#master project

[time-woods]

[thatmadscientistbitch]

Me: Uuugh, I mean yeah I'm in school but my research is sooo boring!

My friends, vibrating with insulted rage: Hailey, you work in cloning.

Me: ...Yeah so?

[ritikaprasad]

"Exploring Legacy and Forging Pathways: Gaining Inspiration from Senior Batch Projects 🌟📚"

I was intrigued and inspired as I started to look at the senior batch projects that the prior students had completed. Each endeavour was like a window into the inventiveness and inventive brains of others who had gone before me on this journey. As I dug deeper into the variety of ideas offered, I couldn't help but feel a surge of awe for the labour of love and effort that had gone into these projects.

I felt a sense of kinship as I scrolled through the numerous project presentations and reports because these people had previously been in my position—on the verge of starting a huge academic adventure.

In many ways, looking at these senior batch projects was like stepping into a treasure trove of ideas. The diversity of concepts showcased the breadth of possibilities that awaited me. It was like walking through a gallery of intellectual achievements, each project a brushstroke on the canvas of academia. The innovation and ingenuity displayed in these projects sparked a fire of aspiration within me – a desire to contribute something unique to this legacy.

[starsreality]

THE CHEATCODE TO ALWAYS INDUCING HYPNAGOGIA:

[starry-eyed-psychopomp]

My running theory for why it’s taking so long to get updates on the next tgcf donghua seasons is that they’re desperately trying to figure out how to adapt the fetus spirit and Black Water arcs in a not-gay way but it’s not working bc Hualian’s go-to strategy for solving their problems is just by making out repeatedly for two books straight

[vee1021]

[janus-cadet]

So, hm, I may have my attention span stolen by yet another god of Discord. Lux was absolutely amazing in his lil disguise, and, well- that leads to yet another tarot card.

But oops, I tripped! There might have been a slight addition to the card, in the form of three other gods of the Pantheon, and one very distressed Doctor.

(Don't be fool, I'm sure he's having a great time. We know how much he likes dangerous murderous people, especially the blondes one)

Why the Five of Wands, tho? Well, that's actually very easy to answer- because that's The card for Discord. What else than the Pantheon to represent it? It's a card that express conflict, as in, you're un the midst of a battle (poor you, Doctor) that you simply can't escape. Don't expect to solve it with nicey dialogues and come to any common ground: everyone is stuck on what they want and cannot be bothered to hear what the others have to say. Maybe they simply couldn't be bother to care, vast beings that they are; all the more frustrating, because you know that if you could have them hear you out, much good could come from an association. It's complete chaos and disorder, from the whole human race driven mad by a giggle, or an entire theater of missing people. All you can do is rise above the mess; if they won't listen to reason (or a proposal to go play among the stars, which may or may not be due to your inability to be normal about blond murderers), then, you'll have to take action. You have to try to LISTEN. If you really do, well- you might actually find a surpringly nice end to the conflict you brought. Looking at you, Toymaker. Gonna make you eat your "and yet", idiot.

The card also stands for change and instability, which is the very thing those gods stand for- as shown by the effect they have on your reality, and the consequences they can bring upon your world. Tho the change, sometimes, can be positive; every transformation is not from flesh to dust. Maybe, sometimes, you'll get to turn into infinite light or something (if you're lucky and don't end up eaten by your own piano, or origamied into your own realm made small). All in all, this chaos is ultimately the source of dreadful inner conflict for you. Your perspective is constantly challenged by someone else, by new informations, and your approach to the growing problem cause you a tone of moral dilemmas.

Unfortunately, it does not look like it's going to get better for you, Doctor. Oopsie!

And there we are, for the eleventh Doctor Who tarot card of the lots! To think that this all started with wanting to draw the Masters, and now, I'm sixty cards in. We're nearing the end....

[kiwiplaetzchen]

Character Sheet / Student ID

With the help of some cute Gremlins, I was able to create a Character Sheet / Student ID with different designs for each house for your Hogwarts (Legacy) OC/MC!

Please feel free to use it and share your character(s)! :3 💚💙💛❤️

[bluebellowl]

Sometimes what’s broken is really just damaged.

