#it's okay to try out something new though. Tumblr tries hard to be friendly

[forgetme-eternally-blissfully]

It isn't even just art anymore. Writing and normal posts hardly get any reblogs now, too. It causes the fandom to feel less vibrant and cozy, and more sluggish and unfriendly. It's tragic because I find more and more accounts that haven't reblogged any posts whatsoever, purely liking things. Especially in the lcf fandom.

Liking does nothing to spread a post. Absolutely nothing. So when the really active accounts only like things, it doesn't make the fandom appear active. Not at all. If you don't share what you like so that other people can see- then why are you in the fandom? Isn't fandom supposed to be a space where you share ideas and art and express love over a piece of work?

Reblogging is imperative to this. Nothing goes anywhere on Tumblr without reblogging. This is a fact. It doesn't matter if you don't have any followers to see what you reblog, because the only reason you would get followers is for your reblogs. Even accounts that mostly post without reblogging still reblog sometimes. Interacting with people in a fandom, following people, reblogging and sharing the things you like? That gets you followers. Because behind a follower is a person that wants to see the things you're interested in. A follower is a potential mutual.

Don't be scared to reblog. Don't be scared to add words to the post or tags. That's how you make friends and grow outside of yourself. Purely liking things is just. A shout in a void. No one is listening.

Please reblog. If you think it's scary or useless, try it anyway. Because it hurts no one, I promise. No one thinks you look stupid for reblogging. No one cares that one week you reblogged lcf and the next you reblogged abt Interest #107 instead. They want to see it. Followers want to see that. They follow to see that.

I truly don't know what to say to make all these accounts that don't reblog anything begin to reblog. Is it scary? Is it too much work? Do you not know where to start? I can tell you how to start. Message me, send me an ask, let me help you.

POV you’re an artist on tumblr

Sorry I’m just frustrated like AAAH LIKES ARE NICE BUT THEY LITERALLY DO NOTHING. YOU GOTTA REBLOG ART

[bellaxgiornata]

hiiii

this might seem like a bit of a weird ask, but you seem super nice and i thought it would be okay if i asked you ! (also sorry if this is long)

i’ve been part of the daredevil fandom for a long time and i’ve been writing about dd for over a year and a half now. before i was writing for this fandom, i wrote fanfic about an entirely different genre for like 10+ years. when i was in the other fandom i wrote exclusively on wattpad, and i made a lot of online friends and was a part of writing communities and it made the experience so much better ! but since i changed directions (and started posting on ao3 first and wattpad second) i’ve had a hard time getting into the dd community.

i’m still new to using tumblr for fanfic so i haven’t posted anything of mine here/ followed many writers here (and i’m working on that !). but i was wondering if you had any advice on how to start chitchatting with other people in the fandom ? it feels super cringy for me to be like “i love your work, maybe you’d like mine !” bc i don’t want people to think i’m just trying to promote myself (i promise i’m not). but i miss being involved in online writing communities. it was one of my favorite things in the other fandom and now i’m struggling to find a place here. i try to respond to comments and have reached out to one or two writers before but it didn’t really go anywhere /:

so, tldr; do you have any advice on getting into the writing community/ making friends in the daredevil fandom ?

(and side note i love your work and have been reading your stuff almost as long as i’ve been writing— i’ve reread FFTD so many times and CANNOT WAIT for more updates on TDAYW and ATY !)

thank you !! sorry again this was so long

Hey friend!! This is actually a really great question that I'm sure you're not alone in wondering about! I definitely agree with you though, making friends in the fandom makes the experience so much more enjoyable. I used to write on FFN until I took a couple of years break from fanfic when I was in grad school. I had never made friends in fandom back then because I hadn't found communities and ways to accomplish that via FFN. Even when I came back to fic on AO3 and shortly after I started writing for Matt, I hadn't made friends right off the bat. But I always tried to respond to comments on my stories which is when I started to realize how fun the community was.

My answer is going to be long, so I'm going to put it below the cut! Also anyone else here reading this, if you have tips for making friends, please feel free to share them!!

Honestly tumblr I think is the way to go for making friendships. I have never used wattpad so I can't speak to the way it is set up, but AO3 doesn't quite allow for that too well because we can only communicate via comments. Tumblr gives so many more opportunities to meet lots of others and comment or send messages or share others' content with reblogs.

It's totally not necessary to share your stories on here, but I think that does help. Or to maybe even just promote your updates on your other platforms with links. Because it gives people an opportunity to come here and talk about your stories with you. But I think content creators, whatever you're making, probably make friends a little easier because we are providing something for others to (hopefully) interact with and consume.

As for reaching out to others, I cannot speak to how everyone would react because I know we all have different boundaries, but I think commenting/comment reblogging regularly on writer's or artist's work that you like is a good start. Or sending friendly messages or asks to someone. Just always be sure to be friendly and respectful.

I personally tend to notice the people I'm always seeing chatting in my notifications and then have made friends that way. It just seems like a natural progression if you're often talking to some people, conversations start to shift outside of just that content. Maybe to the show and then to other things. It's how I also tend to interact with others on here in order to make friends; commenting and sharing their work, sending asks or participating in their events, sending a message with something nice in it.

Though I agree, I think your initial comments to someone shouldn't be something about coming to read your work because it feels pressuring. I had a negative experience with that and didn't know how to handle that when I first got into the fandom and it made me uncomfortable because I never want to be rude or hurtful. So instead, maybe find ways to relate as a writer if you see them talking about writing in general, or other ways to make a comment that mentions that you also write. If they have time and want to read your work they will! And if not, that's okay too! I personally have a growing list of TBR and I mean nothing offensive if I can't get to someone's work, I just personally don't have as much time to read for example.

For me, I just sort of fell into making friends on here because of my writing. And I met so many other talented artists because of that and I've become "fans" of them as well and have had friendships form that way. And it's not just content creators, I've made friends with many wonderful people in the community who are reading my works too! It's fun to chat and dissect the show or to relate about other things (I'm a mom and have met other lovely moms here).

So my advice is to just keep reaching out and talking to people! Some conversations might lead somewhere and some might not. And that's okay! Everyone is different. I personally think the Daredevil fandom as a whole is absolutely amazing and full of wonderful and talented individuals who are more often than not open to making friends ❤️ I always am!

And like I said above, for anyone that has any other tips, please feel free to add them!

(And thank you so much!!! ❤️ I'm so glad you enjoy those stories!!)

[pies-writes-and-more]

my girl

word count: 1,777

pairing: tsukishima kei x fem!reader

warnings: all fluff and writing after a major writing block sooo beware lol

a/n: so tumblr clearly hates me because i had to rewrite this after the website totally ate up my original draft but! i hope this is okay! sorry for being away for so long - writing has become so much harder for me. i really hope this is as cute and funny of an idea as i hoped it would be :) all comments and keyboard smashes are more than welcome!!

haikyuu masterlist

“She sure is something isn’t she?” The boy in your class beamed, his eyes sparkling in the direction you had left in. It was lunch time but even though everyone else seemed like they were staring, he was more focused on you than what was in his lunch.

Tsukishima said nothing, headphones carefully placed on his ears but no music playing. His eyes were focused on his phone screen, acting as if he was tuning them all out when in reality, he was actually interested in how this conversation would continue.

“Who? Y/L/N? Shit man, you better watch it,” another classmate murmured, shaking his head. Tsukishima noticed in his peripheral vision the way the boy’s eyes darted back from the new kid to Tsukishima.

“What? Why? Does she have a boyfriend?”

There was a slight pause and the boys who were gathered around the chairs all awkwardly shared a look. “Not really. But she’s off limits.”

“How can a girl be off limits? What, does she just turn down every guy who asks?”

“No man, it’s just… she and Tsukishima Kei over there are kind of a thing.”

“A thing?”

In the silence that followed, Tsukishima could see his fellow classmates nodding vigorously.

“Oh come on. That’s pathetic. Why hasn’t he confessed to her and made her his girlfriend then?”

The boys collectively shushed him, obviously not wanting Tsukishima to overhear the other boy’s loud accusation.

“I mean... they’re a thing but I don’t think Tsukishima really knows,” one of the girls chirped up, giggling with her friends. “But he’s always really sweet with her - he seems rather bored with everyone else.”

“Well that’s dumb,” the boy shrugged. “If they’re not officially together, it means I still have a shot!” He insisted, though everyone around him didn’t seem to agree.

“No way man! Watanabe Arata from Year 2, Class 4 tried to confess to her ages ago and even though she rejected him, I heard that Tsukishima sent him such an icy glare! To an upper year! Can you believe that?” Another boy hissed nervously.

Tsukishima felt a smug smile grow on his lips as he aimlessly scrolled through his phone, pretending he was so out of the loop. He remembered that godawful confession you had gotten. It wasn’t just long, it was clumsy and awkward and you had looked so uncomfortable just receiving it. Tsukishima thought back to that moment, trying to imagine how his face must’ve looked. He hadn’t glared that hard... had he?

“No way, a girl like that is totally worth it! Maybe she’s just being friendly with him and she doesn’t even think about him like that,” the new kid shrugged.

Tsukishima couldn’t help himself anymore. He pulled his headphones down slowly in a fluid motion, drawing everyone’s eyes to him. Normally, he hated being the centre of attention but right now, with the shocked looks and wide eyes on their faces, it was just too good to pass up. “Go ahead then, why don’t you ask her out?” He asked, cocking his head over the new boy, smirking a little just to add to the pressure.

“Pfft maybe I will!” The boy shot back, clearly not expecting for Tsukishima to have heard the conversation. He shrunk back almost immediately though as you and Yamaguchi’s laughter entered the room, coming back from the the drink machine outside.

You raised an eyebrow at the sudden silence that filled the air, all eyes drawing over to you and Yams like there was something wrong with the two of you. “What, did you start a fight or something?” You asked somewhat playfully to Tsukishima, putting the drink you got him on his desk before settling into your own seat.

“Who, me? Never?” Tsukishima smiled innocently, but you could’ve sworn there was a little devilish look in his eyes.

“You guys okay?” Yamaguchi asked your classmates curiously, noting the fact that they were still all staring at you. 

The classroom quickly filled with typical lunchtime conversations as everyone turned away awkwardly, the boys huddled in the corner no longer speaking loudly but instead avoiding Tsukishima’s presence.

The blond waited for the new boy to walk over and say something to you, but he didn’t. Coward, Tsukishima thought to himself. He was just starting to think the boy had given up as the end of the day neared, but as the teacher dismissed the final class, you felt a shadow cast over your desk.

“Hey, you’re Y/L/N right? I’m Okada Daiki! Nice to meet you!” The boy beamed, apparently having found some of that confidence he was exuding during lunch. “So... this school’s pretty big huh? Think you could give me a tour? I heard that you’re pretty involved in some of the school’s clubs so it would cool to hear from you!”

You blinked in surprise - you hadn’t ever really been the whole welcome-committee girl, usually that was the student council members’ jobs so why was he coming to you? “I didn’t think this school was big at all,” you admitted bluntly, not realizing the ulterior motive in his words. “But... I mean-”

“Hey, Y/N, you’re coming to practice right? Tsukki and I were going to work with Noya for our receives- oh I’m sorry, were you two talking?” Yamaguchi asked with the most innocent looking face.

You tried to suppress your smile as much as possible, but Yamaguchi’s little shiteating grin was just too contagious. Whoever told Okada about you being involved in clubs must’ve left the part out about Tsukishima being involved in the same clubs, not to mention Yamaguchi’s love for interrupting unwanted invitations. “Ya I think Kiyoko and Yachi wanted me to help out with pumping the volleyballs though so I might not be on the actual court for a bit,” you told Yamaguchi with a curious look in your eye. 

Did he know something you didn’t about this guy? You turned back to Okada with a slightly apologetic smile, “Sorry, I’m only really involved in volleyball club with Tsukishima and Yamaguchi and it takes up a lot of my time so I’m not sure I’d have much time to show you around. But if you’re looking for someone, Sasaki usually gives tours to the new students!” You offered, continuing to pack your back.

Tsukishima’s face was enough for Okada to not want to back down. The blond had the most annoying smile on his lips, as if encouraging the new boy to continue embarrassing himself.

“Well do you think you’d have time to tutor me? I know you’ve got great grades and I’ll have a lot of catching up to do!” Okada suggested quickly, giving you what must be his most attractive smile.

“Honestly, I’m a terrible tutor,” you admitted with a laugh, thinking back to when you attempted to help Hinata and Kageyama but ended up getting too impatient and falling asleep instead. “But I think there’s a tutoring group within this group that you could probably join!” You thought for a moment, genuinely trying to remember who was in that group.

“If you really need help with your academics, I’m sure you could find some but I’m afraid it can’t be my girl here,” Tsukishima finally spoke up, his voice cool and steady, as if he was enjoying this moment a little too much. “Come on, Y/N, we should get going. Can’t be too late to practice if I’m supposed to walk you home afterwards,” he added lightly, like this was a very normal thing for him to say, before grabbing your hand and interlacing his fingers with yours, and tugging you and your bag out of the classroom.

Yamaguchi followed with suppressed laughter tightening his chest. You were too stunned to really argue, following Tsukishima out the door as you tried not to look at your fellow classmates who all scurried over to the hallway windows, whispering and murmuring as they watched Tsukishima be so outwardly affectionate with you. 

The laughter burst from Yamaguchi’s throat as soon as the three of you left the building, continuing onward until you got to the gyms. “I can’t believe you-” he breathed heavily between snickers, shaking his head as he headed towards the club room. “Damn Tsukki,” he grinned, shooting his friend a thumbs up before disappearing to get dressed.

You blinked in surprise, still not really over whatever just happened. You looked up at Tsukishima, as if waiting for him to explain, though he just stood there with his ears and cheeks burning pink. “What was that about?”

“What was what about?”

You raised an eyebrow at him and then looked at your hands, still interlocked together. “I thought you wanted to keep us secret?”

“Not secret just... not so public,” Tsukishima mumbled, all of a sudden feeling a bit shy. He cursed internally, hoping you hadn’t mistaken his dislike of PDA for wanting the two of you to not have a public relationship. 

“Tsukishima,” you said slowly, squinting your eyes at him as he avoided your gaze. “Did you convince the new boy to try to ask me out just for you to embarrass him by outing our relationship?” You scolded, though your lips were turning into a smile.

“No! He embarrassed himself - everyone told him not to do it but he insisted,” Tsukishima rolled his eyes but gave you a small smile. “He looked real stunned didn’t he?”

“I mean, you did call me your girl and my first name. Not to mention you grabbing my hand, you dummy,” you laughed, shaking your head. “I can’t believe you.”

Tsukishima pulled you closer, tilting your chin up to look at him, his cheeks still red but his eyes seeming less flustered, “Well believe it. Cause you are my girl, ya got that?” 

You beamed up at him, happy to hear those words from his lips, “All yours,” you nodded and Tsukishima bent down to press his lips against yours quickly.

It might’ve been a quick kiss, but somehow rumours spread that you and Tsukishima had been kissing behind the gyms. You had the suspicious feeling the rumours got started because of one Yamaguchi Tadashi not being able to hide the fact that Tsukishima had been outside the club room with you, and a whole boys volleyball team who definitely peeked out the door to see. Anytime you passed Okada in the halls after that, you could’ve sworn there was a prideful smile on Tsukishima’s face, his fingers almost always interlaced with yours now.

Not that you minded because you liked being Tsukishima’s, and he liked being yours (even if he rarely admits it).

haikyuu taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added or removed! :))

@sgue0s @aurumk @neko-chii1 @thisnoodlewritesao3 @satan-ruler-of-hells @trashy-simp @jeppiet @tobi-momo @darkvadeeer @dearest-tobio @hosekiv @babyshoyo @jesssobs @b-bakana @tsukkimoonbyeol @moonlightaangel @crystal-lilac @random-734 @rizkykei @sophiemess @bbyhaji @pansexualproblemchild @thechaosoflonging @mystic-poteto @kaleidoscopekai @cuddlysoftbear @cheeseriz @ur-local-simp @kawaii-angelanne @ushijimacentral @elkawholeek @ur-local-anti-hero @tirzamisu @joonieshoney @hidden-otaku-stuff​ @awkwardaardvarkforever​ @dai-tsukki-desu​

[berrytimefields]

good hair days

part one

word count: 1,248

note: this is my first ever fic on tumblr! let me know what you think <3 i really didn’t want to split this into two parts but i really wanted to get this out to you guys! part two is coming later this week! always open to requests! (multifandom friendly)

katsuki bakugou x sweet! fem! reader

summary: days are hard and stressing and the least of his worries are his looks. but i guess it wouldn’t hurt to try and fix himself up a little bit. but why is she so nice to him? this has never happened before. what the hell, i just needed a trim.

warnings: none! some mentions of insecurities and some cursing. probably misspellings too. just cute fluff and sweetness towards an emotionally constipated man 🥂 may be slightly ooc but yolo!

the pink bell jingles lightly as the front door is pushed open, quite roughly as the loud intrusion jars some of the clients sitting inside. a tussled blond tramples through almost taking down a poor lady that stood close in proximity to the new arrival.

“hey sweetpea! do you have an appointment?” the man freezes in his attempt to take off the jacket haphazardly thrown around his shoulders.

“what the hell did you say to me?” the bouncy girl kept her smile from ear to ear as she turned and approached him, current client sitting patiently under the light pink dryer.

the place itself would be his number one red flag if the woman in front of him didn’t already give him an alarming vibe just from her presence alone. her over the top loving personality and the sparkling pink room around him would seem like the heroes worst nightmare, oh that’s right, it is.

he knew coming here wasn’t worth the torture, the idea of two hours spent here surrounded by glitter clouds and rainbows made him want to gag where he stood. yet he couldn’t compel himself to move. still stuck frozen in time as you seemed to get even closer than you had been before.

‘i dont think this shitty woman has any sense of personal space,’

“honey, are you ok? would you like to sit down for a minute?” her voice had the ability to pull him straight out of his trance and get him fixated back on his current state of being. he took another look around, noticing the pointed stares of many other ladies that were disturbed by his flamboyant entrance. he cleared his throat and tried to save his ass from seeming like too much of a jerk too soon.

“i need my hair fixed. now.”

yea still a jerk.

“oh, ok. well it’s your lucky day i seem to have a spot open! usually i’m pretty packed but i think i can make an exception for you sweetie.”

now what the hell does that mean, he pondered your words for a moment. he wasn’t exactly nice and friendly so why were you not apprehensive of his current behavior. better yet, why did you seem to treat him as though you two have close romantic relations. he searches his mind for a few moments to try and remember if a woman, as beautiful as you, had ever spoken that way directly to him. in any sense that wasn’t ironic. he scratched deep beneath the surface and couldn’t find diddly squat.

“ok.”

ok? really. a woman has called you three pet names in the first two minutes of knowing her and you can’t even finish one thought out loud?

“what would you like done today sir?”

now he didn’t like that as much. call him something cute again.

“don’t call me that.”

maybe the wrong approach.

“sorry sweetpea i never caught your name?” he tried to think what kind of reason you could have to possibly need to know his name when you could just refer to him as sweet things for as long as you live.

wait what.

sweet things? him? never.

he’d never been referred to as anything sweet, let alone anything complimentary. he’d barely even got a ‘babe’ before and that usually came from his friends if he has to really be truthful.

“names bakugou. need a trim gets in my eyes,” he couldn’t stand the constant poking of his bangs while he tried to fight crime, as embarrassing as it is for him to admit.

“okay well why don’t you come sit over here, and i’ll get you started up on that cut okay hun?” he felt his heart flutter again and felt to urge to rip it out with his bare hands. he mumbled back a small noise of agreement and followed you to the chair sitting on the other side of the salon. you waited for him to sit down before stepping behind him and running your fingers through his hair. he immediately felt a tenseness in his shoulders. ‘is getting a haircut always this nerve racking?’, well no because you were never the one rubbing your soft fingers through his scalp. 

“you have such beautiful hair, i could run my finger through it all day. i guess that wouldn’t be too professional though. would you like me to give you a wash?”

he thinks he might drop dead on the spot if you keep making these propositions. want to run your fingers through his hair for the rest of his days? be his guest. wash his hair and touch him even more? please be his guest. 

“yea, please,” oh god he said please. it’s time to get out of here.

“ok babe, let’s get you over to this chair then and get you started on that rinse okay?” you smiled at him through the mirror and started to walk away to start the lukewarm water. he’d never admit to anyone how fast he rose from the previous chair and made his way to you.

as you leaned him back and brought his hair into the sink he forced his eyes up so as to not catch your gaze. you hummed softly as you began to saturate his hair, at the sound of your relaxing voice he let his eyes flutter close as you began the soft strokes through his golden locks. this continues as you washed his hair in such a manner he didn’t know existed. don’t begin to ask him what it was you did to his hair because he hasn’t the slightest idea. after he hears the steady stream of warm water shut off he also hears you begin to step away from your place near his head. at this sound, he can’t help but open his eyes and follow your movements as you grabs a soft pastel towel from a nearby shelf. if you hadn’t turned back to face him he swears his eyes would’ve rolled to the back of his head. 

of course, they’re gonna put that thing on his head.

“alrighty, darling let’s get you back over there so i can start taming your mane!” your soft laugh drifted throughout the room as you guided him back to the chair he first resided in.

once he rested back in the pink leather seat you wrapped your favorite rose-colored cape around his neck and he struggled to understand how everything could be such an obnoxious color.

“what’s with this pink shit.”

“it’s my favorite color, makes me happy! don’t you have a favorite color hun?” the smile you gave him was genuine as you started to blow dry his freshly cleaned hair.

“mmm, like orange i guess,” he mumbled and he couldn’t even be sure the woman he spoke to could hear him but he saw you nod your head in agreement wholeheartedly as if you had heard you won the lottery.

“hold on one sec okay? i’ll be right back to start your trim,” he didn’t understand why you seemed frantic all of a sudden but he hummed his agreement as you wandered off to the back of her shop.

bakugou looked up into the mirror and, for the first time that day, realized how his face felt hot and seemed to glow with a pink tint. now, that’s not gonna fly.

in his peripheral vision, he notices you return from where you disappeared to with what seems to be another cape in your hands.

but this ones orange. 

-

tags: @hornegaethot @tittiesarenice​ 

(if you’re interested in being on my taglist, please let me know!)

[hoonface]

again so nobody asked, but its 2025 and i just decided to dig up my old tumblr and i had NO recollection that i wrote such a post... i honestly have a lot to do for uni but procrastination runs strong in my genome so i guess here's to future me again <3

ib wasn't as bad in hindsight, high school wasn't as amazing as i now hoped it was, but it was still happy because of the guy i was dating at the time. that's all i knew at the time and i was happy then so that's enough for me.

graduating high school with such a mid ib result was so lame of me EVEN IN AN ADJUSTED YEAR, but its okay. we took a year to regroup with a plan and ended up in a degree we actually like now. we're just more than two years in with two more years to go, and we've been so incredibly busy. this year is the most we've ever been tested physically and emotionally but we've made it so far. but when we like what we do, we don't work a day and we are incredibly lucky that we still like what we do right now.

him and i aren't together anymore, but we still look back with fondness. we talk on the phone from time to time as friends just to check in, but we haven't dated anyone since him. not for absolute lack of trying, we saw somebody last year and he was lowkey everything we could've wanted (or so we thought). friendly, hot, SUPER smart (a med student!), kinda dorky, sooooo cute (crying), tall, similar interests, SPOKE OUR LANGUAGE, had a cat too??? we took a huge step and searched him up after the event, hit him up, asked him out, we gave it a good shot for a month. it didn't work out even though we (i, and i think him too) tried so hard to like him and at the end of the day, i'm so proud of us (me) for staying true to ourselves and not forcing something for potential. as a kid i never really understood the "stay true to yourself" jazz but at 20, i realised what it meant. betraying myself felt worse than feeling lonely, and i'm so proud of myself for that decision even though i know it's probably one that many make regularly. i know it was really important to us to find somebody who "measured up/aligned" because we wanted stability and a predictable and similar future (we're in healthcare rn too), but i just knew it wasn't working. we had different world views and values and i didn't want to have to "convert" or "parent" someone into becoming what we wanted, that's not fair to us or to him (or anyone else i see). we put our big girl boots on and talked to him about it in person and ended it cleanly and amicably, and now i have my integrity (who knew this mattered to me so much!) and maturity to look back on. sometimes we think maybe we should've just gone for it - nobody was telling us to marry him for god's sake its just dating - but in hindsight, we know we did the right thing and we learned a lot about ourselves through that process. he truly was a pretty wrapped package for all my internal problems, and (unintentionally on his part) shone a mirror in my most bruised spots, spots that i didn't even know really existed.

dating has been hard (not that we've really tried since him) because of the standard 2020-2022 set for us. t changed who i am forever, i wouldn't be the person i am today without him and at the end of the day, that's all i can really ask for. we're just not right for each other anymore, and that's okay. we leave that behind knowing it served us good when we had it, and it no longer serves either of us now.

we did an insane amount of growing up to be honest. maybe a bit too much, a bit too fast. i get a kick out of knowing i'm kind of 'wise', but truly sometimes ignorance is bliss lol and its a double edged sword. every year we think "i already know what all my issues are and i'm pretty mature" while knowing that can't possibly be true, and every year i learn new things and still act surprised. lol. we know more about ourselves than ever, we know more about mom and dad than ever, and at the end of the day, we're just left with what is. not anger, not petulance, not hatred, but grief, pity, and a really really numb knowing that if things were easier for them, their parents, their families, maybe things would be easier for us now. first gen immigrant eldest daughter is no joke, we're exactly in that pipeline lol. we try for ourselves, for them, for him, and sometimes we just get tired and it's a bit much. then we have a menty b and chatgpt is our best friend, and then we pick ourselves up again because nobody else is going to do it but us. it really is just you and me forever and we need to start doing a better job at getting comfortable with that.

health is wealth and we are so lucky. others have so much more than we do but honestly at this stage i'm just glad we're all here.

f and d are doing okay, we love them and hope they're with us forever.

friend scene has lowkey changed so much, albeit quietly. i couldn't have imagined this in 2020 but i like it a lot the way it is now. time with the girls and the guys is healing, like-minded, fun, rejuvenating, and i get to just be.

who am i without everyone else and when the lights are off? stay tuned to find out if we ever solve this age-old question!

overall we're actually pretty okay. i mean chatgpt might think otherwise, but i have so much that i think overall i'm okay with where i am. maybe 5-years-down-the-road-me will have even more insight (crazy concept when will it ever end) and we'll make a face reading this again. what face that is, only god knows. wow i should start a substack. this is very marina keegan-esque of me.

i liked doing this. maybe i should again next time. love yourself more, it's literally just us forever and ever.

24/04/25

hi so nobody asked but i felt like talking, kinda a personal thing since no one here actually knows me !! i’ve been away from tumblr for ages and i’m here just cause i missed it a bit and to procrastinate my econ assignment lmao. since the last time i’ve been active active here, this has been what i’ve been up to as of 02/11/20:

moved from a public high school to a selective entry ibdp school !! if any of my fellow ibdp kids seeing this hah i hate it i hate ib i am so tired all the time

dated a long time best friend who turned out to be kinda toxic, went through some mad emotional turmoil and did a lot of growing up

cut off this person and recovered

procrastinated a fuck ton

caught feelings for this really nice guy towards the end of last year, really sweet guy. the kind to open doors for people and help anyone out academically (kinda carries the whole grade’s average, the honours kinda kid but not ...nerdy ?). overall a really sweet guy and really considerate.

started going out with said guy cause luckily for me, he felt the same way !! we’re going into our ninth month this november and i’ve been extremely extremely happy.

did i mention ibdp sucks yeah cause it does. been doing a bunch of ib stuff, not sleeping enough, sleeping too much

overall am kinda doing okay, just really happy to be here and have the people around me that i do

[hotwings0203]

The Middle Ground

*Deep breath*

Woo. Okay. First of all I would like to thank everyone for 400 freaking followers. That is seriously so insane to me, I mean I’ve only been on Tumblr for like half a year.

This piece is a contribution to @bakugosbratx ‘s collaboration. It has around 40k words in total, so it’s my longest piece yet. Because Tumblr formatting is shit, I have provided an Ao3 link in case you like the chapter setup better there. I hope you all enjoy, and please please heed the warnings ahead!

Pairing: Bully!Fiance!Touya x F reader

Summary: You've been friends with Tenko Shimura for as long as you can remember...but when you're forced into an arranged marriage with Dabi, that friendship is put to a test.

TW: Noncon, bullying, language, Dabi and Hawks are scumbags, gangbang, graphic depictions of violence, gang violence, arranged marriage

Tags: @hi--rubi @bakugosbratx

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31747549

Touya Todoroki kicks out his legs and slumps into the limo seat. A permanent scowl has inhabited his petulant expression, one that doesn’t go unnoticed by his glaring father and uncomfortable family. It isn’t like he wanted to be here anyway, what were they expecting? Especially when they were practically planning out his whole life’s demise right in front of his eyes.

 Think he’s being dramatic?

 Try putting yourself in his shoes for a second: after being hounded by his ape-like father to put some hair gel on and to ‘take out those fiendish piercings, you look like a hooligan,’ he was also forced into a suit that felt more like a straight jacket. Worst of all, he had to keep a straight posture.

 It was complete, utter torture for the young rogue.

 Only after stalking and lurking around his mother for the entire day did Touya have it revealed to him that the place he had to dress up like a prissy for was none other than the house of who he was going to be betrothed to.

 Once the bomb was dropped, all hell broke loose in the Todoroki house not like that was anything new, merely hours away from leaving to greet the parents-in-law.

 “Is this a fucking joke? You people weren’t even gonna tell me where we were going until I had to beg like a dog!” Touya raged with balled-up fists, smoke curling from his elbows and shins as he stood in his parents’ room and interrogated his mother.

 “Language, Touya!” An exasperated Rei Todoroki sighed while ironing her and Fuyumi’s dresses. “You’re of age to get married, and you’re an adult now- you knew this was bound to happen soon.”

 “Come on, Touya, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll like her; her family is really well known in hero society for hosting the annual hero galas.” Fuyumi leaned against the doorframe behind her irate brother with her arms crossed, peering disappointedly at him from over the bridge of her glasses. “I’m pretty sure her parents even work in the Hero Commission headquarters, and as for the girl, I’ve heard so many good things about her from-”

 “I don’t give a damn about some elitist brat who I’m gonna have to coddle. And I’m still in school, I’m not licensed yet.” Touya snapped at both the women, Fuyumi rolling her eyes and shaking her head as she walked away. Rei let out another heavy sigh and finished up her meticulous ironing.

 “I just don’t understand why in the hell you’d tell me on the day of us meeting them, like why couldn’t I have a heads up?”

“Because then we’d have to put up with your little tantrums even more in advance. Plus, it's not like us telling you earlier would’ve changed the decision or your reaction,” Natsuo called out from his room across the hall.

 “You know, she’s not some random gold digger. I’m fairly certain her family is more wealthy than us, and by uniting our families, we’ll both have many advantages in society and for a healthy bloodline-”

 But Shoto’s chiming in was cut off with the sound of choking from Natsuo drinking something at his last words. Touya didn’t appreciate his least favorite sibling’s unwanted opinion, especially when it was about the topic of banging some prissy chick.

 He let Shoto know what he thought of his comment by whipping around with a snarl and towering over the youngest Todoroki.

 Well, not really towering since Shoto was quickly catching up to Touya in terms of height, a fact that Touya loathed admitting.

 “You-” he jabbed a finger into the other’s firm chest, “-are the last person I wanna hear sex advice from, got it? I doubt a social degenerate like you would even get pussy anyways from the way you can barely understand a joke or social cues.” (“What did I say about language, Touya!”)

 Natsuo was positively howling now, and Shoto merely shrugged his brother’s scarred finger off as Touya kept advancing on him and spitting venom. Rei was desperately trying to quell the disaster waiting to happen by raising her voice slightly and telling all her boys to back off and calm down, but she was cut off by Fuyumi calling out to ask for her dress.

 “ENOUGH!” 

 All the other Todorokis simultaneously jumped when they heard his booming voice. Enji Todoroki appeared in front of his family, no doubt growing increasingly irritated by the pandemonium happening. He glared around at them all until his eyes landed on Touya, who grew quiet but still held a scowl on his face. Endeavor’s eyes narrowed as he approached his heir, and Touya subconsciously straightened up taller.

 “You can’t make me do this. We’ve never had one single conversation about the topic of marriage, and you think I’m just gonna give in on the night you planned to make me into some domestic schmuck? Were you even going to tell me yourself before we left?” Touya growled, maintaining eye contact with his brutish father.

 “You’ll do as I say, Touya. Your duty comes to your family before any wish of becoming a hero. You need to stop acting like a delinquent, and a wife would do some good to tether you to reality-”

 “Oh, right, because you’d know all about how to be good to a family, right?” Touya burst out as he sneered and gestured to the scars littering his body.

 Even Natsuo had stopped snickering as the house grew deathly quiet. Fuyumi sucked in a soft inhale, Shoto simply stared while observing the spectacle in front of him, and Rei was stock-still.

 Endeavor didn’t back down from his son’s impertinence, however. Instead, he stepped forward until both men were chest-to-chest and looked at Touya straight into his face, purposely neglecting to ponder on the way his son’s lip trembled and his eyes twitched as if he wanted to rub them. He knew if he saw Touya as the pouty seven year old he once was and loved, he would give in.

 “You will do what I ask. Do not embarrass our family or me.”

 Touya’s jaw clenched as he tried to stare his father down, but after a couple of painstakingly long moments he finally looked away. Everyone let out their breaths and started to get their coats. That was that.

 End of discussion.

 Unbeknownst to him, however, he wasn’t the only one who had been saddled with this news recently.

 Your parents might not have told you on the day of said guests coming over, but you weren’t given an option to argue either.

 In fact, you were told so casually over dinner a few weeks ago that one would think you were the crazy one for “overreacting,” in the exact words of your parents to be more specific.

 “Honey, you’re almost done with your hero licensing school. It's about time you start thinking of your future asides from your job and internships,” your mother had gestured to you as her delicate hands picked up a wine glass.

 “Dad, seriously?” You asked in disbelief, fork suspended in midair. “I haven’t even graduated yet, plus you promised when I was done I could intern with you at the headquarters-!”

 But your father merely hummed disinterestedly as if the topic of your very imminent future could do with less talking and more of shoveling roast beef into his mouth.

 You incredulously turn to your mom, hoping for some reprieve.

 “I don’t even know his name. Who is he, and why did you choose him anyway?” you grouch, pouting and pushing the casserole on your plate around.

 “His name is Touya Todoroki, and he’s merely a year or two older than you. I’m sure you’ve heard of his father, Endeavor. He’s the number two hero, and I believe his other two children are closer to your age...Natsuo and Fuyumi? Their youngest son is Shoto, you must have seen his performance at the sports festival a little while ago.”

 “T-Touya?” You almost choke on your asparagus when you hear his name. “Mom, I’ve seen him like, three times throughout the entirety of me being at that school. And I heard he’s a complete menace too! He’s got a reputation, him and his stupid friends. I know for a fact they’ve been giving Tenko a hard time for the past year for no reason.”

 You’re not lying either. You’ve seen the intimidating black-haired boy skulking around some of your classes with his cronies in tow. It wasn’t like he shirked off his grades or anything; you were fairly certain he was pretty smart...when he tried, that is. When he wasn’t ditching class and giving his teachers a hard time, you usually saw him push your best friend Tenko Shimura around. This included shoving the quiet boy down the stairs, clapping him over the head a little too hard to be passed off as friendly, and childishly throwing spitballs and other trash at the back of his head. Fortunately, you’d never had the pleasure of meeting his highness personally, and so far, you’d been secretly grateful for only picking up his binders and homework off the floor of Tenko’s aftermath attacks rather than bearing the full brunt of Touya’s abuse. You weren’t even sure he knew you existed, and to be frank, you’d like to keep it that way.

 However, it seemed as though your parents didn’t share the same sentiments.

 Your father finally decided to give his piece, which wasn’t in your favor, surprise surprise.

 “A sturdy family, they are. We’ve invited them for dinner two weeks from now, so you better curb that attitude of yours well before they arrive. Our decision is final.”

 You stay quiet, opting not to argue any further and upset your parents. To be honest, you weren’t known to be too rebellious or spoiled for that matter. You were a straightforward child- you got good grades, you didn’t trouble yourself or your parents with any drama or school nonsense, and you put up a good family name when in the presence of outsiders. To say that you and your parents were joined at the hip would be a bit of a stretch, though. You simply did what they asked, and they rewarded you with anything you wanted. Nothing more and nothing less. It’s not like they forced you to do anything unreasonable except getting married to some degenerate, so you usually followed pursuit. 

 So, instead of causing a scene at the dinner table, you finish up your food, clear the table, and stomp upstairs in the sanctuary of your room. You flop on the bed, and just for good measure you pummel a pillow in front of you.

 This can’t be happening, you groan to yourself.

 After a couple of minutes of finishing your tantrum, you decide to call Tenko. He was definitely someone who’d share the same disdain for the name Touya Todoroki.

 You dial his number, and after a couple of rings he finally picked up.

 “Y/N? What’s up?”

 It takes less than 5 minutes for you to explain your ordeal, and he’s quiet for a few moments.

 “Tenko? You there?”

 “Yeah, yeah I’m still here,” he says slowly.

 “Well? What do you think?” You urge, needing him to reassure you you weren’t being unreasonable for not wanting an arranged marriage with some psycho delinquent, family name or not.

 “I mean, obviously it sucks ass, and I wouldn’t wanna get saddled with Tou-yuck as a fiance,” you giggle at the absurd nickname and he shares a low chuckle too. “But...I don’t know, I mean I kinda expected you to sound more upset about it.”

 “Don’t get me wrong, of course I'm pissed, man. But what the hell am I supposed to do? I can’t really argue my way out of this, and even if I did, it would be so awkward between our families since his dad and my parents work so closely at the HC. I don’t think there's any way to properly react to this,” you finish helplessly, biting your lip.

 “Whatever. Just don’t expect me to throw rose petals and rice at him when he shoves me into the lockers after school,” Tenko says dryly, and you can’t help but scoff.

 “As if. Y’know, maybe that actually is a silver lining in all this. If we get engaged or whatever during the school year he might just go easy on you if he knows we’re friends.”

 “Hmm yeah, maybe we’ll hold hands and throw each other picnics too while we’re at it!” You can practically hear his eye roll over the phone. “Speaking of prince charming, what are you gonna wear when they come?”

 Which brings you back to now.

 T-minus 30 minutes until the Todorokis make their appearance through your front door.

 As much as you tried to convince yourself otherwise, there was no mistaking the butterflies in your stomach. You had adorned a warm knee-length dress to match the snow outside yet still look cute, meticulously done your hair in an up-do with some strands framing your face and light makeup. Your goal wasn’t to impress anyone but rather show the best natural side of you so that if any part of you wasn’t satisfactory to what met the Todorokis’ eye, they could still back out.

 You stand in front of the mirror and tilt your head slightly, assessing yourself. You look straight at your reflection and practice your bow. After feeling confident in your preparation, you decide to send a quick picture of yourself to Tenko to get his opinion.

 6:40: Looks okay?

 Not even two minutes later as you’re lacing up your flats does his notification pop up on your screen, and you smile at his punctuality.

 Ten-ten: You look great.👍 Don’t freak out okay? It’s not like anyone’s opinion should matter, especially not Tou-yuck’s

 6:45: Ugh, you’re right. Idk why I feel like I’m gonna throw up

 6:46: Oh fuck I think I hear their car

 Wait oh my god it's a limo wtf??

 When your parents call you down to greet the guests, you toss your phone on the bed and hobble across the room to close your lights and door. You don’t see the three dots coming up and disappearing as Tenko Shimura deletes the message of ‘actually, you look beautiful’ after reading your answer.

 ***************

 You frantically straighten out your dress and wipe your sweaty palms on your knees as you stand behind your parents when they open the door.

 First comes in the big man himself, a towering build of brute force and a stoic aura surrounding his presence. His brows are furrowed, but he doesn’t look angry. Your father and Enji shake hands and clap each other on their backs as your family moves back to make space for the rest of the family to enter. A woman you assume to be Rei shakes off the snow from her shoes before stepping inside the threshold, and when you make eye contact and greet her she smiles demurely at you.

 It warms your heart, much to your chagrin.

 Then, all time seems to stop as you see his shadow step in before he does. Your heart skips a beat or two and the wind swirls around him, causing snowflakes to latch onto his figure and obscure his face for a moment. 

 But when he fully comes into view, it does nothing to calm your heart that seems to be slamming against your ribcage.

 The white snowflakes blend into his porcelain-colored hair, which sticks out in little tufts although you could’ve sworn he had black hair at school…?. Dark purple patches cover underneath his eyes and the lower half of his face, along with small staples that seem to hold the skin up. However, his eyes are what captivate you the most, a bright turquoise that scrutinizes you under the glare of fluorescent lights.

 You freeze like a deer in headlights, hesitating a fraction of a second before bowing hastily to make up for the pause. Touya scoffs slightly before barely tilting his head and averting his eyes to your mother, who is ushering the rest of the family inside to the living room. Natsuo, Fuyumi, and Shoto follow after their eldest brother, all of them bowing more respectfully than the first sibling and giving you small smiles and waves.

 You trail behind to close the door, wanting to stall as long as possible before the inevitable bonding. As you turn from shutting the dark mahogany, you catch your dad’s eyes as he turns as well and you blanch obviously- needless to say, he isn’t amused and sends you a warning glare. 

 Taking a deep breath in a poor attempt to still your nerves, you walk as gracefully as you can to the living room, one foot in front of the other. As expected, when you cross into the area all light conversation stops as you reach a seat in one of the white leather loveseats. You can acutely feel Rei and Enji’s eyes especially trained on you as they observe their future daughter-in-law and her mannerisms. Luckily, your parents have given you years of practice in public events on how to act like the perfect little lady.

 Poised, calm, and collected, you recall the main attributes your parents had always said elders look for.

 “Y/N, was it? I believe you and Touya go to the same school?” Rei speaks up after you settle comfortably, and you can’t help but notice that although their family is known for ice cold or burning hot quirks, her voice reminds you of a good medium between the two; it sounds like springtime, a transition itself.

 You fidget uncomfortably before answering. “Yes ma'am, I think so. I might have seen him around the halls, and we may have had classes once or twice…” but you trail off as Touya coughs loudly, and rudely. He turns his head to look away from you not-so-subtly and the room temperature rises a few degrees as Endeavor’s mustache begins to flame. He glares at his son, but Touya stubbornly stares at the floor with an obvious scowl on his face.

 Well fuck you, too, you think as your smile begins to strain.

 Desperately, Fuyumi tries to fill in the silence by asking a follow up question.

 “Um, Y/N, what are you studying? Touya’s trying to get officially licensed at school so he can skip internships and just head straight to dad’s agency after he graduates.”

 “Well, since I don’t have a quirk I’m not doing any of the training courses, but my parents have some networks in the Hero Commision. Ultimately I decided to go into Department of Management and General Studies-”

 “Wait, you don’t have a quirk?” Touya surprisingly bursts out, eyes bulging out of their sockets. His voice is deep and grating, as if he spent his early days being a chainsmoker.

 “No, I don’t.” You say without missing a beat, increasingly getting a good feel of what type of person your fiance is and his possible superiority complex. “But as I was saying, even though I wasn’t born with a quirk I know I can succeed after my parents in aiding the Hero Commission and the annual galas. If I get licensed after graduation, I can kind of follow the same path as you in terms of skipping all the internships and stuff and get straight to work. Y’know, helping out in the foundations of future heroes is just as important as being an actual hero,” You say proudly as you stare straight at Touya.

 Your parents and a majority of the Todorokis nod in agreement, and the only one who doesn’t seem to share the same values as you rolls his eyes and mumbles under his breath.

 After that nice little ice breaker and a couple of other meaningless conversations between the other siblings and you, your mother finally decides to call in for dinner.

 You breathe out a sigh of relief and stand, your dress riding up your thighs for a moment as you get up. Out of the corner of your eye you see Touya glance momentarily at your slightly exposed legs before sliding up your body and finally meeting your eyes. He catches you staring and gives you a knowing smirk. Your face lights on fire and you look around to make sure no one is watching before you flip him the bird.

 He actually laughs, and you grimace as the butterflies in your stomach come back to life and travel up your throat.

 Natsuo turns around curiously to see the source of his brother’s rare gravely laugh. When he sees you both emerging out of the room at the same time, he flashes you a lopsided grin, very much akin to his brother’s.

 You shake your head, trying to quell the rising smile on your face as you take a seat at the marble table. Everyone finds their own chair, and much to your surprise Touya takes one right across from you. Whether or not it's a coincidence, you don’t want to get your hopes up.

 Chatter resumes as both sets of parents talk about recent hero news and the missions funded by the headquarters. Shoto and Fuyumi ladle takoyaki and ramen into their bowls while Touya picks at the miniscule helping of the other assortments and kaiseki on his glass plate. You decide to wait until everyone has finished taking food until you start digging in just to be polite, a fact that Natsuo pipes up on.

