#might grade it down to venom though

[totentnz]

this is delicious

[thenerdykneazle]

Amorous Tension

Summary: Poppy is quite sure her best friend has feelings for our favourite heir of Slytherin. MC is quite sure she doesn't, despite abundant evidence to the contrary. When Ominis asks MC to help him study for an upcoming potions exam, she jumps at the chance. TL;DR: Two idiots in love brew amortentia together.

A collab with the lovely @darch7995, who created the audio version of this story. Listen to the first part here and the second here.

Ominis Gaunt x F!MC

Warnings: the mildest of hand kinks, kissing, a surprising amount of schoolwork, stressing about exams, failure to communicate

Word count: 4185

You tapped your quill anxiously on the edge of your parchment, forming an ever-growing blot of ink in the margin. You were re-reading a paragraph in Flesh-Eating Trees of the World on a South American anteater-eating shrub. The words made as little of an impression in your mind as they had the first time.

A hand settled on top of yours, startling you.

“You’re going to put a hole in the table if you keep that up. And I doubt Madam Scribner would be pleased,” Poppy said teasingly.

You sighed, setting down the quill before dropping your head onto the table. “I’m going to fail. I know nothing. Less than nothing, even. Garlick is going to laugh me out of the greenhouse,” you said hopelessly.

Poppy rubbed your back comfortingly. “No, she’s not,” she assured you.

You let out a frustrated groan. “I’m never learning the difference between Jacaranda muscipula and Delonix geogalinivorae. They’re both just bloodthirsty ferns.”

A smooth voice came from behind you. “Jacaranda muscipula is native to South America, and its diet consists largely of deer mice. Delonix geogalinivorae is found in Madagascar and feeds exclusively on tenrecs.”

Your head shot up off the table. “Ominis,” you said in a higher pitch than you’d intended. You twisted in your chair to see your aristocratic classmate standing there looking effortlessly flawless.

“Hello, MC, Poppy,” he said with a pleasant smile. “I take it you’re dreading Garlick’s exam as much as Sebastian is.”

You scrunched your nose. “More, probably,” you said dismally.

“Well, I had come to see if you might be able to help me study for Sharp’s exam on Monday,” he said. “I could help you with herbology after. Of course, I’d be happy to help even if you don’t have time for potions practice.”

You gaped at him. He was asking you for help? Amit and Sebastian both had top grades in potions. You’d taken to it quite well, but the two boys had several more years of experience than you did. Garreth knew every ingredient and recipe inside and out, though he almost never stuck to the instructions – you could see why Ominis wouldn’t have asked him for help.

Your stomach leapt at the idea of spending time at the bench – just you and Ominis, brushing elbows at the cosy workspace. It was always dizzying being in such close proximity – the effect of his expensive cologne, surely.

Poppy would probably argue differently. She’d just been pestering you just that morning about your alleged feelings for the sarcastic Slytherin.

“You’re the biggest flirt I’ve ever met, MC,” Poppy said, rolling her eyes as you walked to the Great Hall.

Garreth had just been talking to you out in the courtyard about needing to acquire Thornback Matriarch venom for a new potion he was working on. You had told him he’d probably be better equipped than you were at charming the ladies into giving him what he wanted.

“I think you’re jealous and just need to ask the Gryffindor out, already,” you argued, shooting her a quelling look. “I was just being funny.”

“Mhmm,” she replied sceptically. “Well, I think it’s funny how I’ve seen you flirt with Garreth, Leander, Sebastian, Amit, and even Imelda, but when a certain serpent with stormy eyes and chiselled cheekbones comes around, you turn into a frightened little puffskein. You go all ruddy-faced and start stammering.”

She was poorly suppressing a smirk as she looked at you.

You scoffed. “I do not stammer!”

“Yeah, and I don’t fancy Garreth,” she replied sarcastically. “Admit it, you’ve got a crush on Ominis.”

“That’s ridiculous,” you asserted, glaring at her.

She raised a hand to her lips to stifle a giggle. “Then why’s your face match Garreth’s luscious locks right now?”

“Oh, shut it!” you said, increasing your pace so that Poppy fell behind.

She just laughed at you. “You’re only proving my point, you know!” she called after you.

Poppy elbowed you sharply between your ribs. You’d gone far too long without replying. “Ow!” you hissed at her.

Ominis had a nervous look on his face. “Sorry?” he asked.

“Oh, no, that wasn’t at you,” you said quickly. “I mean, I’d love to study with you.”

His expression immediately brightened. “Wonderful! When are you free?” he said.

“How about now?” you suggested as you began to pack up your things.

“Oh, I don’t want to interrupt,” Ominis said.

“No, it’s fine,” you insisted. You shot Poppy a reproachful look. “I’m suddenly feeling unsafe here in the library.”

Poppy stuck her tongue out at you. “Yes, I need to go help Professor Howin feed the thestrals, anyway. You two have fun,” she said much too giddily.

You sent her one more glare as you slung your bag over your shoulder. “So, shall we use the Room of Requirement?” you asked Ominis.

“That sounds perfect!” he replied brightly.

You led Ominis out of the library and started the long climb up to the 7th floor of the astronomy tower. You were glad to stretch your legs after sitting in the library for so long.

“I don’t know how you can keep those carnivorous trees straight in your head,” you commented as you strode down a long corridor. “They look exactly the same to me when they’re not in bloom.”

