#even in this department so like this department continues to be fucking useless

[ms-demeanor]

*screaming*

*continued screaming*

Okay. So. My introductory Visual C# class.

The professor for that class was Alice. Alice was the person who spoke in the introductory video and the person who we were supposed to email if we had any issues.

But all of the assignments, lectures, and quizzes were written and delivered by Bob. On the youtube channel "Bob's programming academy." The quizzes included Bob's name, like "if you do X will it return the string ProfessorBob, Professor, Bob, or Professor.Bob?"

This class was really frustrating for me because it was structured in such a way that you could easily pass the class with zero knowledge of the subject - it was totally based on quizzes that you could take an unlimited number of times and we *had* weekly programming assignments but they weren't graded so there was no incentive to do them (and look, if I wanted to teach myself programming with no incentives I could fail for several years to do that on my own, I don't need to pay fifty bucks a unit for that; the reason I am in a *class* and am not self-taught is because I need external motivation. That's why I sought out a class).

Also when there *was* a problem with an instruction that was unclear in one of the videos for the assignments, or if I thought I'd done something correctly that was very much incorrect, it wasn't Alice who had created the instructions, it was Bob - in 2017 no less - and I didn't really feel like I could ask Alice for help with an ungraded assignment that she hadn't written.

So. Now. My Python class.

Today is the first day of class. Professor is Charles.

I go to the mandatory attendance quiz and it is word-for-word the same mandatory attendance quiz as the C# class, down to the final question "what is your personal email address so I can keep in contact with you after the semester?"

I look at the syllabus.

Class grade is based on quizzes. We have assignments but none of them are graded. There's no textbook, just a series of videos from Professor Bob's Programming Academy.

So I'd been toying with staying at this school and trying to take more CS classes instead of going to another school, just to try to keep my records easier to manage, but since it seems like that *ENTIRE DEPARTMENT* is five Professor Bobs in a trenchcoat, I will probably be going somewhere else (and once again trying to force myself to do projects that I already know are *good for me to do* but *useless for the class and a massive time suck*)

I should drop this class. I should drop this class and apply for the other school so that I can start taking classes there in the spring because if I take this class and then go into the object oriented programming class in the spring and it's another professor bob sock puppet and I end up taking twelve units of programming classes where all I learn is how to google answers in a short time frame (something I already know how to do thanks) I am going to fucking lose it.

Also, again: I have a Bachelor's Degree. I spent five years at a community college when I was getting that degree. I took probably a dozen online classes starting in 2005 and going until 2011 in the process of getting that degree.

THIS bullshit, this "I'm your professor but actually I'm not and all the materials were created by someone else in the department or came directly from the textbook publisher and there is no writing and there are no assignments everything is multiple choice quizzes that are automatically graded" is *dogshit.*

This is NOT how online classes worked back in my day, not even online math classes, and as much as I know adjuncts are getting fucked over by academia in general, this isn't something that these professors should be getting paid as much as they are to do. Alice checked whether or not students turned in a hello world assignment and gave a pass/fail grades for three discussion boards that were responses to youtube videos. Nothing else in the class required her input. If this is the level of instruction that students are getting then the class is already automated and the students shouldn't have to pay for it.

This is crap. This is an incredible level of crap.

[slayfics]

Explosive Tendencies a slow burn fan fiction about the readers developing relationship with Katsuki Bakugo.

Chapter twelve: You make a plan to rescue Katsuki.

Chapter links

You lay in bed feeling numb. Nothing was more excruciating than just waiting around for news of the pros locating Katsuki. The villains had successfully kidnapped him and injured plenty of others.

You rustled around in bed unsuccessfully trying to get comfortable when your phone lit up with a message from Eijiro.

Meet me at the hospital. I have something I want to talk to the class about.

You left right away glad for a distraction to pull you out of your relentless rumination. You couldn't help but wonder if things would have been different if you tried harder to convince Eijiro that day to escape the classroom with you and help Katsuki.

Eijiro had let you know to meet the rest of the class in Izuku's room in the hospital. When you arrived almost the whole class was there.

Eijiro had begun to tell the class about the conversation he and Shoto heard Momo have with All Might. She had placed a tracker on one of the villains. Eijiro's idea was for Momo to make another tracking device so the class could follow it to find the villains and Katsuki.

The class erupted with conflicting opinions. Tenya instantly shot down Eijiro's idea, scolding him for even thinking about it.

"This is a matter for the pros! This is not a situation for students like us to be meddling!" Tenya yelled to Eijiro.

"Damn it man I know that already! But still hearing that our friend was being targeted and I couldn't do anything! I didn't do anything!" Eijiro yelled the frustration clear on his face.

You hadn't realized he was regretting not going after Katsuki just as much as you were.

Arguing ensued until the class was kicked out into the hallway so the doctor could tend to Izuku. You stood in the hall as your classmates continued to argue about the plan. You couldn't help but feel this plan was what you had been waiting for. It felt like a sliver of hope in the uselessness you had been feeling since the trip.

You felt your anger begin to rise any time a classmate gave another excuse about why you shouldn't go. You couldn't help but wonder if someone else had been kidnapped would the conversation have been different? Would everyone agree and rush to the rescue if it had been another classmate?

Everyone but Eijiro had made it clear they held disdain for Katsuki's temperament. It felt like it was you and Eijiro arguing your side against the whole class.

"I don't know- think about it guys, is that really what Bakugo would want?" Ochaco asked.

You finally felt yourself snap, "How the fuck would you know what Bakugo wants? Why don't you all grow some balls and just say you don't care about him! If this was Deku instead would you really be saying that right now Uraraka?" You said stepping closer to Ochaco.

Your classmate's eyes widened with shock and confusion at your sudden intensity.

"This isn't a time to turn on each other," Todoroki said as Eijiro made a move to pull you back from Ochaco. "Those of us that want to go, meet outside the hospital later tonight, ok?" He spoke ending the argument between the class.

Your classmates began to disperse from one another making their way back home. You felt the tension in your body ease up at hearing Shoto was in agreement with searching for Katsuki.

The three of you stood outside the hospital.

"Let's get whatever we need for tonight and meet back up here in a few hours. Sound good?" Eijiro said.

"See you both back here later then," Shoto said and departed.

"Kirishima, did Yaoyorozu really say she was up for your plan?"

"Well not exactly, she said she would think about it... but if there's a chance we have to take it right !? I know you understand."

"Of course, without a second thought. I can't rest at all thinking about what Bakugo might be going through right now," You replied.

"Yeah... I uh- I'm really sorry I talked you out of your plan trying to get us both past Vlad... maybe if we had-" Eijiro began to say.

"Don't. Don't think about it anymore, Kirishima. We're doing what we can now, that's what matters," You replied.

"Yeah! right!" He said, shaking his head a bit trying to stay focused.

"I'll see you back here soon ok? I don't care what those others have to say. If it ends up being just you and me then fine we'll do what we have to."

Eijiro nodded in agreement, "I uh- can't help but wonder about what you said back there. If it was someone else that had been captured instead of Bakugo... Would they still react the same? I suppose it doesn't matter, what I do know is you and I see him as a friend, so I agree! Even if it's just you and me we will go! See you then!" Eijiro waved and made his way off.

Tags: @anon-mouse223 @unofficialmuilover @maddietries @sikuthealien @queenpiranhadon @melrs21 @poemzcheng @kazuumii @bakunianadecorazon @ur-crusty-uncle

[rayshippouuchiha]

TBH the lack of Real Respect Tsuna and Skull both get makes me wanna see ‘em just… Vanish. They aren’t hurt, or in trouble, but they both end up tired as hell and want like. One (1) year to themselves, without being called shit like useless or lackey or weak. So they fuck off and onto some whimsical journey across the world, probably running into the fair folk or some shit (because Tsuna’s Super Anxiety would make him a damn hard target for them, and I feel like they’d just Vibe with Skull. Immortal and all that).

Meanwhile, everyone back in Namimori is losing. their. shit. Trying to find their two dumbasses, flipping every damn stone over because they’ve Clearly been kidnapped. No One notices the note Tsuna and Skull left, because Skull still isn’t the best at writing and Tsuna’s Super Anxiety kicked in and said that if he wrote it he’d never get his goddamn vacation.

To clarify, this is meant to be (mostly) humorous, but I’m curious to see where you’d go with an idea like this. I just want Skull and Tsuna to travel the world together TBH. Feel like they’d make good brothers.

Oh oh yes. Obviously there'll be humor but, well, it's me and we all know how these things eat my brain and I have to give them some bite so:

Skull isn't really one of Arcobaleno that Tsuna generally spends much time with.

When it comes to the Strongest, the ones Tsuna's found himself spending the most time with has always been Reborn and, surprisingly enough, Fon.

Reborn is around more often than not, content to keep torturing Tsuna even if his official title has shifted from Demon Tutor to Demon Tutor/Advisor.

And Fon's tendency to stop by frequently can be chalked up to I-pin and the fact that, for some reason, the Storm seems to be under the impression that hanging around Tsuna will, somehow, help him grow closer to Hibari.

Which is something that doesn't really make much sense to Tsuna. Even after years of being dragged into and out of various ridiculous shenanigans together, and despite recent Hibari's tendency to commandeer Tsuna's bed or floor or balcony at random times to nap, Tsuna's still not convinced that Hibari actually remembers he exists whenever they're not in the same room together.

And sometimes not even then.

A part of Tsuna also suspects that the "Small Animal" title he carries now might just be Hibari's way of getting around the fact that he doesn't remember Tsuna's actual name anymore.

It is, much like most everything else involving Hibari and Tsuna's thoughts about him, confusing and difficult for Tsuna to make up his mind about.

So, besides Reborn's continued sadism and Fon regularly attempting to use Tsuna as some kind of emotional Switzerland and/or human sacrifice to Hibari, Tsuna tends to see the other Arcobaleno on a bit of a floating schedule.

Viper, as Reborn has taken to insisting everyone outside of the Varia call the Mist, tends to blip in and out every once in a while. Often bringing news from Xanxus and leaving with anything strawberry flavored in Tsuna's house and whatever money he might have in his wallet at the moment.

Lal Mirch and Colonello tend to arrive and depart together, attached at the hip now no matter how much they bicker.

Verde's version of checking in seems to come in the form of sending whatever new robot or nightmare construct he's thought of to attack Tsuna and "gather data".

But Skull?

Tsuna rarely sees Skull.

The Cloud floats in and out of town only rarely and never stays longer than absolutely necessary. Often times he's gone within the hour.

Which is, in Tsuna's opinion, actually kind of a shame.

Because the thing is, Tsuna actually likes Skull.

Oh, he hadn't a few years ago when they'd first come across each other.

No back then Tsuna had hated each new and increasingly ridiculous trap/trick/shenanigan and situation Reborn had managed to push him into.

Skull had just been another irritation on a rapidly increasing list of things Tsuna hadn't wanted to deal with.

But ,,,

Well, it hadn't taken Tsuna long to realize that Skull and he were much more alike than he'd ever thought possible back at the beginning.

And now, with a few years of Reborn and this mafia headache under his belt?

Now Skull's someone that Tsuna wouldn't actually mind seeing more of.

Even though he knows it's not likely to happen.