 “You don’t have to wait for us to finish y’know, we’ll just end up keep waiting on each other out of guilt.” he says kindly.

 “Oh, no worries. I just wanted to make sure you guys took enough-” but you’re cut off for the second time that evening by the same person, and it takes every ounce of self restraint you have not to dump the ramen bowl on his white hair.

 “Yeah, I mean we already know you’re so uptight, no need to shove it in our faces,” Touya rumbles and Natsuo swats his arm as he glances at you apologetically.

 “Sorry about him, he’s got a warped sense of humor.”

 “It’s fine, I get it. Some people just think they’re better ‘cuz of unseen reasons,even with lame quirks,” you snipe and you hear Shoto subtly snort into his cup.

 Touya’s nostrils flare and his forearm erupts in light blue flames. Endeavor and your parents are staring at you both, and it's not just his flames that warms your face.

 But Fuyumi, along with her ice quirk, seems to know just how to cool everyone down again.

 “Y/N, have you ever helped your parents out in any of the HC events?” she takes your hand in hers, and even though you expect cold palms, all you feel radiating off of her is warmth. She seemed to be saying I’m sorry about him.

 So for the time being, you decid to grit your teeth and bear it. It’s not like your parents were even pretending to care about his shitty attitude either, so why should you give in any more?

 “Yes, I have actually. A couple of months ago my parents were the sponsors of the annual Hero Gala, and I was the one who sent out the invitations to all the heroes and ensured their attendance. I even got to invite Gran Torino!” You can’t help but say animatedly-no matter how juvenile your excitement is, being in contact with pro-heroes was always exhilarating and nerve-wrecking.

 Hench the massive pools of sweat gathering under your armpits.

 And finally the youngest speaks up.

 “So out of all the heroes you’ve talked to or helped, which one’s your favorite?”

 “Uhhh probably Midnight, she's just so badass...and I won’t lie, she's pretty hot too,” you blush and Natuso whoops at the flush in your cheeks. Fuyumi laughs and agrees wholeheartedly, and even Shoto lets out a small smile Touya continues to pick at his sashimi as if no one had spoken.

  You marveled at how at home the Todoroki siblings make you feel, even in your own house. They went well together, and fill in the gaps where the other lacked.

 Too bad the same couldn’t be said for the one you were destined to marry.

 Nevertheless, the rest of the evening went by without any more mishaps or interruptions, thankfully. You and Rei had a couple of conversations too, about school and winter and what you liked to do in your free time. Even Enji spared a minute, but it wasn’t so much of a conversation as it was just a gruff ‘I hear from your father that you’re doing well in school. I might hire you at my agency if you surpass the other students’, and a meek ‘yessir, I’ll try my hardest’ from you. 

 When it was time to leave, you hugged Fuyumi and shook Natuso and Shoto’s hands along with giving proper bows to Rei and Enji. Only Touya was left, and you’d be damned if you made the first move of civility towards him. You settled for a little bow, peering up at him through your lashes. He mimicked the same motion he did when he first entered, a pathetic little head tilt that you assumed to be the world's worst impersonation of a bow. 

 But his eyes never left yours, and you couldn’t decipher the unreadable emotion swirling in his blue orbs as he watched your figure bend and lift again. Whatever it was, it didn’t exactly scream proper from the way he allowed his gaze to drop to your chest and thighs not-so-subtly. You shot him a glare and he met you with a sneer before whirling around to bid farewell to your parents.

 When the door finally shuts, your parents let out a sigh of relief and turn to you.

 “Well, what did you think? Wasn’t their family darling? Oh and Touya was so easy on the eyes too, I don’t think you’ll have any problems getting along with each other,” Your mother babbles incessantly, completely oblivious to you gawking at her.

 Is she serious? He acted like a total douche to me all night!

 “I agree with your mother. He seems like a solid young man and I know for a fact he’ll make a great husband. Now, Enji gave me Touya’s number and I gave him yours, so you should expect a text from Touya soon. It’s just a formality to overcome, and in addition I want you to let him know we were glad to host him and his family.” Your dad raises his eyebrows expectantly, and you groan, slapping a hand to your face.

 “Okay sure, whatever.” Your dad pulls out his phone and you watch glumly as he texts the number to you.

 “I’ll text him later, ‘gotta talk to Ten first,” you mutter as you begin bounding up the stairs.

 “No Y/N, you’ll do it now. Otherwise, no talking to Tenko. You need to start putting your fiance first instead of any other man.”

 You grit your teeth to prevent screaming and make a show of spinning on your heel to face your dad. Smashing your thumbs against the screen, you tap out a curt ‘Hey, this is Y/N. I got your number from my dad, just wanted to say thanks for coming over tonight.’

 Oh yeah. Tenko better not have any plans tonight, ‘cuz boy is he gonna get an earful of this evening’s events.

 *********

 Ping

 Touya’s phone buzzes in his hand, and the screen lights up the dark interior of the limo. He squints at the notification, and after seeing your name he scoffs disbelievingly.

 “Is it her?” Fuyumi asks excitedly.

 “Jesus, keep your fucking voice down, are you trying to announce it to mom?” Touya hisses, and rolls his eyes at his sister’s pout.

 All his siblings start clamoring over their seatbelts and each other’s shoes as they try to grab his phone to read the message he received, and it's all Touya can do to curse and ward them off by waving an inflamed arm towards their outreached grubby hands (thankfully Fuyumi easily distinguished his flames with a flick of her wrist, with a rather annoyed look on her face).

 By the time the Todorokis reach their house it's late and everyone stumbles inside, eager for warmth and a good shower. 

 But not Touya. 

 As soon as the limo is parked he slips off the driveway and trudges off the stone path to his own destination, quickly shooting his friend a text.

 “Touya?” he hears his brother calling to him from the lit up path of the driveway. “You comin’ or what?”

 “No, I’ll be back in a bit. Just tell them I went to sleep early or something, and don’t let anyone in my room while I’m gone,” Touya mutters.

 Natsuo wrinkles his nose and stuffs his hands in his pockets, countering the defensive look the latter was giving.

 “...bring me back a cig?”

 “Hell no, go the fuck inside, its freezing out here.” Touya snickers, and both boys laugh before heading off in their own ways.

 It takes Touya approximately 15 minutes to slink in and out of the shadows to reach the abandoned bar that resides outside the main city. He kicks a broken beer bottle out of the entrance and checks in the dark for a lack of presence before reaching behind the bar counter and fishing around the platform for-

 Bingo

 He omits a tiny blue spark out of his index finger as he slides into a barstool and lights the cigarette. Taking a long drag of the substance, he tilts his head back and closes his eyes as he exhales the fumes into the empty darkness.

 “Goddamn, just ‘cuz you’re immune to fire doesn’t mean we all are Touya,” a suave voice emerges from behind the counter.

 Not so empty after all, then.

 A dim light switches on and Touya squints to locate the source of the familiar sound. Red fills his vision as his friend’s wings spread, and he zooms in on the roguishly handsome face belonging to Keigo Takami.

 AKA Hawks.

 The blond makes an obnoxious show of coughing and waving the smoke away, and Touya merely takes another long puff just to blow it into Keigo’s face again.

 “So, how’d it go?” He asks, using his wings to wave the offensive fumes away from his pretty face.

 Touya shrugs and folds his arms on the counter, letting his head nestle on the cool granite. He closes his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the onslaught of questions that was bound to come his way any minute.

 “Oh come on, don’t give me that bull, man. She can’t have been that bad right?”

“Her parents work for the HC. Maybe you should marry her instead,” Dabi shoots his friend a dark look and Keigo raises his hands in a guilty gesture. It was no secret that aside from their incognito vandalism and delinquency, the winged boy had plans to become a great hero at the heart of the HC itself.

 “Yeah well, regardless of who seals the deal, either way that’s another good, ah, network for me to know.” He snickers and Touya lazily thrusts a flaming hand at his head, which Keigo easily dodges.

 “This is serious man. I don’t wanna be some fucking homebody and raise a bunch of little shits along with having some bitch up my ass all the time.”

 “Is she hot at least?” Keigo presses, and Touya feels his eye twitch as his patience wears thinner by each word coming out of his mouth.

 “The fuck’s that got to do with any-? I mean, she was alright I guess, not too hard on the eyes…” he thinks for a moment before admitting, “she had sexy thighs, that's for sure. And an okay body overall.”

 Keigo whoops and claps Touya on the back, both of them grinning like madmen now.

 “That’s what I’m talking about, see now you’re getting the idea.”

 “And what’s that?” Touya turns to him fully now, intrigued as to how this could be for his benefit.

 “Look, you said she’s not too bad right? So that basically means you got full ownership of some hot chick, and you get to have full access to any records or information you want if she’s joined to the hip with some HC pawns.” The avian’s gold eyes flash and narrow as he thinks it over more.

 “This is a win win for you either way, and hey, if you make the missus your little bitch then maybe I get to reap some rewards too, huh?” He elbows Touya playfully.

 “Yeah...yeah that’s not a bad way of looking at it now that you mention it,” Keigo can practically see the gears turning in his friend’s head as he whips out his own phone.

 “What was her name again by the way? I just wanna see my dear sister-in-laws’ thighs myself,” He sneers as Touya quirks up the corners of his lip.

 “F/N? F/N L/N I think. God, she even texted me like, 10 minutes after we left. So fucking desperate,” Touya chuckles as he shows Keigo the message you sent.

 The blond’s wings ruffle behind him as he glances at Touya’s phone before thumbing through his own, checking each social media platform for any of your accounts. After a couple of seconds his eyes widen and he positively leers at the screen before shoving the device in the latter’s face.

 “Holy shit, I know this girl! Dude, you do too, we had like three classes with her before. I’m pretty sure she runs around with Rumi too. She’s uber smart, you had me thinking she’s some bimbo bitch, man. Oh, and she’s friends with Tenko by the way, just a lil’ heads up.”

 At the mention of the scrawny boy’s name, Touya snatches the phone from Keigo’s fingers and holds it mere inches away from his eyes so he could scan every part of you.

 “Tenko? Tenko Shimura? No fucking way, that guy’s a total tool. The hell is she doing hanging out with him?”

 “No idea, but I mean I’ve seen her hanging out with some other girls in the general department, so it’s not like she only knows him. Why, you’re not getting all protective and hubby-like on her already, right?” Keigo says slyly, thoroughly drinking in the way Touya’s eyes darken and his jaw clenches at such a blasphemic notion. It was so much fun to rile him up and not have to deal with the aftermath of his brash actions.

 “Fuck no. I just don’t want to be associated with a bitch who hangs around with pussies all day.”

 “Mm, yeah, I don’t think I could fuck with you either if he became some kind of sister-wife to you.”

 ********

Winter started to seep into spring, the transition being made evident by the arrival of cherry blossom trees blooming across the campus. New clothes were bought, markers and highlighters upgraded to reflect the new bright outside weather, and the students themselves were giddy to see each other after their winter break.

 You donned your white school uniform and fixed your tie in the mirror, opting to leave your hair down for the first day back.

 Ping

 Your phone’s screen lit up from the bed, and you grabbed it while slinging your bag over your shoulder.

 Ten-ten: I’m outside, bring me a bagel if you can. Dad was being an asshole so I skipped breakfast

 8:20: Gotcha, I’ll be out in 5

 Thundering downstairs, you absentmindedly noted your parents’ absence as usual, your pre-made breakfast on the table (courtesy of the MIA mother and father).

 Making a quick scan as to what you could quickly scarf down and what you could bring for Tenko, you decided to drink a glass of orange juice and bring a yogurt for yourself, as well as a large cinnamon bagel and a banana for him.

 Opening your front door always brought in the multicolored rays of the horizon that was one of your sole motivations of waking up early. You weren’t disappointed as you stepped onto your porch and breathed in the crisp morning air, the sakura leaves falling softly onto the ground. Pink and purple stripes fanned across the sky, the trees gently swaying with the breeze. At the end of your driveway stood your lanky best friend, his sickly green and grey skin standing out almost offensively against the beautiful morning scene. His long, spindly fingers raised up and wiggled slightly in a poor imitation of a wave as he saw you coming towards him. His school uniform looked a tad bit too big on his thin, frail bones that were scarcely covered by stretched out, scratched-beyond-belief skin. His indicolite hair fell across his face in scraggly waves, effectively covering his vermillion, beady eyes.

 You had never been so comforted by anyone else’s sight before.

 As you reached him, you tossed him the large bagel and he helped your overbearing food load by taking the banana stem from your teeth and holding it in his own large hands, one pinky outstretched.

 “You ready to go back?” You asked as you both began walking towards your school, which was a mere 15 minutes away from your house.

 “Hell no,” he scoffed before tearing a large chunk out of the bagel. “Mmfh, thanks for the bagel-”

 “-don’t talk with your mouth full-”

 “-but nah, I’m not ready for Vlad King’s excessive droning about HC paperwork. ``Stuff's a bore honestly, I wanna take more actual work studies time out.”

 “Oh yeah, you were saying earlier that your dad was gonna let you work with him at his business, right?”

 “Yeah he did. But, to be honest, I don’t really know what's worse- Vlad’s lectures or my dads’.”

 You swat his arm with a disapproving look as he laughs at your disdain.

 “Ten, he loves you okay?” You begin softly as you furrow your brows and look at the ground in contemplation. “He just...doesn’t know how to show you. He’s just scared you’ll end up like your grandm-”

 “Yeah okay, okay, I get it!” He yelps uncomfortably. Hearing any praise or defense for his father always put him in a tough spot since he didn’t want to accept the very hard fact that his dad did in fact love him-even if it was shown in weird ways.

 The two of you eventually reached the grand school, the front blue and golden themes coming into view as you rounded the corner and walked through the gates of the campus. 

 It was a nice sight to see everyone again; kids younger and older than you laughing and shoving friends around, students sitting on the school walls, and teachers lounging around the classes with the occasional “Get to class!”

 Tenko and you walk through the halls, navigating the way to your new classes and assessing each other’s schedules when you hear, “Hey, Y/N!”

 You turn and see some of your other friends, Rumi Mirko, Moe Kamiji, and Yu Takeyama approaching you with grins on their faces.

 Mirko waves her own peach colored schedule in her hand as she says, “Alright L/N, hand it over- I need to see which hunks you got in your classes.”

 You smirk before giving your own witty reply. “Apart from you? I think the bar’s been set too high, hun.”

 You playfully tug one of her ears and she squeals before chasing you in circles around your small group. Your jerky running causes Kamiji to bump into Tenko’s slender frame, and he lets out a little “oof!” before wincing and rubbing his sore arm.

 “Ohmygod, I’m so sorry Tenko!”

 “No worries, it’s cool.”

 “Hey, Tenko, I wanna see your schedule for a sec’,” Takeyama says slyly, fluttering her lashes at him before snatching his paper. “‘Gotta see if I got lucky this semester to finally have such a cutie like you in one of my classes,” She feigns a swoon at the poor boy, his face growing a violent shade of red as he commences his hemming and hawing. 

 “No she’s actually right though! I wanna see which classes I have to put in extra effort in not to fail if I’m ogling at this absolute sex god for the entirety of the period,” Mirko stops chasing you long enough to peer over Takeyama’s shoulder at his paper, and Tenko finally gives in his self restraint in a moment of vigorous neck-scratching relief.

 You shake your head in disbelief before absentmindedly pulling his hand away from his suffering neck, and Tenko doesn’t make a move to stop you.

 “Okay, enough already, leave this poor ‘sex god’ alone, your guys’s cleavage is gonna send him into cardiac arrest alone without the horny dialogue.” You say exasperatedly, and the victim himself flashes you a grateful look out of the corner of his eye.

 All three girls give you both nasty grins before making a fake show of ripping open each other's shirt buttons and feeling their sides up with lewd moans.

 Just to play along and to spare Tenko’s sputtering and massively sweating self the embarrassment, you cover his eyes with a hand and shoot the girls a dirty yet humorous look.

 “Alright then, miss high and mighty, were you lucky enough to have your homeroom with Cupid over here?” Mirko asks, Kamiji and Takeyama nodding eagerly behind her.

 “I was, actually. Did you get anyone worth the look?” You say, beaming at a very sweaty Tenko.

 “No,” She pouted, her large ears dropping visibly. “But I really wish I could’ve gotten…” and she trails off as her focus narrows on something behind her, her nose twitching in excitement as her face morphs into a sultry expression. You, along with everyone else, turn to see what captured Mirko’s attention.

 “Speak of the devil,” she mutters, nudging you and the other entranced girls.

 And there he is in all his glory. One of the school’s most notorious playboys, Hawks himself-he spots your little reunion, and saunters his way past the sea of kids who part their way to make room for his highness. His blond hair glows in the early morning light, reflecting the golden and brown streaks that embed themselves through his locks. His teeth gleam a blinding white as he smiles at Mirko, coming up behind her (to her utter satisfaction).

 But it's not Hawks that makes your heart pound.

 It's his black haired buddy that you became betrothed to not too long ago that makes the butterflies in your stomach come alive again.

 He has a bored, brooding look on his face as him and Hawks approach your group. His hands are in his pockets and his body language is so sluggish and lazy that you’d think he has a million other places to be at 8:45 in the morning. In fact, the only indication you get that he sees you is when his icy eyes flit over to yours or rather, your body, and he raises an unimpressed eyebrow.

 I wonder if his family knows he dyes his hair at school? Or, when does he actually have the time to do that?

You snap your focus away from him, saving yourself the embarrassment of gawking at him before looking at the spectacle Hawks and Mirko were proudly showing off.

 He circled his arms around her shoulders and neck, resting his head against her soft skin. She giggles and swats his other straying hand away from underneath her skirt while the rest of you roll your eyes in disgust as Mirko croons, “I didn’t hear back from you for a while, you had me worried for a moment there hot stuff.”

 Hawks’s velvety words cut through the air like butter, his voice dropping a few octaves when he chuckles into her neck.

 “Sorry about that babe, ‘was training pretty hard for some time, got distracted and all that. But you’re up for next weekend, yeah?”

 It’s enough to placate the eager bunny and make you and Tenko gag internally for the meantime. “Mmm, only if you call me tonight,” she nuzzles into his hair. It was no secret (evidently) that the two were fucking, his smooth voice and sauve personality miraculously calming the eccentric and bold girl down. You didn’t come in contact with Hawks a lot, but you did unfortunately hear about his stamina from your girlfriend and see the way he undressed other girls in the hallways solely with his eyes enough to know that he wasn’t someone you wanted to spend your heart and time on.

 Which is why you did a double take when you realized his honey colored orbs settled on you.

 “L/N, right? How’ve you been?” His lids were lowered, the corners of his lips pulled up.

 You stutter a moment before answering lamely, “Uh, I-I’ve been good, thanks.”

 But it seems like he was more than overjoyed with your response from the way his smile widened and he lifted his head from Rumi’s neck to see you more clearly.

 “Yeah? Make any new friends over the break? Maybe got yourself a little boyfriend?” Hawks turns his gaze ever so slightly to his left, and you follow his eyes as they also land on Touya.

 You swallow thickly as you feel heat crawl up your neck to your face, your palms feeling slick as you register his meaning.

 He knows.

 And Tenko knows it too, from the way he side-eyes you concernedly, but staying silent (probably for his own sake, which was valid). Your “boyfriend” snarls quietly at Hawks, his balled fists turning a bright blue as they begin to heat up, much to the instigator’s amusement.  Touya never makes eye contact with you throughout the whole exchange, though.

 “Whaaatttt?” Kamiiji, Mirko, and Takeyama squeal obnoxiously, evidently intrigued at the notion of you being involved with a mystery man. “No fucking way, who is it?”

 “Well-he- I mean, my parents kinda set us up…” You stammer mortified, caught between telling the truth or not. It was obvious Touya hadn’t told anyone apart from his closest friend, otherwise Rumi would have for sure found out through Hawks with Touya’s permission.

 You wish you didn’t feel your heart drop a little at the thought of Touya so obviously wanting to keep your relationship with him under wraps. Were you really so embarrassing to be associated with?

 But you’re saved from your internal battle when Tenko pipes up at his own expense.

 Thank god.

 “It doesn’t matter, it's not like they’re married or whatever-”

 Yet. At least it's part of the truth.

 “-come on Y/N, we should head to class,” Tenko looks at you meaningfully, and wanting to head out of the limelight before-

 “Ahh, Shimura! Almost didn’t notice you there, buddy. You’re so quiet, it's easy to forget you’re there, y’know?” Hawks says gleefully as he throws an arm around the anxious boy’s boney shoulders and flashes a knowing smile at Touya, who mirrors Hawks’ saccharin expression.

 Tenko refuses to rise to the backhanded comment, opting to nervously scratch his neck and you quickly pinch your fingers to avoid reaching out and pushing the ravaging hand away and nodding his head weakly. 

 Touya comes on his opposite side, also wrapping a patched arm around Tenko’s other side so that the poor victim is trapped between the two bloodthirsty boys. They start steering him away from the group, and you stand there, trying to decide to butt in or join the oblivious girls who start making their way to class, chattering amongst themselves.

 Your dad’s words come back to you.

 You need to start putting your fiance before other men, Y/N.

 Fine.

 This is going to be killing two birds with one stone anyways. You technically were going to be putting Touya first by letting him know what you did or didn’t like. The start of your rocky relationship had to have foundations on some form of do’s and don'ts for either of you, right?

 And so, taking a deep breath, you march a couple meters up to the three boys, hearing sickening phrases of “grease-stain”, and “worthless little piece of shit, since when did you talk to girls?”, gently take an empty space of your friend’s shoulder that isn’t preoccupied by either tan or patched arm, and pull him around so that he’s facing you.

 Unfortunately, you didn’t think to account for the other two who would no doubt keep an iron-grip on Tenko, so you’re left holding onto him while Touya and Hawks are staring disbelievingly and amused at you respectively.

 “Tenko and I have to go to class,” you say quietly yet firmly as you ignore the spindly boy’s gaping at your audacity. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call him a grease-stain, or anything otherwise offensive.”

 You continue, mustering the last of your bravery as you finally address your fiance, or whatever the hell he was to you at this moment.

 “Look, Touya, it’s obvious Hawks knows, and I told Tenko too. I won’t tell anyone else, though, if you’re not comfortable with it. But I want you to please start respecting my friends, and in return me as well if we’re gonna be engaged.” It’s so hard to maintain eye contact with him while his blown-wide, furious blue oceans are burning holes into your face.

 “You little bitch,” Touya starts on you to your utter dismay, but Hawks hold an arm out to prevent him from advancing on you any further. Even Tenko moves slightly in front of you to shield you from harm, a move that doesn’t go unnoticed, but rather, adds to Touya’s irate state.

 In fact, if he didn’t realize, or didn't want to acknowledge your kinsmanship with Tenko, he certainly had to now.

 Because not only does Tenko move in front of you, but the second Touya falters he takes the opportunity to propel you forward, covering almost 3 feet’s worth of a distance in one stride as he pushes you away from both men and down the hall, blindly following the signs to land the two of you in your designated homeroom. It all happens so suddenly with your surroundings flashing by you from Tenko’s sheer speed that you almost get whiplash as he continues to push you through the entrance of the class, and right into the first empty seat he sees towards the back of the room.

 He pants slightly for a minute, staring down at your seated form intensely before sitting in the empty seat right in front of you. As he pulls in the chair, you finally speak in a mix of frustration and gratitude.

 “Ten, I had it covered! You didn’t have to do that, Hawks had him too, it wasn’t like he was gonna-”

 “No, you don’t understand Y/N. They’re messed up in the head, they would do something fucked up, and the worst part is they wouldn’t even care if it was in the open. Hell, you’re his-”

 He whips his head around before whispering the rest to you.

 “-his fiance, and look how he reacted! He’s dangerous Y/N, you need to be more careful-”

 “Tenko, I’m not gonna be scared of the dude I’m engaged to,” you roll your eyes. “Okay sure, he’s a complete asshole to you and me, but he’s got too much to lose to actually do something real.”

 But the rattled boy wasn’t convinced as he shook his head at your naivety. It wouldn’t do to tell you about all the times they used their quirk on him, having years of training before he did, essentially rendering him useless to fight back or stand up for himself. He didn’t think you’d believe him if he told you that merely a week ago they got in contact with some friends involved with the Yakuza to beat him into a pulp on his way home from school, simply because it made them laugh, it made them happy. And he certainly didn’t want you to have any fights with your beloved fiance because of the way they would push him down onto the gravel behind school after quirk training sessions, use their feathers and fire to burn and rip his clothes apart, and heat up the bigger rocks on the ground until they were burning coals as vermillion feathers aided in throwing the small missiles at him. He would come home in burns, bruises, and cuts that were easy to excuse from the similar treatment he got from his father.

 That’s one of the only good things about his father, in hindsight. He built up Tenko’s immunity to these things, simply teaching him that these were the ways of life. You either eat, or get eaten.

 So no, it wouldn’t do well to tell Y/N any of these things.

 The bell rang, pulling you both from your back-and-forth arguing into a silent state along with the rest of the class. Your teacher, Vlad King, enters the room and almost fills up the doorway as he makes his way to the blackboard.

 “Good morning class. I hope you all had a relaxing winter break-but not too relaxing, as I expect you all should’ve reviewed last semester’s notes.” He looks pointedly around the room, the class filled with a mixture of scoffs, laughter, and groans.

 You and Tenko share an exhausted smile and simultaneously roll your eyes at your teacher’s academic reach.

 “But, there is one announcement I’d like to make before we start today’s lesson. Due to some parents feeling as though their kids aren’t receiving enough variety in terms of quirk training and the business side, along with the logistics of the hero world, me and a few other teachers have agreed to switching out some students after a period of time to experience the other classes, and the materials that go along with them.”

 “So, because of this change, we will be receiving some new students in our class today, as well as taking some out. But fear not! You will still have the same lunches as your friends and be able to see them in between classes.” He walks over to the door while talking, and you raise your eyebrows at Tenko. He shrugs as well, similarly clueless as to what your teacher meant.

 But you needn’t be confused any longer, because when he turns the door handle and opens the door, a slew of students trickled in.

 And much to your utter horror, Hawks and Touya saunter in as well.

 Your eyes widen and instinctively you slouch in your seat trying to make yourself unnoticeable and smaller. You see Tenko stiffen as well, the tips of his ears turning bright red.

 The scratching commences, too, and you quickly kick a leg out to meet the side of his chair to deter him from it.

 From the front of the classroom, all the students that were switching into your room are lined up, ready to introduce themselves.

 They all go, one by one, and as meaningless names float in and out of your attention, you risk a look at the two who had you practically shaking in your seat.

 You wished you hadn’t.

 Thing One and Thing Two were looking straight at you, your slouching proving to be unfruitful. Thing One was smugly looking at you, taking his sweet time for his eyes to note your hair, clothes, demeanor, and lingering in some places that were less than appropriate. Thing Two was glaring at you, gaze narrowed as his hands were stuffed in his pockets and by no doubt did you think he had taken your words from earlier with appreciation.

 It was too early. You didn’t want to hear what they had to say about your little speech so soon, especially when you saw how Touya took your words as an insult rather than an attempt to understand you and improve your relationship with him.

 Finally, it was their turn to introduce themselves to the class.

 “Hey, guys. You can just call me Hawks, no need for formalities,” the blond shrugs casually, seeing Vald King’s unimpressed expression and giving him a charming smile. You hear a couple of girls fake screaming his name as he introduces himself, and Hawks flashes a round of winks and finger guns at his fangirls, much to your disgust.

 “The name’s Dabi,” and your attention is turned to him once again. His voice is gruff, yet clear, and as charming of an aura Hawks gave off with the noises of various swoons, your fiance’s introduction prompts nothing but a deadly silent classroom, the occasional paper-turning and small murmurs echoing throughout the room.

 Tenko turns slightly in his seat to you and gives you another meaningful look. You both knew what each other were thinking.

 That’s right, he goes by the name Dabi here. I shouldn’t risk calling him by his real name around others, he might get upset at the informality.

 The rest of the students chime in with their names, and finally your teacher claps his hands, gathering your attention back to him.

 “Alright everyone, now that you all know the new students, say goodbye to your transitioning classmates and wish them luck in their new classes. Hajime, Setsuna, Tenko, and Kai, please pack your belongings and report to class 3-A.”

 You whip your head around in horror at Tenko who has gone stock still. The boy behind you, Setsuna, starts packing his things and grumbling under his breath. Tenko slowly begins to put his binders and pencils in his bag, not having the courage to look at your helpless expression.

 You feel like you were being thrown to the dogs, a piece of meat ready to be torn apart and ripped to shreds.

 Vlad King notices Tenko’s dawdling, and barks out “Hurry it up Shimura, we don’t have all day and these students need seats!”

 At this, both Hawks and Dabi’s heads turn to the both of you, and if they hadn’t noticed the disposition of you both, they damn well did now. You see Dabi’s eyes trail to something behind you and the corners of his mouth quirk up a bit.

 Setsuna gets up from his seat behind yours, and passes to the front of the class along with the rest of the stragglers.

 Oh, fuck. Please don’t let them sit here, please please ple-

 But it seems that you had previous karma to atone for, because the moment you start praying, both boys start making their way towards you. You shrink even lower in your seat, wishing desperately that you had brought a hoodie to wear to at least cover your face from this torture.

 It was only when Tenko finally packed his things and stood up at the side of his seat in front of you that Dabi and Hawks stopped stalking towards the seats that sandwiched you. He blocks their path and predatory looks, giving you a second’s reprieve of sheer panic. There is a tense moment where Dabi stands directly in front of Tenko, sizing him up and looking him down. You vaguely hear Ten murmur something to him, and Dabi lets out a loud scoff, elbowing the thin boy out of his way.

 You half rise out of your seat, naturally wanting to intervene as Tenko winces and grips his wounded side, but he quickly looks over his shoulder and shakes his head minutely, as if warning you to stay put. In the midst of you standing up however, Dabi moves forward, leaving you face to face with him.

 For the second time that day, you were in very close proximity to him, much to your discomfort. His blue eyes scorch your soul, much like the small blue flames emitting from the sides of his forearms. He narrows his gaze at you and stares at you until you relent and slowly sit back down. You can feel his eyes still on your form as he halfway circles around you and sits in the empty seat behind you. Hawks watches all of this in great amusement, and winks at you as he usurps Tenko’s seat in front of you.

 That’s just fucking great.

 Your fate is sealed as you look at the front of the room and watch Tenko give you a worried look as he’s ushered outside in the wave of kids exiting the room. The door slams shut as Vlad King closes it behind him, and the class is noticeably quieter as the lesson starts, some boring shit about submitting paperwork on time in an office setting and how to deal with setbacks.

 You try to focus as much as you can, but it's hard to ignore the way the back of your desk leg is being repeatedly slammed against any time Vlad King raises his voice, so the sound is muted to everyone but you. You grit your teeth and grip your pencil harder, almost breaking the lead when almost two minutes later you smell singed hair.

 And singed hair it was, all yours in fact as you frantically gather your hair in your hands and see burnt stands breaking off in your trembling fingers. In complete fury now, you whip around and harshly whisper, “Can you please stop-”

 “You got some fuckin’ nerve, you know that? Hangin’ out with that freak, and then defending him-especially in front of me. As if that’s not bad enough, you got the balls to ignore me when you owe me an apology.”

 You gape at him and even let out a little disbelieving laugh at his words. He said you had some nerve when he’s the one asking for an apology? 

 “Apologize for what, exactly? Stopping you from harassing Tenko and calling him offensive names?”

 His eyes widen mockingly, his eyebrows raised as the staples around his mouth tremble in his effort to not burst out laughing at your indignation.

 “I’m not harassing him. He should be glad we’re even approaching him, we’re like the closest things to friends he has. Why do you think he only hangs with you? It’s ‘cause you're the only braindead idiot in this school who doesn’t realize what a creep he is. And as for the ‘offensive names’, it can’t be offensive if it's true. He is a f-”

 Your ears start ringing as you feel like he’s pushing you past your breaking point. You can’t bear to hear any more slander against one of your closest friends, but as you try to whip around to face the front Dabi quickly catches onto one of your wrists, preventing you from turning away from him any more. His staples holding his scarred sin together dig into your flesh, and you quietly whimper in pain as you try to wrench your hand free.

 He simply tightens his grip and jerks you forward, causing you to practically fall out of your seat as he leans in close.

 “Don’t try to move away from me, Y/N. You were practically thrown at me, and that means you’ll do whatever the fuck I want, when I want.”

 You look up at him with glassy eyes, hair messily covering your face from the rough treatment. He looks almost thoughtful, the closest thing to a soft emotion you’ve seen from him yet as he brushes the hair from out of your face and behind your ear. 

 “And right now, your fiance wants you to stop hanging out with Shimura. Permanently.”

 **********

It’s less of a school bell and more like a trumpet from heaven when the indication of the class ending rings throughout the school. You had already packed your bag almost 10 minutes before the bell rang, not wanting to waste a second of the opportunity to make a mad dash away from Dabi.

 But you needn’t worry, because while you were practically sprinting down the halls looking for Tenko’s class, Dabi and Hawks were leisurely taking their sweet time packing up their bags, which were a little too light for anything deemed studious.

 Hawks chuckles after your form stumbled out of the classroom. “What’s gotten into her? Scared her off already?”

 “Something like that,” Dabi scoffs humourlessly. “ I just told her to stop fuckin’ around with Shimura.”

 “Man, and here I thought we were gonna take it easy on her for her first day.” Hawks tuts, shaking his head mockingly so that his blond locks fall handsomely around his face. “You’re breaking her in like a dog, Dabi.”

 But Dabi could care less about the timing of your inevitable breaking. He shoulders his bag and runs a hand through his hair, careful enough not to dislodge the black dye.

 They both walk out of the room to the next class, Hawks sending random girls an appreciative  up-down look that lead to eruptions of teasing giggles along the halls. “Regardless of how or when I break her-which, by the way, is gonna happen hard ‘cause there’s no fuckin’ way I’m putting up with her bitchy attitude-I’m not gonna let that walking mistake hang out with her anymore. He’s dead weight to anyone, and it’s so embarrassing to see how big of a boner he gets when she looks at him.”

 “That's the spirit,” Hawks clapped him on the back, steering him around the corner to their next class.

 “By the way man, you know we have lunch with her too, right?”

 **********

“And then he burned my hair!” You cry indignantly, folding your arms and leaning against the wall next to Tenko who was waiting in line for mediocre cafeteria food.

 “See? I told you, he’s dangerous. Him and Hawks both have a messed up sense of humor, and they have no shame in it either. You need to be more careful around them Y/N, don’t piss Dabi off especially, please.” He murmurs, looking at you through his bluish white bangs. You pick up a banana and plop it onto his green tray, causing him to whine about ‘NPC’s poisoning the crappy facility food’. Whatever that meant.

 “It’s healthy, you need it,” you shoot him a disapproving glare and pointedly lift one of his free spindly arms, gesturing to the lack of meat on his skin.

 “Okay mom,” he sneers as you pluck a Twinkie from his tray and transfer it to yours with an innocent smile as you do so.

 You both reach the end of the line and you wait as Tenko checks out. Looking around, it seems like the cafeteria is filled, so you elect to eat outside on one of the benches.

 “But, anyways,” you continue your conversation from earlier, “is that how they always are? How do you deal with it?”

 “Well, usually if you try to stay out of their way and just do as they do, both of ‘em will leave you alone.” He says uncomfortably, opening the courtyard doors for you with nine fingers as you quickly hold his tray to minimize the effort.

 “I usually try to think of them as the boss battle. If you avoid them, you’ll have a peaceful day. But if you try picking a fight with them, then you’ll take massive damage.” He shudders as flashbacks of burning rocks pelting his skin and ripped clothes enter his vision.

You scan the area looking for a quiet place to sit among the pink ground littered with cherry blossom petals, and find relief when you see Rumi, Takeyama and Kamiji scattered around a bench on the farthest side of the building. You call out for them and all three of them simultaneously turn and wave excitedly at you to come over.

 The grass feels lush and soft under your feet as the sakura petals swirl around you both as you cross the school grounds. You got lucky eating outside with this weather, and you internally want to make it a habit to come outside if the skies stay clear and blue like today’s.

 “Hey you two! Lucky you both are in our lunches too, huh?” Rumi smiles wide as Takeyama tosses you a cherry Ramune. Kamiji scooches over on top of the wooden table to make room for you to sit as Tenko takes a place on the seat itself.

 “Yeah, we didn’t have you all last year so I’m glad your schedules coincide with ours. How was class?” You press down on the little ball at the top of your Ramune lid and watch as it drops and fizzles in the substance. Tenko eyes it with interest, so you pass it his way and watch amusedly as he snaps open the top and practically chugs the whole thing in one go, precariously holding a finger out while he does so.

 “Ugh, don’t get me started. Midnight’s tits were bouncing in my face the whole time, I couldn’t keep my eyes on my paper.” Takeyama swats Rumi’s white ears as Kamiji bursts out laughing.

 “God, you’re so vile. But I can’t lie, she definitely improved her fit from last year.” Yuu says with a snort.

 “She’s such a badass, I’d totally ask her hand in marriage if I wasn’t getting saddled with-” But you freeze mid-sentence, face heating up as you catch your mistake.

 Tenko chokes on the drink, the girls squealing in disgust as Ramune spews out of his nostrils. You stammer, trying to cover up your tracks but there’s no need to as the focal point of the conversation turns to something behind you.

 “Oh my god, what are they doing here?” Kamiji whispers in awe.

 You whip your head around, and for the third time that day, your heart sinks to your ass.

 **********

 “Where is she, anyways? I don’t see her in here,” Dabi tries to ask disinterestedly as he casually sweeps his eyes around the crowded hall.

 “Ahhh, the pining begins, I see. Don’t worry, Rumi has the same lunch with us, so my best guess is she’s with her.” Hawks chomps on a piece of chicken, somehow managing not to spill any teriyaki sauce on his jacket.

 “Shut up birdbrain, I’m not pining. I just wanna make sure she’s not embarrassing me any more than she already has,” Dabi drones, cuffing the blond upside his head.

 “Question: how is she embarrassing you if no one knows you two are engaged?” His red wings flutter with glee as he catches Dabi giving him a dark look, opting not to answer.

 “You’re not answering my ques-tion”, Hawks sings, thoroughly basking in the catching Dabi’s ulterior motives.

 “And I’m not gonna answer either. Just tell me where she sits, idiot.” Dabi snaps, getting antsier by the second. 

 “Alright, alright, cool your head, matchstick. Rumi usually sits outside, so let’s check there. But hurry up ‘cause I’m hungry” Hawks whines as they make their way to the outside doors.

 They too are greeted with the same colors of pink sakura and bright well-kept grass, along with clear blue skies. But all Dabi sees is red when his gaze finally looks around and sees you with your friends...including Tenko Shimura.

 Hawks sees you too, and whistles as he glances back at Dabi’s face. If looks could kill, you’d be a burning pile of ash right now.

 “I swear to fucking god, I’m gonna kill them both.” Dabi growls as he begins to stalk towards your group. And of course, his friend joins in too, if not to just watch the episode that will unfold, but rather to actually prevent Dabi from causing any lasting damage...at least, on school property, that is.

 At the sound of your animated laughter and voice, the inky black mess of hair snaps up.

 He doesn’t like the way his heart clenches when the sight of you registers.

 Your laugh is a mix of soft giggles that crescendos into crazed wheezes that are accompanied by breathless snorts.

 It sounds so fucking ugly and obnoxious.

 He wants to hear more of it.

 Your hands wave around wildly as you animate your story with various gestures, sometimes throwing your arms out in the air and then bringing them close together to emphasize something else.

 Who the hell uses hand gestures?

 What do your hands feel like? Are they soft, or rough? Are they bigger or smaller than his? 

 What would they feel like if they caressed his skin? If they slapped him?

 Dabi is 20 feet away, and you still haven’t noticed him stalking towards you yet.

 Your head is thrown back now, hair shaking as you screech with laughter, your face scrunched up in laughter.

 He should’ve burned the rest of your hair, too.

 What would the material feel like through his fingers if he yanked the strands? If he caressed them slowly, in the dark?

 Why the fuck am I thinking about that?

 Your laughter has stopped now, the air eerily quiet. Dabi makes straight eye contact with you as he sees you've finally noticed him, as he watches Rumi whisper something to the group.

 He sees Tenko look panic-stricken, fumbling around his lunch to pack up and no doubt get the hell out of there.

 But not you, though.

 You just stare at him like he’s a wild animal, like you don’t know why he’s coming towards you so fast and with such purpose.

 He’s glad your eyes are on him. Property should know who it’s attention should be on, and who to cater to.

 He just wishes your eyes weren’t filled with so much fear. It’s making his heart squeeze and it feels weird. He doesn’t like it.

 “Hey Rumi. Yuu, Moe, how are you ladies doing?” He hears Hawk’s smooth voice flow into the air and join in with the falling of the soft tree petals as well.

 “Hey Hawks,” they drawl, no doubt excited to be blessed with his presence.

 Only you and Tenko stay quiet, the latter looking uncomfortably at his feet while you simply stare at Dabi.

 “I see you ladies are all enjoying the weather tod-”

 “-What the fuck are you doing here?” Dabi rudely interrupts the would-be smooth transition into conversation, but at the moment he doesn't care. He wants to know why the hell you so obviously ignored what he said earlier, and where the fuck you found the balls to blatanlty piss him off.

 But you stay silent, and stare at him further, eyes widening marginally like a deer in headlights.

 His heavy presence brings the feeling of death, the onslaught of dread, and it invades the group’s senses like the plague. His flashing arctic eyes scream murder, his balled hands reflect nothing but danger, and his set-mouth indicates that anything that comes out of it will end in vicious tears and a broken body.

 It contrasts so weirdly with his counterpart, who has a kilowatt smile that stretches from one ear to the other, his teeth gleaming so blindingly similar to the sun that it was another reason you couldn’t keep eye contact with him for too long. His hands were stuffed in his jacket pockets, showing no sign of lashing out and causing strife. The yellow sky rays bounced off his back, making him glow with heavenly golden light like an angel, and his eyes....oh lord, his honey colored hues swam with mischief; untold secrets ladeled into his ears in the dead of the night when he would lie side to side with multiple women of all shapes, colors, and sizes.

 But either way, regardless of the mismatched auras of the two, they both brought chaos and hell in their own ways, subtle or not.

 “Uhhh, ladies, why don’t I treat you to some of the school’s finest soba?” Hawks chuckles and scratches the back of his head before offering a hand to Rumi. “It seems like Dabi here needs to have a conversation with Y/N in private.”

 Rumi takes his hand and offers her own to Kamiji and Takeyama, who all pull each other up and look at you curiously. They’re smart enough not to ask openly, though. No sense in making things more awkward than they already are.

 Tenko tries to subtly get up as well, but is stopped when Dabi snarls, “You stay there. You and I are gonna have a conversation as well, fucktard.” He looks directly at you as he hurls the insult at the gangly boy, who flinches as if the words were knives.

You nap out of your horrified reverie.

 “Uhhh, well, we’ll see you around, I guess.” Kamiji calls from over her shoulder at you, her face sympathetic as Hawks’s arm circles around her shoulders and pulls her closer, whispering something in her ear that makes her blush.

 “Tenko, you can leave. Whatever patchwork here has to say has nothing to do with you. It’s between us, as my fiance.” You deadpan and return his ice-cold stare.

 The poor boy looks between his tormentor and saviour, conflicted as to what he should do. While Dabi’s arms and legs are starting to alight, you remain calm as ever perched on the table as if the petals littered on the ground weren’t silently catching fire.

 “If you get off the ground, I promise you won’t leave here with all your limbs intact.” The flame user says lowly, his voice catching on the gravely rasp of his threatening words.

 “Tenko. Please leave.” You say with finality, crossing your arms.

 A tense moment passes between all three of you, Tenko sweating bullets. He slowly starts to build his limbs up to a stand, his height matching Dabi’s yet somehow still cowering over the striking look he was receiving from him. He hesitates for a moment before sticking a cautious leg out towards where the other four departed people went, as if he were testing the waters.

 Dabi copies you and merely stares him down.

 His expression is unreadable as Tenko moves another leg out, and another as his body starts functioning properly and jerkily walks away from the two of you. Miraculously, Dabi is letting him, not seeming too keen on fulfilling his past promise of detaching his anatomy in favor of getting to you now.

 And then there was one. 

 You both look away from Tenko’s disappearing figure and finally at each other. 

 You still don’t say anything.

 He starts slowly circling around the table towards you, keeping his malicious eyes on you and your body the whole time. But regardless of the feeling of dread that courses through your veins as he draws nearer, you refuse to kowtow to this overgrown-spoiled-rotten eldest child. He was just another man, another blob of superior prejudice that was in your way of being happy in your career and in your life in general.

 One more step and he’s finally in your face now, a mere foott away from your sitting form. Your eye level is with his chest as he stands before you, tilting his head as his eyes rake your figure up and down. Your skin crawls and you look away, not wanting to react to his offensive gaze when he suddenly lurches forward. You can’t help as your indifferent demeanor cracks as you flinch when both his hands settle on your knees.

 He leans down, a few inches away from you when he speaks.

