calm them down. "No one ever told me they were proud of me." Reader sobbed loudly. Their parents never said 'I am proud of you', no they expect perfection. So why should they be praised for doing the bare 'minimum'?

But being praised by parental figures? It gave them so much joy and euphoria that they couldn't help but cry.

Headcannons under the banner

ever since reader's breakdown about being praised they can't help but praise them a lot. Reader never made mistakes, so why shouldn't they be praised?

Erasermic will now remind Reader that it's alright to make mistakes.

Besides that, they presure Reader's parents into putting them up for adoption and use their power to get what they want.

When that doesn't work, they frame them for some petty shady crimes and make sure that they get the maximum punishment.

Of course they comfort reader

[ghostsy]

I really liked what you did kirishima , would it be ok to request Yandere kirishima who slowly falls for the reader ? Kinda like a spotted mind , a slow burn Yandere (seriously love what you did with Shinso their ) hope this ok if not no worries 💗

Hero Insurance

WARNINGS: yandere, possessiveness, blackmail, misogyny, nsfw, smut, slight daddy kink, slight size kink, non-consensual implications

A/N: sorry this took so long, hope you enjoy!

read at your own discretion.

yandere ! KIRISHIMA EIJIRO X READER

“We have got to stop meeting like this.”

“When you stop smashing your way through half the city’s architecture, we will.” She didn’t look up from her clipboard to see the sheepish look washing over the hero’s face, cheeks nearly red as his hair, from previous exertion or embarrassment, she didn’t know–didn’t care.

She sighed, but turned to oversee the construction workers picking their way through the rubble–Jesus Christ, this was going to cost a fortune.

She sent a mental apology to the poor insurance accountants who she was sure were as sick of these heroes as she was–nevermind the half-rate villain being led away in chains somewhere in the background, yelling obscenities and threats and contributing significantly to her growing headache. Annoying.

He trailed after her, “Hey, uh,” She spared him a cursory glance, and he swallowed, “Let me…I can totally help pay for this; it’s uh…the manly thing to do.” She rolled her eyes, turning back to watch a crowd gather at the borders of the police tape secured around what was left of the building and its surrounding area. 

“That’s hardly necessary, sir–”

“We’ve been over this, call me–”

“Besides, if you were to personally pay for all the property damage you have committed, say, throughout your career,” She scribbled something down on the clipboard, before shoving it in his face, “You would owe the city approximately…this much.”

She swore his eyes nearly bulged out of his head, and was internally amused as he leaned down and followed zero after zero after zero on the paper with his finger. He stood suddenly, clearing his throat, and avoided her gaze.

“Well, I…” He sighed, searching for the words, “I’m sure I could–”

“Oi! Shitty hair,” His savior came in the form of a familiar gravelly voice, “Get your ass over here! I’m sick a’ these damn reporters.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, he gave her a brief nod before hurrying off to the hoards of adoring fans. She rolled her eyes, turning back to inspect the damage. Well…another day, another massive disaster to fix.

.♡.

“I swear if I have to see that chick one more time,” He huffed, downing his drink, “‘M not sure my manhood could take it.”

“You talkin’ about the Ice Queen again?” He glanced towards the peppy blonde man shoving his way through the doors, and into the bar. 

“That insurance lady?” The black haired man at his side questioned, “Ain’t it the third time this month she’s been up your shit?” He laughed, “She must be hurtin’ for it, huh?”

He huffed, averting his gaze, “Hardly,” A shiver passed down his spine in remembrance, “Everytime I see her I feel like I’m getting scolded by my grade school teacher or something.” 

“Real sexy grade school teacher, though, huh?” The lightning blonde jeered.

He rolled his eyes, “It’s not like I’m the only hero who’s knocked down a building or two, right?” He turned to the other blonde who scoffed.

“Don’t look at me,” He downed a shot, “I avoid the bitch like the plague; I don’t need another asshole slappin’ me on the wrists fer doin’ my job–press does that for her.”

“I just…” He huffed, “I don’t like that she doesn’t like me,” He turned to his friends, “I’m…I’m a likable guy, aren’t I?”

He was met with laughs, making his cheeks burn as he groaned. He waited as they settled before downing another drink. The raven-haired man ruffled his hair in mock comfort.

“Guess you’ll find out just how likable at this year’s Hero Billboards, yeah?”

.♡.

The universe really did like playing some cruel jokes on him lately, huh? He stared up at the soulless glass building that towered over him–a few signatures missing from the insurance forms. Ha. Of course. Hero work ain’t always takin’ down bad guys and savin’ princesses in their towers, kids.

He huffed, and forced himself inside, hands clenching and unclenching as he stood in the elevator, watching the floors climb. In and out.

God, why was he so nervous? A flash of those dull, condescending eyes; he was surprised she hadn’t turned him to stone the second she’d met his gaze. Weren’t women supposed to be meek and soft?

The lady at the reception desk had certainly seemed so; the way she batted her eyelashes, voice coated in sugar–yeah, that made sense to him–when they looked at him all starry-eyes and empty heads.

He tried to imagine the Ice Queen like that–she did have pretty eyes–what would happen if she looked at him with something other than irritation–nope, too creepy, get that out of my head.

He passed by the main room: dozens of nameless heads and shoulders, hunched over their desks, typing away at computers from within their gray cubicles. Depressing. Turning down a hallway he was met with a row of doors–where was her office, again?

The sound of laughter cut through his thoughts. Children’s laughter? As if on cue, a rush of tiny, unsteady footsteps padded across the floor and straight into him–well, his legs. A soft thud and ‘oof’ brought his gaze down.

“I’m sorry! So sorry, Mister Hero!” A small boy was rubbing his head from his fallen place back on the floor. He stood, brushing himself off, before placing his small hands against the man’s legs, mimicking a sort of soothing motion.

“So sorry. This feel better? All better now?” 

He went to respond, but a familiar click of heels interrupted, and the Ice Queen was standing in front of him, leaning down to face the child as a sigh escaped from her lips.

Before she could speak he opened his mouth; he really didn’t want to watch her scold the little boy for being…well, a little boy, “It was an accident,” He ruffled the child’s hair, and the latter giggled, “Really, no harm done.”

She glanced up at him from her position crouched on the floor, brows furrowing as her head tilted in confusion, before turning back to the child, “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” 

Oh? This was strange. The look on her face wasn’t stern, and her voice was quieter, softer. Kind of…sweet? He must be hearing things.

“Nope!” The boy popped his ‘p’, giving a big, toothy smile, “But Mister Hero got a boo boo; you gotta kiss it better!”

His face burned. It was hard to imagine anyone, forget that it was a child, talking so warmly with the woman in front of him.

“Mister Hero’s a tough guy,” She told the boy, “Besides, I can only kiss your boo boos better.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm,” She stood, taking his small hand in her own, “Really. But if you keep running off like that, I’ll run out of kisses. So be more careful. We have to save them for when you really need ‘em, okay?”

“Okay!” 

She turned to face him, clearing her throat as she averted her gaze. No. She couldn’t be. Was the Ice Queen, of all people, flustered? 

“Sorry for the inconvenience.” She muttered, bowing slightly before motioning with her head towards an office door in the far corner, “I have all the documents in my office; shouldn’t take long.”

He blinked, opening his mouth to respond, but she turned on her heel, shoes clicking down the hallway as the little boy swung their interlocked hands to and fro. Cute. 

She held the door open for him, though he still had to hunch as he walked through the opening. He took in the scene: neat mahogany desk, floor to ceiling windows, shelf, children’s toys littering the floor–children’s toys? The little boy detached from the woman, diving towards one of the brightly colored stuffed animals. 

The man maneuvered his way towards the desk, slipping slightly when his foot met a toy car. She caught his arm, eyes still avoiding his own, and her face twisted in a frown.

“The daycare closes early on weekends, no one to watch him, I–” She swallowed, arm pulling from his own the second he collected himself, “It’s not usually this messy,” She huffed the words as if they were shameful to admit before composing herself, shaking her head a bit. “The papers are on the desk.” She ushered him forward, sifting through her drawers before taking out a pen, pressing it into his hand.

He cleared his throat, nodding, “It’s–That’s fine,” He leaned down to sign, striking up conversation to fill the painful silence between them, “Is this your, uh, is this your son?”

She shot him a sharp look, and he was sure if looks could kill he’d burst to flames that very moment. He swallowed, flipping the page to add another signature. Through his periphery, he caught sight of a look exchanged between the woman and child before she sighed.

“Yes.” He waited a moment for her to continue only to be met with silence. Wow. A real open book, wasn’t she?

Flipping through the pages, he double checked the signatures. Sighing, he stood, nodding to her, “Sorry about that, thought the agency’d taken care a’ all the paperwork.”

She rolled her eyes, gathering them in her hands, scanning through the pages before taking something from her desk drawer, and stamping the top page. Setting it in a file on the desk, she met his gaze.

“Thank you,” She cleared her throat, “In the future, hopefully we don’t end up in a situation needing to fill out more paperwork.”

Geez, that's cold. “Yeah, uh, sorry again.” He turned to leave, but a tug on his pant leg caught his attention.

“Hey, hey, Mister Hero,” The little boy waved a toy car in his hand, “Wanna play cars?”

“He has things to do, baby,” The woman interrupted, “I can play with you all you want later.”

“But you’re working now!” He huffed, “Please, please, just for a little–”

“I don’t mind.” He surprised himself and her with the words, but a glance to the little boy’s face brought a smile to his own. He always did like kids.

She looked between them, hesitant, teeth chewing her lip before speaking, “It’s really–you don’t have to. Really, it’s–it’s okay.” Who knew she could sound sheepish. He was learning a lot about the Ice Queen today, it seemed.

He plopped on the floor, cross legged as he took the car handed to him, flashing her a smile, “You kidding?” He turned back to the child, “I love playin’ cars.”

The little boy squealed in delight, and in his periphery he caught sight of a soft look in her eyes, “Thank you.” It was quiet, but the ghost of a smile on her face made something in his chest do a little jump.

.♡.

“You received a package from the insurance agency today, sir.”

He glanced towards his secretary, brows furrowed. God, what did he do this time? He rubbed a hand down his face, groaning, but she continued.

“It’s strange,” She tapped her chin, “There was a note attached; I think it was from that lady that doesn’t like you,” A mischievous smile on her lips, “I left it on your desk.”

“Great. Thanks.” He trudged down the hallway to his office; it was too early in the morning for this.

As he pushed the door open he caught sight of it: wrapped neatly in red colored paper, a thin ribbon tying it together. Huh. There was a neat little note attached, his hero name written in pretty cursive on the front. 

Please accept this food as thanks.

I appreciate you humoring my son; he really enjoyed spending time with you.

He also wanted me to inform you that you’ve become his new favorite hero.

I was unaware of your food preferences, but I hope this is sufficient.

Only the Ice Queen could manage to make such a kind gesture seem impersonal. Still, he found himself smiling; underneath all that frost and cold she really was a cute little thing, wasn’t she? It was signed with her name at the bottom, and he realized he hadn’t known it until now; it was kind of pretty, he thought.

He pulled the ribbon from the box, and the paper fell away to reveal a neatly stacked bento box. Peeling the top layer, he was met with a mouthwatering smell. Meat. Fancy little dishes prepared delicately, with care. The other levels contained vegetables and sweets, all meticulously decorated. It was a practical gift, he supposed, but still, she’d taken the time to cook him a meal.