“Do they?” he replied, sounding intrigued.

For a moment, you wanted to sink through the floor. Obviously, the fact that the two trees looked alike was of little consequence to him. “Sorry, I wasn’t even thinking.”

Ominis chuckled. “It’s all right,” he said, clearly amused. “It’s strange to think that they seem so similar to you. They feel quite different. The jacaranda tree has very rough bark, and the geogalinivore has waxy leaves. Plus, it has a sweet smell – sort of like oranges.”

“That’s actually very helpful. Thank you,” you said.

He smiled softly at you. You couldn’t help but notice how one of the beauty marks on his left cheek disappeared into his dimple when he smiled. “I’m glad to be of service,” he replied.

You could feel your face flush, though you had no reason to be blushing. You were relieved when you reached the 7th floor and the door to the Room of Requirement appeared. You cleared your throat. “Right, well, we’re h-here,” you said, cringing at yourself for tripping over the words.

Ominis held the door open for you as you entered the Room of Requirement. “I appreciate you helping me practice. Sharp’s class was hard enough when I knew what I’d be expected to brew. Having to prepare to make any one of four potions has been quite stressful.”

“It is a bit ridiculous,” you agreed as you started pulling ingredients out of your cabinet.

“Honestly! It’s hard enough keeping the ingredients for one potion straight – let alone for the Elixir to Induce Euphoria, Draught of Living Death, Veritaserum, and Amortentia,” he said.

“It is a lot,” you said. “Where should we start?”

“Hm…Well, I don’t think I would be very productive after testing potions for sleep or euphoria. We’d best leave those for later,” he replied. “What do you think? Amortentia or Veritaserum?”

“Amortentia’s easy enough to test. We can tell if it’s right just by how it looks and smells. Let’s start with that,” you suggested.

Ominis smirked. “You just don’t want me getting you to spill all your secrets,” he teased.

You chuckled. “You’re right; I don’t,” you agreed honestly. You weren’t exactly a secretive person ever since you didn’t have to hide your ancient magic anymore. However, the thought of not being ableto hide anything if you wanted to was terrifying.

“Amortentia it is, then!” Ominis said. “It’s the one I’m best at, anyway.”

He lit the flame to heat the cauldron before beginning to grind the moonstone with a mortar and pestle.

“So, what does Amortentia smell like to you?” he asked, chatting as he worked.

“I’m not sure,” you admitted as you leaned a hip against the bench.

“What do you mean you’re not sure? Were you holding your breath when we brewed it last week?” he teased. He cracked two ashwinder eggs into the cauldron before adding the powdered moonstone and stirring it together.

“No! I just…Well, I guess it’s that it doesn’t smell like anything to me,” you admitted.

“You must be joking. Surely you smelled something,” he replied incredulously.

“Just the usual musky dungeon,” you joked. “I thought I’d just brewed it wrong at first, but yours didn’t smell like anything to me, either.”

His brows drew together. “That is curious. I know I made mine right, because it…Well, it worked for me,” he said, his cheeks colouring a bit. “Do you just not find anyone attractive, then?” he added casually as he began cutting the thorns off of some rose stems.

“I don’t know. I mean, I used to think I did, but…now I’m not so sure,” you replied. “I don’t know what could be wrong with me to not smell anything if I did like someone.”

“I’m certain there’s nothing wrong with you, MC,” Ominis replied.

You sighed. “I hope not,” you replied before biting your bottom lip anxiously. “I thought maybe everyone was lying about smelling different things, and it’s really just an odourless potion. But I checked three different texts in the library, and they all said the same thing Professor Sharp did about the smell being unique to what each person finds attractive.”

“It’s definitely not odourless,” Ominis replied with a smirk. He shook his head as if to snap himself out of something before clearing his throat. He turned his attention back to the potion.

He added the thorns to the cauldron before beginning on the petals. You watched his hands as he plucked the petals off the stems, stacked them neatly, and rolled them together before slicing them into thin, even strips. He was quite skilled in his technique. Despite sharing a bench in potions all year, you’d never really noticed how fluidly he worked. There was an almost entrancing nature to the graceful movements.

“So, what does it smell like to you?” you inquired as you forced yourself to stop staring at the veins winding over his wrists and across the backs of his hands out to his slender fingers. You had always thought there was something nice about his hands.

“Oh, there is no way I’m admitting that,” he replied.

“But I told you when you asked,” you argued.

He rolled his eyes at you. “Nothing doesn’t count as an answer.”

“But it’s the truth! I can’t help that I didn’t smell anything,” you argued.

“I’m still not telling,” he insisted. He added the rose petals to the potion. His brow furrowed as his fingers skimmed over the fronts of several bottles. “Which is the pearl dust?”

“Third from the right,” you said before letting out a laugh as a realisation struck you.

“What?” he asked a bit defensively. “Did I grab the wrong one?” He shook the sealed bottle by his ear to listen to its contents shift within.

“No, that’s the pearl dust. I just…” You giggled again, and his scowl deepened. “I just realised that’s the last ingredient and the first thing I’ve helped you with. Seems like you barely need me here.”

He relaxed almost instantly, even laughing a bit himself. “Well, it’s much easier to brew here,” he explained. “I know which ingredients are which when they’re in my own containers – and even most of yours at this point – but almost all of Sharp’s bottles are identical. I have to figure out what’s in each one every time I pick it up. Sometimes it takes four or five tries to find what I’m looking for. It wastes so much time.”