How can a 7,5 foot animatronic sneak up on a kid? Idk but this one did

[subwaycrow]

[shoujosoulsite]

To all the queer shifters, manifesters, witches, magical beings, spiritualists, sub makers/users, and astral projectors— happy pride month! May this be the month where we make amazing progress and get our desires! Whatever you wanna do with this beautiful existence of yours, may you find success of it in 10 fold!

[ritikaprasad]

"Exploring Creativity: The Evolution of Ideas Through Sketches and Concepts 🎨✨"

As I delved into the process of developing sketches and concepts for my project, a mix of anticipation and creativity stirred within me. Sitting down with a blank canvas or a fresh sheet of paper felt like stepping into a world of endless possibilities. The project was beginning to take shape, not just in my mind, but tangibly on the pages before me.

As I continued to refine and finalize the concepts, I realized that the sketches were a bridge between the abstract and the concrete. They were the tangible manifestation of the ideas that had been swirling in my mind, and they would serve as a guide as the project moved forward. The journey of developing these sketches and concepts had been a process of self-discovery, growth, and the joy of bringing imagination to life.

[starsreality]

UPDATED: The Hypnagogic State Method

[guzhufuren]

do you have a post for wlw shows in specific? i dont mind just going through your main masterlist if not

as well, do you have any wlw shows w transfem leads? that one might be asking for too much, lol.

i don't have an asian wlw list yet, but i will make one here for you bun! i will only be including shows that pass my personal minimum standard for dramas. all shows are sorted in a recommended watching order

WLW

1. She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat neighbours; self-discovery; food; comfort watch

Nomoto loves to cook, but tends to make too much food and has no one to share it with. Luckily for her, turns out her neighbor Kasuga has a big enough appetite for the both of them.

No international streaming available, translated to english by Furritsubs, S1 & S2, watching instructions provided, consider supporting the translator on kofi.

2. The Loyal Pin period drama; princess/noble lady; childhood friends to lovers; forbidden romance

A love story set in 1950s Thailand, about naughty but charming Princess Anilaphat and prim but kind Lady Pin, who are close friends and have grown up together.

YouTube

3. Uranus2324 movie; sci-fi; astronaut/diver

Story of Lin, an astronaut who is about to embark in a remarkable space mission and Kath, a passionate free diver who is willing to defy the limits of time and space just to meet with her lover over and over again.

Netflix of South Asian countries (can be accessed with VPN)

4. Petrichor crime; investigation; cop/forensic doctor

Lieutenant Tul, a rookie officer and Dr Cherran, a physician from the Institute of Forensic Sciences, become reluctant partners.

iQIYI

5. 23.5 high school setting; secret admirer

Ongsa moves to a new school and meets Sun, a cute popular girl who she immediately falls for. However, she decides to approach Sun in instagram dms under the pseudonym Earth, leading Sun to believe she's talking to a guy. But Ongsa does not want to lose the opportunity to talk to Sun, so she decides to keep the fact that she is a girl a secret and continue talking as Earth.

YouTube

6. Ayaka Is In Love With Hiroko office setting; comedy; misunderstanding

Ayaka, a young office worker, is madly in love with her senior team leader, Hiroko. As Ayaka tries to make her attraction known, Hiroko consistently misreads the situation, thinking that Ayaka is a straight girl.

GagaOOLala

7. Soul Sisters period drama; wuxia; crossdressing; arranged marriage

Gu Jinyu has disguised herself as a man since childhood. While undercover, she is kidnapped by Bai Yunxi, the sweet but clumsy heiress, and forced into a marriage. The two form an unexpected partnership to save the failing stronghold, facing rival plots, enemies, and challenges.

iQIYI. *Because of chinese laws demanding censorship of queerness, the romance is censored and toned down to sapphic homoerotism for the show to be able to be broadcast. Nevertheless it's pretty obviously meant to be a romance.

8. Couple of Mirrors period drama; socialite/assassin

You Yi is a kind-hearted socialite and a successful author. Her perfect life is turned upside-down when she discovers a betrayal by the two most trusted people in her life. With no one left to turn to, she finds refuge in the friendship and support of Yan Wei, a lonely female killer disguised as the owner of a photo studio. YouTube. the show doesn’t have a happy ending, but it can be a happy ending for you if you stop watching at episode 12 timestamp 28:02. *Adapted from an explicitly queer novel, the show is undeniably and obviously queer, but nevertheless the queer romance part is censored.

