#i am DEFINITELY not saying that you have to forgive somebody to move on absolutely NOT!

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Ask game time! 🏆 💎 🙄

🏆

Recent Release You Enjoyed

Ok, this is technically a lakorn, but all the couples were queer so I am gonna count it because I had SUCH A WILDLY FUN TIME WATCHING LAWS OF ATTRACTION. My man Charn is unhinged and I love him dearly. I will not forgive the translation team on IQIYI for removing the line "Mr. Ruthless Night of the Horny" though.

💎

Show you wish more people talked about

Sorry, I have decided to move away from the shows that actually hit the BL definition in this ask but...

180 Degrees Longitude Passes Through Us is one of the best shows I have ever seen in my life. The story is beautiful, the acting is phenomenal, the queerness is firmly rooted, and there was a moment in this show that absolutely ripped me open, and I have have seen far far too little conversation around this show at all.

It also has egregiously low rating on MDL (like under an 8 collectively) for what is a 12/10 show for me...what's up with that?!

🙄

Show you think is overhyped

Idk, I think somebody's least favorite show is gonna be someone else's most favorite show, so it's hard to say. I will say that of all the shows I have watched from recommended watch lists, the only one that I really didn't think agree should be on there was Enchante, I very much did not like that show at all.

[goronska]

Follow the Shadow (choice #4)

CW: general NSFW/18+ (under the fold)

All the other eyes in the room are on you two. Unlike at school, you cannot say you are unprepared or await the best student from the first row to give you an answer quietly.

"First you subdue, then you cleanse" Opal says behind you matter-of-factly. And this is where you notice, your blurry vision focusing back on the man on the table, with his legs spread apart, that the zip in his dark tight pants goes all the way to the back.

And there is no way there could be any underwear there, it's just… too tight. 'Subdue, yeah? Damn right I am gonna subdue this mountain of muscles…' you think to yourself and you pull the flyer open aaaall the way. "Very good" he comments with the corner of his mouth, still motionless.

You don't look at others, but feeling their stares on you, there's no way you are going to get yourself up and stay erect. Absolutely not. You don't even try. You gather all your bravado, stand between the spread thighs and gritting you teeth, you spit out: "May Ubisi forgive you and no one else blames you" and you shove two of your fingers into his ass. One of the other trainees in the distance lets out a painful hiss, as if he was getting violated.

He doesn't even flinch, still looking apathetically, dissociated on the stone slab. "By the way, they call me Shadow" he just says, again, by the side of his mouth. After 2 seconds he adds in a very hushed tone "Move your hips, it will look more accurate, believable."

You are already weirded out by now, but you add a third finger - seeing him grimace for a moment, that gives you a boost of satisfaction - and move them in and out of his butt, to the rhythm of your pelvis swaying. Shadow's muscles tighten against you, but he's not as narrow as you would expect and definitely dry. Somehow that hunger for power that brought you here, takes root, shoots the first two delicate leaves of a sprout and will never leave you again.

In blind trance of push and pulls and the motionless guy at your mercy, you put your other hand in your pocket and take out a lighter. "R e p e n t!" it's not even your voice from your throat, it's somebody else speaking, way more curious than you, way more entertained. You subdued, he's at your mercy, now you cleanse.

It just takes a flick of your thumb to get the flickering flame on, someone gasps, but Shadow doesn't notice, he's there only in flesh, and you, you have his torso and stomach at your mercy. In an instant, you let the flame lick that happy trail of hair between his navel and dick.

They immidiately get consumed by flame and Shadow yanks himself away from you with a exasparated gasp. His glare could kill, Opal is rushing to you two.

[bambiheartz777]

hardest part about forgiveness is that the person who hurt you probably doesn’t care if you forgive them or not. if they didn’t give you any closure for the pain they caused you then why could they care about your forgiveness? it’s can be difficult to come to terms with the fact that whether you forgive them or not is not their problem anymore. it’s yours.

[peachsayshi]

Chapter 7 - Games

Gojo Satoru x Female Reader

Tags: Friends with Benefits, Teasing and a little bit of Fluff.

Summary: Trying to make sure the two of you stay out of the bedroom, you suggest playing a game of Twister and Gojo's mind starts to wander.

A/N: Sorry if there are mistakes! I don't have a beta and get tired rereading the chapters over and over again. This is a little short but we have some fluff and feels and we get a little insight on how Gojo has been feeling. I'm building up to something, I promise!

- - -

“Okay, left foot on green…”

With his right foot remaining on the red circle, Gojo spread his legs wide to place his left foot on the green circle towards the end of the mat. Things were easing up on his end when it came to work and he decided to take advantage of that by spending his free time with you tonight. What he didn’t expect was for the two of you to be in the middle of your living room playing board games instead of the usual physical activity that you both have grown accustomed to partaking in.

“Is this really how you want to spend our evening together?” he asked, taking the spinner from your hand as he proceeded to flick the arrow with his thumb and index finger.

You nodded your head, “We need to keep ourselves out of the bedroom. Otherwise, we will never leave...”

Gojo rotated his neck from side to side before replying, stretching to prepare himself for the awkward positions he was about to hold, “you’re making it sound like that’s a bad thing.”

“Listen, game night is going to make up for movie night which never happened because we wound up doing it on your couch instead...”

A smug grin spread across Gojo’s face, thinking of your failed plan to have a scary movie marathon with him. You were hoping to catch the sorcerer squirm but what you didn’t expect was him teasing you thirty minutes into the film that inevitably resulted in you being fucked senseless on his couch.

“You’re really going to put the blame on me for that? If you were paying attention you wouldn’t have succumbed to my advances so easily,” he retorted defensively.

“You had your hand up my skirt!”

“Now, I told you what that skirt does to me,” he jokingly snapped, pointing his finger at you sternly before shrugging his shoulders. “I couldn’t help myself…”

“Okay, well how about the night we were supposed to go out for dinner but missed our reservation because you decided to rip up my dress on the car ride over…”

“Let’s not get too dramatic, I merely broke the zipper and I did buy you another dress.”

“Okay, how about last night?”

Gojo parted his lips, pausing to think how the two of you wound up naked in the shower instead of going to the karaoke bar with Rina and her friends.

“Last night... wasn't my fault,” he pointed out, arching his brow at you as he recalled the way you teased him into submission.

“Oh, yeah. That’s right…” you shyly replied, biting your bottom lip as you scratched the back of your head. “So, uh, what’s my next move?”

“Quick to change the subject, I see?” Gojo answered with an easy smile, “Put your left hand on the blue circle…”

With your feet on the green and yellow circles, you leaned your body forward to put your left hand on the blue sphere. Meanwhile, Gojo dropped the spinner on the ground beside you, suppressing a laugh as he watched you struggle to spin the arrow and call out his next round.

“The point here is...” you grumbled as you tried to adjust yourself back into a comfortable position, “...the two of us are getting carried away. I just think this little break might do us some good.”

“I don’t think working up a sweat is a bad thing,” Gojo insisted.

“Well, we can burn calories after I kick your butt,” you added on, waiting for the arrow to land. “Right hand on green...”

“For someone trying to make sure we keep our distance, you sure picked an interesting game tonight,” Gojo teased, finding his new posture which brought his face close to yours.

“I know for a fact that you can’t cheat playing Twister,” you reminded, before glancing up at him from under your lashes and inching forward to peck him on the tip of his nose. “Besides, I never said I wanted space, I just thought I’d change things up for the evening.”

Gojo’s smiled into your lips as he gave you a soft kiss in return, “if you think you can distract me by being cute, you are absolutely wrong .”

“We both know how much of a sore loser you can be,” you answered back, “I just hope you’re ready to throw yourself a pity party by the end of this because I am definitely winning.”

“Mhmm, whatever you say. Right hand, blue…” he continued, trying to pay attention to the game and observing you reach your arm slightly underneath him to place your hand on the circle.

He couldn’t explain when things became this comfortable with you. If he had known that hooking up with you would bring you both closer together as friends, he wouldn’t have rejected your offer that easily.

You’ve both already broken one of your rules. However, Gojo didn’t mind forgoing the “drinking” rule to decide whether or not the two of you wanted to hook up. You both no longer needed the excuse anyway, after a while it became painfully clear that regardless of what the plans were, things always resulted in the two of you tangled up in someone’s bed sheets.

The sorcerer spent a majority of his spare time alone, unaware of how much it bothered him until you came along. He thought about the way you described yourself when you were in a relationship with your ex-boyfriend, and wondered if this felt similar in any way. Not that he considered you as anything other than a friend...but he was curious .

You both were different in many ways but often clashed when it came to your perspectives on love. You believed that there was a person out there for everbody, that there was nothing like falling in love with somebody who looked at you as if you were their whole world.

Granted, those were your opinions when you were in a happy and loving relationship but Gojo always disagreed with you because he was convinced that relationships were messy and only brought unnecessary drama to the table. That’s why he had his own personal rule that was standard practice when it came to his “love” life.

He never hooked up with somebody more than once.

Rumors about his womanising ways only stemmed from the fact that he did actually have plenty of lovers. However, he could barely recall their faces and didn’t even remember their names. Sometimes they recognized him on the street, and foolishly attempted to strike up a conversation with the handsome, rich stranger who paid for their company.

Gojo would politely brush them off every time. His stone cold reaction broke the hearts of those who were lucky enough to even be in his presence. He surely didn’t need to pay for the escorts or call girls but the act itself was easier and he had the money to spend anyway. These acquaintances never asked him any questions about his personal life, which benefited him greatly because it left very little room for anything other than small talk. Once both parties were satisfied, Gojo would leave every encounter without ever looking back. Sex was a routine way for him to blow off steam or merely take care of his natural urges. However, you didn’t know that you were the first person who he consistently kept as company in the bedroom.  

Up until this moment, he had been suppressing his desire for you. Now that he has you, the sorcerer could tell he was getting greedy. He respected your wishes when you asked him not to see anyone else on the side but surprised himself when he realised that he had no interest in seeking out the strangers that used to keep him company at night.

Even though you both insisted that this new partnership had no influence on friendship, Gojo was observant enough to see that it was not the case. Little things were starting to change here and there, and he was carefully making note of it every time it happened.

For example, whenever he was off fighting curses, you started habitually checking up on him to make sure he was okay. One night when he was unable to answer his phone, he received a string of unusual text messages from you to find out what happened. He remembered calling you right after, teasing you to ask if you were worried about him. You surprised him with your fear, how you easily believed that something was powerful enough to harm him despite him repeatedly telling you that nothing could touch him. When you responded to his question with a sincere yes, an unexpected sensation spread across his chest. If he wasn’t paying attention to how much you cared about him before, he was more aware of it now.

To ease your worries, he made it a point to shoot you a text whenever he could just to let you know that he was alright. Although, he did sometimes forget which resulted in you panicking on the phone with him. Only this time, Gojo never made fun of your concerns.

In turn, he realised how fiercely protective he became of you and it killed him whenever he had to deflect your questions when you asked about his life. There was so much you wanted to know and so much that he wished he could tell you. However, he had every intention of maintaining this invisible boundary. The last thing he wants is for you to get caught up in something that you couldn’t understand. If he were to invite you into his whole world, that would only lead to you facing dangerous threats that loved to lurk in the shadows.

He would never forgive himself if something were to happen to you.

A few more rounds passed, and the two of you were intertwined in the most precarious situation. You were in a reverse tabletop position, looking like a crab with two hands and feet on the blue and yellow circles. Meanwhile, Gojo was in a plank position above you, his palms pressed on the red and green circle by your side, with one foot next to yours on a blue circle and another on a yellow circle.

You were shaking underneath him, desperately trying to maintain your awkward stance while Gojo appeared bored holding his own position with ease.

“Okay, I didn’t take your strength or height into consideration…” you groaned with a pout.

A chuckle escaped his lips, “give up, yet?”

“No…” you groaned, eyeing the spinner by your side as you reached for it with your right hand. You lifted your head slightly, your neck straining as you tried to call out the next move. “Left foot, green…”

Gojo picked up his leg but as he stretched himself out he realised that he couldn’t bend himself properly in that particular way.

Your eyes widened, watching him shake as he tried to rotate his body without lifting himself completely up off the mat.

“Or maybe your height is actually a disadvantage?” you questioned, ignoring the way your arms burned from holding yourself up as your heart raced with anticipation.

“Shhh, I’m concentrating...”

Gojo kicked his leg out one way and then the other, the comical image of his tall body in motion only made you laugh at his reaction. He tried his best to ignore the sound of your voice but knew that he could barely maintain his balance as he tried to find the green circle. However, he miscalculated the gravity of his own weight when he shifted to the left side of his body, his elbow buckling underneath and causing him to collapse.

“Yes!” you exclaimed, raising your arms up in victory, paying no attention to his body pressed on top of yours.

His face was buried in the crook of your neck, breathing in deep to inhale the scent of your soap. He felt your hand pat the back of his head lightly, indicating that you wanted him to get off from on top of you. He slowly unraveled himself, irritated by his own misfortune as he rolled onto his back to lay down beside you. He tilted his head to look at you, noticing you turn so you both were making direct eye contact with each other.

Gojo always knew you were beautiful. Nothing in this world could convince him otherwise but he never paid attention to the details of how pretty you actually were. Little things about you that made the gears in his head turn, from the gorgeous mane that sprouted on the top of your head, to the way your eyes sparkled whenever you were excited or how the curve of your lips was your secret tell to let him know exactly what you were feeling when you couldn’t find the words to explain yourself.

Why me? He thought to himself, if you wanted to fuck around with somebody then why did you ask me?  

A kiss on his lips snapped him out of his drawn out thoughts, he felt the pads of your fingers along his cheek, slipping lightly underneath his blindfold to reveal just one of those blue eyes.

“Ready for another round?” you questioned.

Gojo softly smiled, thankful that you haven’t grown bored of him just yet. He lifted himself up, bringing one of his hands to cup your face as he pulled you in for another kiss. His tongue parted your lips and he allowed himself this one indulgence as he trailed his hand to the back of your neck.

Whatever thoughts that were running through his mind, he chose to ignore. There was no reason for him to consider such trivial things anyway. You were spoiling him with your body, playing out the fantasies that plagued his mind. He was aware that his greed fueled his lust for you and honestly did not know what he would do if you were to ask him to stop.

He deepened the kiss, allowing the frustrating thought to play out in passion instead. You shifted your position, your hand falling to his chest as you gripped onto the collar of his tee. Still holding onto the kiss, Gojo lifted himself upright so he was seated and as much as he would love to take advantage of this current situation, he chose to pull himself away instead.

“Best of three?”

“That sounds good to me!” you replied as you circled your arm around his neck, before returning to kiss him again.

Gojo gave in for only a second, before cheekily breaking away and tapping you gently on the forehead with his index finger.

“Oh no, you aren’t doing this to me again...” he said, his hands moving to your waistline as he gently pushed you away from him. “You wanted to have a game night and we are going to see it through.”

He leaned across from you to pick up the spinner, before settling back down and holding it in between the tiny space that separated you both.

“Winner goes first.”

- CHAPTER 8: HEAT - 

[nriacc]

Ok butttt, I know everybody is very mad at Matty, but I kinda understand him, I mean, the thing of writing about your feelings it’s that they are temporary so sometimes we say nasty shit just because we are mad and that doesn’t mean matty is the same douche that wrote those songs, it wasn’t the best move but that’s how he felt hahaha either way I love them both and I think Matty still deserves a chance, am I to crazy for thinking this way??

Alsoooo: I loved this chapter, as always! Sweet Dreams it’s one of my absolute favorites and I loved how you put it into the fic, lyyyy xx

Omg yassss you put it into words 🥺😭💜 Like what Matty is thinking is so different from what we know. Imagine his insecurity with the whole Alex situation. First he’s never trusted Al because of what happened on the Favourite Worst Nightmare tour. Alex broke Wheels heart and Matty was the one who looked after her, he’s never forgiven Alex for that (and rightly so because if this was a real story he would have been fucked right off, like imagine if Wheels bestie knew. She would have ripped him to shit).

Then Matty would be seeing how close her and Alex still are (around 2010) and he’s gunna think that’s sus given their history and Matty’s not that stupid to not see Alex’s silent pining (before Arielle) for Wheels even when she was with Matty officially. All the while he knows how close the pair are as they are best friends and Matty trusts Wheels 1000% but he still never trusted Alex.

And then yes Matty fucks up royally (Alexa, play tonight I wish I was your boy) and he rightly gets dumped. But then months after, Matty is still being shoved with the knowledge that Alex is only Wheels’ bestie but then he sees the kiss at the Brits. Which Wheels initiated and Matty’s world begins to crumble. He thinks Wheels has been lying to him and he starts thinking ‘she obviously does still see him as more’ after years of her telling him otherwise. He starts to believe that every ‘he’s just my best friend’ that he’s heard is a lie.

But then Matty sees everything on the AM tour (all the while knowing exactly what happened on the last tour). And he would be in his head more and more and he’d of been writing songs from a place of hate. And yes he lashes out in the wrong way (Arielle and Halsey) but he’s doing that for a reaction because he isn’t over Wheels either. Not to mention the hurt he’s overcome with at leeds fest (still not excuse to be throwing glasses) but seeing wheels actively choose Alex instead of him after all those years hurts him.

More of this will come out later in the series but I agree with you Anon, he does deserve another chance. She’s forgiven Alex for cheating, and she was willing to forgive Matty for it but she thinks that Matty wasn’t interested in her after the accident (incorrect). Wheels definitely took some things in some of the songs the wrong way (Somebody Else). And if Alex wasn’t right next to her when she was listening to eycte she would have reacted very differently too.

Really glad you loved this chapter💜 Sweet Dreams is one of my faves too! Sorry about the Ted Talk😂 thanks a million for reading the chapter 💜 lyyyy💜💜💜

[workingforitallthetime]

svech: a very serious and responsible primer

ok @totally-necessary​ and @needsmore​, i am gonna write you an andrei svechnikov primer and i am going to do my best to produce a work of responsible well-sourced expository prose instead of an embarrassing thirsty disaster like the rest of my andrei svechnikov blogging.

here is my introductory paragraph:

wait, no, give me another shot. i swear i can actually do this. here is my introductory paragraph:

HOW CAN I NOT LOVE THIS GOOD-NATURED FEARLESS JOYFUL SHOULDER-FRECKLED SEX KITTEN????? HOW CAN I DO ANYTHING BUT CRY ALL THE TIME?????