“That sounds extremely frustrating,” you said sympathetically.

“It is,” he lamented as he added a spoonful of pearl dust to the cauldron. He stirred it clockwise three times before lowering the flame. “There! It should just need to simmer for a bit, and then we’ll see how it turned out.”

“I’m sure it’s perfect,” you said as you settled into a high-backed chair, kicking your feet up on the ottoman in front of it.

“I appreciate your confidence in me,” he said. “You know, I was even worse at potions when I was younger. I tried summoning the ingredients to myself in the early years, and it was usually a disaster. In first year, we had to brew a burn salve during our exams, and I simply could not find the dittany, even after sifting through all the ingredients on my bench three times. I gave up and summoned it, and it knocked over all the bottles in front of it on its way to me. They rolled all over the bench, and I had nearly plunged my hand straight into my cauldron trying to put them back in order. During another exam, I tried to summon flobberworm mucus, and all the bottles of the stuff came flying towards me at the same time.” He laughed. “It was all over me, my bench, the floor. Amit nearly slipped in it trying to come over and help. Professor Sharp was livid, but I think he felt too badly for me to give me detention.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, as well. “Oh, I’d have died on the spot!” you said.

“I nearly did. It was utterly horrifying,” he said. “I pretended to be sick for three days after that because I couldn’t stand the thought of facing everyone. I even had Sebastian bring me food so that I didn’t have to go out to the Great Hall. But I’ve learned to bounce back from my Blind Boy Moments quite quickly since.”

“Could Sharp not just label the ingredients for you?” you asked.

Ominis scoffed. “No, he insists that every good potions student should be able to identify the ingredients on their own,” he said, exasperated. “He wouldn’t even let me come in beforehand to label them myself because other students might see them. He also won’t let me use my own containers because it’s all got to be ‘standardised’ so it’s fair.”

“Well, that’s quite the opposite of fair! He’s putting you at a disadvantage,” you said. You could feel yourself getting angry on Ominis’s behalf.

“I am perfectly capable of identifying the ingredients. Just because I can’t see them doesn’t mean I’m incompetent,” he said bitterly.

You were taken aback as his ire turned toward you. “I wasn’t trying to imply that you are, Ominis, I swear!” you said earnestly. “It just seems unreasonable that he won’t accommodate you at all. It’s so frustrating. I have an uncle who’s blind. He wasn’t born that way – he had an accident. And he’s a Muggle. So…it’s a bit different, obviously. But he’s worked in kitchens all his life. When he first went blind, he couldn’t cook anymore. But his boss’s wife, Marjorie, was blind, too. She taught him how to navigate the kitchen again without being able to see. They made adjustments to things so he could keep working there.”

“You have a blind uncle?” he asked, seeming shocked.

“Almost all my life. He married my aunt when I was just a baby,” you explained. “He cooks even better than a house-elf, too! Don’t tell Feenky I said that, though. Or Deek, for that matter.”

“I can’t believe you have a blind uncle,” Ominis said, still stunned.

“Really?” you asked. “Why not?”

He shrugged. “I’ve never met another blind person,” he said.

“Never?” you said, surprised.

“Not once,” he confirmed. “My parents weren’t exactly looking to find me a support group. It’s exceptionally rare in the wizarding world, anyway. So, they sort of just kept me hidden away until school. They hadn’t even expected I’d get a letter even though I clearly had magic. It wasn’t until I figured out how to navigate by wand that they stopped treating me like a doll instead of a child. Even my Aunt Noctua was rather overbearing. No one ever believed I could do something myself until I showed them I could.”

“I can’t imagine how difficult it was going through all of that on your own,” you said.

Ominis gave a haughty huff. “Yes, well, I think I’ve done all right for myself,” he said firmly, crossing his arms protectively over his chest.

“You’ve done more than all right, I’d say,” you argued. “Which reminds me, you still have to tutor me in herbology after this.”

He chuckled. “Don’t worry; I haven’t forgotten,” he said.

“You’d better not have,” you said sternly. Your severe expression didn’t last, though. You couldn’t help but smile around him. “Wait, so, if you didn’t have anyone to help you figure things out, did you invent the spell that lets you read books?”

“Ah, well, I suppose I wasn’t entirely on my own. Sebastian found that spell in an old tome in the library. Some languorous 17th-century scholar grew weary of having to keep his eyes open whilst reading,” he replied. “It worked quite well in my favour.”

“If there’s one thing Sebastian excels at, it’s research,” you replied.

“Yes, and it’s been both a blessing and a curse in my life,” he said irritably.

“I feel the same,” you said wearily.

Ominis spun back toward the potions station. “It smells like the potion’s ready,” he announced.

You got up and walked over to inspect it. “Mother-of-pearl sheen. Perfect spirals of steam. Excellent work, indeed, Ominis.”

He blushed at your praise. “Any essence of musky dungeon emanating from it?” he joked.

You laughed. You leaned over the cauldron and breathed in deeply to play along. “Oh,” you said, caught off guard by the smell. “Yeah, actually. It…” You took in another breath. It was masked beneath the cologne Ominis was wearing, but you could distinctly smell the cool, earthy scent that permeated the lower levels of the castle. “It does.”