9. Affair childhood friends to lovers; love triangle

A girl's life is upended by family bankruptcy. Her best friend becomes a source of comfort. They get separated, but years later they reunite, reigniting old memories and feelings amidst changed circumstances.

YouTube & iQIYI

10. Us love triangle

Dokrak crosses paths with an older dentistry student Pam during her coffee shop shift and gradually develops a crush. When her brother Kawi meets Pam, he falls for her at first sight. Kawi turns to Dokrak, asking her to play matchmaker and Dokrak agrees.

YouTube

11. The Secret of Us exes to lovers

Dr. Fahlada guards her heart due to a past love, rendering her unable to open up again. Her situation becomes complicated when she has to work with Earn, her ex girlfriend, who has come to work with her at the hospital.

Netflix & Ch3+

12. Pluto twins; blind character

Twins Ob-oom and Ai-oon are worlds apart until Ob-oom's wedding, when she tasks Ai-oon with breaking up her affair with May. A tragic turn leaves the newlywed comatose, and Ai-oon must carry out the request, only to find May is blind. And fall in love with her.

YouTube

13. Reverse 4 You superpowers

One sister foretells the future, and the other controls time. When a promised love seems doomed to tragedy, the pair sets out to change fate itself.

Netflix

14. She Makes My Heart Flutter bar setting; niece and aunt dynamic

The extroverted Gang Seol is hired by her aunt Jung at her only-women bar. Even though they are both lesbians, they seem to be worlds apart and have very different love stories.

YouTube

15. Sleep With Me radio; disabled character in a wheelchair

A science textbook writer with a sleep disorder meets a wheelchair-using radio host who runs the midnight shift. This chance encounter at the radio station quickly sparks their interest in each other.

GagaOOLala

16. GAP The Series office setting; boss/employee; class difference

Long after Sam first came to Mon's rescue when they were kids, Sam is unambiguously Mon's idol. In order to be near Sam, Mon gets a job working under her. When they finally meet again at the office, Mon is surprised by Sam’s icy exterior, so different from the image she'd had of her. Mon and Sam aren't just different in demeanour; they stand apart in class and age.

YouTube

17. Lucky My Love office setting

In the pursuit of love, Nabdao has been doing everything. She has got her fortune read. She's gone on a string of blind dates. Unfortunately, no one seems to be on the same page as her. She starts to think that perhaps her gorgeous and caring boss Pheem could be the one for her. Then Vela, her new team leader, comes into the picture and shakes things up with her observant and affectionate care.

YouTube

18. Show Me Love beauty pageants

Meena moves to Bangkok to achieve her singing dreams. She chances across Cherine who asks Meena to join her in a beauty pageant. The girls' journey for the crown begins and a romance between them sparks.

YouTube

19. My Marvellous Dream Is You magical dreams; actress/personal stylist

Dawan's father abandons their family to elope with a neighbor girl's father. Turns out this is Kimhan, who Dawan has been seeing in her strange yet lovely dreams for years. While they become friends in reality, Dawan hides her deeper feelings, as in her dreams their bond goes far beyond friendship. She never realizes that Kimhan shares the same dreams.

YouTube

20. Unlock Your Love

Rain locked up her heart after getting disappointed in her past relationship. However, things turn around when Love enters her life. They embark on a journey to “unlock their love.”

YouTube

21. Love Bully barwoman/heiress; obstacles

Irene and Night meet at the bar Night works in the night Irene returns from overseas, and hit it off instantly. However, their passionate relationship is threatened by meddling people who want to ruin it.

YouTube

Various chinese WLW mini web-dramas.

Various chinese WLW short films.

WLW as side couples:

1. Wedding Plan mlm wedding planner/groom; lavender marriage

Nuea is a professional wedding planner. Sailom happens to be the perfect man for Nuea based on his visual considerations for a man. But the universe has an unimaginable sense of humor as Sailom and his fiance Yiwa turn out to be Nuea's new clients.