.......ok. sorry. let me try it again. i’ll do it right this time, i promise. here is my introductory paragraph:

once upon a time in siberia, two-year-old andrei svechnikov put on skates for the first time and cried because he couldn’t follow his big brother evgeny onto the ice. eventually evgeny’s coach let andrei join the team’s workouts, and then coach started giving the older players a hard time when andrei would beat them.

the backstory of the svech bros sounds a lot like every other hockey kid who didn’t grow up privileged: parents who worked multiple jobs and sacrificed and moved cities to make sure the kids got hockey opportunities. in interviews, the svechnikov brothers have referenced not knowing where food or clothes were going to come from, and they emphasize how close it made them. evgeny says:

Having a brother that we eat from one plate--sleep in one bed sometimes--we went through everything. It's just one person by your side always. It's like going hunting alone or with somebody.

they wear the same number. they talk every day. as soon as the season paused in march, evgeny drove to north carolina. lately, they’re hanging out in michigan. basically, if hockey is not being played, they are together. basically, if you are going to write a primer about andrei, the most important thing is evgeny.

(my theory is that evgeny is at least part of the reason andrei does not like it when dougie and foegs joke about him being their kid brother. it’s the only joke i’ve ever seen svech refuse to roll with.)

evgeny got drafted by the red wings in 2015 (round 1, 19th overall). he started out with the AHL affiliate in grand rapids, and in 2016 mama svech packed up andrei and moved from russia to michigan. andrei played a season for the muskegon lumberjacks in the USHL. he led the team in scoring and was named USHL rookie of the year. the next season he was the first selection in the CHL import draft, and played for the barrie colts.

ok, so while we’re knocking out the backstory, i want to note that svech’s full name is Andrei Igorevich Svechnikov. don’t tell me that’s not sexy.

furthermore, the very spelling of andrei is sexy. i had a russian-speaking colleague once who had a son named andrei and she would say his name with a little lift at the end. not like the i added another syllable, just like a little caress. i hear it that way when i type it. it makes me happy to type that i at the end. andrei. andrei.

oh sorry, did i veer off topic?

the carolina hurricanes selected andrei second overall in the 2018 draft. he looked just as dumb as everybody always does in their draft night jersey photos, but here’s his draft day suit:

oh wait, can’t pass up the opportunity for a combine photo

did i say COMBINE? i meant JAWLINE

wait one more photo from the combine, just because he looks especially dead poets society in this one:

upon moving to raleigh, andrei emphatically wanted to live alone, which seems unusual for an 18-year-old entering the NHL and is therefore fertile ground for all sorts of headcanons. he keeps his floors very clean and gets mad when his buddies won’t take their shoes off. i am not making this up. he lives in the same apartment complex as dougie hamilton, warren foegele, joel edmundson (rip), and teuvo teravainen. andrei does not cook and he’s constantly calling them to see who wants to go out to eat.

in that last video i linked you can see foegs stumble and jump off his scooter just before he hits the gate to their parking garage. then the gate rises like magic and svech glides straight through. this is an unsubtle metaphor for andrei svechnikov’s entire athletic existence.

svech purportedly does not play video games, which is wild to me. instead, he practices magic tricks. again, i am not making this up.

wait i’m sorry it’s been at least ten minutes since i looked at a picture of andrei svechnikov holding a bunch of kittens

ok where was i.

svech had a pretty solid rookie season in 2018-19, but you can look up the numbers elsewhere if you want them. he was the first player born this century to score in the NHL but we don’t like to think about his 2000 birthdate. he played on a line with jordan martinook for a lot of that first season, and you can read more about that romantic nonsense in the ship primer i’ll be writing next. more recently the canes have settled into a top line of svech, sebastian aho, and teuvo teravainen, which is a pretty deadly combo.

one incident of note from svech’s rookie season is that he got knocked the fuck out by alex ovechkin. we’ll be talking more about that in the ship primer too, but if you want the video it’s here.

here, have a little celly:

svech’s most touted accomplishment is scoring the NHL’s first-ever Michigan-style lacrosse goal. this article has a very good description of how it worked. the postgame interview from that game is so endearing it makes me want to claw my face off. he’s talking so fast (for him) and he keeps repeating that his brother taught it to him, just absolutely determined to make sure everyone knows this milestone belongs to evgeny too.

also, this season, he scored the first playoff hat trick in franchise history.

the thing about andrei svechnikov is that nobody has a bad word to say about him. everybody thinks he’s an amazing player (”skilled and tenacious yet loose and creative”) and everybody compliments his work ethic (shooting pucks for hours after practice or a game) and journalists call him a “transcendent star.” everybody says he’s a great person. everybody calls him special. jordan martinook says svech never has a bad word to say about anyone.

ok it’s kitten time again!

more svech facts of note:

drives a black mercedes, poorly. “he wants to win on the road, too,” says foegs.

his voice gets very soft when he is uncertain about something but he’s loud when he wins a card game. (”GOOD NIGHT, BROTHER! SEE YOU NEXT GAME!”)

loves french toast for breakfast.

guilty pleasure is milkshakes.

if he was an animal, he’d be a bear (”like a russian bear.”)

does monster summer workouts with ivan provorov

look how fucking cute he is

the invaluable social media team over at hurricanes hq understands the svech content the world needs. i’m gonna tackle some more of this in the ship primer, but here are the best ones:

who’s your daddy? this video features svech confusedly asking “daddy?”, which is literally everything i ever want in fic or in life. once he finally understands he’s expected to choose between two teammates, he chooses the one who’s his buddy. and then after he’s catcalled from offscreen, he slouches down in his chair and changes his answer. “both,” he mutters, looking unbearably smug. “both.”

cookie face. it takes marty a very entertaining 49 seconds to eat the cookie. then svech hacks the game and wins in 7 second flat. “he’s good at everything,” marty marvels from offscreen.

this is a terrible concept for a video but it does feature svech and dougie doing the famous scene from stepbrothers, and svech giving a sweeping bow. i will forgive him for wearing a duke hat but only because he wears a tarheels hat in the three amigos video above.

has it been too long since a kitten photo? it’s definitely been too long since a kitten photo.

in conclusion, andrei svechnikov is a massive life-ruining problem and also he is perfect. i love him.

[cablesscutie]

Inspired by @hayleynfoster’s comic and some hilarious headcannons about the littlest steambaby with Hayley and @favlie​

Read it on AO3

1.

The day Avatar Aang comes to meet his second niece, Fire Lord Zuko refuses to let his youngest child out of sight.  Katara rolls her eyes, and reminds her husband that neither of their children had ended up psychologically disturbed because of their flights.  “Not,” she adds, pointing at Aang, “that I am allowing a repeat, but I think just holding her while firmly on the ground will be fine.”

“Mmmm,” Zuko hesitates, curling Kallik closer to his chest.  Her big eyes blink up at the adults guileless from her blanket.  “No.”

“You let Azula hold her!” Aang argues.

“She doesn’t do anything with the babies!” Zuko shoots back.  It’s not strictly true, he knows, but his sister’s ritual with newborns is unsettling in a much different way.  She simply stares deep into each child’s eyes upon being handed them, until some kind of understanding passes between her and the baby.  Results have varied, but the most important part is that there was no threat to life and limb.  

Katara’s raised eyebrow says that she also doesn’t believe Zuko’s words, but she doesn’t say anything.  They are, after all, a united front - to the children, to politicians, to their friends.  In the privacy of their chambers, however, he knows he will be hearing about this.

2.

Katara and Zuko take the kids to spend Kallik’s first birthday at the South Pole.  It’s a tradition they’ve observed with all three, and Zuko always looks forward to going to visit her family.  The house is loud and chaotic, full to bursting with people, the exact opposite of his own lonely childhood.  There is no posturing, and everyone loves and squabbles openly.  On this particular visit, they have overlapped with Aang’s stay with Sokka and Suki, so Gran-Gran’s house is in even more of an uproar than usual by the time Zuko and Katara arrive.

Kya immediately dashes off to coo over her little cousins as they toddle around behind Pakku, pretending to be otter penguins.  Satoshi runs to the kitchen to be showered in kisses and cookies from Gran-Gran.  Hakoda finds them barely out of their parkas and already thoroughly abandoned.

“I could’ve sworn you had at least one other child,” he tells Katara, scratching his head as he pretends to search for his missing grandchildren.  She laughs and hugs her father tight.  Neither of them let go for long moments, and Zuko’s throat feels tight when he notices his father-in-law’s misty eyes.  He looks down at Kallik, thinks of his other two children, and wonders for the thousandth time how Hakoda could ever forgive him for keeping Katara so far away.  It’s why he hands his daughter over easily when her grandfather waggles his fingers expectantly and says, “Alright, give her here.”

Hakoda settles Kallik on his hip with practiced ease, and pulls Zuko into a brief hug with his free arm.  “Good to see you, son.”  

Zuko clears his throat.  “You too,” he says, and Katara laughs softly at his awkward shuffling, amused by how he doesn’t know what to do with his hands without a baby in his arms.  She answers his question by lacing their fingers together as she leads him deeper into the house to find her brother and their friends seated around the hearth fire watching the kids run around.

Hugs are exchanged all around, and Zuko settles into their familiar company.  Hakoda joins them after taking Kallik to say hello to Gran-Gran and Pakku, and bounces the baby on his knee to make her laugh.  Aang makes silly faces at her that have her letting out piercing giggles and reaching out to try and grab at the wooden beads of his necklace.

“Well clearly she’s bored of me,” Hakoda says, making to hand her off to her uncle.  “Here you go -”  Zuko leans over and intercepts.

“Oh no.  No baby catapult,” he says, shaking his head.

Aang gives him a pout to rival Momo.  “Come on, we’re indoors!”  Katara clears her throat, and when Zuko glances over, her eyes are narrowed at him.  With a sigh, he holds Kallik out to Aang.

“Fine.  But I’m watching you.”

3.

Extended family vacations to Ember Island always sound like a good idea to Katara.  At first.  When her husband is burnt out and aching, and the kids are climbing the walls, and she just wants to lie in the sun with a book, it seems like the cure for everything.

And then they arrive.  Somehow, much like she forgets the excruciating pain of childbirth, she never recalls the onslaught of chaos and catastrophe that comes every vacation.  Like the time Sokka got stung by a jelly-ray.  Or the time Suki and Zuko got in a fight about disciplining each other’s kids.  Or the time every single one of the kids managed to get sunburnt and couldn’t sleep.  Every year, it’s always something, and somehow, it usually ends up being at least partially her problem to solve.

This year, though, is somehow turning out alright.  They reach day three without major incident, and almost entirely without tears - a near miracle for a vacation involving five children under the age of ten.

“I’m almost done with my first book already,” she tells Zuko as they rock slowly in a hammock on the deck, whispering in hopes of keeping any listening spirits from knowing that she’s gotten her hopes up.

“Good, you deserve the break,” Zuko says.  He looks on the verge of sleep despite the fact that the sun is still climbing in the sky.  The dark circles beneath his eyes are already faded almost to nothing.  She sighs happily and grabs her book, but before she can actually crack it open, she hears Toph cackling and her Mom Senses light up.  Zuko calls after her in surprise as she leaves the hammock swaying wildly behind her, but she doesn’t look back on her way to the beach.  

When she arrives, it is just in time to see Toph pick up Kallik, a wicked smile on her face.  Sokka and Suki’s twins are further down the beach standing beside Aang, both of them jumping up and down with excitement, waiting for something.

“Go long, Twinkle Toes!”  Katara’s eyes go wide, and faster than should be possible, she reaches them, yanking Kallik out of Toph’s hands.  “Hey!”

“Absolutely not!”  Katara says, scowling.

“I was gonna catch her!”  Aang shouts.  Katara shakes her head.

“This is not happening.  No way.”  Then, silently lamenting the loss of quiet time with her husband, Katara looks at the twins and asks, “Who wants to go get some ice cream?

4.

At Zuko’s request, his birthday is not a big deal with his family.  It’s a combination of the fact that the entire Fire Nation loses its mind about the day anyway, so he is all but forced to spend a day attending a festival in his honor, and the fact that he is used to his birthday being a marker of all the disappointments he has been in the past year.  It is a long-standing compromise with his wife that she is allowed to throw him a small, family-only party, to be kept within the bounds of the garden.  He enjoys the excuse to get everyone together without a barrage of meetings involved, and the rest of their family is so boisterous in comparison to him, he can almost forget that the day has anything to do with him at all.

For his thirtieth birthday, he makes the further concession of allowing Uncle to set up his new phonograph so there could be dancing.  Zuko is manning the crank, watching Katara and Kya swing each other around while Aang sits next to him, flipping through the records looking for the right song.

“Do you have a request too?” Zuko hears him ask, and turns to see Kallik has toddled away from Uncle Iroh and approached the Avatar.  She puts her hands on his knees and starts bouncing, flashing him a smile that shows all of her new teeth.  “You want upsies?” Aang coos, and reaches to scoop her up by the armpits.  Zuko clears his throat loudly, shooting Aang his best murder eyes, and the Avatar shrinks back into the collar of his robes a little.  “What about dance party?”  He lets Kallik grab onto his fingers and starts hopping around with her to the beat, hunched over and both of them giggling.

5.

“Oh Uncle Aaaaang!” Kya sings, striding out into the garden where Appa has just landed. She has Kallik on her hip, and Satoshi follows along at her heels, excited to see Appa and Momo again.  His pockets are already full of lychee nuts for his fuzzy friends.

“Hey guys!” Uncle Aang calls, his gangly arms waving excitedly.  “Are you the welcoming committee now?”  He lands in front of them on a gentle breeze, setting down his bag and grinning broadly.

“Mom and Dad are in a meeting,” Kya informs him.  “But somebody wanted to go for a little flight.”  She hitches the toddler higher and winks conspiratorially.  “If you catch my drift.”  Uncle Aang’s eyes go wide, and he looks between the kids with unease.  Satoshi feels terror grip his throat.  He knew his big sister was crazy, but would she really…?

“Oh I dunno, your Dad was pretty...adamant...that you all are grounded until further notice.”  Satoshi lets out a sigh of relief.

“Dad’s in a meeting,” Kya reiterates, as though being in a meeting involves entering another dimension.  She should know better, her brother thinks to himself.  Mom and Dad always find out when they’re up to no good, and as the sibling who’s usually leading the charge into trouble, Kya should definitely have that figured out by now.  Uncle Aang should absolutely know that by now, but with horor, Satoshi realizes that the Avatar is looking a little bit convinced.  “And we’re not gonna tell on you,” she wheedles.  Speak for yourself, Satoshi thinks, glancing around to see if there are any guards within earshot if he calls for their parents.  Sadly, it seems nobody has realized that the Avatar requires careful supervision.

“Well…” Uncle Aang considers, then comes to his decision, smiling once again.  “Alright, I guess one can’t hurt.  Who’s going?”  

Kya moves to offer Kallik to him, her tiny hands reaching out and making grabby motions.  Satoshi’s world goes into slow-motion.  There’s a roaring in his ears, and as if from outside his body, he hears his own voice say,

“I am.”  Kya and Uncle Aang blink at him, stunned.  Their uncle is the first to recover, and asks,

“Are you sure, kiddo?  I mean, you weren’t the biggest fan when you were a baby…”

“I want to try again,” he makes himself say, despite his sweating palms.  Uncle Aang grins and ruffles his hair.

“That’s the spirit!  You get that from your dad.” 

As his uncle’s hands grab him under the armpits, Satoshi hears Kya mutter, “It’s the self-sacrificing idiot gene,” and then he is gone.  As he soars through the air, he wonders if maybe his body hasn’t even left the ground yet.  He can’t feel anything.  Maybe he just died of panic and this is just his soul taking off for the spirit world.

Then he reaches the height of his arc and starts plummeting back to Earth, and the sensation of all his internal organs rattling around asserts the fact that he is very much still alive and experiencing this.  He closes his eyes before he gets anywhere close to the ground, so it comes as a surprise when he comes to a sudden stop, cradled briefly by robes smelling of hay and bison fur, before being deposited back on his feet.

“How’s the weather up there?” Uncle Aang asks him, patting him on the back.  Satoshi doesn’t know what the weather was like.  He doesn’t know anything except that solid ground beneath his feet may have replaced his mother’s hugs as his favorite feeling in the world.  He meets Kya’s eyes, and sees from her horrified expression that he must look like as much of a husk of a child as he feels.

A quiet, affectless “Thank you,” is all that he can manage to say, and then he is wandering back into the palace, where he shoves his head into the nearest antique vase and screams.

+1

“Psst.”  A small sound behind him has Aang on alert.  The Fire Nation Royal Palace hasn’t been a place of danger for years now, but with Toph and Sokka around, the probability of sneak attacks has risen a hundred fold.  He doesn’t see anything though, and goes to turn back around, only to be caught by a surprisingly firm grip on his cape.  About two feet below where he’d expected to find his assailant, Aang comes face to face with his youngest niece, Kallik.  Her expression is the same determined furrow of the brow that Katara and Zuko have shared for so long it is impossible to tell which parent bestowed the trait on her.  It has the eerie effect of summoning the terrifying force that is their combined will.  Aang already knows that whatever she wants from him, he’s going to cave, and it will probably get him in trouble.  “I hear you’re in the business of yeeting kids.  I want in.”

Aang sighs.  Zuko has been trying to prevent this day since the moment Aang met Kallik, and Kallik has been trying to evade her father’s overprotective tendencies since the moment of her existence.  It is a battle Katara has elected not to fight, likely remembering her own impossible stubbornness and the futility of trying to stand against it.  So it is with all of that knowledge that he says, “Okay.”

“Flameo!” Kallik cheers, punching at the air.

