#i just can't let that recipe be gone forever

[cafe-gato-official]

one of the suppliers where we get our cookies from changed their recipe and I dont know the original one and now it tastes really different this is the worst day ever theyre so much worse now im so sorry everyone who liked the heart shaped chocolate sugar cookies but they now taste like wet dirt!!

- Felice

[mitsies]

❊ be sweet - yuuta okkotsu . . there's no love quite like this one.

yuuta okkotsu returns home to the smell of ginger, root vegetables, and spice.

it's your night to cook dinner, and it seems like that's exactly what you've been doing. a pot of unidentifiable, fragrant broth is simmering over the stove. the kitchen is a little bit of a mess; it usually is on your turns to prepare dinner. a slight smile graces yuuta's face as he recalls you explaining it away as part of your 'method.'

you are, however, nowhere to be seen. the living room and kitchen of your shared apartment are recently deserted. you must've been here recently, though, and you should still be close, considering the heat on the stove and a newly lit candle settled on the kitchen counter by a vase of flowers. dropping his bag down in the corner of your shared apartment, yuuta is about to make his way to your bedroom to come look for you when he hears footsteps.

he knows they're yours. there's nothing of yours that he couldn't recognise. he'd know your footsteps anywhere. he'd know the way you exhaled, and he'd know every individual freckle or mole or scab or scar on your body. you're committed to his memory.

you don't notice him at first. instead of coming to greet him like you usually would, he watches as you make your way over to the kitchen from where he stands by the entrance to your shared apartment. you mill about the kitchen, sweeping away some preliminary food scraps— garlic peels, the tops of carrots, onion skins— into your palm, before depositing them into the waste bin. he likes to watch you cook. there's music coming from your phone; it's a song he showed you the other day. you hum along like you've loved it your whole life.

he could probably stay and watch you forever. to yuuta, there is magic in the way you move. pure, utter adoration; that's all he feels for you. but if there's one thing he loves more than simply being around you, it's talking to you, and he can't quite talk to you if you don't know he's there. he calls your name, delighting a little in the way your eyes widen and you swivel to face the direction of his voice almost right away.

"yuuta," you beam. your smile is one that might rival the sun and win. you walk over to him, onion skins still stuck to the palm of your hand, not like you'd notice. taking your boyfriend in an embrace, his hands cradle the back of your head like you're made of precious gemstone. his face is buried in your hair. you smell like root vegetables and home.

"hi," he mumbles into your scalp. you pull away, arms still loosely wrapped around him, and grin. "hi, yuuta. i was just about to call you. how long've you been here?"

"not long."

"good," you reply, finally releasing him and moving back to the kitchen, "dinner's almost ready. i'm trying a new recipe— yuuji told me about it. don't remember what it's called, though."

yuuta follows you, leaning on the counter with his forearms, gaze fixed on you. "it smells good."

"does it? i think i've gone nose blind. all i can smell is onion."

your boyfriend laughs, and you smile. he loves your smile.

a brief silence lapses. it's not uncomfortable, it never is. the sounds of a wooden spoon clanging around a pot and bubbling broth echo through the small kitchen. music still hums from your phone, which now lies discarded and forgotten about next to the candle. he notices the flame flicker a little too close to the flowers next to it. yuuta gingerly shifts the two away and blows the candle out— you'd likely forget to do it later.

the stove clicks as you turn the heat off. "i guess the last thing left to do is let it cool. that might be a while— can you wait?"

yuuta nods. "i need to change anyways."

you turn back to him, nimble fingers tugging at the sleeves of his white jacket. "how was your day?"

it's moments like this where he can forget the world. he can forget the horrors of his career, the tragedy of the world he was unable to save, if only just for a moment. he can chase happiness by its tail. he can find home. there are few things that bring him solace anymore; his friends, the few he can save, and you. he'd always have you. maybe the one person who could fully understand him. the one person he could be honest with.

and he knows he can trust in you. he knows you'll catch him if he falls. so he exhales, and lets himself breathe. "could've gone better."

you frown lightly. taking his face in both hands, you study his expression like you're searching for something. wordlessly, with all the gentleness of a saint, you lower his head into the crook of your neck. he's sure his breath tickles the skin exposed to it, but you're unflinching, unmoving. he feels safer than he ever has, with your hands roaming the planes of his broad back in comforting circles.

"i'm sorry," is all you say. he'll be okay, though. it'd be okay so long as he had you. and he pulls away, and smiles a little, and tells you just that.

he likes the way you look bashful all of a sudden, as if he wasn't yours forever. how long have the two of you known each other now? since he transferred into gojo satoru's class, years ago now. you'd been hesitant like the rest of them at first. but he'd fallen for you— your kindness, your occasional dramatics, your tendency to leave candles unattended near very flammable objects. and somehow, some way, it'd worked out. he used to be so shy, then. timid. he could be sometimes still, but yuuta likes to think that he's grown alongside you. the thought makes him smile. he chases that joy he finds in you. "tell me about your day. i hope you used your first break in forever well."

you give him a teasing, dirty look. "please. of course i did. i'd never choose to go to work."

he laughs again, because it's just so easy to do when he's around you. he loves you more than life, he thinks, as you explain how you and maki got stuck at a train station in kawasaki. while you talk, he picks a piece of vegetable out of your hair. no wonder you were smelling onion everywhere.

yuuta would always be there to look out for you. he'd be there to put out the candles you'd forget about, and clean up your messes, and love you unconditionally, always. and he knows you love him like that, too. you love him in the way you hold his head when he's not feeling his best, and you love him in the way you'd always greet him with a bright smile and a big hug, and you love him in ways he never thought of himself as deserving of.

and it's nights like these, yuuta thinks, that prove that there will be no kind of love to come close to this one.

flowers chosen: jasmine & daisy . . sweet love, amiability & innocence

❊ send a request! ❊ 5k masterlist ❊ event info ❊

[onefourone]

gaz x gn!reader drabble (no warnings)

also im sorry for not posting for a while, i havent been doing too great 🥲 but i hope yall like it + sorry for any mistakes

having been with kyle (or gaz, as he's referred to by his friends) for years now, you've come to appreciate every single way he expresses his love and affection for you.

the way he looks at you. kyle has always had this gaze that made your breath stutter in your chest. but you feel safe. you feel protected under his watchful eye. not a single thing goes unnoticed as long as he's there to see it. sometimes even when he isn't. he maps out every part of your body and soul with his eyes, committing every inch of you to his memory. he loves making eye contact with you whenever it's possible, just so you can see the extent of his devotion.

the way he touches you. gaz is a military man. his hands have caused so much death in his service, which is something you hate thinking about (and so does he). those same hands come home to you and cradle you like you're the most precious jewel on the planet. his hands dig into the knots on your back. they rub lotion onto your skin after a shower. they rub your stomach when it's upset. they care for you.

the way he cooks for you. it's not an uncommon sight, seeing gaz in the kitchen. he loves to cook for you more than anything. he loves to bust out his mother's old recipes to make for you. he's always keeping you fed. nothing makes him happier than the seeing the thankful smile on your face before eating what he prepared. while he would never turn down a cooked meal from you if you wanted to make it, he never wants you to feel like you're forced to make anything if you don't want you. he wants you to relax and eat good food like the royalty that you are.

the way he speaks to you. kyle's voice was a big part of why you fell for him in the first place. it's silky smooth, and so relaxing to listen to. you often ask him to read to you or tell you a random story just so you can sleep. you could hear him speak forever and never get tired of it. you constantly run out of space on your phone because you save every single voicemail and voice message he leaves you, just so you can hear his beautiful voice when you're feeling anxious.

the way he's loyal to you. you know that loyalty is supposed to be a given in any relationship. but kyle is loyal in a way you've never experienced before with previous partners. he actually advocates for you. family putting you down? he tells them off and reminds you of your worth. "friends" treating you badly? he tells them to fuck off and let's you know they don't deserve you. you've never had anyone put you first like this before and it's such a refreshing feeling with him. if you ever feel like it's too much, he will never push it. but you know he always has your back regardless.

the way he comes back to you. it's no secret that you hate kyle's work. you hate that he constantly had to leave. you hate barely being able to contact him while he's gone. you hate stewing in your anxiety for weeks, not knowing if you'd ever get to see him again. but he always comes back. he says as much whenever he can. there's no "if" or "maybe" with him. he says he will come back to you, and he always does.

the way he spoils you. kyle makes a decent amount of money from his work. decent enough that he constantly begs you to quit your shitty office job. you refuse on account of needing a way to busy your mind while he's gone. to compromise, he buys you gifts constantly. it never works to try and pretend you have nothing you're interested in. he is extremely perceptive and pays attention to everything you say and do. you'll constantly find yourself on the receiving end of all your favorite things.

the way he marries you. when you bring up the idea of getting married, he practically collapses onto his knees in relief. he's so incredibly happy that you want that with him, because he can't see a reality where he isn't yours for all of eternity. when he eventually proposes to you under the stars in your favorite park, you can just tell he is going to make you the happiest person in the world. when you get back home, he reveals (the most sheepish you've ever seen him) that he actually bought the ring ages ago, but he was afraid he'd been moving too fast. he couldn't help but laugh at the adorable look of shock you had.

the way he cherishes you forever. the married life with kyle was really not that different. he still treats you like he just fell in love with you, even years later. he finally took you to meet his team, after years of brief greetings while you video called kyle. you felt indebted to this group of people for keeping the love of your life alive (though, his captain was quick to let you know that kyle does the same for the rest of them often). you smile when his other teammate, soap, tells you about how kyle never shuts up about you ever. he even carries a picture of you on him at all times for good luck. you try your best (and fail) not to cry.

[sparrowrye]

Demi Demon || Alastor x Reader, A2 part 13

Synopsis: It’s been over a year since we were brought under Alastor’s watchful eye. We’ve unlocked our Demonic powers, discovered our own talents, and began building the Safe Haven with Charlie and co. Alastor seems increasingly interested in the power we hold as one and intends to use it properly.

Previous part

Part 13: soft

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"She's gone and done it, Rosie. She's finally tapping into her power and who she is. I can't wait to taste it."

****

It took ages to actually wake up. I was in and out of sleep, never able to fully bring myself out.

Eventually, I felt a tug from Alastor's presence. I wrapped my magic around his and followed the trail back to my conscious mind. I shifted under the heavy covers and finally wrenched my heavy, crusty eyelids open. I let out a big yawn and stretched all my muscles.

I looked around the bright room, noting the orange glow of the setting sun and a lack of shadows in the corner. That's when I noticed an empty chair beside my bed. I could smell Alastor's faint scent of cedar wood sticking to the cushion. He had been here.

Stretching one more time, I gradually pushed myself up to a sitting position. I leaned over my legs and felt little pops in back that released the lasting tension in my body.

The door opened and I caught sight of Alastor's pink hair first. He paused briefly when he saw I was awake. He then walked in and closed the door behind him. In his hand was a steaming bowl.

"How do you feel?" My ears twitched at his staticky voice, as if they hadn't heard it in a while.

"Normal," I replied, my voice cracking and causing a coughing fit.

"Good." He surprised me when he reached behind to prop up one of the pillows. The kind gesture was unlike him. He fixed that, though, by gently using his knuckles to push my shoulder back against the pillow. "Here." He pressed the hot bowl in my hands.

"What is it?" I breathed in the delicious smell. It was a soup of some kind with rice, vegetables, and meat.

"Homemade Jambalaya."

I took one bite and couldn't stop. I didn't think I liked spices but it was the perfect blend. The warmth soothed my aching throat and filled my empty stomach. I had to force myself to slow down when my chest started to hurt from inhaling it. I noted Alastor's grin.

"Who made it?" The question helped slow me down.

"I did."

I paused. "You did?"

"You seem surprised." He tilted his head to the side so his ear tuffs swayed.

"I just...didn't see you as someone who cooked." I stared down at the remaining few bites. I ate one of the pieces of meat by itself and realized he had slipped some of the meat into it. Sly. And clever.

"Indeed I do. I quite enjoy it, actually, and I know all of my mother's recipes by heart." His legs were crossed elegantly and his cane leaned against the armchair.

I nodded as a response and finished the bowl. It left me warm and satisfied. I felt my energy building back up but I still felt mentally exhausted.

"How much do you remember?"

My back tensed at the question. "All of it. Why?"

"What are your thoughts?"

"What are..." I trailed off, completely astounded that he was asking me such a question. "I uh...I don't know."

An awkward moment of silence hung in the air. "You did well against your old master," he changed the subject.

"I thought you weren't there?"

"I have my ways." He shrugged. "You did well."

"Obviously not well enough if he can chase me in my own mind."

"A tormentor will forever be one," he advised, "I expect it to take some time for you to rid him from your mind. Don't rush it."

I rubbed my eyes and felt another yawn coming up. Alastor took the bowl from my hands, our claws briefly brushing, and went to the door. "Nightmares will not disturb your seep tonight, my dear. I'll make sure of it."

Then he left the room.