Uncut 18+ on iQIYI or cut on Youtube & iQIYI (special episode), girls don't have high heat scenes here so you can just watch Youtube version for them

2. Love Sea mlm rich big city writer/countryside diver; class difference; wlw personal assistant/celebrity

Tongrak is a writer of popular romance novels. After travelling to countryside in search of inspiration, he chances to meet an irritating southern man Mahasamut. When they end up in bed together, however, Tongrak finds himself hooked. Tongrak has a secretary Mook and a popular actress best friend Vi. Vi enjoys ordering Mook around as if she was her own assistant.

Uncut 18+ on iQIYI or cut on Youtube

With smaller screentime there are wlw side couples in shows: Bad Buddy, I Feel You Linger In The Air (this one has period typical homophobia and assault though, so careful).

Bigger list of asian GL shows: link [tumblr post].

Transfeminine representation in asian QLs:

1. 23.5

Secondary couple are a pair of teachers, both of them trans women played by trans women. For now this is the only show that has a sapphic trans plotline, even though small.

YouTube

2. 3 Will Be Free polyamorous trio; on the run; mafia

After an unexpected event that involves sex work and mafia gangs, three individuals find themselves on-the-run together as they attempt to escape death. Important secondary character is a trans woman played by a trans female actress. Has a trans storyline in the show (the girl gets male romantic partners). Trigger warning for transphobia. YouTube

3. Secret Crush On You “nerd”/popular guy; queer friend group; university setting

A nerdy young man Toh fell in love with a popular third-year senior. Because his dream is so far from reach, observing is the only thing he could do. Toh has a queer friend group, one of them is a transfeminine/3rd gender/kathoey character Daisy. Can be a bit jarring for a western person at first, but her story is very lovely if you give this girl a chance (also gets male romantic partner).

YouTube

Noticeable small appearances of trans female characters: The Sign (the actress Yoshi was the 2019 winner of Thailand's biggest trans beauty pageant, YouTube), Not Me (YouTube), You're My Sky (Viki), KinnPorsche (iQIYI).

Sadly we aren't at a point where Thailand makes shows with trans people as leads yet, even though I so badly wish it was already a thing. But trans women and kathoey generally have supporting roles in BL and GL shows very often, so you can see them a lot in stuff! It's the transmascs who never ever appear here!

Queer shows directed by trans women and transfem people:

Anucha Boonyawatana is a trans woman and the director of Not Me, mlm show about anarchist freedom fighters (YouTube).

Golf Tanwarin is a nonbinary director and the first openly transgender person to have been elected as a member of parliament in Thailand. They were the one who submitted the thai marriage equality bill to parliament, which since then has been approved in 2024 and came in legal force 2 weeks ago. Their directing works: Love Bully (wlw, listed above), The Eclipse (mlm show about repressed boys in a corrupted school system, YouTube), Wandee Goodday (mlm boxer/doctor romcom, Viki).

Just in case, adding shows where I personally enjoyed headcanoning characters as transgirls or enby transfems sometimes:

1. Meet You At The Blossom

Romantic interest is wearing female clothes and makeup for disguise in the first episodes, and despite not passing well no one questions that this is a woman. The character is happily called "wife" by the lead character until the end of the show.

YouTube & GagaOOLala & Viki & iQIYI

2. The Sign

Main character used to be a female snake princess in his past reincarnation. Sometimes played by a female actress, sometimes by a male actor, but always referred to as a princess and wearing period thai female clothes. It's also possible to headcanon the character as a transmasc here though, it's really neat.

YouTube

Many of all these shows are free on YouTube, in other cases I recommend paying for subscriptions to show appreciation and support of content in order to get more of it in the future, but if you can't or don't want to, you can watch online on KissKH or get files from MkvDrama!

Blogs you can follow to get updates and posts specifically about asian GLs: @girlsloveupdates @glgifs

[chaoslibra]

♪ ༘⋆ ᴅʀᴀᴡɴ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ — t.todoroki smau

//

viii. drive 𝄞 x. keigo lore drop

♪ ༘⋆ ix. family dinner 𝄞 m.list

cw: long ass written part, shitty parents, mentions of and allusions to domestic violence (nothing too graphic though), alcohol (reader isn't the one drinking), mother is being a dick about reader's major (i love all art major babies ur so cool), pls let me know if i forgot anything