 “Are you deaf as well as stupid, you quirkless cunt?” He breathes into your face. His hands warm up ever so slightly on your knees, and you can’t help but think with a flash of paranoia how easily and quietly he burned your precious hair not even two hours ago. 

 You try to placate him by talking calmly, a brutal contrast in the way your heart was pounding in your tightening chest.

 “I don’t know what you mean, Touya. If you’re upset about something, we can talk about it without you trying to intimidate me.” Placing your hands on his atop your knees, you gently attempt to move him off but only succeed in him gripping you tighter. He wrenches your knees apart and you gasp as he slides himself in between your legs.

 “Oh, you know exactly what I mean. Don’t play coy with me, I told you clearly not to hang around with that greasy freak. Or do I need to give you a permanent reminder, huh?”

 He grasps your chin and shakes your head roughly as he presses himself further into you, hips gently rocking back and forth into the confines of your skirt.

 It’s hard to keep up a calm facade when his clothed erection is feeling up the outline of your panties.

 You release a frustrated cry and try to buck him off of you, but that only ends up pushing even further against him, much to your displeasure.

 “Fucking let go! Let go of me you disgusting asshole!” Punching and kicking does absolutely nothing to deter him, he only laughs at your pathetic defense as he grabs a stray hand in its mission to slap him square across the face and slams it down behind you on the table. He fails to stop the other hand though, as it ducks from underneath his chin and gives him a mean uppercut.

 He takes it maddeningly gracefully, though, as he finally catches the offensive hand and also smashes it down on the wood, emitting a pained wail from you.

 Both of you pant for a couple of seconds, tears of pain and anger threatening to spill over your lashes and reflex tears in his amused ones.

 “Do I have your attention now? Or do you want me to bruise your legs too?” He slides closer to your ear and his hot breath tickles your lobe as he whispers darkly, “I got a couple ideas in mind on how I can do that.”

 Your eyes widen and you try to jerk violently out of his hold. The patched hands holding onto your wrists heat up significantly, and you wail as your skin simmers and bubbles.

 “Please stop, Touya. It hurts,” you sob as he moves back to your face again, his body hovering your overs as he leans in further and hips stilling in their perverse movements, only pressing against your clothed mound at a stand-still now.

 “You didn’t answer me. Why the fuck,” his cooled palms flared back to life again and you painstakingly stifle a whimper, “are you hanging out with Shimura again?”

 “I-I was just having lunch with him! It wasn’t like we were meeting up outside of school or anything,” you plead with him, completely abandoning your passive facade. At the end of the day, you were quirkless and he wasn’t. Which meant you weren’t stupid or cowardly, but you were just human- you didn’t want to piss him off further by givng shitty answers and then getting burned.

 You try shifting to evade the not-so-subtle bulge in his pants but he holds you steadfast. He leers at you, and you turn your head to avoid the manic expression on his face. It was just your bad luck that no one else was around, the rest of the students and teachers heading back inside for their next class.

 “Aww what, you’ll take Skin ‘n’ Bones’ dick, but you can’t handle a little teasing from mine? Do I scare you that bad, princess?”

 Your bottom lip quivers as you bear his filthy words, your seared hands shaking in pathetic attempts to quiet any pained noise.

 He moves his head in such a way that his tilted frame comes a few millimeters away from your trembling smooth lips, and you look up at him with scrunched eyebrows in a plea for mercy.

 “Or, has little miss perfect never had a cock before? Never taken a thick, pierced dick up her tight little virgin pussy?” He groans as he rubs his erection up and down your mound, your skirt shifted in the tussle in such a way that it offers him a snatch of open skin that he takes with relish.

 You gasp and bite your lip and he thrusts gently into you, looking at your fearful face for the truth.

 “Stop-stop being gross Touya. I haven’t done anything like that with him, not that you should care who I fuck with. And for the record, like I said before, I was just having lunch with my friends, not having a goddamn date with any of them, including Tenko. And I don’t know who you think you are telling me who I can or can’t hang out with,” you try to sneer as you finally wrench a hand away from his grip and manage to push him back some with a shaky arm against his toned shoulder.

 “We’re not married yet, and Tenko has never done anything perverted or twisted like you that I would have to stay away from him. In fact, if he were my fiance then he’d act like a real one, tenfold than you ever could.”

 You don’t realize how big of a mistake you made when Dabi stills his pressing hips and releases your other wrist, which you snatch in your other hand and cradle the bright red flesh.

 He backs away a step or two, to your utter astonishment. He looks at you blankly and cocks his head at your unsure self. You have no idea what you said that could have caused such a change in demeanor, weren’t you just dishing back at him what he was giving you?

 “You really think he’s that great, huh? Honestly, I shouldn’t even be surprised you do, a quirkless uptight bitch like you goes perfectly with that waste of space.”

 “He’s not-” you begin to argue but are cut off when he spins on the heel of his black combat boot and starts walking away from you, only to call out over his shoulder, “If that’s the case sweetheart, I can’t wait for you to see how great and perfect he looks when his skin is burnt to a crisp and his body’s nothing more than ash and soot.”

 The blood drains from your face as you realize what you’ve done. You’ve made the target on Tenko’s back even bigger by trying to defend him. There’s no doubt now that if he was trying to evade Dabi and Hawks’ brutal treatment, they’d never let him breathe in peace now.

 You’d lose your best friend, and he’d never forgive you.

 Pride be damned.

 “Wait!” you cry out as you stumble off shaking legs and chase after him. His arms are thrown behind his back in an easy stretch, the movement making his stapled and scarred limbs seem even more menacing than ever before. 

 “Touya, please, don’t hurt him, he didn’t do anything to you!”

 But he clicks his tongue and continues to stroll past you in the same direction your group had fled mere minutes before.

 “Too late dollface, I can’t have my little fiance bitch thinking some fuckwad is better than me, can I?” He pouts and gives you an innocent mocking smile, knowing you were breaking slowly at each word that came out of his mouth.

 “You should be glad I’m giving him any sort of attention anyways, like I said before he’s a nobody-he never uses his quirk anyways, he might as well be called a quirkless little fuck just like you! Hah! No wonder you two get along so well!”

 Tripping over your own feet, you try to keep up with his long strides and sway his mission to either kill Tenko or make his life even more hell than it was before.

 “No, no! That’s not true, please, Touya, he’s already so miserable, please leave him alone, I’ll do anything!” You practically shriek as you both finally reach the school doors and his hand grasps the handle.

 But he stops. Miraculously, he holds the door handle without turning it, and looks demeaningly at you.

 You try hard not to shrink back too much when he leans to your eye level, his hands on his knees as he says sickeningly sweetly, “Anything? You’ll do anything to save that sorry excuse of a bastard? Anything to make me not burn his ass down to hell?”

 It's hard to mask the loud gulp you make, and his grin stretches so wide his staples along the corners of his mouth move along as well.

 “Y-yes, anything. Please just stop hurting with him or messing with him at all. He’s not the one who pissed you off, I am.” You admit your defeat and hang your head low, peeking up at him between your lashes to judge his reaction.

 His cerulean eyes scrutinize you, his nose lifted in the air as he mockingly taps his chin in fake thought.

 “Hmm...well, I suppose you could start by not eating lunch with him in the first place. I don’t know how you stomach anything anyways, he reeks of a decaying body.” He smirks, but you dig your nails into your palms so as to not rise to the bait.

 Anything.

 You need to start putting your fiance before other men, Y/N.

 After a moment of silence that ensured you really weren’t going to lash out at him, he continues, this time stepping forward until he has you backed up into the adjacent brick wall in the little hidden alley besides the doors.

 “And,” his saccharine words penetrate your dizzy head as his arm stretches out towards you, and for the third time that day you were essentially pinned verbally and physically as his hand toys with the hem of your collar, “from now on you’ll be eating with me and Hawks too if he’s around. You’re also gonna stop being such a teasing little prude and let me touch any part of you without backing away or saying any bitchy comments. It’s your duty as a good little wife anyways, right Y/N?” 

 You squeeze your eyes shut as you feel one hand make its way to circle around your neck in a snug noose and the other slip up your shirt, fingers punctuated with cold little stitches spreading across the expanse of your stomach, causing goosebumps to erupt across your skin.

 “Come on,” He whispers in his gravelly voice, leaning into the crook of your neck, “where’s that little attitude now, huh?”

 For Tenko. This is all only for Tenko.

 “Okay Touya. I’ll do it. Just...please, please give him a break.” You muster up the last of your courage to face him, and you finally feel a single tear treacherously escape the confines of your eye and slide down your face. You feel humiliated, having put up such false pretenses of being cool, calm and collected when he first approached you and now...now you were an emotional mess. In just a few sentences and unwanted physical contact, he had you right where he wanted.

 And the worst part was, you both knew you couldn’t even tell anyone. If you told Tenko, he’d immediately reprimand you and try to brave it by hanging out with you just so you didn’t have to endure the plight he himself was always in. You couldn’t confide in any of your girlfriends, no doubt Hawks would somehow spin it with his honeyed words to make you seem like the crazy, overreacting one. Your parents were a no-go either, having been telling you from the start that they weren’t to hear any criticism of their perfect, levelheaded future son-in-law.

 You wonder how your parents would feel about their dear son-in-law licking the tears off your flushed cheeks with a condescending chuckle.

 “Oh come on doll, having lunch with me isn’t so bad now, is it?” He cooes at you with faux sympathy. He does nothing to hide the twitching muscle in his jaw that prevents him from bursting out laughing when you furiously brush the tears and his saliva off your face.

 No, I don’t want to have lunch with you, you sick freak. I want to see my friends and not feel my heart pounding up my throat when I’m with you.

 “No, it’s not bad,” you whisper dejectedly, hanging your head and waiting for his next move.

 “Attagirl,” he says lowly, one finger ghosting over the waistband of your pants before retreating out of your shirt and to his side. The other hand wrapped around your neck squeezes once, relishing in your panicked gasp and frantic scrabbling at the back of his hand before also coming down.

 He finally deems your disheveled state a good enough reason to stop tormenting you, and he backs away with a little smile on his face that does nothing to calm your nerves.

 Turning the corner and opening the doors, he doesn’t look at your pathetic shaking body sliding down the wall when he says, “I’d get to class if I were you. Wouldn’t want to get in trouble for hanging out with people you shouldn't be with in the first place.

 Something tells you he’s not referring to himself as the doors bang shut.

 **************

 8 New Messages

 Rumi: Hey girl, you okay? Dabi seemed kinda off, I wanted to ask you what happened but I figured you two needed space and Hawks said not to bother you abt it:/ Did you guys get into a fight?

 Yuu: Ummm since when did you and Dabi talk? And since when did he get mad at you? Text back ASAP!!!

 Moe: If you’re still alive, you def owe us an explanation, hello? What did that absolute hunk want from you? I didn’t even know you two knew each other!

 Ten-ten: Y/N please text me back as soon as possible

 Ten-ten: Are you okay? Did he hurt you?

 Ten-ten: What did he even want from you?

 Ten-ten: If you’re mad that I left, I’m so sorry, I just thought me being there wouldn’t be much help to you

 Ten-ten: Please tell me you’re okay

 2:10: I’m fine, just walk around the back and meet me by the gate when the bell rings. Keep your head down, too.

 **********

 Dabi doesn’t feel any shame jerking off in the bathroom.

 Hawks doesn’t feel embarrassed either, listening through Dabi’s grunts and shaky breaths as he recounts the entirety of what happened between you and him after the group left, babes hanging off Hawks’ arms.

“So, what, you two just boned and you told Shimura to piss off? That’s what got your dick hard as a diamond?” Hawks chuckles, folding his arms and leaning against the white tile wall.

 “Yeah,” Dabi grunts as his hand works vigorously up his shaft, his piercings clinking harmoniously at his ministrations, “But fuck, man, she felt so soft and hot down there. Her stomach was so smooth too, I couldn't keep my hands to mys-ahh-self.” He groans as he climaxes, watching his precious seed erupt and drop into the toilet below him. What a waste.

 He wishes it went into your mouth instead.

 “Her stomach?” Hawks’s avian eyes practically bulge out of his head as he roars with laughter, dodging weak blue flames aimed straight at his hair. “God, you sound like a virgin, man. Who the fuck gets turned on by a stomach?”

 “Shut the hell up you overgrown chicken. I don’t fucking know, okay? She just- argh, I don’t know, when I saw her from a distance I didn’t really think much of her but when I got all close up with her I felt like I was going crazy. I mean, my body started heating up more than normal and I just wanted to touch her.”

 The blond was quiet, continuing to listen to his friend’s rant as Dabi washed his hands and inspected his spiky hair in the dirty mirror.

 “And her attitude? My god, hearing every bitchy word come out of her mouth was worth the look on her face when I held her down. Priceless,” he chuckles, shaking his head as he begins tightening a loose stitch under his eyebag.

 “She smelled pretty fuckin’ good too, maybe thats what got me going in the first place. I just wanted to be closer to her, regardless of how she saw me. It was just so satisfying seeing her break down, and all because of me, yknow?”

 He finally finishes checking his reflection and picks up his bag from the ground, Hawks following pursuit as they make their way outside the bathroom. They were currently skipping their last class, Quirk Training because they could actually afford to. Their teacher knew that both of them surprisingly had the highest grades in the class and continuously kicked every other student into the dust, the rest of their peers not having the right quirks to even hope to make it to the two delinquent’s level of strength and skill. It wouldn’t hurt to skip a few times, they would just pick up right where they left off, pummeling every other kid aside until they made their way to the top again.

 Plus, with all the testosterone raging through Dabi’s blood after lunch, he decided it would be better to take all the energy out in more relieving ways in the bathroom rather than using the adrenaline to accidentally blast some poor chump’s face off in the heat of the moment, pun intended.

 Not that he would mind, don’t get him wrong. It would be pretty funny seeing the look of horror on everyone’s face when the smell of a burning body hit their nostrils. But it wasn’t worth a suspension, or worse, an earful from his dad.

 “Oh, and by the way, she’s gonna have lunch with us from now on. I told her if she didn’t want me beating Shimura into a pulp she was gonna stop eating with him and come join us instead.”

 At this, Hawks gives Dabi a smirk and says dryly, “How romantic of you. If you wanted her to spoon feed and baby you at lunch so you could have a boner the entire period, you should’ve just told her straight up.”

 Dabi opens his mouth to argue with half of his statement before he’s interrupted.

 “Where is Shimura by the way? Did you see him leave the locker room? Training’s done, he should be out any minute now, why don’t we pay him a little visit and relay the same message you gave your little bitch to him as well?”

 Both boys smirk at each other as they make their way down to the locker rooms. Unfortunately for Tenko and fortunately for the devious duo , all three of them shared the same last class of Quirk Training. The frail, quiet boy tried his best to stay out of their way, but he might as well have had a sign up on his head that said MAKE MY LIFE HELL, PLEASE from the way he scratched himself raw, earning occasional disgusted looks from girls and snickers from a majority of the guys. His hair was almost always unkempt and in his face, prompting Dabi to yank his overgrown bangs up and out of his face as he snarled and spat venom into his victim’s wincing expression. When they sparred, Dabi held absolutely nothing back as he relished in the difference in their fighting styles: Tenko with close combat techniques and Dabi excelling in long distance. It was a recipe for disaster on Tenko’s side, and almost a cruel joke to the flame user as he easily sent wave after wave of burning hot hellfire towards the yelping boy. It came to a point where Dabi would openly and very loudly question why Tenko would even try, why he would even attend this class when he was beaten in under a minute-not nearly enough time to utilize his quirk.

 Their teacher would scold Dabi very lightly, but the damage was done and doubt was already planted into everyone’s mind as the seeds of disdain germinated and grew into ponderings of, has he ever beaten anyone before? He’s always out of the ring so fast, I didn’t even understand what his quirk was. Is he failing, how is he even passing this class?

 Only you were the one who knew it was his lifelong dream of working in the Rescue and Search unit, his quirk of decaying proving to be so deadly and harmful that he never had the courage to use it against anyone, no matter how bad they had it out for him. He could never live with himself if he ever caused anyone permanent damage that could end up in paralyzation, or worse.

 But that was the difference between poor Tenko and Dabi. Only one of them acted out in an eat or be eaten way.

 Hawks was more subtle in his torment, having less of a grudge towards the sulking grey mass of limbs. Sure, it was amusing watching him squirm and flinch and hear him plead raspingly to move your feathers, please, they’re covering my nose I can’t bREATHE I CAN’T BREATHE PLEASE I’LL DIE-

 But unlike Dabi, he didn’t get that big of a high from drawing blood and whimpering. That was all for fun and jokes to indulge in Dabi’s selfish and ruthless desires, sure, but the real rush he got was from the overall power imbalance from everyone else he received. It was knowing that he was at the top of the food chain, that no one could surpass him, even his brooding patchwork friend who he considered to be beside him if anything, but not above him in any sense. Tenko was just another cog in the grand machine that reinforced that idea every time he wilted and withered under Hawks’ sickeningly sweet, fake smile.

 You can’t blame him, either. He never originally asked for any of the attention the school practically spoon-fed him with when he was younger. No, he didn’t seek out any of the multitudes of guys that asked him to hang out every other weekend at the beach or park, and he was always indifferent to the girls begging him to spend the night and exchange numbers on the regular. They were all idiots anyways, what did they know? Sex, fame, money, drugs, all that bullshit that every young adult craves. He was better than that, he had a goal, he had ulterior motives, but he soon began to realize that the mind-numbingly brain dead people who circled him like their god could very well improve his chances of achieving said goal.

 And so Hawks began to painstakingly take time out to meet some tools dudes at the beach or catch a movie with them, he started opening up to sluts and bimbos girls via their legs more often and eventually he became a name revered around school, a reputation told and passed around the halls in whispers that traveled through notes and texts exchanged throughout classes.

 It just so happened to be in his luck that he was able to one day put a face to another name that floated through the halls in his passing classes: Dabi.

 They had been paired up to sparr, both sets of ears alert and open when their teacher read aloud each other’s quirks. Fire and feathers, huh? What a joke.

 At least, that's what the both of them thought about each other until they actually started fighting.

 Columns of cobalt flames rained above and around Hawks, and he was surrounded mere seconds after the match started. But nevertheless, his feathers detected a breeze from an open air pocket through the wall of fire, and he used his great wings to propel him through the slim opening to safety.

 That was the first time Dabi had ever been bested by anyone before, having every single one of his limbs pinned down by multiple heavy feathers tearing through his clothes, and similarly, it was the first time Hawks had even been surrounded so quickly by anyone else either.

 Thus was the start of their begrudging comradeship, which quickly evolved into something akin to a friendship when less training commenced and more grunted words and short phrases thrown to each other formed into gruff sentences, and bitter rants about shitty parents, being surrounded by painfully stupid peers, and how everyone else but them two saw the world for what it really was: a playground where they could topple everyone else down and somehow still manage to win those same hearts over as they used them as stepping stones to their own advantages.

 Dabi’s lust for blood and pain went hand in hand with Hawk’s craving for power. It was disgusting how the school worshipped them, taking any instance of abuse from either of them with a grain of salt, having already submitted to their superior auras. They truly were stepping stones, eagerly ready and oblivious to be used.

 And Tenko was just that, another meek, fragile little stepping stone that seemed so easy to crack...but somehow, instead of shattering into hundreds of pieces, he managed to retain his brittle shape and morph into a thorn in Dabi’s side. When he would be shoved into lockers for seemingly hours on end with burning feathers taped over his mouth (courtesy of Hawks to supply some material) that accentuated the scars on the lower half of his face, he wouldn’t tattle to any head authority or teacher. When they would tear and burn his clothes off in the locker room after their training sessions and force him to walk home in sweaty gym clothes, Tenko never lifted a finger to decay a hand or turn a feather into dust. He would simply sulk off and try to remain invisible and out of their way. 

 It drove Dabi crazy; he wanted the translucent skinned boy to scream for his fucking life, he wanted to see him lash out and fight, he wanted him to squeal like the pig he was. He wanted more reasons to beat him down and feel an ounce of joy in himself that he never received elsewhere. Seeing people shake and cower before him gave him the same rush as any heavy drug would do-it was addicting, and left him craving for more. It reinforced the idea that he was better than anyone else, and if his dad wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction or assurance that there was a purpose to his miserable life, then he would have to relish in the emotions he felt within others, even if it meant at the expense of his peers.

 And although he would never admit it, it secretly was hilarious as fuck for Hawks to watch Dabi lose his mind slowly but surely over the most trivial of things, like Tenko’s lack of reaction to their abuse. He knew it only came from the neglect Dabi felt at home, Endeavor’s blatant disappointment embedded its manifestation in the eldest son’s whole being, even if he would always deny that's the case. The lack of direction and emotion Enji showed to his lost cause of a son caused Dabi to lash out in increasingly aggressive ways at school. It just proved that even though Dabi thought he was better than everyone else, he truly was just another sheep like the rest of these idiots milling around. The brooding, aloof face he put up at school wasn’t enough to fool the sharp-witted avian; he was just an average spoiled elitist brat that threw tantrums when he didn’t get what he wanted, how stupid could he be? He thought too much of what others thought, even if he sought validation through his parents, who gives a fuck? It’s just another useless miserable factor of his life to ponder on, in Hawks’ opinion.

 If you asked Dabi what he thought of Hawks, he would give you a similar answer but with different facets. Sure, it was nice to have another god of the school walk around by his side, enforcing their reputations, and yes, both of them connected on negligent parents... but Hawks gave in too much into materialistic things. Sex and popularity were deterrents from the real world, and Dabi would be damned if he were to follow pursuit. Hawks was slowly proving himself to also be another pawn in their life’s game of chess, but for the time being he knew that making friends with him was looking at the bigger picture if he wanted to make a name for himself, no matter how painful that process was at times. Why the fuck would he waste time going to parties just to socialize and bang a bunch of slutty whores when he could be proving himself to the yakuza? While Hawks would be schmoozing with some busty bimbo and playing beer pong on a Saturday, Dabi would be making his own types of friends in hidden alleyways and getting acquainted with shady figures like Kai Chisaki, a boy around their age with connections that ran around the city and underneath the city lines. The scarred boy was dedicated to his eventual goal to rid this rotten society of all the superficial heroes and scum, so naturally he hadn’t the need or want to indulge in his own selfish desires.

 Up until this point, that is.

 Which brings him and his winged partner-in-crime to now, waiting in the shadows outside the entrance to the locker room. Waiting for a certain spindly, greasy-haired freak to make his appearance so he could beat the shit out of him and release some still pent-up energy that was not relinquished in the bathroom.

 So that he could tell him to stay the fuck away from what rightfully belonged to him, for the first time in his life.

 He reached down to pick up some gravel, hand-picking the rocks that seemed the sharpest as he heated up his palm. Without saying a word, Hawks’ feathers floated towards Dabi’s hand, embedding their bristles between the rocks. 

 It took about 5 more minutes of aimlessly lounging against the wall and burning other various thrown-out papers scattered around the ground, until the man of the hour made his appearance.

 It was pathetic, really, the way the door slowly creaked open as his matted pigeon colored head peeked out, swiveling around to take his surroundings. The second his head turned right, his eyes widened as he saw the hellraisers, and Tenko frantically tried to retreat back inside and slam the door shut.

 Unfortunately, he couldn’t beat the too-fast quills that snatched him by the collar and practically threw him forward. He flailed his limbs, trying to regain his balance and flee his inevitable beating. The panic that rose in his throat grew exponentially as he was dragged further towards Hawks and Dabi, who was juggling burning blue rocks in his hand along with familiar red plumage.

 He knew the drill all too well, becoming dreadfully acquainted with the makeshift missiles over the years.

 “Hey, Shit-mura, catch!” Dabi lobbed a pierced feather at his bony abdomen, and Tenko flinched violently as a glowing blue pebble ricocheted off his body, hitting against a barely-fading bruise from a similar routine performed merely weeks ago.

 Albeit for a different reason, one that didn’t have to do with a not-so-lucky girl like you.

 Tenko fell backwards as a volley of feathers jabbed under the soles of his feet, and watched in horror as the perpetrators advanced towards him, Hawks with his wings so leisurely ruffling in the breeze with a laid-back smile on his face, hands tucked in his jacket pockets contrasting with the demonic grin etched on Dabi’s face as they leer down on him.

 “What do you want now?” The fallen boy barely mutters, not bothering to look up at them.

 “Don’t address me like that you little shit,” Dabi hisses, flames flaring up in his palms just to show off how much ammo was still burning and waiting to be used...all for him, of course.

 “Stop hanging out with Y/N. The next time I see you talking with her, or even looking in her direction I’ll burn your sorry ass alive. Though I doubt anyone would care, anyways.” He speaks curtly, and it kills him internally to almost admit how frustrated he is seeing you two cross paths, even after a sole day.

 Tenko raises his eyebrows, looking between Dabi and Hawks, who, for the meantime, doesn't feel a need to waste his breath on such a petty matter.

 “We’re just friends, that's all we are. If you’re so concerned about me getting in the way, I promise I won't-”

 “-You think I’m actually worried about losing you to her?” The inky head draws closer, his voice low and raspy as he laughs. “Let me tell you something, and listen to me very clearly, because the next time I repeat myself is the day I’ll fuck you both up- I don’t give a shit who wants her, or who doesn’t. I’m not concerned about losing her either, you know why?” He grabs the frayed collar of Tenko’s shirt, and the latter chokes as his air is squeezed out of his frail throat, hands frantically grabbling at the purple-scarred constraints.

 He can feel flecks of spit on his face, the hands around his neck heating up suffocatingly as Dabi nails the final lid in his coffin.

 “Because that little tease was practically sold to me, get it? I didn’t even want her in the first place, which essentially makes her nothing short of a playtoy for me to fuck and fuck with whenever the hell I want, without you in the picture. I don’t need some weepy moron like your sorry ass getting her all teary-eyed when her eyes should be on me and me only.”

 He releases the weakling’s throat, wishing it was your smooth one instead. He almost would’ve had a boner if Tenko’s big, gulping breaths were a little bit more feminine sounding, like yours.

 “Okay, okay, whatever man, I’ll do what I can to stay away from her. Just…” and his voice trailed off into a whisper, hoping he could muster any more sincerity in his words, “...please don’t break her heart, or be too rough with her.” The mere thought of you being bruised and banged up like he was made him gag.

 It was sickening how similar his words mirrored your own.

Dabi scoffs as Hawks finally decides to speak up, spreading his hands in a faux show of good gesture.

 “I gotta admit though, Shimura, you got good taste in girls. I’m almost impressed you managed to get a cute little thing like her to even touch you.” Tenko blanches, noting the way Dabi’s jaw clenches as the instigator’s mouth curves into a smirk, all of them knowing full well that the carefully chosen words were meant to rile the situation up even further.

 But after a tense moment of everyone glancing at each other, the patchwork figure relents and exhales through his nostrils, deciding to grant the mess of fallen limbs a rare chance of mercy.

 “Shut the fuck up bird brain. Let’s go, I don’t wanna hear my dad bitchin’ if I come home late again,” He kicks Hawk’s boot with his own and turns around towards the entrance of the school, not sparing Tomura a second glance. Hawks laughs handsomely and gives the rattled boy a mock salute and a fluff of his grand wings before trailing after his counterpart.

 Shimura finally lets out a shaky breath, slowly picking his scattered belongings off the ground, snapping his head back up frequently as if the two were bound to come back and mess with him further.

 While he was picking his remaining binders and gym clothes off the ground, unbeknownst to him, about 50 feet up and out the school Hawks was fishing an object out of his plush wings.

 “What’re you doing?” Dabi asks lazily as they walk the streets of Musutafu, kicking sake bottles out of the way.

 “Hol’ on-” Hawks grunts, yanking the object loose from his tight confines of his feathers before placing it in Dabi’s open palm.

 “Huh? The hell’s this?” He raises an eyebrow, gingerly holding up the beaten screen in front of his face.

 “That right there is extra material to hold against your little wifey. Seems like he had more pressing things on his mind rather than to check for all his belongings,” The quick-witted avian pats his elusive wings proudly, basking in the benefits his stealthy quirk allows him.

 And sure enough, as Dabi gleefully cackles with laughter at his good fortune, Tenko Shimura is desperately patting down his pockets, looking for his phone while you chatter on cluelessly next to him. 

 ****************

 “So? How was your first day?”

 “Did you see Y/N? I heard from some upperclassmen that you got classes with her.”

 “You should walk her home after school!”

 Touya is immediately bombarded with questions from his siblings the second he makes his presence known by slamming the front door shut.

 He growls under his breath at all the clammer around him, and he barks at them to shut the hell up before he burns the house down.

 It doesn’t faze the rest of them who are blessed with their ice quirks, and they continue to pester him until he spills the most meager, unsatisfactory answers to them.

 “Yeah, I had a class and lunch with her. Happy? Now seriously back off.”

 Fuyumi and Natuso cheer as Shoto gives a slight smile.

 He heads off into the dining table, munching on carb-infested snacks as he scrolls through Tenko’s phone.

 The messages between you and him are long, dating back years that he has to swipe for minutes before getting to the first words of your conversations.

 A majority of the speech bubbles hold nothing but dorky back and forth’s of new movies that came out, hanging out here and there, and school help. Sometimes he’d come across you asking for advice for your parents, or ranting about having to keep a frustratingly posh look in public, and he realizes surprisingly you two might have more in common than he thought.

 He hadn’t even bothered to look at most of Tenko’s messages, nothing holding too much leverage on potential blackmail or more fuel against him, but suddenly his thumbs stilled as his eyes rove over a conversation from a couple months ago.

 Y/N: Ugh, it’s just one of those days, y’know? Idk if its PMS but i’ve literally been watching porn for like 2 hours now

 Touya’s eyes widen and he brings the screen mere inches from his eyes, just to ensure he’s not imagining his good luck...as well as disbelief.

 The next messages however, grab his elation by the balls and twist them into a cloud of red-filled rage.

 11:57 pm: I could give you something better than porn if you want:)

 It takes all he has not to throw up his munchies on the table at the pure inexperience Tenko’s words so evidently hold.

 Can this bastard be more cringe?

 Apparently it didn’t matter to you, because not even a full minute later you had responded to past-Tenko.

 Y/N: Oh yeah, like what?

 Touya excuses himself from the table, ignoring Natsuo’s raised eyebrow directed at him from the kitchen.

 He stalks to his room, closing the door behind him and locking it for good measure. Thankfully the questionnaire was over the moment he walked in, and his parents were gone until the evening, so he was set for privacy. It’s not like anyone would willingly want to come into his room unannounced anyways, unless they were looking for a death wish.

 The gloomy black decor around his man-cave suited his mood well, only the dim light of his computer and phone providing him access to witness your whore antics.

 Picture after picture filled the conversation, lacy white lingerie and red silk complimenting your figure well, and his heart speeds up when he sees the slutty expression on your face.

 You were wearing makeup in some pictures, and completely bare-faced in others. Some photos didn’t do justice to your beauty with the naive angles you positioned yourself in, and others quite literally made him gape at your junk in the right places and slender bits along your silhouette.

 In his eyes, it was innocence at its finest. Your honesty at showing all parts of you was mouth watering to Touya, the way you didn’t hide any side of you in such an intimate exchange made him want to sink his teeth into your helpless being and never let go.

 It also made him want to melt Tenko’s skin off his very breakable bones.

 We’re just friends.

 Some friends they were, alright. A slut and a grade-A fuckin’ incel. How the hell did Shimura get a taste of you before he did? He’s your fiance for gods’ sake, that's his right and no one else’s.

 Honestly, he’s disappointed in you right now. For all that talk you gave him earlier today, he didn’t take you as some easy hoe that’d put out for such a creep like Tenko, with just a few sweet words thrown here and there along with some bad pickup lines.

 He crosses his arms behind his head and leans back into the plush mattress, frowning in thought. The sounds of his father banging open the door and his siblings chiming in to greet the old bastard float in and out of his ears as he thinks of what to do with you and Tenko.

 Obviously your guys’ friendship surpassed normal boundaries, regardless of what you both pleaded or believed. Just the fact that Touya fucking Todoroki, son of the Number Two hero, eldest child and heir to a powerful elite family lost first claim of his wife-to-be’s body to some...some withering degenerate is making his heels expel smoke.

 He’s not going to be second place again, not outside his own home too.

 There’s no doubt in his mind that if you truly are all bark and no bite, you’ll find a way to meet up with Tenko behind his back. The pictures he’s seen tonight just proves it's going to take something bigger than a copped feel and a verbal warning to pull you both apart, and Touya is more than ready to take on that challenge.

 A plan begins to form in his mind, one that ensures his fiance and the dirtbag will stay away from each other, even if he needs to push them to interact more initially. Even if he needs to make you desperate to reach out for someone, anyone who’ll come to your aid after he’s through twisting and welding your nerves together.

 Touya falls asleep with one hand in his pants, one hand holding his phone screen up showing your white lingerie.

 Tenko falls asleep for the first time in months without his bony hand down his sweats furiously working his shaft at those pictures you sent months ago. The cum that usually spills out and stains his abdomen is replaced with dread that embeds itself in the pit of his stomach. He knows either Hawks or Dabi has his phone, and he knows what he’s hiding in there isn’t something that would help his claim of being your friend.

 You send a message to Tenko before you sleep, telling him to wait for you in the adjacent empty hallway to the cafeteria after you finish lunch with Touya.

 *************

 “Where the hell were you yesterday? I tried calling and texting you!”

 You indignantly demand, making no effort to move out of Tenko’s way as he tries to gently brush past you to make room for himself on the sidewalk.

 “I, uh, lost my phone and forgot to tell you after school. Sorry.” He says lamely, and you squint your eyes and grip the straps of your backpack even tighter at his half-assed excuse.

 Begrudgingly shifting to accommodate him in the narrow walkway, you both begin to walk to school. The butterflies have risen from the grave of your stomach again, butterflies of dread and gross anticipation at meeting your inky-headed match.

 “Well, did you report it missing?” He scratches his neck softly and grunts in denial. You frown, thinking if it were you then you’d be throwing a racket at your missing phone. Guys are weird.

 “Okay...well, anyways, I texted you about meeting me outside the caf’ when the bell rings for class. I have a feeling Touya’s gonna be stingy about me staying put like the perfect, brainless doll he wants me to be, ugh. So just keep your head down as usual obviously, and I should be out in no time hopefully if I can manage to slip through the crowd. I’m thinking we meet up in the General Studies hall? It’s right there-”

 “-Wait, you texted me all this?” Tenko stops abruptly, red eyes wide with panic.

 You turn to face him, eyebrows raised at his composure. “I mean, yeah? I didn’t know you didn’t have your phone with you, so I’m just telling you now I guess. Why? Do you know if someone took it?”

 He hesitates, unsure of how to cover this up. He already knows either Dumb and/or Dumber has his phone, so no doubt if you truly did text him anything about your plan to meet up with him against Dabi’s specific instructions not to, one of them would already know by now. But he can’t tell you why your plan is now faulty and extremely dangerous.

 Because then he’d have to explain how they got his phone in the first place. One question would lead to another, and then he would have to spill about what they threatened him with, and you would somehow end up getting even more hurt if you found out what went on behind closed curtains.

 “Look,” He finally decides to speak, and rejoins you on your walk to campus, “I don’t want you putting yourself at risk to still hang around me at school if Dabi told you not to. He’s just gonna find out and get even more pissed. I’m used to it, but if you’re gonna be marrying that douche then it’s just gonna screw things up for you even more. We can just meet up after school like always and hang out at your place or something.”

 You pout at his proposition, annoyed that your oh-so-loving finance is weeding his way into your private life...more quickly than you’re comfortable with. Why should you have to sacrifice time away from one of your oldest friends just because of some overgrown, spoiled man-child?

 “Ten, you can’t let them dictate your life forever, okay? Like, I get it, they’re scary as hell and you were right-they’re not afraid to get physical. But it's only the first week of school back, are we really just gonna let them walk all over us? I’m not gonna be some stupid fucking bimbo thats gonna cower every time he flashes his fist at me.” You stamp the ground in frustration, and Tenko keeps quiet, growing more irritated by the second. You might now care about keeping your limbs intact, but he’s already as frail as can be. No sense in begging to get snapped like a twig just because of your suicidal intent.

 “So what exactly do you wanna do? I get how you feel, really I do, but Y/N they’re not talked about around school for no reason. I don’t know how else to explain this to you, no matter how much you want him to know how independent you are, he’s not gonna care.”

 Biting your lip in contemplation, you think on his words. He’s got a point, unfortunately. There’s not much you can actually do apart from run your mouth. Touya’s got the upper hand in every sense.

 But still. You’ll be damned if you wait for him to make the first move like a sitting duck.

 “Whatever,” you bite out. “We’ll just have to be smart about skirting around him. Just try to meet me in an empty hall outside the lunchroom if you can, and we’ll just make sure to stay out of open areas when we walk to class. No biggie. And of course we can still walk together home, right?” 

 “Yeah, sure,” he says, as you two near the school entrance.

 You try not to notice the delay in his answer as you walk through the gates.

 ***********

 Immediately when they spot you in the halls on the way to your homeroom, the trio of girls swarm and bombard you with questions...questions that you already answered with some half-assed, bullshit excuses about how Dabi needed help on homework.

 You guessed they weren’t as airheaded as they all let on.

 “It’s fine, its okay, it was just some stupid misunderstanding we had. We’re okay now, really,” you wave them off while Tenko worries his bottom lip in an attempt to subdue his itching.

 It takes some convincing for your concerned friends to finally leave with a warning of “If you hide anything from us, you’re getting your ass kicked!” and a casual laugh from you before you can head to class.

 “God, I don’t know how I’m supposed to hide the whole arranged marriage thing from them if they’re always gonna be so nosy. Especially when Tou-I mean, Dabi, isn’t exactly hiding his asshole-ness”.

 Tenko mutters in agreement to you, his head low as you both turn the corner into your classroom. He merely takes a step inside before looking up and hissing in panic, tripping backwards over his own feet.

 “Ten, what the hell?” You yelp, narrowly avoiding his skinny frame about to collide into you.

 “Shit, I forgot we changed rooms. And I’m not supposed to be seen with you, they already saw-!” He cowers at the side of the door, eyes wide with panic.

 And you realize too late that he’s right, that his sparse appearance in the doorframe must not have gone unnoticed by the dreaded duo already in class. You can see your seat from the window in the door, and an inky blob of black hair and blond locks not too far from your seat as well.

 “Oh god, fuck, just-just get to class before the bell rings, I’m sure they didn’t see you come in. But go, you’re gonna be late!” You swat him off and he dashes down the hall, throwing you a worried glance as he goes.

You take a deep breath, preparing yourself for whatever might happen if they indeed saw your figure with Tenko’s. Turning the handle with sweaty palms, you gulp and enter the room.

 “You were almost late, L/N! Let’s try to hurry it up next time and not idly stand outside the classroom with friends, shall we?” Vlad King barks from the front of the room, and you cringe as you internally wonder if the entire school was against you today.

 The room has quieted down significantly as your teacher starts to prepare the whiteboard for today’s lesson. You imitate Tenko’s earlier demeanor by keeping your head low and trying to avoid eye contact with everyone as you make your way to your seat.

 Except, that proves to be quite difficult as you pass by Hawks’ seat, a lean leg casually stretching in a mockery to make you trip. You try to step over it, but unbeknownst to you, a lone red feather darts under your feet as you take a step and lifts you up, causing you to lose your balance and fall drastically to the ground, the contents of your bag strewn across the floor.

 You can barely hear the scattered laughter filling the room, can hardly make out your teacher growling at you to take a seat and stop causing distractions, because the ringing in your ears drowns everything else out. The underside of your arms are prickling as you frantically adjust your skewen skirt and try to simultaneously pick up your displaced belongings. Your hands are shaking as they reach for a binder that slid under Dabi’s seat. 

 Bile rises to your throat as a studded black combat boot carefully places itself right on top of the binder. Your violently trembling hands pause midway to reaching for it, and you slowly raise your glassy eyes to meet your tormentor’s.

 You wish you didn’t.

 The way he looks down at your disheveled figure causes your heart to seize and create a giant lump in your throat. His piercing-decorated mouth is pulled back in a jeering grin, thoroughly enjoying the mess his friend created, just for both of their sick amusement.

 Your pleading look does nothing to deter his firm hold on your binder, and you grow increasingly panicked as you hear the lesson start.

 “Let go!” You whisper, eyebrows scrunched together, bottom lip trembling like a baby.

 “Mmmh. Only if you beg like a little bitch.” He doesn’t even look at you straight in the eyes as he murmurs in his gravelly voice, his purple patched hand lazily writing down a few scribbles here and there to take notes.

 It's cruel, almost. The bravado you held up in front of Tenko this morning is completely gone now, a mere facade to show you weren’t going to simply roll over on your back and show your stomach for Dabi. But it seems that’s exactly what he reduces you to, in just a manner of a few simple movements.

 Just like yesterday, when he had you pinned twice at lunch.

 Lunch.

 Oh god.

 You quickly shake your head from its treacherous wanderings, opting to focus on the imminent problem right now instead of combusting from future ones as well.

 “Please, Touya,” you say almost under your breath, leaning in painfully just to make sure your plea fell only on his ears only.

 His lowered lids rove over up and down your body in acknowledgement, letting them settle on your thighs clenched together, hands balled in your lap to prevent from ripping yours and his hair out.

 Leaning back further and lower into his seat, he keeps his lustful gaze trained on your wary, kneeling figure as he subtly starts to palm himself through his jeans. Your jaw drops at his audacity, your mind completely forgetting to try and snatch the binder from his hold as he lightly thrusts up into his open hand. You scuttle backwards in disgust, your face feeling like it's on fire as you do.

 But another trusty red feather slips underneath your skirt as you flail back, and grounds the flat side of its bristles against your clothed clit.

 It's all too much, your hyper awareness and sensitivity to the whole humiliating situation reaching its peak, and you gasp loudly as the scarlet plumage circles itself once around your clit once more and retreats back into its large red home.

 Dabi isn’t the only one palming himself now.

 Once again, the class attention has been brought back to you, pages stopping their movements mid-flip.

 “Y/N L/N, what is going on back there?” Your peeved teacher’s voice booms across the silent room.

 You flinch and try to speak but Dabi beats you to it.

 “She’s distracting me sir, I tried to give her back her binder but she wouldn’t take it for some reason.” He speaks monotony, a hint of feigned confusion so strategically accenting his words.

 “No, no, that’s not what-”

 “-It’s true Mr. King. I saw her get on her knees in front of Dabi while he was trying to take notes.” You’re interrupted again as Hawk’s smooth voice floats above yours, and your face burns with shame at his choice of words as your peers titter around you.

 “If these two men miss today’s notes because of your shenanigans, you will personally be in charge of catching them up and tutoring them on whatever need be.” And with that, he turns around and continues to write nonsense formulas on the board.

 The black binder that caused so much trouble is shoved towards you carelessly, papers slipping out onto the floor as it comes your way. The two demons share a knowing smirk at their fruitful teamwork.

 It’s not even nine in the morning yet, and you want to scream.

*****

It takes less than two minutes to gather everything off the floor and to slink yourself into your seat, cursing the placement of Dumb and Dumber in front and behind you. Brimming with rage, you clench your pen tightly as it skims back and forth across the page, making up for 10 minutes worth of missed notes.

 Not even a full beat of peace is passed before you feel a cool breath against your neck, and you slap a hand against your nape as goosebumps erupt across your skin.

 “So who came into the room with you before class, huh?”

 You honestly should’ve been more scared of his question, but you couldn’t even find the energy to turn around fully and refute his accusation. You merely exhale loudly through your nose, letting him know you were done talking in defense. He chuckles lowly and you can feel the vibrations from the rumble of his throat in such proximity to you.

 “Better keep your pretty little mouth shut, unless you really are into getting degraded by Vlad,” he leans forward, his mouth right next to your ears. You can’t stop the shiver that passes through your body as his tongue slips out to caress the shell of your lobe at the same time his hand reaches down and around your seat, just to pinch the flesh of your ass.

 You jump slightly at the onslaught of sensations and harshly bite your lip to prevent a yelp leaving your mouth. Clenching your pen tighter in your hands is the only thing you can do his touch wanders underneath your skirt, feeling the flesh of your thighs clench together again to ward off his offensive advances, elatedly letting his coarse fingers run in between your cheeks and dip into the crevice of your mound.

 The sound of your quiet whimpers and the sight of your rigid back is enough to send him over the edge.

 He suddenly digs his dull nails into your soft skin, and leans further towards you. You can feel his mouth press against the shell of your ear as he hisses.

 ¨I asked you a question you quirkless whore. Who the fuck came into the classroom before you? Was it that freak again?¨

 ¨L/N, can you answer the question up on the board please?¨ Your teacher´s voice rings out from the front of the room, and you and your bully both jump at the intrusion.

 The board in question has a jumble of words and numbers written on it, and in your frantic stupor none of it makes sense to you. But you know if you’r

e caught slacking off again, you might get written up.

 ¨Uh, l-let me check my notes really quick, sorry,” you mutter as you desperately flip through your notebook pages.

 ¨Actually sir, I think I can help Y/N out.¨ Unexpectedly, Hawkś buttery voice chimes in, much to your relief. He answers the question flawlessly, and even your teacher nods his head impressively.