Mainly because Tsuna's not actually a complete idiot no matter what some people still seem to think.

Tsuna's seen enough interactions between Reborn and Skull to have a pretty good idea about where some of the chips in that relationship fall.

Plus Hyper Intuition is helpful for more than just life-or-death battles these days even if Tsuna's not made that fact as openly obvious as he might once have.

It's yet another area in which Tsuna's found he can sympathize with Skull.

Because Tsuna also has a hyper-violent sadist he half wishes he could care less about sometimes.

Which is why Tsuna's so surprised to see a familiar pair of leather-clad legs dangling over the edge of the roof when he steps out onto his balcony, desperate to escape the screaming and general chaos that has once again taken over his house.

Tsuna goes to call out only for that familiar flare of warning heat to snap his mouth closed.

Instead Tsuna does something that he wouldn't have been able to a few short years ago.

He reaches up, grabs the edge of his roof in one hand, and pulls himself up onto the tiles above him.

When he's kneeling on the roof a few seconds later Tsuna finds himself glad that he didn't make too much noise, glad that he didn't draw any attention to Skull.

Because Skull's currently laid out on Tsuna's roof, legs dangling over the side but arms pillowed behind his head, helmet settled at his hip and eyes trained on the night sky and face almost eerily blank.

It is, Tsuna can't help but think, the quietest he's ever seen Skull.

It's honestly a little unsettling.

But, worst of all somehow in Tsuna's opinion, is the fact that Skull looks ,,, tired.

He doesn't even bother to greet Tsuna beyond flicking those vibrant violet eyes in his direction before going back to his star gazing.

To Tsuna, Skull has never looked more like everything he was taught a Cloud is supposed to be than in this moment.

Cold.

Illusive.

Bound to drift away.

The thought sends a shiver of premonition down Tsuna's spine.

Tsuna finds himself laying down on the roof beside him, legs dangling over the edge and arms folded behind his head.

Their elbows are just barely brushing.

And all the while a flickering whisper in the back of Tsuna's mind sings.

"I'm tired," Tsuna finds himself saying some silent drawn-out minutes later.

A beat of silence.

"Yeah," Skull sighs, voice lower and smoother than Tsuna has ever heard it before, "me too."

"I," Tsuna pauses, swallows, feels his Intuition surge and sharpen, "I love my friends and I know they care too but sometimes I just ,,,"

Tsuna trails off because he knows that Skull understands without him ever having to finish.

"Wish you could go to sleep and wake up on the opposite end of the world so that maybe you could get some rest and peace before they inevitably find you again?" Skull offers.

"Yes," The answer practically bursts out of Tsuna.

Another beat of silence.

"I've got an airship," Skull announces.

Tsuna hears it for the offer it is.

"They'd find us," Tsuna points out softly, twisting just a bit so he's looking Skull in the face. "They'd hunt us down and drag us both back."

The smirk Skull sends him in return is far darker and slyer than any expression Tsuna's ever seen on his face before.

"Oh, malysh nebo," Skull practically purrs, "they could certainly try."

[seireitonin]

Some Jane hcs?

🖤Yes :3 luv her 🖤 (will be going off Jane R, the canon one not Jane A. I love the lesbian representation Jane R is! :) Also some of these are gonna be canon)

Jane was a woman with a normal life

The two suburban parents, normal school life, normal love life

Just normal and happy

Her and Mary met in high school

Mary was a cheerleader and Jane being her best friend at the time watched and supported her

Jane didn’t realize she was a lesbian till she saw Mary with a boyfriend in high school and got extremely jealous and didn’t understand why

And Jane never liked a boy before but she knew she felt something for Mary

When Mary and her boyfriend broke up Jane and her cuddled as Jane comforted her and they shared their first kiss

They stayed together ever since then

Even though it was the 90s/ 2000s when they started dating most people accepted them

Jane’s parents included

They got married as soon as they were able to

Jane’s normal life continued with Mary until her parents were killed by an at the time 19 year old Jeff

Jane was absolutely devastated and wracked with grief

She stayed in bed not moving for months

Some days she just cried and screamed and nothing else

She also got paranoid

What if he tried to hurt Mary next?

How could Jane let that happen?

She couldn’t

So she did research on Jeff like crazy

It was really unhealthy

Also took self defense classes and made Mary take some too

But with all Jane read about this guy, she knew that still wouldn’t be enough

She wanted to avenge her parents, the police were useless in helping

She wanted to protect Mary, Jane can’t bare to loose the love of her life

So what’s the answer to those problems?

Take a risky government observed and produced experimental drug called Liquid Hate of course!

She went into the facility blank faced, telling them they could experiment on her

Inject her with as much as they needed

Make her stronger and she would do anything for them

She was willing to throw away her old life completely for revenge

Jane didn’t care. In her mind any chance she had at a “normal life” died with her parents

She would be too afraid, too full of grief and pain and paranoia to live a normal life and move on

So she would become a weapon to protect the one person that matters to her. Mary.

It’s all she could do

And that’s exactly what happened

Her transformation was slow and painful

Pre transition she had dark hazel eyes and really dark brown hair

Now she has all black eyes and lips, pale skin and black hair

When she was injected with it it’s like all her anger came out full force for 2 minutes and she lost all control of herself

She destroyed everything in the room, lashed out at the scientists, injuring a lot of them

They had to sedate her and strap her down

When she came to, she apologized and is more or less acts like her normal self

She looked in the mirror

Her old life was truly gone

They told Jane all about her new powers which include

Enhanced strength and speed, vocal mimicking, shape shifting, healing, regeneration and regeneration of limbs, drug and alcohol tolerance and almost infinite stamina (this is canon btw)

Jane was now an assassin for the CIA and FBIs Justice Department (also canon)

And she didn’t even tell Mary

Jane went home and Mary screamed until Jane calmed her down

“Mary, it’s me! I-“

“What the fuck did you do?!”

“What I had to do to keep you safe.”

“And that is?!”

Jane explained everything

“What…how…you…”

“I know it’s jarring okay? But it’s still…me. I understand if you can’t love me because I look like this. I understand if you want to go. But just know I truly did do this for you and for myself. I have to protect you and avenge my parents.”

“You are so impulsive and stupid! But you’re still as beautiful as ever. You know I’m never going anywhere.”

They shared a kiss in the kitchen

Jane was so lucky to have Mary

Jane takes out any criminal asked of her and ones not asked of her too

Rapists, serial killers, p3d0s, abusers

Anyone that society doesn’t need

But her ultimate goal is to kill the man that killed her parents

Jeff the killer

She won’t stop until that happens

Jane doesn’t kill or hurt innocent people

She wouldn’t dream of it

Why be like the man she hates?

Jane’s actually really nice despite everything

She can be very sarcastic and snarky too though but can you blame her?

She’s still violent towards criminals though

Like extremely violent

They remind her of Jeff and she calls it “practice” for when she finally gets her hands on him

His death will be slow and painful

Jane has a sister and other surviving family members that she hasn’t seen in a while (how could she even begin to explain her life now)

Jane is 38 years old

Born September 1st 1985

Jane is Wasian (white and Asian, Japanese specifically) but looks more Japanese

She kinda looks like a type of vengeful Japanese spirit called the Onryō and has come to like it

people think she is one sometimes

Especially when she makes weird ass noises to freak out her victims/ mess with them

Jane really relates to Onryō due to the stuff that happened in her life

Her mother would often tell her stories about the Onryō especially around Halloween

Jane finds it ironic that she kinda looks like one with her pale skin, tall stature and long black hair

Especially when she wears white since Onryō are often depicted in white burial kimonos

She especially feels like one when she comes out of the darkness, quietly and slowly as if she’s floating her black eyes looking at her victim through the dark

She specifically relates to some parts of the story of Lady Owia. A man ruining Jane’s life, “killing” her old self and the life she knew, making her a vengeful person and leaving her “disfigured” and looking like an Onryō

Sometimes she still gets upset and will scream and cry at night in the middle of nowhere, making her look and sound like a spirit in pain

Despite the fact she’s still alive she sometimes feels like she died with her parents

Maybe she is just an Onryō in a humans body

She can speak fluent Japanese thanks to her mom

Jane understands Kagekao fully

Both of them being gay Japanese people who have pale skin and are good fighters is really coincidental

Kagekao thought Jane was a spirit or something supernatural due to the grief and vengeance coming off her

But to his disappointment she’s just a cool looking human

Jane really doesn’t like him

He’s a serial killer who kills people for shits and giggles like Jeff and she can’t stand that

Jane knows he’s a demon because he told her and Kagekao thought Jane wouldn’t understand him

They both also have voice mimicking powers and they use it against each other all the time

Jane is jealous of his parkour skills though, she wants to get better at it

When Jane is in a violent mood or in a fight black veins will appear all over her body, but it’s most noticeable oh her face and especially on her temples and forehead leading into her eyes as the veins pump and bulge with blood. Very unsettling to look at.

Jane is usually 5’10 but if she wants to look more intimidating in a fight she will make herself taller like 6’3-6’5

Jane is romantic/ trad goth and listens to the music since she was born in the 80s and grew up in the 90s it’s nostalgic for her

Jane wears black everyday because she thinks all other colors look bad on her

She wears white to sleep though

Jane’s eyes are pitch black so you have no idea where she’s looking or what she’s looking at

It’s kinda scary when she looks at you especially if it’s dark

But she’s pretty so it’s okay

Loves Japanese comfort foods and will cook them a lot like really good ramen, mochi ice cream, udon, kastu curry, tempura and hot pot

It reminds her of her mom

Jane’s kinda happy that she has long shiny black hair like her mom now

If you were ever gonna run into a Creepypasta and live, Jane’s definitely your best bet

Likes to shapeshift to look normal to take Mary on dates

Wears black dresses when she’s not fighting but when she is, jeans and a sweater all black of course

Sounds like Amy Lee from Evanescence when she sings

A smooth soothing voice when she talks

Lived with Mary in their home till she got roped in with all the other pastas (but that’s a completely different hc list completely)

Since Jane works for the government she’s rich. Like really rich

So she’s always clean and put together

Can walk in heels like a pro

Jane’s a queen and I love her

This isn’t proofread I made this at 3 am sorry lol

[ragingbookdragon]

Shadow & Light

Simon "Ghost" Riley X M!Reader

Word Count: 1.6K Warnings: Explicit Language

Author's Note: Hi, I saw someone in a search somewhere say there wasn't enough Ghost x M!Readers so I will remedy it <3 -Thorne

**********************************************************************

Ghost couldn’t really call him a kid. Hell, he was only a few years younger than Soap was. But he was the newbie on the 141 and hadn’t seen a day of fighting in his life. Wet around the ears with nothing commendable in his file but a college degree and a few years working at a police department where Ghost suspected he was the janitor and not an officer. Ghost had no clue in hell why Price even got him selected for the team. He wasn’t even special forces of any kind. Just a seemingly plain human being. Cowardly too, he’d concluded. Ghost had watched Soap do training exercises with him just to see how decent he was, and the entire time they were in the ring, the newbie evaded every hit and never once struck out. The newbie couldn’t even fucking fire a gun correctly without shaking. Ghost and Soap had ultimately decided if there was ever a chance that would bring the newbie to battle with them, they’d die if their lives were in his hands.

How wrong he’d been.