//

nothing had changed about your home, since you had last been here. it felt like you hadn’t walked along the hallway to the living room in ages, even though it had only been a couple weeks – give or take. after introducing dabi and exchanging a couple of polite-ish pleasantries you two followed your mother to the living room. dabi remained a step or two behind you; his eyes roaming around the place. the house wasn’t all that big and most of the furniture appeared to be mismatched and at the very least a couple of years, if not decades, old. he wasn’t necessarily judging any of it, he just couldn’t shut off the memory of how different it had been back at his parents’ place. enji had always strived for perfection, after all.

you turned back at him; watched him look around. without knowing why, a pit grew in your stomach as if his eyes were judging everything you were surrounded by – and you by extension. he noticed the way you looked at him. there was hesitance in your gaze, but beneath it was a sense of curiosity that you seemed to keep deeply locked away. he offered up the faintest smile, nudging you forward with his arm just slightly, so your mother wouldn’t notice. playful as his action may have been, the depth within his strikingly blue eyes led you to believe that he may have noticed the unease you were feeling. you looked up at him. he would probably never understand the extent of it, but you were glad not to be alone in this house tonight.

“can i get you anything to drink? water? a beer, maybe?” your mother’s gaze not so subtly skipped over you. dabi looked back at her, immediately putting on a polite smile. it was so different from his usually smug expression that it caught you off guard at first. “water’s fine, ma’am.”

“are you sure?” her eyes remained on him. “i have some good whiskey, too, if you’d prefer that.” your mother didn’t see the twitch in your eye, when she offered him the harder liquor. he noticed. “no thank you.” he was polite, but his answer was very obviously finite. ���i have to drive back, after all.” he laughed, staring her down with the politest smile you had seen on him.

“of course, how responsible.” not even glancing at you once, your mother nodded. “be right back.” she was about to turn toward the kitchen, when dabi interrupted her. “i’ll get it.” he walked past you, toward where he assumed the kitchen to be.

from the moment his presence left your side, you felt yourself missing the security he gave you – and in the very same breath you hated that you did. it was silly you knew it was but so long as he was there, pettiness was all you had to worry about from your mother.

he came back quickly. by then you had sat down on the old and frayed patchwork couch one of her ex-boyfriends had left here when he’d left her. your mother was sitting in the armchair across from you not uttering a word and barely managing to glance your way. when dabi let himself sink into the empty spot on the couch beside you, you didn’t move at all. he didn’t know why, but you were strangely focused on one spot on the wall right across from you. there was barely anything hanging on the walls – no family pictures, no paintings, nor any other décor really. so, the slightly darker spot in the wall, that you were staring at so intently, was way more noticeable than it probably should be. he was still confused, why it would pull your focus in that much. he nudged your knee with his own to pull you back.

you turned to look at him. he had sat down beside you on the couch. close enough for you to take in the scent of his cologne mixed with the hint of cigarette smoke that was always lingering on him. he had two glasses of water with him. you didn’t take note of it any further, assuming he would just offer it up to your mother. he didn’t. instead, he held it out to you. with a barely audible “thanks” you took the glass from his hands. From the corner of your eye you noticed, for a split second, a strange look in your mother’s eyes, almost as if she were upset about something.

“so, dabi was it? are you still in school?” your mother quickly snapped back to playing the polite hostess. dabi smiled, doing his best to hide the satisfaction he felt from getting a reaction out of the woman in front of him. part of him hoped, that you would notice, if only to calm your nerves. “nope.” she continued asking him about his life, barely acknowledging your existence at all. dabi answered every question politely, but he made it a point not to indulge her in ignoring you. he mentioned your brother and the band, when he was asked what he did for work. in an offhanded comment he even went as far as to say how much he enjoyed seeing you at lov’s most recent show.

your mother was obviously irritated by him. something about his picture-perfect smile and his purposefully deadpan, borderline bored answers ticked her off. you could clearly see it in the way her brows pulled together and how her lips formed a tightly pressed line. if it were you, she probably would have blown up at you within your first three words, but she had to save face in front of company. that was the only saving grace you had right now. but you couldn’t stop yourself from at least enjoying the vein pop on your mother’s forehead whenever dabi smiled just a little too brightly in her direction.

unfortunately, whatever little enjoyment you had pulled from this, was not meant to last. the second the front door fell shut, every single muscle in your body tensed. in the four months kai had been living at your mother’s house, you had come to perfectly memorize the heaviness of his steps and how he would always aggressively throw his keys into the little bowl your mother kept in the entry way. your mother stood up from the armchair right when kai dragged his feet into the living room. with a loud sigh he let himself drop into the armchair. not acknowledging dabi or you, he turned to your mother. “dinner’s not ready, yet?” his tone was cutting, too familiar. and not only to you.

