#hawks would have to hold the man back if they wanted to complete the story lol

[sinnamonpork]

Dabihawks fairy tale fusion where they get transported into a series of random disney movies by a quirk. Instead of being the main couple in the story, they are the side characters who needs to get the main couple together in order to get out. Cue various shenanigans of our resident dumbasses trying to wingman for their lives.

Natshig in a rapunzel world where Dabi is mother gothel and Hawks is the captain of the royal guard lol.

"Oh fuck you let Shiggy get out of the tower."

"You said Natsuo was already on his way!"

"That didn't mean you should let them loose, you fucking dumbass!"

dabihawks during the lantern scene almost burning the boat they are on trying to spy on the two lovebirds and is the reason why the kiss didn't happen.

Next on the list is a fuyurumi aladdin au, with Dabi as jafar and Hawks as the genie. Dabi is very offended because how dare the quirk assume that he'd like to overthrow his father's country, the old bastard can have his crusty ass kingdom. Dabi doing the trials instead of Rumi - bc the girl was too busy thieving and simping for princess Fuyumi - and having a shouting match with genie!Hawks when he finally got to the lamp because why the fuck is this cave so complicated??? Do you want me to die??? Hawks looking at Dabi with a flat stare and saying "That's exactly the point of the traps, Dabi.". I just want them in the "A whole new world" sequence stalking the two on their own carpet and realizing that they aren't paying attention to fuyurumi anymore. They're having their own date up in the clouds, surrounded by sweet music.

The next fairy tale they went to is a Cinderella au todobaku, with Hawks as the fairy god mother and Dabi as the cat that chases the rats in the movie. The moment Hawks realizes who Dabi turned into, the hero laughs for so long that they almost missed the ball bc fairy god dumbass was too busy heckling Catbi. Dabi is very upset in that one because why is his baby brother in a shimmering blue gown while he's stuck as a furball in the very muscular and very warm arms of Hawks, getting carried around their whole time there. They didn't really need to intervene that much on that one except for stopping Bakugou from exploding Deku when he realizes the glass slipper can fit on the green haired boy. Shouto is very upset when he saw the two together and kissed Bakugou right there and then. (Izuku is terrified for his life in the background, the poor boy doesn't know what's happening.)

When they thought they were about to go home, imagine their surprise when they get transported into another world but with themselves as the main character. Cue The Little Mermaid au but with dabihawks. Haha imagine if Prince Eric was a completely different person, probably Chisaki, and Dabi turning back around when he saw the dude drowning. He doesn't care if he gets stuck in this world forever, he's not about to save the creep (hell would freeze over before he kisses the man.). So what if he was expecting to perform cpr on Hawks, no one would know how disappointed he is that he didn't get to save the hero. Pirate captain!Hawks seeing Dabi sulking on one of the stones and immediately recognizing him just from the eyes alone. They spend the rest of the day on the seas together and had a kiss by nightfall with Rumi and the crew singing "kiss the boy" in the background.

They wake up back in canonverse, now with new realizations and information on one another, yet not giving a fuck and continuing making out because they already had a taste of it once, the both of them can never let go of the other now.

[aimbutmiss]

Buggy gently held the face in front of him, fingers wrapping around the jaw to keep it still. He was supposed to go in for the eyeliner next, but the man in front of him flinched as soon as Buggy's fingers brushed his face, the reaction barely visible to the untrained eye. But Buggy knew Mihawk, or he thought he did, at least to a certain extent. He liked to think he improved a lot when it came to reading the hawk eyed man, especially compared to when they first formed Cross Guild. And what all that improvement entailed now, was the fact that the swordsman was uncomfortable. He let go of his face just as gently as he had held it.

"What's wrong?"

"..."

Buggy frowned and slumped his shoulders at the lack of response. "I let you do that horrifying gothic clown makeup on me, remember? Because I trusted you. But I'm not planning on turning you into a clown or anything, it's just your usual black eyeliner. So, trust me?"

"I do trust you." Mihawk sighed heavily, uncrossing his arms. "It's not about that. It's just... I'm not really used to- to this." He motioned between the two of them, trying his best to convey his feelings. He clearly needed more practice in that department, but Buggy took it in stride. They could work on it later, and frankly even this was an improvement.

Buggy retreated a bit, putting some more distance between them. "We don't have to do... this." He motioned between them just as the other had. "I just thought it would be fun, like last time. Even though I ended up looking straight out of a horror story, at least the process was enjoyable. Relaxing even."

Mihawk gave a small smile at that. "I thought you looked rather dashing in black."

Buggy rolled his eyes. "Of course you did. But I think I'll leave that to you. Wouldn't want to steal your schtick."

Mihawk's eyes squinted in amusement. "You couldn't if you tried."

"Nice try, but you can't provoke me like that. I'm not even going near black face paint for the unforeseeable future."

It was Mihawk's turn to roll his eyes, but he didn't say anything. They had fallen into a comfortable silence when Mihawk slowly reached for Buggy's hand, delicately caressing it with his thumb as Buggy held his breath.

"I'm sorry, I'm being difficult. This was supposed to be fun... But I'm okay now, you can continue."

Buggy shook his head, squeezing the hand holding his. "It should be fun for us both, I can't enjoy it if you're not enjoying it as well. You don't have to force yourself."

"I'm not." Mihawk looked Buggy in his big, round eyes that looked like they were portals leading straight to the ocean, his stare as unwavering as his voice as he spoke. "I'm not usually comfortable with people at this proximity... but I've come to find that I really don't mind it with you. I like it, in fact."

Buggy gulped, unable to break the intense eye contact. He didn't really know what he did to get into the swordsman's good graces, but he wasn't gonna mess it up no matter what. He gently reached for his face once again, getting in position to finally draw on the eyeliner.

"Don't move or I'll smudge it." He said, almost in a whisper.

Mihawk simply hummed in understanding, staying still as the waters of the Calm Belt. Buggy's breath was tickling his cheeks, and his hands were warm. He did his best to watch him do his work without moving, carving every inch of his focused face into memory.

"You're beautiful."

The words came out of his mouth without thinking, flowing as naturally as his haki through Yoru, and they made the clown still in his movements.

"What?"

Mihawk gave a breathy chuckle as Buggy's face grew redder by the second. "You heard me, beautiful."

Buggy moved back a bit, staring at the man as if he grew a second head. "What's gotten into you?"

Of course, Mihawk completely ignored him. "You look cute when you blush."

"Oh my God, can you stop?!" Buggy's face was now matching his nose, and Mihawk could swear he could see some steam coming out of his ears.

"You're not very good at taking compliments, are you?"

"I take them all the time! From my crew and my fans... It's just, unexpected from you."

That made something inside Mihawk twinge, but it didn't show on his face. "Then I'll have to compliment you more until you get used to it."

Buggy seemed to be struggling to put his thoughts into words, confused out of his mind at the other man's words. Did he eat something off? Was it a devil fruit user? Because something had to be wrong. But in the mess going inside his head, only one word was able to make its way to his tongue:

"Why?"

"Because I love to have your attention, your eyes on me, your hands on me... and your kindness. But I need to be kind to you as well to deserve it. This, right now... I don't deserve this, as things stand."

Buggy stared at the man in front of him for a moment, before slowly reaching out to cradle his face. "You are kind to me."

"Not kind enough to make up for the things I did before."

So, that's what this was about. Buggy sighed in understanding. "You apologised. I accepted your apology, and Crocodile's. Neither of you have any need to feel bad for your past mistakes."

Mihawk opened his mouth to speak but Buggy shushed him, pressing a finger on his lips. "I forgive you. Just take my word for it, idiot."

"... Alright."

Buggy smiled wide. "See? That wasn't so hard."

Later that evening, Crocodile walked into the tent to find a sleeping Buggy, drooling on a sleeping Mihawk. The swordsman's face was smudged with eyeliner, and the evening breeze was washing over them from the open window flap.

But neither of them were cold when they woke up, covered by a blanket they didn't remember getting.

[blouisparadise]

Here are some amazing bottom Louis fics that were posted or completed during the month of June. We really hope you enjoy this list. Happy reading!

1) All This Time | Teen & Up | 1046 words

Louis Tomlinson had been best friends with flower shop owner Gemma Styles for years. It wasn't until she suggested he date her alpha brother that he ever thought of Harry that way. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea...

2) On The Borderline Tonight | Mature | 1470 words

Note: The main pairing is Louis/Ethan Hawke.

Louis is an artist in need of inspiration. He finds it one sunny afternoon in a Brooklyn coffee shop.

3) Everything Is So Fine, Little Bit Of Sunshine | Not Rated | 2,009 words

Fluffy PWP of catboy Louis and his boyfriend Harry.

4) Soulmated | Mature | 2046 words

Niall forces Louis on a date. Ends differently than both of them expected.

5) Beauty And The Beast | Explicit | 2216 words

A virginal Louis is ‘sacrificed’ to the Beast to ensure the safety of his village. Dressed in ceremonial attire, Louis is locked in the stocks at nightfall and offered up to the Beast.

6) Darling, Just Hold On | Explicit | 2481 words

“I’m actually dying for a piss, but I don’t really know what to do about that. Here’s COACOAC.”

7) Thank You Five! | Explicit | 2719 words

It’s fifteen minutes to the start of Harry’s set and he is nowhere to be seen, much to the stress of everyone else……it might be that he is a little busy with a certain blue-eyed Doncaster lad.

8) Obey Your Alpha | Explicit | 3413 words

Harry and Louis are mated, but Simon isn't happy about it. He ends up separating them from each other. All is good though.

9) Don't You Know That I Am Right Here? | Mature | 4314 words

Louis is proud to be an Omega but his journey hasn’t been exactly easy so far. There’s nothing technically “wrong” with him, or so his doctor likes to remind him when he goes to see him every year since he was 15. His situation is more unusual than a medical problem, but it doesn’t mean most alphas will see it that way. When yet another inconvenient heat threatens to disturb his grad school move-out date, he sets a plan in motion. Enter best friend and gentle alpha Harry Styles.

10) I Can't Get You Off My Mind (I Still Crave It) | Mature | 4519 words

"You're an idiot," It was Lya's time to interrupt. "Why would you want another guy when you already have yours? Don't you ever get tired of those silly games?" "It is different!," Louis defended himself again, mouth open. "How come it is different?," Lya asked again. "I love Harry," it was easy like breathing. "He's the love of my life, I'm going to marry him," Louis looked around, until his eyes looked with Harry's, glossy and vibrant. "That guy was just a hook."

11) The Way to My Heart | Teen & Up | 6516 words

Louis' having a bit of a dry spell, until he bumps into an attractive alpha in the supermarket and leaves with his number. It was a hard bump. Very... muscular. The only problem is, said alpha asks Louis to cook for him - which is not exactly his skill set.

12) New Alpha | Mature | 6841 words

Request: Can you do omega Louis goes into heat and Harry finds him. They mate and Louis get's pregnant. But with more story behind it. Thanks (I know it's standard. But I really love werewolf stories.)

13) Rock My World | Mature | 14238 words

Harry threw the burly guy off the hot, clueless man in seconds. Harry turned his back to the pit of rowdy men and planted his feet to keep them steady. “Are you okay, kid?” The man he saved was even more beautiful than Harry expected. His tiny, elfish nose crinkled at the pet-name. The black lines around his eyes made his blue eyes even more striking. His cheekbones were prominent, making his overall frame even more small. “My name is Louis and I’m fine. Get off me, perve!” Harry hadn’t realized he’d kept his free hand against the small of his back or that it kept the man pressed directly his chest. Harry hated releasing him even in the slightest; Louis was much safer here. “Can you not see I’m security? That it’s my job to save idiots like you?” “Idiot?” Louis shouted to be heard over the man currently screaming his head off into the microphone. “Well, I’m sorry for being small, you dick! Not my fault they slammed into me!”

14) One Day I'll Come Into Your World And Get It Right (A Relaxing Afternoon.... Or Is It?) | Explicit | 14652 words

Zayn treated Louis to an afternoon massage with his friend Harry. They meant well. But Louis was sensitive, and Harry found him too much for his taste and... They're going to send Zayn a fruit basket.

15) What's Left Of My Halo's Black | Explicit | 22464 words As Harry sucks lovebites into Louis’ neck, Louis hopes that one day those marks will cover the way he can still feel Alex’s handprints burned into his flesh. As Harry’s nails drag scratches along Louis’ back, Louis hopes that one day the scabs on his heart will heal and drop away just like the scabs on his skin. As Harry fucks him down into the mattress, the bed shaking with every thrust, Louis hopes that one day his mouth will forget the shape of Alex’s name, won’t trace it over and over as the heat builds inside him, won’t want to scream it when he comes. Maybe one day he’ll open his eyes, as he slowly floats down from his post-orgasm haze, and won’t expect to see Alex’s face smiling back at him. But today is not that day.

16) True Blue | Explicit | 23409 words

Louis has always prided himself on making plans. His freshman year of high school he’d spent the entire night color-coding a five-year plan to get him to the exact career that he’s in today. When his parents wouldn’t let him and Zayn see the midnight premiere of the final Harry Potter, he’d crafted an intricate slideshow mapping out each outcome that his parents were worried about and countering every argument they’d tried to give. Just last week he’d sat down with Harry and forced him to listen to his ten-step process for them to secure the front row at their favorite artist’s show. It’s with this experience under his belt that he starts to devise another plan. One to start pulling his weight and also to prove to Harry and everyone that he is very much capable of fending for himself, thank you very much.

17) Hope Your Life Leads You Back To My Door | Explicit | 56709 words

“What’s the matter?” Louis asked quickly, eyes wide in alarm. “I’ve never done this before. I’ve never gone anywhere alone like this,” Harry whispered, his voice shaky. Louis didn’t look surprised, but there was something really fiery about him as he spoke again. “Then come now,” he insisted with a grin. “Just trust me. Get on this train with me and I promise you’ll have so much fun.” Louis Tomlinson wasn’t ever someone Harry thought he’d trust or look to with such open admiration for having the spirit to do things like this, but suddenly, he did. He trusted him and he wanted this. He was going to do it.

18) Where I Burn To Be | Explicit | 143346 words

There were very few people who managed to get under Louis’ skin as effortlessly as Harry had, and even fewer who had done it in only a day and a half. It was quite an accomplishment, really. They’d only interacted a handful of times and yet Louis had the insatiable desire to slam the locker into that frustratingly well-defined face that never seemed to hold any expressions other than contempt and arrogance. “That’s right. I do own the skies. And you wanna know why?” he sneered. Without his boots on, Louis was a fair bit shorter than Harry, his eyes pretty much level with Harry’s chin and his socked toes bumping into the boots of the other man, close enough that Louis could make out the tiny scar on Harry’s brow and the individual shades of emerald in his irises. He was handsome, but that only made Louis hate him more. Heart thumping heavily against his sternum and his hands balled into fists, Louis lifted his chin defiantly and plastered a coldhearted smirk across his lips. “Because I’m the best goddamn pilot here.”

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

You can find other monthly roundup fic rec lists here.

[mikazenin]

( # ) ── the bad ending.

thinking about depressed!reader who puts on a facade persona while hidden beneath it is someone desperate to disappear from the face of this earth. hawks is an observant man, always on constant alert, he's intelligent and it's no surprising he could definitely see through your fake persona you put infront of friends you hang out with because he relates to you. hawks is the cheerful, laid back and cocky hero while keigo is the clingy one who craves for your attention, your affection, your touch, your voice and your love, he craves for your everything and keigo is vulnerable without you. but what if it's his little bird whose vulnerable? you put on a facade smile and laugh whenever you're with people including hawks. once you're alone, you wipe out all the positive emotions in you before questioning your life existence and curling up in a ball, crying until your eyes become heavy and you fall asleep. keigo had never received affection in his childhood, him and his family never talked about their feelings, he is completely oblivious to comforting someone and is mostly the one being comforted by you, and you know that. whenever he sees you vulnerable and broken, his heart breaks into a million pieces and he's incredibly sad but this isn't about him. it's about you. he does everything in his power to make you feel better even if it's just doing a simple thing, you appreciate it because you know he's there for you. whenever you're curled up in a ball while laying in bed or just sitting down, he would come behind you and hugged you tightly while his scarlet wings covered the both of you as if he was shielding you from the outside. whenever you're too tired to do anything, he does all house chores, he cooks all the food he knows and brings it to you but not without putting a goofy show or dance to make you smile or laugh at his cute self. he also cuddles right after while whispering sweet nothings in your ear. whenever you're telling yourself horrible words, he would hold you close while keeping you away from all the negative things you say by replacing it with positive ones, reminding you of how great of a person you truly are and all the nice things you done in your life. all the happy things you told him, he was reminding you about it. he makes you remember all the happy things even if it's a small one and it always brings a smile to your and keigo's face whenever you add another thing at the story he reminds you. whenever you're feeling lonely because he is busy with his hero work, he leaves a feather with you so you wouldn't be lonely. the feather would fly and brush your skin or tickle you at times, whenever you cried and he wasn't there, he would fly the feather and have it wipe the tears flowing down your cheeks, reminding you that he's always with you. one of your favorite moments with keigo is when you had a camp on a mountain, nothing bothering your sweet time with keigo as you stargazed with him, telling him of all the constellations and distant galaxies out there in the universe until you fell asleep in the warmth of his arms as his eyes gazed at your relaxed face like all the stress inside you was slowly decaying as he brushed his hand in your hair before whispering;

“look at you, babybird.. tired of life but still living. I'm so proud of you.”

sometimes you think that you want to disappear but all you really want is to be found.

-

01.27.2023 | main tumblr; @pandemoniumtime | written by; alex.

[butterfluffy]

The embarrassment story with Marco was what I needed after a bad exam, it make me laugh

Can you do it with Shanks, because I’m sure that Shanks would not be vey embarrassed, but what would he do?

“kiss me!”

⠀⠀ੈ♡˳· shanks is a romantic dork, and he's a big. fucking. tease—so upon asking him a small favor, he couldn't help himself and just be the tease he is.