“Merlin, MC! You don’t have a crush on Professor Sharp, do you?” he asked, aghast.

“Gods, no!” you replied immediately. “It’s not the dungeons, anyway. It’s different. But…familiar.”

You tried to smell it again, but it was still too hard to tell. You hadn’t realised earlier just how strong Ominis’s cologne was that day. Usually, you found the scent rather pleasant, but, currently, it was making it extremely difficult to smell anything else. You grabbed a phial and poured some of the potion into it. “I can’t tell what it is. I need to smell it in fresh air.”

“Are you trying to tell me that I smell foul?” Ominis demanded as you walked away from him.

“No, not at all,” you said before taking another sniff of the potion. “It’s just that your–”

Your voice died in your throat as two realisations struck you simultaneously. The first was that the earthy scent you had identified was the exact smell of the Undercroft. The second was that you still smelled Ominis’s cologne just as strongly even though you were on the opposite side of the room from him. The phial slipped from your hand and shattered on the wood floor.

“Are you all right?” Ominis asked, rushing over to you in a panic. “Did the potion burn you? I heard glass break. Did you get cut?”

He took both of your hands in his to feel for any injuries. The tips of his fingers brushed gently over your skin, and it sent a shiver up your spine.

“Sorry, no, I’m fine. I just–I hadn’t realised…something,” you said. You heart felt like it was beating out of your chest. Poppy had been right. You did fancy Ominis.

Ominis released one of your hands to raise his to your cheek. “Are you certain that you’re okay, MC?” he asked.

Your skin burned hot under his touch. “Y-yes, of course. I was just surprised when I placed the smell,” you said.

He tilted his head in interest. “Oh? What is it?” he asked.

You bit into your lower lip, keeping yourself silent as you wavered on whether to confess. He did seem to be rather doting at the moment. You wondered if he might return your affections.

“Perhaps I should’ve brewed the Veritaserum first, after all,” Ominis joked. “Maybe then I could finally get you to tell me what you smell.”

You laughed. “That’s not necessary. I just…Well, I’m pretty sure it’s, um…the Undercroft,” you said. Your nerves increased with every word, but you felt a flood of relief after getting them all out.

“Oh,” Ominis said uncomfortably. His whole body went rigid before his hands dropped away from you. “I…I see.”

“Ominis, I…” you started, trying and failing to figure out how to take the words back. You imagined the mortification you were experiencing was similar to how he had felt standing covered in flobberworm mucus in front of his peers.

“Well, I suppose I should still tell you what I smell, since you told me what you do,” he said sombrely. “Though, I can’t imagine it will be all that surprising.” He took a steadying breath. “It smells like old parchment, like those dusty pages Professor Weasley had you collecting last year. And I smell the mallowsweet you always carry around with you. And your shampoo. I always smell it when you hug me or fall asleep with your head on my shoulder.” He cleared his throat. “So…there you have it.”

“Are you upset about this?” you asked, bewildered by his tense reaction.

He forced a laugh. “What? No, of course not!” he insisted, but it wasn’t quite convincing. “I’m happy for you.”

“Happy for me?” you repeated, even more confused.

“Both of you, I mean,” he clarified, giving you a pained smile. “Although I’ve never asked Sebastian about his feelings toward you, with the way he flirts with you, I’m sure he reciprocates.”

“You think I fancy Sebastian?” you asked.

“Well, he’s the one who showed you the Undercroft,” he replied simply.

“Ominis, you’re the one he learned about it from. You’re the one I hang out with there. It’s rosewood and jasmine from your cologne that I smell in that bloody potion!” you said.

His brows knit together in confusion. “I thought you just smelled the Undercroft?” he said.

“Well, that’s what I thought when I was standing next to you – and in class last week,” you said. “You were right there, so I didn’t realise the smell of you was coming from the cauldron instead of…you know…you.”

His features went slack. “Oh…” he said awkwardly.

“Yeah…” you replied similarly.

“I’m a massive idiot,” he said, shaking his head at himself.

You smiled. “Yeah,” you said. “We kind of both are, aren’t we?”

“It would appear so,” he agreed. He laughed as he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around your waist. “Well, this has certainly been an illuminating study session.”

You melted into him instantly. “Indeed, it has.”

“You smell wonderful, you know,” he said as he nuzzled his nose against yours.

You giggled in response. “You smell quite nice, as well,” you replied.

“I taste even better,” he said cheekily.

Your gaze immediately dropped to his lips. “Is that so?” you asked, your voice coming out husky.

“I can prove it if you’d like,” he said. His breath fanned over your lips as he spoke.

“Yes, I think you should,” you replied. “For…educational purposes.”

Ominis’s lips brushed against yours almost tentatively before he leaned in to interlock them. His heat sank into your body as he held you firmly against his chest. You snaked your arms up behind his neck as you kissed him back. Being held by Ominis – and kissed by him – felt right. You wanted to stay wrapped in his arms forever. If you could’ve, you would have fused into him so you never had to be apart again.

You didn’t know how long it was before Ominis broke the kiss, but you knew it was too soon. “I still have to return the favour for you helping me with potions,” he said.

“Yes, right. The herbology,” you replied, still breathless from the kiss. You had forgotten about those bloody shrubs altogether.

“Actually, I was thinking we should work on divination, instead,” he said innocently, but there was a hint of a smirk on his lips.

You arched a brow at him. “Oh?” you asked. “Are you even taking divination?”