How…womanly of her.

.♡.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

She didn’t think she’d ever sprinted so fast in her life, sure she might break a heel, though, not entirely bothered considering the circumstances. A villain attack. At a goddamn preschool. At her son’s goddamn preschool. Fuck.

There it was. Cordoned off with yellow police tape, a crowd was gathering outside the gates, reporters or parents or both, she didn’t really care.

“Kenta! Kenta! My son–have you seen my son? Please–” She elbowed her way to the front of the crowd, flagging down a police officer stationed outside.

“Ma’am, please step back. There is an active villain threat in–”

“My son’s in there, please.”

“There are a lot of parents here; if you’d just step back–”

There was a crash that sounded like a wrecking ball hitting pavement, and everyone watched with bated breath as one of the walls to the building crumbled away, bricks splitting and breaking from the force.

As the dust settled, she watched as a massive figure stepped from the rubble. Wait a minute. Is that…? He was carrying kids from his arms and shoulders, some hanging on with their hands as they dangled from his limbs–he looked like a fucking jungle gym–

“Mama! Mama! Look who’s here!”  The unmistakable voice of her son pulled her from her thoughts. From atop the hero’s shoulder, Kenta was waving his arms, giggling as he called to her.

“All clear!” The man shouted, a sharp, toothy smile on his lips as he scanned the crowd, motioning with his head to the nearly collapsed building behind him, “He’s passed out in the southeast classroom, figured I’d gather the kids first.”

The police made their way into the building as he kneeled down to let the children race from the rubble, and into the arms of their parents. She ducked under the yellow tape, eyes set on the little boy sat on the hero’s shoulder.

“Heh. Sorry ‘bout the wall; couldn’t help the –oof!”

Without thinking, she threw her arms around his shoulders, on her tiptoes as she embraced her son, the other hand hooked around the man’s neck, pulling him downwards a bit into a hunch, so that she could reach.

She was shaking a little, and he wasn’t entirely sure where to put his hands, though, glad that she couldn’t see the red creeping up his neck and cheeks. Awkwardly, one of his hands came to pat her on the back, which seemed to bring her back to reality as she stumbled a bit aways from him.

She cleared her throat, holding out her hands, and he shifted so that the boy could shuffle into his mother’s arms.

She checked his face for marks, “Are you okay?” Inspecting his arms for any signs of cuts or bruises, “Did you get hurt?”

He gave a bright smile, “I’m okay!” He giggled a bit, and she set him down, letting him bounce in excitement on the ground, “You shoulda seen it, Mama! He was so cool; the bad guy was like–” He made an angry face, squaring his shoulders, and growled as he brought his hands into a fighting pose, “But then, but then, boom! And then–”

“I want to hear all about it, baby,” She smiled, “But let’s get you home first, yeah? You’ve got dirt all over you.”

“Mhmm mhmm, okay! But it makes me look cool, right?” 

“Super cool,” She turned to the hero now, and he swallowed, willing the heat to die on his cheeks, “I’m sorry that I just–I didn’t mean to throw myself on you, but really, what you did–”

“Just the job,” He smiled, hand coming to sheepishly scratch his head, “Happy to do it, honest.”

“No,” she corrected, and he found himself holding his breath as he studied the intensity in her stare. But he didn’t feel like she’d turn him to stone; he kind of felt…warm? “Thank you. Really. I can’t ever repay you for this.”

“Well, you’re probably gonna have to deal with the insurance money and rebuild, so just add it to my tab, and I’ll call us even, yeah?”

There was a small smile on her face, “Consider your tab cleared.” Was his heart pumping so loudly from the adrenaline or because the quirk in her lips made her whole face brighter? Was that her quirk? Could she speed up his pulse, so that his heart beat out of his chest?

He went to say something, but the sound of his hero name being shouted over the police tape–reporters–interrupted. 

He sighed, giving her a nod, “Well, duty calls,” He gave her one more glance as he walked away, “I’ll, uh, I’ll see you?” It sounded casual, but he found himself suddenly nervous.

“Well, if you keep smashing your way through half the city’s architecture, you will.” He didn’t know she had a sense of humor, but, spotting the playful glint in her eyes, he found it kind of…cute.

.♡.

“There’s someone here to see you, sir,” His secretary called as he stepped from the elevator, “It’s that insurance lady, again.” She wiggled her eyebrows a bit in teasing, and he found his face warming as he avoided her gaze. Another bento, maybe? 

“Thanks, uh, you can let her in.”

“Oh, I already did,” There was a smug smile on her face, “She’s in your office.”

He groaned, ignoring her cheeky laugh as he made his way into his office. 

“Oh!” She called after him, “The Commission called. They wanna know if you’re confirming for the Hero Billboards?”

He nodded, waving his hand in placation, “Yeah. I’ll be there.”

Pushing the door to his office open, he found himself staring at her profile; she was half turned away from him, gazing out the floor to ceiling windows, and he almost didn’t want to say anything, lest he disturb the peaceful look on her face. 

His eyes wandered her figure; she really was a woman, wasn’t she? In every sense of the word. Remembering how she felt in his arms, soft too. Soft and small and pretty and womanly. His hands itched at his sides. How would it feel to hold her? 

Squeezing the skin of her waist, brushing his thumbs over the bones of her hips; it’d be so easy to pick her up, hands sliding down a bit further, throwing her legs around his waist; she was already against the window; what other expressions could he see on her face, then? Shaking himself from his thoughts, he felt a bit embarrassed. But, he was a man; it was normal to think like this about a woman, right?

She caught sight of him as she turned, and immediately a new look took over her face; it wasn’t an expression he entirely enjoyed, however. She looked agitated, upset, and she squeezed at the fat of her arms as she crossed them, nervous.

“We need to talk.” She pulled something from her purse, unfurling it to reveal a tabloid magazine. More specifically, a picture slapped on the cover: the two of them embracing outside the pre-school, his hand placed on her back, making it look like an altogether domestic scene.

And the title: “THE STURDY HERO BREAKING DOWN WALLS AND BREAKING HEARTS; DON’T RIOT, GIRLS, BUT HE’S TAKEN!” Real creative.  

He swallowed his nerves, laughing off the tension, “Yeah, I heard about that,” Avoiding her gaze, “I’m real sorry–the tabloids just print whatever sells, ya know?”

“Can you have them retract it?” He was almost offended with how quick she was to shoot it down, “Please,” Sensing his nerves, she sighed, gathering her thoughts, “Kenta is…He’s not ready for this, even if it is just tabloid gossip. Please, can you ask them to retract it?” 

“I–”

“Or if not,” She began pacing, “Can you do an interview? Before this gets out of hand, it’d be best to clear things up.” 

He approached her, taking her by the arms lightly to stop her pacing. She pulled from his grip, but stood still. He scanned her face as he looked down at her, and a thought too selfish crossed his mind. No. Don’t go there.

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay,” He soothed her; this would be fine, “I’ll tell the press; you don’t gotta worry.” 

She let out a sigh of relief, and he bit his tongue. Was it manly of him to just let it lie? In all those romance movies he watched, the guy always fought for the girl. He used whatever elaborate plots he could to show her he was the one. And, I mean, maybe it’d be good for both of them. He needed to figure out why he couldn’t look her in the eyes without imagining bending her over the nearest surface anymore.

“But,” He avoided her gaze, “I, uh, geez, this is embarrassing.”

She tilted her head, but motioned for him to continue.

“The, uh, you know the Hero Billboards are coming up soon?”

 “Yes,” She squared her shoulders as her gaze turned suspicious, “What about it?”

“I think if, well, if I ask for a retraction before, it might tank my popularity ranking,” He swallowed, “Which, totally, is just a number–and not a big deal–I just, would you mind…is it unmanly of me to ask you if we could wait until it’s over to tell the press?” 

There was a beat of silence, and he cursed himself in his mind. Of course she’s gonna say no. It’s the Ice Queen we’re talkin’ about. Just cause she’s got a kid, and she makes a killer tori katsu, and her ass bounces when she–

“Okay,” She sighed. What? She met his gaze, nodding, “I did say I could never repay you, didn’t I?”

“I don’t want you to feel like you have to–”

“But, um,” She swallowed, “Kenta was asking about you,” Avoiding his gaze, she cleared her throat, “Do you think you could, um, do you think you could take him out on patrol? Even just once, I think he’d…if it’s not too much trouble–”

God, she was fucking adorable. 

“You kidding?” His lips split in a wide grin, “I’d be honored. He’s, uh, he’s a good kid. You’ve done good.”

“It’s a deal, then.” There was that soft smile again, and on cue, his heart sped its rhythm.

“It’s a deal.”

.♡.

The office felt strangely empty after she left. He couldn’t focus. The lights were too bright. His chair was lumpy. The font on the paperwork was too small. His pants didn’t fit right. Oh. His pants didn’t fit right. 

He glanced around the office. It was fine, right? It’d just take a moment. Be real quick. Just to ease the tension. It’d help him focus after, for sure.

Fuck it. 

He stood suddenly, shutting the blinds to his office; he was pent up. It was her fault to begin with, really. Settling into his chair, he let out a breath, hand creeping under the waistband of his pants, fingers trailing down from the black hairs to grip at the pulsating, desperate source of his current agony, feeling near immediate relief as he began to stroke.

He wanted to take her against the window, didn’t he?

Her thighs squeezing his waist as his fingers dug into the flesh of her ass, cock buried to the hilt inside what was undeniably warm and tight and hers. He’d fuck her deep and slow at first. Savor the feel of her wrapped around him. Make what she thought was hers irrefutably his; mold her pretty cunt to the shape of him. He wouldn’t be able to keep the pace though, ramming her against the glass walls for all of Japan to see, to hear her scream his name. How would she sound if he sunk his teeth into her neck? What would she call him?

Baby? 

Love? 

Daddy?

“Oh, fuck.” His thumb stroked the angry red tip threatening to burst in his pants, tightening his vice-grip, fingers flexing along the length. Up and down and up and down to the rhythm he’d fuck her to. Faster and Faster. Harder and harder.

Daddy, please! She’d take her lip between her teeth, try and fail to stifle the sounds he was forcing from her throat. A hand tangled in his hair, tugging to find some sense of relief as he hauled her over his desk to play with the jewel between her legs. 

He’d leave a trail of bruises down her chest; take one of her pretty tits in his mouth, playing with the nipple on his tongue. Hips snapping roughly into hers as he felt her pulse quicken, breath choked as her hands came to clutch his shoulders, nails sinking in to ease the tension.

He’d make her beg for it.

“Tell Daddy what you want.” His eyes fell closed, hips bucking into his fist as he imagined it. He’d take his hand to her throat, fingers twitching at the feel of her pumping veins, thumb tracing her jaw as he watched doe eyes dilate. Lose all thought save for anything that had to do with him, and how he was fucking her, and how that feeling pooling in her gut was something only he could give her. 

Please, Daddy, please! Let me cum. Can I cum? 

She’d cry, pretty tears pooling in her eyes as she tried to hold on. Obey him. Please him. Cum for him. All for him.

“Yeah? You wanna cum? You think you deserve it?”

Yes! Please, Daddy! Please!