⠀⠀➧ fluff, suggestive | shanks × gn!reader | scenario

⠀⠀➧ warnings — none! this is suggestive, and ofc, swearing and mistakes may be present.. so do ignore them, thanks!

⠀⠀➧ requests are closed until further notice!

⠀⠀꒰ 🍨 ꒱ notes: welcome to “kiss me!” special made to celebrate this account reaching 400+ followers! visit it to see more.

this is the shanks version as requested by u anon! deep apologies for the HUGE delay.

Red Hair Shanks—an emperor of the sea who is feared by most is surprisingly your lover who in reality is a lovable dork and of course;

A tease. A big fucking tease, and you know this very well, so you best avoid doing or saying anything that can cause his ego to swell, resulting to him being cocky about it, and turning into a tease.

But it's unavoidable. Especially when he's just... So fucking irresistible.

“Fuck, Shanks..” You muttered upon catching the red haired man relax himself on his seat across the room, being effortlessly hot.

You can't help it. His charm is too strong for you. He's being too much just by sitting there, legs wide open, and his back leaning on the furniture he's on. His shirt's collar messy, and shirt is unbuttoned, revealing his abs that's just—

“Shanks?” You called with a gulp, immediately grabbing the attention of your lover who turned his head on your direction, tilting it.

“Yeah? Is there anything you need, babe?” He asks, standing up then walking towards your direction—now sitting on the crate beside you to chat. His glossy lips that were wet from the sake he had drunk slightly pushing forward to a pout, captivating you completely.

“Well... I, uhm..” Eyes wandering around, you swallowed your words back—not wanting to say them by the fear of getting your lover worked up for that something you've been aching for.

“Babe, if you want something, don't be shy and just tell it. I'd give it to ya, no matter what it is! Haha!” Flashing a bright smile, Shanks then placed his hand on yours, caressing it while you have an internal crisis...

You definitely shouldn't tell him what you're aching for—or you'll end up a blushing mess from his teasing, however, you couldn't hold it in any longer.

“Can I.. Ugh—y'know what, just—”

“Kiss me, Shanks.” You demanded after a small hesitation, words said between sighs, soon being bashful from what you had demanded from your lover just now.

“O-Oh..?” Shanks stammered, shocked of your sudden boldness, obvious from the way his cheeks slightly reddening and by the way his sweat trickled down his chin, gulping loudly as your face approached his with such seriousness.

“Shanks, you heard me, didn't you?” You hummed, now sitting on his lap, eyeing him down like a hawk looking at its prey—

“Aaahhh.. Shit babe, yes, I did.” He groans, hand pushing your head down to his face, kissing you in a hot manner with eyes closed, fulfilling your demand.

“Damn.” He slips out, pulling out for a moment to catch his breath as you tugged the corner of your lips down, kissing him again hungrily, not even allowing him to breathe.

“You're eager, aren't ya?” He teased, pulling away once again, a smirk seen in his face. Now regaining his composure.

“You're making it so obvious that you want me real bad, Y/n..” Snickering, Shanks then went on to tease you as per usual, his words getting that blush on your face.

“Shut it and just kiss me already.” You huffed, kissing him again as your hands trailed on his broad chest, mewls escaping your lips.

“I love you so much, and I want to show it to you, Y/n.” Licking his lips, Shanks pushed you down the floor, lips going around your neck, chin, and finally going back to your lips.

“Then show it—”

As soon as you replied to him, you two were suddenly interrupted by the first mate who stood by the door in disgust.

“..What the fuck? On the floor, really?” Benn grumbled, massaging his temple, having enough stress from seeing too much of Shanks' fuckery...

“Ah, Beck! Heya, wanna join—” Shanks said with a smile, joking to his first mate who immediately slammed the door close, cursing him. “Fuck no, you disgusting shit!”

© butterfluffy 2022

[allaganexarch]

ok also if i get a bonus then how about generic ⭐star⭐ but like ⭐star⭐ not on a full fic like on a drill down like i want to hear about a SECTION or even like A TINY SNIPPET or like A SENTENCE you could even give me the directors commentary on ONE WORD

oooohhhhhhhh this is so fun okay so I chose this snippet from ch5 of The Chance You Take, and I am starting this by saying this fic is NOT!!!!!!! abandoned this is like the only fic that survived the 2020 ficpocalypse of my brain and I still desperately love it it’s just in the purgatory of me trying to convince myself not to edit the first part instead of just continuing it.

Meredith eyed Isabela curiously, then turned her attention to Hawke.  “What?” she demanded. Hawke made no effort to contain her amusement.  She shrugged merrily. Meredith’s glare hardened. “Nothing!  It’s sort of fun to watch when it’s not me, that’s all!” Hawke confessed. Meredith’s expression did not change.  At the very least, it did not get worse.  “To what are you referring?” she asked crisply. “Oh, you know,” Hawke waved vaguely, “the whole Scary Templar Lady thing.” “Is that what you think of me?” Meredith wondered coolly. Hawke startled.  “What?  No!  That’s not what I meant—“ “Isn’t it?” Meredith leaned in, soft-spoken and subdued, somehow even more frightening than when she towered or blustered.  “Allow me to repeat the question, Serah Hawke,” she continued.  “What is it you’re so afraid of?”

I liked this particular exchange because I think it highlights something very critical about the Hawke/Meredith dynamic, in this story specifically but also I think how I usually write them: Meredith tolerates a lot from Hawke, and on the surface what she does and doesn’t tolerate seems arbitrary.

This whole exchange is pretty fraught—first, Meredith is in a bad mood because Hawke is talking to Some Man when she arrives, but Hawke manages to talk her down from that ledge, to the point that they’re having a good time and Meredith is considering hinting about the gift she found earlier.  Then, Some Man comes back, and Meredith kind of reverts back into her Templar Persona, which isn’t so much different from how she is normally as it is a particular mindset that she has not been engaging with since she’s been gone.

And then Hawke has the audacity to treat it, to treat what Meredith feels is essentially the sum of her entire existence, into which she has poured everything, because tragedy gave her her purpose, and because she has nothing else—as a joke.

Meredith’s duty is not and can never be a joke to her, but more than that, her duty is so inextricably tied to her entire formative sense of identity that someone laughing at her, denigrating her, disrespecting her in her capacity as a templar can only ever be deeply personal.  And if it were anyone else (besides the fellow templars she respects and feels bound to), she wouldn’t care.  It would still be personal, she just wouldn’t care.

Without realizing it, Meredith has been living with this contradiction: she thought that despite everything Hawke is and does, Hawke still respected Meredith’s work and what had to be done, and supported her genuinely.  And, at the same time, she thought Hawke saw her as more than just her job.  Because their interactions up to this point have been so completely insane and nothing like Meredith has ever experienced before, she thought Hawke had somehow managed to differentiate Meredith from her work (still believing Hawke respected her work), even when Meredith could not separate herself from her work.

And that is almost, almost true!  Hawke very obviously does see Meredith as separate from her job, and even though she doesn’t always like it, she has grown to hold at least some respect for what Meredith does!  Pretty much everyone Hawke knows has some kind of deep-seated duty or calling that can never really shake—but the difference is that it isn’t the literal core of who they are.  Meredith lost her family when she was seven, and was pretty much raised a templar from that point onward.  Even if Hawke’s other companions don’t always like her teasing, they’re able to tolerate it because they’re able to separate the core of themselves from their duties.  From Meredith’s perspective, Hawke viewing her duty as something to joke about is akin to Hawke viewing Meredith as a joke.

Meredith pretty much shuts down, because she’s not used to being bothered by what people think of her.  People say horrible things about her all the time.  She’s surprised and hurt that Hawke admits to being afraid of her, but it’s not really about the fear—it’s about the lack of faith in her work, and therefore in her. Hawke is one of the few people who doesn't hate her or think she's crazy at this point, and that has been wayyyyy more of a source of comfort for her than she realized. (She thinks about this explicitly a little in chapter one, and somewhere else also I think.)

I don’t love some of the wording I chose here between the dialogue—this is what I mean when I say this fic makes me want to gently edit it LOL.  I think clearer, simpler connecting phrases would make the mood shift pack more of a punch.  I want it to feel like everything’s going fine, Hawke is having a good time, not grasping the danger, and then the mood just DROPS.  Maybe something like:

Meredith watched him go, impassive.  She turned her attention back to Hawke.  “What?” Hawke made no effort to hide her amusement.  She shrugged merrily. Meredith waited. “Nothing!” said Hawke.  “It’s sort of fun to watch when it’s not me, that’s all!” Meredith narrowed her eyes, uncomprehending.  “To what are you referring?” “Oh, you know,” Hawke waved vaguely, “the whole Scary Templar Lady thing.” “Is that what you think of me?” Meredith wondered. Cold premonition sent a shiver down Hawke’s spine.  She looked up, startled.  “What?  No!  That’s not what I—“ “Isn’t it?” Meredith leaned in, soft-spoken and subdued, a thousand times more frightening than when she towered or blustered.  “Allow me to repeat the question, Serah Hawke,” she continued.  “What is it you’re so afraid of?”

It’s not much of a change, but the connecting phrases supply the timing for the dialogue.  The way it was before, the pace was being slowed by the connectors before the mood shift rather than right after.  This way, the first part reads as quick and snappy, and then the pace grinds to a halt with the stronger word choice and heavier descriptions.  They’re in conflict after this, but it’s a tense, cautious kind of conflict where they’re choosing their words very carefully, juxtaposed against the loud, boisterous atmosphere around them.  So where you might normally want to escalate the conflict by speeding it up, in this case I think it makes more sense to slow it down.

Aaaaaaaah I can’t wait to go insane about DA2 again!!!  Thank you for indulging me, this was super fun, I love rambling about this kind of thing!!!

Fanfic Writer Director's Cut Ask Game!

[ddarker-dreams]

Ahhhh what’s piece. I would say it is one of my favorites but I think that every time you write.

Chrollo if lancery is what you find confortable, why don’t you give it a try for the rest of the ride?

As alway I love how you give personality to darling. It makes me understand better the Yandere obsession.

AA thank you so much 💖💖 i felt for a story like this, darling being more audacious would work best. there's also something funny to me about the dynamic of a feral darling and chrollo trying to keep them somewhat under wraps, while still enjoying their unhinged nature. he's just radiating amusement. he takes so much with a grain of salt. some yanderes have a zero nonsense policy but not chrollo. some nonsense is allowed (and even encouraged).

LMAOOOO if you were curious about the thought process behind this question that seemingly came out of left field, i was thinking that chrollo wanted to completely throw darling for a loop. hit her with something she wasn't expecting in the slightest. that way, he'd get the most bang for his buck (heheh) because darling would be bound to ramble away, due to how unexpected the question was. so there's that conniving part but also . yeah he's down bad for darling. don't be fooled. he might be quoting the odyssey or whatever like it's what he does for a living, but he's still a man who goes brrr darling hot brrr

currently sweating bullets because this actually didn’t occur to me when i was writing the story... but it’d seem so cool if it was intentional ... so i’m gonna. say that it was. i’ll roll with it. i really love that observation though!!! at the time, i was thinking about eros/storge/agape, so this does actually line up in a way??? i love that... thank you for sharing this thought <333 

IT’S ALWAYS ON THE BACK BURNER OF HIS MIND ... 

personally, i think chrollo is the type to hold a grudge over a long period of time, he might not do anything in the immediate aftermath but the bitterness lingers. it’s likely to come back and bite her months later. hell, he’ll even bring it up years later if he’s so inclined. he waits for the most opportune moment to get his payback tenfold. it’d probably be more of a reaction to something reader does or says, he’ll bring up her exact wording from the interaction and challenge her with it. he likes to provoke with a calm smile. 

and thank you so much for enjoying the story <333

i feel chrollo has the capacity to experience hurt! we see him genuinely emote in the manga/anime when there was nothing for him to gain by acting manipulative. he undoubtedly has super thick skin, but depending on the situation, some of what darling says or does can penetrate that. he wouldn’t be obvious about it though. he’ll either write it off by acting sulky to hide how truly upset he is, or just cover it up completely. you’d have to have a hawk’s eye to realize the extent of it. 

AAA thank you so much for giving it a shot!! chrollo is my favorite character of all time, across everything i’ve ever watched/read, so i’ve made it my personal mission to introduce him to more people. i can never recommend hxh enough to anyone who might be the slightest bit interested. there’s literally nothing like it. i would give anything to experience the series again for the first time. it’s a masterpiece. 

[bthump]

It’s clear that Guts irrevocably loves Casca, and holds a deep intrinsic trust for her. This has been the case since their first meeting. During golden age Guts was Casca’s one ticket out of a life of pining and living for a man and dream who had never given her a second thought. With Guts she had experienced camaraderie and understanding, and each were mutually fascinated by the other, their loyalty and motivations and their ways of thinking because in each other were they only able to find someone who would stare back. Mutual recognition forged their relationship and so they loved each other. Ignoring that they loved each other, perhaps even love each other now makes Guts’ character development post-eclipse entirely void. There is no humanity in Guts without Casca. I don’t think arguing about this from a 30 year old manga is what Miura would want for his masterpiece like don’t y’all ever get tired of squinting your eyes and deliberately ignoring parts of your favorite story just to push an agenda?

I debated just ignoring this like I usually do lol but I already had a functional answer written up in response to someone else's ask, so I figured what the hell, I'll post it first and link you to it.

voila

So like, speaking of ignoring parts of your favourite story just to push an agenda, it's convenient that you've forgotten all those incredibly unromantic, often downright cold and cruel moments that aren’t very compatible with irrevocable love.

But also since I'm answering this anyway I might as well add: Not only are their feelings for each other never described in terms of love throughout the entire manga (despite some incorrect scanlations you may have seen), but Guts' feelings for Casca are being deliberately portrayed as ambiguous. There's a reason we cut away after Roderick asks who Casca is to Guts, and it's because we don't know. We're not meant to know, yet. Guts’ relationship with Casca is far from loving, and I would argue his feelings are much more complex and darker than love.

And I don’t think Guts has to be/have been in love with Casca for his character development to make sense lol. That development started with Puck, post-Eclipse, and it started with Griffith in the Golden Age. It has continued with a whole entourage of characters, and since he let himself get possessed and nearly killed Casca, then nearly assaulted her sans possession afterwards, before letting them join him, I think they’re just as if not more important to his character development. Protecting Casca is one facet of what drives his character right now, and he doesn’t have to be in love with her to want to do that - frankly I fully believe she could be replaced with any of the Hawks and he’d be doing the exact same thing right now (aside from the assault) because first and foremost, as detailed to us in chapter 130, described by Guts in chapter 94, and often shown in how he thinks of her in her commander role, she represents the Hawks to him.

Oh and lastly as a sidenote, I assume you’re calling Guts not freaking out when he woke up with her in chapter 13 “deep intrinsic trust,” but that was textually because she’s a woman rather than a man, not because of some magic spiritual connection he has with her specifically. It’s actually pretty homoerotically suggestive, especially considering he’s also cool with Griffith’s touch in the very next chapter.

And then there’s what Miura has to say on the subject in interviews, such as:

“The point I had to pay attention to was making sure the flow of the story wasn't completely severed with the Eclipse. That's why I spared Casca. If she had died and the serialization had continued for a long time, I feared the reason for revenge would become something of the past; and if Guts were to establish new relationships, then his incentive would waver. It may seem calculating and unpleasant, but it's because Casca's by his side that he can never forget the Eclipse.”

“I actually hadn't planned for Guts and Casca to get together, you know – it just occurred to me partway through that it'd be more dramatic that way.”

Neither of which suggests to me that he ever intended to write a straightforward romance. Casca is there for added drama and she’s there so Guts can’t forget the eclipse (underlining the Beast of Darkness’ suggestion that she’s precious because she’s the wound Griffith left, incidentally).

I've never said Guts doesn't have positive feelings for her, but so far their relationship hasn’t been an epic, or even a realistic and sweet, romance, and it doesn’t have to be for Guts’ character to make perfect sense.

[chocolate-biscuit]

Hello, nex-reblog-fest coming in, here to ask about the Tomura & Hawks parallels through your eyes 🫶🏻

Please serenade me !

Hello! I'm glad you saw the tags ^^

I really like the topic but I think I should say I'm not a meta writer like some other amazing blogs around there. I'll try my best, especially to remember all the details I can think of.

We know and we saw in the manga AFO took advantage of a scared, abandoned child who was on the streets after accidentally murdering his family and society didn't stop to help him. AFO groomed said child into following a path of hatred towards the heroes - when the same kid wanted to be a hero himself - and convinced Tomura he was born to destroy (I'll come back to this).

Hawks, too, was found on the streets, with his mother: both were in a extremely vulnerable position, and the Hero Commission used their state of poverty for their purposes. We don't have much details on how the Commission raised him (hopefully we'll get them before the manga ends), but we know from Nagant's backstory they surely indocrinated him and exploited his will to be a hero (the narration once mentioned "interpersonal skills drilled into him from a young age by the Safety Commission" - ch. 258). No child can give consent to "rough training".

Essentially, both characters were groomed/indocrinated by another entity/institution, who took advantage of vulnerable children in order to satisfy their goals. If Tomura was groomed by the "villain side", Hawks was indocrinated by the "hero side". Story repeats itself.

I've seen many considered (and still consider) Tomura in MVA as liberated and the other characters - namely Re-Destro in his narration - thought he was free of everything; however (and I don't want to go into details when Shigaraki focused meta blogs already analized the chapters), he fell into a path that took him straight into being literally possessed.

Even now, in recent chapters, he appears to be free from AFO's control, but the AFO vestige is not completely defeated and the real AFO will approach Tomura and Izuku soon; not to mention Shigaraki is still believing he wants to destroy everything and that will be his only salvation. Again, just how AFO groomed him to think.

Something similar happened with Hawks after the PLW arc: we see Keigo, at his mother's house, saying he actually abandoned Tomie and that's for the better; no one and nothing is holding him back, especially since the Commission can't give him orders anymore ("I'm free... of my shackles" - ch. 299) . It would sound great, if only it hasn't been said during a conversation ambiguous at best in the manga and downright insane in the anime.