“in a minute”, your mother called out from the kitchen. “why don’t you guys go ahead and sit down, hm?”

from the corner of his eyes dabi could easily see how this guy’s presence had shifted the entire energy of the room for you. your body tensed, when he stood up and made his way to the dining table and your eyes followed his every move. dabi stood up before you did, knocking you out of your thoughts. you jumped from the couch, still hesitant to move toward where kai was. he recognized your behavior far too quickly for his own liking.

keep an eye on her mom’s boyfriend.

tomura’s words rang in his ears. subconsciously he found himself moving to shield your body from his view. it wasn’t like the guy was actively doing anything, but if your reaction to his presence alone was anything to go by, he knew that he had to at least keep his guard up. you had asked him to come with you for a reason and slowly but surely the pieces started falling into place.

“y/n!” her voice startled you. after a good twenty minutes of pretending like you didn’t exist, you hadn’t expected her to address you directly. “at least make yourself somewhat useful and help me in the kitchen. honestly, who raised you?” she huffed a few more times, even as she saw you actively making your way across the living room to help her. dabi debated for a few seconds, if he should come with you, but ultimately decided against it. he figured that it was smarter to figure out what the boyfriend’s deal was. not letting the guy out of his sight once, he sat at the table. the guy didn’t seem interested in finding out who he was in the slightest – or being here at all for that matter.

“you know, you could have offered to help on your own.”

she had been hovering over you from the moment you had entered the kitchen. monitoring your every movement, while you were doing exactly what she was asking of you. you had learned over the years, that keeping your head down was your best bet. she had you set the table and put the takeout she had ordered into dishes, so she could pretend like she’d made it. even though, you were unsure who exactly she felt the need to pretend in front of. her eyes were following your every move, scrutinizing every sleight of hand, like you were disarming bombs and not taking forks out of the top drawer. Surprisingly she let you walk out of the kitchen with the main dish in your hand without making another comment on how you were holding the dish wrong or how you had better not drop it.

and when you finally were in your chair, sitting next to dabi with your mother across from you, you still couldn’t feel any less at ease. for the entire dinner, even though he barely grumbled out a word, you could feel kai glaring at you. other than the obvious uncomfortable tension the dinner went somewhat smoothly. the moment kai got his plate of food, that was the only thing he really focused on. you preferred that over him yelling or chucking glasses at you, so you weren’t about to complain. your mother was a little less obvious about excluding you from the conversation, now. she all but made up for it with her commentary on your life choices.

“so, excuse my bluntness, dabi”, she poured herself another glass of wine. kai had gotten up to get his third beer from the kitchen. “but your band, is that really enough to pay the bills?”

“mom!” your eyes widened. you couldn’t believe that she would just ask that. she looked at you, as if she were completely unaware how her question came off.

dabi smiled at her, still. at this point you were amazed at his ability to keep it up that effortlessly. “it’s alright, princess” he said quietly, though deliberately loud enough, so your mother heard it. in any other situation you would have cussed him out for so casually dropping a nickname like that. he turned back to her. “sure, ‘s not like i’m starving or anything”, he shrugged.

your mother nodded and for a second you thought, that’d be the end of that topic. but alas, when had you ever gotten what you wanted? “that’s good. i mean, it’s not like you waste your entire day scribbling nonsense.” she didn’t need to look at you, for you two know what exactly she meant. and yet, she did. she knew you weren’t going to say anything. especially not with kai on his way back from the kitchen. “guess not, though my sister studied art in school and she’s a really good art teacher now.” your mother didn’t say anything after that.

you were afraid to turn to see if maybe he was looking at you. he wasn’t. he did however nudge you lightly with his knee. you appreciated, that he had gone out of his way to spite her for basically the entire night so far, you just hoped, that it would stay at the somewhat manageable level of tense.