 You might´ve even said a thank you to him if he hadn't turned his head at the side just for you to see him lick a long stripe up a certain feather, the corners of his lips turning up into a sickly sweet smile.

 You feel queasy.

 Dabiś fingers strategically resume their ministrations again to gain your attention as they trail down into the junction of your mound, lower and lower until the pads of his stitched fingers rest on top of your clothed clit.

 You jerk slightly and shoot a hand down underneath your desk to stop him from moving, but the second your palm wraps around his wrist his fingers press deeper against your nub.

 Fuck.

 You know what he wants, so you answer him just to end this torture.

 ¨I don't know who you saw walking with me, but if you're referring to Tenko, then he went to his class. Try not to make it so obvious that you´re jealous or insecure of him, it's pretty pathetic. I mean damn, you´re even starting to see visions of him around the school? Maybe you like him more than I do!¨ He scoffs under his breath but you can feel the temperature around you both rise up.

 Successfully managing to yank his paused hand away from you, you throw his wrist backwards toward him, savagely relishing in his stunned silence, no doubt.

 Without turning around, you end him on a good note.

 ¨Didn't realize you were into ‘weak nobodies’, Touya. Who's the freak now?¨ You don't personally believe such a vile notion, but you hope know itĺl be enough to shut his fragile ego up for now.

 It does.

 He doesn't touch or talk to you the rest of class, much to your satisfaction.

 You don't smell the burning of a certain someone's foot in youropen bag, all your hard work from notes to projects going up in literal tiny flames.

 ***********************

 The bell dings, and you waste no time shoving your binder into your bag, failing to notice little flecks of ashes billowing in the air when the belongings go into the scorched fabric. You yank both straps onto your shoulders and immediately start to get up, but are promptly stopped when two figures swarm you and force you back into your seat.

 ¨Where you runnin’ off to cutie? Don´t tell me you forgot to have lunch with your fiance?¨ Hawks shakes his head mockingly, tutting in disapproval.

 ¨Yeah, I mean, she obviously thinks I´m into her little boyfriend, so I guess I'll just have to sit with her to demonstrate how I'm into women.¨ Dabi sneers, towering over your seated figure.

 You blanch, regretting your outburst from earlier, knowing that he was going to make you pay for it.

 ***********

 Tenko slinks off into the courtyard to look for any possible signs of his phone around the same time Hawks and Dabi are leading you through the more deserted halls towards the cafeteria, their arms thrown over both sides of your shoulder, vile words and innuendos bordering on threats hissed into your ears.

 He knows it wouldn´t do any good for your safety if he went off trying to spot you amongst the crowds, and frankly, he didn't really want to. Especially not when he knew who you were probably with.

 Sitting with Miruko, Takeyama and Kamiji was a no-go, they would all be uncomfortable with his unsettling appearance there without you as everyone´s middleman. Maybe he could find Atsuhiro? Or even Iguchi? Surely he could find them and they could all converse about the latest game that came out, as they usually did.

 Somehow he manages to make his way into the crowded commons being invisible to most had its benefits sometimes, especially when being shoved forwards as if he's not there gets him forwards faster and looks around the massive room for the other two social outcasts.

 Lo and behold, he spots them towards the back of the mess hall, where most of the trash cans were placed.

 Typical.

 Iguchi unsurprisingly has his reptilian snout pressed into his console, his long talons clacking away at the buttons. It's a miracle he doesn’t rip the thing to shreds with how fast his fingers move. Atsuhiro is fiddling with his precious marbles on the stained table, shooting them at each other just to frantically put them back in their original place before they can fall off the table.

 Tenko clears his throat, moves his hood slightly off his head and makes his way to them.

 ¨Hey guys,¨ he mutters as he reaches their table. They both look up and squint at him, breaking out of their dazes as they try to register him. Feigning a roll of his eyes, Tenko brushes the wiry bangs away from his face so they can get a good look at him.

 ¨Aahh, Tenko Shimura! Our old friend, have a seat, have a seat!¨ Atsuhiro claps his hands loudly, and Tenko cringes as people from other tables turn around to glare at the commotion. He can understand why the brunette was an outcast like him- he talked weird, like he was from olden times, and he thought life was a grand play. Minor criticisms, but it was enough to be deemed offensive in their school, enough for his ass to be kicked all the way to the back of the cafeteria, marinating in the dumpster stenches.

 Quickly trying to avoid a bigger scene, the pale glaucous haired boy slides into a seat across from the two and nods at the lizard boy.

 ¨Iguchi,¨ He acknowledges, and the hybrid lifts his eyes for a second from the screen and curls his lips in his own greeting.

 ¨How´ve you been Shimura? Haven't seen you in a while, usually you´re hanging out with L/N, right?¨

 Tenko scratches his neck and feels skin pile up under his nails.

 ¨Yeah, she um...I think she wanted to sit with some of her own friends today.¨

 ¨I thought you two hung out with the same people-¨ ¨So what game´re you playing? Is that the one that just came out?¨ He interrupts Iguchi, trying to avert the conversation away from you. The less eyebrows raised, the safer you both would be.

 They talk about the latest games and consoles, grades and classes. It feels nice, honestly. Even if he's not as well known and presentable as you, he gets to bask in things he actually is passionate about. Not that you ignore his own hobbies, but it gets tiring after a while to talk about facials and hero work, girl stuff that he just never really understands. You act like a protector to him, and he appreciates it, he really does, but...sometimes it feels like he's more of a show dog, and not the cute kind. A kicked puppy-no, charity work is a more accurate representation of what he feels like when he sees the not-so-subtle sympathetic looks your friends throw at you when they think he's not looking.

 Tenko loves you a lot, and he knows you do too. But sometimes it's hard to see past that aged love when, as Iguchi basically stated, his friends are your friends.

 Funny thing is, he has no real friends apart from you.

Tenko loves you a lot, and he knows you know.

 It's been hard to remember that constant love when Dabi and Hawks have been making his life a living hell, especially now when they know you´re so protective of him.

 It´s hard to remember that love when you insist on putting the two of you in actual danger, just to walk down a stupid hallway together. 

 But he supposes he can't blame you all the way. He guesses maybe it's mommy issues from a younger age around the time he met you. It's the way he could cry into your shoulder after his father would beat him black and blue, it's the way you would rub his back soothingly and shush his cries, never really understanding why he was so upset in the first place but still doing your best to be there for him.

 His father had sent his sister away overseas to some private school to better her education, so he truly was alone with his batshit crazy family situation. You provided him with unrequited love from an early age on, you were his safe haven, his sanctuary of sorts. It was true, you really were the only one who understood why he acted the way he did and you accepted him for it.

 He supposes he should feel more grateful to you, but like how every child is supposed to fly the coop and become independent, you had unknowingly trimmed his already-deteriorating wings and tethered him back to your welcoming, warm embrace.

 You had ruined him

 Almost a half hour went by between the three boys, discussing a wide range of topics, and for the first time in a while, Tenko was actually comforted by another guys’ presence. He wasn't worrying about shielding his body from ammunition, or keeping his greasy bangs in front of his eyes so he wouldn't have to meet anyone´s judgemental gaze.

 ¨Hey man, you should come over one day. I got a couple of GTA discs we can try out, or COD if that's more your thing,¨ Iguchi offers, reaching his clawed hand out. ¨Why don't we all exchange numbers?¨

 ¨Y-yeah, that sounds great! Hold on, lemme get my ph-¨

 But his excitement was cut short, when his hand patted empty pockets.

 Oh.

 He almost forgot.

 ¨Uhm, sorry, I kinda lost my phone yesterday. Maybe you guys could just write your numbers down here or something,¨ And he fished around his bag for an empty paper, pushing it across the dirty table to them. They didn't seem to mind-they promptly wrote down their digits in chicken scratch writing.

 ¨Got any trash?¨ He stands up, plucking a few plastic wrappers off his seat and extending his courtesy to them. They wave him off and he shrugs, making his way behind them towards the giant dumpsters.

 The second he drops the scraps into the bin, some force shoves him face first into the reeking cesspool of school lunches. He grabs the edge of the bin in a split second, ignoring the slimy substances he feels underneath his palms and whips around for the source of the assault.

 All he sees behind him is a retreating figure, with blond locks swaying with every sauntered step he takes away from the frazzled target.

 His phone wasn't as far as he thought it was.

 In fact, if he had the balls to follow the winged boy back to his table, he would've surely discovered his beat up phone case held captive in Hawks´s open bag. He would´ve also seen both boys keeping a miserable girl sandwiched between them.

 Tenko would´ve seen all of that from a distance, but you were there in your own skin, fighting the urge to rip out a certain purple-burned aggravator´s staples, and preventing yourself from diving into your burned backpack, pulling out a nasty pair of scissors and giving a special birdbrain´s wings a well-needed cut.

 ¨Why so quiet sweetheart? Nothing bitchy to say now?¨ Dabi seethes in your ear as he busies a hand in pinching the soft flesh of your thighs, a 2.0 to your torment in the classroom.

 ¨No,¨ you gripe, trying to finish your spring rolls. A feather plucks the roll from midair as you lift it towards your mouth, and redirects it into its owner's mouth.

 ¨Mmm, Dabi, your bitch can cook right. You should've told me my sister-in-law was such a domestic homebody, I would´ve defended her from your evil clutches sooner,¨ Hawks chuckles with a mouth full of food. His arm is draped over your shoulders, fingers dangling oh-so-close to your chest. Shoving them off even in the hallway proved to be futile after they both used their respective quirks into silencing you every time a teacher walked by and you attempted to open your mouth in a plea of help.

 ¨I´m not his fucking bitch, you brainless pigeon,¨ and even though you know you can´t fully move with how close their proximity is, you still try and push them off.

 But Dabi is having none of it, igniting his fingers on your thighs as his counterpart cooes at your irate state. Ignoring your gasps and writhes, he doesn't give a moment to prep you as he fully shoves his hand down your panties, your skirt bunching up further up your legs when he does. 

 You give him a desperate look, and he merely gives you a sneer in retaliation.

 ¨Where did you learn to talk like that? That shit´s not gonna fly with me when I put a ring on it, bitch. If I hear you mouthing off like that again I'll personally make sure there's a better use for that slutty hole,¨ and at that his fingers start moving and heating up again, Hawk´s arm forearm tightening around you to prevent you from making a scene while the ravanette circles calloused digits around your wet nub.

 He leans closer to your ear, and the rings adorning his lips feel cold against your skin. On the other side of you, the blond is smiling knowingly down at you, brushing his thumb against your neck. 

 You jerk as Dabi breathes into your ear, ¨But something tells me you wouldn't mind that too much. I mean if you´re not exactly screaming for help right now then I guess you must want this as much as I do. Fucking whore.¨

 You shake visibly at the strength Hawks is using to counter your escape attempts, Dabi´s fingers tweaking your clit hard every time you jerk your body to the side.

 ¨No, no, what the hell? I don't want this, I don't want anyone to see me like this-!¨

 ¨Oh, is that what it is? Even so, I'm sure you remember our little talk the day before, right? About me laying off your friend, if you just take it like a good slut. Don´t think I haven´t forgotten about him, Y/N.¨

 And then you still. Because of all the emotions running through your frantic head right now, you keep Tenko above all the other bullshit. He doesn't deserve your share of hell, he's already gotten his fill.

 Red silk and lace cloud Touya´s mind.

 ¨We´re just friends¨.

 ¨That's a good girl,” your fiance whispers, kissing your outer ear and laving his tongue across the rim of it. You whine quietly and try to draw further into yourself-which is miraculously allowed by the blond as Dabi tugs you closer into his black shirt, his fingers down your skirt and teasing your slick entrance.

 The Hawks watches you shamelessly, playing with a stray feather between his hands as Dabi descends his mouth to your neck, nipping you lightly and then harder when you squirm.

 Your seating position is most unfortunate, the boys having picked an area that most teachers don't pass through on account of other delinquents settling in as well. No one would bother them here, just passing it off as PDA that the rest of them have no shame in showing either.

 ¨Oh! I haven't asked about your family yet. That's what good fiances do, right Keigo?¨ Dabi exclaims suddenly, lifting his head to give the amused blond a knowing look. Hawks hums in assent, eager to see how much more you could take of their special attention. 

 ¨So did your mom ask how her beloved son-in-law is doing? You told her all about our quality time together?¨ His other hand creeps beneath your shirt, your stomach muscles clenching painfully tight at his unwanted contact.

 ¨Did daddy ask how I’m treating his precious little girl?¨

 You bite your lip hard and squeeze your eyes shut as your bra is moved up, fingers trailing upwards towards your nipple. Hawks´ eyes are glinting as he watches in silence, his pupils dilated at the scene in front of him.

 ¨Or, actually, maybe save that nickname for me. I'd love to be the first to break it to him that his princess has a new daddy, a better one who broke her faster than he ever could.¨

 A sob builds up in your throat. There´s 15 minutes left of lunch.

 ¨Maybe after we get married, we can just crash at your place,¨ he hides his mouth behind your hair, but you and Hawks can hear his low gravelly voice as he murmurs, ¨So they can hear me fuck the living daylights out of their precious baby girl...make sure you´re loud too, ´wanna let them know you´re a woman now. A married woman who´s gonna slave away for her husband, down on her hands and knees like she's supposed to-

 Ding ding ding

 His phone goes off, pausing him from his vile monologue.

 You exhale in relief when he growls under his breath at the interruption, reaching for the offensive device.

 But instead of pressing the decline button after seeing the screen, his face goes slack and pales tremendously.

 His hands retreat from their perverse activities underneath your clothes, and you turn to him fully surprised now. You try to lean over to see the caller ID, but your less-than-pleased fiance actually shoves you off of him, right into Hawks (who thankfully catches you).

 You look up at him who seems equally bewildered, and then at Dabi who holds the phone to his ear.

 He gulps and clears his throat before he speaks.

 ¨Hello?¨ It still holds his raspy tone, but you can't detect his usual snarkiness.

 There´s a pause as he listens, and then he gets up from the table and walks away without so much as a second glance to the both of you.

 Hawks, being a guy who's too fast and too smart for his own good, already has an inkling as to who could emit such a reaction from the arsonist.

 A wandering feather that brushes against your leg jerks you out of your stupor, and you flinch away from the warm body that caught you.

 He laughs a real laugh this time, not one with any malice or with undertones of perverseness in it as you scuttle back to the other side of the short table. You glower at the floor as he rests his elbow on the table, cheek in his hand. He tilts his head at you, very birdlike and for a moment in his open eyes, you can understand why Mirko likes him so much.

 But fuck if he wasn´t a total scumbag on the inside.

 ¨Aw come on sweetheart, you know I don´t bite. We just wanna mess with ya´, it's cute seeing you get all nervous and shy. I gotta admit, it's a nice change from your, ah, colorful language.¨

 Your head whips up to face him, and you let out a short, humorless laugh at his audacity.

 ¨Mess with me? Hawks, you guys are fucking assaulting me. It's not funny or cute, and I know your little innocent act is complete bullshit. I know what you guys do to Tenko, and the fact that you don't even stop Tou- I mean, Dabi from it shows you´re just as bad as him!¨ You bang your fist on the table, acting out now since the worst one out of the duo is out of commission for the time being.

 But instead of narrowing his eyes and shooting feathers at you to shut you up, he merely smiles wider and shrugs in indifference, never taking his eyes off of you.

 It's hard not to gape at him. What kind of world was he living in, where none of this had any effect on him? All this-this bullying and torment was just fun jests for him.

 But you know it's less pure with your betrothed. You know with him, it's some fucked up power-play, a show of dominance that you want no part in.

 You can't help but toss a glance to where he was now, 20 feet away and speaking intensely into the speaker.

 ¨You know, if you stopped fighting him and just gave in it would be a lot easier for you. He likes putting you down and getting a reaction out of you.¨

You don't tear your gaze away from Dabi, so you don't see Hawks lean in and take advantage of your distracted focus.

 ¨He gets off on it.¨

 His velvety voice rumbles right next to you, and you whip around and slap a hand over your ear as a shiver simultaneously passes through your body. He doesn't move, however, but merely leans back and throws an arm over the back of your seat, grinning like a madman.

 ¨See, this is exactly why I´m not giving in yet. What the fuck is wrong with you both? How could you think something so fucked up is funny? No wonder you both give Tenko hell-¨

You clamp a hand over your mouth, forgetting in your rage not to mention the taboo name. Your eyes search gold ones for any sign of similar hate that you find in cerulean orbs, but there is none.

 All he does is raise an eyebrow and strain his smile a little.

 ¨Between you and me, sweet thing, it really is in your best interest not to mention Shimura´s name around Dabi. I don't really know why he's got it out for that dude, but it doesn't really help Dabi calm down when his wife-to-be is prancing hand-in-hand around school with him.¨ Your lip curls in discontentment, and you feign a scowl at Hawks´ words.

 ¨Why does he even care? It shouldn't matter who I hang out with, it's not like I'm cheating on Dabi or anything. Besides, he doesn't even like me, he just wants some girl he can ruin.¨

 A few moments of silence pass, and then he speaks. What he says makes your heart seize up, and the butterflies kick in again, much to your disappointment.

 ¨Is that what you think? Man, you both have a long way to go, then.¨ You want to ask what he means, but you´re unfortunately interrupted when a very unwanted lanky figure plops next to you, jostling you to move over.

 ¨ ´Just had something to take care of,¨ is all Dabi offers as he starts packing up his stuff from the table.

 ¨Who was it? Was that your dad?¨ Hawks presses.

 Dabi´s eye twitches.

 ¨Yeah. ‘Was calling about some stupid assignment I failed, giving me shit about it.¨

 ¨He usually doesn't call you at school,¨ is followed by a raised gold eyebrow.

 ¨I know. I was actually almost excited for once-¨ Dabi laughs bitterly, and you just listen with your head down, utterly confused. What was the deal between him and his dad?

 And just in time, the bell for dismissal rings.

 Thank god.

 You silently pack your belongings as well, hoping that this time you could slip out and actually see Tenko for a couple of minutes if he was waiting for you like you told him to, but as usual, your beloved fiance intervened.

 ¨You´re always rushing off when the bell rings, doll. Where are you going in such a hurry? I hope our company didn´t make you uncomfortable or anything,¨ he snakes a hand around your waist and pulls you in tight, leering at you.

 ¨I just don't want you guys getting me late for class,¨ you mutter, avoiding his lecherous gaze.

 ¨You sure no one's waiting for you out there? Maybe we could both go and say hi to whoever´s taking up all your time-¨

 ¨Uh, no no! That's okay, I really was just making sure I wasn't late. We can go to class together though, no worries.¨ You quickly grab onto his jacket sleeve and look at him with big eyes and a little smile in a shameless, desperate attempt to deter an inevitable bloodbath.

 He raises his eyebrows at your volume and the way you clutch at him while simultaneously quelling the blush that creeps onto his face and the smoke that was comically coming out of his ears. If his fiance was throwing herself at him for the first time, then who was he to reject her?

 ¨Alright, let's go then,¨ he steers you out towards the entrance of the cafeteria, and you force your legs from grounding themselves and running in the opposite direction of where he was taking you. 

 You feel him squeeze you tighter, and you raise your head at him, startled to find him already looking you over with a strangely soft expression. It wasn't anything deemed romantic for sure, but it was a lot different than his usual sneers and scowls. Your stomach does somersaults at this new expression that was privy for your eyes only, his piercing blue eyes rendering you speechless.

 He looks so much better when his mouth is closed, and his eyes do the talking instead.

 However, Dabi does in fact open his mouth, not to spew venom, but to say something that makes your heart beat even faster.

 ¨Yḱnow, all jokes aside, you weren't too annoying at lunch. Maybe it's ´cause you kept your fat mouth shut with a shit ton of food, but you were pretty tolerable.¨ you quietly scoff at his backhanded compliment as you both exit the hall, Hawks trailing a couple feet behind you, both sides of his shoulders clutched by fangirls who seemingly spawned out of nowhere.

 ¨I´d say the same to you if you weren't feeling me up every five seconds and mouthing off like a-¨

¨-But, yeah, thanks for actually sitting with me. I really would like it if we did this more often,¨ he murmurs so quietly that you´d think he was talking to himself. He isn’t looking at you anymore, his gaze squinted as he navigates through the crowded and loud hallway. 

 You want to point out that technically he wasn't really giving you a choice of where to sit when he threatened you like earlier, but something in you tells you to stay quiet as he maneuveres your body around so that no other student would bump into you by accident.

 A sense of whiplash comes over you at that moment. Only a mere couple of minutes before he was calling you his bitch and terrorizing you, but now with that soft gleam in his eyes and the confession he was giving you, it feels like it was only you two at the moment regardless of the massive crowd swarming around.

 If Hawks was a little closer within earshot, you have a feeling that Dabi would be acting very differently, no doubt. But nevertheless, you swallow your apprehension and acknowledge his different aura.

 ¨Sure, Touya. We can sit together more often...as long as you lay off the handsy part, we haven't gotten there yet. We've barely been able to have decent conversations, but I´ll try if you try too.¨ While you say that, you subtly try to look around for Tenko but find it hard as Dabi maintains eye contact with you and pulls you along the school. You glumly give up as you both turn the corner to where the classes were.

 He ignores everything else you say, solely cherry picking where you said his real name, again. Dabi didn't particularly care for all the other bullshit you uttered, but he shuddered when you stroked a thumb against his hand. He was glad that their plus one had opted to not be in their faces at the moment, because it was nice for once to say something relatively normal to you. Because in the end, he might be a menace but he wasn't delusional. He really could see you as his wife, not just on her hands and knees like he had purred about earlier, but actually as someone who could offer him a new, better life than the one he had at his own home.

 He saw it in the way you gazed so softly at Tenko, saw it in the way your voice lilted higher and in the way you softly pull his scratching hand away from his marred skin

 The way your lips puckered as your mouth invited another bite of food made his chest ache with a weird feeling he couldn't quite place a stitched finger on. The scowl you gave him and Hawks both when you sensed they were about to fuck with you more made him want you in a way that he had never wanted anyone so close before. He wanted to be the reason your scowl would eventually turn into a smile, but for the meantime he knew he couldn't refrain from seeing fear and panic in your eyes. You were cute, with a body and a smart mouth to match. Dabi guessed that you were also taken aback by his sudden intimate gestures, and he couldn't help himself to hope that you had a slight inkling of what your presence was slowly starting to do to him.

 But if you thought that you had newfound leverage on him, or thought that he was wrapped around your finger by a small sentence he said, then you were more stupid than he was givng you credit for.

 Because the second you bit your lip and looked away after touching his hand lightly, he turned his head back and made eye contact with Hawks, giving him a knowing look.

 Hawks´ wings flex as he gives a cheshire grin to his counterpart, letting him know he already knew what to do.

 ¨Sorry girls, ´gotta head to class, can´t let my grades fall. I´ll catch you two later, yeah?¨

 He is met with simpering ¨yeah, sure!¨´s and ¨of course, text me though!¨ as they sashay away.

 ¨Definitely,¨ He chuckles, running a hand through his floppy hair.

 As if he would be caught dead texting Tweedledum and Tweedledee.

 But anyways, back to business.

 He cracks his knuckles and stretches above his head, letting out a satisfied groan as he leisurely pulls out a phone. It takes some scrolling before finding the message, and bingo, he finds the right hallway adjacent to the cafeteria after backtracking his steps a bit.

 Lo and behold, who was already there? That's right, none other than Tenko Shit-mura. Hawks´ eyebrow raises as he sends a quick message from Tenko´s phone, and pockets the device.

 ¨You´ve got balls, I´ll give you that.¨ Tenko whips around in horror as he puts the voice together with the person. His thumbs overlap each other and alternate to scratch at his scabbed arms and neck. It's something near a miracle to Hawks as he can't fathom why a girl of your stature would hang around with this degenerate. Sure, he himself had girls sucking his dick in every crevice of the school and outside, but at least he had a name for himself, and a reputation befitting of a god´s.

 This thing?

 ¨Oh, h-hey Hawks,¨ and the unamused blond curls his lip in disgust as Tenko´s wavering words were almost drowned out by the sound of vigorous scratching. ¨I was just waiting for Iguchi-¨

 ¨-And Atsuhiro, right? Funny, they left the caf´ at the same time you did, so why exactly are you here?¨ He smirks and folds his arms, leaning on the lockers.

 It was borderline hysterical how white Tenko´s face went, and Hawks distantly wonders how much whiter could his face go before real blood and veins were visible behind the mess of scarred facial features.

 Poor Tenko stammers and stutters over his words trying to find a good enough reason as to why he was lingering there, but he needn't worry so much, because unfortunately for him, Hawks knows exactly why.

 He holds up Tenko´s phone casually and grins at his ashen face as if they were old buddies.

 ¨Didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with other people´s toys?¨ Tenko makes a quick swipe at the phone suspended in midair, but only succeeds in getting sliced by a few directed feathers.

 He groans and clutches his now bleeding stomach, holding up a hand to see a thin line of red adorning his cracked skin.

 Hawks shrugs as if nothing had happened, and cocks his head at his victim. ¨I decided, if you can't learn to keep your nose out of other people's things then I have every right to keep yours.¨

 ¨Give it back man, I don´t know what your deal is, but if this is about Y/N then I swear I haven't been anywhere near her.¨ Tenko looks at him desperately and Hawks chuckles lightly, making the other´s heart sink.

 ¨Yeah, you have. You might be just as gross and sly as Dabi is, but you´re not smarter than me.¨ He waves the device in his snug hand. ¨She might just see you as her friend, but we both know you want her more than that.¨ Tenko loves you.

 ¨In my opinion, she looked better in red.¨ His steel colored head snaps to see his phone screen showing the messages he was so afraid of them finding out about.

 ¨That's not fair, that was so long ago, way before Y/N even knew Dabi.¨ ¨You think that's gonna matter to him?¨ He pushes himself off the wall and advances with his hands in his pockets towards Tenko, who is now frantically scrabbling back on all fours like a mutt. 

 ¨The fact that it even happened is a given that you´re a dead fucker now, Shimura. And don't think I don't see you two running around in the hallways trying to avoid me and Dabi, he sees all that too, y´know. We've both got eyes around the school.¨ He crouches in front of Tenko, and his grin turns ugly into a sneer when the shit-stain on the floor flinches and raises his hands up as if he were about to be hit.

 ¨Why does Dabi care so much about me and her? She´s gonna be married to him, not me. He gets her officially, not me.¨ Tenko says rather bitterly, in Hawks´ opinion.

 ¨He hates how close you are to her. He's jealous, simply put, at how well you know her, how you make her smile and put her at ease. It drives him crazy that some social reject like you has seen her body and the best and worst parts of her before he has, and that's why he lashes out at her. These pictures just prove to him that you need to be removed from the scene. Permanently.¨

 ¨Okay, I get that, but then why are you so involved with it? What are you even getting out of snitching for him?¨ Hawks´s eyes glint and darken, sending a sinister shiver down Tenko´s back. He licks his lips and leans close, giving a confession of his own.

 ¨´Cause if your guys´ shared whore screws up again, I might get a taste of her too. Personally, I couldn't care less about Dabi´s heart, but I wanna see why this girl is worth all this trouble.¨ The fallen soldier recoils slightly at his implication.

 Tenko forces himself to take deep breaths and to stop his shaking. He needs to get his phone back and go to the nurse before anyone sees this scene.

 ¨Just give me my phone back dude, please,¨ He hisses desperately, outstretching a gnarled hand.

 Hawks studies him for a moment. He was almost disappointed in Dabi that the flame user was so butt-hurt about this pathetic sack of bones being closer to his girl than he was.

 But that's what he gets when he holds onto a shred of hope that someone could be a candle to his everlasting flames.

 ¨Here,¨ and he takes momentary mercy on Tenko, tossing his phone on the ground in front of him.

 He starts walking away, wings ruffling with foreboding anticipation as he pulls out his own phone to send a message to the man of the hour.

 But before he does, he calls out over his shoulder a warning to the boy on the ground.

 ¨If you see her again, you won't be the only one getting buried that day¨.

 Tenko scratches his neck.

 *************

Ashtray: Was he there?

 2:00 pm: Yup, you were right. Guess they never learn, huh?

 Ashtray: Whatever, I have her phone and I just sent him the message. Send me a feather so I can send it back to her class

 2:01 pm: You deleted the message right?

 Ashtray: Obviously. You too?

 2:01 pm: Yeah, did it as soon as I saw him standing there

 Ashtray: Good. Make sure the area is clear after school

     Call Kai over too, I'm gonna need him when I'm preoccupied

 And unbeknownst to you, a velvet feather was indeed carrying a small cellular device on its back, weaving in and out of empty hallways to find your designated classroom.

 The silent plumage floats stealthily through the slightly ajar door and makes sure to stay low to the ground as it approaches your desk. Luckily there's an opening in your bag, so it quietly drops your phone inside while you tediously take notes.

 It can't help itself when your legs cross over themselves; you look so unassuming and innocent that it just has to get a quick taste. The feather travels up the expanse of your leg up to your inner thigh, and gently brushes against you, laying some pressure on it as well.

 From his own classroom, Hawks shivers in sickening pleasure when he senses the vibration of your gasp and the quickening of your heartbeat as you jolt and look underneath your desk.

 But you find nothing, the feather already having been directed to whizz out of the room and back to its owner.

 ¨What the hell,¨ you mutter to yourself as you brush the crawling feeling off your skin. You glance at your bag for a second, and then do a double take when you see the screen of your phone glowing.

 After taking a quick glance at your preoccupied teacher, you reach for the device and squint at the notification that shows on your lockscreen.

 One new message from Ten-ten.

 Ten-ten: Meet me behind the training grounds outside after school, its urgent

 Your brows crease in concern and you tap a message back to him.

 2:05: Are you okay? What happened?

 2:07: Where were you today after lunch? I didn't see you outside the lunchroom

2:06: And when did you get your phone back?

 2:10: Hello?

 And from across the school, Tenko is trudging away from the nurse's office back to his own classroom, frowning at your message as well.

 Y/N: Meet me behind the training grounds outside after school, its urgent

 He sighs and drags a gnarled hand down his weary face, stopping his fingers under his jaw to dig his nails into the thin flesh.

 2:06: We can't meet up again at school, Dabi and Hawks are gonna kill both of us

 2:08: I´m serious

 He's in his classroom now, and his unease has merely grown. You were usually so good at texting him back promptly, what´s wrong now?

 Biting a fingernail, he hesitates before using his other free hand to type some more.

 2:10: You okay?

 Almost 30 minutes pass, and Dabi is counting each second in anticipation.

 *********************

The sounding chime of the school bell causes Shimura to stop his periodic scratching and leg-bouncing, instead opting to shoot up out of his seat and bound out the classroom to where you said you were.

 Anxiety clouds over and erases all rational thought from his disturbed mind when he thinks of your lack of response.

 Were you mad at him? Were you safe?

 A stronger man with more self control would have resisted from going to check up on the girl that caused so much trouble for him, but Tenko was not a strong man. He was weak, and soft-willed, and if he was already getting the life beat out of him any other day because of his weakness, then what would one more catalyst be?

 His bony figure is ricocheted off various bodies as he bolts down the halls towards the back of the school, looks of disgust thrown his way and noses scrunched as he mutters occasionally, ¨Sorry, excuse me¨ and ¨My bad, I´m sorry¨. It doesn't deter him, he's used to the disdain by now and with the thought of you in mind he finally reaches the back of the Quirk Training facility, shoving through the double doors.

 Muted sunlight peeks through the large trees that loom over the area, the sky already turning a russet color in the beginning of its descent. He looks around wildly for you, and then he finally spots you in all your oblivious glory standing at the edge of the fence, your face slightly covered from the large sakura branches winding over the mesh.

 Tenko releases a breath he didn't know he was holding, and starts approaching you.

 You´re playing with the vines growing on the fence, but you turn around when you hear footsteps coming near.

 ¨Hey! What´s up?¨

 ¨I could ask you the same thing,¨ he says warily, looking you up and down to make sure you seemed unscathed. ¨What's going on? Why haven't you been answering any of my texts?¨

 You raise an eyebrow and laugh a little, thinking that he was messing with you.

 ¨Huh? You´re the one who called me here. And you didn't send any messages to me, look.¨ He grabs the phone that you thrust in his face, scratching lighty at his collarbones.

 You gently swat his hand away and watch as he thumbs through your chat log.

 His own brows furrow and he looks at you weirdly as he produces his own device, flipping the screen around and showing you the many messages he sent not too long ago.

 You squint at the blue light and look back up at him, mouth agape.

 ¨Wait, so you didn't call me here? I tried texting you too, but I didn't get an answer. I just thought you were busy or something.¨

¨Look, I don't know what's going on here, but we need to leave,¨ He says anxiously as he grabs your arm and starts to pull you around the corner. ¨This is weird, I don't like it-¨

 ¨Hold it you two.¨

 You both freeze, ice flooding through both your systems as you recognize the lazy voice.

 Slowly, you turn your head to face the last person you wanted to see in this state.

 Hawks is leaning casually against the brick wall, wings flared out to their fullest extent. Next to him is a new guy you´ve never seen before, a brunette with gold eyes like Hawks´ and a black beak mask to match. His hands are clad in white gloves, and he periodically keeps checking the watch on his pale wrist as if he has somewhere to be. 

 He's surrounded by cronies, tattoos covering the expanse of their bulky arms and baseball bats along with guns strapped over their heads or twiddling through their fingers.

 You think you´re going to throw up.

 Dabi is the first to speak, his guttural voice cutting through the thick, tense air like a serrated rusted knife.

 ¨Well, shit doll. I didn't think I'd have to break my future house slut so quickly.¨

 ¨Dabi, wait, there's been a misunderstanding-¨ ¨-And you,¨ he draws on as if you hadn't spoken. You tried to catch his eye but it seemed like he was purposely avoiding you, instead going for drilling invisible holes through Tenko´s head.

 If you had asked him, he was granting you mercy and your last shred of dignity by not letting you continue speaking, before he viciously strips it away from you. He feels as though if he hears your voice right now, the entire pavilion will go up in flames, including the chicken bastard and the Shie Hassaiki members.

 He stuffs his inflamed palms into his fire-deterrent pants to quell his unbridled rage. To anyone else he seemed at sick ease in having the upper hand, but in all honesty, Dabi would be lying if he said he really did wish you would have passed his test and not met with Tenko.

 ¨You´ve got a lot of balls to be talking to my bitch for such a dickless wonder. I thought after beating it into your skull for a couple of years that you'd understand where your place is.¨

 Out of the corner of your eye, a massive wooden bat swings towards Tenko and smashes against his head with a sickening thud.

 They must have surrounded you from the other side of the building too when you both were distracted.

 You scream so loudly you can feel your vocal cords vibrating in your throat. Everything seems to move ten times faster as you´re suddenly yanked back by invisible feathers, and dragged almost 15 feet away from Tenko´s unmoving body right into Dabi´s cruel embrace. 

 He harshly spins you around and shakes you like a ragdoll, staring you straight in your horrified eyes.

 ¨I told you not to hang around him, right? Well, if you don´t wanna listen to me, then at least listen to the beautiful sounds of your precious boy toy getting his skull bashed in.¨

And with that he spins you around again, a vice-like grip on your arms as he traps you against his hard body. You´re faced with front-row seats to watch the nauseating scene of Tenko indeed getting beaten to a pulp.

 ¨I´m going to make you fucking regret it,¨ He hisses in your ear, but you´re so dizzy with blood and teeth littering the ground filling your vision that you can´t even move.

 You vaguely hear Hawks tsk next to you, leaning against the wall and stretching his wings as if he had better places to be. As if watching a kid getting beaten half to death was something he saw every day.

 Grunts and jeering comments come from the large tattooed boys while they rain blow after blow on Tenko´s shuddering body. You can't even comprehend what kind of pain he´s in from the inhumane shrieks that come out of him. It was mesmerizingly terrifying how a human being could make sounds like the ones he was making, ranging from low wails of pleading mercy to high pitched cries of pain when they began kicking him.

 Feet pound on his back, crushing his paper-thin skin against the gravel, causing it to rip and tear,allowing rivers of blood to pool around his form. Now-cracked baseball bats become dented as they explode down on his head, and you distantly wonder how he's still alive with bits of hair and membrane clinging to the wood.

Your best friend flinches every time contact is made with his body; his fingers are curled and raised above his head to protect himself, and you think you can make out his chest puffing in and out a mile a minute. He might be having a panic attack, you´re not sure and you want to run to him, but the loud ringing in your head and the tears that cascade down your face are indications that you know you´re utterly trapped right now. You couldn't move even if you wanted to.

 ¨Stop,¨ you croak from the confines of Dabi´s arms, clawing at his jacket. ¨Please, stop, you're killing him.¨

 Dabi releases an arm to tap on his chin in mocking contemplation. ¨Hmm...tempting, but no thanks doll. This is supposed to be a lesson, not a freebie.¨ ¨Are we done from here?¨ A nasaly bored voice emerges from the background laughs and screams. The brunette with the beak-mask is standing a little away from Hawks, sighing and rolling his eyes.

 Is everyone here excluding you and Tenko a psychopath? How does Dabi even know them?

Not that you could say you were surprised, however. A man cruel enough to execute something like this surely has a heart blacker than coal.

 ¨Dabi, please!¨ you sob hysterically now, the pained noises coming from Tenko are coming out softer and less frequently now, you think he might die soon if one more bat slams into his ribcage. ¨I´ve learned my lesson, please, please don't do this to him.¨ you cry and beat your fists against his arms, which only squeeze painfully around your middle.

 ¨Nah, I don't think you have, actually. You said that last time, and look what's happening because of your lies,¨ he jeers at you, exchanging a smirk with Hawks.

 ¨I´ll do anything,¨ you whisper in desperation, looking at him full in his poker face.

 ¨Anything?¨ His brows raise gleefully, and you nod vigorously, not caring what that means for you, only concerned that the assault on the motionless body mere feet away from you stops.

 Dabi regards you for a moment, taking in your tears and wobbling lip, before he finally turns to the masked man, and gives him a curt nod. ¨Alright, we´re done here Kai. Take your guys and leave.¨

 The man named Kai dusts off his purple jacket and calls out for his boys to stop.

 ¨That's enough. We´re going.¨ He wrinkles his nose in afterthought. ¨And make sure you clean your stuff off, I don't wanna deal with bloody bats...god knows how many diseases that thing is carrying, ´looks like it has mange.¨ 

 That thing is currently groaning in difficulty to lift his face out of a puddle of his own blood, tears, and snot, almost choking on the mixed liquids invading his mouth and nostrils

 He blearily lifts his head ever so slightly, and sees you writhing in Dabi´s embrace, one of his forearms wrapped around the front of her throat and evidently choking you from the way you frantically gulp in air.

 He hoarsley whispers out your name, and you heave out another dry sob when you see his lips form your name in them. He painfully and slowly starts to rise up to his hands and knees, and it's like looking at a baby stand up for the first time from the amount of visible shaking you can see in his broken limbs.

 Dabi, you, Hawks, and Kai as well as the groupies all watch in awe as the stick-thin figure manages to elbow his way up, and Hawks scoffs in disbelief at Tenko´s grit. A man in his state shouldn't even be able to blink.

 Meanwhile, you can feel your fiance's arms tremble in barely concealed rage from watching the blatant act of disrespect.

 You want to tell Tenko to just stay the fuck down, and don´t piss them off further, but part of you takes savage pride in his perserverance.

 Is he just used to this? Is that why it's so easy for him to disregard the volumes of blood that come vomiting out of his mouth? How long has he been accustomed to places other than his heart being broken?

 It's hard not to cringe as he places his bloodied palms against the sharp concrete; you can see tiny pebbles embed themselves in his open wounds, and his fingers bend in unnatural ways as he elevates himself and maintains eye contact with just you.

 You think he's crying, but it's hard to tell when your own vision is blurry.

 It´s quiet for a moment after everyone witnesses Tenko´s own version of a fuck you, until Kai turns on his heels, his boys immediatley scrambling towards their leader as he makes to leave.

 He walks towards Hawks, and you can hear him murmur, ``You owe me.¨ He gives a curt nod to Dabi who merely grunts.

 Hawks, ever the optimist, laughs joyfully and reaches out a hand towards the beaked boy. ¨Of course man! We'll be in touch soon.¨

 Kai merely waves his hand in a resemblance of a farewell, crinkling his nose at Hawks´ outreached one. He rounds the corner, his boys smirking in tow, and then they´re gone. As if nothing has happened.

 The silence grows louder, deafening your ears. The only reprieve you get from feeling mounting terror of being vulnerable without anyone around is when Tenko starts hacking, his arms buckling underneath his weight in an effort to keep upright.

 And then they surround you.

 ****

 ¨What's with the tears baby? You knew this was gonna happen, we warned you-¨

¨-Scared you´re gonna end up like him? Good, but I´ll be honest, I think cum would look better coating your face-¨

 ¨-You didn't actually think I was gonna let you get away with this shit again, did you? God you´re such a spoiled slut, I´m gonna enjoy breaking you down like your parents never did-¨

 Shoving you around and into each other, groping you, leering right in your personal space, advancing towards you so that you stumbled backwards closer to Tenko.

 ¨No, stop, leave me-us alone, stay away from me!¨ You scream, and Dabi wraps an inflamed hand around your upper arm, racking up the volume of your cries.

 ¨Shut the fuck up. You don't get to complain anymore, you're gonna finish your punishment you little brat.¨

You wail as you wrench yourself out of his grip, fueled by pure adrenaline. Ignoring your searing flesh, you try running around them but with a lazy flick of Hawk´s wrist, numerous feathers catch you around your collar and feet, pulling you back. Your thrashing only serves in getting cut up more, and they deposit you less-than-gently right next to Tenko.

 He watches with wide eyes and shakes his head with urgency for you to leave, to run again, but his head is forcefully slammed to the ground by the blond´s boot. You hear a crunch from his nose and bile rises from your throat as you try scrambling towards him out of instinct.

 ¨Do you have a death wish? Stop worrying about him, and worry about yourself for a second doll, you´re gonna want to.¨ A scarred hand grabs your chin and yanks it to face him. His lips are curled back, his lids lowered and his eyebrows are raised.

 You jerk your head back and spit in his face. ¨You´re not gonna get away with this Touya.¨ You don't even care about using his other moniker anymore. ¨How the fuck can I not worry about him? Look at him! You´re the crazy one!¨

 He snickers and crouches to your level, moving forward until your rapid crab-walk backwards results in your back hitting the brick wall.

 ¨You hear that Keigo? I´m gonna pay for this, oh no, however will I recover?¨ He simpers, joining in Keigo´s boisterous cackles. 

 You risk a panicked glance at Tenko. At least there wasn't a boot on the back of his head anymore, but you didn't gain any comfort when he was roughly grabbed by his shirt and lifted up to a sitting position facing you, Hawks smugly holding his head up from rolling around in its socket. 

  His face was a mess. You could barely recognize his thin, narrow features anymore when his whole head was caked with splotches of liquid red, mud, and gravel piercing his cheeks. His mouth was gaping, filled with yet even more blood, and where his teeth used to be was instead gaping holes and vermillion-stained cracked bone

 Now that he's sitting somewhat upright, you can clearly see protrusions where his ribs are, clearly indicating breaks and torn ligaments.

 But your attention is directed to the monster in front of you. He rests a burning hand on your calf, and you whimper as you try to pull back from the unbearable pain. You were certain that if when you got out of here, you´d need to go to an infirmary immediately.

 Touya stops your leg from retreating, holding it down while simultaneously trailing his digits up your leg, crawling forward even closer to you with the most disgusting shit-eating grin on his face while doing so. All your pleas of ¨Stay back¨ and ¨Don't come any closer Touya, I swear-!¨ does nothing to deter him, rather goading him on while your audience of two watches in horror from one man and perverted amusement with the other.

 ¨Yeah? Or what, huh? You gonna hit me with your quirk? Oh wait, you don't have one.¨

 He straddles you, pressing his chest against yours and shamelessly looking down when your breasts swell from the pressure. You bite your lip and turn your head, taking in quick inhales to avoid breathing in too much of the smell of smoke.

 ¨Nuh-uh princess, I want your eyes on me now when I fuck you. I’m gonna show you who daddy is today.¨

 You don’t know what kind of adrenaline rush you experience when the words slip out, “That’s rich from the guy who practically creamed his pants when he talked to his own daddy. Why don’t you solve your own daddy issues before starting mine, huh?”

 He slaps you so hard you see stars within the setting sun.

 It's hard to tell who hates who more at the moment, but regardless, it doesn’t stop Dabi from grabbing your cunt and squeezing hard.

 Your lids fly open and your head snaps forward to face him in sheer panic, the moment of bravado gone as the chemicals pumping through your brain catch up to your heart.

 ¨Wait, no-¨

 In one fluid movement, he clenches his thighs on either side of yours, and uses his legs to flip you over. With the same momentum, he grabs your arms and yanks you to the new switched position; him against the wall and you in between his legs, back to his chest.

 In another time, Touya would have been secretly overjoyed being pressed against you so intimately like this. It almost felt domestic, not that he knew anything about that word, but it was the closest feeling he could pinpoint to it. His heart was pounding, and he wondered if you could feel it against your back.