Hawks is still working as a hero, has shown to be willing to sacrifice his life for Endeavor and the kids, is written as more and more insane with each chapter that comes out. If at first he was ready to tain himself for Japan, now he's ready to tain himself and die "for the kids' sake".

Back to after the Pro-Hero arc, we see Hawks recalling the conversation he had with Madame President and her associate stating "there's no better man for the job" (ch. 191) to infiltrate the LoV. And Hawks accepted - knowing he couldn't refuse, and said as such.

It seems both Tomura and Hawks are, to some degree, aware of how AFO/the Commission raised them, but the grooming runs in so deep they still live in a state of denial - for a lack of a better word to describe it.

Another similarity between the two is how they perceive themselves. I mentioned twice how Shigaraki views himself as "born to destroy" and Hawks, similary, thinks he was "born with dirty wings". If I remember correctly, Caleb Cook in the official English translation implied Hawks dirtied his wings with his actions, but the Japanese text implies his quirk was already that way. So, when Hawks claims he will tain himself for others' sakes, he knows he's already tained for his quirk. He was born like that.

These characters nurture hatred towards themselves, with Shigaraki accepting there's no saving him - despite desperately wanting to be saved - because he was born this way, that's what he wants; and Hawks committing immoral actions and putting himself on the line, while showing since he was introduced he has extremely low self-esteem, and considering himself tained - what is another stain anyway, if it's for someone else's happiness.

I'm sorry if I didn't show manga panels, but I've already spent a while writing this and I don't want to give it another hour. English is not my first language, so it's slightly more challenging to write fluently enough (I'm used to shitposts and very few smart takes anyway).

Hawks is, ironically, much more similar to the LoV than the pro-heroes, even if he's a pro-hero as well; it's pretty interesting to go into deeper details.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to talk about Tomura and Hawks. I truly appreciate it.

[dumbass-tumbler-cryptid]

I'm totally looking forward to the new chapters. Can you give us some snippet? (I feel like a beggar asking this 💀)

Lol don't feel like a beggar. I'm getting super eager to share the story already even though I'm not close to being done. I think that's why I posted two snippets completely unprompted this week.

I'll do you one better. I'll give you two snippets. In scenario one I actually have a lot of build up before the Quaritch family vacation even takes place detailing Spiders attempts to escape through the years. I tell the whole attempt from Spiders perspective and then go back and retell that whole event from Quaritch's perspective (and I'm low key worried that'll get tedious to read but I spent to much time writing it to edit it down)

So here's a taste of that

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

   Miles jolted awake, the happiness he’d felt in his dream, instantly being replaced by sinking dread. The nightmares had started shortly after his two year anniversary in the cabin, increasing in frequency as the days went by. He only classified these dreams as nightmares because of the anxiety they spiked in his waking life. If Pa knew that he was reminiscing about the old days…..

    Things had been so good between them too. Miles could almost pretend like they were a regular father and son, spending their summer on a camping trip, hunting in the woods, fishing, having bonfires, and sleeping under the stars when the weather allowed for it. It had all been so normal. So easy. Of course his treacherous brain would have to mess that all up.

    The following morning Miles attempted to eat breakfast, his chin propped on his elbow, holding up his head as he struggled to stay awake. Pa’s calased hand reached out from behind him, carding through his hair, giving him affectionate scratches behind his ear. “You haven’t been sleeping well lately have you?” Miles simply nodded his head. “Something on your mind?” The question made his heart skip a beat but he forced it down, shaking his head no. “Is your room too stuffy then? We can sleep outside tonight if you want. You always like that.”

    “I’m fine Pa.” his voice came out low, heavy with fatigue. 

     “Mmhm.” The man didn’t buy it, but didn’t continue pushing the subject. “Take a nap after you eat. Your school work and chores aren’t goin’ anywhere.”  Neither am I, he thought bitterly. “Thanks Pa. I’ll do that.”

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

    It was peak autumn when Miles Sr first noticed the vivid dreams his son would have. The boy talked in his sleep, smiling from ear to ear, mumbling their names. The names of that damn Sully family. He couldn’t understand why his boy seemed so hung up on them. From everything he had seen, from all the memories he heard play out in Junior’s sleep, the Sully’s hadn’t been that special. His boy had had fun, sure. The Sully’s hadn’t been very strict with him, allowing Junior to do almost anything he wanted. Any teenager would enjoy that. That wasn’t love though. Love is protecting the ones you care for, keeping them safe, taking care of them. He did that. So how could his son still miss them so much?

    During waking hours Miles Sr watched his son like a hawk. Miles Jr looked so tired and sad, growing more despondent by the day. The father noted how his boy was eating less. How he was tired all day no matter how early his father sent him to bed. Junior wouldn’t even skateboard, or draw. He just seemed so weighted by his own misery. Miles Sr needed to help him snap out of it.

    It was another lethargic morning after another sleepless night. Junior sat at the table, fork in one hand, his head held up by the other, falling asleep into his bacon and eggs. The father couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. A thin line of drool was escaping his boy’s mouth. His hair was starting to get on the long side again, wildly sticking out around his head like the soft hide of a lamb. His boy would have cringed to know how cute he looked in that moment, but Miles Sr couldn’t help but appreciate his own work. 

    He reached out his hand and began to pet Junior’s hair, feeling his curls slip and twist around his fingers. The sleepy boy leaned into the touch, getting comforting scratches behind the ear in response. Junior deeply sighed out his nose, seemingly content. “You haven’t been sleeping well lately have you?” Miles Sr asked. Junior simply nodded. “Something on your mind?” He knew the answer was yes and hoped his boy would just admit it. Instead Junior slightly hesitated before shaking his head no. So disappointing. “Is your room too stuffy then? We can sleep outside tonight if you want. You always like that.” 

    “I’m fine Pa.” Liar. 

     Junior looked so incredibly tired that if he didn’t get some sleep soon he might just collapse from exhaustion. Hopefully with some rest, his son would start thinking clearly and just admit he had a problem. “Take a nap after you eat. Your school work and chores aren’t goin’ anywhere.”   His son sighed again, seeming so defeated.“Thanks Pa. I’ll do that.”

[nathaaaan]

Randomest update ever

I just finished watching the rest of Miraculous (S6???? ep 15-26)

I HAVE SO MUCH ON MY MIND OMG, so I will put a collective of all my thoughts in this tiny device. Maybe a few AU’s here and there, but mainly thought dumps.

First… WE COULD HAVE HAD ZOÉNETTE???? Like Zoé and Mari? I can see it now! Zoé and Mari holding hands as they walk off into the distance with Adrien in the background with this face;

No but srsly, it would have been so funny to see the ship, the show had been egging on for years, to be completely disregarded and tossed aside.

I would draw that vision, but alas, I CANNOT DRAW PEOPLE 😭

Tbf, Zoé and Mari actually make sense. Or Zoe’s side of the affection anyway. Marinette had helped her realize that nobody would treat her like garbage, aside from Chloé, there in Pari. All she ever did was respect Zoé. That’s enough to have someone’s adoration (see what I did there? ;>) …probably.

Anyway, Hawk-Moth… This dude… I love villains, believe me, I do, but I don’t like Gabes. He’s been bested by two/a team of teenagers too many times, and even when he’s so close to victory, SO CLOSE, he fails. again, and again, and again! I like Lila more because she actually commits to the role of the villain. Gabes is better when it comes to not villainy.

ONTO THE COOLER…NESS. Now, I suppose you all (or whoever is reading this) understand how the Miraculous of the Snake works. The ability to go back to an exact moment in time with Second Chance.

Now, what if that power had… a consequence? For instance, Ladybug had gotten hit and her wildest dream had been revealed. When Luka used Second Chance, it sent him back, yes, but what if it created a whole nother world? What if anytime Second Chance is used, it creates another world for another possibility? Meaning that the old world, the world Ladybug’s identity was revealed, has its own story after Second Chance is used. As well as the world where Cat Noir’s identity was revealed.

So then what happens to the holder? I’d say that their consciousness is transferred to the new world, which is how they retain their information. Well, what happens to their bodies? Hard to say, but maybe their consciousness is replaced and they’re forced to de-transform. Or maybe Second Chance doesn’t work when tried again.

I see an AU that goes like this—Luka opens his eyes only to see Marinette still living her wildest dreams. He used Second Chance already. Why didn’t time rewind? He sees the dreams man aiming for Cat Noir, and swiftly saves him. They run away and hide in the sewers. Luka tries again and again, but Second Chance won’t work. They both de-transform and Sass explains to Luka why Second Chance won’t work, or rather, it did, but Luka wasn’t transferred to the new reality, all while Adrien is gapping over the fact that Mari is LB. Second Chance won’t work even if he transforms again.

The two of them now have to face the “live your wildest dreams” man without Second Chance, or the Luck of the Ladybug. Can they do it?

The Miraculous of the Ladybug still exists, it’s just that dream man has it.

Will I write it? Probably not. It’d be very cool to see someone else’s take on such an AU. Plus writing block.

I’d much rather draw about it. ALAS, I CANNOT DRAW PEOPLE. 😭😭😭😭😭

I might just have to write it, the more I think about it, the more ideas I get. CURSES.

Anyway, for the last episode, I was really rooting for Bug Noir to end Gabes. 🙄

There’s so many things I want to talk about, but those things have been long forgotten, and I need to find something else to do before I die of boredom.

[wildercrow]

A Meeting With Death by Nuri (SpicyIsopods)

Yet another fall/spooky prompt ("a meeting with death"), which I used as an excuse to tell an important piece of Bethany's story and introduce a minor OC (Fiadh's uncle, Cormac)~

---

Rating: Teen Characters: Bethany Hawke, Cormac Ciar Main Relationship: Bethany & Cormac Genre: Angst with a Hopeful Ending Words: 570 Content Warnings: Near-death experience, vomit AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50566441 Fic:

Bethany’s feet are already off the ground by the time she realizes what’s happening. She’s so focused on trying to set a hurlock on fire before it can launch an arrow at her mother that she’s barely aware of her own body.

That is, until Carver shouts “Bethy, no!”

Then suddenly all she can think about is her own body, which is in imminent danger of being either crushed or flung by the ogre currently holding her in its grasp. Which in turn makes her feel terribly selfish. How can she worry about herself when her family is—

CRACK.

The last thing Bethany hears before everything goes black is the sound of her own head hitting the ground. But she won’t remember that part later.

~*~*~

When she wakes up, nothing makes sense. Where is she? Where is everyone else? Why does her body barely move when she tells it to? Where did all this blood come from? It’s barely started to dry. It must be fresh.

Her head will hurt later, but not now. Right now she feels nothing at all, really. She hardly feels real as she takes stock of her circumstances with something that is simultaneously panic and complete indifference.

It doesn’t take long for her to drift off to sleep.

~*~*~

The next time she wakes up, it’s to voices right above her. Unfamiliar voices speaking a barely familiar language. The Chasind tongue, if she’s not mistaken. She’s heard enough of it in passing to recognize the way it sounds, even in her current state, but she barely speaks ten words of it on a good day. And today is most certainly not a good day.

She cracks an eye open to see who’s speaking, but the moment the light hits her eye, she shifts from being fully unaware of her body to being all too aware of it. Mostly of the splitting pain in her head and the nausea rapidly flooding her consciousness, bringing with it panic as she realizes she’s about to be sick. She grasps feebly at the stones beneath her in a futile effort to flip herself over.

One of the mystery people – a middle-aged man who appears to have been kneeling at her side – gets the hint and gently rolls her onto her side just in time for her to throw up what little was in her stomach. She’s so relieved not to be on her back that she forgets to be embarrassed about it.

“Glad to see you’re awake!” the man says, now speaking Trade. “Less glad to see further evidence of a brain injury, but we’ll take what we can get! I’m Cormac, my family’s resident healer. We��re fleeing the Blight just like I assume you are – would you be interested in some company and, more importantly, some medical attention?”

Relief washes over Bethany, followed almost immediately by overwhelming guilt as she realizes that not just this man, but his entire family are wasting precious time trying to help her.

For a moment she wants to say no. Tell them to go on without her, that she’s not worth risking their lives over. But then she realizes they’ve already risked their lives for her, so she might as well make it worth their while.

And besides. There’s some little spark within her that doesn’t want to die today.

So she gathers all her meager strength and replies with a half-delirious “uh-huh.”

[redflagromance]

Short Story Release: Neither Whole Nor Unbroken (Barry Grivus Story- 3,036 words)

He didn't usually contract kills. But this hit was outside of his usual sphere of competence.

Barry kept an eye on the criminals and villains bustling through the convention center. There were so many options, if he really wanted to just get the first person who would agree.

But he was patient. He had one person in mind, with the specific skill set that he needed. He'd already reached out on the secure app on his phone. There hadn't been a reply, but that didn't mean anything.

A particular motion over the top of his newspaper caught his eye.

A slight figure in black was visible from his line of sight. She was in the narrow space between two booths, inches away from someone who had no idea she was present. Her posture and body language communicated control and tightly leashed violence.

He controlled the desire to smile. That was her.

As he looked up, her gaze snapped to follow a large, handsome man in red strut down the main thoroughfare. He was too busy chatting with Gene to see the assassin's whole body go tense as she honed in on him. Barry could see the whites of her eyes and her carefully controlled breathing from over here.

Even without seeing the man's face, he'd know that was the social media star, underwear model, and chronically small-time supervillain Hammer from her furious body language.

'She focused on him like a hawk,' Barry thought, bemused. 'She wants to attack him on sight, in a building with thousands of witnesses.'

The passion there always surprised him. Personally, Barry found Hammer to be a delight. But reasonable people can disagree on matters of taste. He broke his stare and cleared his throat.

"Harmes." His junior partner looked over from the other chair in their booth. "Would you mind getting coffee? I'll hold down the fort. I could really use the caffeine."

Harmes stood easily, clearly stir crazy. "Of course. The usual?"

"You know me," Barry agreed idly. "I'm a predictable man." He watched until Harmes was out of sight.

Barry folded up the newspaper and put it down on the booth.

"Echo," was all he had to say.

His contact sidled over with a swing in her hips. The furious tension in her shoulders was gone, for now.  "Mr. Grivus." Her tone was flat, but he didn't take it personally.

"Did you get my message?"

"Yes. What did you need?" The rogue had a brisk, flat tone that he didn't really care for. She must not have thrived in customer service, he thought.

He looked around in his periphery. Harmes wouldn't be back for at least a few minutes.

He reached into the secret pocket of his blazer, and pulled out a thick envelope.

"Instructions and cash. Non-consecutive bills." A deft little hand snapped out, but he pulled back the envelope in time. He leaned down. He lowered his voice.

"Just make sure it gets done."

"I can do any job related to my skill set," she retorted. Barry smiled faintly and handed over the envelope.

A few minutes later, Harmes returned. He had already resumed his paper. There was nothing to indicate he'd talked to anyone or arranged for anything that would infuriate his business partner.

About an hour later, his phone buzzed.

The notification from his secure channel said only, "job complete."

He was tempted to arrange things so that he could be present for the discovery. But it's too sloppy. More than a few people know about his grudge.

Barry is patient. Barry waits.

The end of the conference comes and goes without any mention of a discovery. It's two days, nothing said. His anticipation is only going to make the eventual fallout better. There's no news on Saturday or Sunday either. It's agonizing.

It happens. Monday, Harmes comes into work. Tired. Disgruntled. Driving an expensive car that he damn well knows Harmes would never buy.

He's thrilled. He can't quite keep the predatorial satisfaction off of his face. As he pours coffee Barry casually asks, "Did something happen to your car?"

Harmes is still. Their expression is best described as dangerous.

He has a frisson of discomfort, a bad feeling that he's been caught.

Harmes can't possibly know, Barry tells himself. There's no way.

"No," Harmes lies lightly. "It's just in the shop. It'll be back, as good as ever." Their fingertips turn pale as they clench their teacup.

His jaw is tense.

'Not if I have anything to say about it.'

"That is terrible," Barry responds. He can't help it. It's too heartfelt to keep in. "That old heap is the worst thing I've ever seen. Holly agrees with me."

Harmes narrows their eyes at him. He's imagining the suspicion there. Did he overplay his hand?

No. It's fine. Harmes already knew he hated the car. That's the whole purpose of the exercise, the reason to contract a rogue mechanic. It would be more suspicious if he was empathetic or neutral.

"My mother isn't always right," Harmes says stiffly.

He's irritated now. Even though he knows that Harmes is lying! His hackles are up. Barry excuses himself to his office and paces. He does some deep breathing to calm down. He checks his message again to confirm that the mechanic really did get rid of Harmes' car once and for all. The message still says "job complete." It's unambiguous. The car has been murdered.

"It's dead," he says grimly. "I paid a ludicrous amount."

The empty office didn't answer him.

"It was a good use of 500 thousand dollars," he says darkly. "I never want to see that thing again."

He stops. He had been pushing down the urge to contract his hitwoman again, but for what he'd paid her? She can cope with a follow up question.

Barry glanced to the main office once more, to confirm that Harmes isn't lurking out there. His junior associate is in their private office. He won't be seen. He messages the hit woman.

"The car is definitely not repairable?"

He waits a while. She must be working. Barry lets out a sigh and gets back to work. He examines the invitation he received for another company's event with a sigh. The owner came to his booth personally at the conference to say hello and give invites to him and Harmes.

The owner is new, but doing admirably to establish herself in the villainous industry. He's a little fond of her. He nearly hired her, in fact. But Harmes was just a little more… innovative.

He sends his confirmation of attendance. It would be a bit of a snub to not attend.

His phone buzzes. The hitwoman has responded, "It was barely holding together before I got to it. I sent a letter saying that it's totalled and detailing the insurance payout for a replacement."

Barry chuckles. He steals a glance at the office. He narrows his eyes.

Harmes is standing by Janine's desk, holding a familiar invitation.

Hm. He pushes open his door and takes a step out, curious. He takes his nearly-empty cup of coffee to have something to do with his hands and a pretense for going out.