“Well ‘flameo’ was actually more of a greeting -”

“Let’s save the fun facts.  I wanna fly.”  With a creeping sense of dread, Aang follows the child pulling him along by the cape until they reach a courtyard.  Kallik turns to face him, plants her feet, and rubs her palms together.  “Alright,” she says, spreading her arms wide.  “I’m ready.”

“Here we go...I guess,” Aang says, glancing over his shoulder as he reaches out to scoop her up by the armpits.  The coast is clear, so he swings her around in circles a couple of times to get ready.  As his niece starts to giggle, the garden blurs, and wind ruffles his robes, Aang feels the giddy anticipation of liftoff.

He hoists Kallik, up, up, up.

And then her momentum carries her out of his hands, and the wind that has built up around them propels her even higher.  Her already small body shrinks until she looks more like the shadow of a bird in the night sky, clearing the palace roofs.  A happy shriek pierces the air.  Aang smiles, feeling her wonder as if it is his own.  This is always the best part of someone’s first flight - witnessing them discover the wind anew - and while taking Air Acolytes to glide at the Northern Air Temple is fun, nothing compares to sharing this part of his culture with his nieces and nephews.

Kallik tumbles back into his arms, eyes wide with wonder, ecstatic grin plastered across her face.  “Again!” she cries, the moment breath rushes back to her.  

Aang laughs and holds her on his hip.  As he always does, he asks, “How’s the weather up there?”

“The moon is huge!  And I could see the whole city!  And the ocean!”  Kallik’s pudgy hands move in broad, sweeping gestures so similar to her mother’s bending as she speaks.  He still remembers Katara’s delighted gasp the first time she flew, Toph’s bruising grip, Zuko’s shocked laugh.  This moment, too, will be another piece of the Air Nomad legacy living on.

As Aang tosses Kallik yet again, Katara finds Zuko leaning against a pillar at the edge of the courtyard, watching.  She approaches her husband, curious to find that he isn’t having a coronary at the sight of their daughter in freefall, and takes hold of his arm.

“You gonna yell at him?” she asks, feigning nonchalance.  He doesn’t look away from them, but he is smiling, serene.

“Eh, she seems fine.”

[rochiomaru]

JOKERS WILD

My transponder snail sounding off in my coat pocket. I try to ignore its incessant ringing at first, and begin to take a couple of steps towards the ship I see my future sailing away on, but the urgency of the snail in my pocket causes me to grunt and grab it. “This had better be important, or somebody is going to lose their pretty head!” I snap into the receiver while watching the ship moving closer to the gates that lead out into the open seas of the Grand Line. My beauty looks so elegant as he stoically calls orders to his men, who scurry about him to carry out whatever assignment given to them. 

My fists clench as I try to focus on the voice coming through the line and away from the two men on the ship that just entered the open waters of the great ocean.It takes a few more moments for me to realize that I am still not understanding a word that has been spoken to me, so I ask them to repeat themselves. 

“Sir, I said we found him. We obtained Caesar Clown from one of Vegapunk’s labs and are transporting him back to Spider Miles. We should be there within the week.” Despite myself, I bite my lip until I can taste iron on my tongue. I silently promise that I will find my brunet beauty again soon, but for now another piece of my plan has just clicked into place. I tell them I shall meet them there, place the snail back into my coat, and then extend my strings to head back to Numancia. Today is turning out to be an excellent day indeed.

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

There is a certain set of caverns set deep behind the cliffs on Spider Mills’ shoreline that are almost impossible to find unless one is very familiar with the landscape. Once Numancia docked on the shores, I made my way quickly to these caverns where Pica and Monet are waiting for me with a scientist that I have been searching for. I place a wide grin on my lips and move closer to where they are holding him in sea prism stone cuffs.

This man has been working for the world government for a number of years, so I know he can be very useful to me. I just do not know if I want to use force or play his ego to get what I want out of him yet, so as I approach I am careful to watch his mannerisms closely.

“Caesar, welcome! I trust I did not keep you waiting too long for my arrival?” I ask with a sly smile, watching him turn quickly at the sound of my voice. Though I see terror in his eyes, I am sure I also see a light blush on that pale face when he catches sight of me. Perhaps this will be an interesting game after all? It is then I decide to lay my trap with honey, though I know I must ensure absolute obedience. “I am Joker, and I have heard so much about your brilliance, so I just had to meet you.” the initial fear in his golden eyes softens.

I walk over to him and make sure to keep my body loose and welcoming. I lick my lips as I step close to him and reach out to take his shackled hands into my own. “Please forgive me for having to use such tactics to bring you here, but I can’t take the chance that your loyalty to Vegapunk and the World Government would cause you to harm my family. They are all I have in this world, and without them I would be alone, and I do so hate being lonely. You do understand, don’t you?” I drop my voice at the last question and run my thumb along the man’s knuckles.

I bite my bottom lip in what, to Caesar, would appear to be a pout, but in actuality it is all that is keeping me from laughing at his predictable behavior. He begins to stutter, the light blush flaming to deep crimson at my touch. “Wh...wh..what do y...y...you mean? That fool, Vegapunk doesn’t appreciate me or my work!”

Caesar looks intently at me, like he wants to say more, but instead frowns and looks away. I step closer to the scientist and let my body press into his as I speak into his ear. “Then he is most definitely a fool if he does not find the value that one such as yourself brings. I can see how very special you truly are and can guarantee you would be highly prized here with me.”

I let my hand hold his a moment longer before dropping it and stepping away. I can tell that he is thinking about a lot more than just the surface context of my spoken words. If he wants to add extra meaning to my flattery, then let him. It will do no harm and who knows? Perhaps it will be fun to watch him squirm! There are definitely more ways than one to pull a person’s strings to get what I want, and this way may prove most entertaining!

“You see, I have been working so hard for years to track down devil fruits to strengthen those I care about, and also to sell on the black market so that I can provide for my family. However, I have found that this is taking too long and the profit is not as high as I had hoped.” I glance back without turning my head to gauge Caesar’s interest in what I am telling him. I carefully keep my usual grin from appearing though I want to scream in triumph!  I can tell I have the fool right where I want him. There is still a fair amount of fear in his eyes, which is good, but at the mention of profit I see the greed bleeding through.

Now I drop my real reason for bringing him here. I straighten to my full height and turn back to Caesar, all playfulness gone in an instance. I must admit this tactic normally would seem more intimidating to someone who wasn’t actually taller than myself, but somehow he does not strike me as someone who has much courage despite his powers and stature. I play my trump card. “I know that Vegapunk was able to replicate a devil fruit.”

The color drains from Caesar’s face and as I lean forward to press my hand on his shoulder, he makes a shrill squeak and tries to pull back. I let a sharp smile find its way onto my lips when I pull him closer to me. “Caesar, I think you misunderstand my intention. I want you to help me to do the same thing. Surely if Vegapunk can do this, someone as qualified and brilliant as yourself should have no trouble doing the same thing?” I say sweetly into his ear, but never allow the steel grip of my hand clenching his shoulder to loosen. I want my tactics to leave a lasting impression. I may become playful at times, but I will never be one he can play with or use. It is best if he figures this out now.

I can hear the man audibly swallow a couple of times as he gathers himself enough to answer me. “Wh...what is it y...you want from me, J..Joker?” he finally manages to whisper.

My voice drops low and soft, “Why, Caesar, have I not made that clear from the very beginning? I want you.” The voices are laughing in my mind  as I pull back to see the confusion struggling on the scientist’s face. I have long learned to keep my targets unbalanced as I go for the kill, and with fear, greed, and lust all warring behind his eyes, I know this is a battle I have already claimed.

I gently brush back a few strands of his dark hair from his face and rest my fingers on his cheek, causing him to flush a dark rose. He almost instinctively presses his face softly into my hand, a weaker animal giving dominance to the strong.

“I want you to work for me. Though I will have you return to your work at Punk Hazard for Vegapunk,” he grunts and frowns when I say that name, but I continue as if not interrupted, “and the World Government, you will put your brilliance to use for the Family. I want you to replicate Vegapunk’s experiment with the artificial devil fruit and figure out why it was a failure, then fix it. I want to build a factory of my own to create as many fruits as stars in the sky to sell to the highest bidders. Why should devil fruits be left to chance? Power is for the powerful and money is the greatest power there is! Of course they should be able to buy even this!”

I run my fingers along his pale jawline and down his throat as I wait for his answer. HIs golden eyes shift between me and the floor several times before he looks at me and asks the question I knew would come. “What if they find out? If I am caught as a traitor, I will be killed,” his voice fades at the end as actual tears begin to fill his eyes. I know then I have him in my strings. He will be loyal to me, but he is a coward and worried for his life. Understandable, but weak. It sickens me, however I need him for now.

I keep the soft mask upon my face and never look away from him as I motion for one of the others to remove his seastone cuffs. “I will protect you. I swear to you, that as long as you are loyal to me, I will not allow them to kill you.”

He looks at me for what seems an endless amount of time and then one of the strangest laughs I have ever heard comes from his lips. “Sholololo. Well then, Joker, it seems we have a deal.” 

I smile in earnest at him in return. I know that these artificial devil fruits will bring forth a terrible future that will shake this dung-heap of a world to its foundation. I will be able to control underground trade routes and unleash wars upon wars. As I think of the pain and misery this world has mercilessly caused me and other members of my Family, my anger burns brighter than ever and I can’t wait to see how much pain I can return in kind.

This I swear on my life.

[irondadfics]

Do you have any good fics with mainly Peter and happy? I feel like I don’t see enough of that relationship

Here you go lovelies! For more fics check out our Happy Hogan tag!

Peter & Happy-centric

A Certain Kind of Stubbornness by friendlyneighborhoodsecretary @friendlyneighborhoodsecretary

"There was something different about being a superhero's right-hand man. Happy knew it in his gut. It bred a certain kind of protective loyalty that didn't spring from anything less than looking after someone the rest of the world was out to get on a regular basis. A fierce doubtfulness about the motives of anyone who so much as looked sideways at them. A withering dislike of anyone who stood in the way of protecting them. A lack of trust in anyone but yourself." Regardless of whether you're Forehead of Security or The Guy in the Chair, it isn't easy when your best friend's a superhero.

“Told You He’s A Good Kid” (series) by friendlyneighborhoodsecretary @friendlyneighborhoodsecretary​

Happy Hogan may not exactly be the cool uncle, but he tries his best. A collection of moments in which Happy looks after the kid his boss/best friend accidentally acquired and who Happy himself would definitely not/maybe/absolutely would fight a Titan for.

Good Company by friendlyneighborhoodsecretary @friendlyneighborhoodsecretary​

There are certain things even Peter Parker doesn't talk about on those endless commutes upstate; Ben Parker is one of them.

Weekend at Happy’s by Marvelous_Writer @marvelous-writer

With May away, Peter stays at Happy’s for the weekend but things don’t go as planned when Peter suddenly gets sick.

we're going on a trip (in our favourite rocket ship) by jaybaybay @jaybaybay-01

“Mm.. S’ark?” Peter mumbled and rolled onto his side, cuffs clinking against the metal headboard as he shifted.

“Hey, Pete, you with me now?” Happy's heart was filled with relief at the sound of Peter's voice. It was heavily slurred from all the drugs, but the kid was coherent enough at last to form syllables. It was music to Happys ears. “Tony’s not here yet, but he’s on his way.”

Peters glassy eyes found Happy's face and he smiled; chunks of vomit still evident in his teeth. “ ‘e iss?”

“Yeah, cause you hit your panic button.” Peter frowned suddenly and his glazed eyes lazily trailed to his now bare wrist. Happy startled, “You… you hit your panic button, right Peter?” Peter swallowed slowly and let his eyes droop shut. Happy wished that he imagined the slight shake of his moppy brown head. “Why didn’t you hit your panic button?!” Happy hissed through his teeth.

Peter exhaled, “Wasn’ panicked.” Happy's brain short circuited.

“You weren’t- you… Peter we’ve been kidnapped.” Happy couldn’t comprehend it. This was very, very bad. This whole time Happy had been trusting that Peter had hit that stupid button on his watch and now…

Well, now they were screwed.

you'll be, kid, a man, kid, if nothing goes wrong by butmomilovemyboys

“Promise you’re real?” He choked out, his voice small. Happy nodded. “I promise. Really.” Peter nodded back, clearing his throat. He pulled away himself, wiping his eyes on his eyes on the bright orange shirt he wore. Happy put a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “God, what happened? Why are we in the Netherlands?” (And he almost asks where Tony is. Sometimes his brain doesn’t catch up.) ~ SMFFH SPOILERS!!

This Can’t Be Real by Howlingdawn

FAR FROM HOME SPOILERS AHEAD. After Mysterio's final act, Happy finds and reassures Peter that they'll protect him. Truth is, though, he's just as scared as the kid.

Sacred Spaces by FerretShark @ferretshark

May doesn’t think it’s a good idea, but Happy persists. He’ll make it a great idea. Him and the kid, five days in the great outdoors. It will be fine.

“We’ll do all the camping things. What’s not to love about camping?” Happy asks.

May pauses mid-fold on a pair of her jeans, “I don’t know. He’s just not an outdoorsy kind of kid.”

regret by peter_parkerson @peter-parkerson

The kid’s annoying.

It’s a fact. The kid talks too much, too fast, and it’s annoying. That’s just how it is.

He wishes that was a good excuse for ignoring the calls. And the texts. And the incessant, unnecessarily long voicemails. He wishes he'd kept a closer eye on the kid because then maybe he wouldn't have missed his own Homecoming to fight his date's dad. He wishes his negligence hadn't indirectly caused a world of trauma for a high school sophomore.

He can't fix it now, but he can at least try to make amends.

Peter seems like a pretty forgiving kid.

Tough Love by samos7

Peter calls Happy in distress after May doesn't come back to the apartment one night. Happy doesn't know how to deal with emotions.

driving lessons by sapphirestark @sapphirestark

Happy cleared his throat. “Right then. Next, gears.” He gestured towards the console and Peter’s eyes widened.

“I’m learning stick shift?” All Peter knew about manual transmission was that it was way more difficult and much harder to get right. “Happy, I don’t know –“

“If you can’t drive stick shift, you can’t drive.”

Irondad w/a lot of Peter & Happy

I'm Not Your Babysitter by Mrs_N_Uzumaki

“I can’t take this anymore, Tony.” The end of the rope that was Happy’s already little patience has been reached. “I am an asset manager, not a babysitter.”

(A "missing scene" in Homecoming.)

I Really Need Somebody To Call My Own by losingmymindtonight @losingmymindtonight

Tony didn’t even know when he started getting jealous of Happy. It had been nice, at first, watching him and Peter get so close. Tony couldn’t be around all the time, and Happy still lived in the city, mostly to be close to May, so it was reassuring to have someone watching the kid’s back while he was watching Morgan’s. It had also helped, in a cynical sort of way, that Peter struggled with the transition. After all, he’d come back from the Snap to his aunt in an entirely new relationship. Not only that, she was in a relationship with someone the kid knew. There were bound to be growing pains, and Tony was the one Peter always went to with them, ranting through video chats at 2:00 am. It had made him feel important, like he was becoming part of the kid’s structural foundation. And then Happy had moved in with the Parkers, which had thrown everyone for a loop, and the months had blended together, and suddenly Happy was an integral part of Peter’s structural foundation, too. -- Or, Tony questions his role in Peter's life. Naturally, he spirals.