 He hoped you could.

 The vague sounds of Shit-mura noisily inhaling through his broken nose only bothered him slightly, the feeling of his counterpart´s greedy eyes scanning your body and his hold on you barely registered. He was in a zone of his own at that moment, just the two of you, regardless of the circumstances. 

 Touya didn´t actually think of this as a punishment, no, he thought of this simply as an opportunity to unapologetically make love fuck you and show you how much he wants you who´s boss. Nothing personal, just business. You have to learn how to please your husband eventually right? Might as well let him show you how a woman is supposed to act in front of a man.

 It was just pure bad luck for you that you got saddled with a man who wants you to act like a whore for him.

 ¨Yo, Keigo, help me out here, the bitch won't stop moving.¨ He grunts out, struggling to subdue your flailing limbs. Despite him amping up the temperature in his palms against your stomach and arms, you still continued to try and escape him. 

 He couldn't bear to do any worse, the tears rolling down your face already made his heart feel funny and he didn't want to feel anything anymore.

 Hawks sighed dramatically and unleashed a few of his feathers to aid Dabi. Immediately your wrists were pinned to your sides, your feet weighed down by the sheer force of the plumage. You break down and sob to your heart's content, knowing that you were done for.

 Touya feels your body slacken, and he quickly put out the fire in his fists.

 ¨Watch the show, Tenko. I know you´ve been dying for a piece of this ass for a while, anyways.¨

 Hawks jerks Tenko´s chin forwards, ensuring that his attention was on you as Dabi began feeling you up, relishing in how your rib cage shook with heaves as you shook in his arms. He shoved his hands underneath your shirt and lifted the hem up all the way over you, the feather pulling your arms above you for easier access.

 A sudden breeze rattled you to your core, but it wasn´t just the weather that made your teeth chatter.

 It was the sick desperation and rapt attention in Tenko´s eyes. It was Keigo was looking you over with lowered lids, palming himself and hissing when Dabi took a mismatched finger and pulled your bra cups down ever so slightly, teasing the boys with cleavage and a hint of areola.

 ¨Touya, please,¨ you squint your eyes shut and turn your head away from salacious gazes. ¨If-if you´re gonna do this, please don't let them watch.¨

 ¨Nah sweetheart,¨ he simpers as he burns the straps off your undergarment, allowing the sheer protection to fall to the gravel. ¨You wanted to whore yourself out, right? Well, this is what happens to little whores who don´t wanna keep their legs closed.¨ His voice is right at your ear, nipping and suckling the senstivie flesh while his ruthless hands take handfuls of your tits and squeeze them, rub them together, weigh them appreciatively in his scratchy flesh.

 ¨Fuck, flick her nipples a bit, I wanna see them get hard,¨ Keigo groans out, yanking Tenko´s bleeding head. ¨You like this, you little perv? You like watching your best friend get raped?¨

 ¨N-no, no I don't! Leave her alone!¨ And even if it wasn´t from Keigo shoving him down and wrestling for his zipper to pull his hard dick out, you would've already known he's lying from the way his bloody mouth opens slightly and drools watching Dabi pinch and roll your nipples.

 You keen and whimper as Dabi leans his head down past your neck and lifts a breast up, darting his tongue out and swirling the appendage over your hardening buds. The feathers prove to be useful when they hold your wrists down and prevent you from escaping him.

 ¨Holy shit, he's actually hard from this. You´re even more fucked up than I thought, Shimura, I´m almost impressed.¨ The beaten boy cries out and pathetically tries to remove his member from Keigo´s tight fist, but obviously is no match for the way the blond fucks the skinny dick in his hand, squeezing almost painfully at his tip. With the help of his other feathers, he frees his own length and teases himself, the red turning white at the tips as they collect his precum.

 Dabi says nothing, but keeps his eyes on Tenko as he moves your body up into his lap, settling your ass right on top of his erection. You inhale shakily as he too fumbles to release his aching cock from his jeans, your nose clogged from crying and your voice hoarse from screaming. He lifts your skirt up and hisses in appreciation at the direct contact your panty-clad ass gives, suffocating his dick in your warmth.

 The experimentally thrusts lightly a couple times, jostling you up and down and making your tits bounce. Keigo and Tenko look in awe, the feathers and hands moving rapidly in time with Dabi´s thrusting. You try to avoid eye contact with either of them or their leaking dicks.

 You feel like your heart is a runny mess, you´re a mess, your hair is fucked up, your clothes are being strewn on the ground and burned away, your skin is being molested, you don´t know what the fuck is going on or what to do.

 So instead of pleading, you decide to relent and get this over with quickly. The less resistance you show, the faster you can get Tenko to an E.R.

 And speaking of faster, Dabi has stopped grinding against your ass in favor of snaking a hand around and toying with the hem of your panties, holding your skirt up.

 You bite your lip and your eye twitches, but you stay silent save for shuddering inhales through your nose.

 Taken slightly aback by your lack of complaint, Dabi hesitates for a moment before shaking it off, delving his fingers into your panties, the cloth moving and bulging out from his hand sliding in and out of your folds.

 You whimper and jerk your hips minutely in instinct, and he feels it, much to your horror. He grins and takes it as encouragement, circling his digits through your little-more-than folds until he finds the clit by the way you jump at contact.

 He presses down, flicks it, circles it, gathering lube from your mutinously throbbing cunt to slick yourself up, thoroughly enjoying your sharp inhales and the way you can´t help moving against the invading actions.

 It's only when Keigo calls out that Dabi remembers he's not doing this to please you, he´s doing this to fuck you over just like how you did to him. 

 ¨Pull her panties off, I think our little vouyer here is gonna come soon,¨ he positively purrs as he presses a thumb against Tenko´s jerking hips.

 More blood has covered Shimura´s head and body, but even amongst the mess of flesh that was once his face you can clearly see his eyes wide open, pupils blown black with lust, bones actually audibly rattling in their broken sockets as he breathes heavily at your corruption. 

 He looks insane, more insane than the ones actually raping you. You wonder if you feel more violated by the obvious monsters who told you straight up what they were going to do to you, or the one who swore to be your friend, who swore to never relish in your pain.

 You´re brought out of your empty contemplation when Dabi neglects fingering your clit to yank your skirt off your shaking legs. He doesn't even bother with slowly stripping the panties off, impatience overriding better judgement. You again offer little to no resistance as he does so, which riles up the squeamish feeling in his heart.

 Now fully exposed to him, his cock stretches another couple of millimeters, looking like it's going to burst from the angry red and purple swelling it adorns.

 Keigo whistles and licks his lips, lecherously looking over your tits and exposed pussy all for the taking.

 He pulls your hips back and forces you to hover right above his standing cock, causing your knees to shake in exertion. You feel like you´re going to faint any second.

 ¨You ready doll? Ready to take your husband´s cock for the first time?¨ He cooes, bringing you lower and swiping the weeping slit of his prick against the wetness of your folds. You mewl and try to shift, but it only serves in him pulling you down even more, your labia ever so slightly enveloping the top of his tip.

 Your cunt is pounding with rushing blood, and he almost gasps as the sensation flows into both of your sensitive bits.

 Leaning forward, he conceals his mouth behind your hair as he mutters, ¨Try to relax for me, it´ll hurt less.¨

 You can't care less for his consideration, not when his jerky thrusts feel like they're splitting you in two. All your poor pussy is aware of is the blinding white-hot pain felt on every wall as Touya takes from you what you would not willingly give.

 The sounds of your squelching hole-whether from blood, precum, your own tears, who knows-fill the air obscenely. You mistake a glance upwards in your blurry vision and you nearly vomit when you see Hawk´s hand furiously bobbing up and down Tenko´s flushed red dick, and his own being caressed with lust. They look like fucking dogs drooling over your state.

 You´re brought out of your horrified reverie when Dabi hisses. He fully sheathes himself inside you and you mewl at the sensation of being filled. Liquid trails down where you two connect, and it feels disgusting as he pulls out only to slam back into you, the cooling wetness of said liquids splashing everywhere and onto the concrete below you.

 Your tits bounce up and down as Dabi takes his sweet time pulling out all the way only to give you a moment's reprieve before diving back into the wet cavern. Eyes rolling back into your head at the feeling of his veiny dick thrusting in and out of you, mouth open when he remembers to heat up his hands and play with your nipples, your legs shaking when he alternates to play with your clit, you look like a real slut.

 Tenko cums suddenly, crying out and jerking his hips up into Hawks hand when you let out an especially pornographic moan. Ropes of white shoot up like a fountain from his tip and splatter Keigo´s hand and the pavement.

 Keigo cries out and laughs in disgust, wiping his soiled hand into Tenko´s hair.

 ¨You see that? Look how perfect and sweet your little friend is now, Y/N,¨ Dabi pants into your ear, yanking your hair back and forcing you to look at your ex best friend.

 ¨No, d-don´t wanna look, please let go,¨ you babble as he fucks you stupid.

 ¨Shut up. Whores don't get to beg for mercy,¨ He sneers as he slaps a bouncing tit, hard.

 ¨The same should apply for cucks like him,¨ Keigo speaks up and slaps the back of Tenko´s head, sending blood and hair flying off his face.

 Dabi stops pounding into you, allowing you to take a merciful breath despite what he said.

 ¨Yeah? You think so?¨ Shimura snaps out of his daze when he realizes they´re talking about him. He shakes his head frantically and tries to tuck his softening cock into his pants but a red feather is quick to restrain him.

 ¨Uh-uh, pathetic bastards like you need to get their dues too. We let you off easy with the Shie Hassaiki,¨ He snickers.

 ¨Come one. Lick this mess up. I'm sure you dreamt about it before, closet perv.¨ Dabi sneers as the blond´s boot sends Tenko flying forwards, almost colliding with your stomach.

 You squeeze your eyes shut, inhaling shakily as he gets back up on his hands and knees. You can't bear to look at him right now.

 They all disgust you.

 ¨What did I just say, slut? Eyes open.¨ A patched hand slaps you and your head is snapped forwards mere inches from Tenko´s. 

 Your gazes meet, but you can't recognize the eyes anymore. They used to belong to a man´s but now they reflect that of a monster´ s.

 ¨Clean this mess up. Any time this little pussy drools you´re going to eat it up like the roach you are. And if by the time she's done riding and I see a single patch of slick on her I'll knock the rest of your teeth out, got that?¨ Dabi reaches his arm around and pulls the weak boy´s hair forwards until his nose nestles where your filled pussy is.

 All you can do is watch as he hesitantly darts his tongue out and licks from Dabi´s engorged dick up to your clit.

 ¨Fuck you,¨ you whisper to no one and everyone as you let your head fall back, signaling to your finance that you were in enough pain to start up again.

 ¨You´ve had enough rest. Ride my fucking dick until I say stop.¨ He doesn't need to threaten you this time. You shakily rise up on your knees and twitch when he slaps your ass suddenly. The entire time you lift yourself up, Tenko´s tongue follows up Dabi´s exposed length until it swirls around your clit again.

 You feel numb. 

 Sinking back down onto him is even more excruciating because you can vividly feel every inch of him scraping up against your walls. It doesn't help that a certain tongue is lapping away at you too.

 But nonetheless you don´t waste any time bouncing up and down like your life depended on it, which it probably did.

 You can hear him panting behind you, his mouth letting out ragged breaths against your ear, his mouth desperately trying to suck galaxy colored hickies into your naked torso as you envelope him.

 The feeling of Dabi and Tenko´s breaths puffing onto your clit and nipples would´ve caused the start of a climax if it weren't for Keigo´s unnecessary commentary.

 ¨Holy fucking shit that´s so messed up. Wait no, move down a bit, lick the base of his dick. Yeahhh, just like that.¨ He walks around the scene with his phone out, obviously recording as he leans in toward some anatomy and pulls away to get the bigger picture at other angles.

 And Tenko actually listens. He follows through every salacious order Keigo gives, he even does it a little bit better than someone who's supposed to at least pretend they're not enjoying your ordeal.

 You can tell Dabi is reaching his peak when he suddenly grabs your hips in a bruising grip and slams you down on his length, emitting a broken scream from you. He quickly slaps a hand over your mouth and spews filth in your ear as he uses you like a fleshlight.

 ¨You like bouncing on my dick like a whore? Huh, Y/N? Answer me you little bitch, or are you too cock hungry to say anything else? Not enough dicks here to satisfy you, princess? Keigo, get over here, she looks like she needs more.¨ You wail and scream behind his hand as Keigo eagerly stands over you, his member already being pumped in a hand.

 ¨That's right slut, you already know what to do, don´t you? I bet a slut like you has practice, ´bet you and the degenerate licking the cum from your pussy did it all the time.¨ You look imploringly at his head ducked between your thighs and even clench them around his head to get his attention. But he refuses to refute the accusations hissed at you in favor of eating your own slick off your puffy folds.

 Keigo waits no longer as he seizes your hand and slaps it against his base, silently urging you to stroke him. You wearily look up at him and are faced with a bright camera light trained on your fucked-out face and trembling hand. Knowing that you were stuck, you started stroking, accepting whatever pace he made you take as he lifted his hips up into your cupped palm, his balls smacking against your wrist while you jacked him off.

 Dabi´s pants grew louder and more choked as every part of you became occupied with cocks. He still kept a hand over your mouth, bringing it up to his mouth every couple of seconds to taste the tears that slid down from your eyes down to his digits.

 ¨´Gonna cum, and you´re gonna take it all in that sloppy hole of yours. ´M gonna fill you up with cum and make you fat with my kids, you´re gonna be on your fucking hands and knees for me like a good little housewife aren´t you-¨

 The third time he brings his hand away to taste your tears you frantically gasp out, ¨Don´t do it inside Touya, please don´t, not inside I'm begging you to-¨

 But you´re cut off suddenly when Tenko teeths at your slicked clit, and you mewl, unconsciously rolling your hips into his mouth even more.

 His tongue travels around your stretched labia and around Dabi´ś balls, causing you both to hiss in unison.

 ¨I'll do whatever the fuck I want. You´re lucky I´m not fucking you up the ass, you ungrateful bitch.¨

 His dick starts twitching in your pussy, and you know he's about to burst.

 ¨I´ll never forgive you.¨ You whisper in defeat, for the umpteenth time.

 ¨I don't need you to,¨ he merely grunts as he cums inside you with a loud groan.

 His body shakes and he pulls your naked back against his torso, hugging you tightly and filling you up. At the same time, Keigo also lets out a string of curses as your hand is doused with milky white substance from his own.

 Dabi grabs your jaw and turns you to face him. ¨Who do you love?¨ he purrs, nuzzling your cheek with faux affection.

 You force yourself to make it sound faux, because you hate the way he looks so deeply into your eyes.

 ¨Y-you.¨ ¨That´s a good girl,¨ he whispers and kisses you, hard.

 You´re slumped. There´s mixed cum from all four people coating your body, various fluids and anatomy strewn on the concrete around you, and clothes shuffling in place as they regroup themselves. 

 Tenko slowly crawls back up from his position in front of your cunt, rearing back on his knees and wiping streaming blood from his head. Keigo tucks his dick back in his pants and cruelly wipes the cum that flew on his clothes into your hair, while Dabi dumps you off his lap onto the grating ground.

 ¨Well, I hope you two learned your lesson today,¨ Keigo simpered with scrunched eyebrows, pouting at you both.

 By now the inky haired man has gotten to his feet, brushing his hands off excess grime. 

 ¨That was fun, I should've done this a lot sooner, honestly,¨ he leers at both the figures on the ground, and you refrain from looking anyone in the eyes. ¨I´m gonna take her home. Keigo, deal with this fuckwad while I'm gone. And get him an ice pack, he looks like pure shit.¨ He snorts to himself.

 ¨How considerate of you Touya. And here I was thinking you didn't have a heart.¨

 You and Tenko don´t join in their vicious laughter.

 ¨Aw come on sweetheart, the worst is over. I doubt you´ll go through that again, since you know what'll happen if you continue to act out.¨ Your fiance crouches down and starts shoving your limbs back into their clothes, ignoring the way you weakly try to evade his callous touch.

 Everyone stares in silence as you´re dressed like a child, unable to properly move from the shock and trauma you just endured. It was weird seeing you so quiet. They thought you would´ve still been crying, or at least fighting back now that they no longer had a hold on you.

 But you were so, so accommodating as Touya pulled you up to your feet, keeping a firm grasp around your waist to keep your knees from buckling. You kept your head down as he grabbed your backpack from a helping feather´s elevation and slung it over his own shoulder.

 ¨I´ll catch you later Kei. Keep me updated on our little experiment,¨ he winks before steering you around the corner.

 That was the last time you saw Tenko Shimura, your best friend of years.

 ¨E-experiment?¨ His hoarse voice questions, nasally from the buildup in his broken nose.

 ¨Yeah, you heard right. You´re our little experiment, Shimura. Truth be told, I always saw the potential in you. After Touya showed me those texts between you and Y/N it just confirmed my suspicion.¨ Keigo plucked a feather out and tossed it to Tenko´s gnarled hand. ¨Here, use this to wipe that shit off your face. I´m not in the mood to drag you to a nurse right now so this´ll have to do.¨

 ¨Potential? Suspicion? I don't get it,¨ he brings the feather up painfully down the sides of his cheeks, collecting the grime and gore onto the victimized plumage.

 The blond grimaces at the disgusting sight and looks away. ¨I mean, I see the potential in you to be one of us. I knew you weren't this goody-two shoes, quiet loser that everyone made you out to be. And you really proved it today, too. I didn´t know you had it in you all the way to eat her cunt like that while she was getting raped, shit was pretty erotic if I´m being honest.¨

 Tenko cringes at the brutal choice of words but doesn´t refute them. He stays quiet before Keigo realizes he needs some more coaxing out of his cautious state.

 ¨Hey, look man, none of that stuff earlier was personal, alright? Touya just needed to prove a point to his bitch, that's all.¨ He shrugs so easily, as if everyone was as delusional as him to believe that.

 But maybe Tenko really had snapped, because he turned to Keigo with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, taking in his words.

 ¨Really? I thought you guys hated me,¨ he mutters, looking down at the soiled feather in his hand.

 ¨Nah, it's nothing like that. Just gotta prove to us how you´re different, y´know?¨ Hawks slings an arm and wing around Tenko´s bruised shoulder as if to offer him some security.

 ¨You don´t wanna be a loser anymore, right? Consider this a new chapter in your life, the next big steps.¨ ¨Yeah.¨ ¨Good.¨ They stay like that for a couple moments of silence, drinking in the setting sun.

 And then Tenko can´t hold his curiosity any longer.

 ¨But how do I do that? There´s nothing really about me that´s special...I mean, except for...however the hell I was acting like earlier,¨ he shifts uncomfortably, recalling the thirst he felt when he saw your sopping cunt getting fucked stupid. It was strange, really. The itch in his body had never felt more satiated when he felt like the oppressor once, rather than the oppressed when watching your eyes fill up with tears, knowing that he was the one who caused it. He had never felt that calm and pleased even when the itch was satisfied by your soothing fingers over his scratched-raw skin.

 ¨That's what I'm thinkin´ too,¨ Keigo thoughtfully holds a hand to his chin, his wings flapping lazily with the cool breeze. ¨I´d say the first step to a new chapter with us is to change that dopey schoolboy name. Tenko Shimura? That sounds like a dog´s name. And you don´t wanna be a kicked around puppy anymore, do you?¨

Tenko vigorously shakes his head. 

 A new chapter with us.

 Us.

 He swallows hard, unable to think of a cool name that would be good enough as a new group member. The shock on his body was catching up, so he forfeited his pride and sought help from his recruiter.

 “Did you have anything in mind?”

 Hawks hums thoughtfully. “Yeah...how ‘bout Tomura? Tomura Shigaraki?” He looks over ex-Tenko’s broken body and nods in confirmation.

“Tomura...Shigaraki,” the new Tomura says slowly, letting his tongue run over his missing and broken teeth in the midst of testing out the new name.

 “The kanji for it has to do with change and mourning, something like that I think. It’s pretty fitting, especially since you’re letting go of your past and moving on with your life...right?” Keigo side eyes Tomura mischievously, knowing he was in no place to defy him.

 Shigaraki merely looks to the horizon, silently acknowledging the new chapter of his life. Another cold breeze swirls around the two men, but it's not the sting of the wind that brings newfound tears to Tenko Tomura’s eyes.

 He shakily rises to his feet with a grunt, clutching his ribs and tilting his head back to avoid breathing in anymore drying blood. Keigo gets up with him, outstretching a hand towards him to steady him on his feet, which Tomura takes.

 “I think I need to see a nurse.”

 The blond laughs, his wings fluttering with the waves of his voice.

 “Almost forgot about that. But y’know, you should be more careful next time you train with us. I don’t think your body can take any more damage than it already has.”

 ******************

 You haven’t returned any of Touya’s calls.

 You haven’t received any messages from Tenko.

 You didn’t get out of bed when you saw a red feather zooming past your window in the morning.

 You’ve been home for three days now, huddled under the comforters and only getting up to drink some water like a zombie. Showers are a no-go, it’s unbearable to look at your own naked body anymore. The school kept ringing your parents for your attendance, but the image of you stumbling home and bursting into tears is fresh in their minds; they let the calls go to voicemail.

 Tenko’s broken body. His screams of agony. Dabi’s hands all over you, Hawk’s feather holding you down, your body shifted and positioned like a ragdoll-it’s all too much, you can’t face anyone yet. You’re absolutely terrified.

 A knock at the door jolts you out of your catatonic state.

 “Honey? You want something to eat? We haven’t seen you come out today…” Your father’s voice trails off unsuredly, and after some harsh whispers coming from behind the door and scuffling sounds, your mother speaks.

“You need to move around sweetheart-”

 Your body jolts violently when she says that cursed nickname.

 “Ahh come on sweetheart, the worst is over.”

 “-did something happen with you and Tenko? You two haven’t talked in so long, you usually never argue like this.”

 A burning comes up in your chest as your stomach rumbles, bile rising up your throat. You want them to leave. Now.

 “I’ll-” you cough and clear your raspy voice from disuse. “I’ll be out in a bit, ‘head hurts.”

 “Are you sure? We can come get it for you, we don’t mind-”

 “-No, I’m fine. Please just...just give me some time.” You grit your teeth and squeeze your eyes shut, silently willing them to go away.

 It’s only until the sound of their footsteps padding away from your door that you rigidly rise out of bed, reaching for your phone on your nightstand.

 2 missed calls from Rumi, 3 text messages from Touya, and nothing from Tenko.

 Was he alive?

 With trembling hands, you punch in his contact and pull up your messages.

 3:04 pm: We need to talk.

 You sigh and throw the phone back on the table, running your hands down your face. You just wanted things to go back to normal, when you and him were okay, when you werent engaged to Touya, when they didn’t turn him into a monster who ate you out while you bounced up and down and up and fucking down on your rapist’s-

 No. You can’t think like that. You can’t. That wasn’t him, they made him do that.

 At least, that’s what you tell yourself in order for your sanity to remain on its barest of threads.

 Time moves at a snail’s pace as you find things to do that distract you from checking your messages every five minutes. Soggy leftovers are pushed through your throat, the t.v blares while you watch without actually seeing, your bedsheets are made and remade into perfection...but nothing prevents you in the end from snatching up the device and checking for his text.

Nothing. Absolutely nada.

 Just a “read” sign that makes you see red.

 Who the fuck did he think he was? He wasn’t the fucking vitcim, you were-

 Oh. But he was, just as much as you were.

 Anger curls into anxiety as you nibble your lip in contemplation. Was he mad at you?

 It was your fault in a way.

 You try calling him, no one picks up.

 If he was going to flat out ignore you, then you knew there was only one way to corner him for talking.

 And corner him you did, when on a bright Wednesday morning you decide to go to school, for nothing else if not hounding Tenko down and seeing if he was okay. You didn’t know if he deserved it, but you just had to see him once.

 You wait outside his front gate, idly watching the sky turn from a deep purple to mix in with hues of orange and blue. After a few minutes, the door creaks open and you whip around to face him.

 It’s only been a few days since you two last saw each other, but at that moment when he turns and his eyes go wide from seeing you, you feel as though you’ve never known him before. Not his tangly hair that hangs in front of his face, not the new bruises and bandages on various parts of his body, and not the sneer his mouth curls into, that is oh so reminiscent of-

 “Where have you been? You didn’t answer your phone…” You trail off confusedly as he practically shoves past you through the gate, ignoring the way you stumble from the impact of his bony shoulder.

 “Hey, wait up!”

 You do a light jog after him but your heart is pumping at light speed, uncertainty creeping up your spine at his behavior.

 “Tenko, stop!”

 “It’s Tomura, now, Tomura. Don’t call me by that dopey ass name anymore.” He stops in his tracks and looks down at you as you pant and stare at him.

 “T-Tomura? What’s that? And answer my question, where have you been?”

“Yeah, fucking Tomura Shigaraki to you. And I’ve been doing my own thing now. I’m not wagging my tail behind you like a fucking lapdog anymore, got it?” He shoulders his bag and continues to walk past you.

 “What the hell are you talking about? Why are you so upset at me, I didn’t even do anything!” You walk backwards side by side with him, desperately trying keep up with his curt pace.

 “Oh right, you’re just so innocent aren’t you? I should’ve left you from the start, honestly. Keigo was right.” “Keigo? When did you talk to him? He assaulted you! How could you even face him? “You say that as if he’s the one who made me like this.” He gestures to his barely healing body, and your breath catches in your throat.

 “Wait...you’re blaming me?”

 “Finally got it Einstein?” He sneers at you. “You did this to me, you made Keigo and Touya beat the shit out of me. If you had just listened to them and left me the fuck alone, I wouldn’t have suffered half as much as I already have.”

 You ball your fists and try to swallow the growing bulge in your throat. You thought your sanity would be kept intact for a while longer, but you feel the last threads barely hanging on.

 “Tenk-Tomura, please just wait a second,” You say desperately, not even thinking before grabbing onto his shirt sleeve. You want to hold him here forever, you want to go back, you want things to be the way they were before, he can’t leave you alone with Touya-

 “I’m glad they showed me how selfish you’ve always been. You never thought of my safety when you kept hanging around me knowing full well that they’d beat the shit out of me if they caught us. And they did! You happy now?” He’s laughing, but he can’t hide the rage from his balled shaking fists.

 “No, no please-” you whisper horrified.

 But he turns around, barely glancing back at you before bidding his adieu.

 “I’m saying goodbye to you as Tenko, and saying hello as Tomura now. Forget we were ever friends, it means nothing to me now. I used to feel like a burden to you, but it’s funny, you seem to be weighing me down more than ever now.”

 “But don’t worry. You’ll still see me around. After all, Keigo and Touya seem to be pretty solid guys. And hey, maybe I’ll even be the best man at your wedding coming up.”

 Your head is swimming. The sky is almost a clear blue now, the purple having faded away a long time ago. The sounds of strings stretching are brought to a climax.

 He’s so close, yet so far away from you that you barely catch the words that come tumbling out of his mouth so easily, so effortlessly you'd think he’d either rehearsed saying them all his life or that he’s had a lifetime of saying it.

 “I fucking hate you.”

 And the threads snap.

[hiddennerdworld]

MHA Couples Dynamics with art by @leecheedoodles| Too Cool for Skool x Keener (Reader x Iida)

Masterlist

Warnings: none, all fluff stuff

A/N: eeeee I’m so excited about this. I saw this art and immediately was inspired. I would really like to do a series based on these. This is all thanks to leechee doodles here on Tumblr. They are v talented so check them out! I’ve seen others use their art, but if they don’t want me to I can always take it down. Enjoy :)

You and Iida definitely got off on the wrong foot

You guys didn’t hate each other per say, but you annoyed each other for sure

Iida just wanted his fellow classmates to be successful and tried to encourage you as class rep. And you just wanted to only take part in the aspects of hero work that you actually enjoy

In your own ways, you both stressed each other out

Iida would give you lectures any time you ditched class, saying you needed to be responsible in order to be the best hero you can be

You just stood and rolled your eyes the entire time with your arms crossed over your chest

Eventually, one day Iida just said fuck it (he didn’t actually phrase it that way bc he doesn’t use the bad words) and picked you up and carried you to class.

The whole time with you kicking and screaming, which doesn’t affect him bc he’s a fucking tree

This became routine. Iida was with you almost 24/7, keeping you in line. This caused even more tension between you guys

“I don’t need a babysitter!”

“Well you wouldn’t if you stopped acting like a baby and attended to your duties!” *snickers* “You’re gonna tell me you’re not a baby when you can’t even not laugh at the word ‘duty’?!!!”

The bickering wouldn’t stop and it was driving EVERYONE crazy

So as Aizawa solves all problems, he paired up the duo with pent up frustration for their final exam

You guys were rolling your eyes when you saw you had to work together but weren’t surprised tbh

It seemed like you guys weren’t gonna make it, but at the last second you were able to distract Cementoss and give Iida an in to dash up and capture him

You guys cheered and high fived when you realized you’d passed, the negative feelings towards each other forgotten

Afterward you guys had a talk.

“Good job out there today, Iida. I’m impressed on how you came up with a strategy so quick. I guess studying so much does actually help, huh.”

“Thank you, L/N! I appreciate the kind words, especially coming from someone who has such good control over their quirk like yourself!”

The whole time both of you were staring at the ground, blushing to hard to look at the other person while complimenting them. Iida still did the hand waving tho lmao

Afterwards, Iida still kept an eye on you always bc he thinks you have a lot of potential and wants you to do well

And you don’t find him as annoying anymore, so don’t really try to avoid him

This ends up with you guys basically just hanging out rather than him chaperoning you.

Training, studying, making food, you guys are together a lot

You and Iida occupied a table in the dining area for your studies for the millionth night in a row. The other students know better than to disturb you at this point. Yes, you guys are friends now, but you still bicker like an old married couple.

“I could really go for some ice cream right now,” you said while leaning back in your chair.

“L/N! You know that stuff isn’t good for you! Why do you wish to consume such sugary content?! Why don’t you eat an apple instead?!”

“I don’t think that’s how cravings work. Besides we have training tomorrow and always so I will still be keeping myself in shape. It’s one treat.”

“L/N, we are studying to become the best heroes! We need to be responsi-“

“But that’s just it! We are always going to be working to be the best we can be. You need to be able to enjoy yourself. Life isn’t all about work, you know?” You said standing up and grabbing his arm, “We’re going out. Come on!”

“Absolutely not! It is after curfew! It would be dangerous and-“ Iida lectured on and on until you guys were basically in front of the ice cream place. He tried to get you to stay back, but you were surprisingly strong when you were determined. (Also, he probably wasn’t resisting as much as he could’ve).

You guys went in and ordered. You got cookie dough with some chocolate syrup on top, and Iida got a scoop of vanilla on a cone, only because you insisted he get something. After you got the ice cream you went to a nearby park and sat on a bench.

“Mmmmmm this is so good. Totally worth it.” You say as you take your first bite, eyes closed while enjoying the delicious dessert.

“I’m not sure if it was worth breaking the rules, but as long you are enjoying yourself I guess it’s alright.”

“That’s because you got the most boring flavor. Here try some of mine.” You said raising a spoonful up to him.

This caused his face to go red and he stared at you with wide eyes for a few seconds before speaking. “No, L/N! I appreciate the offer but it would be inappropriate. Mine is perfectly fine and-“

As he was rambling, you shoved the spoon in his mouth, making him blush even harder. “L/N! You could’ve choked me.”

“But was it good though?”

“Yes, I suppose so.” He said at almost a whisper.

A shit-eating grin grew on your face, “Told ya so. See, Iida look.” You gestured over to the sight in front of you. There were people scattered throughout the park enjoying their night, and you could even see the glowing city in the distance. “We are a part of what makes this all possible. There wouldn’t be people out here living their lives if we didn’t keep them safe. It may not be too often, but we still get to relish in the world we created too. It reminds us why we do what we do.”

Iida couldn’t help but just stare at you for a hot minute. You looked gorgeous under the moonlight while you looked around in awe. You were more wise than he ever gave you credit for. He had always thought you were carefree, but actually you just had cared about things differently than him and he failed to realize.

“You’re right, L/N. We should be able to enjoy this more often.”

“We?”

“Of course. Why would I do something fun without you?” Now you started to get all flustered. Feeling heat rush to your face, you covered it with your hands and looked toward the ground. “Are you alright? Sorry I didn’t mean to say anything that would upset you.”

“No, don’t worry. You didn’t upset me. I would love to spend some time with you.”

So you guys did. Well you already spent a lot of time together already but now you guys would go out and do something fun if you had free time

Like instead of training on the weekends, you guys sometimes walked around the park.

And every time you’d go, you guys would also visit the ice cream shop you guys went to that one night and try a new flavor

You also were participating more in class. You’re grades were getting better from the beginning of your guys’ relationship, but now you actually were invested.

After a test, you would show Iida your grade and thank him for all his help, and he would be so proud and excited for you

Of course, your classmates started to catch onto you guys being more and more friendly with each other

Hagakure snuck up on you guys one day while you were studying. “Alright, when did you two start dating? We all thought you hated each other but now we know it was all an act to throw us off, so spill the beans.”

“Oh, no we’re not dating.” You replied

“Well..” Iida started to talk and your eyes darted towards him

“I mean now that someone has said it, I wouldn’t be opposed to dating you, L/N. I really enjoy my time with you and think you’re a great person. Could I take you on an official date?”

“Y-yea I would really like that.”

“Awwww that was so adorable! I can’t believe I just help you guys get together!” She skipped out of the room, on her way to tell everyone her accomplishments

“Sorry, L/N, that probably wasn’t the best timing.”

“Call me Y/N”

“O-oh okay… Y/N. I’m looking forward to going out with you.”

“Me too, Tenya.” You said smiling and grabbing his hand.

Barely anything was said the rest of the time, but you guys couldn’t stop smiling and you didn’t let go of each other’s hands. Safe to say no information was retained from this study session

[jadegrey711]

Trouble

Soft dark!Andy Barber x Fem!Reader

A/N: Hello everyone! So recently I’ve become absolutely obsessed with both @navybrat817​ and @stargazingfangirl18​ who both write absolutely amazing stuff and I want to be them when I grow up. So when I found out Siri was doing a 5k writing challenge i figured i’d throw my hat in the ring and maybe get out of this depression writing slump. 

So I decided to make a vey very very! Soft!Dark Andy Barber x Fem!Reader. Seriously it’s like Dark Light lol. But I hope you all like it! I hope to do another one before the month is over but let’s see shall we? 

*NOT MY GIF. Credit in the TAGS*

Word Count:1484

If you like my stories you can check out my sideblog @jadegreywriting​​ to see all of them and my masterlist without filtering through my main blog.

I own all rights to this story and do not give permission for my stories to be published, translated or reposted anywhere else. The only places I have published my stories is here on Tumblr and on my AO3 account (LadyAuthor711) 

This story is for 18+ ONLY. It contains sexual themes that are not suited for younger audiences so if you’re under 18 my blog and this story is not for you. Please make sure to read at your own discretion and remember that you are solely responsible for your content intake. 

WARNINGS: Sexual Situations (18+ ONLY), Overstimulation, possessive Andy, deeply jealous Andy, Oral sex (F Receiving), Vaginal sex. 

Other warnings include very mediocre writing. 

He watched you from a distance as he continued talking with his fellow associates, making sure to keep a watchful eye on you as you chatted with the wives. He smirked to himself knowing you must be bored out of your mind, but you did it for him and he loved you for it. 

Suddenly though, Andy watched as Neil Logiudice approached you from behind, putting a hand on your arm. You seemed startled for a minute and then smiled, putting your hand on top of his and Andy saw red. 

He barely registered what the others in his group were talking about. Because his gaze was focused solely on you and Neil and how cozy you were in each other’s company. How you and the other women laughed at some joke he made and about how in the three minutes he had been standing there he hadn’t been able to keep his fucking hands off of you. He felt like breaking each one of those fingers, making sure he let Neil know that he was never to touch you again. He could feel his whole body vibrate with violence as he continued watching, knowing you were none the wiser. 

Neil was nice enough and he was an associate of Andy’s so when he put his hand on your arm to get your attention you let it slide, putting your hand on top of his and gave it a friendly pat fighting the urge to swat it away immediately. You were at a party full of Andy’s work friends and associates so making a scene over something small would not be a good impression on either your part or Andy’s; so you let it slide and you let the other four times he touched you slide as well. Even as you were mentally flinching each time he did it. After the fourth time you looked around the room for Andy, looking for an escape of some kind and immediately found him; across the room and boring holes into the back of Neil’s head with that dark gaze. 

You took that as your cue to quickly excuse yourself, saying that it was getting rather late and you should go and find Andy. Everyone waved you off as you departed from the group and over to where Andy was. 

“Hi honey.” You smiled, grabbing his hand and lacing your fingers with his and while everyone else in the group was still talking you heard Andy sigh and grip your fingers back; turning his face towards your he gave you a small smile. 

“Do you want to get out of here?” He whispered in your ear.

“Definitely!” You whispered back. Before you plastered a smile on your face as Andy said goodbye to everyone and then put his hand on the small of your back and guided you out the exit. 

**

Later that night after you both had gotten home, gotten into bed and as Andy had your leg over his strong shoulder while he devoured your soul between your legs did he bring up Neil. 

You writhed on the bed, your fingers tangled in Andy’s hair as you felt your orgasm coming on fast with the pace he was eating you out at. When suddenly Andy surprised you. 

“You good friends with Neil now?” he asked nonchalantly against your folds, before he sucked harshly on your clit. Making you groan. 

“What?” you asked confused at what he was possibly asking you right now as he was sucking all rational thought out through your pussy. 

“Are you good friends with Neil?” He asked again, giving your clit another harsh suck. And you felt your legs convulse. 

“What the fuck Andy?” You asked but the sound of his name was more of a moan as he added two of his fingers and pumped your sweet pussy. 

Andy didn’t give for a minute as he continued to suck and lick at your folds until you finally came, but instead of gently working you through your orgrasm, his fingers kept their harsh pace as he looked up at you. 

“You seemed like real good friends when you let him put his fucking hands on you.” He growled as he placed an open mouth kiss on your pussy. His other hand pulling the hood of your clit back before placing another one of those kisses there and sucking it again. 

“Fuck! Andy! I’m gonna come again.” you cried out, feeling that the pleasure was starting to be too much for you. But the way that you started to pull on Andy’s hair to pull him off or the way your hips turned away from him his touches didn’t deter him one bit as he continued with his interrogation. 

He leaned up from you and watched his fingers stroke in and out of you before he added a third one, earning a low whine from you as you felt yourself building up to another orgasm.

“You didn’t answer my question sweetheart. Why did that fuck think he could put his hands on what is mine?” 

“Andy.” you moaned, trying to get away from his touch but he wasn’t having any of that as he placed his heavy bicep over your stomach, keeping you there at his mercy. 

You felt that sinful tongue run through your folds again, his thick beard scratching your thighs adding whatever sensations you were feeling to new heights. Then he pulled out his fingers so he could fuck you with his tongue now. Your third orgasm coming like a runaway freight train. You felt your toes curl as your third orgasm washed over you making you lift from the bed like Andy was performing an exorcism on you. 

You felt tears in your eyes as you tried again to pull away from Andy’s touches feeling your thighs tremble uncontrollably now but Andy wasn’t stopping not until he got what he wanted from you; not until he got an answer for why Neil thought he could put his hands on what didn’t belong to him. 

“Fuck Andy! Stop!” you sobbed. “He just came up to me. I didn’t want to make a scene about some guy putting his hand on my arm so I didn’t do anything  about it. I knew you were right there if I felt uncomfortable and I did; so I left.” you cried out, feeling the tears roll down your cheeks. “Please honey stop.” you sobbed. 

You watched in relief as Andy pulled his plump lips away from your aching pussy, and felt your pussy clench at the sight of his beard absolutely drenched in your juices. But your relief was short lived, as you saw the look in Andy’s eyes, the feral look they held in them. 

“He made you uncomfortable?” 

“Yes, but I came straight to you. Please Andy I can’t take it anymore baby please.” you whined. 

“I should break everyone of his fingers for laying a fucking hand on what’s mine.” He said softly, placing chaste kisses on your inner thighs and you let out a small cry. You watched in relief as he climbed up the length of your body, and ladened you with soft hungry kisses, letting you taste yourself on his tongue. 

“I love you.” he said softly, giving you another soft kiss. “I’m so glad that you felt that you could just come to me when you were feeling uncomfortable. I never want you to feel that way again so next time, you’ll just stay with me the whole time okay?” 

You quickly nodded and kissed Andy back. You both just stayed there like that for a minute, him hovering and stretched over your body, ladening you with soft kisses before he pulled away from you and gave you a wicked smile. 

“But I think you have one more in you baby.” he said and before you could even react. Andy grabbed the back of each of your legs, bringing you closer to him, before he swiftly impaled you with his achingly hard cock.

Andy set a brutal pace obviously trying to get you off one more time before he loses all control. You let out a high keen, and grabbed onto Andy, your nails raking down his back; a small revenge for him absolutely wrecking you tonight all because of some asshole touching you. 

“I’m gonna fill you up so nicely baby. No one will ever have any doubt that you are mine.” he let out a low grown. “And that I’m yours.” he growled leaning down to suck and place kisses on your neck. 

Without warning your orgasm crashed over you and you were sure that if Andy wasn’t there pressing down onto you, you would’ve snapped in half from the force of it. As Andy chased his own end, he kissed the tears that were flowing down your cheeks. 

“Nothing fucks with my baby.”

[mrpenguinpants]

Diluc: Comfort HCs

Oh no worries anon! We’re getting through everything and I can just see the top. I’m not sure if people saw it - probably not - but my entire blog has devolved into “See this genshin character? Animal.” and I refuse to have another cat character so I’m making Diluc a hawk.  

Apparently (maybe) Diluc’s bird is a nightingale [voicelines]. But I don’t really see Diluc the kind of guy to serenade you at night in secret because your father doesn’t approve of your marriage.

---

Today’s appreciation post goes to fulltimeventisimp. Tumblr throws a goddamn fit when I try to tag people (even though I literally have a tag list but that’s apparently not good enough) so I hope you see this^^ You’ve been so nice and caring to me I feel so soft 😭 and I hope you’re doing alright! I’m remembering to take breaks and rest  💕💕

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Semi Part 1: Relationship HCs [I would read this just for the last point]

Diluc Ver: Jealous HCs

[Masterlist]

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[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@hanniejji​  @mikeysbike​ @unionwitch​ @musekala​ @twistedsunnshiii​ @stanzastic​ @akaasea​ @xoneaboveallx​ @adoring-ghost​ @asheseiler​ @childelover​ @dilucsz​

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Diluc: Comfort HCs

Diluc has always had either an aloof or professional persona based on who he needed to talk to. In both cases, no matter the subject or how Diluc talked, there would always be some sort of forced distance so no one would mistaken it as familiarity or friendliness. There were only a two cases where he felt comfortable and those were with close friends and his staff. The third case being Kaeya but Diluc prefers to not acknowledge him and stashes that folder away. Even with friend’s such as Jean or Elzer, he could never really relax and let his true feelings slip until you burst into his life. Literally. “An unexpected outcome of an experiment,” is what Albedo had told him but regardless, since you entered his life he’s let himself regress into his younger days and let himself take for once.

Maybe that was why you had gotten so used to Diluc’s touched starved self that, when it was suddenly gone, you were feeling uneasy. Lately Diluc seemed to be spending longer hours at his desk or working at the tavern. You knew that he was just busy and there wasn’t any underhanded reasoning behind it, Diluc wasn’t that kind of guy. But did he seriously have to spend every waking moment, day or night, talking to the same people? When was the last time you saw him for more than two minutes? Diluc isn’t a big fan of idle talking but would it seriously hurt just to catch up? You didn’t even get together to have your weekly chess matches too.

You didn’t consider yourself a very clingy person and you knew what a relationship with Diluc was going to be like so why were you getting so bothered? You decided to take the situation in your hands and go visit him at the tavern only to see him so busy at work. It both made you a bit huffy, you wanted to storm in there and drag the man away from his work so he could stop trying to speed run life - not like that would ever happen because the second hand embarrassment would make you dissolve into the ground and you could never show your face to Diluc if you actually did that - but also making you more upset. Here he was, working and running his business, and you couldn’t go at least a couple weeks without seeing him. You ended up turning around and going home to scream into your pillow and sleep the heavy feeling away.

Your inner turmoil seemed to seep out into the open that Kaeya felt the need to bring it up. As much as Diluc dislikes Kaeya around you, he really does care about you and he still does owe you for the troubles he gave you when you first started going out with Diluc. He catches you while you’re off running errands and manages to coax you into getting some lunch with him. You’ve been bottling up your feelings so much that when Kaeya shows some concern you let it all pour out. At this point you don’t care if it’s Kaeya of all people you’re confessing your feelings to, you just want to get it off your chest because the man you’re in love with doesn’t seem to notice you’re actually there and it’s making you feel insecure about yourself. Kaeya gives you a sympathetic smile and tells you not to worry about it, he’ll personally knock some sense into Diluc.