"decline," Harmes is saying. "I won't be alienating anyone too important?"

…Ah. He controls the urge to smile. He wonders if Harmes even remembers that Sunny Aviichen interviewed for the same position at Grivus Events that Harmes did, all those years ago.

"No," Janine agrees. She's examining the invitation. "It would be good to go, but I'm sure they're not looking for you specifically."

…He sips the last of his coffee. He had actually had the impression that Ms. Aviichen was quite eager for Harmes to see how well she was doing in her career. Ms. Aviichen seemed rather competitive, even before Harmes got the position. People like that never enjoyed losing.

"Barry?" Janine looks up and spots that he's already out of his office. "You'll represent the firm at this?" She holds up the invitation.

"Of course." He agrees calmly.

"Great." Harmes flashes a smile at him and Janine. "I have pottery class that day."

Janine snorts. "I wouldn't tell anyone that's why you're declining to attend the Vice President's birthday party."

Harmes shrugs and goes back into their office. Barry finds himself watching until the door closes.

He's always enjoyed that about Harmes, he muses. They just don't give a damn.

Ahem.

Someone has cleared their throat. He looks at her.

Janine's face is amused. "Barry, I saw that poor Harmes didn't drive the usual car today." Her lips twitch. "Would you know anything about that?"

"No," he lies smoothly. He tilts his head at her in faux confusion. "But I'm very busy today." He busies himself with getting some water and leaves his coffee cup in the sink.

"Mm," Janine agrees, in a way that lets him know she's certain he's full of it. She pulls open a drawer and withdraws a yellow envelope. "Tell Echo that I said hello."

He frowns at her. She knows too much. She knows everything that happens. "I will," Barry agrees, defeated.

The car is vanquished, he tells himself. He goes back to work. He's finally slayed the beast. It only cost him a year's earnings to never have to see that wretched amalgamation of rusted metal again. His mood begins to lift.

'I wonder what Harmes will buy with the insurance money,' he wonders indulgently. Harmes' actual insurance would never have covered a suitable car, of course. Luckily, the rogue mechanic is also certified in car insurance. She was only to keep half of the money he gave her, and have the other 250 thousand allotted to Harmes.

…He's not certain what a half decent car costs, but surely that would have covered it.

Waiting to see what Harmes buys with his money is the most interesting part of his week. The pleasant anticipation gets him through the vexation that rises when he discovers that that little worm Duke has made a dinner appointment via Janine. "We can't cancel," he says darkly.

"No, but I'll know not to take further appointments with him," Janine says, a little embarrassed.

Barry sighs. "You couldn't have known. I didn't tell you." He turns his gaze out of the window, to the parking lot. "We'll go, find out it's not a good fit, and not take his business."

"That'll work," Janine agrees. She tracks where he's looking, but she doesn't say anything this time.

Harmes is still driving the rental to work.  Surely they'll buy one soon. The rental isn't their style at all. Barry's anticipation builds as the work days go on.

And then Harmes comes to work in something so wretched and old that he hears it two blocks away.

Barry stands up at his desk. That could be anyone's car clanking. But he has a miserable premonition. Slowly, he walks out to the main office.

Janine must have the same instinct. She's already at the window to pull back the curtains. She starts to laugh as Harmes pulls into the parking lot in a positively ancient truck.

"No," Barry breathes, wounded.

Janine starts snorting between gasping laughs.

He puts a hand on his heart. "This can't be happening." It hurts. Harmes is killing him. Harmes is doing him harm. This has to be purposeful.

Harmes drives over a curb. There's a demonic scrape as something unfortunate happens to the underside of the already ill-used vehicle. The car stops. Harmes clearly struggles to open the door. After a few seconds, they kick it open. It's somehow even more dented now.

Janine is fully laughing, and obviously struggling to keep the tears of mirth down. It's worse that she's pitying him. 

Barry closes his eyes. "I'm going to go lie down." He feels faint.

Janine passes him an eye mask and hiccups a stop to her giggles. "Set a timer for your 10 o'clock, sir."

"Thank you," he says, bleak. He's going to become one with the darkness. He's going to break down into his components to escape the pain of reality. And then the door closes behind him and he has another idea.

He could sink into a black miasma of despair. But instead, he calls the mechanic. Maybe there's a solution.

As soon as they pick up, he starts to speak. "Harmes must not have had an adequate budget."

There's a pause. "Hello to you too," says a disgruntled voice. "What are you talking about? I sent them 200 thousand dollars."

"250 thousand," Barry corrects offhand.

The mechanic makes an acknowledging noise. "That's an adequate budget," she says dryly. "Harmes could get any nice car on the market."

Oh. "Perhaps. But there's a rusted 2013 farm truck in my parking lot," Barry confides in a tortured whisper.

There's a bark of surprised laughter so loud that he pulls the phone away from his ear.

Barry scowls. He wishes that other people would stop laughing about this disaster. He crosses his arms and waits with ill grace for her to calm down.

The mechanic controls herself. "Is there some kind of outdoor hobby that might have prompted that choice?"

He freezes. He's finally compared Harmes' regular schedule and the timeframe that the car died in. He knows what happened. "Rocking."

"....what?"

Barry ignores the question and starts to pace. "The car gave out on some muddy back road," he says to himself. Damnit. He curses himself for a fool. "Harmes thinks the solution is a better backroads vehicle." He hurries to his computer and checks his theory. Yes. The exact model is the first example of a reliable used vehicle that results when you search for heavy duty trucks.

"Is there something else I can do for you?" the mechanic asks. There's the sound of a car door opening in the background. "I don't think a follow-up letter from the insurance company saying that the new vehicle is subpar would convince your associate to reconsider."

"No." Barry clears his throat. "You're right. You did your part." He runs a hand through his hair and winces when he realizes he's messed up the style. "Thank you."

"Have a nice day." The mechanic hangs up first.

There is a grieving process. Barry takes his lunch in the attic so that he can gaze into the parking lot undisturbed. The truck… it is wretched. It is a pathetic thing.

He tries convincing himself that it isn't so terrible. He wanted to indirectly buy Harmes a car that was safe and made them happy. The truck, however damaged the body may be, seems to be in better shape than the old thing. It doesn't even give off white smoke. That's certainly an improvement.

He spends a brief dip in the bargaining stage. Perhaps Harmes would buy a second car, a work-appropriate car? How much money would he need to give for that?

…it's a moot point. Harmes doesn't accept gifts.

Barry lets out a beleaguered sigh.

The week passes. The truck is an open wound. It only falls to the back of his mind in the wake of the disastrous dinner meeting with Marc.

…It wasn't his best showing. He hadn't even considered that the weasel was a desirable client for his junior partner. That oversight was embarrassing in retrospect.

He comes into work too shame-faced to even sigh about the truck. It isn't there yet anyway. Barry writes an apology and leaves it on Harmes' desk.

There's some excitement that afternoon when Gene pioneers a new and exciting way to get a felony charge. But Barry can't really enjoy it, because Harmes is avoiding him so studiously that they miss out on the resulting office party.

Eventually, Barry coaxes Harmes out. He's tentatively hopeful that he hasn't done anything irreparable to their working relationship.

Two mornings later, Janine gasps.

Barry makes a questioning sound. He's facing the counter, making his morning coffee before heading into his office.

"You're going to want to see this, Barry."

He puts down the cup with a clink. He turns around slowly. Her serious tone has his full attention.

Janine is standing at the window. Harmes doesn't drive over the curb this time, carefully whipping around the corner in a precision turn.

"This is worse," Barry says numbly.

Janine pats his back in sympathy. "It is," she says. Even she can't laugh about this. She goes back to her desk solemnly.

Barry can't move. He's still stuck there staring out the window in open-mouthed horror when Harmes walks in.

"Good morning, Janine. Good morning, Barry."

Janine responds. He can't.

Harmes walks over to him. "New car," they say cheerfully. "I'm just going to use the truck for rocking." Keys jingle.

He tries to respond. The sound he makes is a croak.

"Isn't it nice?" Harmes asks innocently. They indicate the bright red, shiny sports car in their parking spot.

Harmes bought a volcano car. Harmes gave his money to that insufferable businessman Duke.

Barry finally tears his gaze away and makes eye contact with Harmes.

Harmes is waiting for it. They hold prolonged eye contact.

"Marc gave it to me." Harmes keeps staring at him. There is something unhinged in those eyes. Barry blinks, and four seconds pass. Harmes doesn't blink.

His stomach twists faintly in disgust. Marc? Harmes was on first name terms with that twerp now? He can't find the wherewithal to muster a response.

The seconds stretch on. Janine staples something. Someone washes their hands in the next room. Harmes is still looking deeply into his eyes in some sort of sick dominance play.

"That's nice of him," Barry says weakly. He looks down as blood begins thumping in his ears and dimming his vision. He retreats into his office.

He's lost. Barry knows that now. He sits at his desk and buries his face in his hands.

Did Harmes know? Did Harmes realize he'd assassinated the car and do this to punish him? Or was it even worse- was it fate? Had he pushed Harmes and Duke closer together?

Barry inhales a long, shuddering breath. He lets go of his face. He accepts the total loss, and he gets back to work.

NOTE:

This was originally posted on my Patreon, where I am continually writing other character stories for Deplorably Devoted. Check it out here!

[silvfyre-writings]

Don't Hurt the Bird; Final Part (MHA Fanfic)

Welcome to the final chapter! Please enjoy and the authors note will be at the end of the fic this time!

The plan was simple in theory, but as Tokoyami listened to Shigaraki explain just what they were going to do, he couldn’t see this going any way but wrong. The plan was to have Toga infiltrate the Commission main building with a bunch of Twice’s doubles and take down the people at the top; the people that had been responsible for arranging Hawks’ murder. Meanwhile, Dabi, and the rest of the League would be waiting outside, waiting for Toga’s signal that they were to storm the building.

And they were supposed to achieve this without killing anyone at Hawks’ request.

Yeah, Tokoyami saw this going horribly wrong.

“What about me?” Tokoyami asked once Shigaraki had finished speaking. He wanted to help bring down the people that had dared to hurt his mentor. And Dark Shadow was growing stronger every day since its return, which meant that he could actually help now rather than just sit on the sideline and need to be protected.

“No.” Hawks turned to look at him. The hero was spread out on the couch underneath one of Toga’s blankets, his injuries swathed in bandages to the point that Hawks looked more like a mummy than he did an actual person. “Not only is this plan stupid and dangerous, and I’d very much rather it not happen at all, but if you went along with this, Tokoyami, you would not be able to continue being a hero. Society just wouldn’t allow it.”

“But the Commission have become the villains, have they not?” Tokoyami frowned. As a hero, it was his job to bring down villains, no matter their origin, and the Commission had dared to commit the gravest crime; murder.

“What Hawks means,” Dabi’s head appeared just to the right of Hawks, the villain leaning against the back of the couch he and Hawks were occupying. “Is that the Commission holds a lot of power, and even if we bring them down, they’ll still have power. The kind that can ruin lives.”

“But—”

“Kid, you aren’t coming.” Dabi’s words were final. “We may be villains, but we aren’t completely heartless. If you can’t accept your mentor’s reason, then accept this one; you’re still injured. You’d be a liability, not a help.”

Tokoyami huffed, and Toga crooned at him. “Oh don’t worry, Fumi! Jin and I will make sure to hurt lots of people for you! You can stay here with Hawks and make sure he doesn’t try to follow us!”

Now it was Hawks’ turn to huff, the man glaring playfully at the teen. “Excuse you, as if I’m leaving this couch to save your asses from your ideas.”

“You say that, but you always come to our rescue.” Toga grinned.

“I distinctly remember Dabi burning your wings off one time, and you still tried to save his scrawny ass from being crushed by a falling building.” Spinner commented.

“I’m not scrawny, you fucking lizard.” Dabi snarled, albeit half-heartedly. Spinner merely grinned and waved away his fellow villain’s complaint.

“Remember when Twice got his balaclava stolen and rather than just buy a new one, he hunted down the people that had taken it in the first place?” Compress said, tapping a finger against his own balaclava. “T’was quite the performance, I will admit.”

Hawks was bright red as the rest of the League continued to talk over each other, telling stories of incidents in which Hawks had helped them out. Like how he’d willingly given his own blood to Toga when her craving for blood had threatened to overwhelm her; or how Spinner had been feeling dysphoric about how his quirk appeared, so Hawks had sat with him the entire day and they’d planned a society where people like them—those with animalistic quirks—could walk around without fear. There were more stories, more instances, and Tokoyami listened to each and every one of them. It was so strange to hear about Hawks being so familial with the League, yet so like him at the same time.

And while it was nice to see his mentor relaxed amongst those that truly cared for him, Tokoyami feared for the future when the League was finally apprehended. Would Hawks follow his hero instincts and let them be arrested? Or would he fight for their freedom and betray the hero’s? Neither scenario was one that he wanted to see happen, instead wishing that there was a way where everyone could be happy.

But the thing about the world was that not everyone got a happy ending.

But one could always hope.

“Tokoyami? You okay there?” Hawks’ voice interrupted his thinking, Tokoyami shaking his head and turning to blink at his mentor.

“I am fine. Just thinking about what’ll happen when the League attacks the Commission.”

Hawks sighed, looking rather worried about the situation. “I’m honestly not sure, kiddo. I wish I could tell you the right answer, but at this point, not even I know what’s right and what’s wrong. And that’s saying something.”

Tokoyami hummed. “I understand. Do you not agree with taking down the Commission despite what they’ve done to you?”

“It’s… complicated.” Hawks said with a shrug. “I’m not really the best person to ask about that. Inability to be impartial or whatever it’s called.”

“It’s called, the inability to see that you were treated like shit by the people that should’ve been treating you right.” Dabi interrupted, having drawn away from the League’s conversation, inserting himself into this one. The villain slowly draped himself over the couch, leaning uncomfortably until the side of his face was pressed against Hawks’ hair. “We’re gonna free you from that cage, little bird, and then you’ll be able to fly freely just like you said you wanted to do.”

Hawks tilted his head upwards, his hair catching slightly on the staples in Dabi’s face, and lips brushing together. Tokoyami quickly turned his head away to avoid staring at the blatant display of affection. Was it really that hard for Hawks and Dabi to wait for privacy? Apparently so. Was he going to say anything about it? Absolutely not. And neither was the rest of the League, since all of them were trying to pretend that they weren’t staring, yet failing horribly. Especially Toga, who was quietly kicking her legs in the air like a lovestruck teen.

“Get a room! It’s too cute!” Twice clapped his hands together, breaking out into laughter as Dabi sprang away. It seemed that the flame villain had actually forgotten there were other people around; he and Hawks both red in the face from embarrassment.

“Shut up!” Dabi spat.

“Then don’t PDA in front of us.” Shigaraki fired back. “Save it for later if you must.”

“Just because no one hugged you as a child…”

“Come on then, you burnt carcass, let’s hug it out.”

“As if, you wrinkled potato.” Dabi said, the grin on his face widening as he mocked his leader. Shigaraki snarled and threw himself at the other man, somehow avoiding kicking Hawks as he sailed over the back of the couch. Thankfully, the leader of the villains was wearing gloves so no one got dusted, but Tokoyami wouldn’t have been surprised.

Besides, he had a feeling, it was more of a playfight than anything; Dabi and Shigaraki were a little like angry cats, puffed up and yowling at each other, but fleeing the moment they were pulled apart. Which was exactly what happened when Compress walked over and ripped the two apart, holding them up by their collars.

Yes, they were cats.

“Let us not behave with juvenescence.” The man sighed, letting go the moment Dabi and Shigaraki had their feet underneath them. “We are the League of Villains, not the League of Children.”

“You lost me at juve-what-what.” Shigaraki shrugged, slinking back to his armchair.

“It means ‘the state or period of being young’.” Dabi recited, coming to sit on Tokoyami’s left, the villain slinging an arm around him casually. “Like Tokoyami here. He’s in a state of juvenescence.”

“Wow, Dabi’s smart! And I thought he was an idiot like the rest of us!” Twice said.

“Unlike the rest of you idiots, I had an education.”

“I didn’t know what juvenescence meant until now.” Tokoyami looked up at Dabi. “And I too, have an education.”

The room was silent for about two seconds before Spinner and Shigaraki burst out into laughter whilst Dabi just stared at him like he wanted to turn him to ash right then and there. Even Hawks was laughing, although the hero was trying to stifle it behind a fist. Tokoyami’s mentor reached over and tapped his shoulder with a fist. “Don’t ever change, Tokoyami.”

Once the laughter petered off, Shigaraki grabbed everyone’s attention. “Now that we’re focused again, back to the issue at hand. Unless any of you have something to add, we’ll continue forward with the Toga and Twice infiltration plan.”

“Why can’t Kurogiri just warp us in? Drop us right in their office or whatever? Surely, we can get the coordinates easily?” Spinner asked. “Not that I’m saying the infiltration is a bad idea, just, it’s not the easiest idea either.”

“The Commission developed countermeasures against Kurogiri after he appeared at the USJ all those months ago.” Hawks explained. “Anyone with a teleportation quirk, no matter how strong or weak, cannot use it in the building. I’m not sure how, but I think it’s someone else’s quirk doing it. I don’t know much more.”

“It is unfortunate, I agree, but I have faith in the plan you have all come up with.” Kurogiri said, speaking up for the first time this meeting. “And I can always provide a quick escape should you need it.”

“The plan is all fine and everything, but when exactly are we planning to do this?” Spinner questioned. “And what are we going to do with the kid once we do this?”

“One problem at a time, please.” Shigaraki sighed. “The kid will go back to UA once we bring down the Commission. He wouldn’t have even been here if not for them trying to silence him. So once we bring them down, it should be safe to send him back.”

Tokoyami opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it, not wanting to test his luck. Unfortunately, Compress saw him. “What is it, Tokoyami?”

“Is it really okay for me to go back to UA just like that?” Tokoyami asked. While he had no intention of spreading stories about his time with the League should be go back to UA, he was surprised that the League was even going to let him. Surely, they’d want to make sure he stayed quiet themselves rather than trust him to just be silent?