Her tits would rock from the force as his desk creaked to the rhythm below them. His tongue darting out to lick at his sharp, drooling canines, completely enamored with the feast moaning prettily underneath him.

He’d lean down, forcing his lips onto hers as his tongue explored inside, devouring the sounds from her throat. And he’d pull back once he was sure he could feel her tighten around him, hot air brushing against her lips when he finally released her.

“Cum for me, baby.”

He’d watch her eyes cross, mouth falling open as the knot in her stomach snapped. That Ice Queen exterior melted and soft and grateful. She’d whimper, and look up at him from under her butterfly lashes with hazy, pleasure-drunk eyes, lips bloated and hair sprawled beneath her like an angel’s halo.

“What do you say, baby?”

Thank you, Daddy. I love you.

Shit. Shit. Shit. He bit his lip, brows furrowing as the slick on his hand made his gut start to tingle. Fuck. His shoulders slumped as he caught his breath, surveying his mess. That’s alright, he thought.

It was her job to clean up his messes, wasn’t it?

.♡.

“Oh,” She blinked as she opened the door, “What time is it? Wasn’t I supposed to meet you at your office?” 

Nervously, she glanced over her shoulder to a wall clock in the living room. He huffed an apologetic laugh, doing his best to ignore the way the apron wrapped snugly around her waist hugged her curves, and the splotches of flour that reminded him of the labors of a dutiful housewife.

“Nah, you’re good,” He motioned with his head to the boy sitting atop his shoulders, one hand steadying the child, “Kenta was hungry, and there isn’t much ‘sides energy drinks and granola bars at the agency.”

“We saw a whole buncha bad guys, Mama! They were tryna rob the bank, and–”

“You were inside a bank during a robbery?” He caught the sharp turn in her voice, and was quick to correct the child.

“He was safe behind the barricades,” She stepped aside to let them in, “Got a front row seat, right buddy?”

“Mhmm!” He set the child down, and Kenta raced towards the kitchen, “Smells good! What’s for dinner?”

They shared a look as she shut the door, and let out a sigh, “Thank you,” She swallowed, “I’m…He looks like he had fun, so I’m really–”

“Don’t mention it,” He smiled, “Next week’s patrol route should be safer if he wants to tag along.”

“That’s–you really don’t need to…” Was the flush on her face embarrassment or, or was he finally starting to chip that icy exterior? “Are you sure it’s–”

“Oh yeah,” He glanced towards the boy sifting through cabinets in the kitchen, “Kenta’s my number one sidekick, right?”

“Mm!” The boy turned towards them, face stuffed with some pastry as he hummed.

“Kenta!” She scurried over to him, shutting the lid to the cookie jar, “We’re just about to have dinner; don’t go ruining your appetite!”

“‘M not!” He stifled a laugh as he watched the boy cross his arms petulantly, “I got two stomachs; one for food and then a whole ‘nother big one for desert!”

She smiled lightly as she watched him shove two fingers in her face before putting her hands up in mock concession, “Oh, well, it’s a pity that Mama’s only got one stomach then, huh?” Making her way over to the impressive spread on the dining room counter, “I better dig in while I can.” 

She plucked a piece of sushi from one of the platters, and he swallowed as he watched her push it between her lips with her fingers, tongue brushing over the tips as she pulled them from her mouth. He tried to will himself to look away, though, she was entirely too focused on the little boy now jumping for the sushi platter to bother with his own leering.

“Not if I do first!” He watched as the boy practically inhaled the food, attention drawn back at the sound of light laughter. Her hand was covering her mouth, but the twinkle in her eye sent lightning into his heart. Pretty.

He huffed a sigh to calm his racing pulse, “Guess I’ll leave ya to–”

“You gotta stay for dinner!” Face stuffed full with an array of food, Kenta’s words were muffled, “Right, Mama?”

He glanced towards her, taking in her hesitant features. Not yet.

“Ah. That’s alright, I don’t–”

“Stay,” He was taken aback by the softness of the word, “I mean…if you’d like, as a thank you for taking Kenta out, stay.”

Fuck. This woman would be the death of him.

.♡.

“You really didn’t have to do this.” She looked at him through the corner of her eye as she handed him another wet dish to towel off.

“Nah, I owe ya for that killer dinner,” He paused, “Come to think of it; I owe ya for the bento too, Ms. Pro Chef.”

She rolled her eyes playfully before turning back to the sink, and the two settled into a comfortable silence before she paused, mouth twisting a bit as her brows furrowed.

“I appreciate everything you’ve done for Kenta,” She let out a sigh, turning to face him as she shut the tap, “But um, this is, a bit…” She motioned around the kitchen, the wholly domestic scene, “Hero Billboards or not, the two of us aren’t actually…”

He watched as she struggled to find the words, “‘Course not,” Stamping out the sprouting disappointment in his chest, he plastered on that hero smile, “But what’s a dinner between friends, right?”

He watched as the trepidation melted off her face. Was the thought of being with him really that bad? Shaking himself from his thoughts he sighed as he watched her maneuver behind him to start reshelving the cutlery and plates.

“Yeah. Friends.” She sent him a soft smile, and he found himself the slightest bit surprised that it hadn’t melted his heart on cue. He wanted more.

She was bent over the counter in a way too sinful to be a coincidence. Was she testing him? Waiting for him to take initiative, prove to her that he was a man? He wouldn’t leave her high and dry the way so many others in her life seemed to–he could be that guy for her.

Eyes trailing to the swell of her backside, he spotted her dress lifted slightly at the fat of her thighs. Would she look at him then? If he took her by the hair, forced her cheek to the counter, smushed her pretty tits against it, and ripped the cotton panties down her legs?

He was sure, looking down at her; she was so small. She’d fucking wail when he forced his cock through her walls. Maybe he could see himself poking through under the skin of her stomach: full of him.

He’d destroy her.

Ruin her for anyone and everyone else. How many times had she chided him for his reckless behavior, for the destruction his hands had wrecked?

He’d repay her tenfold. Those hands could do more than destroy. They’d make her cum again and again and again. Until the only thought running through her mind was him and how good he was fucking her and how goddamn grateful she was to be fucked by, to be loved by, him.

The call of his name brought him back from his thoughts, and he looked over to meet her concerned eyes. 

“Are you alright?” She closed the gap between them, and lifted to her toes, tapping his shoulder to bring him down a bit before she pressed her hand to his forehead, “You’re a little flushed; are you sick?”

Well, with you this close to me, I fucking might be.

He straightened suddenly, “Nah,” Letting out a sheepish laugh, “Must be the long hours. Hero work ain’t always the most forgivin’, I guess,'' He huffed a sigh, “I should get goin’ though, yeah?”

“Yeah,” She watched as he made his way to the door, “Okay.”

“I’ll be by some time to take Kenta out on patrol, if that’s still alright?”

She nodded as he slipped his shoes on, and was left a bit confused at the abrupt close to the evening with the click of her front door falling shut.

He let out a breath as he closed the door, leaning against the wood to regain his composure as his hand ran through his hair. He could do this. He stretched his arms over his head as he headed down the steps of her porch. 

The cold night air soothed the warmth in his cheeks, but it seemed that a fire more insatiable had been lit in his chest. He strolled casually down the sidewalk, eyes trained up at the grinning moon, making sure to hide the mirroring smirk that pulled at his lips as the camera flashed from the bushes. Right on cue.

.♡.

“I need to get a new secretary.” He joked as he shut the door to his office, catching sight of the woman in his office.

“I don’t think I can do this anymore.” Her mouth was set in a line, hands pulling nervously at her sleeves as her arms crossed.

What? 

She began pacing, “I’m really sorry,” She avoided his gaze, “I know you’ve done a lot for Kenta, for me, and I can pay you back with however much you–”

“Woah, woah,” He approached her, stopping her nervous pacing, “What’s goin’ on? Tell me what happened.”

She sighed, looking up to meet his gaze, and he noticed for the first time eye bags forming on her face.

“Paparazzi are showing up to Kenta’s preschool,” She huffed, “Taking pictures of him playing outside, trying to ask him questions.”

His eyebrows raised a bit in shock, but he softened his gaze, “I’m so sorry,” He went to guide her to sit down, “I’ll take care of it, promise.”

He didn’t like where this was going. So she wasn’t in love with him yet. Okay. He just needed more time. She couldn’t leave.

She pushed his hand off her shoulder, “It’s not just that,” She swallowed, “They’re everywhere, at my office, at the daycare, anywhere we fucking go; they’re even showing up at the house.”

“It’s oka–”

“How do they even know where I live?” Her brows knit together, “You know there are pictures of you leaving? At night?”

“I didn’t–” 

“Do you know how indecent that makes me look?” She rubbed her hands down her face, breathing out his name, “I’m already a single mother; I don’t need the entirety of Japan questioning any more of my integrity, certainly not questioning my son.”

Wouldn’t most women be flattered by the attention? Whatever; he needed to end this before it got out of hand.

“You’re right,” He placated, “Look,” He sighed, “The Hero Billboards are next week,” Just a little longer and they’d be there; she just wasn’t ready yet, “We only gotta have one more public appearance, and–”

“Public Appearance?” Her voice turned sharp, “You want me to be your fake date, in front of the whole country, just so you can save your ranking?” Her eyes flashed in accusation, “Have you been listening to what I–”

“Enough,” Fuck, he was getting fed up. Didn’t she know how much he cared about her? How much he did for her? “I have been listening; it’s your turn.”

“Excuse me–”

He stepped forward, backing her against the window, and an uneasy look settled on her face. Was this what it took? He just needed to show a little dominance. Be the man. And she would listen. He placed his hand above her on the glass as he leaned down.

“One more week,” Bringing his other hand to her face, one finger outstretched, “That’s all I’m askin’.”

She went to open her mouth, but he shushed her. Oh. This felt kinda good. The way she was looking at him. Hanging on to his every word because, right now, he had the power. 

“I’m not done,” He breathed, “One more week. I’ll take care a’ the paparazzi. I’ll take care a’ everything. So–”

Her mouth twisted, a conflict growing in her eyes, but she forced the words in spite of it, “I don’t need you to take care of it. I don’t need you to take care of me. I need you to–”

“Oh, you don’t?” His tone turned mocking, and his teeth bit into his lip as he watched her swallow, “Let’s ask Kenta how much he needs me, why don’t we? You really gonna–”

“You are not his father.” The words were firm, but the tensing of her shoulders betrayed her, and he leaned closer.

“I’m the closest thing he’s got, baby.”

The shock washed over her features before settling on anger. Cute. She pushed him off her. Well, he let her. She was such a weak little thing, after all.

“So this is who you are?” She scoffed, “This,” She motioned between them, “Is over. I refuse to entertain whatever misogynistic tirade you’ve decided to indulge in.” Okay. Less cute. 

She made her way to the door, glancing briefly over her shoulder, “Do not attempt to contact me or my son again.” And she was gone.

Well shit. 

His tongue smacked against his teeth as he kept his gaze on the door. He was tryna show her that he was the man. He could take care of her, of everything. All she had to do was shut the fuck up and let him. Does she know how many women would kill for that? 

He’d earned it. He’d done so much. He’d tried being patient. Tried to go at her pace. Be a gentleman. But, he realized, brats don’t want gentlemen. That’s what she was after all. What she’d always been, he realized. Ice Queen. Queen? The thought made him want to laugh now.