It had only taken a week of running the newbie ragged before Ghost took the issue to Price; the Captain didn’t even look up when he barged into his office and, “The kid’s gotta go.”

“Why’s that?” Price asked, lifting the coffee cup to his lips, acting as if he had no idea why Ghost was pissed.

“He’s shit at fighting. He’s a liability. We’re fucked if he’s ever on the mission with us.”

He nodded in agreement. “True statements. He has no self-defense skills besides basic training and is potentially a liability.”

“Then why? If the 141 is made up of the best of the best, why is some fresh newbie here with us?”

Price looked at him. “Have you even sat down and talked to him? And I mean talk, not as Ghost, but as Simon. One human to another?”

“No.”

“Might I suggest trying that route?”

“He’s useless, Price.”

“To you. But you haven’t seen his abilities yet.”

“Like what?” Ghost scoffed. “Being a complete moronic coward?”

Price grinned and waved him off. “You’re dismissed Lieutenant.”

Ghost wanted to argue but his Captain’s voice booked no room for arguments, and he grunted, turning on his heel and slamming the door behind him.

***

Ghost avoided the newbie like a plague. Let Soap and Gaz deal with him whenever he had questions or training. He was going to stand his ground on the issue, and he knew Price was going to agree and let the newbie go at some point, but for some god forsaken reason the kid stuck around despite it all.

He watched though. And he had to admit, what he lacked in ability and skill, he made up for in personality. Everyone liked him. He smiled and laughed and joked and brought a brightness to the team that Ghost hadn’t seen in quite some time. The 141 was men and women whose friendships were forged in battle and yet this kid, this useless newbie, brought out a light in their darkness. Ghost didn’t trust him, but he did respect him for it. He'd managed to get himself stuck on weapons cleaning with him though.

***

“Thanks for volunteering to help me clean equipment, Lieutenant,” the newbie said, dragging an oiled rag over the gun. “It would’ve taken me forever to clean all this by myself.”

Ghost’s hands had frozen on the knife he’d been sharpening, eyes narrowing as he connected the dots of the sudden shift in rotation of cleaning duty. Price. He thought and glared at the blade as he continued to sharpen.

“Sir, can I ask you a few questions? Nothing personal, of course, just…some things I’ve been wondering.”

Ghost grunted.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He racked the pistol a few times with a practiced ease, something that caught Ghost’s attention as he put the gun back together and disassembled the next with expert hands. “You don’t talk much. Not super friendly either. Then again, I understand the necessity of arm’s length in a job like this.” He started oiling the rag. “Why don’t you talk?”

Ghost saw his reflection in the silver of the knife. “If there’s nothing to say, why speak?”

“Hmm…you speak when you need to, quiet all else.” He continued wiping the gun down. “You remind me of my father. A man of many deeds, but few words.”

Ghost had watched him rack the gun again and put it together before starting on the third and that’s when he decided to ask, “How do you know how to clean weapons?”

The newbie looked up, eyes wide. “Huh?”

“You can’t shoot for shit, yet you can take apart and put together a gun in less than a minute.” Ghost carefully adjusted the knife in his grip, the motion not going unnoticed by either, especially when the newbie’s eyes flickered down and back up. “One chance,” was all he warned.

“Well done, Simon,” he chuckled, setting the gun down before reclining in his chair, hands behind his head as he leaned back. “It’s only taken you two months to figure out.”

Ghost watched him, eyes narrowed carefully.

“Name’s Renegade, at least that’s what the CIA calls me when they need me.” He seemed extremely nonchalant about admitting he was a spy. “Laswell’s my aunt. Adopted aunt of course, but still family. When I was looking for a transfer, she offered the 141 as a new station.”

“Why?”

“Why not?” he replied. “I’m counterterrorism, Simon. I hide away in secret places, slowly picking at regimes for information until I can stand back and watch them crumble internally. This little group seems like the perfect place to hide and run around with.”

“You’re a rat.”

He shrugged. “Perhaps. But I’m a well-paid rat who sleeps at night knowing he does what he’s supposed to.”

“How many innocents has your intelligence killed?” Ghost questioned and Renegade gave him a look.

“Probably as many as your hands have.” He waved a hand. “I’m not here to be liked Simon, and believe me, it’s obvious you don’t like me. You act like a constipated teenager the way you ignore me. Almost as if you like me.” Standing, he didn’t even flinch as Ghost did too. “But I am here as a counterintelligence officer under Laswell and Price, so you’ll just have to deal with it.” Ghost stood in his way of the door, and he simply tilted his head in exasperation. “Really? You’re gonna threaten me?”

“Oh no,” Ghost warned. “I don’t make threats.” He raised the knife, pointing it to Renegade’s throat. “I’m watching you.”

Renegade stepped closer until the knife dug into his skin and he flirted, “Oh, Simon, you can do more than watch. My door’s always open.” Winking, he bypassed Ghost and walked out of the door and Ghost threw the knife after him, planting it in the wall. “Missed me~”

***

The door slamming open startled both and Ghost griped, “You did not tell me he was fucking CIA.” His eyes found Laswell’s and he pointed at her. “He’s your fucking nephew, isn’t he?”

“What’s he done now?” Laswell sighed.

Ghost scoffed, throwing his hands in the air as he looked at the two of them. “You brought more CIA into the 141? Are you out of your fucking minds? He cannot be trusted.”

“Why’s that?” Price asked.

“Because there isn’t anything stopping the CIA from going rogue and doing fuck knows what because they feel like it. What if an offer of enemy secrets comes up in exchange for one of us? You really think he wouldn’t take it?” he glared at Price. “Really?”

Laswell sat up. “Renegade’s not a traitor, Lieutenant.”

“Right, as if the CIA isn’t a giant fucking organization built on traitors.”

By this time, Renegade had wandered up behind him. “No, Simon’s got a point. The CIA is notorious for having traitors in their ranks.” The three jumped as Renegade stepped inside and handed Laswell a file. “I don’t think your Lieutenant likes me much, Captain Price.”

“No shit,” he retorted and looked at the two of them, one glowering, the other a flirtatious smirk on his face. “Both of you, get out. Go sort this out somewhere I’m not. Simon, he’s here to stay. Renegade, if you lie to us or turn, I’ll pull your heart out your ass myself.”

“Duly noted,” Renegade commended.

“But Cap—”

“Go.”

***

Ghost stomped down the hallway with Renegade on his heels, and he could fucking feel the smirk on the spy’s face as he strode. “You really don’t like CIA, do you, Simon?”

He spun, backing Renegade up a wall as he growled, “Do not call me Simon.”

“Everyone else knows your name, Simon. It’s no secret.”

“My friends, know my name. You don’t know me.”

“I know everything about you,” he replied with a secretive smile. “I could probably tell you more about yourself than you even know.”

“You’re barking up the wrong fucking tree,” Ghost warned, slate eyes narrowed in coldness.

“Oh, I don’t bark,” Renegade countered. “Barking is for dogs who want attention. I bite. Much like you do.” He tipped his head to the side. “You’re like Batman, Ghost. Thriving off the fear of your prey. If they’re terrified of the shadows, you have the upper hand, but I am your Hal Jordan, Simon Riley. I am the man without fear, and I am not scared of you.”

Ghost glared at him, then the anger left his eyes, replaced by a stony indifference as he stood up straight; without a second glance, he left Renegade leaning against the wall, the spy’s words replaying in his head over and over and over again.

Oh ho, how wrong he’d been.

[coldflasher]

re. the CCPD's extreme ethical violations... instead of the shitty forces plotline in season 7, the "villain" should have been someone from the ethics committee or even just a random cop with an actual moral compass who finds out barry is the flash during the meta-of-the-week shenanigans and instead of being like "wow, allen, ngl i used to think you were a useless lab rat, but now i know you're a secret lawbreaking vigilante i have decided i respect you! please carry on and continue to jeopardize every criminal conviction we've made as a department for the past 6 years, which would almost certainly be overturned if anyone found out about this", they're like "what the fuck??? you mean you've been doing this for SIX YEARS and EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT IT, INCLUDING THE CAPTAIN OF YOUR PRECINCT (WHO IS BOTH YOUR FOSTER FATHER AND YOUR FATHER-IN-LAW), AND THE LITERAL CHIEF OF POLICE??" and then they make it their life's mission to ensure that everyone who was culpable in this insane breach of ethics is fired. this could have been kramer but she ended up being a flash ally in the end, smh kramer

to be fair, this actually works quite well in terms of fixing their ill-advised departure from the meta-of-the-week format, because the natural conclusion is that everyone who was convicted based on evidence from one of barry's testimonies or any case he worked on would almost certainly be released or at the very least would have strong grounds for a retrial. so we could just bring back every meta barry has ever faced in the past who has now been released from iron heights... not sure what barry would do with them now though considering his police connections have been cut off so good luck transferring them to iron heights... also his identity would probably be revealed as part of this whole mess so that'd also be a whole disaster. then someone notices that the central city citizen is the ONLY paper in the city that hasn't splashed barry and joe's guilty faces all over the front page like "CSI AND DETECTIVE ACCUSED OF EVIDENCE TAMPERING" and does a cursory google and finds out the editor of CCC is married to said evidence-tampering CSI and the daughter of said detective and that's a whole NEW can of worms. they call cecile and she's like oh i'd love to be your attorney! unfortunately i have also been fired for my own culpability in your crimes. whatever poor public defender is assigned to deal with this shitshow is gonna have a field day

[scribhneoirtuirseach]

(in which both Ladybug and Tangerine… propose?)

Of Fruits and Insects (3/?)

featuring: Tangerine, Ladybug, and a very drunk Lemon

wordcount: 552

my other BT fics!

Months pass and both twins forget their deal; Tangerine opting to pretend it never happened in the first place and Lemon quietly confident that with both his brother and Ladybug's luck combined, their paths would end up crossing again.

When they find themselves in Heidelberg drinking to the success of their latest mission, Tangerine's first back since recovering, it's a thought far from their minds.

Until Tangerine returns from the restroom to find Lemon hanging off of Black-Framed Glasses himself, practically roaring in his face.

"— AND HE'S BEING A VERY USELESS TRAIN ABOUT IT ALL."

"Yeah?"

"Fuckin'— Yes, don't interrupt me, and you need to—"

Tangerine steps in, swiftly dragging Lemon off to instead toss him over to the couch they'd been sharing before he left. Talk about useless trains, he's a fucking embarrassing train!

"Sorry about the lightweight, mate…"

"Don't even think about it."

There's a moment of silence, Ladybug staring intently while Tangerine attempts to find literallt anything of interest to look at. Peeling pub wallpaper, wood floorboard sticky with old spilled alcohol, his brother… already asleep.

"Did you give him—"

"Just a pinch of it, thought he needed the rest. He been taking good care of you?" Ladybug asks, gesturing towards the bar. "Didn't think you'd still be able to talk, I'm impressed."

Tangerine shouldn't feel so proud of that, but he holds his head a little higher on the way to a stool.

"It'll take more than one bullet to shut me up for goos. And yeah, he's been a star."

He makes himself comfortable, and Ladybug sets down his card. Must be paying out of guilt, Tangerine decides. It's the only thing that makes sense.

"What are you doing here anyway? Another job?" "Nah, taking a break. Considering dropping it all together, honestly, packing in."