Not-Uncle Tony by Jen27ny @jen27ny

“I just… got some news.” “Bad news?” For a second, he thinks Happy is about to say yes. Instead, he turns around to him, eyes full of a nervousness Tony didn’t know the man is capable of. “I’m going to be a father.”

~~~~~

This is the story of Peter Hogan. Yes, that's right. Happy is Peter's biological father, and Tony is there for the entire ride.

Damage Control by PechoraFlow

This was bad. His phone rang, echoing around the small bathroom and causing him to flinch. He answered the phone and put it on speaker without looking at the Caller ID. He grabbed an extra roll of toilet paper, thinking that, if he had a prayer of making it home, he had to at least staunch the blood flow. “Hello?” “Hey, kid, are you still here?” This was worse.

Or, after landing the plane on Coney Island in "Spider-Man: Homecoming", Peter isn't as unscathed as he likes to think he is.

[gwynpool]

it’s 2AM and i just finished Rule of Wolves (spoilers definitely up ahead)

first, to inform everyone, i read the spoilers when it got leaked in twitter cuz i can’t help myself. (it’s a sickness, i know) i think this is important since it definitely influenced my perspective upon reading the book. also, this is my first time being early in a party so yay me! going in ROW was easy for me because i started King of Scars the day before book 2’s actual release date so everything’s fresh.

secondly, this is really long so i’m sorry. i just have a lot of feelings and need to write it all down. on with the rant.

King of Scars was wonderful to me since it gave me my favorite Shadow and Bone character and the girl who i used to hate for being a mean girl but who I now admire with every ounce of my being. It also introduced a new ship that I am now obsessed with and is ruling besides my love for Jude&Cardan. Not to mention, it gave us Nina, whom though i’m not entirely a fan of due to all my love focusing on Kaz and Inej, allowed the connection between Shadow&Bone with SixofCrows.

Moving on, ROW was a ride and whirlwind of emotions. unfortunately, it wasn’t always the best kind.

I love the fantasy elements of it (tho it was a huge leap especially with the saints power thingy) and the politics because i am a sucker for scheming and stealing thrones.

the zoyalai teasing and angst was painful but in the best way since slowburn is what keeps me going.

nina finding comfort (and attraction, apparently) from hanne made my heart flutter because i haven’t gotten over matthias but this allowed a sort of closure and next chapter for our waffle-loving queen.

the promised wedding by leigh wasn’t what i expected but i’m not complaining since david&genya deserved nothing but happiness.

almost everything seems going well (aside from the fact that aleksander was ressurected apparently)and then everything crashes and burns and i just have to wonder why?

so the promised funeral alongside the wedding one, immediately comes after two? three? chapters as they were attacked during the afterparty of the wedding. and guess what? leigh killed the fcking groom.

the thing is i already knew he was going to die (with the spoilers and all) but i did not expect it to come immediately after the freaking wedding. not even halfway through the book!

being spoiled, i think, took most of the pain from the event but it doesn’t lessen the fact that it was completely unnecessary??? like though the characters grieved, nothing much was affected from his death? also, don’t talk to me about the character development for the survivors from this tragic event because there. was. absolutely. NONE.

and then we have the fricking darling ressurected. i love him in the first book of the grishaverse though i knew he was still a villain, don’t get me wrong. and my heart ached but was also relieved with his death in the third. he also inspired one of my all-time favorite fantasy villain(antihero?) in the form of Adelina Amouteru in the Young Elites series.

Ceased to be a Darklina fan and am now shipping Aleksander with Adelina because their power tho? like clings to like and they are both imbued with unfathomable darkness. somebody write fics please.

but bringing him back was what for exactly? leigh bardugo preached on how toxic the darkling character was and how we really shouldn’t like him in terms of agreeing with his ideals and yada yada. and yet she brings him back because apparently, he’s the only one paying her bills.

his conversation with alina tho had me expecting some darklina crumbs with fan service on the side since the stans were all raving about it on twitter *vomiting noises from toxicity* but i was surprised since it just further reminded us of how he truly is a villain in his very core and would do anything to get what he wants. so all in all it wasn’t entirely awful and it actually made me like Mal a bit. (never was a fan of him but that’s my issue, not the character’s)

setting aside the darkling issue a bit, the POV from Mayu was skippable. i mean obviously it still needs to be read for the Shu politics and the khergud existence but it just made me want to go to the next pov. Same goes for the “the monk’s” POV since you all know how i feel about him and the cult with it’s assembly and shit ended up also being unnecessary towards the end. honestly, i could do without the journey of the starless saint and his cult.

i truly enjoyed the fjerdan plot to my surprise and i like how nina kind of went through the last of us 2 circle of hate journey. it was definitely difficult knowing her pain and all that she went through and still choosing to be the better person. and yet, i can’t help but be more proud of her development. also, the supposed death of hanne got me going for a second and was actually ready to storm leigh’s home to fix her mistake. thank god it was plot twist. that’s all i have to say on the nina POV because i don’t wanna ruin my good feeling on this.

the crows cameo gave us a mini heist and it just made me miss reading their adventures. also the suli scene tugged at my heart.

imma skip zoya’s transformation but it utterly made me feel amazing and i have never been more glad that she’s kind of overpowered. she deserves it so fck all them haters. you can choke.

nikolai’s revelation and decision for the ravkan throne was not all that surprising, even without my knowledge of the spoilers. i honestly had a feeling that he was always his best self when he was strumhond and he only chose to fulfill the duties of the king because at that time, there was no other choice. so him giving up the throne to his beloved soldier, summoner and saint was a quite satisfying choice of route. there has been some others who would contest nikolai’s decision to step down as something unnecessary in the grand scheme of things but i would stand by my belief that nikolai made the best choice for ravka and for himself. not to say that i didn’t want to see both the queen and king side by side ruling but what are fanfictions for?

zoyalai is canon and endgame. finally. i can die now.

now the last two chapters was a toss up. for the first one was the darkling’s sacrifice. okay, so i was also spoiled by this from twitter but when i was reading the book, i keep expecting it to be brought up and it wasn’t. so i honestly thought that maybe that spoiler was a prank. lo and behold it was not and it wasn’t until the very last end. so the buildup was goddamn awful. the whole concept of the thorn wood and sort of atlas moment was just no. like you’re just springing this up now? when we’re supposed to be tying up loose ends but making sure it had history and buildup to well, back it up.

also leigh outright writing genya saying it was not a redemption for the darkling and him being unapologetic about his crimes (basically being a truly evil asshole) doesn’t remove the fact that it still comes off as a redemption arc especially with what is now the synopsis of SOC 3 but ill get to that. he still was the one who did a heroic deed and that fucks me up because it was just devastating to me after making peace with his end in ruin and rising. not because i was hurt that he died yet again boohoo but because it kind of invalidates everything that alina, genya, zoya and countless other victims went through.

on a side note, the darling stans on twitter who keeps defending his actions, i would really advise you to reflect on your decisions cuz it is honestly unhealthy. also, you lot talking smack about nikolai and zoya refusing to sacrifice their lives? stop twisting the story to suit your toxic admiration, nikolai was even first to offer up his life and would do so if it was actually possible. so just go hide in your darkling cocoon and stop hating on other characters to justify your favored aleksander.

the very last chapter aka coronation was good because it gave us inej ghafa cameo as captain of her ship and bonding with our resident privateer and also genya, alina and zoya bonding. but it was bad because apparently the darkling chronicles is still not over and now we’re supposed to grant him death like that’s going to make everything okay? i know forgiveness and breaking the circle of hate and revenge is a huge theme in this duology but honestly, this is just too extreme. with nina it was understandable and the people she hated were born of twisted mindset and circumstances but the darkling? hahahah no. he is a literal immortal who was delusional so now that he’s paying for his crimes, you want to allow him death because you have nightmares? zoya, goddamit no! same to you genya and alina. and so this will be the plot for the third six of crows? why can’t we just stop making this about him. now he gunna steal kaz’s thunder? over my dead body.

in the end, i gave this book 4 stars in goodreads because if i ignore the darkling plot, it was a really good use of politics and fantasy merging in a storyline. i can’t fault leigh for choosing to do this since it’s still her book so i definitely don’t have a right to dictate what i expected from this. also, i have a half a mind to believe that she fell in love with ben barnes and had him in mind writing this so i really cannot blame her because i have been under that man’s charms since prince caspian came out. the spoilers i read made me more open in reading this (backwards thinking but eh that’s how i roll) so i’m not at all crushed by what transpired. it was just weird and was lackluster in its attempt to give ravka some sort of peace. frankly, i just want to read the third six of crows book to maybe find some sort of calm in all this craziness and also delve in some zoyalai fanfiction because it was a long time coming.

shameless promotion but if you guys want to check out my nikolai duology spotify playlist, here’s the link:

[bunnieresources]

russian doll season 1 sentence starters.

“ fun is for suckers, ____. “

“ staring down the barrel of my own mortality beats fun. “

“ do ladies have midlife crises? “

“ however old you feel, ____, you definitely sound twenty-two. “

“ it’s my bad attitude that keeps me young. “

“ nothing in this world is easy. “

“ the universe is trying to fuck with me, and i refuse to engage. “

“ you can eat anything, take anything do anything. it’s impossible to destroy you, you’ll never die! “

“ ____, if it’s any consolation, i promise that you will get divorced someday. “

“ i would tell you but i think explaining it might give us both an aneurysm. “

“ you know, your friends can’t help you if you don’t let them. “

“ i need you to help me. you’re not helping me. you’re not helping me at all, you’re sabotaging me. “

“ it’s a long story involving multiple deaths. “

“ embracing the abyss is the only way to go forward. “

“ buildings aren’t haunted. people are. “

“ angels are all around us. “

“ no, i did not kill somebody. if i killed somebody, i’d play it cool, move to mexico, start a band. “

“ i think we have something really, really good and it’s worth pursuing. “

“ no, ____, we are not getting back together. especially not when your best argument is a warm body. “

“ i wouldn’t tell me anything, if i were you, because i’m not the kind of person that you tell secrets to. “

“ i think i finally found out a little something about how this world works. “

“ didn’t you get the news? we’re about to die. “

“ it doesn’t matter. i die all the time. “

“ you seem nervous. almost as if it’s occurring to you in this moment, maybe, possibly that this is going to be harder than you thought. “

“ you just blew up your whole life and you are serial-killer calm about it. “

“ do you think it’s possible to correct your life? “

“ i find myself in this position of finally being able to do things the right way. “

“ it happened. and it kept happening. and it got harder and harder for me to tell you anything. “

“ there was never going to be a right time for me to tell you anything. “

“ i can do it by myself. i can. “

“ no one can do anything by themselves. “

“ there is no way out of this situation. “

“ i can tell that you’re really bent out of shape about this ____ character, but we literally just met so none of this is on me. “

“ from what i gather, we are in this together. “

“ why do you think this is happening to us? “

“ i’m pretty sure that this is purgatorial punishment for being a bad person. “

“ this isn’t going to be very fun if you keep rejecting my theories. “

“ have i ever done anything, you know, memorably bad to you? “

“ i love that you’re a cunt, it makes me feel morally superior. “

“ you’re basically a child that the universe tasked me with babysitting. would you say that’s a fair assessment? “

“ if you were going to die today, would you be ready for it? “

“ holding two incompatible ideas in your head at the same time and accepting both of them... that’s the best of being human. “

“ listen, i know you think i’m a moral narcissist, but there are good guys and bad guys. and i am definitely a good guy. “

“ ____ chose you, and you don’t love him/her. you’re not faithful. “

“ nobody chooses me. i’m the hole where a choice should be. “

“ i’ve got to be honest with you. if i was inventing hell, it would look like this. “

“ i don’t want to be attached to anyone. “

“ i want to just at least maintain the illusion of free will. “

“ we are very unreliable narrators of our own stories. “

“ there’s so much i want to do and you just want to stay exactly the same. “

“ i prefer casual acquaintances over closer relations, and strangers above everybody else. “

“ how do you know that you’re real? “

“ we need each other. i need you. you need me. “

“ i do not want to do this alone. “

“ i love you so much. i cannot be the reason that you stop existing. i would never forgive myself. “

“ don’t ever let them tear us apart, okay? “

“ i am the party. “

“ that might be the last thing you ever say to me. “

“ thank you for changing my life. lives are hard to change. “

“ no matter how much we think we’re fooling people, our bodies... they can’t keep lying the way our minds can. “

“ i thought if i worked hard enough, if i kept putting the time in, and if i kept my head down, did everything right, i... this aching, gnawing feeling of being an absolute failure would go away. “

“ you were this... tiny seed buried in the darkness fighting your way to the light. you wanted to live. it’s the most beautiful thing in the world. do you still have that in you? “

“ i look at you, chasing down death at every corner and... where is that gorgeous piece of you pushing to be a part of this world? “

“ this is the day we get free. “

“ ____, you seriously don’t remember me? “

“ i need you to remember me. i need you to. “

“ i told you i know you. “

“ i can’t promise that you’ll be happy. absolutely not. but i can promise that you will not be alone. “

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #368

“whatever doesn’t kill you, is gonna leave a scar”

Have you ever bought a YouTuber’s merch? My favorite shirt is the Day of the Dead design by Cloak, which is Markiplier's and jacksepticeye's clothing brand. Mom's friend/former co-worker also got me a Ninja Sex Party shirt because she knew I liked them. There are SO MANY YouTubers I wanna support by buying shirts. Do you think oatmeal tastes better when made with water or milk? Milk, 110%. Have you ever left a note in a library book? No. What time of day do you prefer to wash your hair? Morning. Has anyone ever spread lies about you? Yes. Have you ever taken a photograph with a celebrity? If so, did it turn out the way you wanted, or do you wish you could retake it? No. If you could move out of your home country permanently, would you? If so, where would you go? If it didn't mean being so very far from my family, I would love to move to Canada. Is there a celebrity that everyone else seems to love, but you find totally overrated? Why is it that you don’t like them? I legit don't know who's considered currently popular, and I especially don't know who they are as people. If you could volunteer for any charity, which one would you choose? Do you think it’s more important to help humans, or are animal and environmental charities equally important? Something relating to animals, and I think they're both equally important. Do you prefer holidays where you relax, or actually do things? I like a mix. Something chill, but you still do some stuff as a family. Do you think that after we die our spirit is still alive? Yes. Has anybody ever told you that you could be a model? Someone has mistaken me for a model in a picture I once took. It was one of the most flattering things I've ever heard, haha. Do you use different kinds of moisturizer for different body parts? ie. hand lotion for your hands, face cream for your face. Or do you just use one moisturizer for all body parts? Yes. Have you ever felt like you were someone’s rebound? No. Has anybody ever broken up with you over something really pathetic? What was it? Have you ever been dumped in a disrespectful way? (eg. through text, through a friend..) I have 100% been dumped in a very cowardly and disrespectful way; after dating Jason for nearly four years and being very serious, he broke up with me very abruptly over Facebook Messenger. His reason was valid, but at the same time, he NEVER talked to me about it. Apparently my depression was dragging him down. If he'd fucking communicated it, I would have explored new treatment options so goddamn fast. But no, he decided to snap his fingers and disappear. That's exactly WHY it was so traumatic, I think: it was so unexpected and sudden. Did you have a lot of role models as a kid? Animal enthusiasts like Steve Irwin and Jeff Corwin for sure. Do you feel like anyone looks up to you? Why or why not? God no. I'm just... not someone to aspire to be like. What was the last thing you found offensive? I'm not sure. Who is the nicest person you know? My mom. Do you feel safe in your country? I feel safe in NC, rather. Like I don't expect an atom bomb or terrorist attack or something in this obscure area. In the U.S.A. itself, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. America is definitely not loved by every other country. Do you feel safe where you live? Not in this city, no. Have you been falsely diagnosed with something by a bad doctor? Yup. Did y'all know I apparently have ADHD? I know, shocking. Have you ever had a doctor refuse to treat you? No. Name the strangest game you’ve ever played (video game or real game): The first Silent Hill, probably. It took a lot of reading to get it. Do you know anyone who has been struck by lightning before? No. Which cartoon character would you want to keep as a pet? Does Stitch count? Or a Pokemon. Do you like marshmallows? Yes. What is your favorite flavor of candy cane? I really like the Jolly Rancher candy canes, I think they are? Have you ever fostered an animal? No. Do you still take hot showers when it’s hot out? Not as hot, but not cold except on very extreme occasions. When writing $ sign, do you draw one line through the S or two? Two. What animal have you always wanted as a pet but couldn’t have? I'm thankful that my parents were pretty open-minded to what pets I really wanted, but one I was never allowed to have was a ferret because of how messy and smelly they are. List three people you’ve had crushes on: Jason, Sara, and Sebastian were probably my biggest crushes. Have you ever thrown up from cramps? No, but god have I felt close. List three people you had a hard time forgiving. Jason, Colleen, and my dad. Who is the most spiritual person you know? Probably my sister's mother-in-law. Would you ever start a vlog? God no, I'd bore people to tears. Are your dreams coming true yet? I mean, I guess in some ways with my mental health. In my deepest depression, what I have now was a dream, even though current me is very discontent with it. Most of my dreams, though? No. Do you struggle with depression? I've been diagnosed with severe depression since 7th grade. Are you haunted by your past? A few things won't leave me alone. What medical conditions do you have? Just a lot. There are even more that are up for debate. I've talked about my diagnosed conditions enough. Do you use a Magic Bullet? No. What does your apron look like? I don’t have one. What are your favorite spicy foods? Hot Cheetos, Takis, hot wings, jalapeno pizza... Man, I love spicy food. Which do you like better: being an adult or being a kid? Being a kid. Were you excited to be a teenager on your thirteenth birthday? I had very mixed feelings. Did you feel insecure in high school? Shit, I still do. Would you ever be friends with someone who was suicidal? What the FUCK is this question? No fucking shit I would be. Someone being suicidal in no way affects who they are as a person. Who was the biggest bully in high school? I don't think there really was one. What was your favorite class in high school? Art. Would you rather have a daughter or a son? If I wanted kids, a daughter. Have you ever written to an advice columnist? No. Have you ever had a doctor not believe what you told him? Maybe? I did however have an employee at the ER the first time I went try to pry out of me that my self-mutilation was for attention, and it wasn't until I insisted about a dozen times that it wasn't that he believed me. It's odd looking back that I got REALLY attached to him during that stay, knowing now that it was absolutely horrible and extremely unhelpful for him to do that. If you’re female, would you feel uncomfortable having a male gynecologist? I would absolutely refuse to have a male one. Do you like Lisa Frank? Yeah, like can you talk about aesthetic. What gives you nightmares? Boy, I wish I could tell you, given how much I have them. Were you ever hospitalized as a child? No. Did you get senior pictures taken? No. What color is your bicycle? I don’t have one. Did you ever have to take home a fake baby in health class? No, thank fuck. Would you rather wear ivory or white on your wedding day? What color will your bridesmaids wear? I'd rather wear black. I think red will be the bridesmaids' color. Would you rather have a swimming pool or trampoline? I want a swimming pool so damn badly so I could exercise my legs without worrying about sweating, and I can stop and rest whenever I want, unlike going walking or something. I don't think my knees could handle a trampoline. Do you think babies are cute? Some, sure. But a lot, not really. Do you dream about the future a lot? Yeah. Do you think about your past a lot? Way too frequently. How good are you at living in the moment? I'm trying to get better at it. Have you ever questioned God’s existence? Yeah. Vanilla frosting or chocolate? Chocolate. What’s your favorite foreign cuisine? I've actually been exploring Italian pasta lately. I'm not a big fan of foreign food that I've tried, though. Have you ever moved to another state? No. Did you do anything productive today? No. .-. Can you say the alphabet backwards? No, actually. Do you like flowers? Of course; does anyone not? Have you ever thought you were gonna die? I didn't care if I did or didn't. What kind of mood are you in today? I was honestly really depressed through most of it. Just health stuff was really getting to me. I just woke up from what was honestly like a four-hour nap and I feel all right, I guess. What are you craving right now? I REALLY want Domino's jalapeno pizza. Is there anyone you would seriously punch right now if you had the chance? No. What is worse, physical or emotional pain? Definitely emotional. Have you ever walked in on somebody doing something… questionable? When Dad still lived with us, I think he might have been watching... you know... on TV when I came into my parents' room for something. Idk for sure though. I didn't ask, and I don't want to know. If you were to make videos on YouTube, what would they be of? Oh god, idk. I don't want to make any. What I'd have most fun with would be reptile education, but I 1.) have literally one snake, 2.) am not extremely educated on a good number of them and don't want to be misleading, and 3.) I would run outta content fast. So, leave it to Snake Discovery, haha. Posting pictures of yourself in a bathing suit on the internet - ok or not? Yes, it's okay????? If you're talking about me personally though, you won't see me dead in a bathing suit picture. Do you typically laugh when somebody falls down? No, I gasp and see if they're okay. What is the most disturbing movie you’ve ever watched? Paranormal Entity. The ending is... a lot. Your opinion of Katy Perry, please? I like a couple of her songs. If you could say anything to your Mom right now… what would it be? "Thank you for absolutely everything."