“Not only would Hawks murder us where we stood if we tried to harm you, you aren’t the type of kid that would just talk. Of course, we expect the heroes to try and get information out of you, which is why we’ve taken care to show you nothing but the inside of this building.” Shigaraki said. “Of course, if you’d rather we kill you…” The villain leader trailed off, but the implication was enough to make Tokoyami shake his head quickly.

“No, no, I’m quite happy being alive, thank you.” There was no way he was going to look this gift horse in the mouth. No way.

Shigaraki gave a single nod and then faced Spinner. “Now to answer your actual question, we’ll attack tomorrow afternoon. That should give Toga and Twice all the time they need. The rest of us will wait outside for the signal. Hawks and his kid will stay here with Kurogiri.”

“You can count on us, Boss! We’re all going to die!” Twice threw himself upright, pumping a fist into the air. “Come on Toga, we need to plan! I want to look pretty!”

“Yay! I’ll pretty you up, Jin, don’t worry about that!” Toga rushed up the stairs, waving for Twice to follow her, the two disappearing from view, their voices slowly fading until the sound of a door shutting cut them off entirely. Tokoyami just stared at the staircase for he had no words for the interaction he’d just witnessed. Out of the entire League, he found Toga and Twice the strangest.

Strange was good sometimes, but in this case, it was just strange.

Spinner followed his fellow villains up the stairs only a few minutes after, simply waving at them without a word; Shigaraki following, ranting about how he was going to win. It took Tokoyami a moment to realize that the man was talking about video games and not real life, and it amused Tokoyami greatly to picture Japan’s worst villain dusting a game controller in a fit of anger.

“Alas, I must leave you alone to prepare for the upcoming show. Please do not torment the poor child too much with your shenanigans, Hawks. Dabi.” Compress said, tacking the villain’s name on as an afterthought.

“No shenanigans are happening here, Compress, don’t you worry.” Hawks grinned. “Only a much needed nap.”

Compress laughed. “What’s this? Hawks actually choosing to rest? Never thought I’d see the day! Who knew it only took you getting shot to do so?”

“I’d rather him not make it a habit.” Dabi said, squeezing himself onto the couch behind Hawks so that the hero could use him as a pillow. The action was done without a second thought, and the way Hawks shifted to accommodate told him that this was something that had been done frequently, even before Hawks had been injured. “It’s not natural for birdbrain here to be so still.”

“So insulting, yet so caring at the same time.” Hawks rolled his eyes, fighting to keep them open as the urge to sleep clawed at him.

Tokoyami stood from the couch, intending to let Hawks get some rest; he’d probably just make himself a quick snack and try to encourage Dark Shadow to come out and eat something as well. His quirk was starting to get stronger, and Tokoyami couldn’t wait for Dark Shadow to be at full strength again.

“Oi.” Tokoyami looked over at Dabi. The villain was holding his phone out to him. “You can talk to your teacher if you’d like. Just be careful about what you say. Don’t tell him anything about the plan.”

Tokoyami nodded, taking the phone into his hand. Dabi had been conversing sporadically with Tokoyami’s teacher about recent events, yet the villain never let him talk to Aizawa; claiming that it wasn’t safe for him to do so, and that Dabi would relay anything he wanted to say. So to finally be able to speak to his teacher himself, Tokoyami grew excited. “Can I call him, or text only?”

“Text. Call for too long and it becomes a risk.” Dabi shooed him away. “Behave while the adults sleep, okay?”

“You’re not my parent.”

“Tokoyami, behave, please.”

“Yes, Hawks.”

The room was silent as the time ticked closer to the beginning of the League’s mission; the villains sitting in silence around the living room once again after several hours of rest. Twice and Toga were already gone; on their way to infiltrate the Commission building and allow the rest of their comrades to sneak in. The television was playing on the usual news channel, just in case the two were caught and it was broadcast. Because there was no way the Commission would remain silent when they were attacked. Kurogiri was on standby, watching the phone, awaiting the coordinates that would allow him to teleport the rest of the League into the fight.

Meanwhile, Tokoyami sat next to Hawks, who was watching the television intensely, one hand gripping the other in a hand breaking grip. He could tell that his mentor was nervous about what was going to happen, and scared as well. The League was effectively going to destroy everything Hawks knew, and knowing that it was going to happen must’ve been sending Hawks’ hero instincts haywire. Maybe that was why Dabi had insisted that Tokoyami remain behind. Because Tokoyami may have still been injured, but he was ready to fight to protect his mentor, and Dabi very much knew that. Yet if he went with them, that would mean that Hawks was alone, and who knew what the hero would’ve done if that had happened.

“It’ll be okay, Hawks.” Tokoyami said, slotting himself into his mentor’s side, taking care to be mindful of Hawks’ injuries.

“Yeah…” Hawks wasn’t really listening, his agreeing tone more automatic than anything. The hero’s gaze was fixated on the television with such focus, Tokoyami doubted that anything would be able to pull it away.

Tokoyami didn’t like how stressed Hawks looked, yet he couldn’t think of anything that would distract his mentor; at least, distract him enough to stop him from focusing on the upcoming fight. But then Tokoyami had a thought. What if he told Hawks about his classmates? He’d never really indulged in that with his mentor, choosing to keep himself as more of a private person. That didn’t mean he just ignored Hawks if his mentor asked about his classmates, but Hawks wasn’t the kind of person who questioned others about every little detail of their lives. It wasn’t that Hawks wasn’t interested, it was just that the hero was too busy and thinking too fast to slow down and ask.

“Can I tell you about my classmates?” Tokoyami asked after muddling over the idea for several minutes.

Hawks glanced in his direction. “You’re trying to distract me, aren’t you?”

“Yes. But thinking about what’s coming and what could happen isn’t going to help. So let me distract you. Just for a bit at least.”

A sigh, so deep that he wondered if Hawks had been holding his breath. “Okay. Let’s hear it then.”

Tokoyami began to speak, at first about his classmates and their quirks, but the longer he spoke, the more he went on about how he enjoyed living with them in the dorms, and some of the shenanigans that they’d gotten up to. Like that time, they’d convinced Todoroki to turn his bedroom into a sauna—that had been fun to explain to Aizawa when the fire alarm went off and they’d had to evacuate at three in the morning. Tokoyami also spoke about Bakugo and his group of friends, how chaotic and loud they were whenever they held a study session in the common room. Those days were always the most interesting since it was a gamble of whether Bakugo would blow something—or someone—out of the room. Quite literally.

And then Tokoyami began to speak of his friends.

While he got along with most, if not all, of his classmates, there were only a few that he would actually consider to be his friends. One of them was Todoroki, the quiet boy often joining him at random hours of the night to watch something when sleep eluded the both of them. Most of the time, they would find some kind of documentary, or an old kids film, and just watch it until they dozed off. Sometimes, Aizawa would catch them and send him and Todoroki back up to their rooms, but other times, they’d wake up to find blankets thrown over them, and pillows placed beneath their heads.

Another friend was Kuroiro, from the other hero class. Tokoyami had never imagined becoming friends with any of the Class B students, not until he’d met the boy that dwelled in the shadows, appreciating them and the darkness just as much as Tokoyami did. They didn’t get to hang out often, but they always made time to get lunch, or sit outside in the dark until curfew came. No words were shared during these moments, only a mutual respect of the darkness.

And then there was Shoji, who Tokoyami would consider one of his closest friends. Ever since the training camp where they’d been paired together—and where Tokoyami had almost killed his classmate—they’d formed a friendship. It was hard to explain just what made them friends, for they didn’t really share any interests or hobbies, but Shoji was always willing to listen to Tokoyami, and help him with his homework if he needed it; and Tokoyami was content to do the same.

Tokoyami paused to gather his thoughts and catch his breath. He’d never spoken so much before in his life, and yet, it had felt so natural to do so. Would he do it again? Absolutely not. He’d leave the talking to his more energetic classmates; like Midoriya and Iida. Those two could talk enough to power the entire country if people gave them the chance to do so.

“And you too, Hawks, are a good friend to have.”

Hawks, whose gaze had slowly moved from the television towards Tokoyami, blinked in surprise, like he couldn’t believe the words that had just come out of Tokoyami’s mouth. And for all Tokoyami knew, Hawks probably didn’t believe him.

“I’m… a friend?” It was tentative; quiet, and so unlike Hawks’ usual surety that Tokoyami almost believed that he’d imagined the words being spoken.

“Of course.” Tokoyami nodded. “You’re my teacher, but you are also a dear friend, and I hope that once I graduate, we will be able to spend time together.”

Hawks opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but paused, his cheeks dusted with red. After a few seconds of opening and closing, Hawks finally found the words he was looking for. “You’re a good kid, Tokoyami. I’m glad I picked you.”

“Sorry to interrupt.” Kurogiri’s voice echoed from the kitchen, the shadowy man approaching them. “But they’ve begun.”

Immediately, Hawks went for the television remote, flicking the channel to the main news channel; if the League’s attack was going to be broadcast, that would be the channel it played on. Tokoyami also turned to focus on the television, although he wasn’t sure what it was that he wanted to see anyway; cheering on the League would mean that he agreed with what they were doing, but hoping they’d lose would mean that he agreed with what the Commission had done to Hawks. Neither option was the preferred one, but if Tokoyami had to pick something, he’d pick the option that allowed Hawks to be free.

“—attack on the Hero Public Safety Commission Headquarters. It is believed to be an attack by the League of Villains, but we are currently unable to confirm it. Heroes are rushing to the Commission’s aid from all over Japan, and so far, the motives for the League’s attack are unknown. We will remain live on this incident, and have absolute faith in our heroes.”

Tokoyami watched intensely as the footage changed from the newsroom to what must’ve been a cameraman in a helicopter; the footage was a little shaky as the cameraman shifted, zooming in on the Commission headquarters below. It was hard to see what was actually happening since the reporters were outside the building and not inside of it, but it wasn’t hard to imagine what was happening.

A massive wave of blue flames exploded from the building, shattering the windows on that side of the building. And despite being so far away, the camera managed to pick up the sounds of people screaming. More flames followed Dabi’s attack; orange ones this time, and soon it was a battle of fire. Red and blue, dancing through the air. It was mesmerizing to watch, even through a screen; fire truly was beautiful, despite how deadly it actually was.

But where are those other flames coming from? Tokoyami thought. Unless heroes had arrived on the scene before the camera was rolling, there hadn’t been anyone he knew with a fire quirk that had joined the fray. Tokoyami got his answer a moment later when part of the Commission building blew out, another wave of blue fire escaping through the hole, and Endeavour flying out to avoid the flames. The camera zoomed in on the scene, showing Dabi with a manic grin on his face, blood seeping down his face from a hidden gash. The villain was saying something, but the camera was unable to pick it up.

Tokoyami felt Hawks stiffen beside him, some of his mentor’s feathers hardening at the scene unfolding before them. But that wasn’t what caught Tokoyami’s attention; what caught his attention was the utter despair on Hawks’ face. Tokoyami wasn’t sure what it was that caused such an expression, and he was loathed to find out.

But then Hawks stood up, nearly toppling over as he wobbled dangerous, face morphing into one of pain. “I need to go.”

“Hawks, no, you’re hurt.” Tokoyami rose from his seat, reaching out his one good arm to stabilize Hawks. Kurogiri suddenly appeared on Hawks’ other side, both hands holding up Hawks easily. Yet Hawks still tried to pull away from them.

“No, you don’t understand, he’ll die.” Hawks said.

Tokoyami had no idea whether it was Endeavour or Dabi that Hawks was talking about. Thankfully, Kurogiri came to the rescue.

“Hawks, you must remain here. If you try and go to them, you may be killed, and then this plan will have been for nothing.” Kurogiri soothed. “Besides, look; Twice is there.”

Hawks’ head flew back towards the television so fast, that Tokoyami was surprised the hero didn’t snap his neck. But as he also turned towards the live footage, he could see what Kurogiri meant. Twice had dragged Dabi out of view, however, there were hundreds—if not thousands—of clones rushing throughout the building. Most of them were of Twice, but there were still plenty that made up members of the League. Soon enough, the flames died off as several clones through themselves out of the hole in the building, latching onto Endeavour and dragging the hero down with their weight.

Hawks let out a sigh as the flames died away.

Tokoyami realized that the reporter was speaking again and tuned into what they were saying.

“—fight still going strong! We’ve received word that many other heroes have joined Endeavour in trying to protect those that work for the Commission, and we can only hope that they are successful. We are still unable to get close enough to determine what is happening inside the building, but we are working with police to bring you that information. So far, it appears no one has been killed, which further questions just what the League of Villain’s hopes to accomplish here today…”

So far, it sounded as if the League was following Hawks’ request to not kill anyone, but how long would that last for? If the League didn’t back down, then surely the heroes would see they had no choice but to kill them? If only they’d just been able to talk with the authorities or something about what had happened, then maybe this whole fight could’ve been avoided in the first place. But then again, the Commission was in charge of hero society already; who knew what else they controlled, what heroes were under their thumb?

And the longer the fight went on, the more stressed Hawks got. Already, the hero was as tense as he could be, perched on the edge of the couch, ready to fly if he was needed despite the pain it would cause him. Tokoyami had a feeling the only reason Hawks hadn’t actually tried to leave was because he had a grip on his mentor’s arm. Or maybe, Hawks actually had the sense to not try to go to the League’s aid; because if Hawks did just that, with media cameras filming all over, who knew what would be said. Who knew what would become of Hawks; whether he’d be able to continue as a hero or not.

“Oh my god, are you seeing this people?” Tokoyami’s attention returned to the television, eyes widening as he watched the building that was the Commission headquarters, collapsed. “The League of Villains has destroyed the Commission headquarters! We don’t know yet what caused the collapse, but I’ll be amazed if the people inside the building survived! We’ll—”

“We need to go. Now.” Hawks, face contorted in pain, forced himself to stand, eyes flicking between Tokoyami and Kurogiri. “Either you can come with me, or you can stay here. But you will not stop me from going.”

Tokoyami stayed silent, although he rose to stand beside his mentor. He wasn’t going to stop Hawks, but he’d at least make sure that Hawks didn’t hurt himself even more than he already was. Kurogiri was also silent, unmoving, but clearly thinking over Hawks’ words.

Finally. “Alright. I shall drop you and Tokoyami off in a safe spot and provide an escape. But I cannot do more than that.”

Hawks flashed a smile. “You’re doing more than enough, Kurogiri. Thank you.” Hawks turned towards Tokoyami. “You up for being a hero, kiddo?”

Tokoyami nodded without hesitation. “Always.”

“It would’ve been nice if we could’ve been dropped somewhere we could see.” Tokoyami coughed as he and Hawks emerged from Kurogiri’s portal into the massive dust cloud that was the aftermath of the collapsed building.

“If he’d done that, we would’ve been spotted immediately.” Hawks said, leaning heavily against the wall, breathing heavy, and looking like he was about to pass out. Tokoyami quickly moved over to stand beside Hawks, offering himself as a crutch. Hawks quickly shifted to lean against him. “Thanks, kid.”

“Who are we helping, Hawks?” Tokoyami asked. “Are we here to help Dabi and the others, or the people caught in the collapse?”

“Both.” Hawks’ eyes were determined. “We’re heroes, Tsukuyomi, we’re going to save everyone we can. We just need to be careful, since, ya know, you’re a wanted person right now.”

Right, thanks for that reminder. Tokoyami huffed at the reminder. But Hawks was right; they were heroes, and saving people came first, regardless of who they were. “I understand. Let’s go then.”

Tokoyami led the way out of the building, moving carefully so that they didn’t jostle their injuries much. He did wonder just how exactly they were going to rescue people in such a state, but that was a problem for another time. First, they had to get out of the building. While they walked, Hawks sent off some feathers to get a feel for the area, reporting to Tokoyami when they came across a dead end or something they had to avoid.

The worst part about the dust cloud—even more than the effort it took to breathe—was how silent it was. The only sound that Tokoyami could hear, was his own footsteps. There was no screaming, no crying, and no sounds of fighting. The HSPC building was one of the tallest buildings in Japan; its collapse would certainly have left a wide radius of carnage in its path.

“Some people up ahead.” Hawks reported, nudging Tokoyami in a different direction. Tokoyami adjusted himself accordingly, simultaneously drawing the hood over his head. While he was more than happy to help people, he didn’t want to accidentally frighten them if they’d paid any attention to the news reports recently.

“Oh my god, it’s Hawks!” A small group of people—teenagers—were huddled in an alleyway, hair gray with dust, and eyes wide with fright. “What are you doing here?”

“Doing what heroes do best.” Hawks grinned, detaching another feather. “Can you guys walk?”

The group nodded. “Great! I’m afraid I can’t offer much help at the moment, but these feathers will guide you to safety. Make sure you follow them and stay close together, alright?” Hawks pushed himself off of Tokoyami, limping over to the group and holding out one of his larger feathers. “Just snap it if you run into trouble. I’ll come.”

“Thank you, Hawks! We’re so glad you’re still alive!”

“Yes, yes, run along now and get to safety!” Hawks shooed the teenagers on, watching them intensely until they disappeared into the cloud, although Tokoyami knew that the feathers left with the teens would transmit all the information the hero needed to keep them safe.

“We should get up high if we can.” Tokoyami said, after they’d been walking for a while with no end of the dust cloud in sight. “If we can get above this dust cloud, we might be able to provide more assistance.”

“Good plan. But how do you propose we do that? I can’t fly.”

“I can fly us up.” Tokoyami called on Dark Shadow, his quirk coming to life in an instant. “I am strong enough to get us to a roof.”

“Need I remind you, that you only have one good arm. And that I barely have any good limbs to spare." Hawks raised an eyebrow, one arm gesturing towards the two of them as they shuffled along the footpath.

"Then we hold hands.” Tokoyami shrugged.

“If you guys fall, I’ll catch you!” Dark Shadow piped up. “It’s been ages since we last flew! Come on!”