Diluc’s been hard at work on another possible Fatui plan and business with the winery that he can’t help but feel that he was missing something. Was he overlooking something? He had planned this for a while so everything should be perfect. It wasn’t until Kaeya himself had to walk in, press his hand on the tavern counter, and call him an idiot that he realizes that he had been so wrapped up in his work and personal duties that he completely neglected you. He quickly passes his duties to Charles with a quick apology, throws his coat on, gives Kaeya a very strained thank you, and he’s out the door to find you. He’s already lost so much so he’ll be damned if he looses you. Not right now. 

You gave him the key to your home after a few months of being together, in case his he needed to temporarily hide should his night activities get the best of him. He’s already at your door in seconds as he quickly unlocks and steps in. 

“Beloved?” he softly calls out to not accidently scare you but he receives no reply. It’s dark inside but he can see your shoes at the door so he knows you’re inside somewhere. He softly closes and locks the door as he hangs his coat up. Carefully running a hand down the fabric and beside your coat as he looks around your small home. He’s always felt it was warm even when you weren’t here. The “home” he has will always be the place he grew up in but after everything that’s happened, he feels a bit alienated in there so he always appreciated that you lent him a key.

He catches the sound of some shuffling and follows the sound to see you under your blankets. He breathes a quick sigh of relief that you weren’t in any danger as he carefully circles around your bed before gently placing a hand on your back. He’s never been good at words or communicating his feelings so he’s at a bit of a standstill. Despite his reputation of being a nobleman of high esteem, you’re his first serious relationship. As far as he’s concerned you’re going to be his only relationship for that matter.

“I...apologize for my recent behaviour. It was never my intention to hurt you. I ended up letting myself get too blinded to see you were in pain and that was my fault. You don’t have to forgive me now but won’t you let me see your face my love?” he asked in all his awkward pose, put him in front of massive event and he’ll perform with flying colours but put him in front of his partner and he stumbles over his worlds like a new born fawn. But it seems to bring a small laugh from you as you peek from under the covers. 

He smiles softly as he sees your ears flush pink. No matter how many times he calls you that you always get so shy, he adores it. But he can feel the guilt rise up in his chest, you’ve always been there to support and reassure him that he was doing everything right. That things were going to be okay when he re-took his father’s business and you would be with him every step of the way. So in the best and awkward way that Diluc can manage, he tells you this. By the time he’s done he can feel his own face start to pink but it’s made you feel better so it was worth it. 

“Feeling better?” he smiles softly as you nod up at him as he lays down beside you, opening his arms in comfort, “Good, come here.” 

You shuffle closer to him as he holds you. It’s been awhile since he’s held you like this and even without realizing it, he’s missed this. Just you and him together, basking in each other’s presence. No work that needed to be attended to. No Fatui trying to cause him any more trouble. It was a safe place and one he didn’t want to let go.  

“What if we got married?”

There’s a beat of silence. 

Then a thud. 

You end up scrambling and falling off your bed face first. It’s a bit silent as you give off a pain groaned and climb back up and he can see your face has exploded red. He can almost see steam coming off as you try and nurse your nose. He blinks a bit at you taken aback as you stutter and scream into your hands as your brain seems to process what he just asked. You lift your face from your hands to look at him, somehow go even redder, and scream louder into your hands. He’s not sure if this is something he should be offended or concerned about but the weight he had been feeling earlier starts to fade away as a new and familiar feeling bubbles up. For the first time in half a month, Diluc let’s out a laugh as he tries to console you as you manage out a yes.

---

Gripping my writing hand why is no one stopping me? Diluc you’re literally acting like Childe rn. [if anyone is confused ahem Childe: Fiancé HCs (should be in my masterlist)]

Also, I continue to look away from the lore. Kaeya and Diluc are not on the best of terms but if they can have petty rich lady wine talk then Kaeya can walk in and call Diluc an idiot.

I was serious when I said that I researched hawk behaviours. I have learned the internet is horrible in telling me how hawks behave. But I did find this and I found this hilarious:

In the case of the red-tailed hawk, for example, the pair soar, screaming at each other; then the male dives at the female, who may roll in the air to present her claws to him in mock combat.

[glitteryglitter]

Fishing trip

𝙰𝙽: This was requested by @badrepwonder

I originally saved your ask in my drafts and then it disappeared, (Thanks a lot, Tumblr) so I'm sorry about that. I hope I did your request justice! I also included Annie, because she’s amazing. 

𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: None, I think! (If I missed anything, please tell me)

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐: Finnick x Capitol! reader

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 1036 

                                                     ๑*˚🍓˚*๑      

The weather was perfect, the water was warm, as was the air yet something felt off.

That day, Finnick and a few of his friends had decided to go fishing.

Y/n had decided to go along in the hopes of making some new friends.

Unfortunately, it was quite awkward.

They'd all assembled on a dock where the blue waves sparkled in the sunlight. It was picture-perfect but at the moment, y/n was finding it hard to focus on enjoying any of the scenery when everyone except Finnick seemed to be avoiding any type of conversation with her.

Y/n could really tell his friends were trying to be hospitable and kind, yet she couldn't seem to find a topic that would stick.

She'd ask a question and the group would talk for a few seconds, then, they'd go silent again.

This really wasn't how she'd hope to spend her afternoon at all, yet here she was.

As y/n tried her best to hold a conversation, her mind wandered.

Why weren't her topics sticking?

Was she saying something rude?

Was she simply annoying Finnick's friends?

If she was, they'd tell her, right?  

She tried to force the ideas out of her head.

"So, what's your favorite thing to do in district 4?"

"Swimming is always a good idea" a boy with dark hair responded

"Yeah, I like it a lot too. The water's really warm here so it's nice all year-'round" a girl with red hair replied.

The silence returned.

Soon, all that could be heard was the sound of waves crashing against the wood of the dock, plus the occasional seagull from above.

Y/n would not give up so easily.

"It's warm here all year? that sounds lovely!"

"Yeah" the boy replied as he checked one of his nets for fish

this time, the red-haired girl did not respond, she merely nodded serenely.

Y/n tried once more.

"Have you done anything interesting today?" she chirped attempting to keep her ever-waining smile plastered on her face as best she could.

"I think so.." the girl whispered.

Y/n nodded expectantly hoping she'd elaborate.

Unfortunately, she did not.

Y/n truly did want to enjoy herself here, but it was nearly impossible.

It didn't help anything when Finnick after he'd caught a significant amount of fish and placed them in a basket. walked over to his friends and was pulled into the conversation easily as ever.

From her failed attempts at starting a conversation to the fact that she couldn't fish, Y/n had never felt more out of place.

Finnick paused for a second. 

He noticed that his girlfriend, who was sitting dejectedly on the edge of the dock, really did look like she needed someone to talk to.

He assured himself that he'd check on her as soon as he could.

Unfortunately, the topic of knot-tying was extremely interesting to him and his attention eventually drifted back to his friends.

This went on for about 15 minutes until y/n couldn't take it anymore. She pulled Finnick aside.

she cast a worried glance at his friends, however, they didn't seem angry at her for needing to talk with Finnick. That was a good sign, however small it may have been.

"Fin, I need your help. I don't think your friends like me. Was it something I said? because if it was, I'd really like to know."

"Darling, don't worry. they may seem a little prickly at first, but the truth is, they're a bit intimidated by you. They've heard of the capitol, and know it as a place where the people are official and proper. They want to make a good impression. They've been practicing their good behavior for a while now, but I don't think it's going as planned is it?"Finnick smiled

Y/n giggled. "Not quite"

"Don't worry, they'll come around. I'm sure of it. Just give them some time.

So, let's go make you some friends."

Finnick pulled her towards his group of friends who were chatting animatedly.

At that moment though, he had a thought.

"Y/n, I have an idea; You should learn to fish with a trident!"

"Okay. I'll give it a try" Today was, Y/n decided, about trying new things.

After several tries and a few close calls which involved y/n almost falling off the dock and in the ocean, she’d finally done it.

"Fin! I did it! I caught a fish!"

Finnick rushed over and indeed, his girlfriend had caught a silver and blue fish.

He threw his arms around y/n 

"I knew you could! Congratulations, darling."

"Look at what my girlfriend did! She caught a fish! She's a natural! " Finnick jogged over to where his friends were.

"Also, she really would like to get to know you, she's just a bit nervous"

They smiled at the thought.  

 Maybe the girl from wasn't as strict on rules as they thought, she did seem to be very friendly.

"Y/n's from the capitol, Are you sure she wants to talk with us?" the dark-haired boy asked.

Finnick let out an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, I'm sure you'll absolutely love her. Just give her a chance"

His friends looked at one another.

The red-haired girl nodded. "Alright, let's go!" I'm sure we'll get along.

                                                    ๑*˚🍓˚*๑      

Several hours later, the entire group was positively exhausted. 

They had decided to lay down on the dock and watched the sunset. 

That had been a while ago and at this point, only a small bit of light remained on the horizon.

They'd had a very successful day of fishing and had packaged their fish in several baskets to take home and store.

However, their outing given them much more than a few fish.

It had given them friends as well.

"I hope we can do this again" the red-haired girl y/n had come to know as Annie said.

"Definitely. I had a lot of fun!" Y/n replied.

She was so thankful to have made friends and was beginning to finally feel at home in district 4.

With Finnick beside her and her new friends near, Y/n felt truly happy.

For the first time in a while, she felt as though she had everything she could ever want and more and for that, she was extremely grateful.

                                                    ๑*˚🍓˚*๑      

[obae-me]

“Can you write the brothers with an MC who has a big scary looking dog but is actually really friendly, and a small adorable cuddly cat but actually hates new people?”

So Tumblr screwed me over a small bit by deleting a draft of an ask someone gave me, even though it still says I have a draft, when I go back to my drafts they’re gone, so I had to rewrite it. I have learned my lesson for not keeping it saved on something else. So I hope the quality didn’t suffer for it.

Thank you to the person who sent me this request, I’m sorry I can’t remember your blog name! You were really very friendly so thank you, stay hydrated and take care of yourself! 💜

Lucifer

When MC came to the devildom with two animals in tow, he wasn’t ready for the new year of having to look after three new additions to the household. Especially after many many Henry incidents, and that one Satan fiasco with the cats. It took them months to clean up all that cat hair. However, much to Lucifer’s surprise, MC took care of them really well. He gained a new respect for MC’s ability to follow through with responsibilities.

He did find it amusing that MC had a huge dog following them around. Of course they weren’t as big as Cerberus or nearly as terrifying, but MC’s pet was fairly intimidating for a normal creature.

He’s a dog person for sure. He’ll bond with MC’s dog faster than anyone would expect. Some of it having to do with the fact that Lucifer was the only brother willing to approach them at first.

He wasn’t surprised that the pet was lovable. He could tell that there was no malice in their eyes even when they barked at him. If he felt the pet needed some behavioral lessons, he’d gladly help MC with it. He trained Cerberus with his own two hands after all. 

He’d give the dog many secret treats and pets while no one was looking.

The cat though, he’d stay away from that one. One attempt to pet it as a show good spirits and one pair of his favorite gloves were ruined.

Mammon

MC had pets? He was excited for em, especially since Lucifer had never let him have a pet, and since they were MC’s he could have all the benefits of a pet without having to take care of them!

He tried bonding with the cat first since the small thing looked nothing like their dog. They were so tiny it was hard to believe it wasn’t a kitten. They had the biggest eyes, eyes that just begged for love! But when Mammon tried to pick the cat up, they hissed, leaving a large scratch mark on his face as they dashed under MC’s bed. He found it best to leave the cat alone from now on.

MC’s dog scared him for a while, though he’d never admit it, he’d just avoid the pet whenever he saw them. One day in particular, when the dog spotted him, it ran after him at full speed, causing Mammon to shriek and sprint away with colorful language. He’s the fastest demon so he got away just fine, but he could still hear them clawing at the door.

On the search to find their dog, just to find them sulking at Mammon’s door, MC went inside to find him curled up in the backseat of one of his cars. They dragged him out and sat him on his bed and slowly introduced the two to each other. MC’s dog had just been chasing him because they wanted to play. Mammon knew that, for sure, totally.

He’ll make sure to give both pets plenty of toys to make sure he doesn’t become their next one. 

Levi

Pets that had fur instead of scales? And they weren’t named Henry? MC was a typical Normie. 

He’d appreciate both of them from a distance, the last thing he wants is hair on his figures and in his equipment. He shudders to remember when he cleaned out his keyboard after the Cat Incident.

He does love that MC has pets though, don’t get him wrong. He’ll reminisce about all the fond memories he had about all his Henrys. He and MC will share fun pet stories and gush over photos.

He’ll eventually allow MC to try to acquaint him with their pets, but he’s not sure how well it will go since he has too many bad memories of Cerberus chasing him, snarling at him, ruining an entire manga collection. And cats love fish, what if they get their claws on his precious Henry?! 

It surprisingly went okay, he enjoys now trying to get MC’s dog to do cool tricks that he’s seen in anime. As for the cat, Levi often finds them in his room, tail flicking as they closely watch and gently swat at the fish that swim by. He also tends to find them curled up on his warm consoles. There’s something comforting about having a little companion while he plays his games, something his fish can’t always give him. 

Satan

Cat?? MC has a cat?? Lucifer banned him from bringing cats into the house, so the fact that MC had one meant that he could pay attention to them all he wanted, and Lucifer couldn’t prevent him from doing so.

His brothers were idiots to try and immediately lay hands on the cat. He had read about feline behavior and knew that you let the cat decide to initiate contact if they’re particularly scared of people.

So he’d get the kitty used to him first, by going into MC’s room and making sure it was obvious he was friendly with the owner. And then he’d just sit there in silence and read for hours, making sure they were now used to his presence.

It took a few days of patience but then he finally watched in glee as the small cat padded over to him warily, smelling him and making sure he wasn’t dangerous. Satan slowly held his hand out, making sure that the cute thing nuzzled against his fingers first before he would gently scratch under their chin.

His other brothers now looked at him in awe as Satan now often had the cat in his lap while he read, while most of them couldn’t even get close.

He didn’t quite bond with the dog, but he did occasionally give the pup a pat on the head. 

Asmo

He’s not really a pet person, like, at all. Hair all over his clothes? Constantly smelling like an animal, and not in the way he’s usually used to? No thank you! He could’ve understood if it was a cute dog you could keep in a purse or an elegant cat that made the owner look like royalty, but they were neither.

But, much to even his own surprise, he came around to them. Enthusiastically so, even, much to the shock of the House of Lamentation. It started with just pictures of them. Cats and dogs do great on Devilgram and this could be a good opportunity to show people he has a secret side.

His profile skyrocketed, which was impressive since he’s already immensely popular. His beautiful face night near these cute creatures gets him even more likes than before.

Before MC knows it, somehow he has their dog trained to sit and pose for the camera. He’ll even buy special collars and cute little accessories for the pets, making sure they look super cute for all of their photo-shoots, not as much as he is but close enough.

If the cat ever scratches him he’ll ensure MC makes up for it by giving his wound a kiss.

Beel

Beel is a puppy himself, let’s be honest. MC finds it incredibly cute how alike they are. They’re both big, strong, and intimidating, but when you get to know both of them, they’re loyal, lovable, and precious. 

He gets along great with both of the animals. The cat would scratch him to heaven and back, but he didn’t budge, and sooner than later the kitty warmed up to him. They would oftentimes treat him like a climbing post, clawing their way up his body just to stand on his shoulders, but he didn’t mind. 

As for the dog, it started off by stalking Beel, playfully of course. It didn’t stop any of the brothers from having a mini heart attack, though, as they watched MC’s huge intimidating dog slowly making their way across the hall, haunches ready to strike. The dog could play-bite him, tug at his clothes, and jump on him all they wanted to, he was unbothered. He’d even share some of his food with them.

Beel and the dog would even play-wrestle, it was great for both of them as they would expel their energy and spend more time together. And of course MC would bring both of them plenty of treats for being good. 

Belphie

He doesn’t like dogs, they’re too loud and rambunctious. Not to mention high maintenance. He prefers cats given the chance, but even sometimes they’re still too much work. 

He did make an attempt to pet the cat, only for it to attack as soon as it got the chance. It left a big hole in his favorite pillowcase. He was offended. It was supposed to be friendly, cute, and cuddly, and yet it struck back and attacked him immediately. The irony was lost on him.

MC decided that they wanted the two to get along since they were sure they would be best buds given the chance. 

When Belphie went to go take a nice nap, MC brought their tiny kitty over to his slumbering body, placing them on top of him over his blanket. The cat was tense at first, but he was so warm and comfortable, they stretched out and curled up on him. When Belphie opened his eyes and saw the wide, irresistibly cute eyes staring back at him, he couldn’t move. He just went back to bed.

Now it’s a rare sight when the two aren’t together, taking naps near the fireplace, outside under the stars. He’ll never tell anyone how he now loves to fall asleep to the sound of the cat’s purring.   

[brighteyes29]

Bechloe week 2021, Day 2

A/N: I don’t know why my friend Tumblr here puts such big spaces between paragraphs, I couldn’t fix it, so… Try to ignore it. This is Bechloe week day 2, pitches. I hope you like this one. Might publish it on ff.net or wattpad as a fic, but for now it is a one-shot.

Summary: Beca, Chloe and Amy are moving to L.A., so Beca could pursue her career and be away from Jesse. The three girls are roommates. Chicago doesn’t exist here ‘cause this is set after Pitch Perfect 2, not 3. So yeah. It is more interesting than it sounds, I just don’t know how to describe it without spoiling anything.

This happened right after graduation. Beca wanted to move to Los Angeles, so she can pursue with her career and be away from her ex, Jesse. The DJ just needed a change, but she didn’t want to be alone. She brought her best friends Chloe and Fat Amy with her. Like most of the other Bellas, Aubrey didn’t want to leave the city and quit her current job, which she loved, but she promised she’ll come to visit the three girls often, when she could.

“It’s such a shame that Aubrey couldn’t be here with us. I’m going to miss her.” - Chloe sighed, as the three girls were walking towards the street, where their rented apartment was supposed to be. Beca was right next to the ginger, they were holding hands despite the brunette’s complaints.

“I’m not.” - Beca replied, but both girls next to her knew she was kidding.

“Oh, come on, Bec.” - Chloe looked at her friend. “I know you will. You and Aubrey might not always be on the best terms, but-

“I know, I was kidding.” - the brunette cut her friend off. “I just had to say that. You know me.” - Beca smirked.

“We’re here!” - Fat Amy announced, when she looked up from the map she was looking at on her phone. “Are you ready for us, L.A.?” - she yelled, before entering the building. Her friends laughed and followed after her.

“Which floor should the apartment be on?” Beca said what all three girls were thinking.

“I keep in touch with the cute landlord, let me check.” - Amy opened her Messenger app and scrolled a bit, until she found the landlord’s profile. “Floor 6, lesss go!” - the blonde rushed up the stairs. Beca and Chloe had a hard time catching up with her. She must really be into that landlord of theirs.

When the girls reached the sixth floor, a handsome guy was waiting for them there. He wore a beautiful smile and he had a toothpick in his mouth. He had shoulder-length brown, curly hair and brown eyes. He saw the girls looking around a bit, so he said:

“Right here, ladies!” - he greeted them with a hand and helped them with their luggage. “You’re my new renters, yeah?” - he asked. The boy had an irresistible Australian accent.

“We surely are now…” - Amy looked at him from head to toe.

“Oh, another Australian. There aren’t too many of us here, so it’s nice to see a friendly face.” - the boy replied. “I recognized you from your profile picture. You’re Amy, yeah?”

“Yeah.” - Amy said. “Your profile picture didn’t tell me too much about you, but… I gotta say you’re hotter in person.”

“Ah, thanks.” - the boy scratched the back of his head. “The name’s Will. Will Warten.” - he added and moved to the side, so the girls could come in. “I hope you like this place. It was my home for 7 years, before I bought it from the owner.”

“Wait, you were a renter too?” - Chloe asked, intrigued, and crossed her arms.

“Sure. But I loved it in here so much that eventually I bought it.” - Will put the luggage in the living room, which was right in front of the front door. The girls sat on the couch.

“How did you decide to put it for rent again?” - Chloe asked. Beca smirked at the fact how curious her friend was and looked at her.

“Well, I thought it would be selfish if I keep this wonderful place to myself. I wanted to share it, so other people can experience what I have. I met the love of my life here.” - after Will said that, a girl joined them in the living room, she was a thin blonde with hazel eyes. She rested her hands on Will’s shoulders, who had his back on her. He was sitting on the armchair.

“What a nice surprise!” - Amy exclaimed, although both Beca and Chloe knew she was sarcastic. “How long have you two been together?”

“Um, 5 years, I think.” - Will said. “She was my roommate. We didn’t know each other at first, but we were both new in town. We fell in love soon after we got to know each other.”

“You fell in love.” - the unknown girl corrected Will. He laughed.

“Well, yeah, but… You followed soon after.” -he replied. “Everyone, this is my lovely fiancé Katelyn.” - Amy practically shot the other blonde girl with her eyes. “We live next door, so if you need anything-

“Honey, you forgot to show them around!” - Katelyn intervened again. From what the girls heard, she sounded American.

“Right.” - the brown-haired boy stood up. “This way, please.” - he pointed at the room, which was on the living room’s right. The renters followed him and looked inside the room. “This is one of the rooms, the other is next to it and looks kinda the same, but the bed is smaller. And the kitchen is at the end of the hall.”

“There is only one bed.” - Beca noticed.

“Yeah, but… It is big enough and… you guys are friends, two of you can share it, yeah?”

Beca wasn’t sure. She had to share a bed once, with Chloe, in fact, but after what happened in the tent at Aubrey’s camp, she didn’t want to repeat the situation. The brunette was silent for a moment, which Will interpreted as a problem.

“Is there some kind of a problem?” - he raised a brow.

“No.” - Beca lied. “We’ll be just fine.”

The DJ didn’t see how Chloe’s smile turned into a frown. She knew what was going on in Beca’s mind. She knew the brunette was uncomfortable around her after what she told her in the tent. But she still couldn’t explain to herself why was Beca okay with holding hands with her. She didn’t know why Beca was okay with Chloe occasionally kissing her. The redhead didn’t know many things. But she was bound to find out.

“One of you can sleep on the sofa, it’s no issue.” - Will suggested.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” - Beca forced a smile, but she wasn’t very good at it.

“One thing, though.” - the brown-haired boy added. “No sex on the sofa.”

“Sure.” - Chloe sighed and looked at Beca, the redhead’s mind was somewhere else entirely. “No problem.”

“Alright, then. Kat and I are leaving. If you need anything… well, you know.” - with that, the landlords left.

“What are we going to do?” - Beca asked with crossed arms. Chloe knew exactly what she meant.

“What do you mean?” - the redhead tried to smile. “We’ve done this before, two of us are going to share a bed. No big deal.” - Beca looked at her friend and didn’t really know what to say.

“I call dibs on the other bed!” - Fat Amy rushed to the other room and sat on the bed. “This room has better view.” - she explained. The two other girls laughed.

“So, I guess we’ll sleep on the other bed.” - Chloe moved closer to Beca, wearing a big smile on her face.

“No.” - Beca replied with a serious face. That made Chloe’s smile disappear. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“But wait, you guys are dating, why don’t you sleep together? I meant… Well, you know what I meant.” - Fat Amy said.

“For the last time, we’re not dating!” - Chloe said. It was the first time that Chloe was the one who said that. That surprised Beca.

“What? Yes, you are! You’re, like, always holding hands and kissing, you can’t tell me you’re just really good friends, that’s horseshit!” - the other two girls didn’t really know what to say to that, so they didn’t.

….

Quickly, the night came and all girls were in their rooms, except for Beca, who was in the living room, on the couch. She never foresaw how lonely she was going to be on the couch. The whole evening she spent thinking about Chloe and how she probably hurt her, even though the redhead never said anything about Beca’s choice.

The three girls had spend the whole day at the beach, but Beca left Amy and Chloe do all the talking. The DJ didn’t engage in conversations with them much. She spoke only when they asked her something. Even at dinner, Beca was silent and kept to herself. Her eyes were on the plate and she did her best to keep them that way. The DJ knew Chloe suspected something, but she never asked her what’s up, most likely because the ginger didn’t feel like talking to her friend. She was hurt and Beca got that. The brunette never really apologized for what she did. She wanted to, but she was never good at words. She didn’t really even know why she refused fo share a bed with Chloe. Hell, the brunette even liked her, to say the least. The reason she was uncomfortable with sharing a beg with Chloe was the fact that she was afraid Chloe might find out about Beca’s little crush. Last time, when the ginger basically offered Beca to experiment with her, Beca had an answer ready. But, on a bad day she might not have it and that’ll make the redhead suspicious. So Beca couldn’t have that.

‘Too many emotions today, time to relax.’ - Beca thought. To her, that meant, well, masturbating.

So she pulled out her phone and browsed photos of Chloe. When she chose one she made the blanket cover everything beside her head and started the action. It felt amazing, knowing you’re getting off to your crush. It almost felt like you’re having sex with them. Will said no sex on the couch. He didn’t say anything about masturbating.

But Beca had too much on her mind to hear Chloe’s door open. The redhead immediately realized what her friend was doing, but she didn’t know what the other girl was watching and what made her breathe with such weird frequency. It sounded kinda hot. So when Chloe grabbed the brunette’s phone, Beca was caught by surprise.

“Hey!” - the DJ immediately tried to get her phone back, but Chloe lifted it up, beyond Beca’s reach. “You know this is not fair. Just give it back!”

“Oh, I’ll give it back.” - Chloe smirked. “Right after I find out what you were watching.” - Chloe’s gaze shifted to the phone.

“No, Chloe, don’t!” - Beca begged, but the redhead wasn’t listening.

“Oh, my…” - the redhead put a hand over her mouth, but then she laughed.

“What’s so funny?” - Beca was furious right now. Not only did Chloe violate her privacy, but now she was going to tease her about it.

“All these years. You felt the same.” - Chloe gave Beca her phone back. “We’re two idiots in love who could have been together, but were too afraid to do something about it. It’s funny.”

“No, it’s not, actually-

“If you shared the bed with me, you wouldn’t masturbate to my picture and I never would’ve caught you redhanded. Guess there’s one good thing about you sleeping on the couch.” - Chloe wrapped her arms around Beca’s neck.

“I… I don’t know what to say, it is all so… weird, and I-

“Shhh….” - Chloe put her index finger on Beca’s mouth. “No need for words. And… guess now you’ll want to share the bed with me.”

“Guess so.” - Beca smirked and let Chloe’s tongue inside her mouth. It all felt so good. And, as Beca said, so… weird.

[mamabearcat]

Proposal fic + hair (braiding/brushing) InuKag

Ooh thanks Nonny 😘

Okay, I'm gonna revive an AU I've never actually written but it's been loitering around in the back of my head forever. I may even write it one day if I feel like doing a longer AU full of comedy fluff. The first bit was posted on Tumblr forever ago, but now it gets to be continued!

Inuyasha wasn’t quite sure how he fell into it; who would have thought you could make a career out of being a model for romance covers for fuck’s sake?! Apparently his half-demon heritage that had blessed him with his father's long thick white hair, amber eyes that glowed in the darkness and pointed dog ears gave him an edgy look, whatever that meant. His ability to retain a lean muscular build no matter what he ate didn't hurt either.

But, the money was very good, even if he had to fight off the occasional stalker, and hide from screaming female fans trying to stuff underwear in his pockets when he went out to buy milk.

His manager Miroku was a total letch, and Sango had been slacking on security - waking up to find a strange woman in his kitchen making coffee in nothing but an apron was more than a little surprising. He actually had more than a sneaking suspicion that something was going on between those two.

But the best part of being a model was Kagome. His photographer, his best friend. He'd known her for years now, and there was no one he trusted more.

Their first photo shoot three years ago had been memorable. He’d accidentally called her Kikyo, and she'd exploded at him. How was he to know? They looked kinda the same, and they were both photographers. It did kinda suck that her cousin Kikyo had possibly ruined her chances of having a serious career in photo journalism, but this gig she was doin’ paid the bills right?

Why did she have to be so serious anyway? He’d abandoned any thoughts of self respect long ago. When you knew what it was like at the very bottom, didn’t know where your next meal was coming from, you understood that self respect was a luxury.

Ah, but Kagome. He couldn't help but love her. Even though this wasn't what she wanted to be doing, she put her whole heart and soul into her work, wanting it to be the best. He knew all her little mannerisms by heart - the way she blew upwards into her fringe when she was feeling frustrated, the way she jiggled her legs under the table when she was feeling fidgety, the way her eyes lit up when she got a good idea for a shot.

He'd always said he'd do anything for her, would gladly take a bullet for her. He'd already blocked a knife attack for her, that had to count for something, right? He'd never been more terrified when she'd been threatened, and the thought of what might had happened if he'd left just a little earlier still broke him out in a cold sweat sometimes.

They'd been closer after her life was threatened, so much closer. He'd been hopeful, but pretty sure she still only saw him as a friend. I mean, how cliche was it for a model to fall for a photographer? He was pretty sure she'd think he was joking, and laugh right in his face. And then on the steps after the trial against that stalker she'd kissed him. And it had been like the heavens had opened and angels had sung.

Kagome had always wanted to be a photo journalist. She'd dreamed of it since high school, starting her career with the local paper, gaining notice when she won a world renowned travel photography competition. That was the chance that should have got her a job with a top magazine, the chance that should have made her career. But it had been stolen by her cousin Kikyo.

Kikyo, who had been her flatmate when they finished high school, so they could share their passion for photography and help support each other in their move to New York as they tried to achieve their dreams. Kikyo, who had taken the message about the year long internship she had been offered after they saw her winning photo. Kikyo, whose features were similar enough to her own that they were often mistaken for each other, if you didn't know both of them that well. Kikyo, who had turned up for that internship and somehow convinced them that she'd used a different name for the competition.

Her cousin had milked that experience for everything it was worth. And now she was the one working for a world renowned magazine, and Kagome was paying rent doing cover photos for romance novels. She may be the best one in her field, but it wasn't quite what she'd dreamed of. It's not like she'd wished upon a star when she was five and asked if she could be the one to discover the next Fabio.

The best thing about her work was spending time with Inuyasha. She'd been so angry at him the first day they'd met all those years ago. Fresh from a weekend at a family event where she'd had to hear once again that Kikyo couldn't make it because she was overseas, doing some big story, and they were all so proud of her. And he'd called her Kikyo, because he'd seen some article recently and mistakenly thought she was her cousin. After she'd calmed down, she couldn't really fault him. They had the same last name, same initial, even looked similar enough.

But he'd grown on her. And it wasn't just his good looks - he had those in abundance, but he didn't really seem to care about that. He was rough around the edges, a little rude, definitely obnoxious, but very funny, charming, brave, and also... kind of sweet?

That day she'd had that terrible cold but had still come to work because they'd had a deadline, he'd given her his jacket and then rushed out to the supermarket at lunch time so he could make her a sure fire cold remedy his mother had taught him. It had tasted absolutely feral, but surprisingly, she'd felt a lot better the next day.

Just a few weeks ago, they had finalised the court case with Inuyasha's stalker. For some reason, Jakotsu, one of Inuyasha's most ardent fans, had bizarrely seen Kagome as a threat, even though it was obvious they were only friends.

At first it was just strange letters delivered to her workplace, which she'd ignored totally. She'd only begun to be worried when weird notes appeared in her own letter box at her apartment. And then the late night phone calls had started.

She'd managed to keep it from Inuyasha until Jakotsu had slashed her tyres, and then he'd been furious. Angry at her for not telling him what was happening, and incandescent with rage at the stalker.

After that he'd been there for her whenever she'd been afraid, so protective and caring. When Jakotsu had snuck up on her late one night in the parking lot, he'd blocked the attack, stepping in front of her in the nick of time, taking a slash to his arm that was originally aimed at her face, then knocking out Jakotsu and holding him until the police arrived.

He'd been the one injured, with nearly 20 stitches in his forearm, but he'd been worried about her. Thank goodness for swift youkai healing. She'd been devastated that he'd been injured, but he'd just shrugged it off, telling her he was glad it was him and not her.

After that, she'd finally admitted to herself that her feelings for him were more than just friendly. Had been for such a long time now. He was gorgeous, but she wasn't the kind of girl that slept around. She needed to be friends first, be comfortable, and there was no one she was more comfortable around than Inuyasha. He was her first thought in the morning and her last at night. But wasn't that a little cliche, a photographer falling for a model? She'd thought he'd probably think she was joking and laugh in her face.

But that moment after the trial and they'd been standing out in the sunlight, she hadn't been able to help herself. She was just so happy, so grateful that he hadn't been injured worse. So she'd practically crash tackled him and kissed him. No tentative pecks. No warning. She couldn't bear to let another day pass without him knowing how she felt. And when he'd kissed her back, with Miroku and Sango cat calling in the background, yelling at them to get a room, it had felt like heaven.

"Where's Yura this morning?" asked Inuyasha, glancing around the make up room, as if she would suddenly appear out of nowhere with her ever present combs and scissors.

"She's called in sick, so you've got me on double duty today. Aren't you lucky?" Kagome teased, poking her tongue out at him.

"So, you gonna model with me too?" he grinned, wrapping his arm around her waist and holding her close to rub his nose softly againt hers. "Who's gonna take the happy snaps?"

"You wish. It's a new model today, Tuva, we haven't met her before. This is for the viking one, so we needed someone with fair hair and pale skin. The photos in her online portfolio are gorgeous. And the agency recommended her, so she should be fine."

Kagome gave him a quick peck on the cheek, laughing at his pouting face, then patted the chair in front of the mirror. "Sit down already will you? I called her earlier to let her know what was going on and she offered to get her own hair and makeup done at the studio there, so now I've just got to do you."

Inuyasha couldn't help the flutter down low in his stomach at her statement, even though he knew she'd meant it innocently enough. She began by brushing his long hair and he closed his eyes, feeling the regular pull of the brush on his scalp, her fingers gently protecting his ears from the rough bristles.

Damn that felt good. If he were a cat he'd be purring, and it took every inch of self control to not let out a deep rumbling growl of pleasure when she ran her hands through his hair, pulling the top back and securing it in a rough pompadour with a ponytail behind his head.

Then her nimble fingers were making small cornrow braids near his temples, adding little leather thongs and silver charms. The gentle tugging of his scalp felt so good. He squirmed in his seat a little, keeping his eyes closed.

"Sorry, am I pulling too hard?"

"Nah, feels so damn good. You're a natural at this. Wanna change careers and become my hairdresser?"

She pretended to think a moment, then giggled.

"Maybe. You're hair is fun to play with. It's much prettier than mine."

He opened his eyes, watching her as her deft fingers twisted his hair together.

"Nope. Untrue. Have you ever seen your hair in the sunlight Kagome? The way it shimmers almost blue? It's beautiful."

Her cheeks pinked, and she glanced at the mirror, her eyes fluttering downwards again when he caught her eyes.

"Stop. You're the one that's the freaking model, Inuyasha. Let me concentrate on this or we'll be behind schedule."

"So Ms. Higurashi can take a compliment about her photography skills but not her person? That's kinda weird don't you think? Especially when you're so pretty."

"Inuuuu..."

"C'mere", he said, tugging on her arm to move her into his lap, ignoring her squawk of protest. "Why can't my pretty girl take a compliment from me, huh?"

"I can! But we're at work right now Inuyasha!"

"Alright, prove it. Look in the mirror and say what I say, and then I'll let you go." She squirmed but he tightened his arm around her waist, pinning him close to her. "Gotta do what I say Higurashi. Gotta keep the talent happy!" She smacked his arm, still trying to wriggle out of his hold, doing her best to hold in her smile, but failing miserably.

"So, how should I keep the talent happy Inuyasha?" she smirked. "You were pretty happy when I left your apartment last night."

He moved his head to rest on her shoulder, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"Ah, but that's where you're very wrong pretty girl." Kagome's face fell.

"You didn't enjoy last night?"

"Oh I did. Very much", he grinned, bucking his hips underneath her, then kissing a path down the arch of her neck onto her shoulder. "But then you left. And I was in that big empty bed all alone, with no one to keep me company."

"Oh, poor you. You know why I left Inuyasha. You needed to have a good night's sleep before the shoot today, and you know what would have happened if I'd stayed longer. There wouldn't have been much sleeping going on."

He nuzzled into her neck. "Maybe not, but this talent would have been much much happier. I don't want you to leave anymore." Kagome froze.

"You... you want me to move in with you?"

"I want you to move in", he said, his teasing face now serious. "I want you to be with me always. I know we've only been going out for a month Kagome, but I love you. I've loved you for years. And that's not going to change."

She turned on his lap so they were now facing each other, cradling his cheeks in her palms. "I love you too", she whispered. "So much."

"Would it be crazy if... if I said I wanted even more than that?" he asked softly, his eyes searching hers. "Would it be crazy if I said I want to be more than just your boyfriend, that I want more than you moving in. That I want us to belong to each other? And tell the whole world about it?"

Kagome's eyes widened, and her heart began beating wildly in her chest.

"That sounds an awful lot like a marriage proposal Inuyasha."

"That's because, maybe it is. We wasted so much time Kagome. I don't wanna waste another second. Please say yes."

"How could I say no to those puppy dog eyes of yours?" she giggled wetly, her eyes filling with happy tears.

[starrybouquet]

On Seasons 9 and 10 of Stargate SG1

A note: I wrote a series of essays several weeks ago, when I was feeling particularly crappy. I'm not particularly proud of them--they're pretty dramatic--but they do explain several of my more personal fandom feelings. I know I don't always tend to be the best at explaining things on the spot, so I'm posting these with the hope that I can refer people to them the next time that happens.

Um, I mentioned they're a little dramatic. I'm really, really sorry about that. But hey, if I can't be dramatic on Tumblr, in fandom, where else is that gonna go?

But still - if you're feeling a little sensitive today, maybe you wanna skip this. Or not. Just a light warning. :)

This piece is on seasons 9 and 10 of Stargate SG1, but they aren't all Stargate-related. I'll be posting them in the next few days, hopefully.

To those of you who like s9-10: I have nothing against you. Some of you I know better, some less well. In general, though, I like you, you seem like fine people. This is not about you, I hold nothing against you for liking those seasons. In fact, I envy you. This is more a personal post about why I'm an idiot. If you want, feel free to scroll down past this. I won't be offended. I'd put it under the cut but I'm on mobile.

Okay. Why, hello, those of you willing to read this rant...

No matter how much I denounce and ignore it, I cannot get past the pain of seasons 9 and 10 of Stargate SG-1. I've never watched them in full. Seen a few episodes here and there.

I cannot, repeat, CANNOT stand the thought today. It hurts.

It's an old pain, and it's not just SG1. SG1 is just one of the highlights in a long line of books and shows that have repeatedly broken my heart by being SO GOOD and then taking an, uh, precipitous right turn, shall we say. Because a hard right seems too kind, and a precipitous drop too harsh.

I love SG1. I love love love it. I like the plots and I love the science, but what I really fell in love with was the characters.

I loved all of them. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: if Sam, Daniel, or Teal'c had been on any other show, I guarantee you they would have been my favorite by far. Jack is just so...Jack that he has to be my favorite. That's SG1 for you.

I've never had super close friends. I have good RL friends, don't get me wrong. They're nice people. But we don't have much in common.

That's okay. That's been my experience forever--really nice folks who maybe didn't always get me or have anything to say to me, but were good, decent people.

And this is good. Really, it is. It's just that SG-1, for me, has always represented the promise that there *are* people out there that are your true friends, and you will do brave and brilliant things with them. It will happen.

It's naive, I know. But I haven't been able to let it go. Maybe someday. But not right now.

Which brings me to s9-10 of SG1. It hurts.

It hurts that SG1 scattered to the wind.

It hurts that they sent Jack away from a place where he was happy, where he'd found friends and meaning in life again, away to fucking DC. To be...what? A politician? I could write a whole post just about this. Actually, I have. I could still write more posts about it!

It hurts that Sam went to Area 51, and nobody seemed to mind, the 'Gate didn't spontaneously combust as we were always led to believe it would.

It hurts that Daniel's personality supposedly changed that much, in the absence of his friends. Though some of his lines are funny, they aren't the earnest, idealistic, thoughtful Daniel I fell in love with. I get the idea that new-look Daniel would roll his eyes at s3-8 Daniel, and beat up floppy hair Daniel. And floppy hair Daniel is my baby and anyone who doesn't appreciate his brilliance can face my wrath. That includes you, buff s9-10 Daniel, and also whoever decided/approved that change in characterization.

Really, the only one who doesn't hurt is Teal'c. Because it feels like he's moving forward, toward happiness.

So...here we are. Season 9. Mitchell, Landry.

I often say I hate Mitchell. Do I resent him for replacing Jack? Yes. I do. We can talk about plot reasons and all that, but at the end of the day, I was going to hate anyone who tried to be Jack.

This is true in real life, too. You can't try to be anyone else. You've gotta walk your own path.

Now, people say that I didn't give Mitchell a chance. I say that the way he was portrayed, in the few episodes I've seen, tells me enough.

I can think of lots of ways Mitchell could have been interesting. How would Daniel and Teal'c react to an old, actually bad tempered (not Jack bad tempered, actually bad tempered) hardass after eight years of their best friends leading them? Or--start with his actual character. Mitchell, he hasn't been at the SGC. Wouldn't he get some flack from the longtime team leaders of SGs 2-5ish? They'd be insulted, right?

Or we could've gotten a nice Daniel Teal'c episode arc and then we could've had one Samantha Carter as team leader, though we won't get into that.

Bringing me to my next point. Co-leads?? Seriously?? You're trying too hard, folks. Telling me Sam used to know Mitchell does not actually make me like him.

Same thing with Landry. Unlike Mitchell, I guess I don't really have an opinion on Landry. He's just....there? No character development for this man.

Anyway, back to the team.

One of the things I love about SG1 is how the humor and friendship was so damn natural. Other than a few episodes (Urgo comes to mind), the plots weren't intentionally humorous. They were campy sci-fi plots sometimes, sure. They were funny because Jack was funny, yeah. They were lower budget than some other sci-fi. But they were as serious as sci-fi gets. It was how the characters reacted that made it funny.

Similarly, we were never told SG1 were found family. We just Knew. Because of the way they acted with each other. Because of the way Jack would "order" them to do things.

And hey, by the way, they weren't always family. Sam used to be less willing to ignore Jack. Daniel used to be less willing to trust Teal'c. Jack used to be a little more stern.

So...they meshed together. Like all found families do.

Every time I see a photo of new-look SG1 in seasons 9 and 10, I can't help but feel that they're trying too hard. I don't get the family feel because they aren't a family, damn it. It doesn't matter how many times you *tell* me they're super close. One of the reasons the original team got so close is because they all needed each other. Jack was depressed, Daniel was grieving, Sam was alone and had lost her mom and wasn't speaking with her dad and had never opened up to anyone in her life, Teal'c was an alien fighting for freedom after spending 100 years essentially as a slave.

And partly because of that, by season 9? Daniel and Teal'c (and Sam, when she comes back) don't need a family the way they used to. They have each other. They have Jack, or at least they *should*. *Glares in angry at Jack in DC vibes*

So...they simply don't have the relationship with Mitchell they do with each other.

It'd be different if Mitchell needed a family. It's not that SG1 hasn't added people before--I think Jonas is a perfect example of this. He wasn't Daniel, and that always hurt. But he was young, and naive, and innocent, and he needed SG1 because he'd left everything he'd ever known.

And that worked.

Without needing family, Mitchell is just a coworker. He can be a friendly coworker. A friend. But if he wanted to become better friends, family, he needed to show depth and vulnerability. He needed to need SG1.

And he never does, from what I've seen and heard about and read about. Or if he does need SG1, he doesn't need them badly enough to show more than an occasional bout of thoughtfulness before returning to his normal pale-Jack-imitation ways.

Now, I don't know why that is. I lean toward bad writing. I haven't watched Farscape (it's on my to watch list) but it seems like Ben Browder is a fine actor.

So, seasons 9 and 10 are probably fine TV. I'm never going to watch them through, so don't ask. I've tried and failed and every time it just tears my heart a little more and I'm won't be doing it again.

Those seasons...they just lost everything I watch SG-1 for, and so...yeah. I feel the hate strongly. Not because they're bad--I think they're different, not necessarily bad. My hate is only because in creating those seasons, they tore down the parts of SG1 that I loved most.

So s9-10 show me a few nice hugs and laughs? That's nice. I like comedies, I do. However...that's not my Stargate. Not the one I love. I liked the sarcastic one, the one full of wonder, the one where they had to scrape and claw their way through the galaxy with naivety and courage and brilliance. The one where they ate together, fought together, died together, were resurrected together.

It hurts, man. It hurts when the things I love turn into something that's lukewarm. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

That's why we have fanfic. And, with any luck, I'll actually start that AU I've been talking about.

It's fanfic, and so it'll be my Stargate. The ending I wanted--which really wasn't an ending at all, more of a closure of one chapter of the story.

Damn, did that turn dramatic. Um, sorry about that, and also sorry for spilling my feelings all over you guys. Thanks for reading, if you got to the end of this.