****

Charlie was thrilled to know that her father would be visiting the haven not only once, but multiple times. He told her he wanted to rekindle their bond and start spending more time with her, neglecting to tell her the secondary reason was me. From the conversations I've had with Charlie, and Lucifer's decision to come to the haven instead of me visiting him, I gathered that maybe the King of Hell was grateful for an opportunity or excuse to see his daughter more often.

I was starting to become grateful for the books Alastor had been providing me. Thanks to them, I was picking up on social cues and understanding the complications of different relationships. The one I always envied, though, was the parent and child.

Alastor was none too happy about having Lucifer in his house. His eyes were narrow, his body horribly stiff, and he seemed to have a constant surge of radio static playing in the background.

Lucifer was seemingly unbothered, his toothy smile spreading wide so his red cheeks were squeezing under his eyes. He practically ignored Alastor.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me as I led him into the library. Alastor was an arm's length behind his white coat. I noticed the King's Human look and mimicked it, hiding away my Demon side.

"Better now that I've slept. Thank you for asking." I came to a stop in the center of the room, turning to face Lucifer with nervous anticipation.

"Well, I suppose we'll get right down to business, then." He conjured his cane away. "I want to take a look at those souls you're holding onto." With a flick of his hand, he pulled the two closest chairs over. Alastor moved to stand behind my chair to send glares at him over my shoulder. "Tell me what exactly Alastor has tried teaching you about Angelic magic."

I pressed my hands tightly in my lap. Alastor and I hadn't discussed what I was and wasn't supposed to tell Lucifer.

This is your life. You're in control. I reminded myself.

"Healing comes very easy to me," I answered, "and I can grow things out of nothing."

Lucifer put his gloved hand to his chin. "What about visions?"

"Visions?"

"Yes. Do any of them come true?"

I thought for a moment. "Oh, I have dreams sometimes like that."

He nodded. "I wonder who your parent is then. Someone rather high up on the ladder." He started mumbling incoherent things. I didn't want to interrupt him, my back still stiff from being in the presence of the King of Hell, and instead looked over my shoulder at Alastor. He was sending daggers at the small man, though they lessened slightly when we made eye contact. "Well," Lucifer clapped, bringing all of us back to the conversation, "let's focus on those souls you're holding onto first."

He moved to the edge of his seat and held out his hands, palms up and waiting. I wrapped one hand around the other, hesitantly hovering above my lap. He had been in mind once before, so why was this time different? He had already been through my memories, so what was there to be afraid of?

"We're going to take it easy," he said reassuringly. His smile was as soft and genuine as his eyes. He definitely had a pretty face but I expected such a thing from the King of Hell. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that he was sitting in front of me, attention on me and only me.

I swallowed despite my dry throat and slowly put my hands on top of his own gloved ones.

****

I woke up to the sound of rain pattering against a window. I shifted uncomfortably and blinked my tired eyes open. I could see the ebb of firelight on the dark ceiling and curtains. I brought my hand up to my head to prevent a headache that was wounding its way up. I looked at the red, ridiculously soft blanket laying on top of me. Had Alastor done that?

"You're awake."

I jumped at Alastor's voice. I sat up too quickly and held my head as my vision swam and world tilted to one side. He put a steady hand on my shoulder but kept his presence out of my mind. I waved him off when the nausea abated.

"Here, drink all of it." He pressed a cold glass of water into my hands. He swiftly passed me to retrieve his staff near the fire.

"What happened?" I asked first, gulping down the sweet water an instant later.

"You fell unconscious after your session with Lucifer." It amazed me how he managed to keep his voice cheerful until he spoke the man's name.

"Why do you hate him?" I questioned, holding the glass in my lap. My knees creaked with the slightest movement from the awkward position they had been in.

He let out a short laugh. "Where to begin?"

I smiled.

He manifested beside me. "What did you see?"

"Just the souls. I couldn't get any of them to pass on."

"Perhaps you simply do not posses the power to do so." He surprised me when he sat down on the window seat. We didn't touch but I was eyeing the small gap.

"Then how can I hold onto them if I can't let them pass?"

He shrugged. "Well, what happens when you kill someone?"

I visibly winced at the word. I ran my fingers along the edge of the glass, making sure my claw didn't scratch it. How could I be part Angel if I did nothing but kill people my whole life? I was the biggest paradox.

"I just feel their soul merge with me. Then I get an energy high." My head snapped up to stare into nothing. Alastor lifted an eyebrow at me. "I'm taking their energy...souls have energy but they...they don't have as much. Maybe...if I gave them that energy back then they could move on."

"Perhaps you don't need to let them go." Alastor quickly stood and took the glass from my hands. "They are providing you with energy. You are not calling on them to do anything, merely staying in your mind."

"But they all nearly attacked me," I argued.

"You put up a shield now. You may need to strengthen your mind to simply handle that many souls. If you can't help them pass, then you can help yourself and manage the number."

I let out a heavy sigh and rubbed my eyes. "I don't know. This is so confusing."

"Perhaps you should speak to our healer. She may have something insightful."

"Yeah." I rubbed the soft blanket between my fingers.

"Come dear, let us take you to a proper bed." He whisked the glass out of sight and motioned for me to follow. My claws tapped on the wood floor like the rain on the window.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:

Oh how I love when Alastor is actually sweet

[meursaulty]

i think wizards of the spiritual schools would be particularly sensitive to a dying world, especially one that they briefly revisit later on (empyrea prequest).

upon returning, a necromancer might recognize the sheer abundance of spirits surrounding them: always out just out of sight but present without a doubt, stirring around the ruins of markets and plazas like they did in life. if the necromancer had more time to reconnect with the spirits, they may have been able to get closure, or perhaps forgiveness. but since they in a rush to get to empyrea, all they see is a faint, shimmering outline of a familiar headdress over pork's shoulder before stepping back through the world door to turn their back on the world for the final time

a theurgist might notice just how quiet everything is. No birdsong, no aztecosaurs, not even a breeze to rustle the leaves overhead. absent is the low thrumming of life magic they can sense in all other worlds. the zocalo, once the hub of their adventures and base to their many, many advisors, is still and silent. only the stone structures, with their painstakingly carved embellishments now crumbling, reveal that anyone lived in this world at all, like heart rot in a tree. they are traces of artists and architects long gone. it amounts to a dreadful and total absence of life that the theurgist can't stop thinking about, no matter how hard they try

a conjurer would arrive in azteca and immediately feel the grief of an entire culture's last moments. an immeasurable number stories, recipes, songs were lost forever when xibalba came burning through the sky. as a conjurer, they knew better than anyone else that knowledge of the past is imperative to controlling the future. they also know that azteca's fate was sealed the moment they stepped onto xibalba all that time ago. tragedy is ever present in mythology, and they can't let their sorrow keep them from saving the entire spiral. and still, as they leave for the arcanum with their new allies in tow, a small part of them hopes for a miraculous discovery, a single , surviving aztecosaur to prove that nothing is ever truly gone

and perhaps it's not important what natural attunement the wizard might have to ruined azteca. pacal, zaylin, tezcat, and countless others are only dust now, indistinguishable from the dust that blankets the wizard's old textbooks in their dorm, or cast in a window's sparkling beam. azteca is gone, and the wizard lives another day

[hotchnerxo]

The chances you take: Chapter 15

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x single mom!reader

Summary: You've barely had a chance to see Hotch after the new years eve. But you've planned on talking with him after all the annual paperwork is done. Although, more important manners rise up.

Words: 2.2k

Warnings: A case involving a dissapearance of a child (does not and will not include violence of any kind), angst with hurt/comfort.

A/N: Because I can't let things get too happy ( yet ).

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~

Chapter 15: Doubts

Ever since the event, you haven’t been sure what to think. You’re really not sure if you’re ready to date yet. Adjusting to a new rhythm with Ella has taken its toll on both of you; not knowing when you’re going to be gone for a few hours and when it’s going to be days on end. Every moment you’re off the clock, you’re at home with your daughter or sleeping. Is there any room there for him? And Jack? And it’s not like he has a lot more free time anyway. His schedule is even more hectic than yours. Would trying this out only be a recipe for another heartbreak and therefore even cause problems for your friendship as well as your ability to work with him. 

But on the other hand, it’s him. He’s such a wonderful guy and he understands the limitations the work might bring. He’s also a parent and the kids get along great. He’s so sweet and he’s not one to scare away easily by any baggage you have. Would there be hope for you? Or is it insane to even entertain yourself with the idea of you and him together?

What’s even more frustrating is the fact that you’ve barely seen him all week at work. And there’s so much to do. Apparently it’s the same every first couple of weeks after new years. Every report and casefile needs to be perfected and evaluated from the previous year. And as this is your first year of doing this, it’s taking you forever. 

But it’s not his fault, he’s barely spent five minutes in his office, when he is already needed somewhere by someone. And you’ve texted with him a couple of times about wanting to talk about everything face to face at the end of the week. It’s certainly a conversation the both of you prefer to have in person rather than through text. 

It’s just annoying not having him around. And when you find yourself thinking that more and more; you know your feelings are much deeper than you at first thought. You like seeing him when he’s working inside his office and at times when he comes down for more coffee, the way he mindlessly nos down the stairs is somehow adorable. Or when he comes back from a meeting, he looks over towards his team and you see him smile softly as your eyes meet with him. 

But today, he’s been too stressed to even think about anything else but the next thing on his to do list. 

Your mind wanders to him throughout the day, like it has all week. A loud ring from your work phone next to you drags you back to the moment. 

“Agent (Y/L/N)” you answer the phone, trying to sound less tired than you feel. 

“Hey (Y/N), it’s me” it takes you embarrassingly long for you to realize it’s your mother on the other end of the line. “Is El with you?” 

“What?” The mention of your daughter makes everything else in your head quiet down.  “No. Why?” 

“Are you sure?”

“Am I su- Yes I am sure mom” you hear panic in your voice before you realize the feeling in your body. Agents near you have turned to look at you due to a sudden volume change. “What’s going on?” 

“(Y/N)” she starts quietly but you can tell her voice is starting to shake “I’m at the daycare. She’s not here anymore”. 

You’re glad to be sitting down as you are starting to realize what she means by that. “How is that possible? Only you, dad or me are allowed to pick her up. And she wouldn’t go with anyone else, would she?” you ask, not sure if it was directed more to your mom or yourself, trying to get a grasp of the situation as quickly as possible. 

As your mom goes to explain, you’ve already put the phone on speaker and found Hotchner from your contacts. Despite the shaking of your hands, you type up a message ‘Call me, asap’. 

“Mom, I need you to stay there. I’ll have someone come over there as soon as possible” you tell her and turn to look towards Morgan and Jennifer who have come to stand beside you, waiting for an order. You grab a post it note and write down the address for the day care: thank god you’ve memorized it from your countless trips there. You’re not sure if your handwriting is readable, but it’ll do and as you hand it over, the agents nod and are already on their way. 

You’ve never been as relieved to see Hotchner’s name pop up on your screen as an upcoming call as you are right now. “Morgan and Jareau are going to be there soon, they will have badges. Only speak to them. I have to go” you don’t wait for her to respond before switching calls. “Where are you?” you ask him immediately, there’s no time for greetings.

A bit baffled by your tone, he responds dryly “Middle of a meeting. What’s wrong?” 

“Ella’s missing” Once you word it out like that, you are starting to realize that this is actually happening. Your little girl is missing; someone else picked her from daycare and she might be in danger. 

The two seconds you wait for him to answer have never felt so long. “I’ll be right there” he says and hangs up the phone. 

Spencer’s stayed next to you until this point. He’s not sure what to do or say, but to be there with you and wait for Hotch to get here. You look at him, desperation written all over you and he looks just as helpless as you feel. Without saying a word, you step back and soon find yourself running towards Hotch’s still empty office. Your thoughts are clouded, nothing seems to make sense at this stage of panic. All you can think about is getting to his office because he will know what to do. 

Once you enter the office, you’re greeted with silence. It’s in neat order, as it always is, but for some reason the order makes you even more on edge. Your mind feels full and cluttered, control is not a word you know right now. And as inviting the couch seems, your nerves don’t let you sit down and all you can do is pace back and forth. 

“Hey” you hear his voice before he even enters the office. His breath was quicker than usual, he rushed to you as fast as he could; a budget meeting could wait. “Tell me what happened” his hand hovers next to your arm, as if he’s ready to catch you and reassure you that he’s really there. 

You try to explain, but only a whimper comes out. You feel yourself crumbling under the panic.

“Here. Please, sit down for a moment” his hand has gently grasped on your arm and he helps you to the couch. You slump down on to the seat and bury your face into your hands. Aaron pulls a chair for himself and comes to sit close to you. His hand rests on your elbow, thumb soothingly running on your arm. He knows time is the most important factor when it comes to cases with kids, but rushing you through this will only hurt more. 

After giving you a few moments to calm your breath, he speaks again “Tell me what happened”. 

“My mom went to pick up Ella from the daycare” you sniffle, looking down at your hands “She said she wasn’t there anymore”. 