Hawks let out a sigh. “Alright then. I’ll trust you on this.”

Tokoyami beamed at the words. Having Hawks tell him that he trusted him was the highest honour, and one that Tokoyami intended to treasure for the rest of his life. “You can count on me. Dark Shadow, let's go." As his quirk got into place, ready to fly them upwards, Tokoyami reached out and grabbed into Hawks’ hand, holding it tightly. He hoped that his mentor couldn’t detect how nervous he actually was to be doing this; only because there were so many ways it could go wrong.

But for once, luck was on their side. Dark Shadow lifted them into the air towards the nearest building that was above the dust cloud—that was slowly, slowly, starting to lighten up—and Tokoyami’s grip held. There was no hiding the pain on Hawks’ face though, the position straining his already battered body. “Down there, Dark Shadow.” Tokoyami nodded towards a building to the left of them that was unscathed and easily visible.

“Okay, Fumi!” Dark Shadow quickly rose and then descended gently, placing Tokoyami and Hawks on the rooftop like they were pieces of delicate china to be protected.

Hawks slumped to the ground, only Tokoyami’s quick thinking preventing the hero from faceplanting into the rooftop. “Hawks! Are you alright?”

Hawks was pale, and his face was tight, but he still nodded. “I’m fine. Just underestimated how much that would hurt.”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t go back to the hideout?” Tokoyami asked.

“I’ll be fine now.” Hawks said. “I just needed a moment. Now, give me a moment to get the people inside the cloud to safety. You see if you can spot the League anywhere.”

“Okay.” Tokoyami watched as Hawks detached nearly all his feather from his right wing, but only about half from his left. It was then that Tokoyami remembered that the bullet had shot through Hawks’ wing as well as his body, so it was likely that the limb had been damaged. He shook his head, focusing on the task his mentor had given him and made his way to the edge of the rooftop, scanning the area below looking for any sign of the villains he’d been living with for the past couple of weeks.

There was nothing.

Even as the cloud continued to dissipate, Tokoyami was unable to spot the League anywhere; which should’ve been impossible, considering just who exactly they were. Just as Tokoyami was about to move to the other side of the roof, barely visible movement caught his eye.

It was Dabi.

The villain was lying on the ground, pinned underneath a large piece of rubble with Toga slumped under him. Tokoyami strained to see how badly hurt Dabi was, even though it didn’t really help. But he could see that the villain was moving, shoving at the concrete trapping him having already freed one leg. Even Toga was starting to stir. “I can see Toga and Dabi. Dabi’s trapped.”

“Where?” Hawks immediately questioned, limping over to stand beside his intern. Tokoyami pointed to the street down below. “Get us down there.”

“Is that wise? We could be spotted.”

Tokoyami shivered as Hawks swivelled to give him the most intense, protective, stare he’d ever seen on Hawks’ face. It reminded him that Hawks at this point, didn’t care about whether they got spotted helping villains or not; someone he cared about was hurt, and he was going to save them. “Alright. I’ll take us down.”

The flight down to the roads was easier to deal with, yet still painful, and Tokoyami was more than happy to keep his feet on the ground from now on. The moment they’d landed, Hawks had dashed off—well moved as fast as he’d been capable of with his injuries. Which wasn’t very fast, but the hero was certainly trying his best.

“Dabi!”

Dabi stilled at Hawks’ cry, twisting awkwardly to stare at them, eyes wide only for a moment before narrowing in anger. “What the fuck are you doing here? We told you to stay behind! Do you want to be seen?”

“Shut up, and let us help you.” Hawks snapped back, turning to face Tokoyami. “Can Dark Shadow hold this up?”

Before Tokoyami could even respond, Dark Shadow burst out of him, puffing up with pride. “Of course I can! Leave it to me!" Tokoyami simply nodded and directed his quirk to lift up the rubble, the shadowy creature doing so like the debris weighed no more than a feather.

Dabi was quick to drag himself clear of the rubble, finding his feet. It didn’t look like the villain had been injured in the collapse aside from a few specks of blood encrusting the staples that were helping to hold the villain together. “You were a fool to come.”

“We watched                                                                                                                                                                                            the footage.” Hawks shrugged. “We saw the building collapse and had to come.”

“Come and do what, exactly? Get spotted and be branded a villain? Get murdered by the people we’re trying to protect you from?” Dabi’s eyes flashed with anger, although it seemed to be more out of fear for Hawks’ safety than actual anger. “What’s your plan, Keigo?”

Keigo? Who’s Keigo?

Tokoyami found his answer pretty quick when Hawks let out a subtle flinch the moment the name was spoken. So it’s Hawks’ name. Deep down, Tokoyami had known that Hawks must’ve had a name, but in the months he’d known Hawks, this was the first time hearing it. And from the way that Hawks had reacted, it appeared to be the same issue, which was… odd. Why would Hawks not be used to hearing his own name? It hit Tokoyami a moment later that maybe the reason Hawks wasn’t used to his name was because it was how the Commission had designed it to be. If that was the case, then Tokoyami was even more glad they’d been stopped.

Hawks awkwardly avoided Dabi’s eyes, clenching his hands so tight, the knuckles were white. “I don’t know. I just couldn’t sit by and watch as you all risked your lives on my behalf.”

Dabi opened his mouth to spit out some kind of retort, but it was Toga that ended up speaking instead. “Aww, don’t be mad, Dabi.” The girl’s voice was quiet, and she looked exhausted. “It just means that Hawks cares about us.”

“Still.” Dabi gritted out through clenched teeth. “Birdbrain should’ve had a little more sense than to drag his injured ass about, along with his kid’s injured ass.”

“Yeah, yeah, you can finish chewing me out later for my poor decisions.” Hawks waved away Dabi’s words, a tiny bit of annoyance within his own. “Where are the others?”

Dabi pulled out his phone, which had miraculously survived the building collapse. “Spinner and Twice are back at the hideout—they got out of the building using a clone of you. Compress is with Shigaraki, apparently abusing some poor cameraman about the reasoning of why we did this.” Dabi glanced up at Hawks. “The whole truth about the Commission.”

“So, Hawks entire past is going to be broadcast to Japan, then?” Tokoyami asked.

“Not just Hawks’. All of our pasts are going to be broadcast, as part of our plan to show the country that hero society needs to change.” Dabi said, sounding a little uncomfortable himself, but it didn’t stop him from reaching out and snagging Hawks hand, giving it a squeeze. “Breathe, Keigo, you gave us permission for this.”

“I know.” Hawks croaked. “It’s complicated.”

“I know.” Dabi soothed, tapping out a message on his phone while he stepped forward to bring Hawks to his chest, the hero relaxing into the one-armed hug. It was sweet to see Dabi caring about Hawks’ feelings, Tokoyami decided, finally having gotten used to the relationship between the two, as strange as it was. “We should be getting a lift back home in just a moment.”

Just as the portal from Kurogiri opened up behind them, heavy footsteps approached from around the corner. Tokoyami looked up, only to find his few blocked by Hawks and Dabi, the villain shoving him and Toga behind his body; protecting them. He had a feeling that Dabi wanted them to go through the portal, but there was no way that Tokoyami was going to leave Hawks. Tokoyami saw Dabi’s body go stiff, a single shudder running through him. He peeked around the villain’s arm, eyes widening as he saw Endeavour approaching them.

The Number One hero had fury in his eyes as he looked at every one of them; the anger faded to confusion when his eyes fell on Tokoyami, but was quick to come back. Endeavour stopped several feet away, ready to fight, yet no flames followed. “So, you were a villain all this time, Hawks?”

“Hawks is a hero, through and through. He couldn’t be a villain even if he wanted to.” Dabi stepped in front of Hawks, one arm reaching behind to keep Hawks out of Endeavour’s line of sight, the other flickering to life with blue flames; it was a protective move that had Endeavour faltering slightly. “He’s twice the hero you’ll ever be, Enji Todoroki.”

Endeavour stepped back like he’d just been slapped. Hawks reached up placed a hand on Dabi’s shoulder, moving to stand beside Dabi in order to speak to his fellow hero. “The League is protecting me, Endeavour. The Commission tried to murder me, and may have actually done so if not for them.”

“You don’t have any proof of that. The reports all said it was that—”

“Reports lie.” Hawks’ expression was dark. “The Commission lied to everyone, and deemed I had to die all because I failed the mission they gave me. Because I had human emotions that they didn’t agree with. And as for proof? Tsukuyomi is the proof.”

“Your intern?” Endeavour’s eyes, a familiar shade of blue, Tokoyami realized—and recognized—was staring at him in disbelief. “Your intern has been accused of colluding with the League of Villains to murder you.”

“My intern is the only person to have seen what actually happened that day. I trust him more than anything.” Hawks snapped back. “And the League managed to get security footage of a Commission agent shooting me, which I’m sure is going to be leaked on national television sometime soon. And you might want to check the news rather than pick a fight Endeavour, because some of the attention that’s coming, is coming to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh you’ll find out soon.” Dabi’s grin was wide and manic, like he couldn’t wait to see what happened. The flames disappeared as Dabi waved at the hero “You’ll find out very soon and I can’t wait to see what kind of expression you have when you do hear it. Because as much as I’d love to burn you to death, I think leaving you alive with the knowledge that’s about to come is so much worse.”

Endeavour just stood there, unable to find the words to make a retort, and unable to start a fight either. Dabi used that moment to scoop Hawks up like a sack of potatoes and shove him and Toga towards the portal. Toga stumbled towards the portal, still feeling the effects of the fight, and Tokoyami sidled up to the girl, lending a shoulder just like he had to Hawks earlier. Tokoyami stepped into the portal, the usual disoriented feeling that came with teleporting, quickly finding him; and seconds later, he was back at the hideout, staring into the eyes of the rest of the League—minus Shigaraki and Compress.

“Welcome back, Toga! Oh my god, please don’t die!” Twice dashed forward, practically snatching Toga out of Tokoyami’s arms.

Toga smiled tiredly at Twice. “I’m okay, Jin. Just tired.”

“Then you go rest.” Twice shepherded Toga towards the couch, covering her with a blanket when the girl flopped onto it. It was so gentle, and Tokoyami realized that it was the first time he hadn’t heard the automatic echo that came with Twice’s usual speaking pattern.

Before Tokoyami could ask about that, he was distracted by Dabi stepping through the portal, Hawks complaining about how his legs were working perfectly fine and that he didn’t need to be carried like an invalid; Dabi casually reminding the hero that he actually was supposed to be in invalid as he walked over to the vacant armchair and dumped the hero into it.

“You say I’m an invalid, and then you treat me like I’m a bag of trash.” Hawks grumbled.

“I’m not the one who disobeyed orders to try and stop a building from collapsing on us. What were you going to do? Throw a few feathers at it?” Dabi argued back, clearly thinking that Hawks was stupid for even attempting to help.”

“We only came after the building collapsed actually.” Tokoyami commented. “Hawks wanted to make sure no one had been hurt.”

“Exactly. Thank you, Tokoyami.” Hawks rolled his eyes before letting his eyes gaze around the room. “How exactly did the building collapse in the first place? I thought I told you not to kill anyone.”

“We didn’t.” Spinner answered the question. “One of those Commission goons did it. The guy had some sort of quirk that destroyed things because the moment he touched the wall, the whole building started coming down.”

“As if we’d kill anyone when you asked us not to, Hawks. Even Dabi didn’t kill anyone and we all know how hard that must’ve been.” Toga said, ignoring the way Dabi glared at her. “But Jin and I got everything we needed to and got out.”

“Hell yeah! It was a piece of cake! I thought I was gonna die!” Twice cheered. “Mr Compress has all the stuff, and he and boss man are taking care of the rest!”

Tokoyami was confused, and from the look on Hawks’ face, his mentor was too. “I don’t understand.” Hawks said slowly. “I thought the plan was to take down my bosses?”

“That’s what we told you, because if we actually told you what we were planning, you would’ve stopped us. Although the plan only changed once we actually got there, which is probably why we had so much trouble.” Spinner shrugged. “But we decided that instead of taking your bosses down physically, we’d taken them down another way. But hacking into their systems and finding all the ‘accidents’ they caused. And other dirty secrets they had.”

“You’re right, that was far too dangerous.” Hawks narrowed his eyes. “Those files are the most protected part of the Commission. You could’ve very much been killed.”

“Well, we weren’t, so shut up and tune into the TV.”

“How come?” Tokoyami asked, wanting to be included in the conversation.

Spinner flashed him a grin. “Because as Compress would say; the show’s just about to start.”

“Not even an hour ago, the League of Villains launched an attack against the Hero Public Safety Commission headquarters, resulting in the destruction of the building. Miraculously, no one was killed, although several people were injured in the collapse, but heroes on the scene were able to prevent anyone from dying; a true miracle!” The news reporter was saying, a grave expression on their face. “It is unknown what exactly caused the building to collapse, but it is believed to have been a result of the League of Villain’s leader; Shigaraki’s quirk.”

“Come on, get on with it.” Spinner said, eyes glued to the television, legs bouncing with impatience.

Tokoyami half-listened as the reporter continued to go on and on about the attack, basically repeating the same things over and over again. This was why he never watched the news; they took too long to actually say anything. But still, he focused on the television, waiting for whatever moment was coming that Spinner and the others were waiting for.

The sound of a portal drew his attention and he nodded to Compress and Shigaraki as they entered the hideout. Compress nodded back, saw the news channel and hurried over. “Have they shown it yet?”

“Not yet. Slow fuckers they are!” Twice answered, moving over so that Compress could sit down beside him.

“Who’d you give the data to?” Dabi asked.

“Them.” Compress pointed to a person that had just rushed into the studio, handing a thick envelope to the reporters. “Did Shigaraki have to threaten them to get them to actually take it? Maybe? Does our dear leader regret scaring the poor intern? Absolutely not.”

“Stupid intern kept questioning me, what else was I supposed to do?” Shigaraki spat. The League’s leader spun to face Hawks, pointing a gloved finger at him. “You better appreciate this bird brain, because if this fails, I’m dusting you right there.”

“I don’t even know what is it you’ve done! How can it be my fault?” Hawks huffed.

“It just is.”

“I hate you.”

“Um… apologies everyone, but we need to take a quick break. We’ve just been delivered some… concerning documents. See you all very shortly!” The reporter said in a hurry, ad breaks launching across the screen just as they finished speaking.

Tokoyami turned to stare at Shigaraki. “What is in those documents?”

“Everything the Commission ever tried to cover up or hide. One of those cover-ups being Crispy over there.” Shigaraki jabbed a finger in Dabi’s direction.

Dabi grunted, the only one of the villains not watching the television. Instead, the villain was acting as Hawks’ cushion, the hero leaning against him in the armchair, while Dabi played with Hawks’ hair. Tokoyami noticed the way that Dabi didn’t seem to be with the rest of them, like he didn’t want to be apart of what was about to happen. He wanted to know what it was that was bothering the villain so much, and if it had anything to do with Endeavour and what it was that both Hawks and Dabi had said to the hero earlier. But he wasn’t going to. Because Tokoyami respected privacy, even if the person he was respecting was a villain.

But he did want to know if Dabi was okay. Although, before he could ask, Hawks seemed to sense something was amiss and turned his head towards his… friend—the word ‘lovers’ would never descend from Tokoyami’s mouth; it was just too awkward right now—and reached over to grab Dabi’s hand, quietly speaking to the villain. Too quiet for Tokoyami to pick up on. But whatever Hawks was saying had some effect on Dabi, because the villain relaxed a little, his eyes moving towards the news that was due back any second now.

And then it was back.

“Welcome back viewers. We once again apologize for that unexpected break, but after some discussion and… some strong words from our mysterious benefactor, we have decided to reveal the contents of the documents, which brings light to a recent incident, and the truth to past ones.”

Tokoyami watched as the reporter, with shaking hands and a pale face, began to read. Tokoyami had expected crimes similar to the one committed against Hawks, but he was sorely mistaken. And now he knew why Dabi was uneasy, for it was the villain’s backstory currently being aired on national television. A picture of Dabi was thrown up on the screen, and beside it, a boy only a couple of years younger than Tokoyami himself, with the same blue eyes and white hair. This boy was the deceased Touya Todoroki, Endeavour’s first-born son, who’d been abused for years at the hands of his father until Touya—no Dabi—had snapped and burnt an entire mountain with his flames, resulting in the scarred villain that Tokoyami had come to know.

And the worst part? The Commission had known about the abuse. They’d known and covered it up because Endeavour had been the Number Two hero the entire time it was happening.

Tokoyami was horrified, and his mind drifted towards his classmate, Endeavour’s youngest. Had Todoroki gone through the same things as his older brother had? Was he still going through those things? Tokoyami had no idea, and it made him feel like a shitty friend for not noticing just how bad Todoroki’s home life had been. One thing was certain; once he got back to UA, he was going to make sure that his friend never had to go near Endeavour again.

But the reporter didn’t stop there.

Next up came Hawks’ predecessors. All of them. Tokoyami was horrified to learn just how many people the Commission had taken in and trained before discarding them the moment they did something the Commission didn’t like. One person sympathized with a villain and tried to help them; only to find themselves dead on the street—along with the villain. Another simply disagreed with the way the Commission operated and suddenly disappeared without a trace. Many died under the Commission’s care, not even making it onto the streets as a hero. The more that was revealed, the wider Tokoyami’s eyes became. These were the people in charge of hero society as a whole, and yet, they hurt and killed others without a care in the world.

Hearing about Lady Nagant was the worst.

A woman who’d only wanted to be a hero, yet had been turned into a killer by the Commission’s hands; killing whoever they wanted to die, regardless of whether they were villain or hero. On and on, she’d suffered, until she’d finally snapped and killed the person in charge of her; sent to Tartarus as a result, being one of the only people to actually still be alive. But hearing about the way Lady Nagant lived had Tokoyami watching his mentor carefully. Would Hawks have eventually snapped too, and killed his own bosses? Or was he the Commission’s ‘perfect’ hero that they’d been after all this time?

Tokoyami didn’t know, and he didn’t want to know either.