[fionn-n-harry]

One Night- Part 3 (Fionn Whitehead)

GUYSS thank you for being so patient for me and waiting so long, I loved writing this and I hope you guys are satisfied with the conclusion. This is a long one, and it most definitely has some mistakes which y’all can totally correct me on. hope y’all enjoy. Also tumblr removed my italics :((((

In which Y/N and Fionn explore their new relationship....

Warnings: Vomiting, oral sex, mentions of abuse, alcohol

Word Count: 17k

It's so easy for her to do it, Fionn thinks to himself. And it makes him scoff a little,  a little too loud that he's afraid someone might have heard him. He clears his throat and takes a sip of his drink. 

Y/N ends her conversation with the young man and they hug, the young man lifting Y/N to her tiptoes and rocking her side to side making her laugh. Fionn watches the scene unfold and his knuckles turn white from gripping his glass too hard.

He's never thought of himself as the jealous type but the alcohol in his system makes him hazier than usual. He hasn't seen her in person since they last kissed for the first time and  Fionn has yet to properly address her tonight. As Y/N pulls away, her eyes suddenly lock with Fionn's and she tries to hold his intense gaze before she nervously finds herself turning away into the crowd again. Fionn looks down at his drink and watches it twirl in his glass, downing the last bit and setting his glass down on the counter shaking his head, mostly at himself, to set himself straight for making Y/N feel nervous under his eyes.

He would go apologize but he feels too nervous to do any of it now or look at her, and the liquid courage that once flooded his body was now absent.

Y/N watches Fionn make himself another drink, staring, aweingly (though she would make sure no one else would look at her stare awingly) and she finds herself in a conversation between a group of people that she is bored of.

Fionn, in a tipsy state, feels a pair of eyes on him as he mixes. He feels like he is making it all up until he looks up and see's Y/N staring at him, her eyes softer than usual, curious and shy, Fionn picks up on it all. Fionn lifts his hand and gives her the smallest stagnant wave and then tilts his head, motioning for her to come over without much thought, too into his mixing. Y/N's heart skips a beat and she looks around to make sure Fionn had been addressing her. She slowly pulls herself away from the group and finally finds herself approaching Fionn.

"Hi." Y/N says lowly as she slides up next to Fionn catching his attention.

Fionn looks over at Y/N and suddenly a huge smile appears on his face and an arm loops around her waist bringing her close into a hug while his other hand holds his drink against the counter.

"I missed you," Fionn utters as she brings her hands to rest against his chest as he pulls her in.

Her breath fans over his lips and he finds his eyes lingering from her eyes down to her lips and up again. Y/N nervously reaches for the collar of his shirt and smiles, watching her hands fiddle with the fabric and finally training her eyes to his once again.

“I missed you too.”

-

First real date sorta second date. Nothing to worry about. Just the two of them casually hanging out at Fionn's flat, Y/N thinks to herself.

The meet up was last minute, everything they do seems to be last minute. While Y/N and Fionn had been texting much more frequently and regularly, doing a few FaceTime calls to laugh about something together, Y/N, nor Fionn, could really tell what they were doing, if this was just extremely friendly, extremely flirtatious, or teetering the line of unspoken sexual tension from their attraction to each other.

Nonetheless, Fionn finds himself experimenting with the idea of getting closer to Y/N and when he’s back in the city he texts Y/N and jokingly asks her to come over... and then more casually suggesting she’s always welcome to come over... and then Fionn telling her he enjoys her company similar to their first “date,” and suddenly Y/N was checking her makeup in her phone camera.

She tried to liven up her appearance yet keep it as casual as possible yet Y/N begins to question whether her black halter top showed too much skin or her jeans were too casual for the occasion.

She texts Fionn that she’s outside and tugs at the fabric under her arm to provide relief to the feeling of being exposed.

Fionn is tired, he’s excited to see Y/N and quite frankly is glad he invited her because texting her and Face Timing her had him itching to have her close like the one night they had together, but he’s also really really tired.

Fionn didn’t really try much with his appearance. He tried to look presentable, and that he did well with, but he finds himself snuggling into a hoodie and taking a nap, completely frizzing up his hair into a mess. He comforts himself by looking in the mirror and telling his reflection his jeans make the look casual and presentable, but he knows he’s lying to himself and the bags under his eyes when he’s making coffee right when Y/N texts him that she’s outside.

“Y/Nnnnnnn,” Fionn slurs out her name as he swings the door open and juts his head out to smile at her.

“Fionnnnnnnn.” She drags out back.

Both unsure whether they should greet each other with a hug or just go inside, Fionn takes a moment to look at her outfit. Fionn can’t help but feel underdressed and look way too comfortable to be meeting a pretty friend.

“You were already out?” Fionn asks hanging his weight on the doorknob, yet to step aside to let Y/N in.

“Oh... yeah, was hanging out when you texted.” She’s lying because she can’t help but feel overdressed for a casual hangout with a friend when Fionn looks like he just woke up and she kinda wishes they would have FaceTimed instead so she wouldn’t have had to explain herself.

“Oh,” Fionn says, stepping aside to give her access into his home, “You look pretty.”

Y/N smiles shortly at his compliment and walks in before he can notice her blushing or her grin

become too wide.

“You want coffee?” Fionn asks, shutting the door behind her, “I didn’t realize how tired I’d be after that flight.”

Y/N shakes her head, “I’m okay, I think I’m a little too awake.” She admits, hoping through her honesty to make conversation, he won’t catch on to what she really means.

“Did you drink? You know I didn’t take you for the party type after you took care of me that one night.” Fionn says walking to the kitchen and flicking his head in that direction to motion for Y/N to follow.

Y/N chuckles as she situates herself into a high chair by his cozy little kitchen island and he goes to pour his coffee.

“Not today, ever since you picked me up, I’ve been hoping not to embarrass myself like that again. I usually never drink like that.”

Fionn takes a sip of his black coffee and slides it next to Y/N, taking a seat adjacent to her.

“You were embarrassed? Don't I enjoy helping those in need.” He says and Y/N scoffs, “Besides you said a lot of nice things anyway.”

It’s silent for a couple of seconds as Fionn watches his coffee shake in his mug as he thinks back to the night where he had picked Y/N up after a sudden phone call in the middle of the night, where she’d said nice things to him, and thanked him for helping her out. It reminds him of the first night they met and how she helped him out, preventing him from completely vomiting on everyone and calming him down and it just makes him think about Y/N and everything he knows about her , though limited, up to  this point.

“Are you always that nice?” Fionn asks.

Y/N raises an eyebrow and has the slightest smile on her face, “What do you mean?”

Fionn goes in for another sip, “I mean I think, well I guess, from all the times I’ve spoken to you that you like to help others out and you make sure they don’t feel weird or crazy but you kinda just make everyone comfortable, but I don’t know you too too well when I think about it.”

He shuts himself up by taking another sip and looking around the room avoiding her gaze.

Y/N rests her elbow on the island and rests her head in her hand, “That’s like the coolest thing anyone has ever said to me.” She shyly smiles and stares at the nails on her other hand, “Don’t like making people feel like they did something wrong for something so normal.”

“Why not? I’m sure some things are meant for people to take accountability for.” Fionn questions, digging into the girl in front of him a little more.

Y/N ponders answering, her eyes flirting up to his and becoming nervous under his gaze and going back down to her nails.

“Because someone used to do it to me.” She confesses, and for a second Fionn sees her float off somewhere else before she is straightening herself out with a smile and turning her body towards him, “You are also very nice Fionn.”

He turns his body towards Y/N grazing her knees as he faces her, “Thanks but I think you win.”

And then Y/N’s shoes are discarded near the front door, and she’s sitting next to Fionn on his couch listening to him talk about when he first met Gaby because he was close friends with her brother and she was doing an immense amount of shots and beating his entire friend group in a drinking game.

Y/N laughs at his story and brings her knees toward her chest as she rests her head against the couch cushion to listen to Fionn talk. She realizes she could listen to him talk for ages and ages and the way his hair bounces ever so slightly when he adjusts himself and the way his neck is so empty and inviting-

Y/N and Fionn had drunk. Alcohol always finds its way into their setting, and they talked about it as Fionn pulled out some wine, but Y/N hadn’t expected herself to get a little tipsy and find herself fueled by confidence.

Fionn finishes his story and suddenly feels hot and restricted by his sweater, telling himself and Y/N out loud, and lifting it off his head in one swift motion, Y/N catching a glimpse of his V-line and smiling to herself in her tipsy state.

Once he discards his sweater on his lap, with hazy eyes in a similar tipsy state and flushing cheeks, he looks over at Y/N who is leaning into the couch with her eyes trained on Fionn, a smile on her face.

“Why are you looking at me like that huh?” He questions playfully reaching out to tug at her sock.

Y/N finds herself laughing in an outbreak and covering her face with her hands. Fionn laughs with her, why he doesn’t know.

“What? Tell me.” He laughs along, reaching for her forearms to separate her hands from her face. She leans forward and falls into the crook of his neck with her arms pressed between their bodies, catching Fionn off guard as she continues to chuckle lightly.

Fionn's hands hover over her body, closer to himself than to her, unsure of what to do but still playing along and nudging her head that’s tucked in his neck.

“What? Is it something I said? Tell me, tell me.” He smiles.

Y/N, in her confident state between thinking straight and starting not to think at all, pulls back to free her arms and one of her arms slides from her side up to his neck, her thumb grazing his cheek, while her other hand finds itself between his waist and under his arm. The position is much more sensual and is a leap from the atmosphere earlier, where everything was so shy.

Her actions catch him off guard and his laugh softens as he realizes just how close they actually are.

“You gonna tell me Y/N?” He whispers into her ear.

She breathes out and her breath fans his neck, making Fionn shudder.

“You gonna touch me Fionn?” She whispers back, the hand on his torso comfortingly rubbing up and down.

Fionn realizes his hands have been by his side this whole time  and he brings them up to touch her back and graze a hand down her spine that hadn’t been covered by the fabric from her shirt. He feels her body squirm under his touch.

“Like that?”

Fionn's own tipsy state had made him confident enough to even touch her.

And then there’s a kiss on his neck and Fionn's grasp on her waist tightens ever so slightly to ensure he doesn’t hurt her and his eyes flutter closed. Another kiss, and another kiss and the hand on his cheek finds its way to his hair and tugs his head back gently giving Y/N access to the underside of his jaw.

Y/N hears the slightest groan that excites her and she moves from his jaw, to his cheek, to the corner of his mouth, stopping before reaching his lips and pulling back slightly, eyes gazing at his expression and tilting his head toward her face with the hand placed in his hair until their foreheads are barely touching.

Feeling her close, Fionn opens his eyes to her curious and soft ones as she smiles patiently. Fionn uses one hand to trace her spine while the other pushes hair behind her ear and cups her cheek. 

“You’re so pretty.” He whispers, somewhat disconnected to realize what he’s actually saying, “Someone should tell you nice things too.” His eyes flicker between her eyes and her lips as he speaks.

“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, yeah?”

Y/N’s hand behind his head falls to his chest as Y/N looks away from his gaze and down at the hand between them.

“Why’d you pick me up when I asked you?”

The question catches him off guard because it’s so odd in the moment but he answers.

“Because I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Were you doing it because I helped you first?”

“Somewhat yeah.” He answers, swiping his thumb back and forth along her cheek.

“What if I hadn’t helped you?”

Fionn wants to raise an eyebrow at her question as he only finds one real answer, “Then I wouldn’t have known you.”

She nods out an “mmm” against his hand.

“I like the way you sound when you’re not in my phone.” She smiles.

“Me too.”

The hand that rests on Fionn's waist comes up to his shoulder. “Am I too close?” She asks him timidly looking at his lips then shyly back at his eyes

“No you’re okay,” He confirms, “We don’t have to do anything, we can just be close.”

Y/N scrunches up her nose, “And do what?”

“We just shouldn’t drink anymore, don’t want any of us to regret anything.” Fionn tells her moving the hand on her spine to the other side of her cheek that is not occupied by his hand. Able to position her head, he gently brings her forehead to his lips causing her to giggle as he begins to repeat her previous actions.

Kissing her forehead, then her temple, down to her cheek and to her jaw, he nudges her jawline for permission and she raises her head, giving Fionn sight of her neck where he kisses her. Fionn’s kisses on her neck are slow and circle around and near her ear. He presses another kiss below her ear and sucks on the skin and Y/N squeezes his shoulder enjoying the sensation, Fionn making note to himself. Closer to Y/N’s jaw, he continues kissing and then sucking skin, this time jutting his tongue out to stimulate the area and he feels Y/N’s hold on the collar of his shirt tightens. 

“Leave a mark.” Y/N whispers to him, eyes closed and a smile playing on her lips.

Fionn pulls back, coming back to a space closer to soberness than tipsiness, “Are- Are you sure?”

“Yeah. If you want to.” She says circling her arms around his neck.

Fionn feels himself become hard and thanks god that she didn’t decide to straddle him even though she practically sits halfway in his lap.

Fionn tilts her head to the side and her neck, a blank and inviting canvas, strips Fionn of his reasoning to pull away and stop and he peppers a light kisses where he can before sucking on an area in the middle of her neck, tongue wavering back and forth on her skin until Y/N pants quietly. He moves his hands back to her waist, gripping her sides securely yet softly, still connected to her neck and leans her back into the couch until he is hovering over her, Y/N between his hips as she keeps him in place with his arms. He pulls his lips back engendering a small smack from his lips and looks at a dazed Y/N, moving hair out of her face as she smiles and becomes giggly when she opens her eyes to see him smiling back at her.

“How is it?” She asks him.

Fionn looks at the purple bruise he has just left on her neck using one hand to trace it, “It’s there.”

She nods as he strokes her neck a little more,  “Cool.”

Fionn shakes his head and chuckles leaning down towards her face and pressing a kiss on the corner of her mouth before pulling away from her hold completely, standing up and leaving her on the couch with arms on her stomach.

She starts to laugh again like earlier and Fionn smiles at her suspiciously again.

“Oh my god, what now?” He laughs with her because of her own laughs.

“You’re a little hard.”

Fionn notices her eyes at his crotch and he immediately reaches for a pillow from the couch and throws it at her making her squeal.

“Okay maybe you’re not that nice.” He says grinning and turning away to the kitchen a little embarrassed.

Y/N sits up and calms her laughter, “Hey it’s okay, I’m just playing around.”

He shoots her a look from the kitchen as he grabs himself and Y/N a bottle of water, “Yeah you should be when you were kissing up all over my neck.”

Her cheeks turn pink and she covers her cheeks with her hands falling back into the couch embarrassed herself, “We’re even.”

Fionn comes back to her with a bottle of water for himself and lays one on Y/N’s stomach.

“Drink it.”

She looks down at her stomach and sits up once again to crack it open, “Yes sir.”

Fionn raises an eyebrow at her glaring as he finds himself still getting a tad bit aroused. Y/N closes her bottle and seeing Fionn’s fidgeting movements, she places her hand to Fionn's stomach and drags it down to the belt of his jeans.

“Do I?” She says quietly and shyly and the same girl Fionn saw a minute ago was no longer the playful Y/N from before. She was quiet and too rigid to move.

“What?”

Do I? 

“Do I need to fix it?” She reiterates her fingers shaking as they clutch his waistband, her eyes staring at the button of his jeans, anything but lustfully.

Fionn takes his hand in her own, pulling it away from his body, “You- you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, you know that right?”

Y/N pulls her hand out of his own and sets her feet back on his wood floor, as she shifts on the couch again and takes another sip, ignoring his words and holding herself.

“I’m cold.” Y/N mutters and she rubs her exposed arms up and down.

Fionn is confused by her change in demeanor, her want to be close, her questions, the look of obligation she felt to pleasure him, then the sudden withdrawal from him entirely. He’s not mad, anything but, he’s just unsure of how he’s supposed to feel. Maybe it’s the alcohol he tells himself.

Fionn reaches for his hoodie on the couch and hands it to Y/N who puts it on quickly.

Y/N’s unsure of what caused her to feel exposed and vulnerable suddenly. She’s embarrassed now when she starts to think about how she asked Fionn to leave a hickey on her neck in the heat of a moment when they hadn’t even kissed yet, and she’s embarrassed by the rush she feels to please him so he doesn’t get bored and so that he stays engaged with her.

Y/N credits her last relationship, her crummy and terrible ex, to needing to feel validated through Fionn validating her actions. But she’s coming to realize that Fionn is a completely different person, and she doesn’t have to dwell on past fears with him. He’s an entirely different experience.

“You okay?” Fionn asks taking a seat next to her again.

Y/N nods and pulls away from her thoughts. What once felt like a juvenile crush between two school kids scared to talk to their crush now felt like a real dynamic between two adults who could do whatever they want and say whatever they want. Y/N see’s that she’s in her home, wearing his sweater,  hickey of his doing on her neck, no need to define what is going on between them, and it draws her to look at Fionn.

“I’m good. You okay?”

Fionn nods and smiles at her, “All good. You want to watch a movie?”

Y/N leaves Fionn that night with a big hug and his sweater on her body.

Fionn takes another trip and Y/N doesn’t get to see him for a little while but they occasionally text each other and Y/N musters up the courage to ask him to video call her when she’s alone and he’s laying in his hotel room.

“I didn’t think I’d be so badly jet lagged.”

“That’s what happens when you’re famous.”

Fionn rolls his eyes, “Don’t say that.”

Y/N laughs, “Well it’s a little true isn’t it? Not everyone gets to be in movie with-”

Fionn shushes her before she can continue, “I’m just a regular person, don’t see me any other way.” He tells Y/N over the phone as he grabs a pillow and positions it under his head, “Want to feel normal to you.”

Y/N gets butterflies in her stomach and rests her head on a pillow and moves her laptop to the side to look seemingly unaffected by his words.

Her hair is sprawled out on her pillows and Fionn catches sight of the faintest dusty purple and rose bruise on her neck from the glow of her laptop screen as he struggles to keep his eyes open.

“Mmm hickeys’ pretty much gone.” Fionn notes out loud.

Y/N touches her neck and blushes, “Oh. Yeah.”

Fionn smiles at the thought of that day.

“Maybe when I come back I can give you another one.” He mutters into his pillow, slightly embarrassed, slightly confident, and extremely tired.

Y/N chuckles, “Yeah maybe I’ll let you give me another one. When do you come back?”

Fionn is half asleep on the other end of the line and it takes him a second to answer, “Maybe, in a week or two, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Mmm okay, so in a week or two.”

Fionn shakes his head against his pillow at her playful response and finds himself falling asleep again, but he knows how to ignore it by focusing on Y/N’s voice.

“So, how was your day Y/N?”

Y/N is at another house party two weeks later after her phone call with Fionn, a party that Gaby found through her brother. And while Y/N wasn’t exactly in the party mood, Gaby had insisted she tag along to visit some old friends who told her they’d be attending.

Gaby pours herself a drink before tugging Y/N through the party. Y/N swears she sees a face that makes her sick to her stomach dancing next to a group of girls. Y/N shakes the idea, looking back and seeing nothing as Gabby brings her to a patio  with a group of familiar faces. Y/N drowns herself out of what she thought she just saw and enjoys her conversation with her old friends. She drinks a little bit out of Gaby’s cup to calm herself down but doesn’t allow herself to drink anymore or grab a cup for herself.

She feels like she should stay alert tonight, a feeling in her gut tells her to stay sober, to stay present. Especially when Y/N notices Gaby’s laugh begins to drag and Y/N rubs her back, adding sensation to her friend's drunkenness and also to ease her own worry. Y/N feels her blood rushing and is thankful to see Gaby’s brother make his way into the group and take a seat next to Gaby after he greets everyone ensuring that he would take care of her if she went haywire, to which Gaby elbows his rib.

“Jesus Christ Gaby.” Her brother says, shaking his head and looking at Y/N , “Can you grab her some water?”

Y/N nods, heading inside when her phone begins to ring.

“Fionnnnn.” Y/N smiles to herself at the surprise call.

“Y/Nnnnn.” He answers back, “Guess who’s back?”

Y/N’s smile turns into a toothy grin, “Oh really? When you’d get back?”

“Couple hours ago, would’ve told you then but I needed to settle in.” Fionn hears a couple of people on the other line and feels like he may have interrupted Y/N, yelling at himself internally for calling randomly instead of texting. In his defense, he hadn’t spoken to her in a while, and missed hearing her. But now he feels selfish for expecting her to be available when he craves to have a piece of her, “Sorry, I should have texted, is this a bad time?”

Y/N walks into the kitchen where the noise dies down and pulls a bottle of water out of the fridge, “Not really, at a house party Gaby brought me too.” She says, “You can come if you want, think I saw Tom earlier in the yard.”

Fionn's lips press into a thin line, “You sure?”

Y/N leans against the counter to continue her conversation before making her way back, “I mean if you want to come feel free, unless you’re too tired.” Fionn is silent on his end and Y/N thinks she’s lost him, “Hello?”

“Do you want me to come?” He asks her.

Fionn knows realistically that he’d stick by her side most of the night, wanting to be near her again, rather than two people who know each other and go have fun on their own. He wants her to feel comfortable with him being around her world of fun.

“Well yeah, haven’t seen you in a while....  it’s nice when you’re around.” Y/N blushes at her confession and holds the cold bottle to her neck to cool down the heat that rushes to her ears.

Fionn swears he almost chokes as he comes to terms with the fact that he really really really likes Y/N and when she’s honest about the way she feels.

“Send me the address.”

Y/N waits for Fionn as Gaby’s brother holds water to Gaby’s mouth and Gaby protest’s, pushing over her plate of food in the process. Inside there’s a loud collective of laughter as the host begins to say a couple of things they get people riled up and the group looks inside and between the mess on the patio.

“Go inside guys.” Y/N says, “I’ll clean it up really fast, have fun.”

The group thanks Y/N and heads inside, as Gaby tells her how much she loves her and Y/N rolls her eyes playfully, reaching for a lone plastic bag and using a paper plate to scoop the food into a pile as she crouches down and her friends disappear.

“I knew I saw you.”

Y/N freezes, the voice too incredibly familiar and distasteful. Y/N raises her head to find a hand outstretched to her, and she lowers her head again and continues to sweep the food into the bag.

“I thought we were on good terms?”

Y/N scoffs as she scrapes the remaining specs into the bag, “Who told you that?”

She rises and avoids his gaze as she throws the plate into the bag and ties it into a knot.

“You literally danced with me at the club...?” He sounds confused and Y/N feels her anger settle in her arms as she has the urge to smack him.

“You mean when you forced me to dance with you? When I was drunk and you forced me to grab onto you and you just kissed me?” Y/N walks past him to a small waste bin and tosses the bag in the garbage.

Y/N remembers the night she called Fionn, the night where she was an absolute mess and had ran out of the club because her ex-boyfriend had forced her to stay close and touched her like everything was normal, controlling her to feel like she needed to be complacent with him. The night had brought a wave of old resentment she had for him and the way he treated her and she remembers how she had ran out when he looked the other way and called the first number in her head when Fionn’s face flashed in her mind in her drunken state.

“I was just taking care of you.” He says convincingly, and Y/N might have believed it if they were together but she knew better.

He comes close and she can feel him against her back and she shakes her head and pushes him away with her shoulder, “That’s what it always is right? You’re always taking care of me, you always know where I am, you always know when to make me feel silly when I need you, you always know when I’m supposed to get down on my knees. That’s what it is isn’t it? It’s always for my good, right?” Y/N turns around and looks straight into his tense expression, “It’s always, you know what I need so I should just do what you say. And you’re doing it again right now because I’m not running back to you... You know exactly what you’re doing.”

Y/N waits for him to say something and he bites his cheek looking away from her. “Why are you fucking quiet when I stand up to you? Had so much to say before...”

“Who gave you that?” He says, eyeing her neck and brushing the hair away, the last remnants of her hickey barely visible, “Is it the guy who picked you up that night?”

Y/N feels disgusted knowing he watched them together, that Fionn has been exposed to him. She pushes him away with her hand and dismisses him walking back into the house finally realizing how shaky her arms and legs are as she pushes past a sea of people, moving through the house, and out the front door.

“When you’re ready to get it together and come back again, know my bed is ready for you.” He jokes as his hand grips the back of her neck and turns her around to pull him into her. His touch is so aggressive compared to Fionn’s and she wants to throw up all over this joke of a man. Y/N finds a knot forming in her throat because he’s so convinced she’d crawl back to his cold bed and superficial love like a child.

“I’m not coming back,” she says weakly, twisting her face away from him, “I don’t ever want to see you again, I’m so much happier when you’re not around.”

And his face drops as he realizes Y/N isn’t as easy to control as she was a year ago. Y/N breaks free shaking him away and she feels her phone ring in her pocket and she quickly answers.

“Yeah?”

“Hey what’s the house number again- oh I see you.” Fionn says and Y/N looks up the street to see his car approaching the house.

Y/N feels her ex standing in the lawn behind her burning holes into her back, but as Fionn’s car nears, she finds it easier to ignore. She pulls at the car door, silently asking him to unlock it, and when he does, she hops into the passenger seat.

“Can we go somewhere else? I don’t wanna be here anymore.” She tells him buckling on her seat belt.

Fionn watches someone stare at them before they turn and head back inside and Fionn nods at her request.

“Oh yeah of course. Everything okay?” Fionn says, swinging his eyes back to Y/N.

She’s quiet and clasps her hands together between her knees, biting the skin near her lips. And when she looks at him, it’s a silent plea for him not to ask, not to stress her out, and to just drive.

Fionn reaches for her clasped hands and slips his hand between the two. Y/N welcomes his hand and intertwines their fingers with one hand bringing it toward the center console of the car to make it easier for him. Her other hand grabs onto his wrist.

Fionn smiles at her sadly and begins to drive off.

The ride is silent and Y/N is grateful because she isn’t ready to open up and yet she can also find comfort in his touch.

Fionn takes her to his place and when they get out of the car to walk inside, his hand finds hers again, tugging her against his side as he opens the door.

“Sorry for the mess I didn’t clean much before I left.” Fionn tells her turning his body into hers.

“It’s okay.” She whispers as he kicks the door back with his heel, “Just glad to be here.”

Fionn smiles and pokes her cheek, “Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“Stop buttering me up.” He says pulling her toward the couch and sitting her down.

“I’m not buttering you up, I'm being honest.” She smiles back tugging on his wrist to tumble him into her body to fall on her.

He laughs and moves his body off to the side as Y/N let’s go of his hand and tackles his body into the couch.

“You’re back.” She tells herself out loud as she nestles into his chest.

She knows she’s being a little clingy but she’s happy to see him and just wants to be present with Fionn and forget everything from before.

“I remember we were so shy to touch each other.” He says brushing the falling hair out of her face.

“Well I’m a lot more comfortable with you now.” She mumbles into his shirt, shutting her eyes and dozing off ever so slightly as Fionn watches.

“You wanna sleep over?”

Y/N raises her head to look at him properly, “I- I don’t want to over step.” She carefully pulls her weight back and sits on the couch properly as Fionn swings his legs over the edge of the couch to straighten himself up.

“Well, you can if you want to. Don’t expect you to sleep in the same bed as me or to do anything but just know you’re welcome to tonight.” Fionn states before heading to the kitchen and making himself coffee.

Y/N has to remind herself that this is Fionn and not her ex and while she should always be cautious, Fionn isn’t going to force her to do anything or purposely make her uncomfortable to test the waters.  For crying out loud it’s the drunk, doesn’t dance Fionn who she met the first night. Y/N could cry out from relief to know that maybe she actually met someone who cares about her feelings and what she wants and how slow she wants to go or how fast she wants to go and that it isn’t just about him but it’s about them.

Y/N doesn’t realize that her positive thoughts are intertwined with her negative ones that bring up countless bad experiences that make her sick to her stomach and have her standing up and running to his bathroom and belching into the toilet. Her body physically rejects every idea of her past relationship and wants to rid herself of every part of it, but she can’t scratch it off or vomit her insides out; rather she just has to accept it, maybe even as he once always said, “get over it.”

And as she flushes the toilet and pulls herself against the wall, her spiraling thoughts and the flashes of her late night calls with Fionn and all the times they’ve been together has her wondering if she is even completely and truly ready to be in a relationship with him if she has to constantly reevaluate every instance.

Y/N is angry that she has to even think like that. That someone perfect is right in front of her and that she has doubts and might even have to wait to tell him all that’s she's feeling because someone decided to play with her for years and has resurrected all her hidden worries because she saw them tonight.

She feels two arms circling around the front of her waist and kissing her cheek as they pick her up off the ground and to the kitchen, into a stool. She barely pays attention to what he says but he puts a cup of tea in front of her, hand on her back, telling her to drink it to feel better before deserting her side again.

Y/N isn’t sure how her phone has ended up on the counter but as she takes a sip of her tea she’s debating ordering an uber to take her home, because she can’t really think straight.

Fionn comes back to her with a sweater, slotting her arms through before standing by her side.

“You’re shaking.” Fionn tells her before looking down at the phone in her hand hovering over the confirm uber button, “You want to leave?”

Y/N shrugs, unable to really answer.

“I can take you home if you want. If not then at least let me pay for your cab.” Fionn tells her quietly worried about her changed manner.

She doesn’t answer yet, instead drops her phone on the counter and takes another sip, letting Fionn watch her before she sets her tea down and reaches for the belt loop of his pants to bring him closer to her.

“Why do you treat me so well?” She whispers, the top of her head grazing beneath his chin, “If you want me to do something tell me.”

A frown begins to grow on Fionn's face and he brings a hand to thread through the roots of Y/N’s hair, “I don’t want anything.”

He uses both his hands to hold Y/N’s face and lifts it up to look at him, her eyes following.

“Just want to be around you is all.” Fionn says nervously, “I really like you, you know.”

Y/N carefully grips the front of his shirt, pulls Fionn even closer and Fionn leans down tilting her head towards his lips.

Fionn looks into her eyes then down at her lips,“Can I kiss you?”

And Y/N tugs him towards her lips to crash into his. Their lips follow each other in a slow rhythm as Y/N fists the front of his shirt desperately to bring him closer, kiss him deeper as she transfers her warm lips to his cold ones. Fionn’s tongue escapes his mouth to swipe her bottom lip and Y/N opens her mouth to let his tongue meet her own. Sloppily Fionn begins to pull away for air, but Y/N brings him in for one last long and slow kiss that has Fionn run on hand into her hair to lock her in place.

Y/N pulls back and looks at the smile toying on Fionn’s face that soon finds a home on her own.

Fionn is breathless, more than he likes to admit, figuratively, that he has just kissed the girl that has been on his mind almost everyday and that he hopes he can find an excuse to text or call. Having her close, feeling her as a part of himself, has Fionn dropping his head into her neck and circling his arms around his waist making Y/N chuckle.

“Your lips taste sweet.” He tells her in her neck as Y/N rests her arms over his shoulders to play with her fingers.

“It’s your tea.”

Fionn and Y/N stay in that position for a while, relishing in the comfort of each other’s touch free from any awkwardness.

“I really like you too.” Y/N says tiredly, eyes half shut on Fionn’s shoulder.

“Best news I’ve heard all week.”

Y/N chuckles as she gently pushes Fionn back and away from her, for her to meet his own tired expression, eyes fluttering open.

“Were you falling asleep?”

Fionn nods his head and reaches to take a sip of her tea, downing the rest of it before looking back at her.

“You can sleep here in my room if you decide to stay, or I can take you home.” Fionn tells her leaning forward with a surprise kiss for her, “What do you wanna do?”

Y/N decides whether or not she should have this conversation with him now, whether she should tell him her doubts about giving herself to him in intimate ways like she wants to without feeling like she has to, but they’re both tired so she settles for Fionn’s room and being under his sheets as she convinces him to stay and hold her hand and keep her close.

And when she wakes up in the morning she’s kissing Fionn’s temple and listening to his babbling and groggy protests, too tired to realize what is going on when she takes a cab home.

Y/N would like to think that her and Fionn are just fine a week later, even though she purposefully has been letting his texts sit longer than usual and doesn’t answer his texts right away. She wants to want to be ready to be with him without having any doubts, without confusing him, and without comparing him to the past.

Fionn asks her to hang out, swing by his place, grab dinner, do anything, and Y/N is always busy, to his knowledge, and she isn’t lying, but she purposefully makes plans last minute to avoid having to meet Fionn.

It’s another late night and Y/N is about to head to bed after she gets in her sweats but Fionn texts her asking if she was up for him to give her a call and Y/N agrees because she thinks the least she could do would be to answer his call.

“Fionnnnn.”

“Hey Y/N,” He sounds groggy and worse for wear from her side and he lacks his usual enthusiasm.

“Everything okay? You sound weird.” She notes as she peels back her sheets.

“I’m so jetlagged, I’m in another country right now. I can’t even sleep.”

Y/N raises her eyebrows, “You’re in another country? Wait since when?”

“Since three days ago.” He answers bluntly.

Y/N shuffles into her blankets, “Oh really? I don’t even remember you telling me, my bad.”

The line is silent and she thinks maybe he’s fallen asleep but he finally shuffles on his end, “I didn’t tell you.”

And Y/N is caught off guard by the revelation when Fionn has usually told her excitedly about the places he was headed “Oh... why... not?”

Fionn fishes for melatonin in his bag, kicking it away frustratedly when he can’t find any.

“You’ve been busy, didn’t want to distract you.” He says, his tone filled with irritation as he unzips his suitcase.

“Oh... are you mad?”

Fionn hears her question, but he doesn’t really hear her question.

“What would I be mad about?” He says dropping to the ground to pull out his clothes messily to scan the bottom.

“Are you mad at ...me?” Y/N asks nervously, thinking he’s caught on to her avoiding him,

Fionn quirks an eyebrow at her question and sits back on the floor pressing his phone to his ear, “No? Why would I be mad at you?”

Honestly, Fionn isn’t certain why he called Y/N, he’s been on edge, stressed and restless all day and all he wants to do is calm down, and Y/N usually helps him to, but today is different and today it’s different and he can’t help but feel irritated with every way his day has been going. And truthfully he notices Y/N isn’t around as much, and briefly imagined that she may have been ignoring him, but he’s been so swamped in work and stress that he doesn’t give himself the time to entertain the idea.

“I don’t know,” She lies when she could give a few reasons, “You just sound a little mad.”

Fionn chuckles catching on to what she’s getting at, “No I’m not mad at you. Even if you had been ignoring me I want you to know that I’m always going to give you space if you need it,” he admits, beginning to slouch forward to search his bag again.

Y/N hums contently at his words, wondering how he can read through her so clearly and rolls over in bed, “Oh... thank you Fionn.”

And then it’s silent again as Fionn checks his luggage pockets and finds his melatonin, shaking the bottle into his hand and holding the gummy that comes out between his index finger.

“Everything okay with you then Y/N?”

He moves the gummy into his palm and holds it close to his abdomen waiting for Y/N to respond.

“I’m okay... I wanted to talk to you about something actually if you don’t mind.” She sighs as she presses his phone closer to her ear.

Fionn quickly and dryly chews his melatonin to answer, “‘Course, what is it?”

Y/N props her pillow behind her head contemplating to start her sentence. She wants to be honest with Fionn, and about her worries, and while she slightly worries that Fionn may not even be thinking of the idea of their relationship, she rather get it out the way now than feel like she needs to completely disconnect herself from him because she can only compare him to her experiences at the hand of another person.

"Um, well, I like you-"

"I'm glad-"

"And I’m pretty sure that you like me too-"

"I do-"

Y/N blushes and shakes her head, "so I just wanted you to know that, if I ever, well, seem weird or question you, that it's nothing personal I just, uh..." Y/N tries to think of the right words to complete her sentence, "I just have a hard time believing people's intentions."

“Okay, yeah...thanks for letting me know.” Fionn rises to plop himself back on the hotel bed and cradles the melatonin bottle on his stomach, eyes fluttering, “Is this about the guy on the lawn?"

Y/N's eyes widen, not ready to tell the story, not expecting for Fionn to put pieces she thought were obscure together so quickly, "What?"

Fionn begins to feel fatigued, rolling to his side, "Yeah, he looked familiar. I think I remember him from the night I picked you up from the club, when I drove away he was looking into the car... and then I saw him when I picked you up recently and he looked the same. I think. Are we talking about the same thing?" His eyes begin to shut, "Sorry are we thinking of the same thing?"

Y/N's lips press into a thin line. To keep them separate was all she wanted, that she could exist with Fionn without Fionn knowing the outside influence that bothers her when she is with him. Now she feels like their relationship would have an imaginary ex of her's seated between them, one that Fionn would have to make space for between himself and her. Y/N's stomach bubbles with anxiety, "I think Gaby is calling me, I have to let you go." She blurts out.

Fionn digs her head into his pillow, "Mhmm. I don't think I can stay awake if you're not talking. Talk to you tomorrow then yeah?"

"Okay, bye."

"Sleep well-"

Y/N has hung up, thrown her phone to the side, and rolls in her bed, head stuffed in pillows, lulling herself to sleep and free of worry because of the lack of oxygen.

And when Fionn texts her the next day asking if she wants to finish their conversation, she doesn't answer. Fionn follows up with his lone text, telling her when he's headed back when he finds out, but she doesn't answer that either. In fact, she never answers, and two weeks go by, and she hasn't made any sort of communication with Fionn. Fionn is terribly confused, and it preoccupies his thoughts his entire trip, but he doesn't want to overstep her boundaries (that he realizes are also his but more fear and nerve based) so he lets it be until he's back home. And when he tells her he's back, a week later, he finds his texts are still abandoned. As the month mark of his unanswered texts approaches, Fionn finds himself missing her presence, virtually and actually. He convinces himself he may have been becoming clingy and that the three weeks that had passed were perfectly reasonable. Yet, he starts to worry, just wanting to make sure Y/N is okay, and he messages Gaby... who tells him that Y/N had been alive and well, and oddly around.

She hasn't texted you? Ugh she's such a bitch sorry

Fionn blicks at Gaby's message unsure of her tone and tells her that he just wanted to check up, and to leave it at that. He tells himself he doesn't need or deserve an explanation and if Y/N didn't want to speak to him, he wouldn't force her to want him back. But when he's showering, the warm water reminds him of the sudden heat rush he felt that night on the sofa with Y/N, when they were talking, when he kissed her neck, their calls, and Y/N telling him that she likes him back.

So where did he go wrong? The question kills Fionn and makes him question if he was good enough for her to begin with. He could imagine a future with Y/N, whether they took their relationship to an intimate level or stayed friends. He appreciated her for who she was and how warm she could be. Fionn shudders, the bed colder than he expects after his shower. While they hadn't known each other for the longest time, nor explored their identities with each other or their pasts, he absolutely misses their emotional connection, and he feels like a kid yearning to be wanted again. He starts thinking too much again. Fionn hates when his thoughts race faster than his heartbeat and he can't catch a break, and his hand gravitates towards his melatonin, ready to push him to sleep. 

Placed next to his melatonin is his ringing cell, a call from Tom makes Fionn shift the place of his hand.

"COME TO BARRY'S YOU FUCKER."

Fionn's friends progressively begin to annoy him more than he wants, and he's already in a shitty mood, feeling terribly insecure in his clothing, in his presence, and he wishes he stayed home rather than wrongfully believing this would prove any type of distraction. He heads to the kitchen where he is met with a plethora of liquor that he can't decide from. He recklessly mixes some of them together in one cup, having the sudden urge to drink more than he knows he can handle. It doesn't taste very good, but Fionn knows it will get him tipsy (or drunk) faster so that he can move on and begin to enjoy himself. He stands against the wall as his friends harass the DJ to play a dumb song, yet he isn't as irritated anymore, feeling the drink seep into his system.

"Y/N, I fucking hate you," Gaby tells Y/N, punching her arm much harder than Y/N expected as she gets into Gaby's car.

"Shit Gaby, what was that about?" Y/N rubs her arm weirded out by Gaby's flared nostrils and raised eyebrows.

"What was that about," Gaby mocks, "You ghosted Fionn you bitch... put your seatbelt on."

Y/N stays silent, prepared for Gaby to lecture her, and Y/N might even cry because she already feels like a shitty person for what she is doing. And she knows she is, but she would rather tell herself than have someone else tell her. Y/N was going through a lot of emotions, to be honest, Fionn as a romantic partner reminded her of what they could be, happy, healthy, and with good and solid boundaries. But she also has this looming idea that hasn't left her for a year, that in her next relationship, she could be used, disrespected, and hurt. It's not that she didn't want to talk to Fionn, she just didn't want to think anymore, and she ran away from her problems, telling herself she'll text him when she's calmed down. Yet she never texted him, nor explained anything to him, and now she's scared to text him, knowing she's waited too long, thinking he may have already dismissed her and let her be. In reality, she knows Fionn is patient and may have been waiting for her, giving her the space he told her he would give her. But the time where she grabbed her phone and told him how much she missed him hadn't come, and now that she feels it has, she’s a couple weeks too late.

"I'm not going to attack you for it. I know how things like this scare you because of him. But could you just shoot him a text or something?" Gaby grips the steering wheel as she begins to drive, "Fionn texted me, wanting to make sure you were okay."

Y/N tears up, throwing her head back into the seat, as she feels an overwhelming sense of guilt, finally truly realizing how he must feel.

"I'll text him soon, I promise." Y/N whispers.

Gaby smiles softly, "Good, no rush, just do it soon so he knows yeah? You can have fun tonight and figure it out tomorrow."

Y/N is separated from Gaby at an overcrowded gathering that Gaby dragged her to claiming, “Yeah I know this girl, I met her at another party” before Y/N runs into an old friend of hers. And that's when Fionn realizes she's there. He thinks his drink is too strong and is playing tricks on him, but after intensely staring at her features, and the black halter top he remembers running his hands over on his sofa, he's stuck in place. Watching her lips move, remembering when they touched his, remembering they were dragged across his jaw- he stops himself from thinking any further in fear that he might give himself a boner. His eye's dart from her face to the person that wraps an arm around her neck as she laughs into her hands. The guy watches her closely, wanting to amuse her, and Fionn scoffs, a little too loud that he looks around to make sure no one heard him, but it's lost beneath the music.

Y/N wraps up the conversation and the man steps forward, pulling her closer, to adjust his arms under her shoulders to hug her, lifting Y/N to her tiptoes, making her laugh.  Fionn watches the scene unfold and his knuckles turn white from gripping his glass too hard.  He's never thought of himself as the jealous type but the alcohol in his system makes him much more envious than he ever thought he could be. He hasn't seen her in person since they last kissed for the first time and  Fionn has yet to properly address her tonight other than watch her from afar.

When Y/N pulls away, she starts to walk in Fionn's direction and immediately locks eyes with him, trying to hold his intense gaze (which is really just Fionn unsure of what to do) before she finds herself turning away and rushing into the crowd again. Fionn looks down at his drink and watches it twirl in his glass, downing the last bit and shaking his head, mostly at himself, to set himself straight for making Y/N feel nervous under his eyes. Yet also at the thought that she had just run away from him, and it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth.

He would go talk to her but he feels too nervous to do any of it now or look at her. Fionn wonder's if she's moved on, met someone new, or had feelings for someone else to begin with that made her leave and run from him here and he feels insecure in his presence again. He wouldn't be too mad if that were necessarily true, he's an adult and it happens, but it would sure break him a little. He sighs harshly, and marches back into the kitchen, prepared to fill his cup.

Y/N runs to Gaby and Y/N explains the situation, hands moving too fast as she talks, and Gaby trying to keep up with Y/N's pace.

"What do I do? I must look like a bitch-"

"You definitely do-"

"Okay Gaby, I know! I can't believe I just left."

Gaby, obviously annoyed, glares at Y/N, as she takes a sip of her drink. Y/N cowers under her gaze, "What..."

"I swear Y/N, go tell him that you're sorry and kiss him or something. You always do this. Don’t screw this up, you like him don’t you?” Gaby watches Y/N quietly nod her head embarrassed at her lecture, “So then act like it yeah? And calm down, do you want some of my drink?' Gaby holds out her drink and Y/N chugs it in its entirety.

The rest of the night is tamer than that moment as Y/N learns to calm herself down, get her fucking act together, and be an adult. But when she does, she can't find Fionn as the night becomes busier.

She’s relieved when she spots Fionn. Y/N watches Fionn make himself another drink, staring aweingly (though she would make sure no one else would look at her stare awingly) and she finds herself in a conversation between a group of people that she is bored of.

Fionn, in a tipsy state, feels a pair of eyes on him as he mixes. He feels like he is making it all up until he looks up and see's Y/N staring at him, her eyes softer than usual, curious and shy, Fionn picks up on it all. Fionn lifts his hand and gives her the smallest wave and then tilts his head, motioning for her to come over without much thought, too into his mixing. Y/N's heart skips a beat and she looks around to make sure Fionn had been addressing her. She slowly pulls herself away from the group and finally finds herself approaching Fionn.

"Hi." Y/N says lowly as she slides up next to Fionn catching his attention.

Fionn looks over at Y/N and suddenly a huge smile appears on his face and an arm loops around her waist bringing her close into a hug while the other holds his drink against the counter.

"I missed you." Fionn utters as she brings her hands to rest against his chest as he pulls her in.

Her breath fans over his lips and he finds his eyes lingering from her eyes down to her lips and up again. Y/N nervously reaches for the collar of his shirt and smiles, watching her hands fiddle with the fabric and finally training her eyes to his once again.