[cozy-the-overlord]

Until Tomorrow

Summary:  Quarantine by itself is lonely enough. Quarantine amidst a rainstorm of biblical proportions is downright depressing. Lucky for you, a visitor arrives just in time to keep you company.

Word Count:  2,463

Pairing: Loki x Reader

A/N: Sooo..... I did a thing. I’ve never written fanfiction or reader-inserts before, but it was pouring rain last night and I’ve been reading so many quarantine fics on Ao3 that I thought I’d give it a whirl. I’ve never been more nervous about posting a story before... I hope you like it!

Also, I got an Ao3 account now, so you can read it here if you’d like

              It was raining.

              Although raining didn’t seem to do the weather justice. You couldn’t remember the last time you had witnessed such a torrential downpour. The pattering of raindrops rushing down your slanted roof had been drowned out by the wooshing of the fast-moving river that a few hours ago had been your street. Between the dark storm clouds and fog so thick you could cut it with a knife, you couldn’t make out exactly how bad the road was, but the waves that crashed against your window every time a car came skidding past your house told you that you weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

              Not that you currently had any great travel plans.

              You sat on the couch at your front window, a book lying open and ignored in your lap, watching water droplets race down the glass as a shiver raced down your spine. Usually, you loved the rain. You had grown where storms were a treasured rarity, where you’d insist your mother buy you rainboots for your birthday only for her to give them away a year later when they became too small, balls of paper still stuffed into their toes. Usually, when it poured, you’d run into your driveway with your head back and arms out, belting out “Singin’ in the Rain” as you attempted dance moves that would make Gene Kelly role in his grave, just because you could.

              But today, you didn’t feel like dancing. With everything going on right now, the rain seemed less like a cause for celebration and more like a sign of impending doom. It had been weeks since you left the sanctuary of your tiny suburban house. You were lucky, everything considered— your parents were safely quarantined in your childhood home on the other side of the country, from where they FaceTimed with you at least once a day.

              Your job was secure. That was one of the wonderful things about working for Tony Stark: the day everyone was sent home, the head man himself sent out an email swearing to keep everyone on the payroll through the quarantine, regardless of how long it lasted. He had even set up a system for delivering groceries to his employees: you texted a number with your order, and a few hours later a red and gold drone dumped a box of overflowing plastic bags on your doorstep. That was something your mom couldn’t get over—Iron Man bringing you milk!— and honestly the ridiculousness of it all made you want to giggle, too.

              Sometimes, though, it was all too much. It had been ages since you’d seen anybody, ages since you had heard another voice unfiltered by the garbled speaker of your cell phone. You had never considered yourself to be an overtly social person, but damn did you wish you had somebody here to talk to. Your mother had been trying for years to convince you to adopt a pet, insisting that it wasn’t healthy for you to be living completely alone, but you had always brushed her off, saying that you were working so often that you were rarely at home and it would be cruel to the animal. Now, you promised yourself that as soon as this was over, you were heading to the Humane Society.

              If this was ever over.

              Outside, the rain kept pouring. The trickling water seemed to be whispering to you—sinister promises of something worse yet to come. You curled tighter upon yourself, pressing your cheek to your knees.

              Let this end. Please, just let this end.

              A crash behind you startled you out of your thoughts. You shrieked, whipping around to see a figure standing in your living room, soaking bags sprawled about him, staining the carpet. He scowled.

              “Bloody rainstorm. You can’t see a damn thing out there.” He shook his head and began wringing out his hair, muttering in a language you didn’t understand.

              It was several moments before you could find your voice. Once you did, it slipped out cautiously. “Loki?”

              “At your service, my lady.” He gave a grand bow, his words dripping with sarcasm.

               You stared. You knew Loki, of course. You were familiar with all of the Avengers who lived in the tower—your office was located on one of the higher levels, and as a result it wasn’t uncommon to see celebrities like Dr. Banner or Captain Rodgers making their way across the floor to meet with one of your coworkers. Unlike the others, however, you had actually spoken with Loki.

              The two of you had a little run in a few months ago, when you were refilling your coffee mug at the break room. You were already on edge because Dr. Foster was visiting, Dr. Jane Foster, and word about the floor was that she would be stopping by with Thor to meet some of the higher-level workers at some point during the day. You felt silly for feeling so starstruck, but Dr. Foster’s work was on another level of world-shattering, and the thought that you might be shaking her hand by the end of the day had you all sorts of jittery.

              Then the coffee pot exploded.

              Exploded wasn’t exactly the right word. It was more like an eruption— all at once the pitcher just vomited its contents across the counter, up to the ceiling, all over the floor, writing like an animal and spitting out more coffee than it possibly could’ve been holding previously. With a scream, you threw the anthropomorphic pot to the floor, adding shattered glass to the absolute mess in the break room.

              There wasn’t time to comprehend what just happened before he was there, pulling you out of the puddle of lukewarm coffee.

              “Forgive me, that was not supposed to happen. Are you hurt?” Loki scanned your form with an anxious sort of urgency. There was a tinge of pink on his cheeks—if you hadn’t known better, you would’ve said he was blushing. “Are you hurt?” he asked again when you only gaped at him like a dead fish. “Burned? That was not meant—forgive me.”

              “No,” you finally said. The coffee hadn’t been warm enough to do any damage. “Just… my clothes—”

               He waved his hand, and the sticky moisture clinging to your front disappeared. You ran your hand over your shirt, now dry and stainless. That’s useful.

               “Are you certain you are uninjured?” he asked. “I swear, that was not what I intended—”

               “I’m fine.” Now that the shock had worn off, you found yourself stifling the urge to giggle. “What were you trying to do?”

               Loki looked embarrassed. “My brother has the tendency of laying claim to the refreshments of any floor he visits, without leaving anything for those working on said floors. I thought I’d teach him a lesson.” He cast a glance back at the mess behind him. “The charm was meant only to react to him. I suppose I made a mistake in casting it.” He turned back to you. “I am sorry.”

               You smiled. “It’s alright. I guess I could use a bit of excitement in my life.”

               He grinned. “Words to live by.”

               After that, you had been friendly. You’d greet each other when you walked by one another, you’d make small talk in the elevator if you were riding together, he’d hold the door for you if he had the chance. Nothing serious, nothing even that personal really, just office-friendly.

              Definitely not crashing-unannounced-into-your-living-room-during-a-rainstorm-in-the-middle-of-a-pandemic friendly.

              “What—?” you sputtered, springing off the couch. “What are you doing here?”

              Loki dramatically gestured to the bags on the floor. “It seems I have been relegated to the status of a delivery boy.”

              Craning your neck, you recognized the label of your local grocery market. You frowned. “Did—did you bring me groceries?”

              The Asgardian in your living room huffed irritably. “You had an order for today, did you not?”

              You nodded slowly. Yes, you were waiting on an order today, and now that you were looking you could see that it was sprawled across the floor at Loki’s feet: a carton of orange juice, a tub of ice cream, a bag of potato chips… but what was Loki doing dropping off food for you?

              He sighed. “Stark, in his infinite wisdom, failed to consider the effect of such the elements—” he gestured to the monsoon outside your window “—on his mechanical messengers. As I am the only individual he knows with means of instantaneous travel, I have been encouraged to assist with deliveries. I am—what is the phrase?—making the rounds, if you will. ”

              “Oh.” You found yourself at a loss for words, likely looking every bit as dumbfounded as when you first met in the break room. You mentally slapped yourself. “Um… thank you. Here,” you moved to collect to foodstuff off the carpet, “I can, uh, start putting things away—”

              With one swift motion, Loki scooped everything up. “Allow me. Just tell me where you want me to put it.” You glanced up at him cautiously. He raised his eyebrows.

              “Uh, okay.”

              He followed you into your kitchen, and you cringed as you realized how truly disgusting your sink was. It had been ages since you had the motivation to do the dishes, and they had been piling up in your sink like the leaning tower of cheap ceramics for at least a week now. Loki didn’t say anything though. At your direction, he placed the bags on the counter and watched as you silently put the contents away.

              Even amidst all the awkwardness, there was something soothing about his presence. For the first time in weeks, there was a living, breathing person in your house, someone real to talk to and laugh with. So when Loki said that he had to finish his deliveries, the question that popped out of your mouth was birthed by pure desperation.

“Do you want something to drink before you go?” you asked. “Like, a glass of water? Or… I have coffee, if you don’t mind it being reheated.”

              If Loki was surprised by your offer, he masked the emotion quickly with a smirk. “Do you really trust me with coffee?”

              You giggled. “I don’t know. Can I?”

              “You shouldn’t trust me with anything,” he said, slipping into one of the seats at your kitchen table. “But I think we can make an exception just this once.”

              You sat and talked for nearly an hour, sipping your microwaved coffee as the rain pounded on the roof. Loki had plenty of quarantine stories from the Tower, stories that always seemed to end with Thor accidentally blowing something up.

              “He is not used to staying in such a limited space for this long of a time period,” he said reflectively. “I think perhaps confinement is having a detrimental effect on his intellect. Stark has installed a ‘Days Without an Accident’ count at the kitchen table, and thus far my brother has managed to reset it every day.”

              You snorted. “That sounds hilarious. I wish I was there to see that.”

              “No, you don’t. Everyone is fed up with everyone else.” Loki stared into his mug absently. “They have been starting altercations over the minutest details. It’s quite chaotic.”

              You frowned. “Aren’t you supposed to like chaos?”

              “When it’s within my control. This is far beyond that.” He took another sip, emptying it. “You are lucky to live alone. I would gladly welcome the peace you have here.”

              “I don’t know. There’s not much to do in here.” You held in a sigh. “It gets kind of depressing after a while.”

              Loki cocked his head, brow furrowed. “You are lonely?”

              Your cheeks heated with embarrassment. It was such a menial complaint to have, especially when so many others were suffering. “Kind of,” you muttered. “It’s not so bad, though.”

              Loki continued pressing. “You have access to communication, yes?” he asked, leaning forward. “I thought all of you mortals were addicted to your cellular devices.”

              “Yeah,” you replied slowly. “But it’s not the same thing as, you know, actually talking to someone. Like, when they’re actually there.”

              “I understand.” He reached out to set his mug on the table. Somewhere hidden under your smile, your heart sank. He’d be leaving soon.

               Loki cleared his throat. “If you would like,” he said, “I could pay you a visit every so often, as we are doing now.”

              What?

              “Oh, you don’t have to do that,” you rushed to say, even though the thought of having a regular visitor sent your pulse thrumming.

              “No, but I think I would appreciate the respite. Today has been quite lovely, if I may say so.” He smiled— a genuine smile, not a smirk or a grin—and you felt rather silly for the way your heart seemed to soar. “Of course,” he added quickly, “if you don’t wish for my company, I completely—”

              “No!” The volume of your voice made you cringe. Jeez, he must think you haven’t spoken to anyone in months. “No, I—if you want to come over, then…” For a moment, you fumbled with your words, searching for an eloquent way to accept his offer. “I’d like that,” you finally said, giving up. “I’d like that a lot.”

              He laughed. “In that case, I’ll stop by tomorrow.” When he stood, you stood with him, following him back to your living room where he had left the groceries you hadn’t claimed. “I do need to be going now, though,” he said, scooping up the remaining bags. “The last thing I need is Stark having a fit over my failure to deliver his employees’ groceries on time.”  He nodded at you. “Thank you very much for the coffee.”

              “No problem,” you said. “Thanks for—thanks.”

              He chuckled. “Until tomorrow, my lady.”

              “Until tomorrow.”

              And just like that, he was gone. It was a noiseless disappearance: one moment he was there, the next, you were once again alone with the pouring rain. With a sigh, you made your way back to the couch, scooping up your book off the floor. Once again, however, you found your attention drifting to the water running down the window, the rushing waves of your street outside. Nothing had changed, and yet it seemed so much less frightening than it had an hour before. No, now, it was almost soothing. You had the sudden urge to run out on to your driveway and belt “Singin’ In the Rain.”

              I should’ve done that while Loki was here, you thought sleepily, pressing your cheek to the cushion. He would’ve gotten a kick out of that.

              Maybe you could, if it was still raining tomorrow.

              Tomorrow.

              You dozed off to the peaceful lullaby of the rainfall, smiling softly and thinking of tomorrow.

[hopeymchope]

Magia Record: Reflecting on the Anime and the Game’s Story Ending

With Magia Record's story now complete in-game and with the anime "finished" (only the first season, but it took until literally this past weekend for the production team at Shaft to acknowledge that the second season is coming/inevitable), I have like… a ton of thoughts about where the game and the anime landed.

This will probably mostly be gripes, but overall, I'm still pretty happy with both. I've invested my past year into Magia Record during a lot of my free time, and hey – no regrets here. That game was absolutely worth the experience. The anime? Jury's still out somewhat, but it looks good so far.

This is definitely a normal thing to find surrounding a radio tower.

Anime Adaptation Thoughts:

The original Madoka Magica anime made the world feel slightly off-kilter by employing locations that were just a little off the rails from reality. The producers noted Madoka's bathroom as an important example; it's simply too large and has too much wasted space. It's maybe the biggest room in their house for no discernible reason, and that's by design, because it feels wrong. Another one was the music store we see in the first episode, where the technology is noticeably on a level that you just can't find in any real shop. On the flip side, the Magia Record anime creates a world that is deeply bizarre in many ways – much moreso than the original anime or the Magia Record game world. This is probably because the creator of the witch designs in the original was given far more creative control over the series as a whole this time around, and the result was BUGNUTS. Take note of the massive stack of discarded school desks that is arranged in a dangerous, precarious pile atop the school building (helpfully labeled as a waste pile, despite the fact that… well, who is picking up these garbage desks from the goddamn roof?). That's some imagery straight out of a witch's labyrinth, but it is ostensibly "reality." I think that's where Magia Record's anime really goes bugnuts, sometimes to powerful effect in that it makes things feel more unsettling… and sometimes to ridiculous effect. I mean, the field surrounding the radio tower now being replaced with a yard of jagged, cockeyed, towering gravestones and cross-like woodwork dangling with ropes and tridents? That's a LOT. That's… that's too much.

Look, if you were a die-hard fan of Kaede in the game, I am deeply sorry, because your girl got done DIRTY by the anime. Anyone who played the game who then sees where she winds up at the end of episode 12 is likely on a train straight to Double-You Tee Eff Station. I can't deny that it makes sense for the limited story she's given to develop across, but it was still disappointing to see. I suppose we don't really have the time to develop up all of the other characters from the game, so somebody had to sub in for this role… but oof.

Sana's backstory with her family is not nearly explained or explored enough in the show. I honestly think it comes off as confusingly unclear why they treated her like this or why they didn't notice her vanish at all. The game justifies this devastatingly well, but it feels like it's not clear at all here.

I think they could've had Kyubey run around Kamihama for part of the first season before he got ousted/blocked, and I think it would've been beneficial to do so. Now, that's not just because I love his character and find him fascinating, although that's definitely true, but it's also because there's so much exposition that I wish he could deliver to the characters about what's happened before we got here. Like, the tragic truth about Felicia's backstory is wonderfully awful, and I wish there was some way to deliver that into the anime, but I don't think it's possible without a ton of flashbacks. (And to be fair, players of the game may never know it without playing her particular Magical Girl Story.)

The change to not having Mami attack Yachiyo when they first meet was something I felt was a positive move. I loved that Mami got to have a moment she never had in the game during the Radio Tower arc, too. In generally, I enjoyed the slower, more piecemeal involvement of the original Holy Quintet, which has served as nice slow tease compared to having them be more upfront in the game. I did kind of miss the Madoka/Homura involvement in the radio tower case, but I ultimately came away feeling like it was better to save those two for later in the story because they're probably the best-known characters from the original series.

The combat soundtrack is exquisite - maybe better than ever before, honestly. The Magia Record anime has the best fight music in the series outside of, say, Rebellion.

Game's Ending Thoughts: (Spoilers Within)

The anime cutscenes in the final chapter are delightful.

Puella Magi has never shied away from having its characters die in the original anime or in the many manga stories. I'd argue that those deaths are at least part of what makes it such a successful subversion of the Magical Girl formula; the threat of death (often via witchiness) establishes the idea of there being permanent consequences that simple hope and faith and love can't overcome in spite of what those other anime may have told you. On the other hand, Magia Record turns out to have very close to zero consequences. Aside from established deaths from flashbacks that have occurred before the game even begins, by the end of the game, literally no one dies. Not even the most blatantly psychotic character is allowed to shuffle off her mortal coil; she just "disappears" and escapes. I particularly like (please note the sarcasm) how three different characters do some kind of "super-move" during the final two chapters that is said to most likely kill them, and yet they all survive them! At least ONE character winds up with some paralysis, but jeez, the others walk away completely unscathed. I can only hope the anime doesn't go quite so weak in the knees about any of the characters suffering actual consequences from the potentially-world-ending-level battles that occur.