Calmly and patiently, he asks you all the routine questions he needs for an amber alert. You’ve asked these same questions from parents of missing kids, but you never thought you’d be the one to answer these questions yourself about your own daughter. 

3 years old, you put her hair on braids today, Frozen shirt and blue leggings and her favorite butterfly sneakers. She’s shy, might not respond to strangers, even police officers. 

“I hate having to ask these” Aaron admits silently after you’ve answered the questions for the alert. His soft and compassionate tone and voice are soothing and calming your panic. His presence helps you see things more clearly again and organize your thoughts. “Let me call this in. Just try to breathe, okay?” he says and you nod, promising to try your best. 

It takes him a minute or two to rely the information on, but not for a second does he leave your side. And once he lowers his phone, his attention is back to you. 

“You did so good, okay? Everyone will be on this and we’ll find her, I promise you that. But I need you and I need that brain of yours” you take a deep breath and raise your teary eyes to look up to him. His gaze is warm and it gives you the energy to nod and try to organize your thoughts. “I’m right here with you”. 

His support and presence means more than you could ever put into words. And he knows what to do, he always knows what to do and you would trust your life in his hands. 

“I should be out there looking for her” you raise your voice in frustration but Aaron’s patience doesn’t run out on you. “I should be out there”. 

“Trust me, I know. But Morgan and JJ are at the daycare, Reid and Garcia are making the alert and Rossi is working with the officers. And right now, you and I are going to think this through” he says as calmly as he can, hoping it will help and calm you down as well. 

“Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn’t be the first one out of that door if it was about Jack” you last out and jump up to your feet and return to pace back and forth. 

Aaron gets up as well from his chair. There’s something else in his expression, something that you don’t recognize while trying to navigate through your own rollercoaster of emotion. 

The sadness and regret in his heart weigh heavy “That’s exactly what I did and it got Jack’s mother killed” you stop your pacing and turn to look at him again. 

You knew that Haley died a few years ago by the Reaper. You’ve read his profile many times, but you don’t know every detail. Was he threatening Jack? But right now it looks like there’s still a lot of guilt in him for what happened and he’s trying to make sure his mistakes aren’t repeated. 

But you look at him with pleading eyes. Only thinking of Ella – and now, Jack being in a similar position before – makes your eyes water. “Then what? What can I do from here?” 

“We need to think back, figure this out. I’m right here with you” he’s standing so close to you again and you just wish to wrap your arms around him and hug him; hope that all of this is just a dream or a result from miscommunication. You nod, not sure what to say. “Who else is allowed to pick Ella up from the daycare?”

First day at the daycare, you remember signing the paperwork and filling different forms for your daughter. Her normal information, like date of birth etc. but also allergies, possible medications. You also had to fill out things like who to contact if something happens and people that are allowed to pick her up, alongside of their contact information. You put up your parents as additional contacts and safe adults to the contract and you tell him that too. 

But it takes you a second to think back to when you dropped her off today “But today” you start and find yourself searching for support from his desk that’s now behind you “when I went to drop her off, I was greeted by a temp”. Aaron can almost hear the speed of your brain as you try to think “There were two teachers sick today, so they were filling in. They must have been the ones to sign her out; they might not have been aware of the contract”. 

“That would mean” Hotch leaves his sentence open ended, trying to help you piece it together. 

“That would mean that Ted picked her up” you gasp and all of the sudden it all starts to make sense. “Because no one would question it if he says he’s Ella’s dad and he’s there to pick her up”. 

“Would Ella go with him? Has she seen him before?” 

“As much as I’d like to say no,” you try to think what your little girl would do. “Ted would find a way to get her to go. And if the temps don’t know Ella-” 

Aaron nods understandingly. She’s only 3 years old and she’s shy. If Ted told her that he’s going to take her to see her mom or something similar, she might go without questioning it. 

“Aaron” you start but the rest of your words die down. But he understands exactly what you’re desperate to hear. 

“We’ll find her. I promise” and you believe him.

Taglist: @ahouseforhermitcrab @sinamew @lukeclvez @thebaileybugle @louderfortheback @skyler666 @lejlapvlc @14buddy22@anlin2058 @pandorasdreamings @newlydevouthotchgirl @whoreslovehotch @mrslizzyolsen @wheelsupkels @ssamorganhotchner @lilozg-123 @uraverage-virgowh0re@sarahfortin6201 @chaoticconnoisseurgiver @scargarcia-magshotchner @rousethemouse @sweetstrangermldadsblog@no-1martinipolice @marauderssimpcuzwhytfnot @mochamori @Ruler_Of_The_Awesome

[moonchildstyles]

we all know pretty girl is lost in the kitchen but I’m just picturing h going away on a business trip for a week or so and she’s ofc sad that he’s going to be gone but she’s so excited bc there’s this weekend Italian cooking class she’s been looking at forever to surprise him so she books it for the weekend he’s traveling and learns how to make a couple of things and brings the recipes home with her so she can copy them. so the day he’s getting in she goes shopping and gets all of her ingredients and sets up shop in his kitchen and is working so hard to make the perfect coming home dinner for them to have together:( and she’s so proud of herself bc she’s pulling the last thing out of the oven just as she hears the door open and his voice “hi sweetheart, im home!” and then h is ?? confused bc he knew she’d be waiting for him but they had said they’d decide where to get takeout from when he got back but it smells like food already? so he makes his way into the kitchen and he sees her in her little apron with some tomato stains on it and her hair chucked up and just the biggest smile on her face and “hi h!!!” and she’s yanking the apron off and jumping at him and he’s :((( “what’s all this, pretty girl?” And she tells him all about her class and the caprese she made for an appetizer and the pasta sauce she’s so excited for him to try and the tiramisu that’s just chilling in the fridge for when you want it h!!! and he’s even more :((( “you did this for me???” and she’s so excited bc he always cooks for her and now she can return the favor :( and he sits next to her at the table and has his hand on her leg and is gushing over everything and keeps telling her how proud he is of her and how she’s his good girl and she’s sitting on his lap for dessert and feeding each other bites and just ❤️so in love and then ofc he has to thank her for everything she did for him and 🥸 :) 🐢

stop the way he would be SOOOOOOO :(((((((((( coming home to see her in the kitchen and its a little messy theres suspicious sauce on the cabinet and flour on her little apron and her hairs messy but everything smells so good and when she tells him everything like desert in the fridge and the appetizer and just all of the little components she got for him:( like she just looks so excited and bouncy and bubbly and hes so sososoososos excited and happy for her he doesn't care that its a little messy in the kitchen:( and he was fully expecting to need to order food soon so this is a nice little surprise and just ;((((( so sweet:(((((( but omg them sitting down to actually have dinner and hes got his hand on her leg and maybe hes being a little dramatic but he cant stop telling her about how much he loves the food and how good it all is and that he omg sweetheart!!!! ive never had something this good I can't believe!!!!!! and just being so sweet and shes all shy for him and they share a little desert w the tiramisu sharing bites and whipped cream:( but so true hes a little tired still from his trip but he can't let her go to sleep without knowing how grateful he is for what he came home to 🥸🥸🥸🥸🥸 love love love so much:(

[sea-salted-wolverine]

The legend of the hartshorn cookies.

The year is sometime in late nineties and I am something like 5. My entire extended family is visiting my great grandparents in Maryland because they are moving from their home into assisted living.

My aunts are cleaning out her kitchen and going through memories. It has been years since Gram baked anything, but evidently she makes the best Christmas cookies on the planet and no one has ever had anything like them.

There is a reason why.

One of the ingredients in this recipe is a teaspoon of hartshorn. Gram has a little jar of it in her kitchen and no one knows what the fuck hartshorn is including gram. We just know it makes bomb cookies. This is Grams mothers recipe, and it hasn't changed in decades. As far as we know this is the only recipe that includes hartshorn, so she doesn't use her little jar of it that often, and she can't find more in any stores.

But she wants her grandkids and her great grandkids to be able to have cookies and she's not gonna bake anymore. So she proportions out 3 tsp into little jars for each of her 5 grandkids.

My great grandfather who was a chemist, comes out looks at what my great grandmother is doing and says nope that's not going to work. He has been retired for years but he still has all of his fine little chemistry toys, so he gets these 3 tsp of baking ingredient sealed in sealed in chemical grade vials.

Then because this is pre 9/11 and also the nineties, everyone flies home with this tiny vial of white powder that we have not actually researched. It goes in cookies, it's probably fine. Dad stuffed his inside shoe in his checked luggage because it looks an awful lot like cocaine.

20 years later and this tiny vial of white powder has been sitting in the back of mom's kitchen cabinets forever, but now we have the ability to figure out what the hell this stuff is.

It starts with me going "hartshorn? like the horn of a hart? that's a really old name for antler. Are we considering putting ground up antler in cookies? Wait, I can Google this"

Dear reader, I found out some shit.

The powder that Gram gave us was probably not ground up animal parts. But that's what it used to be.

Ammonium bicarbonate is a heat activated chemical leavener. It was originally synthesized out of the ground antler of red deer and decomposed urine. Modern production methods include carbolic acid and electrolizes Modern production methods involve carbolic acid and electrolysis. It is also toxic until heat activated at 140ﾟF AND MOST IMPORTANTLY the powdered form evaporates on contact with air so by the time we finally opened the vial 20 years later it was all gone.

It also substitutes 1-1 for baking powder so I'll let you know how the cookies turn out.

[another-lost-mc]

hi hi hi hi!!

I LOVE YOUR WORK SO MUCH MWAH CHEF'S KISS

anyway this is a little angsty but I was reading your mammon mortality story and it struck ne:

What if MC rejects the characters or it hits them that they won't be there for a majority of their partner's life. For example Mammon or Karasu are crows that only mate once. For what is basically a small period of their life they'll be in a loving relationship but for a majority they'll just be alone after MC's passing. I also have a feeling that if MC were to pass they would just not find the strength in them to get into another relationship.

I WANTED TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS BUT THIS IS KIND OF SAD NOW DAMMIT

love you (non creepy)

It's stuff like this that gets to me. I refuse to think about it. Nope, no way, MC is gonna live forever with their chosen and they're all gonna be one big happy family. Honestly, I write most of my fics under the assumption that MC will at some point find a solution for their mortality.

Even if the demons or angels can't find a way to save MC from that fate, do you think Solomon's going to let his adorable little apprentice die? No way. In the very least, it'd be a horrible waste of talent to let MC pass way so soon with so much untapped potential. But the truth is, he loves them too much (platonic or otherwise) to just accept living the rest of his long life without them in it. He'll find a way. If immortality is a curse, then it's a curse he hopes they can endure together.

But since you asked, let's keep going with the angst fuel and assume that MC's life is limited to their intended human lifespan. Even if MC dies, that doesn't mean that love dies too - not quite, not completely. (I'm a sap at heart, forgive me.)

Most of the demons eventually move on and go back to living the way they used to before knowing MC. The ones that were fond of casual sex before meeting MC return to that slowly, at their own pace - there's a lot of remorse and memories and guilt to work through first. Even if they indulge in physical intimacy, the idea of loving someone like they loved MC feels like a faraway dream. Is it even possible? They all go through a phase - or multiple phases - where they act out in their own way. There's no human around to remind them that they're better than this. The brothers that never entertained pacts with humans before MC aren't tempted to do so again.

There are traces of MC that linger behind: old video games that end up in Levi's possession, their pillows and blankets Belphie keeps selfishly for himself in the attic, Asmo claims their accessories and jewelry. Lucifer keeps his own mementos locked way in his private study to look at when he thinks the others are sleeping. Satan re-reads MC's favourite books until the spines are cracked and splitting at the seams. Beel cooks the recipes MC wrote down and he squints to read them when the ink on the worn pages starts to fade. It gets to a point where Asmo might have trouble remembering MC's face without looking through his old photos first, but out of habit, he keeps buying the scented bath products and candles they liked the most, and he buys nail polish that matches their eyes.

Mammon's gambling and spending habits are the easiest bad habits for him to fall back on. He desperately needs the distraction, something to fill the void MC left behind. When he goes out, there's always a part of him that thinks, what would MC think of you? Because even when MC's gone, it hurts to think he would disappoint them if he does something too stupid. And if he gets carried away, he suffers Lucifer's punishment and remembers that there's no gutsy human around to cut him down from the ceiling anymore.

MC is a part of Devildom history now. Diavolo remembers them - or sees their name in books, or comes across old photos of them from the exchange program perhaps - and it's bittersweet. He knows the Devildom is a better place because they existed, but sometimes he sees the demon brothers and wonders if it would've been better that they never met MC at all if their loss could impact them so much.

Barbatos is one of the few demons that seems less affected by MC's passing, and those that don't know him very well would think he's not bothered at all. His closest friends recognize the neutral mask that falls into place to hide the smallest changes in his expression. Everyone seems to forget that time is a tool at his disposal - he has his own mysterious ways of soothing his grief.