“I missed you too.”

The moment is cut short when a handful of people begin to shout excitedly as a line of shots begin to be poured. It’s at this time Y/N notices that Fionn begins to push into her, tipping her over and making her support his weight as she makes an effort to not tumble under his weight.

“How much have you had to drink?” Y/N furrows her brows when she sees him pick up his cup to bring to his lips again. Fionn shrugs as he pulls the rim away from his lips now slick from the liquid.

“D’know.” He tells her slurring the end of his sentence and his head droops over Y/N’s, his hand now digging into the skin on her hip as she is forced to absorb the heat of his body from their proximity, “I’m just so glad you’re here,” he confesses, lips moving in her hair, “I thought I wasn’t good enough for you, and I thought you proved me right.” He mutters, obviously still embarrassed though his state of mind.

Y/N shakes her head against his and the hand near his neck falls to his waist to push him away and support some of his weight on the counter, “Not at all. You are more than enough.” She tells him,  a reassuring smile toying on her lips.

Fionn cocks his head up at her and tilts it to the side, “What’d you say?”

Y/N notices the volume of the room and Fionn who suddenly starts rubbing at his temple, bothered by the noise. Y/N takes note that Fionn is the type of man who, when he has had one too many drinks, likes a quiet atmosphere rather than one surrounded by people as time with him has taught her. She soon is dragging him through the apartment and into a cozy bathroom, with a light dimmer she is grateful for when Fionn complains that it is a little too bright.  Fionn is drunk, but he can handle his own in the current state he is in, it isn’t like the first party where he might choke on his own sweat. It’s quiet and calm in the bathroom and he isn’t overheating on the couch of a house party. Instead he’s cool, dipping one hand under cold water as he watches Y/N shut the door behind them, and turn her back to it.

Fionn settles for sitting on the toilet seat close to the sink as he continues to allow his hand to lay under the pressure of gushing water.

“What’d you say before?”

“Huh?”

“What’d you say before, I couldn’t hear you.” Fionn repeats as he nods for her to come over and sit on the space between his feet in the tile. Y/N trods over and sits on the ground facing him, in between his spread legs.

She smiles to herself as he watches her though influenced eyes, getting worked up when she leans her head into his knee comfortingly, “I said that you are more than enough,” her hand reaches and squeezes his knee, “For me.”

Fionn loves the words that come out of her mouth, but he’s still hurt about what happened earlier and he wants to let it go, but he’s still bothered, “Then why are you running away from me?” He asks sadly.

Y/N feels like an absolute prick, and his words slapped her with a sense of guilt she’d only been allowing to seep out of her in increments, but Fionn’s words, so genuinely wondering where he went wrong, drowns her in guilt, suffocating her.

“I’m so sorry,” She says looking down at the tile, “I’m so lucky to have met you and I shouldn’t push you away like that. I’m sorry.” Her hands rub at his thighs and his knees, like she’s hugging the lower half of his body.

Fionn feels himself choke on his breath  and he goes a little too long without blinking. It isn’t until he realizes that Y/N has retreated her hands to herself that he turns off the faucet, wipes his wet hand on the side of his shirt and his hand is reaching for her cheek, securing her in place with his thumb tucked behind her ear.

Y/N shudders against the cold hand that holds her lovingly and she looks back up at Fionn who has a boyish grin.

“I’m just glad you’re here now.” He tells her stroking her cheek, heat rising on his own face.

Y/N is so happy that things aren’t tense because of her temporary ghost, and she thinks he’s almost too forgiving but she won’t complain. She would even dare say she thinks they are closer now. But she realizes the haze in Fionn’s eyes as his head falls back against the wall. He is drunk after all. Y/N feels like she has unintentionally taken the easy way out to avoid proper communication and she sighs again, resting her head on his thigh.

“What are you thinking about?” The wave of his voice rumbling through his body, to his thigh and to her face.

She lets out a light chuckle, “Whether or not I’m gonna have to nurse you back to health.”

Fionn sucks his teeth and the hand on her cheek slides back into her hair and gently pushes her to one side playfully, “I’m fine you. So fine that I want to take you home.”

Y/N rolls her eyes and pulls her head away from his hold, “Not letting you drive me home when you look like that.”

“Good, cause’ it’d put you in danger... but who said it would be your house?”

Y/N feels her ears grow hot and she crawls away toward the door and presses her ear to it without responding, “It’s not that loud anymore, wanna go?”

Fionn moves his head side to side, “No. I like it here, it’s quiet. And you, pretty lady, are here alone either me.”

“Are you always this verbally affectionate when you’ve had too much to drink?”

“I just want to be with you.” He admits casually causing Y/N to blush and turn away from him completely, “If you’re okay with that.”

Y/N is unsure whether he is talking in the moment about their situation or their relationship in general but she is quick to her feet to subdue her worry when Fionn starts to snooze on the toilet seat he had been sitting on and someone knocks on the door whining that they have to take a piss. She tugs at his wrist and she soon gets him to stand up. He walks on his own toward the bathroom door that Y/N holds open for him and instead of leading him back to a calmer section of the party like she planned, Fionn is suddenly guiding himself deeper into the apartment and into a bedroom and Y/N follows suit.

“I’m not trying to seduce you, m’just tired.” He tells her when he see Y/N awkwardly stand in the corner of the room as he flings himself onto the bed, “You don’t have to stay if you’re bored.” He adds  as he shuffles his head closer to a pillow and tucks an arm beneath it, “But I like knowing you’re near.”

Y/N is unsure what allows Fionn to be so blunt in the moment, never really taking him for a blunt and or confident drunk but a nervous and anxious one but she realizes the circumstances are different

“How’d you know this room was here?” She asks him and she gradually makes her way over to him.

“I’m good friends with the guy who lives here. We used to be roommates for a couple of months.”

Y/N hums back at his answer as she reaches him, his back turned to her. Unsure of what to do, she settles for having her hand trace over his back for the time being and digs shapes into the skin that she is blocked by because of his shirt.

She wishes she knew how to properly respond, physically, when she hadn’t seen him in so long. It’s not the same anymore, she nor Fionn seem too nervous in each other's presence like they once did, and while that is credited to Fionn drinking, she suddenly feels the urge to throw herself into the comfort of his arms and into his side where she can rub against him. But she doesn’t deserve that right now, after she ran away from him and left him wondering about her. And she hopes she can tell him soon when he’s in the right state of mind so she can kiss all over his neck again if he decides to accept her apology. And she really really hopes he does.

Y/N isn’t paying much attention to what she is doing as she talks to herself in her head until a hand is grabbing her wrist. Fionn has twisted around to his back and his face is pink, his breath slightly quicker than usual and his grasp on her skin hot. And Y/N who tries to look him in the eye, can’t help but notice in her peripheral vision the valley that has appeared in his crotch.

“I was just rubbing your back.” She says sheepishly looking around the room and away from him entirely.

Fionn nods, “I know, I just,” his mind is racing slightly embarrassed, “I’m not thinking properly right now.” He drops her wrist and immediately turns back around face down to the sheets.

Fionn is drunk and Y/N was not about to touch Fionn the way she wished she could, everything right now is wrong, the atmosphere, the situation, the timing, it’s all wrong. There is a time and place for them to address and sort each other out properly and now is not it. She doesn’t even know why she’s still standing in the room with her hands by her side. So when she thinks Fionn is completely asleep, she tiptoes to the door and leaves him again.

Gaby is sober to Y/N’s surprise, something about not wanting to miss Y/N leaving and Gaby being unaware of where she’d gone like the party before that had Gaby crying to her brother thinking Y/N had been kidnapped. Gaby and Y/N are grateful to go home together for once.

“You talked to Fionn?” Gaby asks as she paces herself to reach a stoplight.

“A little, nothing important, he was drunk.” Y/N admits, “I feel like our connection always has to do with alcohol. I barely feel like we can be normal with each other unless we have a drink in our system.”

Gaby shrugs, “Well you both are shy as hell. I talked with Tom, said Fionn isn’t even one to do much as to meet new people unless he really really has to, and you are not exactly the type to tell a guy you miss him—”

“Well I did—”

“—Hush, you get what I mean, you aren’t straightforward when you need to be, or at the best times.” Gaby says, a hand falling to her lap as the other grips on to the steering wheel, “For that reason, I think you should take him out on a date.”

Y/N quirks an eyebrow at her friend and Gaby smiles, “Think about it. You can be straightforward at any time you want as long as you don’t kill the mood with a random downer and I know you’re itching to be lovey dovey and did you kiss him like I told you?”

Y/N swats Gaby’s shoulder in response, “You’re so nosy.”

~

Y/N takes Gaby’s advice and in the morning asks Fionn when he’s free so that they can talk properly. Without wasting time, Fionn tells her he can speak today or anytime during the week and Y/N chooses to prepare herself and tells him to meet her at her place two days from then. Their texts are kept short as they are yet to cross that line again, but Y/N is grateful to be in touch with him one way or another.

She’s not one to cook, but she tries to experiment for those two days, urging Gaby to come over so she can cook Gaby breakfast and dinner. Gaby is honest and Y/N won’t lie that her feelings are hurt, but Gaby’s honesty about how Y/N is somewhat a terrible cook encourages her to stay in her lane and do what she knows and make Fionn a dish she is comfortable with, which she realizes is nothing... The day of, Y/N pulls on a bodycon that teeters far from the line of formality but can rarely be considered casual and  orders takeout a little before she expects him to arrive. An hour before he comes over, she’s fluffing her hair the way she likes, cleaning up the little things as much as she can and doing her best to keep the food warm when it comes in. She pats her lips in the embellished mirror that sits in her living room room when—

Hey I’m downstairs.

Y/N checks her appearance as quickly as possible and grabs her keys and anxiously walks out the door. The elevator cannot come any slower and she feels like she’s tugged on her bodycon a little too much to the point where she’s begun to stretch it and wrinkle it. No matter her nerves, she thinks she’s excited, that they can be alone and talk the way they want knowing that they can be blunt about their feelings toward each other and their affection if Y/N is totally straightforward and she can hash out the real issue that has brought them here quickly and —

Shit.

Y/N can spot Fionn outside her complex through the window pane of the double doors and he is dressed casually and past him she can see his car is double parked and running. She had forgotten to mention this was gonna be a date.

Y/N is sure her body would have let the elevator doors close and take her straight back up to her place to tuck herself under layers of covers and let her food get cold if it had not been for the fact that Fionn and her lock eyes and he awkwardly nods to greet her through the glass.

Y/N forces herself out the elevator and unlocks the front door that leads to her stoop.

“Hey,” Fionn is the first to speak as she walks over to him way too slowly before his eyes trail down her figure all the way to her toes, “Cute sandals.?You look nice too, you headed somewhere?”

Y/N sighs, “Oh, I didn’t even notice.” She looks down at her fuzzy slippers and then to the car that continues to run, “Not headed anywhere... You headed somewhere?”

“Maybe, not sure if I wanna go yet.” Fionn tells her. They are an odd distance away from each other and Fionn waits for Y/N to speak watching her sway side to side and look up and down the street, “So...”

Y/N snaps her head to Fionn, “Right uh...” Y/N’s plan to tell him her concerns have gone out the window, this is not how she wanted to do it, rushed because his car is still running and whatnot, but her stomach bubbles from the thought of telling him what she wants to, “I just wanted to tell you again that I was sorry.”

Fionn's lips purse into an “o” shape and he shakes his head nonchalantly, “You’re good, you can have time to yourself—”

But the whole point of this was for her to tell him what she wants, “But you deserve an explanation, a real one.” She adds, “I actually thought, I don’t know...,” she blushes and Fionn cocks his head to one side feeling a smile form on his cheeks because the situation is amusing, “I thought tonight we could spend some time together if you aren’t doing anything— if not we can rain check, if you want to though! — but if not we can talk and I have some food upstairs...?”

The bashful look on Y/N’s face that she so desperately tries to hide does not go past Fionn and he shifts his weight from one foot to the other biting the inside of his cheek to stop his smile.

“I forgot to tell you that I wanted this to be like a , you know, you and me thing... sorry I forgot to tell you the most important thing...” She scratches the back of her neck and stares at the ground, “Guess I was nervous or something.” She says, throwing her head to laugh shyly.

Fionn’s legs feel like jello, the butterflies in his stomach could fly out of him and there would still be a million more gliding in his veins, especially when he realizes she’s asking him on a date. Fionn suddenly feels self conscious again when his hands rub at his sides and he realizes what he’s wearing.

“I’m not really dressed for the occasion...” Fionn slurs and Y/N nods her head defeated but understanding, “I mean look at you.” He chuckles, cracking his knuckles.

They are both so painfully timid in this moment and they are reminded why their conversations must usually be fueled by alcohol.

“But I’d love to come up.”

And Y/N has the fattest smile on her face, “Okay.”

Fionn looks at his car running in the background, “Give me a minute I’ll just park and come back real quick.”

Y/N nods again worried her words will be too bubbly. She’s pulled out of her world of excitement tangled with a twinge of panic when she unexpectedly feels Fionn’s lips pecking her own quickly and gently pulling back before she even has time to realize. An encounter that has her touching her lips.

They don’t talk much on the ride up or the walk down the hall, but they are so evidently giddy about each other without having to do or say much.

Y/N leads Fionn in and has him take his shoes off at the door. She seats him at her cute little table near her window and heads to her kitchen to put the takeout on her fancy plates she's always so scared to mess up. She can see Fionn through the half wall of her kitchen, taking off his light jacket and hanging it on the back of his chair. He catches Y/N taking a sneaky look at him and he holds her eyes with his until she gets nervous and begins to set the food onto the plates even faster.

"You need help?" He calls out leaning forward on his forearms.

Y/N holds up both plates in response and rushes over to where he is sitting, placing both plates on the table, then running back to the kitchen and back to the table with two water bottles. Once she's seated, she pulls her loose hair back and grabs her fork, waiting for Fionn to take the first bite before she starts to eat.

"I'm happy you're here, I think I owe you an explanation for what I did." And then she stuffs her mouth to wait for his response.

To her surprise, Fionn is shaking his head, "You're okay, as long as I know you're okay--"

"But don't you want to know why?" She pushes.

"Well, it's not like we're together." He says much more nonchalantly and colder than he intended for that to come out. The air around them goes still as Y/N chews her food extra slow. He's right, she thinks, they aren't together, and if she pushes him away and never tells him anything, they will never be together. But they will never be together either if Fionn believes Y/N doesn’t have to share anything with him because they aren't together. Y/N drops her fork confused at his words because while she appreciates Fionn reassuring her about how much space he is willing to give her, that she is not his and he doesn't expect to take anything from her, she wishes he could tell her some things he did want, and while he doesn't want anything from her, does he want her? -- in the way that she's been wanting him? 

"Well..." She starts before looking at nothing in the middle of the table in a low voice, "Do you want to be?"

There is so much anxious tension that has made its way into Fionn's bones and down to his fingers and through his throat that it feels like food is lodged in his throat and his fork is unbelievably heavy. He didn't mean for it to come out like that, he wants her to know he has no malicious intentions behind his actions. He knows that she know he likes her, but he's come to realize that isn't enough, that whether he's tried to be open about about his feelings and had the impression that he was succeeding showing such, he forgot to express his desire to be with her, the desire that a relationship would exist just between the two of them. Everything had just been up in the air. Sure they liked each other, but what were they gonna do about it?

Fionn let’s out a laugh. He laughs, and Y/N cocks her head to the side as she watches him lean over the table to put a hand on her head, causing her to blush.

“Do you even have to ask?” He lets his fingers slot through her hair, gently dragging his hand down the side of her face to bring a couple of strands forward and frame her cheeks, “That's all I want.” He sits back in his chair, staring deeply into her eyes from across the table, “Do you?”

She can feel a smile bubbling onto her face until she reminds herself why they are sat here, and the wall that stood between her and committing to Fionn.

“I just want you to know that I’m still trying to trust you and it’s not your fault I just don’t want to compare you to anyone else and their bad actions... I just want to have you.” Her eyes trail from the table up to his eyes and Fionn is reaching for her hands and squeezing her fingers.

“Okay, that’s okay, and I’d like to be here to help you if you need. Okay?”

Y/N let’s her smile finally erupt and she’s leaving her side of the table to hug Fionn, arms around his neck, and his arms swinging up to her waist, pulling her into her lap where she mostly finds herself for most of the evening as they relish in each others touch, and lips.

.                                          .    

                        .   

“Another hickey?” Gaby asks, spotting it as she exits a stall and Y/N fixes her hair in front of a bathroom mirror,“Never took Fionn for the wild type.”

Y/N rolls her eyes at Gaby, though there is a grin sporting its way to her face, “It’s just for fun.”

Y/N and Fionn have a great thing going, and while they aren’t together together they are exclusive. They’re usually together when he’s not away, she’s always the first person he calls or texts at the end of the day, the first person she facetimes when she tries to improve her cooking and he’s the first person she has been with that she truly trusts herself with entirely. They haven’t had sex, and there is no rush to, but they find themselves doing small things to please eachother, not truly ready to cross that line yet.

Gaby runs her newly soaped hands under cold water and watches Y/N adjust her hair to hide her hickey again, “At least I know you’re happy,” Gaby smiles, “and I no longer have to drive you everywhere. You should tell Fionn how much I appreciate him, you know, he does me as much of a service as he does for you.”

Y/N collides her hip with Gaby’s, pushing her away, and in return Gaby flicks her wet hands toward Y/N’s face who guards with her palms.

“Y/N learn how to drive for our sake.” Gaby pouts.

Y/N feels her phone vibrate in her back pocket.

I’m outside :)))

She smiles at his  text, “Speaking of Fionn, he’s outside.”

Gaby leans over to engulf Y/N in a bear hug and rocks her, “Tell your boyfriend I said hi and thank you.”

Y/N says goodbye to the rest of her friends at the restaurant before heading out and rushing to Fionn's car running out front. She taps on the glass to catch his attention and he’s unlocking his car door for his lover, immediately reaching for the nape of her neck with one hand to pull her to his lips once she’s inside.

She pulls away, allowing one hand to rub his chest comfortingly before pulling on her seatbelt, “How was your day?”

“Better with you here.”

“My god,” her seatbelt clicks into place and she reaches for his bicep from the arm that still latches onto her neck, “what a sweet talker you are-”

Fionn is pulling her back in for another kiss, this time surprising her with his tongue that invades her mouth and swirls around her own, savoring the drink that still lingers on her tongue. He pulls her in deeper and deeper, and her hand is forced to fist at the material of his shirt near his waist to compose herself from the dizzying feeling that accompanies his lips. He pulls away unexpectedly, watching Y/N wait for more and pecks one more kiss to her flushed lips before removing his hand from her neck to change gears, then to the middle of her thigh.

Y/N watches Fionn quietly begin to drive off and she rests her hand over the one on her lap, encasing his fingers beneath her grasp. She can’t tell what’s got him quiet, or so worked up to kiss her so hungrily, but she doesn’t mind. Nor does she mind him kneading and stroking the inside of her thigh when they reach a red light.

“How was your day Y/N?”

His smile is almost innocent, but she can see his eyes flit to her neck and her hickey and back to her eyes.

“Good, just went to meet some old friends, Gaby says hi.”

He hums in response and his head falls back completely onto the headrest, — tired? — eyes watching her in a way that Y/N can’t put her finger on before he’s back to watching the road, gripping the wheel tightly.

“You okay Fionn?” She asks naively.

Fionn resists the urge to laugh, and the urge to reel her back to his lips and taste her. He’s been on edge all day, frustrated, and he painfully notices what’s been bothering him when an overwhelming heat rushes to his crotch when Y/N, looking lovely as  ever, sits herself in his passenger seat with his work so clearly painting her neck when her hair is behind her shoulders. If he had to tell her the truth, he’s extremely sexually frustrated, maybe it’s just all the work stress he’s told her about and the yearning sensation to have relief from it in one way or another, but he knows Y/N and he’s not truly sure how many remnants of the past that she’s still reminded of, and how he doesn’t want her to feel obligated to fix an issue that he can handle now that he realizes it. Kissing her is just enough to satisfy him for now until he gets home and excuses himself, though her kiss always leaves him wanting more.

“I’m okay just - missed you yeah?” 

Y/N traces her thumb over the indents on his hand and his rigid fingers, “You’re kinda tense you know. Maybe I can give you a massage when we get to yours.” She suggests happily and his grip on the wheel tightens even more.

He puts on his bravest smile and tries to hold onto it as he feels himself crumbling and his hand gripping her thigh tighter, not enough to hurt her, but enough for her to feel it and quirk an eyebrow. Y/N and Fionn sit in silence, which she finds weird because Fionn usually is telling her something interesting when everything is quiet but this time he’s reserved. She’s learned that he’s usually quiet when he’s tired, but he’s much more calm and relaxed when he’s tired, allowing himself to find comfort in his fatigue. This she can’t put her finger on, because she’s never seen it before, and she settles on making herself learn more about Fionn and this new expression of his that she doesn’t know.

When they reach his house, it takes him a minute to properly get out of the car that Y/N is already out of the car before him. Then he’s rushing to catch up, hand over her shoulder as they reach his doorstep. He’s fumbling with his keys from his rushed manner and Y/N realizes how long it takes him when she hears him huff. She looks over at his flushed face and finds herself pressing her hand to his neck. He relishes in the cool touch of her hand, washing him with relief yet also filling him with guilt that he’s so out of it because of something so silly. She takes his keys out of his large hands and into her nimble fingers as she begins to unlock the door. Watching the lock below her, there is something in her peripheral she’s not exactly sure about but for the most part she can ignore it. She adjusts her grip on his keys with one hand and accidently drops the set.

Cursing out loud she crouches down to pick the keys up, allowing her other hand to trail from his neck, down his chest and to his lower abdomen to steady herself. Fionn rests his head against his front door as her hand stops near his hips and he grabs onto her arm to keep her balanced. He feels like she is going to kill him with her touch alone.

When Y/N grabs his keys from the ground and begins to stand back up, she notices what has been hiding from her in plain sight and is now practically looking her in the eye, Fionn’s hard on.

Fionn notices her eyes, wide as ever trained on his crotch, and he quickly lifts her up to straighten out her legs before hiding his hips into the door and leaning away from her entirely. Y/N could laugh really, in a way it is funny, but she can also tell Fionn is absolutely embarrassed and has been hiding this from her so that she wouldn’t feel that pressure that her responsibility is to satisfy him, a secret wrapped in a web of other thoughts that she only told Fionn.

But she doesn’t feel that anymore, the idea doesn’t scare her anymore, they’ve been together for a while and she’s more than ready to admit she knows how she should be treated and how Fionn will treat her just as she should be. He’s all that’s on her mind anymore, no more past thoughts and actions haunting her mind, just Fionn and his lovely self.

She opens the door and they shuffle inside before she hands him back his keys and he’s closing the door behind them.

“I’m sorry,” He utters on edge, “Just give me a second yeah, I’m gonna take a shower and I’ll be good as new.”

Fionn is absolutely embarrassed and tries to put on his bravest face when he talks to her. Though he wishes he could run upstairs and relieve himself, he doesn’t want it to weird, knowing she’s down here full well aware that he’s upstairs stroking himself wishing it were her, so his best bet is a cold shower and then he can get back to his love and-

Y/N is kissing him before he has a chance to hurry to his bathroom. Her lips capture his and suddenly his rational mind is being overtaken by his dick when she presses into the front of his body and he unintentionally grinds into her, causing him to pull away immediately after dropping his head onto her shoulder, defeated.

“Y/N please, give me just a few minutes to calm down.”

One of her hands flies to his head and kneads through his hair, “You don’t have to,” she says, her other hand finding his belt loop, “Want to help you, only if you want me to though.” She whispers into his ear.

Want to, want to, want to. A part of him feels so incredibly happy that his girl wants to rather than feeling like she needs to like she once believed. On the other hand, Fionn feels all the blood rush to his cock and before he thinks too little, he’s grabbing her waist and pushing her away to look her in her eyes, “You sure?”

She knows that you sure? is aimed at asking her if she's truly ready, and that the past isn’t something that festers in her mind and affects her present, and she smiles, “You’re all I know now...I’m sure Fionn.” And the hand on his hip falls to his belt, “Can I?”

And Fionn is dizzily nodding and leaning down to kiss her again, using his hands to pull her over to the couch and have her fall on top of him, her knee between his legs rubbing against him, causing his head to lean back and for him to whine as Y/N takes the opportunity to drag her lips down his jaw and onto his neck where she sucks on his skin as her hands skillfully undo his belt.

She falls down to the floor, on her knees, one hand high on his thigh and the other tracing the waistband of his boxers, before she peels them back to reveal Fionn’s cock.  He’s not huge, but he definitely is not small either and Y/N, prepared to take on the task of making him cum, spits in her hand before taking him in her palm and moving her hand up and down against him.

Fionn is incredibly sensitive to her touch just because he’s dying to release, and when her thumb comes to the head of his cock and circles around the tip, he’s bucking his hips up toward her hand,  and gripping the couch cushion beneath him, eyes fluttering as he tries to keep his moans to himself. The precum that oozes from his tip allows Y/N to glide her palm against him, and when her reaction satisfies him, she leans forward and juts her tongue out to lick the underside of his dick where a long vein trails down his length.

Fionn is absolutely breathless and he gently taps Y/N’s forehead with his thumb to push her away and give him a chance to breathe. His hands run along her hairline until they are tangled in her hair, petting her.

“I’m doing okay?”

He’s speechless, she’s doing more than okay and he nods giving her a sweet grin as he continues to rub the back of her head, “Perfect.”

She gives him a couple of seconds, Fionn seeing the stars his own eyes, and the moment she feels he’s recovered she’s leaning forward and taking him into her mouth, the grip he has on her hair tightens and he’s pushing his back against the couch as he tries to keep his hips from thrusting into her mouth. Y/N takes what she can in her mouth, and takes the rest of him in her hands, her eyes watching his reaction as he squirms beneath her and moans and mutters curses under his breath.

“Your mouth,” He says breathlessly, “Doing so well.” He trails looking up to the ceiling silent words coming out of his mouth. He’s so close he can feel it but Y/N pulls away, her lips pretty with Fionn’s premature mess.

“You okay?”

She nods and places her hand over Fionn's hand in her hair, “Help me fit more of you, push me down.”

And Fionn who can barely speak, and feels as if he has tears pricking at his eyes watches her shake his hand out her hair for a moment to pull it back, using the hair tie on her wrist to tie it, “I’m sure,” She pats his knees and gives him a smile, “Wanna make you cum.”

Both his hands are flying to the side of her head gently slotting his finger through her roots, and she turns her head to kiss his wrist before she flits her eyes at him, telling him she’s ready. Her mouth encompasses his cock and her tongue lay flat on the underside of the vein that runs through it. She waits for Fionn to move her, and when he pushes her head down and bucks his hips up hearing a gag and feeling Y/N salivate around him he’s destroyed.

 He isn’t too rough, but he isn’t going very slow either, he’s chasing his release with her mouth desperately moaning and whimpering lewdly, “You take me so well, you look so pretty- fuck- so fucking pretty. Fuck, Y/N-” and he fucks his hips faster into her mouth to glide her lips against his dick and provide him relief. He’s more than familiar with the sudden fire that begins in his stomach and his hold on the sides of Y/N’s face begins to loosen as he tries to tilt her head back and away.

“I’m- shit, gonna come” he tells her as she still hungrily sucks on him, “Y/N, please... please, I’m gonna cum, love, please.” He’s hungrily watching her and he closes his eyes everytime she pulls her mouth away from his cock just to bring it back down toward his abdomen.

She pulls back swiftly and looks into his eyes which causes his thumb to gravitate from her hair toward her lips and swipe over them from the pretty little face she is making, “Cum in my mouth then.”

Y/N uses both of her hands to stroke him once more and she wishes she could take a picture of Fionn, and how needy and breathless he is, trying to keep himself at bay. She takes him in her mouth one last time, fitting what she can and stroking the rest as Fionn is too paralyzed with pleasure to push her back down. The overwhelming frustration he once felt is fueled by a fire in his stomach that grows and grows and grows until he’s squirming under her, his eyes red , wanting to cry from how good it feels, and he’s a whimpering, whining and tugging on her hair.

“Please, please...” Fionn says trying his best to pull her away from all his sensitivity as she continues to suck him dry. She allows him to pull her off and feels a good deal of pride seeing him pant and the red flush on his cheek when she finally swallows.

“Feel better?”

He’s completely fucked out, and he tries to give her the best smile he can even though he feels she just sucked all the energy out of his body, “So much better,” he tells fixing her hair lovingly, “Thank you.”

She nods back at him, tucking him back in his boxers, and wiping the corner of her mouth preparing herself to stand with her now aching knees, but Fionn stops her, the hand in her hair keeping her in place as he leans forward. The other hand in her hair moves to her cheek and he leans her in and up to him, pulling her bum off the back of her heels, and bringing her into his lips. He can taste himself on her, salty, but he could care less, she still tasted sweet, and the two flavors melted together making her undesirable. And though he just got a blowie that practically numbed his entire mind, he knew exactly what he wanted, the one active thing he could think about was her.

Y/N pulls away, her eyes and brows scrunching together as she tries to stand up, “My knees fucking hurt, give me a second.”

And he laughs leaning back into the couch, his arms falling behind the couch cushion watching her stand up and shake out her legs. When she’s satisfied, she falls on the couch by his side.

“Where were we?” She asks, placing a hand to his chest.

“I was going to try to romance you but your knees were about to give out.”

“Fucking knees.”

The room is filled with a comfortable silence as Y/N kicks off her shoes and brings them up to her chest, her clothed toes tucked beneath his thigh.

“You know,” she starts, “If you hadn’t nearly vomited on everyone that one night then I probably wouldn’t have been sitting here.”

“If you hadn’t come to my rescue you mean.” Fionn says, fixing his arm to fall on her shoulder.

Y/N drops her head onto his shoulder and closes her eyes, tired from the day, and though she and Fionn wishes they could go a little bit further, having felt and tasted each other more, neither of them have the energy. Fionn brings her closer with one arm and kisses her forehead, “What does my girl want to do tomorrow?”

“Mmmm I’m your girl now?”

“Are you?”

“Am I?”

Y/N opens one eye with a mischievous smile waiting for him to answer, and he shakes his head playfully as he looks down at her in the crook of his neck. Yeah, he thinks to himself, she could be the love of my life.

He drops his head back against the couch chuckling out loud, "Yes.”

[kabira]

01 | first period biology

pairing — spider-man!vernon x ofc

word count — 3k

genres — spider-man au, marvel au, fluff, action, angst, humor

warnings — violence, mentions of school tests

summary — vernon doesn’t entertain bad guys on monday mornings, but the villain of the day apparently didn’t seem to have gotten the memo.

note — first chapter woohoo! in celebration of comeback day, i present to you: my first actual tumblr multi-part series. send me an ask or dm if you want to be in the taglist! masterlist coming soon <3

go to fic masterlist | main masterlist

I do not have time for this.

Vernon swung through the air, landing nimbly on the road just a few feet behind the newest menace that had decided to grace his neighborhood with its presence. The self-proclaimed Rhino—basically a guy in a rhinoceros suit, as the name suggested—was tearing down 108th street at breakneck speed, which was almost as fast as Vernon mid-swing. Almost.

“Hey, slow down!” he called as he launched himself towards the suited man, and a little kid with a lollipop gaped as Spider-Man swung right towards the Rhino, legs stretched straight before him. “Tsk, how are we supposed to tango if I can’t even keep up?”

Rhino roared when Vernon dropkicked him right in the middle of his back, but the kick didn’t put him out of commission like Vernon had hoped it would. The villain (and Vernon used the term loosely) swung his fist towards him, but he flipped backwards, landing on top of a car, which dented under the force.

“Why is it always Queens?” Vernon asked, annoyed, as Rhino charged towards him. He pushed off the car to avoid Rhino, who crashed headfirst into the vehicle, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. Right next to it, a yellow Kia’s alarm went off. Vernon, now hanging from the building behind it, huffed. “And why is it always right before school?”

And a Monday, too. Vernon usually allowed for supervillains busting down his metaphorical door on mornings, but Mondays were usually off-limits. Honestly, what kind of villain gets up at seven a.m. on a Monday?

Vernon scaled the brick wall of the building, looking for a high vantage point he could drop down from, but even the little effort seemed to tire him out more than usual. Having studied until late night the day before, right after stopping a third try at a robbery on seventy-third (honestly, do these people never learn?), he had only managed to catch about three hours of sleep. It was normal by Spidey standards, but not by Vernon standards. Especially when he was supposed to have a test in first period biology.

“Spider-Man!” Rhino bellowed from three storeys below, snapping Vernon back to the present. He sighed as man demolished another car, no doubt to show off his might or strength or whatever it was villains loved to show off these days. “Face me!”

Vernon looked down. In the morning, everything was awash with sunlight, including Rhino. The suit was a dark gray but didn’t seem to be made of metal, looking about three to four inches thick like some kind of hide-like body armor, and light glinted off the visor that only half-showed his adversary’s face. If he hadn’t been about to be pummeled to death by the guy in rhinoceros suit, he would have appreciated the beautiful workmanship more. The horn was a nice touch.

“If you just wanted to see me, an email would have been fine!” Vernon called, letting go of the wall and righting himself in free-fall as he hurtled towards the Rhino. “No need to put on a show for little ol’ me—”

Okay. Maybe he had miscalculated the distance or maybe Rhino was less distracted than he thought, because instead of him dropping in on the villain like a ton of bricks, Rhino swung his suited arm, catching Vernon in the chest with bone-shattering force, and sent him flying.

Vernon hit the sidewalk with enough force for his body to skid a few feet before coming to a rest. His backpack (which had somehow not been torn to shreds) absorbed most of the blow, but the impact had knocked the wind out of him, and he lay there for a few seconds, wondering if he should just stay down. His head was already pounding, and a sleepy spider was a grumpy spider.

He changed his mind at the last moment as Rhino’s fist swung towards his face, and he flipped onto his back, jumping out of the way just as the fist came down where he had been lying milliseconds ago. Beneath the mask, Vernon’s eyes widened as he saw the blow break the asphalt.

I really do not have time for this.

“What the heck is that suit even made of?” he muttered as he dodged another blow, trying to work out a way to subdue Rhino as fast as possible. The suit was big and heavy, which usually made for slower reactions, and a good old webbing-down would have been the perfect way to wrap up the show, but if the suit was strong enough, even his web fluid wouldn’t hold. Vernon had to knock him out somehow.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Rhino made a throaty, hacking sound like could have been laughter. “Unfortunately, you will be dead before you can even get close enough.”

“You know, it doesn’t have to be this way,” Vernon said, dodging yet another attack, resulting in Rhino’s head getting stuck in the cracked windshield of a car for a moment. God, that guy was like a battering ram. He couldn’t keep this up forever. “We can always sit down and talk about this.”

“Spider-Man, I’ll kill you!”

“I’ll take that as a no, then.” Vernon raised his wrists, aiming at the car. Thwip-thwip, went the fluid from his web shooters, trapping the Rhino against the side of the vehicle. “Shame,” he said, as the man thrashed against his web restraints. “I know a really good taco place around here.”

The Rhino yelled, lifting the entire car bodily. Vernon watched as he raised the car over his head, the webbing breaking from the strain of the suit against them, and threw it directly at him.

Ah, crap.

Vernon would like to think he would have managed to get away from there in time even if someone hadn’t snatched him up into the air, but he doubted it. There was something majestic about watching a villain he’d underestimated lift a whole car up to throw at him.

The person caught him under the arms and lifted him into the air, away from the enraged roar of the Rhino that resounded throughout the street. Vernon’s first reaction to being picked cleanly off the road would be fear, but his spider sense hadn’t gone off yet. He tried to look up at his captor/savior, but the back of his head collided with something hard. “Ow,” he mumbled. “Who the hell are you?”

“The guy who just saved your ass, webhead,” the boy replied derisively. Or at least it sounded like a boy, very much like those guys in the cafeteria who used to drop snide remarks behind Vernon’s back pre-spider bite. The guy dropped him on the roof of a shorter building, and Vernon rolled out of the way, getting to his feet. The boy was dressed in a metallic-looking dark blue-and-gold suit, a bucket-like helmet over his head. The lower of his face was uncovered, exposing lips twisted into a scowl. “I’m not even getting a thank-you?”

“…thanks,” Vernon muttered after scrutinizing the guy for a moment. “Uh, who are you actually?”

“I’m Nova, creep.”

“Nova Creep.” He considered this. “Interesting.”

“Just Nova!” the boy snapped, sounding even more displeased than before. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to my team and save the frickin’ neighborhood.”

Saying this, he turned and took off again, no doubt heading for wherever the action was. Vernon watched him go, choosing to take a breather instead of following him back down.

New superheroes in town? It wasn’t unheard of, and Vernon had had his fair share of newbies and oldies both to deal with in his year-long career as Queens’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

He looked down over the edge of the roof. Sure enough, there were three of them—a girl in a white suit, moving around the wreckage like an acrobat and slashing at the Rhino’s suit, Nova Creep shooting fist lasers (Flight powers and fist lasers? Unfair.) at him, and—was that Iceman?

Vernon hesitated. He could join the fight and help finish it more quickly, but if Iceman was here, the X-Men couldn’t be farther away. He could leave the three to it and get to school in time to catch forty winks before class, no harm done. Was he even needed?

Unfortunately, he knew he was only giving himself the illusion of choice. Spider-Man never walked away from a fight, even if someone more capable was dealing with it.

He shot webs at the metal post hanging out from the opposing building and swung back down, joining the fight just as Rhino caught the girl around the middle like he had Vernon, sending her flying back into an already wrecked car. Vernon cushioned her landing with webs, managing to protect her body from the broken metal chassis, and she was back on her feet in seconds, joining his side.

“Thanks,” she said, which surprised him. Most superheroes didn’t take the time out to thank him, but that was usually unnecessary, since they evened out the score by saving his life. “You know this guy?”

“Nah, he’s new in town,” he replied, watching Nova and Iceman fight the Rhino. Iceman froze him from the legs to his waist, but it didn’t hold for long before Rhino broke through the ice. “Strong, though, I’ll give him that.”

“It’s the suit,” the girl told him. Now that they were up close, Vernon could see that her costume somewhat resembled a white tiger, with the pointed ears and yellow eyes. He wondered if she’d been bitten by a radioactive white tiger. “It’s made of some kind of polymer.”

“Polymer?” he echoed, even more surprised. He’d assumed metal.

“Self-regenerating,” she affirmed. “It’s not indestructible—I slashed through the hide with my claws, but—”

“Your claws?”

She raised her hand. Under the white glove, her nails extended into wicked, claw-like tips. “Cool,” he said, voice cracking halfway through the word. He cleared his throat. “Very Woverine-ish.”

“He’s a mutant,” she said dismissively. What was he supposed to call her? Tigerwoman? Tigergirl? “Rhino’s suit regenerates. We have to knock him out.”

“Yeah, I figured that one out,” Vernon muttered.

“A little help here?!” Nova yelled, zipping through the air in a zigzag manner to avoid the Rhino’s hits. “Or are you two going to stand around and chat all day?”

Vernon’s lips twitched into an unintentional smile. “I’ll web him up,” he told tiger lady. “You think Nova can pull him up?”

Tiger inclined her head. “Not on his own, but with a little frosty boost…”

“Great.” He sprinted towards the group, shooting webs at the Rhino’s head to get his attention and distract him from the others. “Hey, Hippo! Over here!”

The Rhino ripped off the webbing from his visor, not wasting a moment before charging him. Vernon lunged, wrapping the Rhino suit up in webs as he scaled the wall, trapping him in the web fluid. It wouldn’t hold for long, he knew—but he only needed a few seconds. And some blind faith.

The excessive webbing wrapped around Rhino like a net trap, and Vernon pulled, lifting him into the air with as much strength as he could muster. Below him, Iceman froze a column of ice under the Rhino’s butt, giving him a little extra height. Ten feet…twenty feet…

“Tiger!” Vernon yelled.

She lunged, pushing off the hood of a dented car to give her extra height, and ripped through the thin web holding him up with her claws. Rhino plummeted to the ground, crashing into a car and through it, the fall only broken by the ground, the asphalt cracking beneath the force.

Vernon watched him anxiously. The suit should have been heavy enough to render the man inside unconscious, unless he had a really good cushioning system in place.

He counted to ten in his head. Rhino didn’t move.

Thank god for bad cushioning, Vernon thought, swinging back down to the ground. “You guys think you could carry him?” he asked the three. Iceman didn’t even look over, broodily watching the unconscious villain’s body. Oh well. “He’s a heavy hitter.”

“We could make it back to S.H.I.E.L.D. with him,” Tiger said. Then she glanced at him, cocking her head in a perplexed manner. “Wait, why do you—”

“I gotta run.” He shrugged sheepishly, adjusting the straps of his bag, which had only undergone minimal damage. The wonders never ceased. “You see, I’m late to first period biology.”

Vernon crashed through the doors of his school so fast he almost ploughed down Joshua, who had been standing just before the entrance, probably waiting for him.

The journey hadn’t taken more than a few minutes—he tried not to change clothes in suspicious-smelling service alleys as much as possible, but some situations left him no choice—but he only had a few minutes to get to class, and detention was something he couldn’t afford to get. He hated disappointing Aunt May more than he hated getting his ass beat by some B-list villain.

“Hey, hey, hey, relax,” Joshua said, righting him. The hallways were almost empty, but not quite, indicating that he wasn’t too late to the not-party. The boy fixed his glasses, giving Vernon a look. “Did you get into a fight?”

Vernon blinked at him. “What? No. This guy called Rhino—”

“Shh.” Joshua dragged him to one side, away from earshot of the general populace of Midtown High, and gave him a concerned look. “Dude, your face is bleeding.”

Joshua was one of the only few individuals in the world who knew about Vernon’s identity as Spider-Man, which was just as well, because if it hadn’t been for his blue-haired best friend he would have walked into a test with his nose gushing like a bloody geyser. “Thanks,” he mumbled, when Joshua handed him a clean-looking handkerchief. He raised it to his face. “Did you wipe your nose on this?”

Joshua made a face. “Not that I remember.”

“Good enough.” He cleaned off the blood as well as he could, which was hard, because he was feeling jittery and apparently his hands agreed. “Do I look fine?”

“You never look fine, my friend,” his friend said sagely. “But you look like you always do, so I guess, yes.”

Vernon shot him a grim smile, and started down the corridor towards 12-B, which was where he was supposed to be in ten minutes. He wasn’t even late, actually, but Mr. Malkin didn’t need a big excuse to give someone a C+ for a tardy warning. Joshua followed close behind. “So, which guy beat you up this time?”

“I didn’t get beat up.” Vernon rolled his eyes. “Well, not entirely—”

“Vernon Parker, report to room 10-A.” Both the boys’ heads whipped up towards the source of the sound, which came as an announcement from the speakers. “Vernon Parker, room 10-A, please.”

“What?” Vernon whirled on Joshua, panicked. The blue-haired boy’s eyes were wide behind his glasses, but he only shrugged in response. “But the test!”

He tried to think back to anything wrong he might have done in the past few weeks to get called aside like this, but he couldn’t think of anything. Plus, he hadn’t been summoned to the principal’s office, which confused him even more. Why room 10-A?

“Now you’ve had it, Parker,” Flash Thompson said as he passed them, grinning.

Vernon scowled at his retreating back, his grip tightening around the bag strap. “Whatever,” he muttered, then threw Joshua his bag. “Take it to the class, won’t you? I’ll try to get back as soon as I can.”

Without waiting for affirmation, he jogged off to find room 10-A, wanting to get whatever it was over with so he would get back on time. When he got there, the room was empty except for a lady in a pencil skirt and jacket, holding a clipboard in her hand. Upon his entry, she smiled at him in a friendly way, which only served to tick him off further.

“Whatever this is, couldn’t I do it some other time?” he pleaded. He hadn’t seen this staff member before, but he didn’t seem to be in trouble, and his grades had enough pull to get him out of some random appointment before classes. “I have a test in like, five minutes.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already talked to your teacher about this,” the woman said, continuing to smile. She gestured to one of the seats. “Take a seat.”

Reluctantly, he obliged, not really having an excuse not to now. “What is this, exactly?” he asked. Now that panic had taken a backseat, doubt was beginning to creep in. Why only him? And how had he never seen this woman before?

“In light of recent events, the school has decided to start counselling sessions for all of the students to help them cope,” she said. She had a really nice smile, her skin tan and unblemished, cheeks dimpled. “I’m Melia Fox,” she said. “I just need to ask you a few questions, and you can be on your way.”

He stared back at her, miffed. A year of incidents, and they suddenly decided to have counselling sessions now? “Why just me?” he asked slowly. “I’m sorry, but isn’t there some kind of rule or protocol for—”

“There is,” said a new voice. Vernon whipped around, and there at the end of the classroom, where moments ago had been nothing but air, stood a tall black man with an eyepatch. “And Agent Fox is following it.”

Vernon gaped. “I—what?”

“Spider-Man,” Nicky Fury said, with a note of muted resolution in his voice, “we need to have a little chat.”