I previously griped that I actually expected the psychos responsible for the entire storyline to get off scot-free, and although they don't get off 100% free and clear by the time the credits role, they come extremely close to doing so. However, I was really happy with the "Cherry Blossom Dreams" epilogue event, because there is dialogue in there that has the Magius admit that whatever guilt they have now, they are still capable of being complete sociopaths who want to dominate the Earth. That one person's presence (Ui) shouldn't be (and isn't) enough to keep them from being incredibly dangerous. Ultimately, the solution/punishment they receive is probably the best one available in light of their overall survival. Well done.

Speaking of the Magius, I mean… is it really possible that so many feathers never questioned that they were following a couple of 11/12-year-olds and one blatantly obvious psychotic? I guess having face time with the Magius was pretty rare, but there was still enough that some of the feathers declared their allegiance was primarily to those three above all else. And most magical girls range closer to 16 than to 11, I mean, y'know? Which is practically an eternity in terms of maturity. So I guess MIfuyu did a lot of heavy lifting on NOT making them seem like absolutely the worst possible choices for leadership, huh? (And for that reason: Mifuyu got off fucking LIGHT.)

Aaaand speaking of "one obvious psychotic," I find it funny how almost nobody knows Alina outside of her Magius role except for Karin. Because, just… it's so perfect. Karin (who is not a "Karen") happens to be the most insanely tolerant person when it comes to Alina. She seems to shrug off Alina's entire everything as amusing, forgivable quirks. Perhaps because so many people believe Karin's own obsession with Halloween is a weirdly morbid quirk, Karin doesn't even question Alina's obsession with making art about death using actual human remains. Which is… funny? No, seriously. I think it's legitimately comedic in a good way. But it should probably be much more alarming to me that she doesn't care. I'd like to think that Karen feels it's just delightfully Halloween-y for Alina to paint her canvas with legit blood, and I do believe Karin isn't really the kind of person who would ask where the blood came from because whatever, it's probably fine, better get back to planning my pageant or something. She probably even thinks Alina's skulls are plastic Halloween decorations. :P

We need to talk about Mami: Mami in "Another Story Chapter 9" felt so off and out-of-character compared to how she was written in things like Rebellion or A Different Story or Wraith Arc, and furthermore, despite that chapter being entirely about Mami wanting to just be a simple peer with no superiority over the rest of the Holy Quintet, Another Story Chapter 10 has her immediately revert back to being the smart senpai character, further cementing how weirdly "off" Chapter 9 felt. I realize they had something difficult to write, here, though. It's painful how Sayaka has to run middlewoman between Kyoko and Mami in Chapter 10 of AS. I feel like I could write a whole screed about Kyoko's behavior across the franchise and how difficult a character she is for me to like even though I "get it" and don't think she's necessarily a bad person; she's just living on the edge of being almost a total hypocrite basically ALL THE TIME. The conclusion where Kyoko acknowledges that she's going to continue to work with Mami and the others semi-regularly in spite of everything is really the best closure you can hope for with her. She's too antagonistic to give us much else, and she prefers it that way. It would take years to see her mellow.

At this point, it seems safe to assume that there isn't going to be any "season 2" of the game like what happened with Fate/Grand Order after its finale. The main narrative is well and truly done, and it's just going to be various events from here on out. Is that enough to keep me around? Um. I don't know. Probably not? Hard to say. I don't really know what other mobile game to throw my heart into. I've considered Attack on Titan Tactics, but like… Attack on Titan hasn't been kind to me lately so uhhhhh.

[karukos]

Mirrors: Ao3 | FF.Net Last Chapter: Here

"... the handcuffs are a rather recent development in the whole hero business. They suppress most power quirks the moment the wrist rings snap together, however, Darlings, remember that people with mutation quirks are largely unaffected! Still, they are quite sturdy, so there should be no problem with putting them onto a villain, even if they got a cute squirrel tail!"

Ms. Midnight explained, with a smile, using her riding crop to point at the picture of the anti-quirk handcuffs on the whiteboard, holding her notes in the other. Coming to the end of her explanation she looked into the class, before asking: 

"So who of you can summarise how the handcuffs work?"

Immediately hands shot up into the air to answer the question, mostly the usual suspects, but notably Mineta's too, probably to score himself some sort of attention by the beautiful teacher. Unfortunately for him, the question still went to Iida, who instantly shot up from his chair.

"The handcuffs were introduced about 10 years ago by the Shiamoto Security Corporation. They emit electromagnetic waves through the wrist rings and activate when they are locked in place. They only work on activated quirks only but are still sufficiently practical as useful as normal handcuffs!"

"Good boy, sit!" Midnight answered, a small wink downwards with her crop accentuating what she was saying. 

Putting her down her notes onto the table she continued on: "So much for theory! I want you to get into your gym clothes and I see you down at field B for some practice." 

She let the tip of her crop smack against the flat of her hands, the sound being the sign for the students to scramble to their feet and quickly do as they were told!

Ten minutes later, the class had assembled down on the training field, standing in a neat half circle around their teacher, who had rolled out a small cart with a few pairs of anti-quirk handcuffs. 

"Ok, split into groups of two, we are going to practice putting the handcuffs on! Those, who don't have a mutation quirk, feel free to try and use your powers regardless! It's good to see how that kind of thing feels!" Midnight explained, as she looked over their students. "No need to fight just yet, we are just getting familiar with these."

Honestly, Izuku couldn't really take his eyes off them. There were many questions he had in his head. Sure, he had paid attention in class, everybody reacted differently to it and some quirks were even totally unaffected, most of which were those that changed your body, but how would it work with him? Did it affect One for All? After all it was something that was put on him later. How was it with those quirks that had the effect on the mind of the user... So many questions...

"Midoriya, I would appreciate it if you could focus on training instead of mumbling to yourself."

With that Iida was bringing his training partner back from the long winded corridors of his own mind. It was almost embarrassing, Izuku laughing awkwardly as he lowered his hand from his mouth, folding them apologetically in front of him. 

"Sorry about that! So who is going to start with putting them on?" he asked carefully, being mindful to not get distracted by his own inner monologue again.

It was basically a coin toss, before they decided that Izuku should be the first, picking up the handcuffs from the cart. They were definitely a bit heavier than he anticipated. He could imagine that somebody could use them as light dumbbells for starting out, before he turned them around in his hands. 

There were some helpful buttons on the thing, towards the center, allowing it to spread further apart or tighter together. Also some sliders to make the cuff parts bigger or smaller as well as an auto adjust button. Really a neat tool!"

Practice itself was somewhat unsurprising while using it in Iida. Putting him in handcuffs was fun enough, the self-adjust function being particularly useful in making sure you were closing the cuffs quickly around anybody's wrist, even if they were as thick as Iida's. Unsurprisingly, it was pretty much impossible for his friend to rev up the engines on his legs. 

For a moment, Izuku saw Iida's eyes gloss over as he was trying really hard to get everything moving before he soberly noted: "As expected, no matter how hard you try, it is not possible to activate your quirk. What an impressive piece of technology."

Izuku couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the way his friend was phrasing that, before he was undoing the handcuffs and handing them to him. With that, Deku held out his  hands, waiting for Iida to get the settings right, as he let him try around and experiment as well. After all, they wanted to become more familiar with that tool.

"Alright" the runner muttered as he laid the cuffs over Izuku's wrist. Checking if everything was right he then quickly snapped them shut over his wrist. 

The effects were pretty immediate. Deku could feel a slight warmth creep over his wrist that definitely felt irritating at first. The feeling quickly crept over his whole body, getting worse and worse bit by bit until finally coming to an halt at his stomach. Slightly nauseous. As if he had lain in bed and jumped too fast?ENot bothersome but definitely uncomfortable. 

"Ok now for trying to..." The moment he started pulling from his quirk it was like he had been gut punched. Nausea rose up his chest, he felt like he was about to throw up. The stronger he fought the feeling, the harder he tried to activate his quirk the worse it got. Then it got stuck in his throat, giving him absolutely no relief, his belly feeling like it was about to convulse but it just couldn't build up the strength to push him over the edge and fire out that thing that made him sick.

After a few more seconds of trying, he just gave up, sweat rolling down his forehead as the more he pulled back, the better he started feeling again. Looking up Iida, he gave him a slight nod before his cuffs were once again unlocked and this uncomfortable warmth disappeared. 

"That was certainly... an experience..." Deku announced. Iida just nodded in agreement. There was little more to say to that. Still feeling the remnants of that uncomfortable feeling in his gut, he looked around. It was clear, some were definitely taken to this better than others. Somewhere having the same glazed gaze that he had seen on Iida's face. Others were just doing quite fine. Minetta was looking both amused and frustrated that the cuffs had difficulties becoming small enough for his thin arms. Overall, a mixed bag of reactions."

"Ok boys and girls! Now that everybody got their taste with the cuffs, we are going to do the next step. One of you will play the villain, the other one playing the hero and you will try and put handcuffs on each other. First without quirks, then with them! But no holding back, I want to see you trying!"

Midnight announced the moment she felt like they had enough time to really experiment around. Izuku would have preferred if she had given them a bit more time, because a threatening aura started to build up behind him, starting to loom over him, bit by bit, drawing closer. 

"As you are holding the handcuffs right now, Midoriya, let's make this quick. I will play the villain at first!" Iida announced in his usual bombastic fashion. Izuku himself only turned slowly to face him, a clot building up in his throat as he felt his friend getting into his villain persona for these kinds of exercises. "Oh boy" Izu whispered under his breath as he got himself ready for this...

______________

"I am very sorry, Midoriya! I did not mean to go that far" At a perfect angle Iida was bowing before the couch, in the same strict and proper manner that one was used to from him by now. On said couch laid a very distraught Izuku, two cooling bags on his shoulders after the training. Definitely not the worst injury he had endured over the last year or so, but it still hurt.

Regardless, with an awkward smile he was just waving his hand. "It's fine. I know you had the best intentions." Midoriya said with a forgiving smile as he felt the cool sooth his overexerted joints. Having Iida as partner in a Hero/Villain training usually bore the risk of going just a tad bit too far. 

Ochaco could only sympathetically smile at the two, knowing all too well, that if it didn't hit Izuku she would be the one that would lie on that very couch now, complaining about her aching shoulders. One day, Iida would learn not to give 110% all the time. Today was not that day.

"At least we got a free schedule this afternoon. Any plans you guys had?" she asked her friends, switching away from the topic of having a pair of aching shoulders.

Both boys didn't even get time to think about their response. Leaning over the back of the couch Denki inserted himself into the conversation:

"The gang and me are looking at the new arcade near the mall today. If you wanna you can tag along."

The Deku squad exchanged a few glances between each other before they just shrugged (a little ouch from Deku for that) before they agreed to come along. It sounded like a fun time at least.

With that decided they started packing up for the little trip, Izuku letting Iida do him the favor of grabbing his stuff while he was enjoying the last few minutes with the cooling bags soothing his pain before they got ready to go.

In the next few minutes all were lined up at the bos stop of the campus. Denki, Mina, Bakugo, Sero, Jiru, Eijiro, Izuku, Ochaco... and with that IIda was done counting the number of participants. Maybe some of them started regretting bringing their class rep along. Either way, they were on the bus sooner rather than later?On the way to the arcade!

"It's been a while since I've been at an arcade. Used to have one nearby where I lived when I was in middle school still" Sero started recounting. "It closed though, shortly before I graduated. Was a shame, really."

"We also had one nearby our school. But I really only went there with Kacchan when we were little." Deku chimed in from behind Serofs seat, somewhat timidly while he fondly remembered those few early birthday parties, when he was still invited, that ended before rows of gaming cabinets. 

"Deku is the worst person to invite to the arcade," Bakugo boomed from the back row of the bus. gFirst, he will do absolutely nothing all day and cling to you like a leech until he finds one machine and then hogs that machine for the rest of the day! And even when you go home, he will still only talk about nothing else but that one damn game!?EClearly, he was remembering those times just as vividly as Izuku.

There were some giggles, most of them somewhat awkward over how tense the relationship between the two still was. Some were just giggling because of how?Ewell, Deku it was. It was not difficult to imagine that Izuku out of all people would sink himself way too deep into one game.

But the bus went on and as the chatter moved away from the past, they arrived at the mall and moved to the arcade as a closed group. Deku trailed at the back with Iida. Iida of course looking out so nobody was left behind.

Izuku, on the other hand, felt more like keeping a bit on the downlow. Sure, it wasn't really embarrassing what Kacchan revealed about him. Heck, even the fact that some laughed actually didn't hurt really. After all, he could tell there were no ill intentions. It was more the uncomfortable realization that he had done something like that without ever having really realized that. One might even call it guilt but from a time long gone" It was difficult to explain.

Either way, they ended up at the entrance of the arcade, everybody lining up nicely to charge up their point cards (Iida was pleased with how orderly everything was going) before they arranged the rest of their little adventure:

Everybody was allowed to go where they pleased. Should any issues arise, they would send it into the group chat. At 6 PM they would meet back up right there at the counter, where they were currently talking in front of. 

And with that the group dispersed into the long halls of the arcade, disappearing into the land of games and gimmicks, each into their small, little groups. That left behind Iida, Ochaco and Izuku. 

"Well, I guess we get going too?" Uraraka suggested as she started to lead the two boys into the dim hall of the arcade. Discussions started pretty immediately, which games she should decide on. 

"... I didn't buy as many points. I wanna make them count!" She explained with her face in concentrated furrows as she stood in front of a "Dance Dance Revolution" machine, looking at the two foot pads... It was really fun she knew that. But playing alone? No way, and asking either of those two.... no, that might come across as weird.

"You know, you could have asked, if you wanted to loan. We are out to have fun and you do not need to hold back."Izuku offered with his ever kind smile on his face. Really, it would not be a big deal and he already knew what her response would be?Ebut it felt wrong not to mention it at least.

"Ah, no, no worries. It would feel wrong to borrow money for something so trivial." she shot the offer down with a handwave, a somewhat awkward smile on her face. This felt a bit played in at this point, a small ritual they practiced each time they went out somewhere. It was one of these strange ticks of wanting to help and somebody who doesn't want to be helped.

"Let's move on or we are going to take root here." Iida said after a moment of contemplation as they continued through the narrow hallways, flanked by potentially interesting games on either side. Talking was becoming increasingly difficult, though. The space between the arcade machines was rather narrow and only could comfortably fit two people walking next to each other.

And then there was the fact that walls were swallowing a lot of sound. If you were not right next to each other it was really hard to understand what the other person was saying.  So all things considered, this was perfect for a pair of two to enjoy their day at the arcade, undisturbed by the many people that were around them... strangely intimate.

However, right now, it made Izuku feely strangely isolated. As it was right now, Iida and Ochaco were the pair walking next to each other. In part, because Iida was more prone to talk, in other part, because after what he heard on the bus, Izuku tried his hardest to not repeat the sins of the past... and somehow that meant that when they were walking he ended up trailing behind his two friends. 

It was somewhat ironic. Over the last few months, he had definitely started gaining a lot more confidence and he felt more and more at home with his friends. Still, old habits seem to die hard. Especially when you brought up the past. His mind wandered back a little, knowing he was a bit too stuck in his own mind... yet he hardly could help himself. Before he even realized it really he had fallen behind a few steps behind his friends, who were seemingly debating something very intensely.

He stepped forward, about to call out to the two, when suddenly a hand started to run around his face, pushing onto his mouth. He could hardly even react, think before something round and hard was pressing into his back. it didn't need much to figure out what was pressing into his back. Instantly, Izuku raised his hands, showing that he was unharmed while he could feel the barrel of the gun rub against his spine. 

"It's so good to see you, Izu~~~" a sweet, excited voice purred right into his ear from behind. A voice he knew... especially in situations like that...

"Himiko Toga?" he muttered carefully into her hand, just earning himself a giggle while she gently lowered her hand from his mouth down to his throat. "Say that again, please~" she cooed 

Feeling sweat running down his skin, he took a deep breath. Might as well humor her... it worked before. 

"Himiko To-'' he started before he heard a quiet squee coming from the girl standing behind him, feeling her breath against his neck as she leaned a bit closer, feeling the edge of the gun press a bit harder into him. "Uhuhuhu~, i like it when you say my name." 

Just as she was saying that, something went through his head. This was Himiko Toga. He had never seen her use a gun. And it was not just one instance of meeting her. She always used a knife, didn't she? She used one last time too... 

Carefully Izuku strained his eyes to look as much to the side as he possibly could... From the corner of his vision he could see a cabinet for a rail shooter. Maybe it was a bit of a gamble, but if he would look down, he was pretty sure that one of the toy guns they use for controls would be missing... and the cable they were attached to would lead right to the girl behind him. 

He took a deep breath, his hands shaking from all the adrenalin basically boiling in his blood. It was a bit of a gamble but what he was about to do. "I am going to move..." he announced.

Slowly he moved his hands, reaching to his throat, where he could still feel her fingers curled around his neck, not enough to hurt, for now, but definitely made him think twice about moving fast. Gently, slowly, he laid his hand over hers. He exhaled, realizing he had held his breath up until now, before deciding to push forward the moment he noticed no resistance coming from the girl behind him.

"I am going to turn around." he added after a moment. Leading her hand away from his neck he started diving under his own arm as he kept holding onto her hand as he turned bit by bit until he finally faced her. Golden eyes stared at him, her smile becoming wider and wider... somehow he got the feeling she was expecting something. For a moment, he was lost, just staring back at her as the only thing going through his head was the relief of seeing that she was indeed just holding a toy gun.

A moment passed and Toga just seemed content with looking at him, letting all that just had happened sink in, before suddenly purred out: "I also like it when Izu's holding my hand~" 

Like a hammer, that strange realization hit Izuku right in the gut, his eyes widening, his heart skipping a beat. The strange realization that he was holding hands with her came some out of nowhere that it threw him for a loop. He already could feel blood rushing up into his head, his cheeks start glowing bright red, while he tried to let go of her hand, but it did not seem like Toga was going to give him that luxury. With a wide smile on her face she held tight onto him, humming happily as she scooted just a little bit closer.

"What are you doing here?" Izuku kind of blurted out of nowhere, his eyes frantically checking between her face and their hands. Just when he thought he was sweating before... Honestly, you would think that knowing that you are not in immediate danger would calm you down, but if anything his heartbeat was just increasing with every passing moment.

"Oh Izu~" she really liked saying his name, it seemed. "I could ask you the same thing." 

Somehow, that was quite the surprising answer. He had no idea why, but the thought that a villain would go somewhere for amusement and fun... it did not occur to him before. 

"S-so..." he tried to continue, but honestly he had nothing. What was he supposed to say now? He still stood there with her pretty close to him, his fingers still intertwined with hers. He was not sure if he had suddenly dropped out of all nervousness or if his anxiety had transcended to the point, where he was just looking at her with his mouth agape, wrestling for words. 