“No. I can’t exactly read tea leaves or look in a crystal ball,” he stated. The smirk spread on his lips. “But if I could, I’d see me in your future.”

You laughed. “You’ve been spending too much time with Sebastian,” you chided. “His terrible jokes are rubbing off on you.”

“You’re absolutely right, darling!” he said with a false gravity to the words. “I’d like to fix that as soon as possible by spending more time with you, instead.”

“I’d like that,” you said, unable to stop beaming at him.

“Me, too. Especially if it involves kissing you again,” he said.

You blushed. “I think that could be arranged,” you replied.

[ttrpg-smash-pass-vs]

I don't know exactly how to word it but as a kinky mother fucker and as someone who is a concept artist/character designer... these polls seem to highlight fatphobia in an interesting way.. both in the way that the "undesirable" monsters (ie the ones that are made to be "gross" like decomposing or the like) often have fat/bellies on them. but the ones that are more classically "desirable" are depicted either skinny or muscular. And typically the votes reflect this. the even more interesting moments are when the votes don't reflect that and the fatter monsters are proven to be desirable despite the seeming intent to be undesirable or grotesque. much to think about...

With the way the decomposing ones are proportioned it's meant to evoke a bloating corpse, with those in particular (like the venom troll) I think it might be uncanny valley. Now it's definitely true that fatter creatures generally do worse, just look at ones like hill giant. But I'd argue the vast majority of the apparent fatphobia around here is on WotC. and the rest has been blocked from the blog.

Firstly because many people enjoy larger entries, just as many enjoy smaller ones. The ones that do poorly are typically also partnered with 1000 other traits people might find undesirable. I'd point the fatphobia at WotC constantly depicting it alongside cruelty, greed, stupidity, stench, etc. People's biases, at least from the notes, seem to be largely with the other traits WotC likes to pair with size more than the size itself. As for the rest, I'd still hesitate to point fatphobia at the general viewer. Maybe a bit of unconscious cultural bias, but we're dealing in private preferences here. A preference toward the large, tall, short, brunette, hair style, type of socks, personality, etc, that's not the issue imo. Fatphobia's in how you treat people, in your biases and assumptions, not your internal sexual preferences. I think the views actually reflect that nicely, as the NICE large monsters ones have still gotten into the 70's. Which is HUGE, that's where medusa, mindflayers, and lot of classic monsterfucking creatures have ended up. Once we passed like 1000 people, very few humanoids could breech 80's, so grading on a curve there are larger ones effectively getting a B or low A. At that point the rest is usually explained by "being too monstrous/the viewer prefers women and the example given is male." And I'm saying this as someone who is obese, I have been mistaken for being quite pregnant. Gained a lot after my accident reduced my mobility 2 years ago, and the binge eating from the following depression. working it down though, I've been hovering around 220 (100 kg) for a bit recently but I'm slowly dropping again. Which is still pretty heavy at my height, though my vitals are all very good so I don't really care much. Now there are some people who just are fatphobic, and I felt no remorse about blocking the few people who were being dicks about it. But it's usually just in the other horrible traits WotC gave them or just not being into that. I'm not getting onto people for not preferring my body shape, just for insulting it or mistreating others over it. I think monsterfuckers are better about this than the general populace.

...and yes I took 2 months to respond to this. but have finally decided to chuck it out but make it unrebloggable. because I don't want this to breech into tumblr at large and attract too much attention from the average tumblite.

[godzillatalks]

When Ryomen Sukuna had first heard Gojo tell him about The King Of Curses, he'd had a hard time not believing it. After all, giant monsters and creatures manifested from negative energy were real. He wouldn't have doubted that Gojo's description was accurate.

"Itadori Yuji is described as a benevolent imaginary God by his worshippers. He lived a over thousand years ago, and, though human, he was stated to be some kind of divine being. An angel, in some texts, and the incarnation of whatever heaven was believed to exist in others. But his deeds were far from angelic. In the Golden Age of Jujutsu, sorcerers from all over gathered up all their might to challenge him.. and failed." Gojo had explained nonchalantly. He didn't seem bothered by any of this.

Sukuna stared down at his hands as they walked, eyeing the faint, scar-like marks on his skin that had appeared after he had eaten the cursed finger. (He suspected they looked different when Yuji was in control.)

"Though many used to call him Sukuna for unknown reasons," Ryomen's gaze momentarily turns to ice as he redirects it at Gojo, a 'You're kidding me.' hanging in the air, "Nobody really does that anymore. He's usually called 'The King' in most texts. Anyways, we couldn’t even destroy his grave wax as he traversed the ages after death as a cursed object. Without a doubt, he is the king of curses."

And Sukuna believed that. Yuji didn't deny or even confirm anything, only opening an eye on Sukuna's cheek to glare at Gojo. So Sukuna assumed it was the truth.

They barely talked. Yuji stayed mostly silent, observing through Sukuna's eyes, watching the world and building an understanding of the current era as best he could. Sukuna ignored the presence behind his eyes that gave him double vision, just glad that he wasn't stuck in Yuji's place- unable to do anything but watch and make a rare comment.

He didn't think they'd get along anyways.

—

Sukuna felt like he wanted to give up. He was doing his best. And he was losing. He hadn't helped a single person yet, and he was going to die. He was missing a whole hand and he had a feeling he'd bleed out before the battle was over. He wouldn't come out alive and if he did Yuji would be in control. He didn't even have a choice if he wanted to live.