//

most of the dinner was considerably uneventful. your mother even became less passive aggressive about you, though she still talked over you, whenever you answered a question of hers. kai was quiet except for scoffing at every other sentence of yours. dabi remained as polite as ever, not once letting his tone waver, even though he could feel his annoyance for your mother fester within him. he opted to just talk directly to you, whenever she deliberately walked all over you.

“anyway”, she loudly interrupted, when you talked about your new job at the black wing. “how are you liking the noodles, dabi?” he put his fork down and looked up with the very same sickly sweet smile etched onto his face. “it’s really good, ma’am.” your mother smiled, satisfied with his answer. “pretty sure we have the same chinese joint back home.” the way her smile dropped in that very second could almost have been comical if you didn’t have kai’s glare burning into your side.

“that’s the place with the good spring rolls, that you liked so much. wasn’t it?” he was looking at you now. his smile was so gentle that you almost believed it was genuine. he waited, too. with his stupid soft smile and these eyes you could feel yourself sink into; he fucking waited for you to answer. “oh yeah”, you tried your best to match the ease in dabi’s smile – somewhat successfully anyway. “i love that place.” with a huff your mother decided to drop the conversation. she wasn’t one to admit defeat, but you decided to count that as one of the moments where she had no other choice.

with dabi at your side dinner went by faster, than you thought it would. faster than you believed, you found yourself back in the kitchen helping your mother clean up. she had washed exactly one plate before leaving you in the kitchen alone; her excuse being that she had to find ibuprofen for her headache. dabi hung around in the kitchen, helping you with clean-up, though you’d told him more than a couple times that “it’s fine.” and “i can just do it myself.” he reached over you to stow away the clean glass in the cabinet above your head. “i know you do.” his arm barely brushed your shoulder on its way back down. “doesn’t mean you have to.” you weren’t sure if he was still referring to the dishes.

he leaned against the doorframe with a dramatic sigh. “acting like your mother isn’t a total bitch, is fucking exhausting.” his voice was quiet but loud enough for you to hear. “join me for a smoke, pretty?” you were about to remind him, that he didn’t need to act like this when your mother wasn’t there. then you remembered that, unfortunately, this seemed to be dabi’s default setting.

you would like nothing more than to get out of this stuffy house and breathe air that wasn’t heavy and thick with the tension of your childhood having rotted away within these walls for the past 19 years. but you knew that your mother would most likely flip her shit if she came down and saw you weren’t in the kitchen anymore. not that you were particularly fond of being alone in here, but kai would probably be a while before he would be back from getting more beer from the 7/11 down the street.

“i really don’t want her seeing me smoke.” you forced an apologetic smile. “but you go ahead, you deserved it.” the pit in your stomach grew against your will. you had been thinking it this entire time, but saying these exact words, made you realize how much you were putting dabi through tonight. you’d robbed him of a saturday night, forcing him to witness your family drama, as if he were a guest star on some trashy tv drama.

“you sure?”

“yes.”

dabi hesitated before he left, making sure that both your mother and kai were nowhere near you. he stayed planted right next to the front door and gave himself three minutes to finish his cigarette. and yet a minute and a half in – his cigarette barely burned out by a third – he felt like something was wrong. kai hadn’t crossed his path on his way back home yet, but dabi couldn’t shake the feeling that he was missing something. he carelessly tossed his cigarette in the driveway. in any other place he would have probably bothered to pick it up, but he felt like being a dick to your mother, if he couldn’t be to her face. he opened the front door back up. it slowly fell shut behind him, followed by a sharp thud coming from the kitchen. the sound, all too familiar, made every single hair on the back of his neck stand up.

//

you were only somewhat aware of your surroundings, when dabi left. you figured nothing was going to happen in the few minutes he took to finish a cigarette. though a part of you regretted not joining him out there. it was quiet for a minute or so. you assumed that your mother had decided to just lay down – some part of you hoped, that she did because dabi had continuously outwitted her tonight. you barely caught yourself snorting out a laugh, thinking back at how much your mother had to force herself not to flip out.