Tangerine bristles. "That's dumb as fuck."

Both he and Ladybug some equally surprised by that kneejerk reaction while their drinks are served.

"I mean," Tangerine restarts, taking a sip to stall. What does he mean? "Think you're just in the wrong… department. Snatch n' grabs are fine, but you'd make the big bucks in assassination, the way things happen around you."

Ladybug doesn't seem entirely convinced, tracing the rim of his glass and seemingly unaware of his companion watching like a hawk.

"I don't want that crap to happen, y'know? But when life gives you tangerines—" "Lemons," the Brit corrects, "You're shit at phrases, mate."

Ladybug shifts, clearing his throat. "Right. Anyway, it is almost a waste for all that to happen over objects. Kind of like… How Jesus died for our sins, so might as well go all out or he died for nothing?"

Tangerine chuckles, properly chuckles, as he glances away in an attempt to hide a smile. "Not religious, but I don't think that's meant to be the take away."

"Mm, fair."

They fall into an easy quiet as they continue to drink, both deep in thought, and both happening to decide to pipe up at the same time.

"Don't suppose you have an extra spot?" "Could always take you under our wing?"

Seems that's decided, they're on the same page about one thing at least. Tangerine raises his glasses, and Ladybug clinks his own against it.

"You're breaking the news to my handler, though." "Slimy bastard, Ladybug."

[mayasdeluca]

Literally all maya did was use a different vehicle to transport a patient on the brink of death to the hospital. I get that she went against her chiefs orders but how many times have we seen others do that? Theo running his mouth to beckett infront of everyone, andy disobeying orders in that car wash, obviously the mutiny, the sullivan situation, ben climbing down a cliff, the jack and Rigo situation, Beckett's constant incompetence and literally was proved he was drunk on the job yet got a second chance and was still fucking useless. Maya...no investigation, had to wait over a YEAR for a hearing finally got it wasnt even done in a professional way and was made to clean while ross just called her insubordinate then promoted the guy she was sleeping with. Then instructed her boss to BULLY her until she had a mental breakdown and didnt even bother to check in or even acknowledge that she had to have mandated therapy from the department

Exactly...it's so frustrating because other characters have done similar things if not worse and they don't get held accountable and that's what makes it worse. If they really had to pick something to punish Maya for in order to demote her because she was never going to be permanent captain, then at least make it something more believable than punishing her for saving a child's life. Like really?? It just didn't make sense. And it's just annoying because you knew they were going to have to do something because it was never going to be her job permanently no matter how good she was at it, which is why it's annoying that they didn't just promote her and let her continue her track instead of now demoting her so that Andy can be captain and now how is Maya ever supposed to move up the ranks unless she transfers? They've made her stuck for no good reason and it's unfair to her character. I know there needs to be drama so it wasn't going to be perfect but there were other ways to go about it. I still think it would've been so interesting to see what she would've done as captain if Carina was the one in danger on a call.

[squirrelsinthebelfry]

Bobbin and Squirrel - Making our life fit us by rejecting the dominant culture rather than continuing the fruitless attempt to make ourselves fit into a box that was never meant for us.

***

So, I've always been a pathological rule follower. I never put a lot of thought into it, to be honest. It never had much to do with wanting to be a moral or just person, but rather it just helped me take some of the guesswork out of figuring out how to fit in amongst the humans. I had a strong belief in "The System", and thought that my seeming inability to really find my feet as a grown-up was a serious character flaw on my part. I've tried so hard to be a good and conscientious worker and citizen, and always did very well at work because of my strict adherence to rules and processes. My companies always quickly decided, incorrectly, that my positive qualities would make me a good manager, and that's where everything always goes tits-up. I am good at working, but I'm not a leader. I know this, but because I was always so keen on being an adult "correctly", I believed that it was incorrect to ever turn down an opportunity... Then I burn-out from the stress and end up burning my life down in the process.

The last time I burned my life down, it was epic. It started in early 2014 - I was a department manager in a large warehouse for a major multinational telecom company, and not only being eaten alive by the stress of that job, but also simultaneously going through something else traumatic that I'll probably talk about later - and by mid-2015 I was fresh off a suicide attempt and yet another majorly traumatic event, homeless, and sleeping on my sister's couch.

Canada's "Social Safety Net" that I had previously had so much faith in, simply told me to go fuck myself and kicked me into the gutter. Apparently it's more cost effective to let me fall homeless without any resources for dealing with my trauma and burn-out, than to help me recover and get me back into the workforce? Not very smart, Canada. My fear of becoming homeless kept me slaving away as a Conscientious Employee, pouring profits into the hands of lazy, useless overlords who don't actually do anything other than own capital, in exchange for a tiny pittance that was just enough to afford to be able to keep working and nothing else. Now, I've been without full-time employment or housing for so long, and spent the last two-plus years living in my car with my mister, that I've learned not only to no longer be afraid of homelessness, but that homelessness is closer to freedom than being tied to rent or mortgage payments ever could be. I have learned to despise government, and that grassroots organization is going to be key in overthrowing the dominant culture of this shit-eating rock.

I hope I live long enough to see that, but in the meantime we're focusing on getting the clunky old car ready to sell and looking at listings for vans in our low price range.

We're currently staying at my sister's house which I call either The Manor or Demon Manor. This is a temporary stopover that we are now having some difficulty leaping from because my elderly parents are living here, too, and they keep trying to convince me not to go back to living in the car. I hate it here, though. My sister used to be such a reasonable person, but she's gotten mean and weirdly conservative in the last few years, and coupled with the passive aggressive way she communicates her displeasure about whatever she's displeased about, her home has become an unbearably toxic environment. Even my poor old parents feel like they've been bullied into a corner and just spend their time hiding their heads.

Anyway. Wish us luck!

[faeriesthrall]

i have cried at work 2 days in a row this week. i love having a job:)

[callsignhoney]

being phoenix’s back seater ➤

pairing ➤ platonic!natasha "phoenix" trace x reader

genre ➤ angst, fluff

———

you and phoenix hail from the same squadron

the black aces

she hasn’t known you for long

you’re pretty young for a wso, all things considered

it was kind of a combination of your youth and your sometimes annoying but mostly endearing curiosity that led phoenix to adoring you as she does now

however, this affection was not immediate

for a while you were convinced she hated you

and maybe she did a little bit

you were replacing her former back seater who had been with her since flight school all those years ago but was leaving the navy to start a family

in came you: fresh out of tech school and way too eager

you didn’t know her routines, her patterns

you had little to no field experience and hadn’t even been in a plane all that much prior to getting stationed with her

you were lacking in every department except for theoretical knowledge

you were not her partner

for a long time the two of you upheld this kind of grumpy senior officer, overeager newbie type relationship

you struggled fitting in with the others at first

you were nerdy and awkward and talked too much but you really meant well and were always willing to learn

that had to count for something, right?

you were the comic relief for your squadron

you were happy to be

you didn’t care if they laughed at you, at least you made them smile

the bullying wasn’t actual bullying

it was teasing at best

like giving your siblings crap for just existing

your team saw and appreciated that you really were trying

to learn to do your job

to learn how to work as a team

to be their friend

to be phoenix’s friend

you thought she was the coolest person you’d ever met

so calm, so level headed, so precise and succinct and talented

she’d been to top gun!!

she was so cool and you would have done anything for her to just like you

but phoenix

she genuinely held disdain for you

you thought it was all just a joke and that made her dislike you even more

she was ranting about you one night a couple months after you had joined the squadron

it was later on in the evening and you’d heard some of your squad was drinking in the common room

you were barely old enough to drink but you finally could, so you decided to join them

you arrived just in time to hear phoenix ranting about you and how incapable and annoying you were

(phoenix) they just don’t know how to do anything, they’re practically useless. they think everything’s a joke. they never stop talking just on and on and on like they don’t know how to shut up and just do their fucking job. i get a migraine just thinking about them half the time

you did not join them for a drink

in fact, you did not join them for anything after hearing what phoenix had to say about you and the murmur of half-drunk agreements given by your cohorts

you let the distance between yourself and the others grow back to what it once was, no longer fighting a one-sided battle to cross that gap and be accepted by them all

you stopped talking

and

to be completely honest

it terrified phoenix

there was radio silence from you unless you were telling her a trajectory or a location or some useful piece of info

she thought she’d be relieved the day you finally stopped chattering away the entire time you two were in the air but really it was unsettling

it was too quiet

she didn’t like the deafening silence without you filling it with pointless stories and anecdotes, little comments about how pretty the sky was or how cool a maneuver she’d just done was

she thought you might be sick with how suddenly your demeanor changed

she asked you about it once you were back on the ground from patrol

(phoenix) hey, are you sick or something?

(you) what? no, why?

(phoenix) you’re just weirdly quiet today. i’m not used to being able to hear myself think

this continued for several days

after months of nonstop chatter and excitement from you

after all of the energy and passion you had, all the life you had given this team

the squad felt desolate when you withdrew

like something had scooped out the core of the unit and left it hollow

the whole squadron was worried about you

you had just gotten….. quiet

very quickly, phoenix realized just how much she actually loved your personality

you weren’t always the most serious, but you could make anyone laugh

you were this light that burned so brightly and could make anyone’s day a thousand times better

you weren’t the best at your job, but you were still new and you were trying

you were trying

and she had hated you for it

that wasn’t fair to you, and she was incredibly ashamed of how she had treated you

she didn't know how to address it for a while

she hadn't realized you'd heard her that night and was incredibly concerned that smth had happened to you to make you this quiet and withdrawn

idk maybe a family member died or you were struggling w mental health, she really had no idea

she just knew that she was worried about you

she cared about you

she had tried to keep a distance between you two bc she didn't want to replace someone who had been her best friend

she didn't want to move on from what had been so comfortable with her last wso but yet here you were

weaseling into a little place in her heart and doing your goddamn best

the others were just as worried as she was

whenever she brought you up to them they had no answers; no one knew what happened to make you start acting like this

she started by being gentler with you

she didn't demand or expect things of you that you wouldn't know

not because you were incapable, but because you were learning

she tried to be more helpful, explain things more patiently

she started spending some time with you while off duty, being more friendly in general

she wanted you to know she was reaching out a hand

and you were confused as all hell

hadn’t phoenix just said that she couldn’t stand you and now she was being nice??

it didn’t add up

you let it go for a while

then she was asking to get a drink with you on a night off like it was totally normal for the two of you to go out together

(you) are you feeling okay?

(phoenix) yeah, why?

(you) you’ve just been… really nice lately

(phoenix, laughing) what? is it that weird that i want to grab a drink together? am i not allowed to be nice to you?

(you) it’s just kind of weird considering….

(phoenix) considering what?

you mumbled out a little confession of eavesdropping that night

phoneix’s face just dropped

she hadn’t really meant that

she wasn’t really annoyed at you, she was annoyed at losing her friend

she was holding a grudge for something that was not your fault and she shouldn’t have been upset about

you just happened to be the easiest thing to make a scapegoat

and you thought she hated you

(phoenix) god shit i’m so stupid. i am so dumb. i didn’t— i’m sorry you heard that i was just—

(you) you were just speaking your mind but it’s fine. i know i’m loud and annoying and overeager—

(phoenix) no! no. those are literally everyone’s favorite things about you!