But he had to stall. He had to make sure Fushiguro and Kugisaki got out.

Tears streamed down his face as he screamed in agony, the Finger Bearer cackling as it sent surges of cursed energy at him. Pain shot through his veins from his hands as they were burnt away by the cursed energy being thrown at him like a wall of flame.

The pressure behind Sukuna's eyes intensifies, Yuji's cold gaze making him feel insignificant even if it was directed at the special grade that was currently rending Sukuna's hands into stumps. No emotion radiated from the second presence that was rooted into his being like a disease.

The Finger Bearer just laughs, shaking like a child high on sugar. He- he was tougher than this! So why was he so weak all of a sudden? Sukuna grits his teeth and steps forward, but falters as a howl rings through the halls of the incomplete domain.

"The.. The signal." Sukuna's vision blurs as he sways back and forth, eventually deciding to take multiple steps backwards. Cold hands wrapped around his consciousness, frost crawling across his vision as his eyelids fluttered. Yuji's voice when he spoke was.. bored. Bored.

"My turn. Go to sleep."

Sukuna doesn't wake up to anything other than flashes of fighting until he's outside, in the rain. Pain whispers through his chest like venom, and he coughs. Warm blood drips down his chin.

Fushiguro is there. Angry red scratches and bruises blossom on his neck and head. He's sure there's more, judging by the cracks in the concrete around them. His expression is pained, worried. Yuji must have done something. No, he did do something.

He notices there's no pressure on his eyes as Fushiguro speaks, the words muddled. He can make some of it out, something about being selfish. The last line is what he hears clearly.

"I’ve never once regretted saving you." Fushiguro stares at him, a blank expression on his face. Sukuna blinks slowly. He acknowledges Fushiguro's statement with a grin, and then makes his own.

"You're smart. You've planned your words. I think you'll be okay without me, though. Thanks for saving me." Blood drips to the ground. "I think I'm done, now."

"Live a long life." He falls forward and the world turns black before he hits the cold asphalt.

[twistedminutia]

A Million and One Minutia: The Solar System

The Ramshackle prefect teaches ADeuce and Riddle about the solar system. Crossposted to AO3 here.

Getting thrown into a parallel universe naturally involves a bit of a learning curve. No getting around it. Even when a universe is superficially close to your own, there’s always some change, some difference that you have to adjust to. (I assume. I’ve only ever been thrown into the one.)

Everyone assumes, in Twisted Wonderland, that the thing I’m struggling to adjust to most is magic.

Which isn’t to say that it’s not an issue. Primarily in classes. Even Grim, who falls asleep two minutes into lectures and acts as though cracking a book will kill him, has a basic understanding of magic. I, meanwhile, feel a little more like I walked into algebra before I learned my times tables. Except the times tables will explode if you do them wrong. And also everyone around me has a natural affinity for them and can intuit that three times two is six while I sit around trying to make those grids out of blocks and count them all up.

So. Not a fun experience. But it’s hardly the worst issue in the world. I don’t know what Crowley told the other teachers, but they’re aware I’ve got no magic and have the decency to dumb down the work I have to do, or give me alternate assignments when I can’t complete the practical work. The thing with magic is that it’s obvious, especially here at magic school, and there’s a billion and one resources to learn about it with. I know I need to learn more about magic and I do, all the time.

It’s just that sometimes, I forget magic isn’t the only difference between my world and this one. The little differences, those are the ones that get to me. It’s like walking into a room after someone’s moved around your furniture. Yes, it’s annoying that your bookshelf’s on the other wall now, but you can see that one plainly and adapt. It’s a lot harder to stop tripping over the couch that was only moved an inch to the left. It’s blindsiding.

Usually, I study in Heartslabyul- it’s more convenient for Ace and Deuce, who will only study if I’m there to force them, and Ramshackle is, well, ramshackle enough that it’s not totally comfortable. Grim is okay with it because he can beg food off Trey. And Riddle’s at least mellowed enough that he doesn’t immediately snap at us for wandering off topic and getting a little too loud.

Deuce and Ace are flipping through a set of books on Alchemy- we have a quiz in a few days on restoratives, and they’re trying to figure out the most efficient way to craft an elixir of power. Grim should be doing the same, but he’s half-asleep, crumbs of a tart surrounding his mouth. For my part, I’m trying to memorize the list of restoratives and common ingredients between them. The practical portion of the quiz is a bit of a weird spot for me- technically I can measure and portion ingredients, but Grim needs to be there to infuse the entire mixture with magic. The last time I talked to Crewel, he was still debating on whether I should work with Grim on the potion and our grade should be combined, or if it would be better to make Grim do the practical portion on his own and have me take an extra-long written portion.

In truth, I don’t care what he chooses. I just wish he’d chosen sooner, because now I have to study both a larger chunk of information and the actual way to make the potion itself. I know for a fact that if Grim and I take the practical together, I’ll end up carrying him. Then again, if I’m not there to help, he might blow something up. Win some, lose some.

I lean my head back against the wall behind me and close my eyes for a moment. Alchemical symbols swirl behind my eyelids. Grim gives a particularly loud snort and rolls over. I open my eyes just in time to see Riddle fixing us with a venomous glare from across the room, barely visible behind a stack of books. I nudge Grim awake.