The angels that loved MC and were loved by them don't find that sort of love or companionship again. Perhaps MC's death is a reminder to them that life is fleeting and their feelings are wasted on the temporary lives of the sheep in their flock.

For the OCs? Karasu's nest remains empty after MC passes and he lives out the rest of his days alone with nothing but memories to keep him company. He's not seen in public much anymore. Azra drowns his grief in booze and sin the way any lust demon would, but he doesn't know what to do with the heartache that remains. He gets a new tattoo in the place where MC's pact mark with him used to be. Zee distracts himself with work to avoid going home because the loneliness there feels suffocating. When he's too exhausted to keep working anymore, he collapses into bed and pretends he can still smell their shampoo on their old pillow.

More angsty reading if you're interested:

Too Late Now (Lucifer x Reader, angst, major character death)

Mammon + MC's mortality

MC's death and their rebirth in the Celestial Realm

Watching over MC's descendants

[healthy143]

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[arckyy]

Day 6

We talked on tele, Not very much though as you were invested in someone else. But i was there if you needed anything. Suddenly you opened up to me about your current situation. You felt lost. You felt empty. You felt betrayed. Everything you worked for in that, Was just gone in a blink of an eye. All because of a guy's desire that he cant control. I told you to tell me more about him. The more you tell me about him, The more things just dont sit in correctly. I knew a storm was about to come for you. I was praying hard that you dont do anything stupid. I kept talking to you to distract you from these feelings. But eventually, You said you wanted to be alone. I was at camp at that time when you said that. I remember how heartbroken i was to lose the girl version of me. I told you what ur feeling was temporary. Dont let it get to your head. But it still did and i felt empty. Not in control of doing someone you care about so much really fucking hurts and i was in that position. I quickly went back home and cried and cried thinking that i've lost you forever. But you came back shortly after. You came back when i was crying. It's like you knew that i wasnt feeling okay. I felt that. I pulled my big boy pants up and wiped away my tears and continued to talked to you. You started asking me if i cared for you. I told you yes but you said if i cared about you, Then i should leave you. I couldnt. I just couldnt. I told you i was gonna do anything for you but this wasnt it. I couldnt imagine my life without you. I mean, You're literally my mirror. My other half. How could i leave you alone like this. But you say that im like the rest. I say things that i dont mean. You told me no one means the things that they say to you. You told me that you're gonna stop replying. That you're tired of hearing lies. I told you words are just words at the end of the day but i'll show it to you. That was a promise. A promise i keep very close to my heart. You said that i'll find someone better, But nobody else was better in my eyes other than you. I told you before that you were every man's dream girl. Even if not, You were in my eyes. But you told me that it was super easy to disappear from me. I felt scared. I'm not one to be scared of things. I'm not scared of pretty anything. But this scares me the most. The thought of losing you. I just can't. I'd rather die than to see that happen. But you were thinking about suiciding. I was ready to dash from wherever i was to save you. I told you i was dying too, and you said let's go. It's like the perfect recipe for something but i just couldnt find the word in my head. I knew from there on, If you were gone, I'll be gone too. I cannot see my life without you so if you did something to yourself, That i was gonna do the same. I told you that you're loved and you told me it's lies. You told me it was all bullshit. You told me that you met me at the wrong time, But at that point i was willing to wait. There is nobody else i'd rather be with other than you. I'd rather wait than to lose you and start something new with someone different. You were perfect to me. Despite all of your flaws, I was ready. I was ready for all of it. On that same night, You were going to do drugs but got caught by your dad. I was scared because you told me some stuff about your family. I dont want to say it here because it's the internet. I wished i was there to stop you in time. I didnt want you to go through what i went through in the past with drugs. The first time you called me baby, I felt alive again. I was smiling so wide you dont even know and thinking of it now when im writing this, I've never smiled that wide before and it was funny hahahaha. But what caught my attention was when i told you that i was being chased by my own demons and you said you found me and we'll go through it together. At this point im thinking like, No way, No way this is real right? Like am i dreaming? No one has ever said that to me. Not even my ex when i was at my lowest.

During this time, I can't wait to meet you in person. Take you out on dates. Bringing you and your son out for a family day. Bring you somewhere with a view and when the moon is at its brightest, We have our heart to heart talks and kiss under the bright moonlight. I dreamt of this before. I didnt want to wake up from that dream but sadly, Reality kicked in. I woke up and you weren't beside me. I rolled over on my bed and texted you straight away and thank god you're there. We talked for awhile. I was glad that you were eating because you mentioned that you couldnt eat properly. You just had no appetite. The spamming of messages from you, I was super happy. You're finally opening up to me. My whole world just lit up again. It was a feeling that i didnt even get to feel 4 years ago. Our conversations just keep getting better and better. I didnt want to leave my house or talk to anyone. No matter how busy i was, I just learn to give everyone excuses just so i could talk to you and fully dedicate my time to you

[apixrl]

DRIVER'S LICENSE.

katsuki bakugou x fem! reader

WARNING(S): angst. cheating. swearing because it's bakugou.

word count: 4.5k

song: drivers license // olivia rodrigo (i wonder why...)

note(s): so i captioned this *at the time of writing* 'hello and welcome to i've had the worst two weeks ever so i wrote a katsuki oneshot to cope' and it's probably one of my most personal pieces of writing tbh

"-come Tuesday and we'll potentially see an end to this heavy downpour of rain. Temperatures will be on the rise to around-"

The talk on the radio cut short at the jab of your finger, heaving a great sigh which faded into the muffled pitter-patter of rain from outside. The streets had been showered with heavy downpours for the last week or so, no sign of sun or a still and restful day. Notwithstanding the miserable outdoors, the windscreen wipers on your car never ceased in their duty to grant you a clear view of the road ahead. And whilst you were grateful for their devotion, it didn't feel clear in the slightest. In fact, the road had never felt so blurry.

Shivering against the cold night chill and tucking your knees cosily to your chest, you eyed the raindrops on the windows. They raced against one another before they dripped down to your car's body, their glossy presence obvious thanks to the many hues of street lamps that surrounded them. You could have watched them for hours, being honest. Something about the droplets of water battling it out quite enticing. Anything to take you away from the cruel reality you were living in.

Your heart ached and yearned. But to no avail, the one you ached and yearned for didn't love you back.

Not anymore, at least.

Just the mere thought provoked a pulsating pang to resonate throughout your entire body. A pang filled with grief and sadness. Anger and hurt. You missed his sun-kissed face on the sunny mornings. You missed his eyes and how they gazed at you from across the room. You missed the smiles and laughter he would only show for you and you alone. The sense of glee and euphoria that came with that honour. Yet all of it was gone and there was no way you could get it back.

The memories of what had been triggered more waterworks. Hot, salty tears dug at the corners of your eyes and trickled down your face. Your motionless car concealed your cries and sobs. Every thrash against the wheel as you questioned to nobody in particular what went wrong and why. How you didn't see the signs sooner. What you could have done better. When he stopped loving you. If he ever planned to stop loving you. Whether it would have hurt more if you found out sooner.

All these questions with nothing to answer them.

Katsuki Bakugou had always fascinated you. From the very moment you met. You accompanied your friend on a double date, and he was the guy who she matched for you. Whilst he originally acted as though a blind date was the last place he wanted to be, underneath the aggression you could tell there was something much more genuine and true.

And your assumptions were correct. Truth be told, Katsuki Bakugou was one of the most genuine and truest people you had met (at the time). Once it was just the two of you, he allowed his true colours to unveil. Through the smallest of kind gestures that still haunted your mind to this day. Then upon confrontation, as you bid each other goodbye at your back door, his denial resulted in a flirtatious contest which then proceeded to an intimate night that changed your life forever. From there your mind was set.

He was the one.

Emphasis on was.

So blinded with a fairy tale love you grew so accustomed to, you never saw it coming. Never in your two-year relationship - that had so much strength and commitment built on top of it, never did you think that Katsuki Bakugou would throw it all out of the window like it was nothing. Disregard your loyalty and adoration for a drunken one night stand that slowly became an occasional hookup. Which soon became a mandatory pastime once a fortnight. Then twice. Maybe more than that. You wouldn't put it past him with what you knew now.

He kept it from you for nearly six months. Six months. The only reason you discovered his lies and deception was because you were let off early one night from work. You worked a night shift, see. Your last job had fallen to shambles, and it was temporary whilst you searched for a new one. And whilst that did take a toll on your relationship with Katsuki Bakugou, mostly finding time for intimacy since his working hours were during the day, none of that gave him any right to go and do what he did.

That wasn't one of the only reasons, you knew that for sure. There were other motives for his lack of loyalty. But you were never told. After you froze at the sight of another woman under his hold and stormed straight back to your car to flee. After he chased you down the flights of stairs in nothing but baggy pants into the streets of a twilight Musutafu. After you screamed into the darkness and belted your fists against his chest. Fists that were driven with rage and hurt and every emotion that burned like the hottest of fires and froze like the coldest of ice. He never even told you. He never made an effort to address it. Nor had he attempted to call or even try to visit your Mom's house - where you stayed as you searched for a permanent place to live. Just because you retreated for your car and cried that it was over, he never tried. But that didn't mean you weren't allowed an explanation. An apology. Something to give you a form of closure and a reason to move on. But you never did.

That wasn't even what hurt the most, either.

As silly as it was, the thing that hurt you the most was the very car you sat in.

EIGHT MONTHS AGO . . .

The red glow of traffic lights hit Katsuki's vermilion irises as he stared dead ahead at the long line of vehicles, the ash-blond heaving a sigh into the air. His finger tapped impatiently against the steering wheel he gripped with one hand, the spare rested casually against your upper thigh affectionately.

"I can't believe we have to sit through this torture just to go to some damn party," Katsuki grumbled, taking a glance over at you. His brows furrowed when he met you peacefully slouched down, nose dug into your phone as you presumably played some sort of game to pass the time. Like you had no care in the world for your predicament.

"It's your best friend's birthday, love," You mused back, Katsuki surprised you even listened based on your focused expression directed towards your phone. "It's not like we can just miss it,"

"Yeah, but we could have missed all this pain by taking the train instead of driving across town during rush hour,"

"Trains are icky, the seats would have ruined your suit and my dress," You pointed out, looking at the blond over your screen, sending him a sweet smile. He cocked a brow, a smirk creeping its way onto his lips as a scoff of a laugh broke out between them.

"Right, and laying down like a sloth is gonna help keep your dress uncreased?" He returned, amused at your realisation. At his comment, you sat up faintly and pouted your lip.

"Driving means more time to play Gravity Pops, and so does traffic,"

"Seriously? That's the game you're playing? You're such a dumbass,"

"Yes! I'm in the top 11% globally! I need to get to number one!" Was your protest, your arms flailing ahead of you briefly for dramatic emphasis. Katsuki clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, though the small smile plastered over his lips betrayed his initial reaction. Unable to deny your determination, he spoke with confidence and almost a sense of pride.

"Number one, hm? Clearly rubbing off on you aren't I?"

"In a way, yes,"

"That's my girl," Katsuki remarked, earning a giggle from you that was uplifting to hear. It was there your attention went back to your phone, but Katsuki wasn't done. "So, speaking of cars, Y/N," Hearing his chosen tone - which sounded suggestive, you eyed him closely. Hesitant to reply as you had a sense of what he planned to say.

"...Yes?"

"Have you thought any more about getting your driver's license yet?"

Called it.

"...No,"

"What?" Katsuki began, tilting his head. He was surprised that he felt surprised. You had said those words in regards to this topic countless times. Still, he persisted. "Is that a no meaning you haven't or no meaning that you don't want to?"

"Both?" You half-guessed, sheepishly grinning at the look you were sent. "Look, cars scare me okay? And so do roads. And people. My nerves wouldn't be able to handle it! I can barely communicate with people face to face, so me being on the road is a recipe for disaster!"

"I know but -," Katsuki exhaled sharply, understanding your reasoning. You had voiced these concerns when confiding to Katsuki about your fears of the road. Something built and corrupted from social media as well as phobias and fears in general, it was a battle you had yet to overcome. You wanted to drive but was terrified of messing up or causing chaos on the road. Potentially inflicting harm to someone and yourself. You still weren't sure what triggered it all, but over the years it had manifested into something quite irrational, to say the least. Katsuki had been supportive of it and whilst he truly would love to always act as your personal taxi - you couldn't hide from it forever. It wasn't his job to keep you in your comfort zone. That, and he couldn't always be there for you that way. What if he was miles away and you had somewhere urgent to go like the hospital? "It's not as scary as you think. I know it's hard to believe that but seriously. The freedom you get from driving is amazing,"

"I'll think about it a little longer, okay?" You said with hesitancy, looking at Katsuki for a sign of confirmation. He nodded in defeat, knowing you probably needed more time and felt put on the spot. So he averted his eyes back to the road to check if the traffic had moved at all. It had not.