(you) people like…. that i’m annoying??

(phoenix) yes, to be honest. it’s endearing in a weird way that i still don’t understand. but how talkative you are and how curious you are and how fucking smart you are, it just makes you an amazing person. i’m sorry it took me so long to see it

you went out to drink with her

there were a couple others from the squadron there too

one of them shot a text to the group chat without you in it (y/n supporters anonymous) along with a picture of you beaming while a group of people laughed at something you said

[21:41] they’re back, ladies and gents

you went back to your normal self

your playful banter while up in the air was a sound for sore ears

you made hours long flights so much more bearable

yes, you were genuinely annoying sometimes but you were still one of the funniest, most welcoming, friendliest people phoenix had ever known

you

well

you became phoenix’s best friend

in an “agent of chaos” x “mom friend” kind of say

anyone looking at the two of you would think that phoenix can’t stand you

but she can, she does, and she will continue to

anyone who has a problem with you can go through her

you are her pain in the ass

no one else gets to say anything about it

a prime example:

hangman

hangman happened to be coming through the base your squadron was calling home for a couple months

you ran into him and went on one of your ramblings about how the double seater f18’s had to be engineered to be able to keep up with the single seat planes during missions despite the extra weight and size of having to fit a second person in the cockpit

he was later complaining to phoenix about “some smart ass kid who wasted ten minutes of my time talking to me about some engineering bullshit for the f/a-18f that i couldn’t care less about”

in walks you from afar

(hangman) god, hide me, i cannot deal with this annoying kid again

(phoenix) i know you’re not talking about y/c/s. i know damn well you’re not talking about my back seater

she shut that down real fast

then stuck hangman with you for a considerably longer tangent about some other nerdy engineering thing you know about f18’s just to make him suffer

hey

being annoying comes in handy sometimes

especially if it irritates hangman

you went to top gun yourself eventually

you were paired with a wso-less pilot and spent your time working together as a team

you’re still good friends with beluga but he just doesn’t compare to flying w phoenix

eventually phoenix gets called back to top gun, along with 11 other graduates

you are not among those chosen

phoenix tells you the details she can, including that she’s been assigned a new back seater for whatever mission they’re training for

(phoenix) his name’s bob. literally just bob. like his actual name is his call sign. he’s hilarious, a little shy but sweet. i think i can make it work

you were immediately terrified of getting replaced

she got along so well with bob right off the bat

you had to fight for months for her to just tolerate your presence

she spoke of him so highly, how he was able to so quickly fall into rhythm with her

he was literally everything you weren’t when you first got assigned to the black aces

capable, talented, easy to get along with

the best of the best

you hadn’t even met the guy and you felt like you would never be able to compare to him

phoenix got chosen to fly the mission

you never doubted that she wouldn’t

she came home safe and eventually flew back to the squadron

the black aces went out the night she came back, celebrating her return at a bar your squad often frequented

you felt so out of place

you were happy for her, proud of her

of course you were

and you were elated to have her back

but

you’d gotten it in your head that you weren’t good enough

good enough to be pheonix’s back seater

good enough to be a wso

to be in your squad

to do what you do

who are you to do these things and to have people rely on you when you could so easily let them down? when there are so many better options?

phoenix noticed your change in demeanor the second you hesitated to hug her while picking her up from the airport

that is not y/n behavior

you should have been skidding to a stop, throwing the car in park, jumping out of the driver’s seat, and racing to tackle her in a hug

maybe she’d become a little greedy with your affection

maybe she’d gotten too used to your undying admiration

but she knew something was going on

she cornered you at the bar when you wandered away from the group

(phoenix) what’s wrong?

(you) what? nothing’s wrong. why would anything be wrong????

(phoenix) y/c/s

that was really all it took for you to spill your guts and all your insecurities to her

she had this internal conflict of deciding whether to laugh bc of how absurd you sounded or to let her heart shatter a little at how easily you believed she’d replace you

instead she did the good thing and gave you the assurance you desperately needed

anyone else, she would not have been as gentle

but this is you we’re talking about

that soft spot she’d developed wouldn’t let her react any differently

(phoenix) i’m not gonna replace you. you’re my back seater, y/c/s. you are. and that’s not gonna change just bc i was stationed somewhere else for two weeks. we’re a team, y/n. you understand?

(you) yeah,,,,,,, it’s weird hearing you call me by my first name

(phoenix) and i will never be doing it again

phoenix is all tough love but there’s an emphasis on the love part

she rarely if ever will tell you how much you mean to her and how much she cares about you

it’s really through her actions that you’ll see it

the little things

coffee just how you like it

tickets for a movie you’ve been excited about

calm reminders for things you’re still learning

patience and understanding

she still acts like she can’t stand you (and sometimes she can’t but a little suffering is worth keeping you around in the long run) but anyone who knows her isn’t fooled

you are her weakest point, her softest spot

but she’ll be damned before she admits it

especially to you bc there would be no living that down

be as annoying as you want because phoenix’s affection for you is undying at this point

nothing you could do could change that or make her want to get rid of you

you’re her ride or die

literally

you are her best friend

and she wouldn’t have it any other way

[jolapeno]

Paint + Ladders

Bucky Barnes x Pregnant Fem!Reader Summary: Bucky comes home to find you not where you're supposed to be, and instead in the nursery, doing exactly what you shouldn't be. AN: Just fluff. WC: 870

The house is quiet.

Too quiet.

Almost eerily quiet when he gets in. Bucky, casting a glance around, narrows his eyes as he places the bag on the kitchen counter. The one filled with things you asked him for as soon as you heard he was going out.

Usually, he’d welcome silence, a bit of bloody peace and relaxation. But ever since you were put on bed rest, you’ve found new ways to make him age.

Not that he needs help in that department.

Walking into the living room, he finds the discarded blanket he saw you in when he left, the television off and the untouched mug of tea he made before visiting Sam. The same mug you'd asked for.

He doesn’t need to call out to find where you are. He knows.

Deep down, he’d suspected the moment you’d asked him ‘how long are you going to be’.

That you wouldn’t do as you were told. You never did.

Sometimes, Bucky swears you have been put in his life to push his buttons. And right now, you were doing as much.

He sneaks as quietly as he can up the stairs, careful to avoid the particularly creaking steps as he listens, hearing the distant hums and mumblings from the half-open door. The scent of paint hits his nose before he’s halfway up, and while he knows his senses are heightened, he knows from all the books a pregnant woman is not supposed to be near the scent, never mind in the same room as it.

Considering his next move, he sighs as he peers through the half-open crack. You’re on a ladder because of course you fucking are. Another thing he told you not to do. Your hand merrily painting, without a care in the world. He wonders if you know he’s home, or if you just don’t care.

In one quick movement, he opens the door, “Doll, you’re killing me.”

You don’t stop painting.

Don’t even turn around to face him.

Just continue, as if you have every right to be on a ladder, painting a bloody nursery.

“Because I’m excellent, amazing and beautiful?”

Bucky sighs. “Yes. But also because you don’t listen.”

“That doesn’t sound like me,” you say, throwing him a glance over your shoulder as he walks towards you. "I think you're mixing me with someone else."

He knows your steady, but he holds the ladder all the same. As the look he gives you must be making you smile, because it cracks over your face, lighting your features as he sticks his hand out to help you down.

“Look, I’m very aware I promised I wouldn’t paint alone, and technically, I’m not because you’re here.”

“You’re pregnant.”

“I am.”

Bucky snorts. “Heavily pregnant. Which means you shouldn’t be painting or on ladders and should be in that ridiculous armchair you made me carry downstairs or the cushiony bed which you moaned at me until I bought—“

“—Bucky—“

“—because you’re eight months pregnant and as Banner said, we don’t know if the serum…”

Pecking his cheek with a kiss he immediately stops talking. As much as he hates it, he can feel his anger subsiding the moment your feet touch the fluffy carpet he lay last week. He almost melts.

Almost.

Placing his hand out, watching as you roll your eyes before handing him the brush.

“I’m very capable of painting a room.”

“You are.”

Your eyes narrow. “But you’re not going to let me are you?”

“I am not—“

“Bucky,” you groan, moving to the doorway. “You know you’re being ridiculous. I can do things. I'm very fit, healthy and everything else. The fact I'm growing a human doesn't mean I'm rendered useless.”

Placing the brush down into the tray, he raises his hands, half-pleading with you. “Doll, can we—you know—just… can we… y’know, not?”

Grunting, you lean against the doorframe, a hand coming up to brush your stomach. “You know, he may be a super baby.”

“Don’t even joke about that.”

“I’m not,” you say, grinning. “But, maybe the reason why he’s so happy kicking me is that he’s happy I’m up, not reduced to sitting and eating. Maybe he wants more room to, y'know, walk around. Maybe he wants to practise his superhero pose.”

He walks over to you, hiding how impressed he is you’ve got two walls done in the time he’s been at Sam’s. Burying the worry which keeps rising up as each hour passes and you get more and more pregnant.

“Baby,” he says, taking your free hand as his other rests on top of the one on your stomach, “I’m not budging.”

“You never do.”

He smirks. “I know, but that’s partly because I'm right. And, you know it.”

“Our son is going to love me more, I’m going to make sure of it.”

He snorts as he presses a kiss on your forehead. “I don’t doubt he’ll love you more the moment he rests his eyes on you.”

“Don’t butter me up, Barnes.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. Now, move it before I carry you.”

You move, before you halt, both hands moving to your stomach. And his eyes widen, and his heart stops.

"Ba—"

"Kidding," you smile wickedly, "Just checking to see if you're looking anymore prepared."

Shaking his head, you laugh. "You're a rotten woman."

"And, yet you love me."

[artbyblastweave]

 I’ve got a theory about why “Master” is a (paraphrasing @txttletale​ here) “fuckshit useless category,” in that it lumps in two kinds of minion controller- human-controllers and non-human minion controllers- which in turn clearly mandate different response protocols, because you can’t go full exterminatus against mind-controlled humans the way you can against constructs, projections or animals. 

The jokey answer is “They’re cops, hur dur,” but the more nuanced answer is that the people formalizing these categories lived through mass casualty events like Ellisburg, Laussanne, as well as the ongoing ethical fuckshow hostage situations like The Pastor, Heartbreaker and the Simurgh Quarantine zones, and so when it comes time to collapse some categories into an even twelve, well, there’s now a personal and structural incentive for these people to try and categorize human and non-human master minions as the same kind of guilt-free kill-em-before-they-kill-you extermination target. 

Structural, because, well, it’s convenient, from their point of view, to have institutional and cultural carte blanche to shoot first and ask questions never, if it lets you suppress the Master Du Jour slightly faster than you otherwise might have. Personal, because if the party line on Master Minions is that they’re as good as dead anyway, it absolves certain officials of their guilt regarding things like, say, having to kill all the Swiss people, or lock a bunch of people into a thunderdome with flesh-eating c53s, or the ongoing failure to rescue the people afflicted by heartbreaker.

(I think this is a similar mindset, by the by, to the mindset that produces Emily “fuck the unwritten rules, take the easy way out and bomb em to hell” Piggot; not coincidentally one of two survivors of Ellisburg.)