And before he could even come to terms with what he’d just heard, the reporter moved onto the crimes against Hawks. And… there were a lot. Tokoyami wanted nothing more than to rush over and hug his mentor as he heard about the training he went through; training that was actually more like abuse than training. He got to hear about the missions that Hawks was sent on before he’d even debuted as a hero, missions that were far too dangerous for someone of Hawks’ age to have even been on in the first place. It was like the Commission hadn’t cared what could’ve happened to Hawks at all.

Tokoyami chose not to listen to the rest of the report, crossing the room quickly and drawing his mentor into a strong embrace. Hawks was quick to reciprocate, his uninjured arm coming up to clutch at Tokoyami’s hoodie. The hero buried his face into the crook of Tokoyami’s neck, and Tokoyami didn’t dare move. Underneath his arm, Hawks was trembling, and Dabi was watching with a concerned look, one arm moving up and down against Hawks’ back in a soothing manner.

“It’s okay, Hawks.” Tokoyami whispered, dropping his head to rest against Hawks’ own. “It’s okay.”

The first sob was muffled, but it was the beginning of the end as Hawks broke down in Tokoyami’s arms.

“So, what happens now?” Tokoyami asked, the room now silent with the lack of television; the report had finished nearly half an hour ago, and the television turned off minutes afterwards. Hawks had continued to cry that whole time, only stopping when his body literally gave out on him. He and Dabi were currently absent, the villain had carried Hawks upstairs to rest in a bed rather than a chair after the hero had fallen unconscious. Tokoyami hadn’t let go the entire time, not until Dabi had had to pry Hawks from his grip.

“Now we wait.” Compress sighed. “The truth about everything is out, so we just have to see how society reacts, and hope they react the way we want them to.”

“And if they do?”

“Then society finally gets the slap to the face it needed and reforms.” Shigaraki huffed. “If you mean what happens to us if they do, don’t worry your pretty little hero heart about it.”

Tokoyami nodded. If the news report actually worked and things started to change, then that meant that the League’s goal was complete, and that there’d be no need for them to be active anymore. A good thing, really, considering all the trouble the League had put him and his classmates through since the beginning of the school year. Yet… Tokoyami couldn’t help but be concerned for them at the same time. These were villains, yes, but they were also his saviours, helping him when he needed it just because Hawks had asked them to. Surely that meant they couldn’t be bad people all the way, right? But like Shigaraki had said; the League’s future wasn’t his problem to deal with, it was theirs.

“Okay.” Tokoyami hesitated for a single heartbeat. “What happens to me now, then? And Hawks?”

“Hawks will stay with us until he is healed.” Compress explained, ever the spokesperson. “After he has recovered, it is up to him what he wants to do. But knowing him, he’ll probably continue being a hero. As for you… well, you can go back to UA if that is what you desire.”

Tokoyami swore his heart actually stopped in that moment. He almost couldn’t believe that the words were true. “I can go back?”

“As if we’d keep you around kid.” Spinner laughed. “You just ain’t villain material. You aren’t in danger anymore, so we’ll just drop you on their doorstep and you’ll be rid of us.”

“Way to make him sound like an unwanted child.” Dabi’s voice filtered down the stairs as the villain re-emerged.

“What, you wanna keep him?” Spinner argued.

“Fuck no. I just had to say something.” Dabi grinned.

“You always do, Dabi.” Compress sighed. “Will you be taking the boy back, then?”

“Sure. Already messaged his teacher to tell him we’re on the way.”

“Wait, what?” Tokoyami swung his head to look at the villain. He hadn’t expected to be leaving so soon. “But Hawks—”

“Hawks will contact you, I’m sure.” Dabi interrupted. “However, he’s in no state to say goodbye, but I’ll be sure to let him know you wanted to. Now, you want to go home or not?”

Tokoyami nodded and climbed to his feet, following Dabi to the kitchen where Kurogiri stood, as silent as ever. He nodded towards the shadow man, who inclined his head in return, a portal opening up a second later. “We will miss having you around, Tokoyami Fumikage.” Kurogiri said. “Your presence was rather refreshing.”

“Thank you.” Tokoyami said, looking over his shoulder to the rest of the League. “Thank you all for not killing me.”

“Yeah, yeah, get out of here, stupid brat.” Shigaraki made a shooing motion. The rest of the League called out goodbyes of their own; Tokoyami swore that Twice was crying, but it was hard to tell.

Dabi placed a hand on Tokoyami’s shoulder and shoved him through the portal, and once again, Tokoyami was teleporting. But this time, he hoped it was the last. Soon, the League’s hideout vanished, and was replaced with a side street; one that Tokoyami recognized as being around the corner from UA. Excitement filled him at the prospect of returning to his classmates. He only hoped they wouldn’t be too mad about what had happened. There would certainly be questions, because his classmates were just naturally curious, and some of them may gently hit him as punishment for scaring him, but Tokoyami would welcome it.

He’d missed them after all.

“Well, this is it, kid.” Dabi said, leaning against the wall. “How’d being a temporary villain feel?”

“Terrible. Ten out of ten wouldn’t recommend.” Tokoyami deadpanned. But then he ducked his head, feeling a little awkward with what he was about to do.

He hugged Dabi.

Dabi was clearly not expecting the sudden hug, because the villain tensed, arms raised as if he was about to lash out. But then the villain relaxed, arms dropping to rest on Tokoyami’s shoulders. The hug only lasted a few seconds, both Tokoyami and Dabi pulling away from each other quickly. The only reason Tokoyami had even done it was as thanks for everything Dabi had done; from saving his life to helping him protect Hawks. There was no reason for Dabi to have done either of those things, yet he had, all because of his love for Hawks.

“Thank you.” Tokoyami said. “Please, no more midnight drop-ins, okay?”

Dabi cackled. “No promises, kid. Now scat!”

Tokoyami turned and left the side street, greeted immediately by UA’s massive gates. His heart pounded in his chest as he slowly made his way up the road. He was both excited and terrified for what was coming. As he drew closer to his school, he saw Aizawa leaning against the gate, waiting for him. And behind Aizawa were his classmates. Tokoyami faltered, but then drew on all the courage he had to walk the last few steps, coming to a halt in front of his teacher.

“I’m home.” Tokoyami looked up into his teacher’s unreadable expression, the pounding in his heart increasing.

Aizawa let the seconds tick by, just staring down at Tokoyami. When, finally, a warm smile broke out on his teachers face.

“Welcome home.”

-------

We're at the end, oh my gosh, I can't believe it. Don't Hurt the Bird isn't the longest fic, but it's certainly one I enjoyed writing! I may still write an epilogue to the fic, but the fic will be marked as complete in the event that I don't. Also, if I don't, this is what my thoughts:

-Hawks recovers from his injuries, however, the left wing that was injured was never the same (I give him actual wing structure, sue me), and hangs much lower than his right one. It's one of those things that's noticeable and causes problems occasionally, but no one says anything.

-Tokoyami recovers from his injuries as well, going back to interning with Hawks the moment that his mentor recovers. They talk about Tokoyami's time with the League, and he asks Hawks about his relationship with Dabi. Their bond has strengthened and Hawks no longer keeps secrets from him.

-After the League leaked all the Commission files, the Commission tried to fight back, but society was furious and hurt at what the Commission had done and they reluctantly stepped away from the hero scene. The Top Ten are working together to solve all the problems brought to light by the news report. Endeavour has stepped away from the hero scene because of the information about Dabi (Hawks does not take the Number One spot, it is currently being left absent for now).

-The League is doing... something. Hawks has vouched for them to the rest of the heroes, promising that they won't be causing problems, and so far, they haven't, but they also aren't really doing anything. Hawks is trying to change that, but considerng everything that they've done, everyone's a little hesitant to say anything. But Hawks won't abandon them, not after everything they've done. Hawks and Dabi's relationship is known to the rest of the heroes at this time.

-Class 1-A welcomes Tokoyami back with open arms, but they also don't know how to treat him after his time with the League. Things are awkward for some time, and still kind of are. Todoroki and Shoji don't let what happened bother them (Although Todoroki continues to ask about how his big brother is doing).

Thank you all once again for reading!!!

[mermaidsirennikita]

October 2022 Book Recommendations

Hey hey hey I read a lot of books this month and found a lot of new favorites and explored different genres and I did in fact begin the Immortals After Dark series which still has me by the neck so all in all a really good reading month.

The Ranger by Monica McCarty. Arthur Campbell is behind enemy lines, spying for Robert the Bruce--which has led him to stay as a guest of the man who murdered his father. Unbeknownst to him, Anna, his enemy's daughter, has been instructed to spy on him turn.

This book was just angsty excellence. Arthur and Anna are instantly attracted to each other, but it just! Cannot! BE!!! And McCarty is completely shameless about putting them together *just because*. Anna is supposed to marry another man to solidify an alliance? It's Arthur's job to escort her to the guy's castle, of course. The moment when people Realize Things and the fallout from that... chef's kiss. This one has a bit less sex than The Chief and The Hawk (though there's still a lot of explicit shit going on--including an unintentional "just the tip" scene, which I love) and that's my only big complaint. I really adore the way these books are basically modern updates of old school medievals, and I'll never be over it.

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley. Isabella met Mac MacKenzie on the night of her coming out ball, and married him that same evening. But three years into their marriage, she left him with little more than a note, and they've lived separate lives (even if they're still legally married) ever since then. A forger attempting to take Mac's artistic identity has Isabella back in his life, however--and as it turns out that the thief wants a lot more than Mac's name, Mac becomes determined to protect his wife... and reignite their marriage.

This book. Was incredible. One of my favorites of the year, for sure, and everything you could possibly want out of a marriage in trouble book. Mac and Isabella are nursing serious problems--and while he's hardly perfect (he's still very much a scoundrel, and doesn't fully comprehend the issues that drove Isabella to leave him) Mac has been doing the work in the years that she's been gone, which is what I think makes this book so good. Having Isabella in his orbit again makes Mac decide that it's time to get her back, but he's been setting the stage ever since she left him. It feels like he truly values her, truly loves her... and he truly did fuck up, and she was way too young to get married that first go around, and both of them had a lot of emotional work to do. Isabella is a fabulous heroine--sensual and hungry and combative and withdrawn all at once. She's the one who's holding back, and Mac is the one who just worships her. There's some really emotional shit dealt with in this book (tw: pregnancy loss in the past) and it never feels like Jennifer Ashley skims over any of it, though she also keeps the pacing quick. Additionally, there were a couple of moments in which there could have been a dumb misunderstanding, and there never was. It truly feels like Mac and Isabella know each other, and that's what lends an authentic air to the story. Love love love, could not recommend enough.

The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton. Charlotte is the prophesied heir to a league of crafty but nevertheless prim and proper witches, and she never has a hair out of place. But when her hunt for a powerful amulet brings her into the path of rakish pirate Alex O'Reilly, she has no choice but to team up with someone who very much wants to help her let her hair down. As Alex and Charlotte get closer--verrrry much closer--over the course of their quest, she can't escape her responsibilities. Can she?

This one! Is! So good! I loved the first book in the Dangerous Damsels series (which I would personally recommend reading before this one, as it's charming as fuck and a great world primer) but this one blew it out of the water. While Ned and Cecilia were more of a slow burn sexually, Alex and Charlotte... don't waste any time. They're just releasing tension! It has to be done! How else could she possibly focus? But emotionally, they're a slow burn, and I'm trash for that. They rely on each other to stay alive on a perilous adventure, they have sex every night and most days, but oh no, it's not EMOTIONALLY INTIMATE. They both have issues expressing their feelings, and they're both ridiculously endearing. Alex has some liiiiiines and Charlotte is constantly getting him hot and bothered without even realizing it (we do get a "Oh God, she's wearing pants and I'm totally undone) moment. The world remains delightful--all quirky thievery and zany flying house shenanigans. But this one takes the emotions a bit deeper than the first, and I was smiling throughout.

Play by Kylie Scott. Anne has been fucked over by her roommate and left without half the rent or even living room furniture. Fortunately, she has also been descended upon by famous drummer Mal Ericson, whose bandmate recently married Anne's friend. Mal needs a fake girlfriend (for reasons he won't specify) and Anne needs someone to help with the bills--so despite Mal's rather zany, over the top personality, she has no choice but to agree. But living with him may make the situation a lot more complex...

I've been read Stage Dive out of order (read the last book, which features Mal and Anne's wedding, first)--and that actually solidified my belief that romances should be read in order. So I started from the beginning, and despite really wanting to get into book 3, I was determined to read book 2 first, even though I was sure Mal would be too much for me. And at first, he was. Reading between the lines, it's clear that Mal has some sort of hyperactivity-related disorder that I do think Kylie Scott could've addressed, and Anne's entire issue is that Eldest Daughter Syndrome has made her something of a doormat who just wants to give people what they need. But after a somewhat jarring beginning, I was totally charmed by this one, just like I was by Lick and Deep before it. Mal and Anne just get along really well, and I love how much he cares for and advocates for her. She's not a wilting flower, but she is prone to taking the L in order to give people what they want--and Mal speaks up for her and calls out situations where she deserves to be treated better. Inevitably, he does fuck up, and there IS a puppy grovel............................... And I'm a sucker for a puppy grovel. It's not my favorite in the series, but it is very fun (and funny) and while maintaining a lot of heart. Also--it has an excellent car sex scene.

Lead by Kylie Scott. Jimmy Ferris is the lead singer of world-famous band Stage Dive, and he's in trouble. After years of addiction and multiple overdoses, he's alienated his bandmates--especially his brother, David--and is close to collapse. While he's clean post-rehab, he needs a sober living companion... which is why the band hires Lena, a professional, hard-nosed woman who doesn't take any shit from him. But after months of working for and living with Jimmy, Lena realizes that her feelings for him have gone beyond even friendship, and she's determined to move on and find a replacement. But Jimmy? Is never going to let that happen.

This was the last Stage Dive book I had left, and it was my favorite. I highly anticipated it after reading Lick--David was great, but his strung out, horrible older brother who slept with his girlfriend years ago, never really apologized for it, and hit on his new girlfriend before almost dying at a party? GIVE ME THAT. And what makes this work is that a) we're post-rehab, so while Jimmy's addictions are a big issue, he is sober and in recovery for this book and b) Lena is the ideal heroine for him. For all that he'll brood and snark, she throws it right back at him and has him by the balls from day one. But of course, because Jimmy is extremely emotionally withholding, she doesn't realize she does. And it is somewhat of a slow burn. Even after they have objectively great sex, Jimmy literally runs off and won't kiss her on the mouth. But the payoff is soooo good. The emotional connection between them is excellent. And then you get to see them have a nice happy relationship in the next book (which sees Lena knocked up IMMEDIATELY because they're dumbasses). Everyone wins! I loved this series. A little indulgent, very hot, and kind of problematic--that's what I want in contemporary romance.

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night b Kresley Cole. 1,200 year old werewolf Bowen MacRieve has been in misery and attempting to resurrect his mate, Mariah, ever since her accidental death nearly two centuries ago (never mind that her death was due to her being terrified of his attempts to claim her). His last chance seems to be a prize in the midst of a mystical competition, a key that will turn back time. But there are many other supernatural beings chasing it, among them Mariketa the Awaited, a young witch foretold to have incredible power, who doesn't seem quite capable of harnessing it. The competition throws Mariketa and Bowen in each other's paths, but the oddest thing seem to be that he recognizes her as his mate--something that shouldn't be possible. Deciding that Mariketa is Mariah's reincarnation, Bowen is determined to have her--and Mariketa is just as determined to avoiding being second best to anyone.

Motherfucking shit, I loved this book. I love Bowen and all of his stupid fuckboy antics, of which there are many. I love Mari and her inability to get her shit together. I love that she went to college on a cheerleading scholarship, then dropped out of college. I love that it's heavily implied that Bowen masturbates to her cheerleading videos. I love the incredibly intense magical bondage shifted sex scene, and the way he fucks it up IMMEDIATELY after. I love that so much of this book was two people who seem to not be able to stand each other (when they really just wanna bone) on a magical quest together, and then there's a private island interlude, and then there's a MASSIVE ANGST OBSTACLE, and at one point Bowen goes completely apeshit on some people and then chases a terrified Mari through the woods with blood and gore dripping from his jaws because it's the full moon and that means CLOBBERIN' TIME (sexual). The werewolf lore in this series... is everything to me. There was one thing I found dated (not related to the romance) but otherwise... this was really, really good. I was actually incredibly soft for them at the end. It wasn't just about werewolf fucking, IT WAS REAL FOR ME.

Her Halloween Treat by Tiffany Reisz. Joey just found out that her boyfriend of two years is married, and she's leaving Hawaii to return home to Oregon for a bit of rest and relaxation as her brother plans his wedding. The only problem is that the contractor working on the cabin is Chris, her brother's best friend--who had a thing for her in high school. But maybe it's not a problem, as Chris is offering rebound sex and is a shockingly great lay. Or maybe it IS still a problem, as this may be going from a rebound fling to something real...

It's been a long time since I've read a category romance, but this one is legendary and now... I want to shoot Harlequin Blaze novels into my veins. This was also my first Tiffany Reisz, and I'm now thoroughly charmed. To me, Harlequin categories read like early 2000s heyday romcoms. They're relatively low conflict compared to most books I prefer, the plots are simple, they don't fuck around (except... for sure they fuck around with the fucking). This book is no exception--quick and to the point, but with a lot of heart. The sex in this one is honestly pretty phenomenal, and Reisz is skillful enough to sell the romance emotionally in a limited amount of page time. And despite sounding kind of basic.... Chris FUUUUUUUUCKED. I can't complain.

Dark Needs at Night's Edge by Kresley Cole. Ballerina--and scandalous former burlesque dancer--Neomi is murdered at the height of her triumph in 1926, and spends the next century trapped in the home she loved, watching people who don't see or hear her. Until the vampiric Wroth brothers arrive, trapping their bloodlust-maddened youngest brother, Conrad, in attempt to break through his centuries of madness. The plan is to make Conrad stable enough to help him find his Bride--the one person who will make his heart beat and give him something other than killing to care about. As a ghost, Neomi doesn't make Conrad's heart beat--but he is the only person who can see and speak to her. And heartbeat or not, he quickly begins to want a lot more.