"Okay," Katsuki said. "But I can't be your taxi service forever,"

"But I like you being my taxi service," You jokingly said, a little sadness in your tone. "Your road rage is funny and I like watching you get out of the car and walk to my door after pulling up in my driveway,"

"What do you mean?" Katsuki asked, catching the twitch of a smile on your face upon saying those words. It struck his interest in what you could mean.

"You know, like when you say you're coming to pick me up?" You explained. "You pull up at my driveway and I don't know... simple things like that just remind me of how much I love you. It's dumb really, but it's important to me,"

"Really?" Katsuki questioned in disbelief. How something so small and meaningless could mean so much was puzzling. He couldn't understand why it was so special to you. But that didn't invalidate it in any shape or form. So he pushed that aside, replacing his wonder with gratitude. He returned to your bashful and flustered features, feeling a smile grow on his face.

"Yeah," You said, shrugging to downplay your words. "I love you. Stuff like that means a lot to me,"

"I love you too, even though you're a dumbass," Katsuki said, humbled by what you had said. The two of you shared a gentle exchange, your hand grabbing hold of Katsuki's as you gave it a squeeze. He squeezed back, and silence ensued. Had he realised such a thing sooner, then Katsuki would have pulled up in your driveway much more than he had been doing. But at that a thought struck his mind, victoriously smirking as he had an idea on how to potentially sway your worries. Or begin swaying it. Something was better than nothing, after all. "But what if I wanted you to pull up in my driveway one day?" His words caused you to look over at him in curiosity, hearing the seriousness in the question. It caught you off guard momentarily, having to contemplate as you gradually concluded that he had a point.

"Well one day, maybe I will," You vaguely replied and sat up a little bit. The hand holding yours pulled back and lifted to land on your shoulder, gripping reassuringly tight.

"I hope you do, I'd like to get in on this driveway action," He joked and smirked, faith riddled in his expression. You giggled ever so slightly, tempted to lean forward and peck Katsuki on the lips in thanks, but never a thing was to happen as the alerting red light from outside switched to warm amber.

"Ah!" Katsuki yelled in triumph, his attention leaving you swiftly as he got back into the driver's seat. Giving you no opportunity to respond to him and overall ruining the moment. "Took fucking long enough!"

The light turned green, and he set the car in motion, leaving you with your thoughts and the words he had uttered that day as the traffic stood still.

All your efforts, all your time devoted to getting over your fear of driving and the road as a whole... all of it was pointless. You did it for him. You promised him you would overcome your fears and better yourself. He built that motivation up brick by brick until you could grab hold and seize control. He wasted all that time to get you to reach such a stepping stone only to abandon it once it was through.

Just so you could pull up in his driveway, just like he requested. And what did you get in return when you finally did? A stab in the back and the loss of your other half.

You wiped your eyes via the sleeve of your hoodie, dampening the cuffs. Sniffling and exhaling a shaky breath, your gaze landed on nothing in particular. Yet somewhere within your clouded mind, you found interest. As that was where your gaze remained for a certain amount of time. You weren't sure how long exactly. It could have felt like an hour and only been five minutes. Or it could have felt like five minutes and was actually an entire hour. Either way, the clock ticked on and didn't wait for you to stop.

It was a good thing you had pushed your fears down and rose above them. It just pained you that you didn't even do it for yourself. Without Katsuki Bakugou, you never had any intentions of doing so. As a matter of fact, you had set out to take the train or bus for the rest of your life. Hell, you were going to use a bike and scooter if you got desperate. Had he even acknowledged how much work you put in just to get where you were? Was all that effort part of the reason why he decided to cheat? There was absolutely no telling. Absolutely no telling at all.

You wondered what he was doing now. Was he laid in bed resting peacefully? Out with his friends for a boy's night only? Maybe cooking his favourite curry? Possibly on a late-night jog despite the harsh weather? It never stopped him other times.

Did he ever think about you? Regret what he did and the actions he took? Had he ever considered apologising? Would he ever apologise? What if he was celebrating the fact you were no longer in his life? Had there ever been any love there for you in the start? Did he ever actually want you to get your driver's license because he believed in you? Or was it so he could get rid of you with much more ease? Make his departure less severe and less selfish? A way to justify his choices because it's not like you were hopelessly left to suffer everyday life now that you had a means of transport. Was he really that cruel?

Your thoughts were interrupted by the sharp jingle of your phone, the device lighting up as it sat in the passenger seat to your left. It took two or three rings for you to glance over at it, E/C eyes sore and drained from crying out. You squinted them to read the caller, seeing the name 'Work' fade in and out on the brightly lit screen. For a second or two you argued back and forth on whether to even bother picking up. Something about reaching across for your phone requiring a magnitude of energy you no longer possessed. Having spent it all on your cries of agony and the deprivation of your old life as a whole.

However, you had ignored your work in the last couple of weeks too many times now. So many times that pulling the same stunt again would probably risk you losing your job. It's not like your work was interested in why you felt such overwhelming pain... all they cared about was you turning up to do what you were hired to.

So using a forceful hand, you leaned over to pick it up. You fumbled to grip your phone and accepted the call with a dainty tap of your thumb. Then you blinked away your tears and subtly sniffed, pressing your phone to your ear to address the caller.

"Hello?" You practically croaked, quick to clear your throat and push any signs of upset down. It was presumably dry from how much you'd cried in the last two hours.

"L/N! Hey! Glad you finally picked up!" Unlike the droll and unvarying tones of your boss, the person on the other end was much more lively and greeting. So much so you could only assume it was none other than your work colleague, Etsuko. Probably the only person you genuinely liked where you worked, and the only person who made the time pass by faster. "I was worried you were gonna leave me on answer phone again,"

"Hm, what? Oh right. Yeah. Sorry about that. Haven't been feeling too great," You lied, even though it wasn't a complete fib. You hadn't been feeling great at all. You had never felt so rock bottom. It all just originated from your mind over anything else. But when did work care about that?

"Sounds like it, I hope you've been okay!" Still cheery as ever, Etsuko followed up with a laugh to fill the silence you created by not saying anything. "Is everything well? It's nothing serious, is it?"

"No. It's not. Just some dumb cold I caught," You excused. "I'm better now, though," Slouching down in your seat, you decided to ask the question that had been roaming your mind the last minute or so. "So why are you calling?"

"Oh, right!" Etsuko said. "Mr Kobashigawa was just wondering when you planned on coming back - for schedule reasons and to get people to fill in for your shifts,"

"I er...," Not entirely sure how to answer, you stuttered as your words cowered away in your attempt to speak. "I don't -,"

"It's okay, he doesn't need an answer yet," Etsuko reassured. "Maybe in the next day or two, though? He wasn't really specific, being honest,"

You sighed at the guilt brewing in your stomach. You weren't even sick for crying out loud! Why were you lying just so you could wallow in your own sadness?! Like that was going to change anything! Sitting around and crying wasn't going to give you what you wanted. You weren't getting him back. Katsuki Bakugou wasn't yours anymore. He made that clear by cheating. By making minimal effort to give you an explanation. By causing you so much pain with little care or concern. Why couldn't you get it through your thick skull that your feelings didn't matter anymore?! That they were being wasted on a lost cause. A lost relationship!

"Well I mean -," You started, running a hand through your hair as you tread carefully on your words. "I could come in tonight? Has Mr Kobashigawa got someone to fill for me yet?"

"Um... no? I don't think so?" Etsuko answered, uncertainty in her voice. "Let me go check. Be right back!" And with that, the line fell dead. The call didn't end, just Etsuko placing the phone down to get an answer for you. Leaving you all by your lonesome once more.

Reflecting, you could see the logic in your thoughts. The best course of action would be to hold your head up high and live life the way it was before. When you were happy. Just... excluding the factors that actually made you happy. Which was him. Wouldn't that be healthier than crying all the time?

Yes, it would. But was it what you wanted? Not really.

"L/N!" The voice in your ear startled you to the point you nearly dropped your phone, panicking through a gasp as you fiddled to grab hold of it again.

"Wa-! Careful you nearly scared me half to death!"

"Oops, sorry!" Etsuko giggled softy, sounding as perky as ever. "I'm just excited to tell you that nobody's filling in your shift! You can still come in for ten-thirty!"

"I-I can?" You asked. After an upbeat 'yeah!' filtered through your ears, you considered your options. Remaining in the serene, quiet confines of your car with only the downfall of rain to accompany you sounded like utter bliss, given how you felt. But you felt an internal kick up the backside which told you - no... demanded you to just get over this moping attitude of yours and look on the bright side. To get over the lack of closure and simply... move on.

Yeah... if he found out you were an utter train wreck thanks to the damage he inflicted; Katsuki Bakugou would probably revel in it. He had a history of gaining pleasure from other's misfortunes... or it was rumoured he did (during his younger years, anyway). You had never wanted to believe it but you couldn't find a reason to refute it anymore. After all you had been through, it seemed to fit his character and personality more than ever. So with that fact apparent, you held a firm forefront and searched for a determined tone, and made your answer to your friend.

"You betcha I'm coming in! I'll see you in half an hour!"

Too enthusiastic? Probably. Still, it was better than acting pessimistic and hopeless. No matter, however, because that was exactly the attitude Etsuko had been hoping for.

"Alrighty!" She exclaimed, smile audible in her voice from the other end. "I can't wait to get our dynamic duo going again! I've missed you!"

"Yeah, me too, 'Suko," You hummed in agreement.

"Great! Catch ya later my partner in crime,"

"Heh. You too, dumbass," You found a reason to smile from her childish behaviour, though your choice of wording seemed to hit a nerve. It did more than that, it practically reverted all that confidence and progress you had made in the last ten minutes of being on the phone. All from one innocent word that escaped your lips.

Dumbass.

That's what he used to call you.

The phone call had ended without you even noticing, your phone still pressed to your ear as a small buzz sounded into it. You stared dead ahead, flashes of all the times he had said that word to you running through your memory. It was his form of a pet name. Some might see it as a little degrading on the surface, but you never minded. Once you learned the deeper meaning of the name, it became something equivalent to the likes of 'Sunshine' or 'Angel'. If anything, you ended up preferring it to those sorts of nicknames. Hence why Katsuki Bakugou had called you it on so many occasions.

No. Stop it. You can't let something like that bother you. Not after the efforts you just went to. Stop. Shaking yourself out of it, you returned to reality and permitted your phone to drop onto your lap. Your hand once holding it gripped onto your steering wheel, the other following shortly behind to do the same.

"I love you too, even if you're a dumbass,"

That rung in your head one final time, tormenting and mocking your present. The things you'd be willing to do to hear him say that to you one last time...

"No," You firmly shook your head, banging it lightly against the headrest to return yourself to reality. An attempt to knock those words to the back of your mind where you could lock them in a securely tight safe for the rest of eternity. "Just... just don't think about it. Easy. Just focus on what you're doing now," You reached for your keys which sat in the ignition, taking hold and turning them ever so slightly. Your car stirred to life, engine rumbling and the dials lighting up in a form of warm greeting. "You're going to work. No more feeling sorry for yourself,"

No more feeling sorry for yourself.

Your eyes set themselves on the road ahead. The vacant, dark and solitary road that didn't wait for you to make your decision. Life moved on after all, so if you were going to do anything - it was to catch up and take the winning lead.

So despite your circumstances; your inner desires and wishes and begs for what you wanted back but to no avail would ever get, you pulled out of your parking space (which had long exceeded the time limit, thankfully nobody was around to see) that drowned in pitiful rains of the night, and began to make your way down the street. In search of a place better than the one you were trapped in.

An endless road that wasn't all that clear, you were going to tackle it. Not for anyone else, unlike the last time you met difficulty and hardships. No, no, no. This time it was for your sake. All the mental energy to recover and become a better version of yourself, in the endgame it was all for you. You could push past all the deceit and lies you had been told and you could push past your normality which was him. Katsuki Bakugou. The man that hurt you as nobody had ever done before. You could create new normality without him.

A thought of forever he created and destroyed, resorted to driving alone past his street, never to be thought of again.

[amive2567]

Snowy sneezes

Class 1a x GN! Reader

Quirk: Snowman ~ can produce snowmen with everything that includes water. They can't melt (only by other quirks, not through natural causes), and they do whatever the host wants. If the host doesn't give any tasks immediately, the snowman becomes a body of its own forever. Unfortunately, they can't speak :( The more water there is in the air, (or any other source of water), the bigger the snowman gets. 

Warning: Crack, Fluff, mention of sexual content (because Mineta), swearing (because Bakugou), a bit OOC Midoriya

Summary: Y/n is sick, and every time they sneeze, little snowmen appear in their dorm. They are listening to music and study. Because of that, they didn't even notice that the snowmen disappeared and caused trouble. 

Disclaimer: My hero academia and the characters belong to Kohei Horikoshi.

Words: about 2.489

Masterlist

Inspiration by Frozen Fever

Your head pouted, and you barely could keep your eyes open. You had a quirk about snow, so why did you get sick from a snowball fight. "L/N-san, could you please lift your head from the desk and focus on the lesson." admonished you Cementos. "I am sorry, Ishiyama-sensei." you apologized. He continued to teach, but you couldn't focus on a word he said. The lesson dragged on like forever. 