Now, the trick is that the PRT isn’t utterly institutionally dominated by frothing, gibbering jackboots like Tagg; if they were, the whole Tagg subplot wouldn’t have happened. So inevitably you have a lot of local PRT directors looking at the protocols and going, “Hmm, that’s fucked” and the department in practice continues to behave like semi-reasonable human beings when it comes to subduing human minions vs exterminating inhuman ones, tacitly adhering to the two separate categories that Master must have once been.

 But you’ll never successfully get the PRT to split the categories again, because the only way to justify doing so would be to publicly air out the ethical horrorshow implicit in having the one category. This simultaneously pisses off the Frothing Jackboots who pushed for the category collapse in the first place and creates a massive headache for quote-unquote “moderate” officials who simply don’t want to risk the potential negative PR of admitting to a longstanding ethical misstep and fixing it across all their documentation. So the category stays and everyone ignores it.

[hwanchaesong]

"Ghost of You"

Synopsis: dealing with your beloved's demise will never be easy

👤: Jeong Yunho

📼: Ghost - Justin Bieber

genre & warnings: angst, cursing, mentions of death, implications of trauma, suicide, and depression, sprinkle of fluff, fantasy (inspired by anohana)

word count: 2.8k

requested by: @xddjoong

Birds chirping, soft wind blowing, and the bright sunlight shines down upon you as you walk down the isle of freshly trimmed grass. A peaceful and warm day outside yet your heart is frozen and is filled with agony.

Halting your steps in front of a tombstone, you crouched and placed the bouquet of red and pink carnations down.

'I still can't forget you, i love and miss you so much.'

"Hey honey," you mumbled, hands reaching over to touch the engraved name in the marble stone, "how are you doing over there? I hope you're happy."

'Even if I'm not.'

"It's been a year since you departed from me," you took a deep breath, feeling the emotions welling up inside you, "don't worry though, I'm doing my best to live my life."

Lies.

Yes, you were living your life but not at its fullest, you're just going with the flow, feeling hollow every day without your starlight.

A lot of people comforted you, told you words of encouragement, they never left your side and stayed with you at your darkest moments.

You appreciated all of their efforts, thankful that they didn't think of you as a dramatic ass person, thus, you did your best to feign a smile.

Fake it 'til you make it, what's worse is when they took it as a genuine one.

'If it's him, he'll surely know.'

After a long tiring day, you plopped down on your bed.

It felt empty and cold, the other side is absent of something, or more specifically, someone.

'Life wouldn't be this difficult only if I still have you by my side, Yunho.'

There was a lot of time that you wished for him to come back, you were willing to sacrifice everything just to be with him once again. You were ready to give your own life up if it means that you'll see him on the other side.

You ache for him so much that life did not matter to you any more, and it took a lot of convincing from your family and friends for you to continue your journey even without him.

You closed your eyes, trying to force the tears back down from where they came from.

Looks like it'll be an another episode of you crying yourself to sleep.

When you opened your eyes, an eerily familiar face greeted you, even its voice is the exact same of the person that you were thinking about before you lulled yourself to dreamland.

"Come on, Y/N, wake up!"

Okay, now you're definitely awake.

A loud shriek came out of your lips, scrambling away from the unknown yet intimate person that is currently kneeling on the floor, right across from your bed.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

He sighed and stood up, resulting in you screaming your head off once again as you threw your pillows at him. You were about to cover yourself with your blanket (sort of like a protection although it's useless), only then you noticed that the pillows did not hit him, but it went through him instead.

What in the world?

A staring contest between you and the entity ensued, him breaking the silence when it got louder to the point that your ears might bleed due to the intensity that is building up between the two of you.

"It's me, Jeong Yunho."

Commotion so early in the morning, you're so sure that your neighbors might file a complaint with how noisy you are.

After all hell breaks loose, your heart finally manages to calm itself down, you spoke in a tight manner, still not believing the paranormal shit that is currently happening to you.

"Explain yourself." you ordered the tall, puppy-like man like he's about to be scolded.

Being a skeptic, you rejected his first statement of 'I am a ghost and I am here because I have a mission!'

Fuck that, you're not gonna accept an unreasonable bullshit like that.

So there you stood in all your glory, acting all tough with your arms crossed over your chest, when in reality, your soul is already breaking with the sight of him.

"I really have nothing to say anymore!" he raised his hands out of frustration, a sign that he really doesn't know much aside from what was instilled in his mind.

You pinched the bridge of your nose, dealing with the impending tears as you tried to find a solution for this messed up situation.

"Okay," you started, pointing at him while he looks at you expectantly, "if you really are my Yunho-"

You temporarily stopped when you saw his eyes soften at your words.

'My Yunho.'

Your term of endearment that you always use whenever you had the chance. It symbolizes your undying love for him, a proof that he is yours, and you are his.

You cleared your throat, regaining your composure, "If you really are Yunho then give me a-"

"You ate a whole gochu because you want to impress me for our first date, but it ended up with you choking on water."

You were dumbfounded and it shows in your face. Nobody knows that incident but you and your lover, and he didn't even let you finish your sentence yet he knows what you're about to say.

"I am aware that you'll ask for evidence. I know you."

Too stunned to speak, Yunho continued to talk, staring at you intently, laying out the truth for you to comprehend.

"Listen, I know it's impossible but I want you to hear me out."

You shook your head, reality dawning on you like a meteor crashing right at your sanity.

This can't be happening, not when you think you have already made progress and now, he's back into this kind of form that makes you remember every memory whether it is good or bad.

An incoming panic attack washes over you but it was quickly replaced by a soothing sensation when a gentle melody resounded throughout the expanse of your room.

It's the lullaby that Yunho always sings to alleviate any negative emotions within you, works like magic and after a few more minutes, you were back to your rational self.

"Are you okay?"

You looked at him, trying to make sense of the conundrum you're in, "I d-don't know."

Yunho's eyes trailed down on his shoes, guilt eating him up because he knows that showing his self out of the blue won't do you any good, but what can he do?

He was always there, watching you everyday and he couldn't take it anymore. He can't bear seeing you suffer, he wanted to help, he must do his best for you to be able to smile again.

"Forgotten promise." he blurted out, making you look up and focus on him.

"I am here because of that, a forgotten promise."

It was quiet for a minute, scrutinizing the man until you realized that he's still wearing the outfit that you last saw him in.

Blue long sleeved polo topped with a maroon sweater, paired with denim pants and white rubber shoes.

He looks ethereal as usual, handsome yet adorable that always made you doubt how lucky you are, getting a perfect man like him in your boring existence, until he left you all alone.

"What is that?" you weakly asked, wanting answers that will aid to the growing confusion and distraught in your mind.

"I want to show it to you!" he exclaimed, a bright smile forming in his face as he approached you, his hands enveloping yours.

It's surprisingly warm, contrary to the belief that ghosts are wintry beings, not able to make in contact with-

"How are you able to touch me?"

Incredulous yet the butterflies in your stomach are wilding, even more so when he flashed a charming grin at you, "Call it a miracle, I mean, I am here, right?"

You let him drag you out of your house, not having the energy to fight against this, or whatever the circumstances are.

The bystanders on the street looked at you weirdly, (which is understandable since your posture looks like someone invisible is pulling you.)

"Wait a minute. I'm the only one who can see you?"

"I guess? It's only you that matters the most to me so it might work like that."

Stopping your steps, the both of you arrived at a park, the place where you met Yunho, also where a lot of your firsts happened.

"Why are we here?"

He held your hand tighter, somehow wanting to feel more of you even if he knows that he can't do that anymore, thus, the least that he can do is to not let go of you for the remaining time he had left.

"You'll see."

Tugging you with him, he led you to a garden filled with colorful flowers, trees everywhere and overall an astonishing landscape.

"The locus of our firsts." you mumbled, viewing the place that started it all, melancholy blooming in your heart.

You met him out of coincidence, bumping into his broad back because your clumsy ass decided to use your phone while walking.

Like a drama scene, he caught you in his arms, an electrifying eye contact derived, a small smile adorning his face when your hands flew to his shoulders.

He didn't let you fall on your ass that day but he made sure that you'll fall for him. He was following you 'til you afternoon, walking you back home and asking for your number and name.

It was really sweet of him when he asked you out on a date the next day, having the best time of your life, thinking that yeah, maybe you'll have this man in your life until you're old and gray.

"Hey look!" Yunho excitedly pointed at a nearby tree, the spot where your first date happened, "We had a picnic under the cherry blossoms, then you ate the gochu! That really was a funny one."

You snorted, remembering that he also kissed you during that time.

"Oh my god." you let your tongue dangle out of your mouth, fanning your face wildly as you tried to reduce the heat that you regretfully took upon yourself.

"Good grief."

Yunho snickered to himself, finding you cute for doing something you're not accustomed to just to make yourself look cool in front of him.

His hands extended themselves towards you, effectively cutting your hysterics when he collided his lips with yours.

You were briefly shocked, quickly getting over it and reciprocating his kiss, enjoying his soft and mellow lips.

Yunho breathed against your skin, "I could kiss you forever if you'll let me."

A sorrowful expression decorated your face, actuality pressuring you in a spiral of anguish.

The Yunho you're with now is not alive, he is a mere specter of your past that will never return and live with you in the present, even until future.

A shadow that won't be able to kiss and cuddle you everyday, a dark chassis that creeps up on you and you can't do anything but to drown in it.

You clasped a hand over your mouth, grief overwhelming you at the thought of the man that you once loved, still love, and will always love, will never truly return to you.

Yunho's gaze was fixated on you, angry that he can't bring you comfort like he used to.

He heaved a sigh, looking at the setting sun that shone its bright orange hue down on earth, gracing an ambience of joy and enthusiasm, although none of you can feel any of it.

"Y/N."

His voice snapped you out of your stupor, craning your head to get a good look of him.

"Come with me, I have to show you something." a light smile heightens his sharp features, nodding his head towards a direction that leads to a forest.

The two of you trudged your way into the sinister woods for a few minutes until you reached what seems like a top of a hill. The moon has already risen over the black skies, stars winking at anyone who dares to peek at them.

"What are we supposed to do here?"

You were pinned at your place when you felt arms snaked around your waist, a head softly situating itself in the crook of your neck.

"I'm sorry."

Yunho spoke, voice above a whisper as he poured his final words and goodbyes.

"I'm so sorry, love, for leaving you so suddenly."

Your hands went over to hold his own, eyes getting glossy due to the tears that are starting to form, "It was so difficult to go on without you."

"I know, baby, I know." his hold on you got tighter, your body shivering either from the freezing air or fear that when he lets go of you, he'll go far away from your reach.

"Don't go."

Clammy hands and shaky voice, desperately begging for him to stay with you even if he's nothing but a phantom of your dreams.

You'd rather live with his ghost rather than be haunted by your yearning for him, the most that your greedy self can have is a memoir of him, a proof that he's there with you.

"Let's play." Yunho muttered, releasing you from his cozy touch that had you crying out, terrified of him deserting you.

"No, Yunho. I won't, please, don't divert the topic." you yelled, your heels rotating to face him, tired and frustrated about the whole thing.

"You can't just show yourself to me like this and leave like nothing happened!"

Tears are now falling uncontrollably, staining your plump cheeks and blurring your vision.