“Myaah? …Cut it out,” Grim mumbles, lazily waving a paw in my direction. I pinch him and he tries to scramble up to retaliate. Unfortunately, his paws land on a small stack of paper, which slips out from under him and sends him sprawling to the ground with a thump and a shriek.

“Shhh!” Riddle hisses from across the room. I make an apologetic gesture and gather Grim up.

“We should go back to Ramshackle,” I say. Grim squirms in my arms, grousing about being carried.

“You’re leaving already?” Deuce asks, finally looking up. Ace yawns, leaning over to stretch his back.

“It’s already past seven,” I say. I think. I don’t have a phone or a wristwatch, and some of the clocks in Heartslabyul are set wrong. I asked Riddle about it (if he likes punctuality so much, why is he making it harder for people to know the time?) and he threw out some rule about having to keep some clocks on alternate times that I didn’t really listen to. But the correct clocks tend to agree, and two clocks in this room point to seven ten as the current time. The darkness outside seems to concur.

Deuce leans over to glance outside. His expression sours upon seeing night has mostly fallen. “I didn’t realize it was so late. Are you going to be okay going back in the dark?”

“I’ll be fine,” I say as Grim starts puffing himself up in my arms.

“Yeah! Nothing out there could be a match for the great and powerful Grim!” I don’t roll my eyes. Barely. But I don’t.

Ace abruptly launches himself to his feet, sending the book on his lap spilling to the floor. Another furious ‘SHHHH!’ comes from Riddle’s corner of the room. “No, no, Deucey is right,” he says, lowering his voice enough that Riddle is mollified. “You can’t walk all the way back there yourself. I’ll come with you.”

I narrow my eyes. “You just don’t want to study anymore.”

Ace frowns. “Hey! I’m just worried about my friend walking back to her dorm all by herself-”

“We could use a break,” Deuce cuts in. “We’ve been studying for hours.”

Eh. He’s right, and it’s not like I don’t appreciate the company. “Thanks, then,” I say. I lift my voice and direct it towards Riddle. “And thank you for your hospitality, Housewarden.” Riddle glances up and acknowledges us before ducking back down to his work.

Together, we organize our materials and head for the front door of the dorm. I open the door, pausing to let Ace and Deuce don their scarves- it’s started to get cold at night, and there is a bit of a hike to get to Ramshackle.

While waiting for them, I take a moment to look up at the sky. It’s dazzling here- so many stars. Maybe they’re brighter in Twisted Wonderland, or maybe light pollution just works differently, because despite electric lighting of the dorm, I can see an enormous smattering of stars across the sky. It’s not quite as full as some photos I’ve seen of clear night skies, but it’s close.

I’ve never been good with stars, but I turn my gaze toward the one celestial object I’ve always known how to find- and pause. It’s not there.

“Are you coming?” Ace asks. I blink. He and Deuce have walked past me and are now waiting on the steps of the dorm. I’m still dithering in the open doorway.

“Sorry,” I say, giving one more glance up at the sky. “I was looking for Venus. I guess the sky’s different here.”

“What’s Venus?”

I look at Deuce. He blinks back at me, expression perfectly bewildered. The thing with the chickens in the eggs was one thing, but this is another. I look over at Ace, hoping to see the grin he gets when he’s ready to tear Deuce a new one, but he is staring at me too.

“It’s probably a constellation,” Ace says with a shrug. “Don’t ask me where it is, though. I’ve never been any good at that sort of thing.”

“No,” I say, a little incredulous and a little trepidatious. “It’s a planet.” Nothing. “The planet Venus? Second in our solar system? Only planet named after a woman?” Nada.

Deuce’s face scrunches a little. “I’ve never heard of it.” Ace shakes his head.

“You’ve never heard of Venus?” Maybe if one of them hadn’t heard of it, I would have brushed it off. But given that both of them are giving me looks like I’ve gone bonkers, I’m starting to get a little nervous.

Okay. Third opinion. I turn to Grim. Wait. Maybe a third opinion from someone who isn’t an idiot. I head back into the dorm, stirring up shouts of horror from Deuce and Ace. I ignore them and march straight back to the common area.

Riddle looks up as I walk in and his face immediately goes tomato-red. “Why are you wearing your shoes in the dorm?!”

“Riddle. This is important. What’s Venus?”

He sputters for a moment. Long enough for Deuce and Ace to come scrambling into the room behind me. “Wh- I- The painting?”

“No!” I half-yell, throwing my hands up. “The PLANET!”

Riddle looks around me at Ace and Deuce. “Is she… all right?”

“I dunno,” Ace says. “We were just heading out and then she started getting all weird about the sky or something? Asking where Venus was?” He looks and Deuce, who nods along.

“The only Venus I know is the painting,” Riddle says. “It’s of a goddess of the same name who was worshipped a long time ago.” He peers at me uncertainly. “I don’t know of a planet called Venus.”

I take a deep breath. “I need to see what the solar system looks like.” The three boys and Grim look at each other. “Please.”

Riddle pulls out a blank piece of paper and rapidly sketches something, then slides it toward me. It’s a simplified diagram of the solar system, as seen from above.

There are only five planets.

I look over it a few times to make sure I’ve got it right. It’s a pretty simplified diagram, but Riddle’s drawn it clearly. Five planets. And the second-closest one to the sun is labeled ‘Twisted Wonderland.’