After the day ended, you went straight to your dorm room to replicate the knowledge you got taught today. 

After some time, the headache disappeared, and you could finally focus on your unfinished notes. Your nose started to tingle, and with a loud achoo, you sneezed.  A cold shiver went down your spine, but you didn't think much of it. You were so caught up in the work that you didn't notice how a small snowman waddled quietly around the room. Since listening to music helped you while studying, you didn't hear the rustling steps on your carpet.  The cute snowman watched your back and looked around your room. He investigated your plant in front of your bed. His tiny form tried to stroke the plant, but his short snowy arm couldn't reach the plant. The small snowman was determined to stroke the plant, so he tried to climb up at the plant pot. Since he didn't think about the consequences, the plant pot fell over and covered him with the potting soil. Anxiously he watched if you had seen his plight. You didn't seem to notice it. So he tried to clean himself with his tiny arms. 

Another sneeze shook your body, and another tiny snowman appeared. He looked around the room and found his buddy. The two jumped happily around, and the new snowman helped to clean up his pal. The two snowmen happily discovered your room, as quiet as they could. After they were done, your room looked like you had a fight in it.  They also tried to open the door, but they were too tiny. Exhausted, the two snowmen settled in front of the door. 

A sneezing fit hit you, and about five snowmen developed in your room. The two snowmen got right up and wobbled to the new snowmen. They hugged each other like they were old friends. Silently the two older snowmen convinced the younger ones to open the door together. They built a ladder out of snowmen by stacking themself on their shoulders. With a soft click, the door opened, and they left your messy room.

Your classmates were occupied with their interests and tasks. Some were reading, training, baking, showering, or learning. So they were either outside, in their rooms, or in the common room area. This meant that the hallway in front of your room was empty. The snowmen waddled quietly around the enormous building. 

Since they discovered their new skill, they opened another door. In the room was a blond boy, who laid on his back with a manga in his hand, called Snow white with the Red Hair. He was completely caught up in the book, so he didn't even notice that someone entered his room. The snowmen inspected his room. It has the theme of yellow and blue, and on his shelf were tons of All Might figures. One snowman got his snowy hand on a manga and tried to read it. He failed because snowmen can't read, but the pictures were interesting. He wanted to read it later, so he took it with him. 

The gang of snowmen went downstairs to explore the other parts of the dorms. Loud singing caught their attention. They followed the singing and landed in a steaming environment or, to call it something more simple, the bathroom. It was hot in there, and the snowmen were happy that they couldn't melt by natural causes. Since the bathroom was really a boring place to be, they climbed on the shelves and searched through the products. After the other snowmen had left the room, the last one of them was mesmerized by a big red bottle with the label: red hair dye. He took the bottle with him and followed the other snowmen fast. 

The next stop of the seven snowy figures was another room. They used their secret method again and opened the door. The room was cramped with bookshelves that reached the ceiling. Another weird thing was that there was a shelf only for tons of glasses. No one was there. The snowmen wandered around the room like it was an old museum. The two snowmen that stole something hid in the corners of the room, so their misbehavior wasn't noticed. The smallest of the snowmen looked around and climbed up on the shelf with the glasses. Unfortunately, one of the spectacles fell on the ground and broke. No one seemed to witness it, so the tiny snowman grabbed them and hid them behind his back from the others to see. After they discovered every inch of the room, they made their way to the next one. 

The room wasn't much different from the first one, but it had a more pleasant atmosphere. It was bright and happy. Some snowmen were bored because of the All Might figures they had already seen, but one of them got interested by the rarest of all time. The bronze age All Might figure. Only fifty got produced, and the owner of the room had one. The snowman needed this figure, so when no one watched him, he took the opportunity and stole it. 

They went into two other rooms before they finally got to the common-room kitchen. There stood a tall brown-haired boy with a tart pan. He studied a recipe and was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice how a snowman stole his eggs. After the boy wanted to reach for them, they were gone, and he questioned himself if he forgot to lay the eggs on the kitchen counter. He opened the fridge and saw no eggs. But he was sure that he bought them with Koda yesterday. They couldn't be gone, only if someone used them. And he was sure who it was. With angry steps, he walked to the room of a certain angry pomeranian. 

In the meantime, the snowmen discovered that everyone had stolen something. They laid their stolen objects in the middle of their circle. The items they had stolen were a romance manga, red hair dye, a pair of glasses, a rare All Might figure, eggs, lipstick, and a book. All of the snowmen had a panicked expression on their snowy faces. The humans aren't dumb they would soon find out, so they have to hide their items somewhere. Fearfully they collected the things and quickly set about hiding with the stuff in a nearby room. 

It was a dark room, and it got lit by a small source of light. Unearthly sounds could be heard from the computer screen in front of a short, purple boy. The older snowmen tried to cover the eyes of the younger ones. So they couldn't see the horrific show that played on the screen. It was dangerous to be in such a gross environment with young snowmen, but it was better than getting caught. 

"I didn't steal your lame eggs. Now leave me alone fat lips." cursed Bakugou as Sato confronted him. "But I am sure you know where my manga is, don't you?" Bakugou questioned harshly with a raised eyebrow. "Why would I want a manga from you?" Sato asked him. The blond one scoffed and pushed Sato out of the way. "I bet shitty Deku got it," he grumbled and stamped in the direction of his room. Without knocking, he kicked the door open. "Oi, shitty nerd. Give it back," he yelled. But what he didn't notice that the room was messy as hell. "Ah, Bakugou, I wanted to talk to you," Midoriya spoke slowly. His expression was horrifying. Even when Bakugou wouldn't admit it, he was scared of the shorter green-haired boy. "Now, where do you have it?" Bakugou asked, unimpressed. "What should I have? I wouldn't even give it to you. You stole my All Might bronze age figure." Midoriya yelled. He activated his quirk, and before he could Detroit Smash Bakugou into nirvana, Kirishima intervened. "Wait, that's not really manly of you, bro. My hair dye also went missing. I think someone is stealing from us." Sato followed the red-haired. "I think he's right," he said. "Let's meet up with the other ones and think about it before we hurt each other." mediated Kirishima. Still, with rage in his eyes, Midoriya let got of his powerful quirk and noded. "Alright, but I am not done with you, Kacchan." proposed Midoriya. "Whatever you say, shitty nerd." scoffed Bakugou.

As they got everyone except two persons in the common room area, the yelling began. "My lipstick went missing. How can I be able to rock my hero costume." Mina cried and hugged Uraraka desperately. The short brunette patted her back, comforting. "A book of mine also went missing," noted Momo. "Did someone saw my pair of glasses? I need to find Marry the third. Without her, my collection is incomplete." Iida yelled and made his typical hand gesture. At his comment, more than half of class 1a had to suppress a burst of laughter.  "My hair product also went missing," said Kirishima. "My limited All Might figure in his bronze age is missing," said Midoriya grumpily. "You look a bit scary, Midoriya. Is everything ok?" Todoroki asked. "Yeah, of course. I didn't need my All Might figure anyway." he sarcastically answered. "It's just a figure," Todoroki mentioned, and every chatter died down. "Dude, does he have a death wish?" asked Kaminari quietly. "Maybe," answered Sero noiselessly. "A figure... A figure..." Midoriya yelled and wanted to charge for a punch, but a frustrated screech interrupted the argument. 

You finished the last sentence of your work. So you turned around and stretched yourself with closed eyes, but as soon as you opened them, you were met with a tremendous mess. "The sneezes and the...oh shit," you yelled out in frustration. You were so occupied with work that you didn't even notice that you let go of a bunch of snowmen. Your steps stormed to the common-room to start the search for the tiny, snowy trouble makers. The yells in the common-room got louder and louder as you got nearer. "Guys," you yelled over the screeches of Midoriya. "I let go of my quirk, and some snowmen are probably starting some trouble. We need to find them." you got straight to the point. Everyone looked at you with expressionless faces. "Why is even every one of you here?" you asked now, confused. "Your tiny snow fuckers stole our stuff," Bakugou grumbled. "What was actually stolen from you, Kacchan ?" Kaminari asked.  "A manga," answered Bukugou grouchily. "Uh, which genre?" questioned Kaminary. "Shut it, dunce face," Bakugou yelled. "Just asking." waved Kaminari away. 

"Do you know where they possibly went, or how we can get rid of them?" asked Momo calmly. "I don't know where they could be," you answered, a bit disappointed. "If we find them and want to get rid of them, we need to destroy them with fire quirks. They don't melt of natural causes," you explained. "Alright, I think we build two teams. One team goes with Bakugou and the other one with Todoroki," suggested Momo. "Why do I need to be in one team. I can do this on my own." Bakugou protested. "Do you want your manga back asap?" Momo asked after that the ash-blond boy was quiet but still grumpy. "I am not going with Kacchan." Midoriya angrily said. "I don't want to go with you either," shouted Bakugou. "Just like an old married couple." laughed Kaminari. "Shut it, dunce face." yelled the blond boy. 

After you build up the teams, you started to search for the cold troublemakers. The team of yours consisted of Todoroki, Aoyama, Tsuyu, Iida, Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, a grumpy Midoriya, Tokoyami, Shoji, Ojiro, and you, of course. The other ones had fewer patient people in their team. Bakugou got Sero, Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido, Jiro, Sato, Koda and Hagakure in his team. Your team searched on the second and third floor for the stolen things and your snowmen. 

The third floor was clear now you searched on the second floor. "Waa, how did snowmen came into my room?" a high-pitched yell caught the attention of your team. You neared the room and opened the door. Mineta was standing in front of a bunch of tiny snowmen. Everyone in the room turned, slowly their hats to the door. "Yeah, gotcha," you shouted happily. The snowmen suddenly let go of the stuff they hoarded and ran in different directions. "We need to catch them. Todoroki, Tsuyu, Iida, Momo, and I are catching them, and the rest of you secure the missing stuff," you ordered. During this time, Momo produced earpieces for communication. The people named ran with you to catch the snowmen.

Since the snowmen were fast and not as dumb as you wished they were, you had to separate. The snowman in front of you ran fast, and you yelled after him. As the snowman had to take the elevator, you could easily catch him. "I got one. Does someone else has one?" you asked in your earpiece. "I've got one too." answered Iida "Me too," said Tsuyu. "I have already burned two," said Todoroki in his calm demeanor.  "I am currently trying to catch one," yelled Momo hectically. "Thanks, guys, that means only one is missing," you said. A loud explosion roared through the dorm-building. "Now, I think only one is left." you corrected yourself. "I got the penultimate snowman," said Momo proudly. "Great." you cheered. As the elevator stopped at the ground floor, the snowman in your arms tried to wiggle himself free. "We need to met up in the common room, so we can get rid of the captured snowmen," you said to the others. 

After you got rid of the captured snowmen. Bakugou stormed into the common room area. "We found only one, are all gone?" he asked grumpily. "Only one is missing," you answered as you watched the penultimate snowman melt. "I got the last one he was hiding in the fridge," said Sato and brought you the last one. 

"Thanks, guys, for helping. I am so sorry that my quirk got out of hand and caused such trouble," you apologized to your classmates. "No problem, that could happen to every one of us. You don't need to apologize." Midoriya said reassuringly. A small smile spread across your face, and you were relieved that everyone agreed and wasn't angry with you. Except for Bakugou, but that was to be foreseen. 

[renova-writes]

Coney Island Hotdogs

Requested by: @maximeevansblog

Summary: “The reader is the daughter of bucky barnes, and the have a daddy - daugther Day, but the reader wants to sleep but her dad has other plans , and end of the Day the asks what do you wanna eat Mac donalds and the watch a movie, but the reader falls a sleep trough the movie, and he carries her to bed, but she wakes up and her dad she go back to sleep button, i am carring you to bed, and allot of fluff and cuteness and if its ready you tag me right thanks”

Words: 2,004

Warnings: Just basically a bunch of Fluff. Some mentions of bullying and death, but very light and fun

Other Works: masterlist

"Five more minutes," you whined. The clock on your bedstand read 5:39 am.

"Hey, button," you heard a voice whisper. The dark locks dangling over you told you that it was your father. "Get dressed. I have a surprise for you."

"It's too early."

"I know, but I'll make you a (your favorite caffeinated drink)" Your dad obviously wanted you to get up but was not going to force you. That was one of your favorite things about him. He never forced you to do anything you didn't want to.

"Really" Your sleepy eyes lit up at the mention of caffeine.

"Yes button, really. I promise. Just get yourself ready to go, and it will be waiting for you" he smiled and walked out of your room, "Also, bring a jacket. Just in case."

With that, your dad left. As you paused for a moment in your bedsheets, soaking up the last moments of fluffy warmth before you needed to get up, excitement crawled up your spine. It wasn't often that you and your dad did things, just the two of you. He was always busy with the Avengers, or you two were over with Sam and his family. When you did make time for special days, he usually asked you what you wanted to do beforehand.