"You did that once and now you're gonna repeat it? Just how cruel can you be?"

After your last statement, it was impossible for you to stand, sliding down to ground as your wobbly knees can't support you anymore, you feel like floating with all the amount of mental and emotional torment that you're experiencing.

Yunho gritted his teeth, his heart physically breaking at the sight of you breaking down. He did not mean for this to happen, but what can he do when he fought his way out of here?

He clenched his fists, squatting down to your level and wiping your tears softly. Yunho hates seeing you cry, more so when he's the reason for it. All he prays is for you to be happy, and that he can't achieve.

"Hide-and-seek." he said, bewilderment etched on your face.

A tender smile stretched on Yunho's face, caressing your soft skin, "Let's play, I did told you that I needed to finish a promise."

Oh.

He cupped your face, lips pressing on your forehead, "I was on my way here on the day the accident happened." he murmured, continuing his small speech when you didn't make any move.

"For a whole year, I planned everything, and now I want to execute that. So," he pulled away from you, peering into your eyes and you were mesmerized by his pretty brown orbs, "will you please let me?"

"Okay." you sniffled, closing your eyes and starting the game.

He gave you a loving pat on the crown of your head, thanking you before taking a few steps back.

"Start the countdown, darling."

You did as he said albeit unstable and hesitant.

3

A bright light engulfed Yunho's body, big, fat tears cascading down on his face as he memorized every detail of you.

2

Slowly fading away, whispering an 'I love you' that you might not even hear.

1

You opened your eyes only to be greeted by an empty space, Yunho nowhere to be found and you let the tears flow freely.

He disappeared from your life again.

Just how many heartbreaks do you have to experience? How much more do you have to endure?

A shiny glint garnered your attention, there below you, lying in the greenery is a beautiful diamond ring, a letter beside it that contains your significant other's heartfelt message.

Gathering the courage to pick the piece of paper up, you opened it and read the contents.

"Ehem! Greetings my one and only lovey dovey!

I just want to tell you that I, Jeong "your baby" Yunho, doesn't want to be your boyfriend anymore. I want to be your lifetime instead, so, will you please do the honor of being my bride? Then be my wife, then be the mother of my kids, and you know the rest.

Okay, even in this I ramble please, I do this because I love you so much!

I can't wait for our wedding T.T"

Under the starry night, atop of the hill of hopes and longing, your loud weeping echoes and unto the heavens, crippling the paper like how your heart is, knowing that you won't ever have the chance to cross the bridge that he walked on.

Maybe one day, in another life, you'll meet each other again, be with each other again, and perhaps live until tomorrow ends.

[uwuwriting]

Affectionate moments with the Todorokis

Request: Can I get some Todoroki fluff and when I say todoroki I mean all of the todoroki children thank you very much- anonymous

Okay now we can proudly call Dabi a Todoroki. The waiting is over, we’ve won this war ladies and gentlemen. I need some soft Dabi right now so I’m happy to oblige. Love ya. 💖💖💖

masterlist

rules

warnings: fluff, maybe some angst if you squint

Dabi/ Touya Todoroki 

-He isn’t the most affectionate person both in private and out in public. 

-The maximum effort he will put while out in public might be just a hand on your lower back to ground you when things are kinda spiraling out of control. 

-But apart from that nothing. 

-Now when you were just fuck buddies he couldn’t care less about affection.

-He was just here to have some fun and then he was out the door. 

-But when things change drastically between the two of you and he realizes that he really can’t stand the idea of losing you, his demeanor changed. 

-He had come to see how important you were and how dependent he had become of your presence. 

-Boy really couldn’t function without you around. 

-So he changed his antics around you. 

-He no longer left after your shared nights and he would even go as far as to hold you or help you clean up. 

-You thought that that was the most you were going to get from him, that he had nothing else to give apart from those moments of affection. 

-You were wrong though. 

-After a rather hard mission he would come and cuddle you  out of nowhere. 

-He would bury his face in your neck as his torso lay between your legs while you gently stroked his hair. 

-It would help him fall asleep most of the time but on the rare occasion he could manage to stay awake he would talk to you. 

-Those conversations weren’t of any value; it was dumb stuff that came to mind and he just felt like sharing. 

-Then after one too many close calls he would begin to tell you your importance. 

-After witnessing you almost getting killed time and time again, making his heart almost come out of his mouth every time you nearly dodged an attack he couldn’t hold back. 

-He would pepper you with kisses as he would flip you over so you were on top of him, your head tucked into his neck while his rough cheeks would rub on your plush ones. 

-It always hit him hard when he couldn’t protect you. 

-He wasn’t *that* stupid, he knew his job wasn’t to protect you and that you could handle yourself better than anyone in that dumpster fire of a league but he couldn’t stop himself from worrying. 

-Those shared moments of pure domesticity and normality between the both of you made it hard for him to deny that he was indeed falling in love. 

-And he hated it because he knew that at some point, when push comes to shove, he would have to choose between you and his goal. 

-And he wasn’t so sure what he would decide to follow. 

-When you broke the news to him that you were expecting, around the time Shiggy was putting his grand plan into action, he knew what he would choose in an instant. 

-But you wouldn’t budge; you knew what his dreams meant to him and you wouldn’t let him throw it all away for you. 

-He could have this new life after the battle, after the dust had settled and all had been revealed. 

-So, with a camera in hand, you helped him make the masterpiece that would show the world who Endeavor really was. 

-And you couldn’t be prouder of your lover. 

Fuyumi Todoroki

-Ahhh soft girl hours. 

-Okay now Fuyumi is the type of person to go all out for their significant other. 

-So PDA is on the table even if it makes her a little uncomfortable at times. 

-She’s kind of a people pleaser so as long as you are happy she is happy no matter how uncomfortable she might feel at the moment. 

-But like the great girlfriend that you are, and because you would kill for her, you push her to tell you what she really thinks about certain situations.

-And the moment she tells you that PDA is kinda meh, you yeet yourself away from her. 

-Holding hands wherever you are is a must, a request or rather a demand made from the queen herself. 

-She just likes feeling you next to her and what better way than holding your hand? 

-Apart from that demand of hers she never ever asks for anything else in that department. 

-Like girly believes that you have to earn your love and others won’t just give it to you. 

-That you need to prove yourself as useful so you can get affection. 

-An effort-reward dynamic. 

-And you can safely assume that we can’t have that here. 

-THIS IS A LOVE INFESTED HOUSEHOLD GET YOUR ASS HERE AND TAKE SOME OF MY LOVE.

-When you ask her to move in with you, she sees that as her opportunity to shine, to show you that ‘oh I’m not useless’. 

-Baby will try doing all the house work and such. 

-You legit have to call her to cuddle. 

-You’ll be working on your laptop, sprawled on the couch when you see your girlfriend just mopping. 

- “Fuyu come here.” 

- “But I still have to-” 

- “Forget about that, you’ve done enough I just want to hold you.” 

-She just flushes bright red before putting the mop away and moving to settle in your lap.

 -Her head is on your shoulder while she plays softly with your hair, her legs stretching across the coach as you continue to type mindlessly on your computer. 

-You give her the occasional forehead kisses while she nuzzles your cheek. 

-Last we have chaotic girlfriend hours when she’ll straight up straddle you and start doing your makeup. 

-You both burst out laughing every five minutes because you get overwhelmed due to the fact that she’s a) straddling you and b) she’s too close to your face and you can’t help but want to kiss her. 

-I want a girlfriend…..

Natsuo Todoroki 

-College boyyyyy.

-He is in general a neutral person. 

-I mean he will give you a kiss on the cheek while he is leaving for his class but he won’t full out make out with you in front of others. 

-So things are pretty chill between you two. 

-He has almost the same mindset as Fuyumi so at first he would try to prove himself to you so he would be worth your love but once you caught on you smothered him. 

-Now baby loves his kisses. 

-He needs them to function okay?

-Every morning he will wake up and if you have slept over he will wake you up with nuzzling his nose in your neck and softly tracing shapes on your stomach.

-Then after his kiss good morning and his first I love you of the day he is ready to go. 

-If however you are in your dorm/apartment, he will sulk until he sees you. 

-He has that puppy love. 

-Natsuo suffers from trauma from his family. 

-It’s common knowledge. 

-He hates looking weak, especially in front of you, so whenever he has a fight with his father or Touyas’ anniversary rolls around he tends to become distant.

-Try as you might, you can never truly get him to speak to you about those issues and let you help you. 

-You weren’t part of his childhood, you don’t know what it was like but you can try to make him feel better. 

-In reality you were ready to devote your every waking minute to him if he let you. 

-But that Todoroki pride gets in the way and he doesn’t let you see him like that.

-Until the villain attack when his father saved him. 

-Endeavor looked so genuine when he talked to him and all he did was scream at him. 

-Was he too cruel? 

-So he made his way to your apartment and without missing a beat he attached himself to you and finally, finally, letting himself be vulnerable. 

-After his break down you started to rock back and forth before turning on your stereo and putting on a slow song. 

-Taking his hand you started dancing in the middle of your living room, Natsuos’ arm wrapped around your waist bringing you flush to his chest as his head stayed buried in your hair. 

-You would hum the tune as you moved around. 

-This became somewhat of a ritual whenever things got bad inside his head. 

-You would just put on that song and calm him down. 

-And that was the best thing someone has ever done for him. 

Shouto Todoroki 

-Ah poor baby.

-He is touch starved like very touch starved. 

-My mans is out there longing for someone to tell him it's okay since the age of five. 

-Anyways. 

-He really doesn’t know how to communicate his needs though so you’ll have to figure out on your own what he wants. 

-He might recoil at first but don’t be disheartened. 

-Baby has been abused ever since he was born so of course he will be reluctant to let anyone touch him. 

-Subtle things are the go to at first. 

-Linking your pinkies under the table or maybe sitting closer to  each other.

-Kisses are rare and far apart but they exist. 

-Now things change after some time. 

-Depending on his relationship with his parents that is. 

-When his dad starts to try and redeem himself and he wants to be an active part of his sons’ life *GET THE FUCK AWAY BITCH*, Shouto is really conflicted. 

-Especially when he doesn’t get his hero license on the first try. 

-So that’s when his touch starved side comes into the light. 

-He’s stressed out of his mind and he needs comfort but of course he doesn’t know how to convey that to others. 

-You pick up on it and start giving subtle reassuring touches. 

-Squeezing his hand when you notice him spacing out. 

-Giving him a quick hug before he enters class in the mornings. 

-And as time goes by you peck him on the cheek before he leaves. 

-He becomes addicted and soon enough he’s initiating things on his own, giving YOU kisses each morning and coming to your dorm for “study” dates turned to cuddle sessions. 

-You guys have a ritual for whenever things get extremely bad; when he can’t seem to stop flinching away from sudden movement, when he can’t recall anything about his older brother or when Endeavor says something again about his friends/you. 

-He will come to your room with a pillow and some snacks if he remembers them. 

-You’ll put on a movie and he’ll just sit in between your legs, his head tucked under your chin as you run your fingers through the soft strands. 

-He might break down, he might not, it depends each time. 

-But he knows that this time he doesn’t have to face anything alone, that he is loved and cherished and that you’ll be there to pick him up when everything seems meaningless. 