Is that what she wanted? For him to take her over his knee, smack that pretty ass ‘till it was black and blue? Make her cry for her Daddy? Put her in her goddamn place; wash out all her sharp, angry words with his cock shoved down her throat. 

Force her to her knees? 

Okay. He could do that.

.♡.

“What do you mean someone picked him up?”

“Well,” The preschool teacher swallowed nervously, “He said that you had–”

“He?” Her blood went cold, and in a quiet voice, she breathed his name in question.

“Yes!” The other woman smiled, “So you did approve of–”

She didn’t hear the rest of the words, blood rushing in her ears. She felt sick. What was going on? What kind of joke was this? She stumbled her way out of the gates, collapsing against them outside. Nauseous. 

She tried to calm her breathing. He was still a hero. A fucking asshole with no sense of boundaries. But a hero. Right? 

She took her hands to her cheeks, smacking herself to calm down. She let out a breath, swallowing the tears as she fumbled through her purse for her phone. 

Ring ring! Ring ring! Ring–

“He–”

“Where do you get off?” She couldn’t help the words that spilled from her throat, “Kenta is my son; what you’re doing is essentially kidna–”

“Hey, sweetheart.” She could hear the smugness in his voice, and cursed herself for allowing herself to think for one second he might have been a decent human being. 

“Where is–”

“Is that Mama?” She heard the excited voice of her son, and her breath hitched.

“Kenta? Kenta! Where are–”

“Yup!” He interrupted, “Don’t worry, bud. We’ll be seein’ Mama real soon, right?”

“Mhmm!” Came the muffled reply. So she wasn’t on speaker. Good.

“If you don’t tell me where he is right now,” The words were shaky, “I’ll call the fucking cops.”

There was a beat before a deep, baritone laughter filled her ears. He sighed, and she could feel the goddamn smile on his face.

“Hey, Kenta!” He called, “You wanna tell Mama what we’re doin?”

“S’ a surprise!”

“Hear that?” He turned back to the phone, “It’s a surprise. Don’t you worry, Mama,” He exhaled a bit through his nose, “We’ll be home for dinner.”

“What are you–”

And the line went dead.

Fuck. Fuck. Fucking goddamn shitfuck. 

She was shaking with anger as she lowered the phone, scared that if she so much as breathed she’d scream so loud it’d bulldoze half of Tokyo.

What the fuck was she going to do?

.♡.

There was a knock at the door, and she ripped it open, shocked it hadn’t fallen from the hinges. She looked up to meet his eyes, something playful twinkling in them. Did he think this was a joke? 

“Mama, Mama!” Her gaze was pulled down to the little boy clutching the man’s hand, “Guess what? Guess what?”

“Ah,” He sighed, “Remember, bud. It’s a super special surprise.”

Kenta looked up at him as if realizing something before humming happily. She swallowed as she glanced between them, settling her gaze on the hero.

“Kenta,” Eyes still locked with burning red, “Why don’t you go clean up before dinner?”

“Mkay!” And he bounded off towards his room. When she heard the slam of his door, she let out a sigh, and swallowed, steadying her nerves.

“What the absolute fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Language, sweetheart.” He sidestepped her, making his way inside, shutting the door behind him. 

“Lang–?” He wasn’t serious, “Who do you think you—”

“Shouldn’t curse in front of Kenta,” He smiled, “It’ll teach him bad habits, y’know?”

Oh my god she’d never wanted to punch someone as much as she did now. She forced herself to breathe before settling.

“You don’t need to worry about Kenta’s habits,” He yawned, and she fought the urge to scream, “I want to know what you’re doing in my house, picking my son up from school like you–”

“That’s a funny way a’ sayin’ thank you for the favor.” 

“Are you–”

“I know how busy you get,” He moved towards her, and she took a step back, and another until she hit the wall. Not again. “Wanted to give you a break. What’s the harm in that?”

He was looking down at her like that again. Like there was a game they were playing where only he knew the rules. Where he was winning. 

“The harm,” She forced herself to speak, “Is that I gave you explicit instru–”

“Y’know,” He leaned back a bit, head tilted to the ceiling before snapping his eyes back to her, “Women are so complicated. Never sayin’ what you mean, what you need–” 

“Let me be very clear, then,” She breathed, “Get out.” 

He looked at her a moment, and she cursed the universe for not gifting her an invisibility quirk. Any quirk, actually. She was sure that, if he wanted, he could kill her without so much as blinking.

And then he laughed. She stood, frozen, studying his expression before his lips fell into a smirk. In a flash, his hand met her throat, squeezing the air from her lungs, and lifting her to her tiptoes. Her own hands flew up to claw at his, choking on her breath. His face was in front of hers, nose to her own.

“I’m gettin’ real sick of bein’ told what to do,” The edges of her vision were going black as his hot breath met her face, “I think you owe me an apology, baby.”

There were tears forming in her eyes, and she nearly, stubbornly, thought she’d rather pass out than give him the satisfaction. But the distant sound of running water forced her lips to move. 

“So–Sor–Sorry, ple-please–”

He released her, and she doubled over, falling into a coughing fit, hand clutching at her own throat, sure of the forming bruises. He huffed a sigh, as if somehow she was inconveniencing him. 

He leaned down again as she straightened against the wall. And he smiled. What was–

Before she could blink, his lips were pressed against her own. Her hands came to push at his chest, but he pulled back before she could move. He huffed a laugh, ruffling her hair.

“All good?” 

All good? She forced down the protests, and nodded. She didn’t know this man. Didn’t know what he could do.

“It’s gettin’ kinda late, huh?” She realized after a moment that he was looking for an answer.

“I–Yes, I–” She cleared her throat of the raspiness, “I guess it is.”

He stretched his arms over his head, “Think I’ll stay the night, that okay?”

Fucking bastard. She went to open her mouth, but the sound of small footsteps padding against the floor caught her attention. She turned to see Kenta, hair dripping, in his matching set pajamas, making his way into the room.

“Hey, bud,” The man turned to him, “Guess what?”

“What?” He tilted his head.

He smirked as he glanced back at her, “We’re havin’ a sleepover.”

“Really?” Kenta jumped a bit in excitement.

His eyes were still on her. Red and burning and waiting. 

She cleared her throat, “Real–Really, baby, if,” She glanced nervously between them, “If that’s what you want.”

“Yeah! We’re gonna have so much fun!” 

“So much fun,” The man confirmed, “Right,” Looking around, he made his way to the dining room table, “What’s for dinner?”

.♡.

“Damn,” He whistled from behind her, hands rubbing up her sides, settling on her hips, “You tryna steal my brand?”

He huffed a laugh, lips falling to a smirk as his face fell to her neck, eyes trailing her figure in the mirror in front of them. 

“Guess red is your color now, baby.”  His nose brushed against her neck as he raised his head, taking in a breath, and pressed a wet kiss to her cheek. 

She tried her hardest not to cringe, managing to keep her disgust contained with the clench of her jaw. The dress was beautiful; she would have felt beautiful had anyone else on the planet gifted it to her, but they didn’t, and she didn’t. There was a much too revealing slit running up one of the sides of the dress. With fabric skin tight and blood red, she felt more like someone’s dress-up doll than a person.

“This is it, right?” She sighed, meeting his eyes in the mirror, her own expression dull, tired, “You get your rank boosted, and that’s it. We’re done. Right? ”

She knew logically, in the far back of her mind, that this was about something entirely more sinister than simply a number as inconsequential, as temporary as a hero rank. The crimson eyes in the mirror glowed with a feeling she could only attribute to possession. 

But, stupidly, naively, she was clinging to some hope, any hope, that that was what he wanted. Because if it wasn’t, if he wanted any more, she feared she’d break to pieces on her bedroom floor. And if she allowed herself even a second, and the cracks appeared, she’d be burdening her son with the shattered mess that would be her resolve.

So she wouldn’t break. If only to keep that bright smile on Kenta’s face, eyes innocent, shield him from anything and everything big and bad in the world like a mother would. Like a mother should. 

She wouldn’t break.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head,” He sighed, a sleazy smile still on his lips as his hands began to move, to grope, “After tonight; we won’t have to play pretend anymore.”

One arm wrapped around her middle, pulling her tight against him, something poking at her back. His other hand traveled downwards, fingers slipping past that easy access slit, and–

“Mama, mama, look!” As quickly as he pulled her to him, he stepped away, turning to the little boy bounding through the door.

“You like the suit, bud?” How generous he was, he’d reminded her. He had all the money in the world to take care of them. She just had to let him. As if it were that easy. Asshole.

But she swallowed the anger, sending a soft smile to her son, taking in the child standing tall and proud in his small, tailored suit, grinning up at them for approval. At them. She faltered a bit before willing the nausea away.

“Wow,” She sighed, making her way to Kenta, crouching down as she fixed his red tie. The three of them really did look like a matching set, didn’t they? “Who’s this handsome man? Have you seen Kenta? I can’t seem to find him!”

“It’s me! Kenta! Here, I’m right here!” He squealed, waving his arms a bit in front of her. 

“No,” She smiled wryly, “Kenta likes to come home covered in dirt lookin’ super cool.”

“Well now I’m all dressed up and super cool!” He crossed his arms petulantly, and she relented, laughing lightly.

“Oh, silly me,” She stood, having fixed his tie, “Of course, only Kenta could look this cool.”

“Mhmm!” 

The low laughter behind her was like ice water in her veins. Right. He was still here. He came up behind her, arm wrapping around her hips as he smiled down at her son.

“You all ready, bud?” 

“Yup!” Kenta jumped excitedly, “And I remembered, just like you said! I got the–”

“Surprise, kiddo.” The man hummed. 

“Oh,” Kenta’s eyes widened before nodding intently, “Right. Surprise.” She didn’t want to dwell on the way her son looked at the man beside her with the reverence of something like a father. 

The hero sent him a wink, and the little boy gave him a mismatched eye blink in response. She clenched her jaw, fingernails digging into her palms. Days. Days, and he hadn’t budged on this surprise of his. She felt like she’d throw up if she thought about it too long. So she forced it to the back of her mind. 

She couldn’t break. 

He turned back to her, fingers squeezed at the fat of her waist, thumb brushing affectionately against the fabric.

“You ready?”

.♡.

The lights flashing in her face left her feeling dizzy, and clutching tightly to the man by her side as they stepped from the limo. Blindly, she grasped for her son’s hand behind her as they marched forward, through the chaos.

They stopped in front of a row of reporters. A press line, she realized grimly. She let her mind wander as he fielded questions about the upcoming hero ranking announcement, chuckling lightly as reporter after reporter speculated about the nature and history of their relationship. About the oh so adorable little boy bouncing at their side.

He waved them off after a while, “I’m real sorry!” Sheepishly, a hand came to scratch at his head, “But, the little lady’s not used to all the cameras just yet.” Yet? No, push it down. Smile, she reminded herself, glancing at her son, who was rocking on his heels back and forth beside her. Oblivious. Good.

He huffed an apologetic laugh as the crowd protested, “‘Sides, we’d better get inside,” He threw a disarming smile over his shoulder, a hand raised to the crowd, “Wish me luck!”

They made their way inside, and she scanned the room, Kenta gasping next to her at the gathering of heroes. His heroes. 