Then the thought occurred to him that somebody could see them like that together. Would they know? What if his friends were seeing him like this? They WOULD know that he was sure now. How could he explain to him what happened. Could he explain it? Sure, this was very much a similar situation to that he was in just before the training camp but... really that was not it. 

He probably had been silent for a little bit too long, because she was tilting her head, clearly trying to get in his head somehow. There was at least the distinct feeling that she was looking right through him right now. But he couldn't do the same. He stared in her golden eyes and just... he couldn't quite understand what was going on behind them. If anything, there was just the distinct feeling that he was not actually in danger right now, that holding a toy gun to his back was just her sense of humor...

But apparently, Toga had had it with just waiting around. With a hum she turned slightly towards the booth, tugging on his hand until he came closer to her once more, still feeling the anxiety but at this point he was just complicit. 

"So... since introductions are out of the way. Have you ever played this game?" She asked, as she twirled the toy gun in her hands, standing just a tiny bit behind him to lean a bit closer to him. 

It took him a bit of looking. But honestly, it didn't take a genius to figure out what this game was about even if he hadn't heard of it before. A rail shooter, for one or two players, since there were two controllers. From the look of the banner, he could guess something along the lines of a military shooter, where you would play as some action star. Not usually the kind of game he would go for.

"Can't say that I have." he admitted. He thought about maybe elaborating on it, but he didn't even get to finish that thought as Toga pushed the controller into his hands, putting her palms around his fingers to make him grab the gun with a big, toothy grin. "Then let's try it out, Izuuu~"

Before he could really say anything she had snuck behind him and laid her arms around him and her chin onto his shoulder. It felt a little bit weird. After all he was a bit taller than her, meaning she had to balance herself on her toes. Well and then there was the fact that she was pushing herself against his back in such an... intimate way. The way she put her weight on him, trusting him to not just suddenly move or step aside. 

Somewhere in his head he just came to the conclusion that he felt way more nervous about this than he should be. But it didn't really help that; "I am not really that good at shooter games..." he confessed as she pushed the controller into his hands, closing her fingers around his hands. This was not helping at all!

"They are still fun, right?" Toga asked, more so whispering in his ear instead of saying out loud. Izuku stopped for a moment, thinking. She had a point, he supposed. Trying to reason back was haard, because he got nothing really. Were they fun? He hadn't tried playing anything like this for such a long time that he honestly had no idea, really!

"Not really sure." He finally managed to press out. In response, Toga just raised her hands, wordlessly starting up the game for the both of them. The game loudly announced its title and went to a screen, just the stereotypical image of someplace in an arid desert. In the middle of the screen appeared a crosshair that started following the movements of the controller, right now bobbing in place from Izuku's shaking hands. Well, it seemed like Toga made him figure out if those kinds of games were fun to him!

The first enemies started to appear on screen, his hands jerking in the right direction to press the trigger on the toy gun. Bang! and that soldier keeled over dramatically, earning him a giggle into his ear, by the girl learning so close to him. Before he could even process that giggle, she had moved his hand into position for the next enemy appearing, leaving him to only have to push the trigger once more.

Somehow this was the way their teamwork was going to work out. She moved the gun and Izuku would jerk to shoot. Here and there he earned himself a giggle from her, tickling the back of his ears, especially when there was a particularly gory kill on screen. There was some enjoyment in hearing her laugh like that even if it was maybe not what he would call wholesome. It was just a different kind of carefree, a shred of humanity that he had not experienced to this degree. After all, there was nobody here to fool, like she might have had to last time.

Though, like all good things, this too had to come to an end. As well as they might work together, here and there an enemy appeared faster than they could react and shot them before they could do him the favor. GAME OVER!!! Well it was certainly fun as long as it lasted. Their points flashed across the screen. The leaderboard asked for the 3 letters to indicate how well they matched up to everyone else.

Before he could even think about it, Toga had already positioned the toy, hammering in IZU into the machine before finally, and quickly, let go of his hands, positively as she was practically vibrating in place. "That was fun! Is there anything you come out here to play?"

Izuku was just in the process of putting back the controller, still thinking on what just happened, as he mindlessly aped: "Anything I want to play?" 

He honestly didn't really think about it. Just like everybody else in his group he had come here with no expectation with what this  arcade had to offer, so that question left him a bit off balance. The  fact that she implied that she was now with him somehow managed to fly completely over his head.

"I got nothing planned, really" he admitted. For a moment she just smiled widely, before reaching once more for his hand, dragging him away without needing to say another word. Walking along the cabinets she would stop here and there, looking around then looking at him, her eyes wide open in excitement. Somehow that reminded him a bit of cats, walking in front of you but stopping ever so often if you were following them despite being just a footstep behind them.

While she was clearly keeping her eyes out for something, something came to Izuku's mind, making him look around attentively as they essentially retraced his steps before she had found him. A few cabinets he had already seen along the way, a rhythm game or two, whose flashy logos had stuck in his mind... Oh!

Toga almost fell backwards as Izuku abruptly stopped in his tracks. Seemed like he had found something. Standing in front of the dancing platform, he chewed on his words a lit bit before asking: "Would you like to try this one out with me?" 

A light blush appeared on his face as the realization of what he had just asked went through his head. It kinda had just come out in that moment without any thought, thinking only about that it might be fun... but of course there was more to it. This was what turned this accidental, little uncomfortable meeting into something else entirely.

It was not lost on her either. A flush on her cheeks and that wide grin on her face again; She definitely got the message he had unintentionally and thoughtlessly sent. Her fingers curled a little bit tighter around his hand and with a quick "Yes, of course!" they were already on top of the dancing pads, looking at the shared screen.

"Any song you would like to try?" Izuku asked, gallantly trying to ask for her favorites before his own, whatever those might turn out to be. He was fairly confident in his ability to dance, thinking back to the choreography they had practiced in for the culture festival. Even if that had been a hasty affair back then.

After a little bit of consideration. Toga just shook her head. "Anything that you are okay with, I am too!" Meanwhile, with her hands on the railing, she already was testing the foot pedals a little, hearing the satisfying register sound. Seemed like she was more than eager to start!

Flicking through the list, they settled, or rather he asked about it and she enthusiastically nodded, on a rather generic rock song that he had occasionally heard on the radio. It seemed easy enough. 

The song started playing, the screen jumped to a split screen for the both of them as a countdown started flashing in rhythm. Then arrows. Many many arrows! And quite fast too! It seriously caught Izuku off guard at first, not hitting the first few inputs, leaving him to struggle to get back into the rhythm for a few moments before he finally got a hang of it, just in the knick of time before the health bar on top of his screen fell to zero.

Quickly he started to realize why there was a railing behind the platform. Holding onto it, it was a lot easier to quickly move your feet since you didn't have to move all of your weight to step on the buttons. It felt like at times it was otherwise downright impossible to move quickly enough. Leaning back more and more, he was practically sitting on it as he fought to make not too many mistakes.

By the time the song was over, he had started working up a bit of a sweat, feeling his breath deepening a little already. He really didn't expect that this game, and particularly this song, was so intense...

"Oh, that was fun!" Toga announced from the side, standing there with a positively elated expression on her face. Sure, she too had worked up a bit of sweat running down her brow, but she seemed to take to this much quicker than Izuku.

Still left a little bit breathless, Izuku looked over to this excited bundle of energy that Toga currently was and just offered. "Want to try a song on your own?" 

He was not sure if that was okay with her. After all, she seemed somewhat insistent before doing things together. But as worried as he might be that she was not going to like it, it seemed like she was quite open to the idea.

Finger against her chin, she scrolled to the different songs. For a moment there was a wordless silence as the different song previews blared from the speakers. It took her a little, hovering over one particular song before she shook her head and moving on.

"What would you like to see me dance to?" she asked after a few more moments of scrolling around aimlessly.

Izuku was taken aback for a moment. That simply sounded so wrong. Somewhat suggestive even. There was a bit of excitement bubbling up inside of him and in equal, maybe bigger, parts shame for even thinking of it in that way.

"Uhm... I... no idea." He more-or-less blurted out before taking a good look at the screen again. There were a bunch of good songs, of course, but it seemed like she had put all the way of the decision onto him, as if it was his enjoyment that mattered. And that made him feel weird all over again.

"How about you try that one?" He sugged rather meekshily as he scrolled to the song in question for her, earning him a grin and a wink as she pressed the button to select the song and stood up straight again, hands going away from the railing and instead straight away from her body while cooing:

"Watch me closely, Izu~!" just when the song started up its into and the first arrows started to appear on screen.

So he did. He watched as she put on a concentrated pout and started stepping around, dancing about on the little dance square square provided. Watching the many hits and the few misses, but most importantly, he was watching her.

There were a few things that occurred to him in that moment: For one, Toga was actually pretty cute. Somehow in his guts he had of course always known it. However, normally his brain was so occupied by the danger she exuded, that the thought that he could feel himself getting drawn to her somehow did not register.

But now that he could see it this obviously: A girl so excitable, so energetic.... he couldn't help but stare a little, being drawn in by the way she danced around the platform. A few more thoughts were going through to his. A few more things that he could neither describe nor put into words, while the song was coming to its last beats. A few more steps and she was done, holding her balance on her toe tips as she waited for her score in eager anticipation.

Izuku felt the heat in his face rise out of nowhere. He could not quite place his finger onto why. Maybe the aftereffect of resting after dancing so much. The tingling in his belly told him almost immediately that he was lying to himself.

The screen flashed for a moment before displaying her score in bold letters. With a big grin on her face, she turned towards him, holding up her hands in victory. "Well, how did I do~?" She asked with cheeky confidence.

There was probably something smart to say in this situation, maybe something witty, but nothing would to his mind right now. He just felt the flush on his face rise further ,every part of his body pulling around his heart as if it was trying to try and stop it from growing three times just from looking at this girl.

Out of nowhere he suddenly felt like he was jerked back to reality harshly. Right, she was still waiting for his response, didn't she? Hastily looking at her score then back to her, he just blurted out: "Amazing!" 

Probably a bit louder than necessary, but he preferred it over letting her sit in awkward silence even if he felt even more weird now.

"Well, that was fun. Come, Izuku, let's try some other games too!" Toga announced with a satisfied grin on her face. Walking over to him she expected her to just grab his arm and drag him off like had done before, but no... Holding out her hand she impatiently happened from one foot to the other.

Once more  their fingers entwined, the third time now... just that it felt different to the other two times for Izuku. This time it felt warmer, more... appreciated. Sure, there was still nervousness and the fact that there was a certain discomfort in the closeness, but it felt good to walk with her hand in hand.

"How often do you come to the mall?" Izuku asked after a few moments of quietly searching the next game they could enjoy together. He didn't really know why he asked. Did he want to see her more or less? Come here more often or avoid it altogether for safety...

"Whenever i have time and money. So not that often. If people see me anywhere too regularly, it would become too much of a hassle, so I am here sporadically." She explained surprisingly freely and casually. The implications... the situation she was in; none of that was lost on him right now. 

For a moment, he thought of bringing it up to her more clearly but he decided against it. He already understood; there was no point for asking for any further clarification.

"Any other places you usually go to?" He inquired instead, stopping in front of a puzzle game, looking at it with interest for a moment before moving on. He was in company. Not the time for a puzzle game.

"There is this burger restaurant somewhere on the edge of the mall... I have been there only once, but... the burgers there were so good. Really juicy too~ It was also nice and dim there, so I could stay around for a bit longer instead of just having to stop and go as fast as I could."

Izuku had known before that she was excitable, but this was just a bit different. Mostly, because what they were having right now was an actual, real conversation. Not some kind of play pretend. No mother would believe that she was his girlfriend or anybody else. Just her talking about something she liked to him.

"Haven't been there before..." He replied, a gentle smile sneaking onto his lips. "Maybe..."

That was about as far as he got with his words, with his thoughts. A loud cry disturbed the two, the sound of a tiny body dropping onto the floor. Izuku instantly started looking around. It didn't take long for him to find the source of those noises. To his left, right in the middle of a crossway a little boy had thrown himself onto the ground in frustration, his whole body quaking as he tried to keep the wailing inside, even if it seemed like it could burst out at any moment.

Without losing even a moment of thought about it, he was by the boy's side, one hand gently on his back. It was clear the toddler couldn't hold it any longer. Tears streamed down that tiny face, his mouth twitched all the way down and just before the bawling began, he started reaching to the closest thing for comfort... which in this case was, of course, Izuku.

Clinging to him like a little monkey, couldn't help but pick him up, consoling by stroking him gently over his head, rocking him gently while he tried to make him as comfortable as possible. Looking back at Toga, he found an unreadable expression on her face, her golden eyes seemingly having gone twice as wide as before, observing him and the boy close... to an uncomfortable degree. Honestly, he just hoped that he didn't just piss her off by suddenly jumping into action.

"I want my mommy!!!" The cry went off right next to his ear like a bomb. He knew that no matter what, that this kid demanded his full attention right now and no was not an answer anymore. An apologetic glance towards the girl he started patting the boy's back while rocking him up and down gently.

"Hey, hey... it's okay. Can you tell us where your mom might be?" Izuku asked calmly over the constant "Weh!" that was seemingly overshadowing every other sound in the arcade. Again he tried to repeat his question but he couldn't get a single bit of info out of the boy. At least until...

"I think I found something..." he felt somebody tugging at his shirt, drawing his attention away from the toddler. Once more he was looking at those wide, golden eyes, with no idea how to read what was happening behind them. But her gaze made him follow hers, down to the belt of the boy.

A small shield was attached there, a number handwritten onto it with a small message: "Hello, my name is Chonchi. I've lost my mom. Please call at this number:" 

WHat a smart mother! Also probably meant, that this was probably not the first time this happened. Still, an easy solution to their problem!

"Great job, Toga!" he praised her, a wide, beaming smile on his face. "Can you call her for me, while I try to keep him calm?" 

The corners of her mouth twitched lightly, not as much as he was to though. Shaking her head though, she explained: "Can't. I don't have my phone on me." Still showing that puzzling expression.

"Oh, no problem. You can use mine. It's in my left pocket." He explained turning the side towards her while she just wordlessly nodded. A little bit of eye contact, her expression changed back to that wide, toothy grin and a twinkle of mischief shone through her eyes as she reached for his phone.

The moment he felt her touch on the inside of his pocket he realized how strange what he said was. The twinkle of mischief had told him as much, honestly. Just for that moment his hero attitude wavered, giving for the part of him that was still a teenage boy that just offered a girl, he just found out was really, really cute, rummaging in his pocket for his phone... and she actually went for it.

The fact that she was taking longer than necessary just made his blood rough through his body even faster. Despite the toddler blaring and screaming at full lungs right next to his ear, his focus was entirely absorbed by the subtle touch against his thigh, the rush of his heat and the tingle that exploded from every single spot up into his belly.

While Toga successfully pulled out his phone, all he could do was stand there, mechanically rocking the boy up and down, aping the notion of trying to calm the child down. His mind, however, lingered on the feeling in his stomach. On the one hand, he definitely liked maybe this went too far... on the other hand, fireworks and volcanoes were the orchestra in his guts to the rapid drumming of his heart.

In the meantime, Toga had started fumbling with his phone. Maybe a little longer than he expected. With a concentration expression on her face she pushed on the screen as she struggled to make a call with it, it seemed.

"If you swipe to the right in the lock screen, it should give you a number pad." Izuku explained after a few more moments, earning him an atypical sweet smile. With that figured out she hammered in the number and pressed the phone against her ear, looking at him in awkward anticipation, while he tried to keep the toddler as quiet as he could.

"Yes? Hello, we have a toddler here, with your number on his belt... yes... of course... yes... yes... no, no problem.... yes... yes, we can go there." So it seemed like Toga was very decent at handling the phone call, her expression imitating somebody with a lot more maturity than either of them had. Mouth pulled down and brows pulled up with a polite smile finishing the look.

If the situation would have been different he might have found that amusing. Like that he was more so occupied bouncing in place while he watched her finish the call, eager to figure out what had been said on the other side of the line.

With a little sigh, she finally put the phone down, looking right at him before explaining: "The mom is going to wait at the claw machine cause they apparently are at an easy to spot location because they are one end of the arcade hall."

She made a short pause, eye contract unbroken still as she raised the phone back up. "Do you want me to hold onto it for the time being or do you want me to stuff it back in?" 

Instantly he felt blood rush into his head, like steam was going to explode from his ears. Not only because he realized how much she was clearly flirting with him, but she pretty much confirmed that she noticed how much getting the phone had gotten to him. 

"I-if you... you could hold onto it... I would... I would really appreciate that." he managed to stutter awkwardly, feeling like his collar was suddenly a tad bit too tight. Somehow she seemed happy about that response. But with that out of the way he turned to leave, looking for the claw machine... maybe also just trying to change the topic.

Going through the rows of machines for a little, it seemed like Toga quickly got tired of just walking next to Izuku. Not even though that kid was still crying tears and snot into his shoulder, that would not stop her from being close to him. Even if he had no hand free, she could still hook herself under his arm, leaning onto him as much as possible.

He could feel how much she was pushing him. It was pretty clear that was getting into his comfort zone, whichever way she could think of without scaring him off or getting the child to become even louder. Honestly, he did not really really know when she would overstep his limits. Conflicting emotions... on the one hand, it was uncomfortable , on the other, incredibly exhilarating, incredibly intimate like wading together through the dark, seeing when they would finally hit a wall. At what point did she push too far? Not even himself knew.

However, true enough, the claw machines were really not hard to find. Basically just walking away from the entrance the whole time made him find a whole row of them on the wall. Now, it was just a question of either finding the mom or waiting for her right there. 

"At least, he stopped crying" Toga mentioned somewhat dryly, still clinging to Izuku's arm while looking at the kid with his whole face sunk against his shoulder, small hands bunched up around the cloth of his shirt. ONly an occasional hiccup showed that the kid had not fallen asleep.