“glad you still have shit to laugh about.”

you didn’t need to turn to the kitchen door to know who that voice belonged to. the sharp and deep tone, rumbled through your bones with the heaviness of an earthquake. his steps were heavy as he closed the distance to you in the blink of an eye. your body turned instinctively searching for a way past him, but before you could make your first step he was already towering in front of you. kai had always been tall and broad but in this moment he felt so much taller; so much broader and you could all but shrink before him.

“look, kai–” “don’t even start with me.”

his arms crossed in front of his chest. his entire body was blocking your way to the kitchen door intentionally caging you between him and the kitchen counter, you were pressing your back into.

“you really think you can just waltz in here without even lookin’ at me?” he almost spat at you. “still waitin’ on that apology by the way.”

“you know what, you’re so right.” in an unprecedented spur of bravery, you heard yourself scoff at him. “i am so sorry that my shoulder got in the way of the wall and the glass you threw.”

your mouth had said the words before your brain could have told it how shitty that idea was. kai’s eyes narrowed, his teeth clenched. it was more than obvious, that he was seething. he took another step toward you. by now you were sure that you were going to get bruises on your lower back from how deeply the edge of the counter was digging into it.

“i’d be careful if i were you,” his warm, intoxicated breath hitting your face sent cold shivers down your spine. “you do not want to see how this plays out.”

you looked up at him trying your hardest not to make the tremble of your limbs too noticeable. “i don’t know what more you want from me.” as much as you struggled, for now you managed to keep the eye contact up. “i sent mom the money days ago and i’m sorry about us fighting and your glass getting broken, but that wasn’t all on me.”

by now you could practically see the steam coming from his ears and the rage that filled his glare.

“not on you?!” your head flinched away at the bellow of his voice. you weren’t sure if you had imagined it, but you thought to have heard yourself wince, too. “you were being a thoughtless bitch, yet again, and i had to deal with it, yet again, but it’s ‘not on you’?”

all this over yet another stupid argument you’d had with kai, you thought. you really shouldn’t be surprised at his reaction. and the truth was, you weren’t. but that didn’t mean that his barks wouldn’t turn into bites soon. it had happened before.

“but i di­–”

your breath hitched hearing the sudden smack against the counter. kai’s hand had crashed down on the marble counter only inches away from your body. you jumped back your weight now almost entirely perched against the cold surface.

dabi had rushed over to the kitchen the very moment he had heard the all too familiar sound. and what he found when he reached its origin, couldn’t have been any more familiar to him. kai had his hand raised in a way he’d seen so many times before. his hand was raised the same way enji had raised his against rei – and shoto, soon enough. he had hit the counter first, but dabi knew better than to wait out the second one. the second hit was seldom as forgiving.

“sorry to interrupt, but i have a bit of a family emergency and we need to leave right away.”

both you and kai turned to dabi the very second, he had spoken. you had been so on edge the entire time that you had no strength left to stop the sigh of relief from leaving your body when you saw him. his lips were pulled into the very same smile he’d worn all night, but it did not reach his eyes. his eyes were ice cold, as if his stare alone had the strength to freeze kai in place. he didn’t take his eyes away from the man once. not even breaking eye-contact when you hushed past kai and to dabi’s side. the moment you stood beside him, his body moved in front of you just slightly. you saw then that even though his body language looked akin to somebody just making casual conversation, every muscle in his body was tense. it made you wonder just how much he had seen.

“i apologize for having to cut the evening short.” dabi’s back was shielding you from seeing kai’s reaction. “please give my best to y/n’s mother.”

dabi didn’t wait for kai to respond. he led you toward the hallway with his hand hovering over your back. as much as his hand was there to guide you out of the house, he never actually let it touch you.

you only let go of the breath you had been holding since your first initial sigh of relief, when you were outside. all the way over to his car, you didn’t allow yourself to look at him. always walking just a half step behind him, as soon as he had dropped his hand from beneath your back. he wasn’t actively looking to make eye contact with you, either. he knew the look on your face, all too well.

without a second thought he opened the door for you. you slipped in, eyes hitting the floor about as quickly as your feet did. and it stayed that way for the entire drive. he glanced at you at every other red light, checking for signs that you wanted to talk about it. he chose to drop it though, when he saw your eyes locked on the skin you were picking at around your nails.

the only time you looked at him was the moment you stepped out of the car parked right in front of your apartment building. and he almost wished that you didn’t.

//

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