They made their way to their seats, and she recognized a few of the heroes gathered around them. She zoned out as a few of the men shoved her hero by the shoulder, jeering at him for finally settling down. A few of the women cooing over Kenta; how quaint! God, she wanted to scream.

She was brought back to reality when the grip on her hand turned deadly. Wincing, she turned towards him.

“I’m sorry,” She forced a sheepish smile, “Guess I’m just a little overwhelmed. What was the question?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the suspicious gaze of that ash blonde hero. The one who blew the city to bits every chance he got. He scoffed as he sized her up, turning away, downing his drink. She swallowed, turning away in unease.

“How’d this oaf convince ya, huh?” The lightning blonde laughed, “Money? No way a chick as hot as–oof!” One of the women, that pink hero, she recognized, elbowed him in the stomach, and the man doubled over, spitting up his drink, “Shit! What was that for?”

She turned away from the interaction as the woman began to scold him, and a few others took the opportunity to ask about her relationship to their friend. 

How’d you get together? 

Yeah! Tell us everything!

Where’d he take you on your first date? 

It wasn’t the gym, right? Please tell me it wasn’t the gym!

And more. Her cheeks hurt from the forced quirk of her lips, fingers aching under the table from the deathgrip her tormentor had on her hand. She gave them the answers she thought appropriate.

He saved my son’s life.

Just a casual dinner. Nothing big. 

His grip relented a bit, and she sighed. Kissing her on the cheek, he leaned back, a lovesick glaze overtaking his eyes that even his friends seemed to notice, because the jeers started up again.

“Alright, alright,” He placated with a smile, “You got your answers. Quit scarin’ the lady, already.” 

They protested lightly, but settled. Just in time. The lights started to dim, and a spotlight shone on stage. The entirely too enthusiastic announcer began to speak, hyping up the crowd at the fast approaching ranking release.

As the minutes ticked by on the clock, she realized his name hadn’t been called yet. Most of the heroes at her table had sat by in silence so far. And then the host flashed a knowing smile, reminding the crowd of the moment they’d been waiting for.

The Top Ten. 

Oh. Was that it? If he was in the top ten, would that mean she did her job? Served her purpose. Would he leave her be, then?

She turned to watch Kenta, whose eyes were glued to the stage, wide in awe, ears hanging on every word. She selfishly wished he wouldn’t become one of those people who worshiped the hero society she’d found herself trapped in. 

But she could see it happening in real time, she supposed. The way he clung to the man who’d saved him from the rubble. The merch and toys that now littered their home, posters plastered around his bedroom walls. The way his eyes seemed to light up at the mention of his favorite hero’s name. She could almost hear the moment her heart started to crack.

All of a sudden, the people around her stood up, screaming. Kenta jumped to his feet, hands raised in the air as an open-mouthed smile overtook his face. 

No. 8 Hero. 

No. 8.

He reached a hand around her back, twirling her towards him, dipping her as his lips forced themselves on hers, tongue shoved down her throat. The cheers only erupted further. As she was pulled back to her feet, dizzy and unfocused, she barely registered as he made his way to the stage, bowing in thanks.

The rest of the names flew by in a blur, a few of his friends stepping up to join him as the list reached its end. But she paid no mind. It was over now. Right?

It was over. Could it please be over?

.♡.

They were outside again, and the cold night air nipped at her skin. Ushered back into the press line, she watched him desperately as he began to speak to reporters.

What an honor. I wasn’t expecting this. I’ll do my best to earn it! 

She wanted to laugh until she screamed. But she was waiting. Waiting for him to say it. Release her. Release them. Say it. Please, say it. 

“I owe it to all the support I’ve got behind me.” He smiled, squeezing their interlocked hands, “I really am the luckiest guy in the world, Number 8 or not.” No.

“There isn’t anything I can do to thank her,” He sighed, letting out a sheepish laugh, “But, I did prepare a little surprise.” 

He turned to glance at Kenta, “We had a little surprise, actually.” Not that. Don’t say that.

The crowd awed, cooing at the scene, reporters on the edge of their seats, eager to hear more. She knew it was coming. She knew it. And yet, still, some part of her, some stupid part of her grasped for that single thread. She couldn’t fall. If she fell, she’d break.

“You ready, bud?” Stop it. She was starting to lose her grip on the thread.

“Mhmm!” Kenta hummed, fumbling for something in his pocket. “Right here!” 

The thread was fraying. His small hands produced a velvet red box, and the crowd took a breath. She watched as her son reached past her, handing the weapon to the perpetrator. She hadn’t the time to process the burning betrayal in her chest. Because suddenly, she was falling.  

And then he kneeled, looking up at her imploringly, that twinkle in his eyes sparkling. He’d finally won that game of his that only he was playing. Further down and down. And–

“Will you marry me?” That shark toothed smile flashed up at her; she felt the fangs ripping her heart to shreds. 

And she shattered.

[verycharismaticdragon]

Can I ask your top 10 fav fics ever (from any fandom, if you don't mind)?

Also, just curious, is there a story behind your name "verycharismaticdragon "?

I'm not the best at remembering things past the hyperfix, so half of this will be SV, but I'll start at prev fandoms for variety.

Artificial Nocturne (Motorcity) - I've read this ages ago but I remember it rearranging my brain chemistry. And making me realize I had a scar kink.

An Abomination, Grand Cleric Elthina's Murderer and the Herald of Andraste walk into a Bar (Dragon Age) - it's probably abandoned but it's so good. Anders and Varric in this are so *incoherent gesturing*

intra-personal negotiation (Venom) - I don't understand why I didn't bookmark a single Venom fic even though I distinctly remember like 5 straight bangers, but thankfully I'm following this author at least ✊

deathbed (Qi Ye) - that time I was whining there were no first life JBY/ZZS fics and then! Anyway it's understandably melancholy it's also very pretty and exactly right as it should be.

the good rain knows when to fall (TYK) - you should be reading Bichen's entire discography fic collection I just remembered this one first. This one is lighthearted old foxes clowning! The author's angst and cannibalism are also top-notch 👌

Ok now to SVSSS.

Joyed to be Forlorn - THE binghe fic for me. inspired me to start digging into Luo Binghe's character in a way that resulted in Transmigrator Time Traveler, hopefully thats recommendation enough

continued - possibly THE best fic in scum villain fandom. the format alone... oh just read it, you'll see what I mean.

A Child Once - again, i could rec Tossawary's entire discography, but this one is my personal favorite. (if your fav character is SQH though, the one you want is pride is not the word I'm looking for. aka THE sqh fic.)

sweet tongues, sharp teeth - unfinished but raw enough to lodge itself in my brain despite that.

Tale Within A Tale - cute as fuck. made me kick my legs and giggle many times. ...and because once I started pulling up SV fics it was difficult to stop...

side effects (rated E) - part 2 in particular didnt have to go so hard for a fic where the premise is 'bingqiu with tentacles'

don't underestimate me (rated E) - "all for the sake of preserving biodiversity!" god shen yuan SO would be in this situation.

The Best Luo Binghe (rated E) - binggeyuan. shen yuan SO would be in this situation, take 2.

put me in, coach (rated M) - bingqiushang. so fucking funny okay i love it so much

from your knees (rated E) - bingjiu. they're so rancid in this one its perfect 🖤

...Damn, this really puts the difference between my non-hyperfix and hyperfix memory into perspective, huh 😅 i actually had to trim the sv list a bit 😅😅😅

Anyway, yeah, my username actually just references an rp session we had with friends quite a few years back. Where at a certain point my character was referenced as "a VERY charismatic dragon" after managing to turn the antagonist by impressing them (thanks to some VERY lucky dice rolls). And I was dissatisfied with my old username at the time, and thought it sounded funny and snappy enough, so - stars aligned and all that. I'm happy with it still! Probably because dragons are always cool ✌️

[alilbatflies]

Hi there, just found your "just cake" fic and I am interested in how it continues.

What i'm saying is, please continue this fic, villainxhenchman is now one of my favorite writeblr tags.

-@the-agency-archives

Hi! I'm glad you liked part 1. Now get ready for...

...

Just Cake #2

The commonly known thing about old-fashioned traps was that when they failed to trap you, you got to tease the creator of it relentlessly. A net, seriously? People have tried before, sweetheart. Better luck next time.

The inconvenient thing about old-fashioned traps was that when done properly, they did their job damn well. It was exceptionally embarrassing to get caught in one. You should have seen that coming. Alas, you didn’t. Fool.

The henchman had tried pushing the villain out of the way once they noticed the trap. So now they were both caught. The villain hovered over them in the really quite cramped space of the net. Wasn’t that wonderful?

The villain gave the net a testing jerk. It didn’t do them any good.

“Who the fuck even uses nets these days?” the villain hissed.

“It does seem we’re quite literally trapped, boss.”

“No, we’re fuckin– not–” the villain tugged on the net violently– “UNSTUCK YOURSELF!”

“That’s not how traps work, boss.”

It was a definitely never to be mentioned ever again kind of situation, really.

The villain settled into a relative silence. They clawed at the net with one of their blades while growling and cursing occasionally. They tended to be silent most of the time, but the henchman knew very well just how varied their cursing vocabulary was.

They were sure the villain had far exceeded their word limit for the day. Their voice was furious. Cutting.

But not cutting enough to slice through the ropes.

Henchman smiled at their internal commentary; glad they didn’t blurt it out like they so often managed.

There was nothing better to do, and so they watched the villain struggle. They hung really quite skillfully above the henchman, somehow not falling down on top of them. Not that the henchman would especially mind. It was quite cold out there.

They briefly wondered who would even set up a trap that far out in the woods. The obvious answer was someone who lived around. Secret hideouts and all that jazz.

The thing which bothered them the most however was that whoever set the trap up was skilled. Skilled enough to have them both trapped. The villain especially was not easily trapped. Once that whoever came around, they would still be stuck and practically at their mercy. The henchman doubted there would be mercy to be found.

The net moved under the villain’s persistent attempts.

Cold air breezed past. The henchman came to the conclusion that someone showing up was better than freezing to death. 

The villain’s yell startled them out of their thoughts.

“SCREW THAT!”

“Screw me,” please.

The villain obviously stopped themself from cursing again, turning to look at the henchman. “Hm?” they said, which henchman translated as ‘you’ve said something?’

“Nothing.”  Here we go again. Saying stuff.

The villain measured the few nicks they managed to inconvenience the rope with. They huffed an exhale. “That’s not going to work, is it?”

“I’d presume we won’t be able to get out of a net specifically made to capture and hold magical things, boss.”

The villain huffed another exhale. They hid their knife. Then they looked down at the henchman, slumping slightly.

“Do you suppose I could sort of hm… flop down on you? Really uncomfortable up here.”

“Conserve your energy.”

The villain slumped on top of them.

The net was quite uncomfortable under their back even before, but with the added weight, it reached a whole new stage of discomfort. There was nothing the henchman could do about that. Except for maybe miraculously breaking them both out of the trap and acting like it never happened. A minion could dream.

“You’re warm,” the villain said.

“Huh.” The henchman didn’t really manage to figure out a better reaction. They felt too warm entirely, just about bellow the boiling point. It definitely had nothing to do with their proximity. Nope. Not at all.

They both stayed perfectly still.

The henchman considered shuffling, but they had a feeling it would be even more uncomfortable than before.

“Do you regret anything?”