"He probably had to get all that out of his system. Now he just tired." Izuku guessed, still occasionally rocking him lightly up and down, although he had to admit his arms started to ache somewhat from carrying the toddler around. But he didn't want to risk stirring the kid up by putting him down somewhere. 

"We kinda look cute this way, aren't we?" Toga asked after a few too many minutes of waiting, having changed to leaning more so against one of the plastic boxes, hands crossed behind her back while she impatiently shifted her weight around heels. Clearly, that was getting boring very quickly to her.

"What do you mean?" he followed up, standing there attentively looking out for a woman that looked somehow similar to the kid in his arms, maybe somebody that looked a bit more distressed. Admittedly, he got a little bit bored, so talking with Toga was more than welcomed. Now, if only the first words coming from her mouth wouldn't immediately turn his cheeks bright red.

"Oh you know, when we were walking... me on one arm and a child in the other. Like a teenager that went too far too quickly but they stuck it out together either way." She explained herself, with her hands suddenly bashfully pressed against her cheeks, framing her face. Somehow he had the feeling that she was teasing him... and well, it was working. Then again, there was a light bit of red on her face, making him wonder if that was something she was actually fantasising about... that he did not know how to feel about.

"I-if you say so..." was the only thing he reasonably could respond to this. Well, despite everything it was still Toga. He better kept that in mind, even if that image of her was shifting even as they just stood there.

"I think I am seeing someone" she interrupted his thoughts before he could come to any kind of conclusion. Following her gaze, the woman really jumped out to him too, now that he had seen her. A rather small woman, pushing herself through the crowd, bouncing up and down as she tried to look over the shoulders of the people in front of her to orientate herself... somehow she reminded Izuku of his own mother a little bit.

As she came closer and closer, the reason for this whole mishap became quite clear, quite quickly. Pulled along by her was another child, maybe a year or two older than what he presumed was the sibling of the toddler he was holding. It did not much to imagine the situation of one kid going one way and the other staying behind or walking the other way... probably the nightmare of any parent, but unfortunately somewhat unavoidable at times.

The moment she spotted the teens she hurried over to them, while they were just waving and (at least Toga) jumping up and down to make sure she could not miss them. The exchange afterwards was quick and painless. The mother thanked them and apologized for bothering them by not looking after her child properly, before they slowly pried the now sleeping kid off of Izuku's shoulder before they could part ways. 

"Well, that was something..." Toga noted, the moment the little family was out of earshot, her expression having gone from polite girl to something... a bit more annoyed. It kinda just occurred to Izuku, that she was cooperative to the whole affair way more because of him, than because of her own drive. Something that he was not sure how to feel about, but something deep down basically seemed to either gloss over the fact or forgave her immediately.

"Yup... definitely... So what now?" he asked, rolling his aching shoulder a little bit. Not a good day for his favorite pair of joints. 

"We are already here, aren't we?" She noted, the happy energy from before quickly returning to her as she nodded over her shoulder towards the claw machines. "You could make this a proper date and get me something, Izu~" 

And there she went and said out loud, what was quietly the undercurrent of this whole thing. Yep, this was a date alright. It might have started out somewhat weirdly but it was a date without doubt. Even if it left him suddenly holding his breath as if she was going to say "Just kidding" at any moment now. 

But the "just kidding" didn't come. So he was left there, standing in the realization that this was his first proper date with any girl as he turned towards the many, many claw machines behind them. Rows of toys and plushes lining the area. 

"Anything in particular you want?" he resolved himself to ask, feeling tingly all over as he realized he basically just admitted to date now fully, without any wiggle room for just making it "an accidental meeting" or anything of sorts. No, this was implicitly and explicitly a date. 

"Hmmm..." she hummed looking through the row of boxes before pointing. "How about that one?" She asked, with a grin, pointing towards a plush of an orange cat with golden eyes. Honestly, he wondered why that didn't jump out to him immediately as well.

"... al-alright then." he stepped closer to the machine, letting the card charge the points. "Wish me luck... i guess?" Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew he was starting to behave weirdly. On the other hand. He really had not much control over it. There was so much to process at once the moment, she got a bit more explicit. Of course, he should not be surprised given their other interactions, but... he was agreeing to it right now. That was the part that really threw him for a loop.

With a lot of jingles, the machine came to life, the claw started to move... With a deep breath, Izuku started to concentrate, carefully pressing the buttons while he tried to commit himself to the task at hand. Maybe that could banish the whirlwind going through his head at that moment. At least momentarily... 

Maybe it was better that he did. After all, claw machines were... something. Incredibly difficult, unpredictable, sometimes moving in ways that you would not expect and other descriptors of that likeness; with a big frown on his face he had made several attempts to get that golden eyed cat, while Toga was casually coming closer and closer, softly cheering him on from the side.

"Almost got it~! Next time you get it for sure." She purred into his ear until finally, with his fingers starting to feeling kinda tingly, he started to make promises to her encouragement. The claw finally had hooked itself into one of the paws, slowly dragging it upwards, slowly carefully. With shaky motions it was slowly hovering itself towards the reward chute. 

Thunk, click, clack... at this point, Izuku already had started to relax. The cat dropped down, the sensor opened the chute and there it was! This had been way more stressful than he had expected from such a silly little machine. Who made them this difficult? This was stupid! 

"You did it! You did it!" he heard from the side as he felt a pair of arms wrapping tight around his chest, pulling him close, a warm embrace mixed with the sudden up and down as Toga was bouncing in place. And there it rushed all back into him. 

There was only so much distraction could do to let you ignore the fact that your heart was beating up your throat, the fact that all the time a cold sweat was trying to contain the heat that was rushing through your entire body and the butterflies that were flying around your belly in a rapid frenzy. Honestly, he did not even mind it that much. There was a dopey smile on his face as he bounced a little bit with her, just as there was a healthy sum of fear of the feelings that were boiling up in him. 

With shaky hands, he reached into the machine and carefully pulled out the stuffed toy like it was a prized treasure. It was really just a simple thing, but it was something he had seen in movies, something he had glanced at when passing the TV, or what he read in mangas while he was trying to act like romance was not that interesting to him, when he was in that age... and now he was doing that himself.

Maybe he was overthinking this, of course, but honestly, he could not stop thinking about these things when he turned towards the blond haired girl that had started conjuring all this up for him. 

"F-for you..." he said with the biggest case of "speaking before thinking" as he held the orange cat out for her. 

Toga just replied with a big grin on her face, her eyes softening from their usual expression to a gentle expression he had not really seen on her before. Gently she hugged it, pressing it against her cheek and let the softness grace her skin. For a moment, she was focused on that feeling before she looked back to Izuku, stepping closer.

"Thank you, Izu~" she purred into his ear as she leaned so close her mouth was right next to his ear, before turning slightly to press a kiss onto his cheek. 

He thought he knew what fires could rage in his body. He thought he knew how his blood could boil. He thought he knew hard everything in the body could squeeze together... but nothing quite could have prepared him for the onstorm of what just happened. He went stiff in a second, every muscle tensed, color shot up into his head so fast he had no idea that was even physically possible while his heart felt like it was leaping out of his chest, green sparks suddenly flying for a split second... Any more and he probably would have jumped through the roof of the building, catapulted by the sudden explosion going off in his heart.

"S-so what e-else would you want to do?" For the third time, he tried the tactic of distracting himself, but... already he could tell he was not exactly working. His hand traced his cheek again and again, making his whole body shiver at that memory that was burning itself into his brain permanently. 

"Mmmh, don't know. Let's look around!" The simplest answer from her. Fingers locked together and time became a whirl. Flashing colors, moving pieces and so many more things that made his head spin. Toga did know how to press his buttons, to keep him on edge with the way she was keeping to him, and keeping him paying attention to her, no matter how much he shied away from it at first.

When the time came for it to stop, he already felt lightheaded. In a great many ways, he was exhausted, but at the same time brimming with energy. But the clock didn't lie... finishing the last game, he confirmed that the numbers on the screen  of his phone were indeed showing the correct time.

"I think I need to go..." he announced in a weird voice. Suddenly he felt... deflated. Reality slowly had found its way back into his head. There was a world outside of these games and a place where the fact that he was standing peacefully next to Toga would have raised more than a few eyebrows. A world, where this cute girl next to him was a coldblooded killer. And it was not like he did not know that. It just came back to him at this very inopportune time. 

"Awww, well, I should probably go too. The others probably already wondered what I am up to." And it sounded so normal, if it wasn't for the fact, that the 'others' were the most dangerous group of terrorists and villains in the country. So what to do from there? Should he do something, probably, but... there was a certain weight on his heart about that. 

"So... yeah..." What should he say to her now? Goodbye? See you around? Until next time? All of these seemed terribly morbid all of the sudden. Maybe he should do that anyways, just to not ruin the mood completely? The fact that there was a switch inside of him, that flicked so quickly from euphoria to anxiety somewhat worried him. 

"I had a lot of fun today, Izu~" she started out, gently drawing close to him, arms stretched out already to him. "Maybe one day, we will be able to repeat it." 

With that she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug, something she hesitantly reciprocated. This was, not that bad really. It just felt all kinds of weird right now. Although he had to admit, the cat plush that was currently pressing into the small of his back, was so much more preferable to the knives, to the toy gun... It was much softer. And somehow his mind latched onto that a little. 

"Yeah maybe." he answered with his voice feeling weirdly heavy. Toga grinned her typical grin, from one ear to the other with mischief written all over her face as they parted, giving him a small wave. And as soon as  he blinked... she was gone. He could not quite tell how she did it, but she had stepped into the crowd and disappeared completely.

Somehow the room, despite all the people he was surrounded by, suddenly felt strangely lonely. Once again he looked down at the clock on his phone... yeah it was time. Maybe, when he was back with his friends, this little pit in his heart would disappear... And with that he navigated back to their meeting point.

[knicole0527]

How Did I Fall For Unwritten History?

So I’m in a whole relationship right? Like a whole fat ass relationship. Like me plus her equals nobody else . Its kinda dope and kinda like coccaine . If she was a drug I’d take it . She grounds me . She makes love to my mind , heart , and then my body . Her way of words sometimes makes me feel stupid because she uses words I cant imagine using . My vocabulary aint that big . But ask me about math or science ? I’m definitely ya girl . She was my missing piece . If that makes any sense at all . We definitely have our rollercoasters but I’ll killl anyone over her and I stand on that . Best part its with who I chose and not who my parents chose or approved of. I actually dont care whether they approve of me or not. Mom didnt want kids anyways. As she put it, she likes “ a return to sender kid “ I know she used to joke about it but I later found it to be true. So at this point either you like my happiness or you dont. But anyways, So we met the first time at work, Afni Call Center to be exact. She was a bet. By bet I mean with green money with coworkers. So I bet that I would get smashed by this girl and they would each owe me 50 bucks. I mean who can turn down money. Plus she was kinda cute and I know she was watching my little booty when I would walk away . I was 80 pounds lighter when we first met .

But here lately things have gone to shit . I can admit I fucked up . Well in the beginning . I cheated . She found out . But I was honestly gone tell her everything but she found out I broke her heart all that and then some . Since I put all my business out there . Only reason why I cheated was because I wanted a kid . I wanted her for sure but I wanted a kid . As time passed us by I realized she doesn’t want kids at all . So I had to make a decision , kids or stick around for my one true love in my adult life . So I looked her in the face , I probably had tears In my eyes and told her I chose her . She looked at me with confusion for a little and I dont think she anted me to flat out give up kids. But I was gone doe what I had to do to keep her by my side .

Now before we get to me cheating . I had an apartment on Old Morgantown Road . I loved that damn space man . Hard wood flooring . Storage unit . I had a w/d hook up . I had a good apartment and I could afford it and be able to live my best life . Rent was 475 a month . Utilities and water ran me about 80 . So I was well within my budget . But my dumb ass got involved with this man who I thought I could change . I was trying to hear from nobody about nothing . I wasnt trying to hear that he was cheating because I felt like I gave him no reason to cheat . I was giving him everything and then some . Hell I let his stupid ass cousin stay on my couch . So they were living rent free right , I know stupid Kendra always doing dumb shit . I should have opened my eyes but I didn’t .

Well he and I are definitely no longer together . He got my little cousin pregnant . I dont know whats worse . That she knew he was still living with me . That she knew we was kin . That he knew we was still together , fucking and living together and I never ask for a dollar . Or that my bosses had to call me in the office with another one of my cousins and sit me down to tell and show me that he was cheating and she was pregnant . It even shocked me that she tried to question me about my niggas car . Like girl he and I live together so yes maam I’m gone drive his car . and she was in shock to see me in the drivers seat . huh . Aint that funny how it all played out though ? But you know , karma got took his dick for a minute . He got the worst news of his life . His heart was just as shattered as mine . His trust was screwed if not worse than mine . He found out that while he was too busy cheating on me , she was getting knocked down by his cousin . LMFAO SERIOUSLY . He did all that cheating and got that girl pregnant and ended up getting played himself . So while I was his woman , he had a side bitch who had a side nigga , but THE SIDE NIGGA HAD A SIDE BITCH . I hadnt had sex with him in a while because things started getting to me and I was becoming very suspicious so I was still going to get checked anyways . But yea . What a fckd up love hexagon . Crazy how we all worked together . But when I reached my snapping point . I became a little on the ratchet side and called his mom and told her come get her sons belongings because he was homeless again . My cousin didnt have her own spot so somebody had to come take care of him because by that time I was done pretending .

Shit got bad for me mentally . I had me fckd up . I lost my job and went broke because I drank and popped it away . I know definitely wasn’t the right thing but I just wanted to feel numb to everything . I didnt really care how I got high just as long as I as high I was okay and at peace .

Alot of time went by and my past came back . She made me feel safe . And she saw me ; like the actual me . She knew something was up . Hell I gained 50 pounds since the last time we seen each other . But when she came back . I dont know if I was more so excited to see her or trying to fuck her right there on the floor at work . I walked in the door and the moment I seen her ... I didnt care who I was talking to , I think Wanda , I’m sorry boo but I seen my old boo and just had to do it . I could not help myself I had to hug her before I did anything else . I had a little more weight on me too because during our last encounter , hmm hmm , I was a bit smaller and hadnt grown boobs yet . So when she seen me running 90 mph to her ; baby girl was in for a shock .

Time went by and we started seeing each other a little more outside of work . Then she started to spend the night . But when she started doing that , I think I made things a little complicated for her at her moms . I had no intentions of doing so but it kinda got weird because she wasnt coming home very much any more . But yall , when I had her all to myself . Do you know how many times I undressed this girl with my eyes . I mean she standing there fully clothed and I seen EVERY INCH of her thru them clothes . It was bad yall . lol . She kinda eventually sorda moved in ; even though I thought she had already moved in . Time went by and things were okay ya know . We were just in the “ talking “ phase and just filling each other out . She started to grow on me a little more than I planned . and then I wanna say it was my birthday or after ? Baby girl was so drunk . She , our mutual friend , and I went to go grab food and drinks . Weeellllllll , I trapped her into drinking and drinking and drinking . We got home ? and she drank and and got funnier as the night went on . I remember that day like it was yesterday and the videos I have are absolutely the funniest videos I have ever recorded . “ butt clouds “ and the car honk that about gave her a damn heart attack .

Anywho times have went on . We decided to go to hilltop and live there . Who would have thought we would live together because I was stern on not wanting to live with her . It was weird living there . Always wondering if or when we were going to get a roommate . Then ? Thats the first time I ever broke a heart . See , she was always wanting to like distinguish a title. Meanwhile I am petrified of titles and labels and shit . Plus I have labeled myself for so long I didnt want to put a label on she and I . So I waited and waited and waited and decided to test waters . By testing waters meaning , I caught baby fever BAD . LIKE BAD BAD . I wanted a kid so bad I didnt think about talking to her first , I was just hoping one day I could be like , surprise baby we are having a baby ; butttttt I was gonna tell her how I got pregnant IF if actually happened . But she kinda beat me to it . She seen the messages on her tablet and as you know it went to shit from there . I broke her heart . I wasnt sure if or when she would or could ever forgive me . ( its JAn232021 ) and I know she still hasn’t forgiven me for anything . Not sure if she will ever get past it enough to love me love me .

We made it official , May 2019. By that time the only things that mattered to me were building a life with her. Come August 2020 . We got a place together and as time went on, I knew something was wrong but I would rather ignore it than have to go to the doctor because that just aint my cup of tea. I hate doctors.. they always wanna diagnose people with shit. I just didn’t wanna be one of those people so I held out as long as I could before it got to the point of being unbearable . I lost yet another good job . At first they thought it was covid and it wasnt . I tested negative for covid . Then I had like 5 appointments that following week . I was put on all types of stuff . I was throwing up everything . I was crying non stop . I was doing things not in my normal regimen . Thats when things fell harder on her . Harder as in bills , and stress and everything . I became that burden . I became the thing in the relationship that puts everything on the line . I became the complete failure in the relationship .

I wasn’t able to help like I planned . in fact my checks were so small that every pay day because I had all my bills and people I owed money to on auto pay and I kept making promises, put me in the negatives . I was in the negatives for 3 to 4 months . So imagine being the one in the relationship who didnt feel welcome . Who didnt feel like I deserved the love and things like that . All I wanted to do was help out and I couldn’t . Made me want to pack up and wait until I knew she was gone so I could leave . I didn’t know what to do . But I knew I was pretty much of no use . I knew that she resented me . I knew it pushed things back so far it may never come back to normal .

But now , Im better than I was still struggling though .  But I have this amazing job . I have a job where I can do my part and not hurt . I have a job where I can finally help out now . But its not enough . I’m not enough . The love is not enough anymore . I have became disposable . I have become the one who broke and shattered her heart and trust in her adult love life . How do I come back from it ? How do I rescue something that may have already died ? Am I worth it ? Am I better off without ? Do I deserve her ? She deserves the world and I want to give it to her I do .

But idk , maybe my mom was right . just maybe the only things I’m good at are singing and laying on my back . Havent accomplished shit yet . Got banned from a job because I tried to put my hands on someone . Got fired from 3 good fucking jobs because of my health .

Im crashing at this point . My future is on edge . I am on edge . this is not cool dude . But I will play the hand I’m dealt . Maybe I will win and marry the woMAN of my dreams . Or maybe I will just fck it up once again . We Will See .