Ugh, this had my heart from beginning to end. Neomi is possibly? My favorite romance heroine of all time. She's fun, she's sexy, and she's angry at what happened to her, and she wants. She wants pretty clothes and things and to enjoy life, she wants everything she was denied (and as a heads up--Neomi's murder is shown on page, and though it's not particularly drawn out, she is stabbed to death by her abusive former fiance) and she really wants Conrad. And yet, they cannot be! Not only because he can't touch her--even if he could, without meeting his Bride, Conrad literally can't get hard. And he's a virgin! A hero who swore a vow of chastity when he joined an order of vampire killing warriors, only to be forcibly turned into a vampire by his brothers, which broke his brain!! This is the second Wroth brothers book I've read, and while I enjoyed Sebastian's, I don't think it fully hammered home the the horror of Nikolai and Murdoch (more Nikolai, but still) forcing vampirism on Sebastian and Conrad. It was an ultimate betrayal of trust, and a lot of Conrad's insanity is due to that loss of identity and betrayal, no matter how good Nikolai's intentions were. The family drama in this book is kind of incredible. The brothers love him so much! They just want their lil incel assassin to get laid and find love! And God, the love story. It's tragic. It's funny. It's incredibly hot. The dirty talk, the actual sex, the agony of keeping secrets and withholding desire. It hurts so good. This series keeps getting better, and I was honestly blown away by how obsessed I was with Conrad and Neomi's love story. From the moment she did a spectral striptease for him to get him to admit that he could see her, to the moment he chopped his own hand off in order to escape his chains and make it work with her.... These two crazy kids can make it work.

The Warlord Wants Forever by Kresley Cole. Nikolai Wroth, Estonian warlord, agreed to serve vampire king Kristoff as his general in exchange for eternal life for himself and his brothers. Three centuries later, and Nikolai is a Forbearer, a vampire who eschews blood from the vein and fights the bloodthirsty Horde. That doesn't stop valkyrie femme fatale Myst the Coveted from going head to head with him in an encounter that reveals she is his Bride, and the only woman capable of Blooding him. Waking Nikolai's dead body and fleeing, Myst leaves him a state of sexual frustration and longing for five years before he tracks her down--and he's more than ready to turn the tables on her... Especially when he comes into possession of a chain that ensures he has total control of her body.

As you can probably guess from that summary, this one is dubcon galore! Which makes sense, as this is technically the first book in Immortals After Dark (though it's a novella). Like A Hunger Like No Other, the sexual dominance and aggression is a big theme. The difference here is that while Emma was a shy virgin who was very afraid of Lachlain initially, Myst is a confident, two thousand year old valkyrie who has an edge over Nikolai in experience, both as a warrior and a lover (an issue that is confronted pretty realistically, for a vampire book--Nikolai does feel inadequate at one point, even though he's the ultimate alpha male vampire fuck machine, as any IaD vampire hero should be). Plus... These two are very much tit for tat. With the tits. Is it bad that Nikolai snatches Myst's magical chain (a punishment she was given by the gods, and God I love how truly mythological and lore-like that felt) and makes her come on command? Twice? Yes. Is it bad that he makes her touch herself in front of him? Sure, though she totally decided to suck his dick of her own volition. But to be very fair here, Myst did VERY purposefully Blood Nikolai, knowing that she could get him so aroused that she'd be able to murder him, then basically left him with a painful five year boner because she was mad about attracted to him. So like. Yeah. They both fucked up. And Nikolai does do a great grovel after he gets some therapy. Plus, the sex in this, dubcon and otherwise, is incredibly hot. These two fuck for the first time spontaneously in a field and her sisters find them in the afterglow while he's still inside of her...And Myst's main concern is figuring out how to hop off of him without letting her sisters see how well hung he is. ALL HAIL MYSTY THE VAMPIRE LAYER.

Mating the Huntress by Talia Hibbert. Chastity comes from a long line of werewolf hunters, though she's always been prohibited from hunting herself. When she recognizes the quiet guy visiting the coffee shop she works at as a werewolf, she decides to kill him to prove herself to her relatives. What she doesn't know is that Luke is there for a reason: he's recognized her as his mate, and he's determined to have her.

This novella is decidedly sweeter than most werewolf books I've read, but it's QUITE worth it, and very wolfy. Luke just wants to please Chastity. He doesn't want to claim her aggressively, but he does want to claim her and give everything she wants, even after he realizes she wants to kill him. Fortunately, she also wants to fuck him--and this book is QUITE hot. It's got everything I love about Talia Hibbert contemporaries--humor, heart, and heat. With the added benefit of hot werewolf shenanigans! If you're wondering about whether you'll like paranormal romance, this may be a good place to start.

Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole. The demon Prince Cadeon Woede, otherwise known as Cadeon the Kingmaker, is known for toppling and installing monarchies. But his greatest shame is that he wasn't there when his brother, King Rydstrom, lost his crown. Cade spent the past year stalking his fated mate, the mortal math professor Holly Ashwin, with no intent of ever meeting her--until two things are revealed. A) Holly, unbeknownst to her, isn't as mortal as she seems and b) she's the Vessel, destined to bear a great warrior who (depending on its father) will side with good or evil. The evil side of the Lore wants Holly--and the child she'll be impregnated with. And they offer Cade the sword Rydstrom needs to get his crown back in exchange for her. But as he tricks Holly into traveling to her doom, Cade begins to realize that his connection with her goes beyond fate.

This was a RIDE. A virgin heroine who's meant to be impregnated with a dark or light messiah, on a road trip with a hot demon who's insecure about his intellect and just wants to serve her in ALL THE WAYS?? But he's lying to her the whole time? It's funny! It's angsty! It's reeeeeally hot, especially when Cade and Holly make an agreement to stop every 420 miles so that he can sexually satisfy her (but like... without penetration, right? Because he knows that he'll knock her up with an evil demon baby, riiiiight? He wouldn't stick it in, and she'd never be irresponsible enough to knowingly risk it, riiiiii--). One of my favorite notes of lore from this unabashedly horny series is that when an immortal is transitioning into that immortality, they become hypersensitive and therefore constantly horny. This was a thing with Mariketa in Wicked Deeds, and Holly also suffers from this affliction. Aw, nuts!!! But beyond how hot this book is, it once again really hits the emotion. Kresley is just super talented. I love that Cade feels like he failed Rydstrom, I love that he feels intellectually inferior to Holly and tries to make up for it by reading a lot of books. I love Holly's awakening to not only sex but just... fun and the world? I so enjoy when a heroine lets her hair down and gets drunk and makes the hero jealous by flirting with other guys. And look, Cade does some pretty reprehensible trickery in this, and I'm not entirely sure that he groveled quite enough but.... he did really grovel. And this is Immortals After Dark. It works. I was sold. I'm good with it, and I'm ready to see Rydstrom................ get edged.

Kiss of a Demon King by Kresley Cole. Rydstrom the demon king lost his crown to the deathless Omort centuries ago, leaving his people in peril. Now he's on the brink of getting it back--but he's distracted by a mysterious woman on the side of the road. She turns out to be the evil sorceress Sabine, Queen of Illusions and Omort's sister, who spirits him away to a dungeon in the demon realm. She's his fated queen, but she has no interest in love--rather, she must get him to both marry her and impregnate her with his heir, after which Rydstrom will be dealt with. The two begin a battle of wills--but calm, logical Rydstrom has a dark side neither fully anticipate, and Sabine may not be against it... at all.

THIS WAS. LIT. Listen, I'll put up a couple disclaimers. There are two things in this book, both of which are not big plot points, that I don't think would have been written into it today. Did it keep me from loving the book? No, but it's something to consider. Second: this is a book that is heavy on dubcon, and heavy on dom/sub dynamics. To be it frankly, Rydstrom is a dom who did not realize he was missing that in his sex life until this book, and Sabine is a bratty sub of the first order. She edges him while trying to quite literally steal his seed. He edges her in revenge. They emotionally edge each other by not being able to come to terms with their feelings (mostly her, to be fair to him). This is a book about EDGING. It is extremely hot, it is extremely angsty, it is prime enemies to lovers content--he makes her marginally more human while she encourages his worst instincts. Sabine and Rydstrom are two sides of the same coin--both older siblings with complicated dynamics with their younger siblings, ultimately hinging on a desire to protect them. Both hiding secret desires (hers for a family and love, his to let loose and dominate) and they are both fully able to help one another fulfill those desires... But they need to be able to be honest with each other first. It's actually a pretty deep book on that level. It is also extremely hot and funny. Sabine constantly being like "you don't know what it's like to endure HOURS of aborted orgasms" while Rydstom is like "OH FUCKING DON'T I???"is a highlight of romance novel history. I love watching two stupid people fall in love, especially when one of them is an exasperated man and the other his Sweet Baby Princess Angel (who he does, in fact, call a good girl at one point).

Untouchable by Kresley Cole. Murdoch Wroth was his brother's right hand before being transformed into a vampire--a transformation that ended his desire for sex and his reputation as a rake. He doesn't even want to be Blooded... but he has no choice upon meeting Daniella the Ice Maiden, a Valkyrie whose fey ancestry makes it impossible for her to be touched by anyone who isn't of her mother's people. Murdoch and Dani want each other more than anything; but if they can't touch, how can they spend eternity together?

This was so goooood. It's arguably the softest IAD book I've read, though not at all in a boring way. Murdoch and Dani's connection begins with essentially just a lot of intense sexual desire, but quickly deepens as they get to know each other, and it has a lot of romcom beats. She's desperately unfulfilled and untouched and hilariously horny; he's really annoyed by the fact that after centuries of trying to beat the rake charges, he's now lustful again and very much wanting to serve her every whim. And their conflict is truly excellent. They just want to touch each other, and their... solutions... for being unable to touch are pretty hot. It's less plotty than other IAD books due to its novella length, but I found it a great love story.

The Duke in Question by Amalie Howard. Read my review here.

Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole. Lucia the Huntress is a Valkyrie destined to subdue a cannibalistic god--and her goddess-granted archery skills are only guaranteed if she remains chaste. This becomes an issue when Garreth MacRieve, the Lykae prince, recognizes her as his mate. As Lucia goes on the run--in part to pursue her mission and in part to evade and resist Garreth--her werewolf follows... And their dual destinies will not be denied.

This book... is incredible. It's an amazing love story (with a fuckton of eroticism) that gives you everything you want out of a werewolf story. She's cool, calm, and collected--except for when she's around him. He's a hedonistic, wild animal of a hero... who tames his inner beast (.... somewhat) to respect her boundaries. The sexual tension in this one is INSANE. He gets her off within the first few chapters, and you are off to the races from there. Sex between bars! Sex on a boat! Any kind of sex but penetrative sex, because loopholes--but there's an inevitability to it all, because at the end of the day, Garreth can only deny his animal nature for so long. And I think that's part of the vibe of this book. Lucia is also denying her true self for much of it. It all feels super animalistic and primal because they are acting so civilized on the surface, even pretending to be human among mortals for much of it. Garreth is by far the least beastly werewolf hero I've read so far in this series (though trust and believe, he's an ANIMAL where it counts) and in the end he and Lucia really have to find a way to meet in the middle, to compromise for each other. I think that's why, in many ways, it reads as the most romantic IAD novel I've gone through so far. I mean, there's also a lot of adventuring on the Amazon and having Romancing the Stone/The Mummy vibes while Lothaire, Enemy of Old swoops in like Carmen Sandiego. So overall, an excellent book about love and trauma and sexuality and letting your inner freak out of the cage.

Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole. Carrow is a party girl witch in trouble--she's been taken hostage by The Order, a collective intent on studying and eradicating immortals like her. She's already lost one friend to their clutches, and has vowed to save that friend's child... which is why she agrees to go to a demon realm to capture Malkolm Slaine, a demon/vampire warrior who the Order wants more than anything. But the animalistic Malkolm immediately recognizes Carrow as his, and she quickly realizes that he's not as bad as he seems--which makes the prospect of turning him over to The Order much harder than she thought it would be.

This one began the Torture Island arc of IAD, which is truly a fascinating, incredibly grim yet somehow entertaining storyline. Carrow is a fun heroine, a party girl trying to settle down and boldly introducing a giant demon man to the pleasures of the secular flesh. There's a huge Tarzan/Jane vibe to her relationship with Malkolm, along with a sizable heap of trauma recovery. Really, Malkolm's memories of being a sex slave as a child are a lot worse than what we experience of The Order directly in this book. But I will say--I know he's a really popular hero, and he is lovely and his romance with Carrow is quite sweet (also--he's a virgin ladies). However, he didn't work for me as much as other heroes in the series have, in part because despite being a bloodthirsty warrior who gives Carrow her enemies' heads... He's actually very sweet. Which is lovely! But he lacked the edge seen in my favorite virgin hero of the series, Conrad Wroth. Conrad felt truly psychologically dangerous and cunning, whereas Malkolm was innocent in ways that extended beyond sex, and that was a bit tough for me. Also, there's a kid in this one. However, I think this will be like, the ideal IAD book for many people who perhaps find the deranged heroes to be a bit much. I just like a deranged hero. Amazing bath scenes, though~

Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid. Canadian Shane Hollander and Russian Ilya Rozanov are hockey players positioned as arch rivals on the ice, and with good reason. They're both rookies at the top of their game. Shane is a golden boy perfectionist with a wickedly competitive streak, whereas Ilya is a seemingly carefree alpha male who's never without a snarky remark that gets under Shane's skin. They're total opposites--and unbeknownst to the world, they hook up off the ice whenever possible. But through years of sneaking around, what began as belligerent sexual tension gives way to real emotion, and the two reach a crossroads about what to do next.

This was so so so good, a fabulous contemporary romance about two guys with a fuckton of chemistry and a lot of issues on both sides. Between Ilya's familial trauma (which he naturally covers by being incredibly charming and seemingly shallow) and Shane's internalized homophobia, there's a lot of drama to be mined. But the book never feels depressing or focus on self loathing. There's angst aplenty, but it's balanced out by Ilya and Shane's connection--the animosity turning into flirting turning into love. They're funny, their chemistry is natural, and you literally just want them to kiss throughout the book. And there's a lot of kissing. And a lot of sex. And it is extremely hot and I was super happy with it. But ugh, casual sex turning into love with REAL FEELINGS? I'm so weak for it. Ilya, the slutty one, being the first to realize that he's doing dumb shit like counting Shane's freckles? PLEASE. One of my favorite reads of the year. I was swooning throughout this one, and I can't wait to read the sequel.

Dreams of a Dark Warrior by Kresley Cole. Immature and reckless Valkyrie Regin the Radiant has a secret: she's been bound in a thousand-year relationship with Aidan the Fierce, a Berserker who recognized her as his when she was younger. The problem? Right after Regin and Aidan slept together, he was murdered--and refuses to be kept from her. Throughout the years, he's been continuously reincarnated, seeking her out no matter what; and every time, after they sleep together and Aidan comes to the forefront, he's killed again. Just when Regin decides to evade his latest incarnation to spare him, she's taken captive by The Order... and the man in charge of interrogation? Declan Chase, who hates immortals more than anything else. And is, unbeknownst to him--the latest incarnation of Aidan.

This was a CONTROVERSIAL one, and I honestly enjoyed the hell out of it. This is not going to be for everyone. Declan does some truly horrible things (though he's more directly responsible for what he does to the other immortals than Regin) and I will admit that I feel like his crimes were hand waved a bit at the end. But he and Regin have a fantastic connection, and the setting and plot is super compelling. He's a fascinating character, a true dark romance hero, and she grows up a lot over the course of the book--which was very much needed, as she was my least favorite valkyrie beforehand. The reality is that this is an edgy romance, and while it's not my favorite IAD book, I'd recommend it to the right people and appreciate bold swings it takes. Plus--tons of setup for Lothaire, and frankly he is HILARIOUS.

[davidpwilson2564]

Bloglet

Saturday, April 6, 2024

More talk of changing the name of Dulles airport to Trump. Further talk...this time (this can't be serious) of changing federal prison name in Florida to Trump. Now this I like.

Note: Some question about Trump's bond money. A man from California named Don Hankey has put up 175 mil. (This figure far less than first supposed. Trump gets break after break.) But...there is something funny about this. Funny money. Letitia is sniffing it out.

Very nice day. Errands. Stretching my legs. Everyone all worked up about the eclipse, coming our way Monday afternoon. Special glasses being hawked.

Note: I lost a bunch of notes...how odd...figuring what I lost must be somewhere on the computer I kept looking. I must have hit the wrong button. Later... Found them. A mystery solved.

Note: On the Spectrum music channel, Alan Hovhannes Symphony Number 50 (!), subtitle: Mt. St. Helens, opus 360. It is exactly what you would expect. No surprises. I mean, complete with the eruption. I recall in my music library days, talking over the phone to Mrs. (!) Hovhannes. I had tracked down a piece (long story here). She was quite nice. Mr. Hovhannes was quite elderly by this time and there was no chance of having him come from Washington State to New York to be present for the performance. One other thing: "Mysterious Mountain"...known as Symphony Number Two...is unlike the others. I wonder if it's been choreographed (it probably has). It holds together so much better than his other pieces. Did someone else orchestrate it? I'll have to look this up.

Sunday, April 7, 2024

Much talk about tomorrow's eclipse.

Flashback: I had mentioned Byron Janis. The first time I heard him in concert he was performing Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto with the Knoxville Symphony, David Van Vactor conducting. I was stage right when I overheard this conversation:

Van Vactor: Surely you will play an encore.

Janis: Absolutely not.

Years later I realized I was overhearing a two-character play. This concerto is traditionally not followed by an encore (because it is such a bear?). The exchange I heard was part of the tradition.

Two other brief Rachmaninoff notes: He gave his last recital in Knoxville, in 1943. He died in California but was bured in Vallhalla, New York. (The Russians want him back.)