The villain seemed to mumble that mostly to themself, but given the whole situation, the henchman caught it anyway.

“Don’t think about dying yet, boss. We’ll have plenty of chances to make it out.”

The villain hummed, unconvinced.

The henchman hardly convinced themself, so it was no surprise. They decided to answer the villain’s question at least. Death loomed over them with the deft finality of a trap shutting down with chilling-to-the-bones precision. Just like it did.

Nothing to lose but the vague concept of dignity, huh?

“I regret ruining your birthday cake.”

The villain was perfectly still for a moment. Then they lifted themself to look the henchman in the eyes. “My what?”

“Well… you see, the thing that splattered on your doorstep… on your birthday day?”

The villain blinked.

The henchman looked away. It was such an awkward thing, wasn’t it? Of all the things they could have chosen… then again. You make someone cake and then you drop it like a clumsy tool. The sole act of baking the villain cake was borderline ridiculous and entirely unprofessional, too.

“You know when my birthday is?”

“You mentioned you were born on Vampire Day once, in relation to the Candle Parade, so that’s a day after the autumn equinox, so… That’s that.”

The villain hummed quietly, thinking. They rested back down.

The henchman held perfectly still, as if that could somehow remove all of their embarrassment. They measured their breathing, for all it was worth. They had a feeling the villain could sense how uncomfortable they were anyway, but hopefully played it on the whole stuck-in-a-net situation.

“Nobody’s ever given me birthday cake before.”

“Oh, really?” The henchman tried to see the villain’s face. It was a whole new of an uncomfortable movement, so they stopped.

“You’re the first.”

“But I’ve…” Ruined it. Splattered it. Fucked up spectacularly. “…dropped it.”

“Worse things happen,” the villain said. “I appreciate the effort.”

“I didn’t even wish you… anything.” It had been a busy day. The henchman forgot about the villain’s birthday, except for all of the inconvenient times when they really couldn’t say their thing. Like in the middle of a fight, when they were in the bathroom, or when the villain finally fell asleep and the henchman didn’t want to wake them up.

Might as well fix that now. “Happy belated birthday.”

“Hm. Thank you.”

It made the henchman very comfortably warm. Convenient for the villain, they supposed, since they were being used as a personal heater at the moment.

“What’s your regret?”

“Hm?” The villain sounded almost startled.

“Your regret.” Henchman tried to adjust their head to get at least a little bit more comfortable. It only got worse. They rested back to the way they were. “You know my regret. I want to know yours.”

It took the villain a long time to make a sound again. The henchman thought perhaps they crossed the professional line too far, stepped just beyond the acceptable. They prepared their sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that but the villain spoke first.

“I suppose that’s fair.”

They are very fidgety all of a sudden. But at least they sounded like the henchman’s head might stay on their neck.

“So.” The villain cleared their throat. They searched for words and seemed to come out short.

“You don’t have to tell me if you’d prefer not to.”

“No, I’m…” The villain inhaled deeply. In a wave of composure, they spoke at once: “Actually, it partly involves you—I mean, it entirely involves you—and the thing is that you, sincerely–”

The villain’s attention shifted.

The henchman felt the silence settle over them. The last words were like stones falling into the lake, vanishing to leave but circles running on the surface.

In the silence, the henchman finally registered the someone moving closer.

The villain shifted in an attempt of a defence position despite the power-suppressing net and the inconveniently squished henchman underneath them. They bared their teeth in a snarl.

“Look who we’ve caught,” an entirely too sweet voice said. “Well, aren’t you two adorable?”

...

Part 3

[cantstoplovingjude]

Underneath the Black Veil: Jude Jazza Premium

This is from Ikemen Villains EN, Cybird owns everything.

(What a disgustin' place.)

I cursed inwardly in front of the church altar after I put all the followers to sleep.

(Why the hell would I bind myself in an eternal promise to someone else, as if that made anythin' better?)

(A vow of love's nothin' more than a curse.)

(What's so great 'bout cursing each other to stick together in sickness or in health?)

The sacred atmosphere, the solemn sound of the organ, the sweet fragrance of the flowers... It all seemed cursed to me.

No "vow" could ever be considered beautiful.

Not for me, anyway.

Just then, the door opened and Kate appeared, wearing a jet-black dress.

(Damn, she looks nervous.)

I watched as she pressed her lips together and looked at me.

The moment our eyes met, a strange look came over her face.

(What's that all about?)

She got this dreamy look in her eyes, like she had a fever or something.

And she began to slowly walk down the aisle toward me.

(Ha...)

(What an idiot. Don't tell me ya got caught up in the moment?)

(Sometimes she's so damned stupid I actually worry about her.)

Jude: "What're ya doin', facial exercises?"

Kate: "Huh?"

It was like she didn't even realize she'd reached the altar until I said something.

She just blinked at me.

(She took on the daft job of being Fairytale Keeper 'n so far she's kept her promise.)

(What a hopeless princess.)

She stood there in her wedding dress, looking utterly defenseless.

The thought crossed my mind that I could tear her to shreds in an instant if I wanted to.

Jude: "Lookin' like you're on another planet. Sure ya wanna get hitched?"

Just then, a gentle-looking man with long hair and glasses appeared.

(Must be the leader.)

Man with glasses: "We are gathered together today to celebrate the true love between our new followers."

Amore: "My name is Amore, the leader of Amour. I am a servant of love, who will grant your love eternal."

(This git's a total nutter.)

He made all these exaggerated gestures while he spoke like some kind of dimwit.

It was so creepy I was getting goosebumps.

(Could just shut him up right now by puttin' him to sleep.)

(But I've gone to way too much trouble. I won't be satisfied till tease her a bit.)

I remembered the investigation report I read on the way here.

("The lovers are most likely poisoned somehow once they take their vows.")

In that case...

(An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. And poison for poison.)

Amore: "Now, there is no need for vows between two people who truly love each other."

Amore: "So if you pledge your eternal love, close your eyes and seal that pledge with a kiss."

Kate: "...O-oh."

Kate's breath caught in her throat.

(Why's she so flustered when she knows we're not gonna actually do it?)

I grabbed her chin and felt her tense up beneath my touch.

And when I pulled her closer, her eyes were so big you'd think they were gonna fall out of her head.

Kate: "Ah..."

Jude: "Hm."

(Look up at me, princess. I'll move my face close to make it seem like we're kissin'.)

Her cheeks slowly turned red as she tipped her face up toward me.

(...Huh?)

(Does she really think I'm gonna kiss her?)

I stared at her in disbelief, watching as her lips trembled.

I could tell she was a nervous wreck.

But even still, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly.

(Hah...)

(I didn't think even she was this foolish.)

-Flashback-

Kate: "I'm sure lots of people don't actually believe that their love will last forever just because they exchange vows and have a ceremony in a church."

Kate: "But what's important is that they tell each other they intend to keep those vows."

Kate: "And when they think they might break their vows, they'll remember that day when they swore to each other."

Kate: "And maybe that'll keep them going to try to find a solution."

-Flashback ends-

So naive it made me wanna throw up.

But it probably sounded like the truth to her.

(Stupidly honest, ridiculously obedient and to good for this world.)

(A princess who never knew hardship in her life, who truly believed in her ridiculous naivete.)

(To think a woman like her would swear to stay with me forever... What a joke.)

I envied her for believing in such ridiculous positivity...

But at the same time, the sadistic side of me wanted to ruin it for her just to make her understand.

Jude: "...Ya actually closed your eyes?"

Kate: "Yes?"

Her eyes, which had been closed to accept the kiss, fluttered open.

Jude: "Ya really are an idiot."

I stared into her wide eyes as I brushed my lips against hers.

Her body trembled as she stared at me in shock.

Kate: "A-ahh..."

Jude: "Pfft, look at that dumb face."

(Maybe this'll teach her a lesson for once.)

Amore: "Well, then. I hereby recognize you as husband and wife. Now I shall make your love eternal."

Amore: "Pour this wine into each other's mouths."

Amore dramatically took out two wine glasses.

Jude: "So, this your secret remedy for makin' love eternal, huh?"

Amore: "Yes, that's right."

I was certain the wine was poisoned.

(Haha. What a nice smile.)

I started to feel excited when I pictured that smile distorting with pain.

Jude: "By the way, didja know your waiters spilled water on us today?"

Amore: "...Huh?"

I poured the wine over his head, drenching him.

I aimed just so that I could be sure it would go into his eyes, nose, and mouth.

Amore: "Bwaaah?!"

He immediately became distraught and rushed to the cupboard by the altar.

Kate: "What in the world is he doing?"

Jude: "Lookin' for the antidote, I'd bet."

Kate: "Antidote...?"

The color drained out of her face.

She must've put two and two together about the wine.

Kate: "How did you know?"

Jude: "I read Victor's report on the way here."

She stared at me as if to say this was the first she'd heard of it.

(Course it is, 'cuz I didn't tell ya.)

(If I'd told her, she would've blurted out somethin' stupid anyway.)

I ignored her gaze as I walked over to Amore as he took out a vial from the cupboard.

And I grabbed his wrist before he could open it.

Jude: "Ya ever heard of gettin' a taste of your own medicine? That's what ya deserve for makin' other people suffer."

Jude: "Why'd ya get to live while others die? Selfish piece of shit."

Amore: "Ugh... arghhh!"

(I can make ya scream even louder.)

(The poison must be taking effect.)

Amore: "Th-there's no time! Let me go! P-please, I'll do anything!"

Jude: "Anythin'? All right. How 'bout we sign a contract?"

Jude: "A contract to do whatever the hell I say till ya die. You'll make that vow, won't ya?"

After I saw him nod, I let go of his wrist.

He looked so frantic I almost laughed as he gulped down the antidote.

(Yeah, yeah. Nice job.)

I poked his forehead with my fingertips.

And, with my ability, he instantly dropped to the floor in a deep sleep.

Kate: "What do you plan on doing with him?"

Jude: "Haven't decided yet."

I looked down at the leader, who lay on the floor.

(Could use him for experiments, throw him onto a cargo ship...)

Kate: "Hey, where are all the followers, anyway?"

Jude: "Dreamin'. Even the guy playin' the organ went down in the middle."

(At any rate, the mission was a success.)

(That's what she's probably thinkin'.)

I let out an exasperated sigh when I heard her sigh with relief.

Jude: "Had no idea ya were 'bout to sign a dangerous contract, huh?"

Kate: "What?"

She blinked at me and tipped her head cutely to the side.

(Did she already forget what happened?)

(She's more dangerous than I thought.)

(How in the world did she manage to survive this long?)

Jude: "The whole, if ya wanna pledge your eternal love, close your eyes deal."

Jude: "Ya closed your eyes. So ya wanna spend the rest of your life gettin' tortured by me, huh?"

She took about five seconds, and then it finally hit her.

Even her neck turned bright red this time.

Kate: "I thought we had to kiss so you could have a chance to catch him!"

Jude: "All ya had to do was just lean in close 'n we coulda pretended to kiss."

Kate: "B-but then why did you kiss me?!"

Kate: "You should've just pretended, then!"

Jude: "Wanted to see that ridiculous look on your face after."

(Even if it's fake, sealin' your vows with a kiss is a daft idea. That's your punishment for going along with it so easily.)

Jude: "Don't worry. I had no intention of closin' MY eyes."