TAG TEAM AY:

 @the-arcana-fan-fic @angelwritings @axerrri @reinyrei @dnarez @bemorefiction​

[hogwartsfirebolt]

timebomb

for @drarrymicrofic prompt "better than fighting" (did I intend for this to be 2.3k no i did not)

The day Harry slept with Malfoy for the first time, was also the day he bruised his knuckles punching his boss in the nose.

The impossible chain of events that led to that stupid, ridiculous, unthinkable conclusion — sleeping with Malfoy, of course, not punching his boss — started two weeks earlier, when Robards slammed a shiny red folder on his desk and said, Sixteen werewolves disappeared yesterday. Find them.

Sixteen werewolves, three families. Including children.

Everyone knew Harry went crazy when children were involved.

In under two days, he found clues that seemed to suggest a high member of the Wizengamot was responsible and launched himself into an apprehension mission without filing for the permit, because he was sure every second that passed, more werewolves were getting kidnapped. He ended up escorting a furious Member Breckenridge to a holding cell.

Robards failed to see his logic, however. It turned out Breckenridge was working with the department in an attempt to catch the actual criminal, and Harry got reprimanded for skipping procedure.

But Harry, tired as hell of having information kept from him for the nth time in his life because, well, Dumbledore, exploded.

He didn’t even feel sorry as he yelled at Robards in front of the entire department for sending him blind into a case that could’ve compromised the wellbeing of so many creatures, including children, and how could he, when Harry could very well have saved them if only he’d known, and — that was about the time he walked up to Robard’s desk and punched him right in the nose.

So, that was the first impossible event in the series of impossible events.

The second was as follows: Harry was put on desk duty for at least six months, Potter, you should thank Merlin I’m not firing you.

This, in Harry’s opinion, should definitely be considered an impossible event. He hadn’t been on desk duty for five years, and had thought himself free of the burden, forever. He’d been wrong.

The consequences to his confinement became rapidly evident, however. For starters, every single person sharing the wide room that served as the headquarters to the Auror force filed a complaint before the clock had struck six that very evening. The Aurors were a notoriously conflictive sort, hardly ever agreed on anything, so the fact that they were all together in their fear was the third impossible event. To be fair, it was terrifying. Harry’s absolute lack of respect for authority coupled with his inability to sit still for even a second made every one of his coworkers fear for their life now they knew they’d be subjected to the rage of the caged tiger for at least six months.

So, all of Harry’s coworkers filed said complaint — all of them, including the incidental employees from other departments that had to pass through Auror quarters for one reason or the other — and stayed within a 10 feet radius of his desk at all times as he fumed so hard he half thought steam would come out of his ears.

The fifth impossible thing was that the only one person who stepped into the office and didn’t immediately run to Robards to make sure they weren’t hallucinating Harry aggressively punching holes through his stationery at the desk he hadn’t occupied in five years, was Draco Malfoy.

Malfoy showed up in the vibrant blue robes that marked his position as a member of the Department of Invoices, Correspondence and Credit, or, as Harry liked to call them, glorified mailmen, and leaned over his desk with a snooty smirk, not appearing surprised to see him.

He’d never been afraid of him, after all.

“If it isn’t the man who made Robards walk into his afternoon meeting with a bloody nose,” he said, apparently fucking oblivious to the very obvious signals Harry’s body was sending him to shut the hell up — the tense fists, the clenched teeth, the jumping muscles of his jaw. Malfoy didn’t see any of it. He continued, “well, what could we have expected, really, you’ve always been rather ... ah, ill-mannered,” and continued, “member Breckenridge had an interesting story at lunch earlier,” and continued, “escapes me how Robards was surprised by your acting on your first impulse, after all …”

And then Harry shut him up. He stood up abruptly, slammed his palms on the desk and leaned into Malfoy’s space, lip curled. He knew, logically, that he was being unreasonable. He also knew he kind of wanted to snarl.

Malfoy blinked, startled.

“What the fuck do you want?” Harry asked. Malfoy kept blinking at him. “Were you here for a reason, or did you come here looking for a fight? Because I will fight you, Malfoy, I -“

“Circe, you’ve got mail,” interrupted Malfoy, waving a neat stack of letters before setting them down by Harry’s hole puncher. “You ought to be kept on a leash, I swear to Merlin.”

Harry was seething by then, however, and decided snarling didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all.

And somehow, after he had delivered a comeback and Malfoy kept pestering him anyway, he found his fingers clenching around the front of Malfoy’s robes, pulling him towards the archive room, through a small door, and apparating him to his house in London. Malfoy’s house. Harry wasn’t very sure how he knew the address well enough to end up there, but he did and he had. This was the sixth impossible thing.

Malfoy spluttered, raged, but his hands pulled Harry close and into the house and it happened.

Harry slept with him. This was the stupid, ridiculous, unthinkable conclusion.

Thinking back on it, he was inclined to say that he’d been out of his mind, but the truth was, he’d had plenty of time to back off, and he hadn’t.

Even more ridiculous, even more unthinkable, was the fact that it … did something to him. After they’d had a go at it in Malfoy’s couch, Harry’s anger had — not disappeared, exactly, but it had been taken over by something bigger, stronger. A raging hunger he’d not experienced in … possibly ever.

And by then he’d been so, so angry for so many years, that he was hesitant to let go of the new feeling. He’d slipped his thumb into Malfoy’s mouth, and they’d had another go at it on his living room floor, and then another in the kitchen, and another in the bedroom, right before passing out, worn out and not angry, for the first time in longer than he’d care to admit.

He felt ashamed of it in the morning, as he was forced to vanish the evidence of their coupling from his chest and thighs, as he apparated home and scrubbed himself down in the shower, as he went to work and kept his head down, sure everyone would take a look at him and know he’d gone and done the unthinkable.

But even the shame was different from the everlasting anger he’d carried.

As he sat at the dreaded desk and curled his lip at the stupid, prying coworkers who stared at him, he found he couldn’t muster up the rage to continue punching holes through all his case reports, and proceeded to be so incredibly embarrassed that his face blushed bright red and he had to pretend to choke on his tea and cough violently so nobody would suspect a thing.

Around the sixth time he did the entire tea-choke-cough thing to fight yet another memory of the night before, the door to the headquarters slammed open and in walked Draco Malfoy, with a swagger to his step and a grin so bright that Harry’s hatred for him was turned up to eleven and intensified past stratospheric levels. Inexplicably, he wanted to run.

“Potter,” Malfoy said, white teeth flashing. Harry thought of a panther, then scowled because no way was intimidating a word he was willing to associate with the little shit standing in front of him, and willed himself to think of a stupid, raging, harmless house cat. Much more fitting. He made a mewling sound similar to theirs, anyway, when he – “Missed me?”

“Why are you talking to me?” Harry asked, digging inside himself for the anger, for something to hurl at Malfoy and run away, escape his maddening smirk, but he came up short.

Malfoy’s grin widened.

“Oh, you know, the usual.” He said, and it indeed was the usual — oblivious as usual, infuriating as usual, then leaned right into Harry’s space, crowding him against his chair and hitting him with his disgusting, revolting, nauseating, fresh minty breath. Then, he showed him a thin envelope. “Your mail.”

Harry snatched it from him. “Good. Now piss off.”

“As you wish. See you later.”

“Not if I can help it.”

He could still hear Malfoy’s laugh, even after he’d left and closed the door, could still feel the disgusting, revolting, nauseating minty breath inside his nostrils, and if he wasn’t careful he could still feel the shape of Malfoy’s mouth around his —

He most definitely was not seeing him later.

Harry told himself this all day. Not seeing him later, he told himself as he stood in front of Robards after he’d summoned him for a ‘meeting’ that was really just a load of bullshit on protocol and procedures and useless things Harry did not give a damn about. Not seeing him later, he told himself as he bought a salad at the café two streets down the ministry and smiled back at the lovely waitress. Not seeing him later, he told himself as he sat at his desk and found himself capable of punching holes after all, but not exactly out of anger.

Not seeing him later, he told himself after his shift was over and he left headquarters.

Not seeing him later, he told himself, as he apparated straight into Malfoy’s living room.

And there he was.

For a second he looked surprised, vulnerable, a flash in his eyes as he took Harry in that spoke of uncertainty. Then, he looked as thought he’d been expecting him.

“You couldn’t help it, then?” He asked, stepping forward and not making any sense whatsoever.

“What are you talking about?” Harry said. It came out low, and not at all the way he’d intended.

“You said you wouldn’t see me if you could help it.” There was triumph somewhere in that sentence, or an attempt at it. There was also a tremble right in the middle, a fracture.

A red, pulsating curl of – of something rose inside Harry’s belly, and he grabbed onto it with desperation, thinking it was there, the anger, safety. But as he took it, owned it and stepped forward to punch Malfoy in the nose as he’d done Robards the day before, he found himself pushing him up against the wall instead, and bringing his face very close to his.

Malfoy’s eyes were a ring of silver overtaken by the wide abyss of his pupils. Awful, disgusting, they made Harry think of ugly murky waters and nasty storm clouds and made him want to retch.

He slid a hand into wispy, blonde, awful, disgusting, revolting hair and pulled him into a rough kiss that was all teeth.

They had a go at it on the living room floor, then another two in the bedroom, before collapsing from exhaustion.

When their wand alarms went off at the same time in the morning, Harry opened his eyes to see Malfoy between his legs. No time for shame.

Afterwards, they padded downstairs, Malfoy two steps ahead of him, wearing nothing. Harry couldn’t look at him, couldn’t look away.

It was different in the morning light.

Malfoy was different, his naked body as he made them sandwiches was different, his eyes resembled something other than murky waters and his hair brushing against his forehead, against the constellations of freckles on his cheekbones was different, and his bare feet, light and silent on the hardwood floors were different, and the curve of his arms and the planes of his chest were different, and his cock hanging between his legs looked different, and Harry — Harry also felt different.

There was the usual racing of his heart, but no trace of anger, the usual heat in his chest and stomach, but not a sign of rage, the usual need to put his hands on the other person, but no want for violence.

He felt his fingers tremble as he poured water into an empty cup.

“Mayo?” Malfoy asked, low, sleepy.

Harry swallowed. “Yeah.”

Malfoy hummed, and Harry stared as he spread mayo onto his bread. At the work of his long, bony fingers. He tried to think they were disgusting, and couldn’t.

“Here,” Malfoy said, handing him the plate when he was done. Harry took it, put it aside.

They had another go at it in the kitchen.

“Isn’t it better?” Malfoy asked, breathless, pushing back against him, hands planted on the counter.

“Better?” Harry said, grunted into his shoulder, into the beauty mark he was getting acquainted with.

“Than … than anger – oh god, please.” He dropped his head back against Harry’s chest, panted, moved faster. “Than fighting.”

Then, he shifted and Harry stopped thinking for a while.

Later, leaning against the wall of the shower as he watched Malfoy wash his hair, he thought about it.

Better than anger.

Better than fighting.

Was it?

He brought a hand up, brushed his fingers against Malfoy’s chest, traced the lines leading down to his hips. Thought about fighting him, arguing. Thought about something else.

They had another go at it under the stream of water, as it turned cold against their feverish skin.

Stupid, unthinkable, ridiculous, perfect, just right conclusion. Harry supposed it was better than fighting.