His walking into your room at five in the morning, asking you to get up so that you two could have a bonding day, was unusual. He must have something special planned.

You forced yourself to get out of bed. That was going to be the hardest part. Half asleep, you dragged yourself over to the bathroom. You did your business and paused after washing your hands to brush your teeth and your hair. A smile crept across your face in the mirror as you tried to guess what you were going to do.

The zoo? The park? Maybe the museums?

You lived in the Avenger's tower in the heart of New York City, so there were many options. You gave up trying to guess and decided to go with whatever. It was going to be fun no matter what.

It was the beginning of spring, so it was warm during the day but cold in the mornings. You picked out a light floral dress, leggings, and a cardigan so that you could have layers. Some essential jewelry and your boots would also be a part of your outfit.

After putting on your clothes and some basic makeup, you made your way to the main room of your apartment. Just like he had promised, your dad had gotten your beverage from the Starbucks next to the lobby. He had probably gotten it before waking you up as it was sitting in the microwave/fridge.

"Hey button. Nice to see that you finally have awoken from your cavern of blankets," he joked, "You ready. I've got an amazing day planned out. Just the two of us."

"Yep. Where are we going."

"Button, that's a surprise!"

"Tell me!!" you giggled.

"Well, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you," he smiled. A goofy grin was on his face, with admiration pouring out of his eyes.

"Just a hint…" you begged. "I'll probably forget by the time we get there."

"No. I want it to be a complete surprise," your dad insisted, "that's why, after you drink your drink, I want you to put on a blindfold."

Oh dear, he was very insistent about this whole surprise thing.

"But first, BREAKFAST!!!" he exclaimed as he presented you with your favorite breakfast, waffles, and strawberries. The plate seemed to sparkle with deliciousness as your stomach cried out in hunger.

"Yummy!!!"

"See, I remembered your favorite" he seemed very proud of himself. You had mentioned that you liked waffles when Wanda had made them for a birthday breakfast.

"Dig in! I put some strawberry syrup into the waffles themselves so that we would have extra strawberry flavor."

He handed you a fork and a knife, and you cut into them. The heat fell off of the bite on your forked, and you braced yourself in anticipation. Your father could cook; he and Steve used to make dinners for the team. But that was with Steve, now that he was gone, your dad rarely cooked. It had been hard for him. He was slowly getting over it; you definitely helped. Having somebody to take of, his therapist agreed, was very good for him. But his food was very hit or miss. This morning, however, the waffles were amazing.

The strawberries tasted fresh and had the perfect amount of sweetness. The waffles were eggy, precisely the way you liked them.

"Dad! These are delicious!" you exclaimed.

"I know, right, they're so good," he nodded in agreement, "but can I admit something? I stole the recipe off Auntie Wanda."

It didn't matter where he got the recipe from. They were delicious. It took the two of you a total of 10 minutes to eat the entire plateful.

He pulled a blindfold out of his pocket and put it around your eyes. You had faith that he wouldn't let you bump into anything. You weren't going to have to worry about the crowded city streets. When the strangers passing by got a glimpse of his metal arm, they always made a beeline away from him.

You knew it hurt him. You could see it in his eyes. He was your dad, after all. When you were younger, you couldn't understand why they were afraid, but now that you were older, you knew. It never, even for a second, hurt your relationship with your dad. You loved him. You knew that the real James Barnes was a cinnamon roll. This was a man who wouldn't kill spiders when he found them in the kitchen. This was a man who hung out with the Parker boy and played video games.

Even though the blindfold around your eyes took away your sight, you knew that your dad was checking to see if his gun was where he needed it. After all, he was the Winter Soldier. But that was an everyday thing. When he stopped rustling with his pockets, you felt a hand on your shoulder guiding you out of the room.

------

As soon as you heard the crowd's excitement, you knew where you were. The smell of cotton candy and hot dogs confirmed it.

Your dad had taken you to Coney Island.

You hadn't been there since you were a little kid and couldn't control your excitement. The hand that had been guiding you on your shoulder disappeared and removed the blindfold.

After taking a moment to adjust to the light, your eyes took in the flashing lights and kids running around. The roller coasters and carnival games all around you captivated your attention and caused a smile to form on your face.

"How's this for a surprise Button?"

"Dad, this is amazing! Thank you!!!"

"What ride do you want to go on first?"

The morning flew by in a blur. You and your dad had decided to go on every single ride you could. He had enjoyed the bumper cars and had won you a stuffed panda bear on one of the shooting games. You got the famous coney island hot dogs for lunch and ate on a bench on the beach. The entire morning, there was one thing that you really wanted to do… Ride the Cyclone.

"Hey, dad….."

"Yes Button"

"Can we ride the Cyclone"

"Um. of course. We have to. What's the point of coming here if we don't."

You threw away your trash and got in line. A man with purple hair and tattoos strapped the two of you in and took your picture.

"Alrighty ladies and gents," the loudspeaker in the car said. "Are you ready for the Cyclone"

Everyone on the train whooped and hollered in excitement, and the car lurched forward. Slowly you crept up the first hill and felt the adrenaline follow. At the top, you saw the people on the benches below. You couldn't help but compare them to little dolls from your height.

With that, the car reached the top of the hill and falls.

"Whoa, Button, I think I'm going to be sick," Buck said once you were off. He was looking somewhat green and queasy.

It was your turn to guide him... to a trash can. It turned out he wasn't going to throw up, which you were grateful for, but the Cyclone's toll had been taken. He rested his body on a bench and called it quits.

"What time is it," he asked. You checked your watch. It was two in the afternoon. "How about we do something a little, slower."

"Sure," you agreed. You were in Brooklyn, his home borough, and he decided to take you on a tour of where he grew up.

"And this is the alleyway where your Uncle Steve decided to get in all those fights," he said you passed by. "One time, after I saved his tiny ass, he told me that he thought he had pulled a muscle, and I was all like, 'Steve, you can't pull what you don't have."

You giggled at the thought of skinny Steve. Continuing on your tour, you saw his old apartment and walked through the one he shared with Steve. It had been turned into a museum, and you laughed together for an hour as he pointed out every single detail that had been changed.

"There was no way that we could have two beds! There was no heater, so we shared one! Why would they change that! It wasn't like we had anything going on between us!" he argued. You laughed as the tour guide still could not recognize one of the old occupants of the apartment.

Once your dad seemed satisfied with his tour, the two of you walked down to the nearest subway stop. In the underground station, you passed those golden arches.

"Dad, can we get McDonald's," you asked.

"Are you sure, Button, we can get much better food back a the tower"

"Yeah, we haven't had it in forever, and I need to feed my inner Chicken nugget," you joked.

He must have been in an excellent mood because he gave in to the lure of the golden arches. He also seemed like he really wanted a burger because he got his usual order, Two big macs, a large fry, and an M&M McFlurry. The super-soldier serum had granted him the ability and need to eat loads of food. You also figured that he wanted a break from Pepper's food because she had decided that the entire team needed to become more healthy conscience. It wasn't that anyone hated her food; it was just somewhat bland. And besides, who wants couscous when you can have Micky D's.

After Bucky had wolfed down his food, and you had savored each bite of Chicken Nugget, you got on the train back home. You could feel yourself grow tired as your body finally rested from an exciting and full day. Your head drooped down and rested on your father's shoulder.

"Hey, button, let's watch a movie in the tower."

He picked out a classic, The Wizard of Oz, and made popcorn. You barely made it to the tornado before your eyes finally gave up. You were so tired that you didn't feel your dad pick you up and start carrying you to your bed.

Your eyes fluttered open as you heard 'If only I had a heart' playing from the TV.

"Hey, Button," your dad's voice whispered, "You fell asleep. I didn't want you to wake up on the sofa, so I'm taking you to your bed."

He laid you down and pulled up the blankets. With a kiss on your forehead, turned to leave.

"Dad, I love you," you called out.

"I love you too, Button" On that note, he turned out your light and closed your door

[some-kindofgnome]

Same anon here!!!! So looking at it I think food can fit into 3/5 love languages.

Most obviously and what I think would be Katsuki's main one, acts of service. As someone who was raised to show love and care through food, this hits home. He will sit and wait with baited breath when he tries a new recipe. He will never tell you but when you smile wide and tell him it's amazing, he is probably doing cartwheels internally.

Next up! Giving gifts. One of the best reactions I've gotten to a gift was when I made my ex fiance freezer meals he just had to microwave for Valentine's. And same with what you said about baking cakes!!!!! Giving food is also like giving someone a little piece of you!!!!!! Like here, have some of my heart but in a metaphorical, non-canibalistic way!

Lastly, quality time!!!!! Ok so one of my first memories is sitting next to the stove on the counter making smiley face pancakes with my grandma. You can't tell me Bakugou wouldnt secretly enjoy having you keep him company while he cooks. Probably doesn't want your help but loves having you there.

I can't help myself so here have a blurb:

He didn't realize what having you in the kitchen would mean to him. At first he thought you'd just get in the way, but no, you just sat on the counter or on a stool talking when he asked a question, humming to yourself when there was a comfortable silence and very rarely handing him a tool or ingredient if he briefly forgot where it was. You became his taste tester and despite his stoic expression, he secretly lived to watch your face light up when a new dish was good, and on the off handed chance it was ok or less he would spend the next week correcting it till you beamed at him once again!

Sundays became a ritual. Wake up, breakfast made by him, work out, clean everything besides the kitchen and then keep your boyfriend company while he did a week's worth of meal prep. He prefers you to sit on the counter next to where he is working. Better hugging and kissing height and he lives for the way you stop him from time to time, (when he isn't holding a knife) pull him close, running fingers through his hair and kissing him deeply. Once you wrap your legs around him it seals the deal and you take a brief detour from meal prep.

You threw off his whole plan for proposing to you this very way. He had reservations for a fancy dinner, someone to take photos, flowers, the whole nine yards. And yet. The morning off you had both woken up late, and as Katsuki stood at the stove making your favorite breakfast, he melted right into your touch. The ring he had constantly had on him for two weeks suddenly felt heavy and something about the moment just felt right and perfect.

So there, in the room you may very well use the most in your house, on a quiet Saturday morning, Bakugou Katsuki fell to one knee, "marry me?"

Yes, yes yes, was all you could say between tears and hugs and kisses. Until the smoke detector went off, the forgotten breakfast having gone up in flames.

And when you can't be 100% certain, you are confident at least on of you kids was conceived in that very kitchen. And don't think for a second Kaminari let bun in the oven jokes go once he found out!

Years pass, routines change, but, something remain. Katsuki showed his love through food and he sat each and every child up on the counter to watch, until they were old enough to help and learn, planting the seeds of this tradition in their little minds early on.

And you stand in the door way, admiring your husband and kids, watching sweet memories bloom before your eyes. Food connects us in some of the most beautiful ways. For the Bakugou household, food meant love.

Sorry it got so long!!!!!! Also, I did purposefully send it off anon, so no worries if you feel like sharing it. Or feel free to hoard it forever! Up to you! It's the least I can do for all the amazing writing you give us!

okay, okay, OKAYYYY, i’ve been sitting on this long enough. I wanted to keep it in my inbox forever and ever and ever so I could treasure it, but I’ve settled for taking a screenshot because the world deserves this joy just as much as I do. Especially today. Today feels like the right day to share this.

I just re-read your little drabble and it made me sOB BIG FAT UGLY TEARS. that spur-of-the-moment, private proposal is all I’ve ever wanted. and it feels so true to Katsuki, too. he doesn’t care who sees or who you’re with. he doesn’t give a shit about pomp and circumstance. he just wants you, and wants to show you that in the truest way he can.

to be proposed to spontaneously in the kitchen is a whole new level of special, especially for me. this conversation got started because we were talking about food as a love language and I connected so deeply with it because it’s my love language. to spend a single Sunday afternoon in Katsuki’s kitchen would be sublime. to spend every sunday in Katsuki’s kitchen would be transcendent.

thank you… so much for writing this. i’m literally about to print it out and stick it in my journal. i want it on paper. i want to keep it forever. i love it beyond explanation.

thank you 💖

[m-aster-of-spinjitzu]

orange and gold

...I just need more Cole and Vania content, they seem like they'd be great friends.

Basically it's just 'Cole goes to visit her there, they almost burn down the kitchen, and make way too many puns', lol.

Set a few months after Master of the Mountain, but before Seabound or The Island.

Also yeah, I couldn't think of a better title, sue me- I just know that they wear one of the colours at some point, so... 🤦‍♀️😂

Trigger warnings: none I think? Huh-

Also, bingo!! I really need to learn better time management, dear freaking gosh- I hope I'm not too late though? I know it's like half a day late, eek- and I was supposed to post this earlier, but I ended up literally falling asleep while writing it😂

Thank you so much Fabro, for hosting such a cool event!:D Your comments on my fics literally never fail to make my day<3. And I'm so glad that I met so many awesome, really skilled people through this event too - it's been a lot of fun working alongside y'all:D, I wish I'd had more time to interact instead of posting stuff and vanishing lol, but exams be like:////

Prompt: cooking (does baking count as cooking? I realized too late lol-) from @ninjago-bingo 's warm board.