Kate: "That's not why I closed my eyes!"

Jude: "Uh-huh. Sure."

Her face was still bright red, but now she was speechless and shaking.

(Damn. I love that face. It's the cutest thing.)

Jude: "That ain't the kinda face a blushin' bride makes."

Kate: "I am NOT your bride!"

I wondered how much of this rubbish world I'd have to show her... in order to make that pretty face of hers distort with despair.

(For some reason, I can't even picture it.)

Instead, I pictured her standing proudly, glaring at the harsh reality even if she was covered in filth.

And something stupid tingled deep inside my stomach.

End Premium

[bakugo-dee]

WTF

Bakugo x Kirishima x Reader (female)

Warning: Some cursing

“What do you mean I am being benched?” you yelled at the Commissioner as you paced around the room. “I am the top Hero here, Tsukauchi! Why the heck would you do this to me? Besides, you know you need me for the next mission!?” “We received intel on current situations that threaten your safety. It seems that you are being targeted by the League of Villains (LV) and your recent run-in with Dabi has all agencies on high alert.” Tsukauchi sat behind his desk rubbing his temples as if trying to relieve a headache. “OH?! (you exclaimed, stopping in your tracks) All agencies huh?” “Yes. All agencies.” You crossed your arms and gave him a side glance “So…which one gave you the intel?” “Dynamight’s.” “Dynamight?!” you slammed your hands on his desk “Y…yes.” You knew better than to be taking your frustration out on the man in front of you. This turn of events wasn’t his doing after all. He was just following protocol. You pinched the bridge of your nose in frustration and softly sighed “I see.” You turned to exit the Commissioner’s office “(Y/H/N)…wh…where are you going? This is only temporary. At least until we can figure out why the League is after you.” “You already know why. And don’t worry,  I’ll be back. Right after I set HIS ass on FIRE!!!!” With a confused look on his face, Tsukauchi watched as you let the door slam behind you “His ass? She doesn’t mean Dynamight’s…does she?” 

No one at Hero Public Safety Commision (HPSC) knew of your current relationship with the #2 Hero Dynamight and the #8 Hero Red Riot. Due to your line of work, it was safer this way. Heck, other than Naomasa Tsukauchi, who had recently been elected President of the HPSC, no one even knew your true identity. The saddest part out of all this secrecy was that not even your own boyfriends knew just how powerful you were. 

Your telekinesis quirk had manifested at an early age and it quickly caught the attention of the HPSC. Your quirk not only allowed you to move objects, but you could also manipulate matter at will. Your limitation was your own imagination. The HPSC approached your family with an offer to have you trained as a member of an elite group of heroes but you would need to keep your abilities a secret. You were allowed to attend UA as part of the General Studies course and that’s where you met the boys.    

“UGH! DAMN YOU KATSUKI! Why the heck aren’t you answering your phone?” You threw your cell phone over to the passenger seat of your SUV. All your calls kept going to voicemail and he wasn’t reading any of your text messages. The staff at his agency wouldn’t tell you where he was, only that he wasn’t available. This of course was standard procedure. They don’t know your Dynamight’s girlfriend and as far as they’re concerned you could be a villain plotting to attack the #2 Hero. 

Your heart was racing with anger as you pulled up to the front gate and saw thier cars parked in the driveway. Trying to keep your calm, you think back to the day on the lake when the three of you confessed your feelings for each other. How the heck do 3 best friends fall in love with one another. The thought still baffled you but the past year had been so amazing and now here you were sharing a home with them. Even though you had some reservation at first. Things had been going great up until 2 weeks ago when you were approached by the notorious villain, Dabi. 

Your undercover job at the Hero Commission was working in the PR Department. You were at a mall signing with some sidekicks and that’s where Dabi saw you. He was scoping the scene to gain intel for the LV and took a liking to you. He had no clue who you were, much less that you were a Secret Agent for the HPSC or in a relationship with the #2 and #8 Heroes. He managed to corner you behind the stage and struck up a conversation. Before you knew it he was trying to recruit you into the League of Villains and then tried kidnapping you when you refused. After a brief scuffle which led to a fight between him and the present Heroes, he escaped and you managed to walk away with only a few minor burns. However, the whole ordeal freaked out your overprotective boyfriends and for the past few weeks they have been pushing you to quit your job and stay home where they could keep you safe. Their lack of faith in your abilities has made you bitter towards them but then how could you blame them, they don’t know what you’re capable of.  

You rush into the house and are quickly greeted by Kirishima hugging you. “Hey baby! You’re home early. Wha…what are you wearing?” In your rush to get home to confront Katsuki you forgot to change out of your hero costume. “Ummm…Nevermind that…where is HE?!?!” “Bakugo?” “YES! Bakugo! Where the HELL is he?!” “Baby are you ok? You seem a little agitated.” “OH! I seem a little agitated. I am way passed agitated! Where the FUCK is he RED?!” “Ummm…baby??” You push a stunned Kirishima aside and head to the outdoor training facility. He chased after you, but to his surprise you were so much faster than him. At this point you are so angry that you are no longer in control of your quirk and flames start to spread all over your body.     

You smash the doors to the training facility “BAKUGO KATSUKI!!!!” You have now unleashed the full power of your quirk and are flying high engulfed in flames. Bakugo is staring at you in horror and disbelief. “Princess??? You…you…can fly? What the CRAP!?” You start shooting flames and hurling nearby objects at him simultaneously. “Baby Girl? What the…? Stop…you idiot.” He tries to dodge your attacks but one after another you land them all. You manage to pin him under a boulder, knocking him unconscious. “(Y/N)!!!!” Kirishima finally runs in “STOP!!!! What are you doing? You’re going to kill him!” and with those words you look down to where Katsuki is lying. The shock of what you have just done over takes you and you collapse to the ground in tears. “Katsuki? I…I…I’m sorry.” You lift the boulder off of him as Kirishima rushes to his side. 

“Is…is he ok?” “He’s unconscious. We need to get him to the hospital. He might have head trauma.” “What?” “Com’on.” Kirishima lifts him up in one swoop and the two of you rush to the car. You climb in the back seat of the truck and Kiri places Bakugo in your lab. “Katsuki…babe…I am so sorry. Please be ok. I didn’t mean to…” You say softly as your tears fall onto his face. “Baby…please…I am sorry. Please…I was just so angry.” “(Y/N), what the hell is going on? What was that? I’ve never seen you display that type of power before. Where did that come from?” “This is my power.” you reply with a heavy sigh and tears streaming down your face. “What?” “Kiri…please just get us to the hospital. I’ll explain everything later.” “Ok baby but…um…I am not going to lie…uh…I am pretty terrified of you right now.” “I’m pretty terrified of myself too. (you look down at Katsuki) Baby…can you hear me?” He opens his eyes slightly “Princess…you dumbass…what the heck was that?” “OH BABY! Shhhhh…don’t talk. We are taking you to the hospital. I am sooooo sorry.”

Once at the hospital, Bakugo is quickly taken in to see a healer. You and Kirishima are sitting across from each other in the waiting room. Normally he would be all over you in situations like this but after what he just witnessed, he’s been keeping his distance and you don’t blame him. Your phone rings “Hey. I am at the hospital. Can you come meet me here? Great. Thanks.” “Who was that?” “The Commissioner.” “What? Why is he calling you?” You don’t respond to Kirishima’s questions. The nurse walks in “He has been asking for you both. You can go in and see him now.” You walk in silence to his room. Kirishima walks in first. “Katsuki! Are you ok babe?” “Yeah…shity hair…I am fine. Where is (y/n)?” You step out from behind Kirishima. “Hey.” “Hey? Is that all you have to say to me?” He is angry but not as angry as you expect. “What the FUCK was that? Since when do you have that kind of power?” “I was angry at you. You had me benched.” “What? What do you mean I had you benched?” “Your agency. They called the HPSC and had me benched.” “Princess…you’re going to need to do some more explaining than that because I don’t have a fucking clue as to what you're talking about Dumbass and what the HECK are you wearing!” Just then, Naomasa Tsukauchi walks in. “(Y/H/N)?” “It’s ok, Tsukauchi. You can call me by my real name here.” Bakugo and Kirishima are both staring at you in confusion. “Um (y/n)…why is the Commissioner here and why did he just call you (Y/H/N)?” “Because that’s my Hero name.” Bakugo and Kirishima are both staring at you with a look of confusion “WHAT THE FUCK?!!!”

[simplysedusa]

My PPG WIP as DBZA Quotes - Part 1

*Boomer and Butch break free of Him's hypnosis, only to be badly beaten by Him, and are laying on the ground unconscious*

Brick: MY BABY BROTHERS!

(Brick angrily charges at HIM)

The Powerpuff Girls: Brick, no!

Brick: BRICK, YESSSSSSS!

....

*Brick laying in an ocean, after sparring with Boomer who managed to kick him that far*

Brick: Huh, this is a new feeling: pride in someone else.

(Brick wipes his face and looks at the blood)

Brick: Unfortunately, it's overshadowed by all this UNYIELDING RAGE!

....

Professor Utonium, as Powerprof in a fight: Rocket Punch!

The Powerpuff Girls, internally: Wow, really?

The Rowdyruff Boys, internally: THAT IS SO COOL!

....

Ms. Keane: GET YOUR FLITHY HANDS OFF OF THEM, YOU DAMN DIRTY APE!

Giant Mojo Jojo: Oh, very creative. And what exactly will you do if I don't?

Ms. Keane: I'll make you regret it! Law of mass dictates that the mass of an object dramatically increases the force of impact when said object collides with the ground; and, with your size, you'll make an extensively large impact upon your inevitable defeat!

Mojo, The Rowdyruff Boys, The Powerpuff Girls, and the entire City of Townsville: What?

Ms. Keane: The bigger they are, the harder they fall!

....

Princess, while being carried by Blossom: Oh, well how nice of you to finally come and get me... Oh and leave me stranded all on my own to fend for myself! City's going to hell, I almost die, and I'M FREAKING THE FUCK OUT!

Blossom, calmly: Princess, how high would you have to fall from to hit terminal velocity?

Princess:

Blossom: I thought so.

....

Buttercup, about the villains who escaped: We don't need Blossom, Brick, or anyone else. We have enough badass on our team as it is! Now if you'll excuse me, you can all just sit on your hand while I go up there and take care of business.

Elmer: Or, maybe we can hide, sneak closer to them, survey the situation from up close and perhaps catch them by surprise?

Bubbles:

Buttercup:

Boomer:

Mitch:

Princess:

Robin:

Butch: ...y'all are bitches.

....

*Bubbles and Boomer are sparring*

Boomer, internally: Damn it, she's tough. I guess that's what I should expect from a Powerpuff Girl.

Bubbles, internally: 🎶 Baby shark do-do-do-do-do-do– 🎶

....

HIM, to Mojo Jojo, about the Rowdyruff Boys: They'll see their life long purpose of destroying the girls to the end, even if it kills them.

The Rowdyruff Boys: We quit.

HIM: I'LL KILL THEM!

Mojo Jojo: What did they say?

Brick: We quit.

Butch: I'm done.

Boomer: They win!

HIM and Mojo Jojo: EVERY WORD YOU SPOKE HAS MADE ME VIOLENTLY ANGRY!

HIM and Mojo Jojo: Oh look, now I'm agreeing with HIM/Mojo. LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!

[princess-of-the-corner]

the villain competency thing was something I was thinking about recently like. at least with Gabriel we have the whole kids vs adults, new generation vs old generation type thing and we didn't know much about him other than he was bad. additionally, since he was Adrien's dad, he had a control over him even without the sentinonsense. he posed a threat on both sides of the fight.

With Chloe and Lila, we were given them as civilians except they've made one so stupid that she's become an illiterate puppet scapegoat and the other can't even lie well without making other actually established smart people stupid enough to fall for it. And yeah they tossed in that bs with her fooling three separate adult women but like, idk i feel like that says more about them being incredibly negligent parents than it does about her cause is she just doing it for fun? what's that got to do with our heroes at this point in time? what's it show besides the fact that rather than making Lila actually great at manipulation you decide to show her manipulation by giving us scenes of something more "horrible" than her lying about knowing celebrities to a bunch of high school kids.

so if they decide to make this dumb blonde and plot armor liar our Big Villains from this point forward, they've got their work cut out for them. Like they're gonna keep retconning shit so it doesn't actually matter but if they cared at all about continuity then they can't make Lila the main lead villain without making her or the miraculous team look useless. If they're going with the callback to whatever scared her at the end of season 5 and have that help her be the main villain then damn she couldn't even do the evil shit herself huh? and if it's mainly just her and the akumas then high chance they'll toss in the heroes and have them be just as dumb as when they were around her at school. but then it'd be "why did Marinette give miraculouses to such pathetic heroes?" in the same vein of "wow the class was stupid enough to believe Lila's shitty lies" and it wouldn't even be their fault, it would be because they keep giving Lila plot armor. at the very least, the fact that Gabriel just kept doing the same thing over and over and kept losing was because that was established before they decided to be more story driven.

Chloe can't be smart. Austruc would absolutely refuse. so then you run into the same problem again except this villain is easy to beat and if you're all going against her at once then you're all the bullies at that point tbh. but also like, 18 vs 1?? gross. And she wouldn't even be a fun villain if she was stupid either. nowhere near Team Rocket levels of amusing cause at least they were their own characters. if they decide to make her a senti, it'll be bad either way cause they're def not gonna add any nuance to that. if they decide to make her good (highly highly highly doubt), it's going to be like those fics where Chloé has to go through so much shit as "punishment" that she's basically going deeper than the rock bottom of being literally abandoned by her dad and being abused by her mom that it's still a salt fic no matter how you spin what side she's on.

it's just like, the worst of characterizations of these characters and you picked every single bad story thread/end of each story arc of the past few seasons and it's a mess i don't have confidence in their writing to fix. but considering the writers' (specifically Austruc tbh) tendency to "we do what we want when we feel like we need to" attitudes to plot (side eyes that tweet about timeline) then highly doubt they'll even touch on old shit cause, as said by a different tweet, the Agreste Family Arc is over. they're def just gonna move on.

Yeah it's a mess

[speedfreak01]

now that you CLOWNS, you JOKERS have got me thinking about the tarn identity reveal, man that was a really shitty reveal huh

like first off, yet another james roberts villain who has a disability (the physical and social disability of empurata, as well as the pre-existing disability of tarn's transformation addiction, which we as an audience are meant to see as some sort of indicator of tarn's vice and indulgence) and becomes the joker, like there aren't already a hundred of those in the damn book

but it's also a really unsatisfying way to conclude the dying of the light arc because it doesn't have anything to say. i've mentioned this before in other posts, but the reason that so many plot twists and narrative beats from mtmte season 1 work is that they tie back to an over-arching motif of emotional honesty, of saying the things that are uncomfortable to say, answering or addressing that central theme in a way that encourages its audience to think more deeply about them, and facilitate character development along those lines.

but dying of the light? you can clearly, CLEARLY tell that jro was writing this just to get people to say OH MY GOD THAT WAS SO SHOCKING AND UNEXPECTED AND BRUTAL on twitter, so he could termsearch and lap up their reactions, so it's all shock and no substance. the scene where megatron kills tarn with his super special black hole piss beam or whatever implies that the theme we were supposed to be picking up on was "evil people dress their cruelty up in grand narratives to disguise and justify it, but evil is in reality banal", but nothing else in the story serves that theme whatsoever, because the story is at this point uninterested in exploring any sort of theming.

in fact, the supposed thesis of dying of the light is directly invalidated by megatron himself, who has consistently dressed his cruelty up in grand narratives to disguise and justify it without being challenged by the story, and indeed continues to do so throughout the rest of the comic's run, and we as an audience are supposed to just take him at his incredibly constructed and carefully-crafted word!

but also!!! also!!!!!! jro somehow managed to pick like the one character that would make the plot beat of "oh he's just some guy" fall the flattest. because glitch ISN'T just some guy!!!! we know him!!!! even just a little bit!!! but at the same time we don't know him enough for the revelation to have any kind of impact in the other direction

too known to be a nobody, too much of a nobody to be shocking, clearly just intended to be WOAH COMPLETELY OUT THERE AND LEFT-FIELD for the sake of ~subverting expectations~

absolute scenes. a complete omnishambles

[avionvadion]

Listen. The chapter isn't even done yet. I just started writing it. So dialogue may very well change. But damn was this an image my very soul needed me to draw.

Here's the snippet!

“Uh… I don’t… think they’re even in that kind of relationship to begin with…” That was a mental image Kagome definitely did not need. But, then again, Irene did seem to really like Sesshōmaru. Kagome couldn’t deny that. It was just Sesshōmaru himself that was the problem. “She likes him, but he’s… not the kind of person to fall for someone.” 

“But he sounds as if he’s head over heels for her.” Eri pointed out. “Forget whether or not he might be the head of a mafia group- if he saved her from being killed, then found her each time she was kidnapped, despite never going out of his way for anyone and despite being a total villain like you said, then clearly there’s something there. He has to feel something to let himself go out of his way for her. Right?” 

Kagome was stunned. “Uh… I mean… yeah. Yeah, you’re right.” 

Huh. 

Kagome picked up her soda and took another long sip, furrowing her brows as she thought about this. Could Sesshōmaru have feelings for Irene? 

Maybe. 

Guess I’ll find out the next time I see him.

If he truly went out of his way to rescue her from Naraku’s clutches, then Ayumi and Eri were right- something was there. If he went out of his way to use even the tenseiga which he hates so much to bring her back to life, then… Sesshōmaru truly cares for her. 

But Irene isn’t from the Feudal Era. She was just like Kagome, hailing from a time far in the future. After Anastasia is defeated… she’ll probably be separated from him. 

Kagome might not ever see Irene again, either. 

Not unless she finds me in her time, and that’s… 

That’s assuming Kagome doesn’t have to make a choice to stop traveling between eras herself. 

“I just hope we see her again soon.” She sighed, hanging her head dejectedly. “The last time anyone saw her was when Sesshōmaru saved her from her kidnappers. Since she left with him, no one’s seen her. He's the only one who could keep her alive at this point, but with how he is... who knows?” 

Yuka and Eri were utterly convinced now that this older brother of Kagome’s supposedly bad boy boyfriend was the leader of a criminal organization, and they could only imagine what it must have looked like as this “Sesshōmaru” rescued the young woman from her kidnappers, before stealing her away for himself so her life would no longer be threatened. Ayumi, on the other hand, was utterly enamored by the visual in her mind, giggling and smiling to herself as she imagined a dashing man in white bravely rescuing his lover. 

“Kagome…” The girl blinked and looked up, sweat beading nervously down her cheek when she saw the concerned stare Eri was giving her. 

Yuka frowned. “Tell us as soon as you find out what’s happened, okay? This sounds serious! He saved her from her kidnappers, just to kidnap her himself!? He’s worse than a psycho! He's... He's absolutely nuts!" 

“Total villain was right.” Eri huffed, referencing Kagome’s earlier description. “That poor woman deserves better than to be held hostage by the man she likes.”

Ayumi laughed and waved a hand at the two girls. “Aw, you guys are over thinking it! Isn’t it obvious what happened?”

Yuka, Eri, and Kagome all blinked, staring at the curly-haired, innocently smiling Ayumi. 

She held a finger up knowingly. “They eloped!” 

Kagome’s forehead never hit the tabletop so hard in her life. She all but shot up onto her feet, slamming her hands down on the wood as she shrieked, “They’re not together! Sesshōmaru would never love a human!”  

The original version, without the filters!

[epiclamer]

hi hello can i please request a drabble where villain and hero flirt with each other as a joke (not really) and then villain kisses heroes cheek and then flees and hero is completely shocked cause like. i like villain?? and they like me back??? anyways i love your writing and you dont have to do this request only if you want to!!! <333

Damn good stuff.

Untrusting

“Why are you here?”

Hero thought the answer was obvious, during their last so-called “fight” Villain had kissed them on the cheek before they fled. Causing a turmoil of long-suppressed emotions to resurge in Hero’s heart and they hardly wasted a second before tracking down the other.

“Why do you think?” Hero shifted their feet against the well groomed carpet beneath them, it felt wrong to have their shoes on such a lovely flooring, but they hadn’t exactly thought of that when they burst through Villains front door.

Villain wasn’t a trusting person, they had been betrayed far too many times to ever hold faith in another person ever again. They didn’t fall for the open bait Hero placed, they weren’t going to answer to the intruder. After all, this could be some ploy for their heart instead of a true confession.

“Look, Hero, if you’re here to humiliate me or degrade me or use me for information, it’s not going to work.” Villain paused, waiting for Hero to try some big speech and interrupt them, but they stayed perfectly still, panting a little from their obvious run to Villains base. “I like you, but I’m not that desperate, okay?”

It was true, Villain had been crushing on the hero for weeks if not months at a time. There was something in the hero’s kind demeanour and their carefree spirit that provoked a constant throbbing on Villains heart.

Hero took a deep breath, trying to steady their breathing as if their heart wasn’t beating out of their chest and into their eardrums. They needed to play their cards right and they couldn’t mess this up.

“I’m… I’m not going to do that.” Hero straightened themselves before continuing. “I’m not going to hurt you or use you or betray you in any way. I-I want you, Villain. I don’t want anyone else…”

Villain only raised their eyebrow, unconvinced with Hero’s statement.

“A-And I know, that there’s nothing I can do to make you believe that. There’s no words that can come out of my mouth that will automatically restore your faith in humanity and make you trust me to the utmost level.”

If the criminal wasn’t trying to play themselves cool they probably would’ve giggled at the ridiculousness of Hero’s speech. They were ultimately correct and it was funny how well Hero knew the villain.

“However! I would like you to trust me a-and I would like you to trust me as more than just a partner or a coworker, no, no, no…” If Hero didn’t know any better they’d believe that Villain was almost curious at this point.

“I would like you to trust me as a you would a lover.”

“I wouldn’t trust my lover.”

“Then a close friend?”

Villain finally laughed, “Worse.” and Hero seemed to relax a little at sensing the playful change in the atmosphere.

“Then I guess I’m shit out of luck, huh?” And the laughter came from both of them this time. Dying down to an anxious silence as the villain stepped forwards.

One hand outstretched towards the Hero’s, delicately taking Hero’s hand in there’s as Villain focused with a certain intensity to their eyes.

“Maybe we could work on that… together?”

The hero couldn’t have been happier.