Word Count: 2497

---

Trying to escape from killer dire-bats hadn't been on Cole's to do list today - although the mountains were kind of beautiful.

It was a bit difficult to see them while he was being dragged to his death, but hey, didn't Jay always tell them to be more positive?

That was, until he made the mistake of looking down.

Miles of snowcapped mountains touched the pastel blue sky, but he was more focused on exactly how high he was from the ground.

Great.

Trying to swing back onto the Bounty, he didn't notice a golden-winged blur shoot past the bat, almost dropping their spear in haste.

"Let my friend go, or I'll-"

"Vania?"

She throws the spear at the bird, successfully knocking one of its wings.

Huh. She must've been practicing - throwing with accuracy while flying seemed kinda difficult.

"I'm so sorry!" she replies, grabbing his arm before he fell down too. She winces at the strain on her wings, almost dropping him onto the deck. "I was supposed to come earlier, but there was an issue with one of the mines, and it took forever to-"

"There ain't anything in this world that's managed to kill me yet," he replies jokingly, checking that the autopilot hadn't been damaged. "I doubt an angry bird is going to be the first."

"Didn't you mention that you became a ghost once? Pretty sure that means you were dead-"

"Shh, that's not an important detail," he jokes.

"If you say so," she replies with a grin. "Did I mention that Chompy's been tearing down the palace flower arrangements again?"

"Send my regards to the gardener-"

"Did you just make a pun?"

"Remind me why I decided to visit you again?"

"Because you love me?" she asks stepping onto the ground as the Bounty landed gently.

"I hereby crown you as my platonic soulmate," Cole deadpans, taking her hand. "Vania and Cole-"

"Destined to annoy each other for eternity," she giggles, swinging their hands up and down. "But seriously - thanks. I don't think I realized how much work being a queen was."

"What's it like?"

"I mean - I'm glad that people trust me, and they come to me if they have a problem, but the paperwork is a nightmare. I never get to go outside anymore, I swear."

"Paperwork? Also, you just invited me here for a week. I don't wanna disturb you?"

"Nah, I cleared my schedule, don't worry. And trust me, you don't want to know. Everything requires some sort of official written thing, and it's so boring-"

"Official? But you're the queen?"

"Well, yeah, but I don't really want to change something unless it benefits the people. Not after..."

Her smile dims, eyes straying to the palace walls.

Oh- oh.

"You're nothing like him," Cole says firmly, squeezing her hand. "I mean, if you need to take a break, or you can make your job a bit easier by cutting out something unnecessary, that's just gonna help you become a better queen. You've definitely got the interests of your people at heart, and that's the most important thing, you know? And well, uh, everything seems to be going great so far - you don't have to beat yourself up over someone else's mistakes."

"Thanks," she replies softly, her smile slowly returning. "Speaking of breaks, what do you think we should do this time?"

"You could show me around the city again?"

"You've already seen everything cool," Vania giggles, skipping ahead of him. "We don't renovate much - unlike you guys-"

"Hey, it's not our fault that our city gets destroyed every few months-"

"More like every few days," she teases, tying back her golden hair. "How about we find some dragons to adopt?"

"Tempting, but where would you keep them?"

"They could sleep in my room-"

She breaks off when she notices him laughing. "What?"

"N- nothing," Cole replies, in between laughs. "Jay and I just made a bet."

"On what?"

"How many dragons you've adopted. I bet at least six, he bet fifteen."

"Well, jokes on both of you - I'm pretty sure my advisor's going to throw a fit if I show up with another one," she starts, giggling. "We've got twenty living in the palace right now."

"Twenty dragons?"

"They're so cute! You just look into their adorable little eyes," Vania pauses for breath, continuing her animated gesturing, "and you can't help but wanna hug them!"

"Oh, Jay's going to be so mad."

"Aww, I'm sorry guys. They're just too adorable!"

"...Wanna hear a funny story?"

"Yeah, sure!"

"I actually used to be terrified of dragons-"

"No way!" Vania exclaims. "Y'all have been on a lot of adventures though, so-"

"Nah, we used to have our own dragons at first. They were pretty cool! I just- I'm a simple guy! Huge animals with wings are scary up close when you're barely a teenager."

"Or when you're really short-"

"We're the same height!" Cole exclaims, facepalming in a bit of a fondly exasperated way.

"I'm two years younger than you-"

---

"Ugh, whose idea was this?"

"Yours," Vania grins, sitting down on the kitchen counter.

"You were supposed to help me, not leave me high and dry!" Cole accuses jokingly, staring at all the appliances they'd found in the cupboards.

"'One must always be prepared for new adventures,'" she quotes seamlessly, waving one of- what was his name again? Mulch something? Oh! Clutch! Some explorer he was, leaving them to die in the pyramid - Clutch Powers' books in the air.

"Fine," he sighs, staring at the old recipe book she'd found in one of their back cupboards. "But you've gotta help me? I almost burned down-" "Woah, what? If you finish that sentence with 'kitchen'-" "In my defense, Kai was playing a prank on me-" "In my defense, I wouldn't like to explain how the queen of Shintaro burnt down the palace by teaching one of her friends to cook," she grins, flipping through the pages. "What do you wanna start with?" "Something simple?" "Have you ever tried baking bread before? It's a lot of fun!" "I haven't really had the time, but that sounds kinda interesting."

He skims the recipe, raising his eyebrows. "Wait, why does this take hours? I thought you said it was simple?"

"Trust me, it is," she laughs, adding, "besides, I still wanna hear about all your adventures!" "Uh... okay," Cole replies hesitantly, "but if this fails, I'm so sorry." "Give yourself some credit, you guys literally saved the world! Multiple times!" "Bold of y'all to assume we know how we did it," he laughs, only half-kidding. "Besides. I botched soup once."

"I've botched toast," she mock-sighs, smiling. "Pretty sure that makes us even."

"Lemme get this straight. You've messed up toasting bread, but you can bake it from scratch?"

"Trust me, I don't know either," she giggles, trying to open a brightly coloured packet of... something? Did flour come in packets that small?

"Uh, why are you opening something called 'feast'?" he asks, eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Feast," she echoes, trying to stifle her laughter. "Off to a... rocky start, aren't we?"

It took him a second.

"I already regret this," he jokes, facepalming. "But I'd say that your puns are, uh, gold."

"I've un- unleashed-" breaking off, she half-falls off the counter, laughing so hard her face starts to go red, "a monster."

---

"Uh, is it supposed to look like that?" Cole asks, frowning.

The mixture looked less like the dough he'd been expecting - more like one of Jay's inventions gone wrong.

Badly wrong, he thought, eyes widening at the goopy mess of foam that threatened to spill over the jug.

"The yeast?" Vania echoes, poking her head out of one of the cupboards. "Yeah, all good! It always looks a little gross, and you're gonna doubt ever eating bread again, but at least it doesn't taste like it's fermented-"

"It's what?"

"Yeah," she grimaces, exaggerating her disgust a bit. "If aliens ever fell from the sky, they'd think we were crazy for eating bread-"

"Aliens? I think we're a bit crazy!" Cole exclaims, trying not to laugh.

Vania smiles, then sighs, lugging a huge bag of flour onto the counter. "I can never open these bags properly," she starts, eyeing the the bag a bit warily, "and it always makes such a huge mess all over the kitchen. You'd think they'd make it easier for people to use, right? I swear-"

He jokingly puts his hands over his ears. "I can't hear you!" "But you know that I've sworn off swearing-" she replies, breaking off with a laugh. "Pun not intended - that actually made sense in my head. I swear!"

"No," Cole interjects with a grin, shaking his head. "You don't, remember?"

"See, this is why we're friends-"

"Friends? Is that all I am to you?"

"Oh, be quiet," she shoots back, exaggeratedly dragging a hand down her face. "I mean, sure, just because everyone thinks that we're dating doesn't mean that we-"

Wait. What?

"People think that we're dating?" he asks, clamping a hand over his mouth in a poor attempt to muffle his laughter. "I- I- really?"

"I know, right?"

"Even my friends thought so at first," he confesses, dragging a hand down his face. "I mean, as much as I love you-"

"I love you too," Vania replies, completely seriously. "Even if you'll always be more like an annoying-"

"Hey-"

"Sibling to me than anything else," she finishes, grabbing a pair of scissors. Cole watches, a little alarmed, as she stabs them into the flour bag over and over.

"Is it... supposed to be this difficult to just open the bag? Seems kinda stupid-"

"Well, er, they have this piece of paper with glue that you're supposed to pull away from the rest of the bag, but it never works properly and I-"

"Well, we could always make our own flour," Cole interjects, laughing. "I mean, I've got a scythe? Let's go!"

"Uh, but we don't have wheat growing here. I don't think it'd suit the climate very well?"

"Wheat a shame," Cole sighs jokingly, measuring out the flour (which had, finally, escaped the bag).

"Oh my gosh," Vania deadpans, "you did not just-"

"Yep, I did."

"You're horrible," she giggles, "then again, I was the one who started this whole debacle, so I think we'll share the blame."

"Debacle? Where'd you pick that one up from? Sounds kinda cool-"

"Oh, it's from a book someone wrote about you guys," Vania says casually, pouring a cup of water into the bowl.

"Hey, uh-" Cole starts hesitantly, twisting his fingers back and forth, then breaks off. "Why'd you read all that stuff about us, anyways? Adventure books don't really seem like something you read a lot, since we have similar favorite books. I mean..."

"Well, um..." Vania trails off, clearly uncomfortable. "Uh- I guess, well, it sounds kinda stupid, but I'd never really met anyone my age who wasn't a royal or something. I... er, I didn't want to be left out, you know?"

Cole thinks back to a scroll; a quest, a sacrifice. One that his friends never seemed to really notice, unless it was with horror or flinches. Not that he blamed them, but - joking about how he was much more useful to the team when he was freaking dead than he was before he'd stumbled and fell in the temple?

That had been a bit far, even for his best friend. Locks could always be picked or something, he didn't need to be a ghost to provide some sort of value-

Well, that's not completely true, is it? a small voice questions, and he can't keep his hands from shaking a little.

"Jay here thinks you're the least valuable ninja."

Not enough to be a performer. Now, not good enough to even be a ninja, apparently.

Well, he reminds himself firmly, you don't have to be the best - just stand up to those who are cruel and unjust.

Nothing but a scar that glowed warm orange occasionally left of the whole Cursed Realm ordeal, sometimes it was all too easy to forget - or pretend - that it had never even happened in the first place.

Other times, like when he'd dropped a glass of water on the floor and his hands hadn't stopped shaking for hours, or when he woke up screaming, expecting to fall through his bed again, it still felt like he was trapped as a ghost. Literally - and maybe a little figuratively as well.

Yeah. Yeah, I know.

"Thanks for trusting me with that," he replies softly. "And I'm sorry. That sounds... horrible, but, honestly, you're a pretty cool person, and I ain't just saying that because we're friends. People can be awful, and they can- they can leave, but you don't need to pretend to be someone you're not for people to accept you. I kinda know what it's like, and it's... just, uh, not great."

"No, thank you," Vania says, rubbing her eyes. "You're pretty cool, too. And I'm glad that we become friends, even if wasn't in the- the, er, greatest circumstances."

"Right back at ya. The fall was pretty terrifying, though," Cole says casually, as if memories of that nightmarish plunge into the depths of earth don't still send shivers down his spine.

"No, definitely! I was so sure we were gonna splat onto the ground or something, thank gosh we didn't."

"Yeah..." Cole trails off, reading the recipe they'd been following. "Oh- do we just leave the bowl somewhere for a few hours now?"

"Oh, yeah," Vania answers. "Other than clean up the kitchen, what else do you wanna do?"

"That's kind of you, but, ah, I don't mind. You can choose something."

"I don't mind either," she replies, covering the bowl with a dishcloth. "Seriously, I don't."

"Same here though."

"Really, I don't mind-" Vania breaks off with a laugh, adding, "Well, actually, there is something."

She doesn't elaborate, thoughtfully gazing out the window.

"Well, what is it? Don't keep me in the dark."

"Ugh, it's kinda stupid-"

"I'm sure that it's not- well, unless you want to try to jump off a flying ship with a homemade parachute to prove a bet to someone-"

"Do I even wanna know?"

"...uh, probably not. We're way too crazy sometimes, our Master has a hard time keeping us in check. Your thing, though?"

"Can I give you a hug?"

Cole blinks for a second, expecting some sort of punchline.

"That's your thing?"

"Well, yeah- I mean, I said it was kinda stupid-"

"No no, that's not what I meant. You're so sweet - that's all."

"Well, not more than you-"

"Nah, you're sweeter-"

"Let's just call it a tie," Vania says with a smile, reaching over to give her friend a hug. "Thank you so much, I swear- well, no, I don't, but you know, anyways-"

"Yeah," Cole replies, laughing softly. "I know."