I stare at the paper for a long time. Five planets. Caselotti is the closest one to the sun. The furthest out is Arendia. Walten comes next, and the third furthest is Olead.

“Um.” Deuce clears his throat. “Gray? Are you…?” He trails off, glancing at Ace and Riddle. Both of them look equally nonplussed. I can’t imagine how insane I look right now, storming in and demanding a drawing of the solar system. Even Riddle’s staying silent, though I’m sure he’s ready to explode about my shoes touching the dorm’s carpets.

I feel somewhat stupid now. Obviously the planets wouldn’t be the same here. The stars aren’t the same either, probably. I’m in a totally different world. It makes sense that the solar system would look different.

Somehow, though, it just… never occurred to me. A weird emotion twists in my gut, like I’m dropping away from the rest of the world, further away from anyone than I’ve ever been. The realization that even the sky is different here feels like something fundamental has been ripped away from me. Something I never even considered important before.

“Huh. Y’know, it looks different where I’m from,” I say. My tone’s as deliberately light as I can make it. “I guess I never considered it before.”

Ace and Deuce are silent, still looking mildly concerned. Riddle arches an eyebrow at his drawing. “In your world, you mean? The place you’re from?” He’s been the most curious about where I’m from since I told the Heartslabyul crew about how I got here. He’s also generally too polite to push about it, but I can see the interest in his eyes. “How different?”

“Well, for one, there’s nine planets,” I say. “Actually, there might only be eight now. I was never clear on what happened with Pluto.”

“Pluto?” Ace repeats, his face scrunching. “That’s a dog’s name.”

“It’s a planet name where I’m from,” I say.

“And Venus is too?” Deuce confirms. I nod.

“Sorry for kind of freaking out a little there. I guess I was just surprised it’s so different.”

Grim huffs at my feet. “Are we going to head back to Ramshackle or not?”

“Sorry, Grim.” I bend over to pick him up so he can see what we’re doing. “I just… wanted to check something. We’ll head back.”

He’s already distracted, staring at the drawing on the table. “What’s that supposed to be?”

Riddle looks offended. “It’s the solar system.”

Grim nods. “What’s that?”

There’s a moment of stunned silence. “Oh yeah,” I say. “I always forget you never attended actual school before this one.”

We all pitch in to try and teach Grim the basics of the solar system, though we keep having to detour to explain concepts like ‘gravity’ and ‘planets.’ Eventually, Riddle remembers that I’m still wearing my shoes and pitches a fit, prompting Grim and me to retreat back to the mirror, and leaving Ace and Deuce to whatever lecture Riddle is sure to give.

[quillyfied]

Hellaverse Theories: Helluva Boss S1E3 and S1E4

Welcome to Quilly’s Hellaverse Theories, where I overthink the entire Hellaverse! Moving forward with Helluva Boss this evening, visiting s1e3 and s1e4. I’m on a timetable now, wanting to get these done before the new episode comes out, but since we don’t know when that will be…just gonna have to hope for the best!

Now, jumping into s1e3:

There’s a detail from last episode that I did forget to mention: in a letter that Fizzbot holds up saying Loo Loo Land isn’t copyright infringement, Mammon calls Lucifer “my friend and ruler,” so I guess my speculation on whether or not Lucifer was King of all of Hell or just of Pride in one of my Hazbin Hotel analysis posts can be put to rest! Lucifer is King of all of Hell and not just Pride, I can move on with my life.

Blitzo singing along to dad rock and forgetting half the words: the greatest Mood.

Blitzo and Verosika’s banter is…enlightening. Lots of little tidbits to pick up on. I am SO excited for the opportunity to get to know more details in Apology Tour (PLEASE), because while it’s grade-A vile bickering, it’s the venom and bitterness that drenches their every interaction that really shows that when things were good for them…they were probably really good. As my Hellaverse friend sagely told me, you don’t hate someone that much unless you loved them that much first. Verosika’s BlitzO tattoo isn’t obvious yet, but notice that she’s the only person in the entire show (except maybe Barbie?) whom Blitzo doesn’t correct on the silent O. His choice of opening salvo is petty and gross, just as we expect, but Verosika’s is biting and weird: “and I should have known you’d be here when I heard the Amber Alerts.” Some people have taken that to mean that maybe Blitzo wanted kids when they were together (which could be supported by his adoption of Loona and how he calls Octavia “sweetie” in the second episode, though outside of that there really isn’t much to go on for building a theory about Blitzo wanting explicitly to be a father), and this could also just be a very crass and demeaning joke about Blitzo’s character (calling him a child kidnapper at best, a pedophile at worst), but. I dunno. It’s the first unusual thing Verosika says, but not the last. The second happens at Ozzie’s so we’ll wait until then to get into it more, but here’s the point I’m driving at: Verosika was way more hurt by their breakup than Blitzo was, and she’s still hurt by it. I may posit, given that one of the upcoming episodes is literally named “Apology Tour,” that Verosika lacks closure from their train wreck of a relationship and Blitzo might need to apologize just as much as she needs to hear the apology. Not to say Blitzo is entirely at fault, because I’m sure she gave as good as she got, but she knows about Blitzo’s sister when none of the rest of IMP, not even Loona, seem to know about her (which is funny because there’s a giant poster of her in the office; it was there in the pilot episode so congrats folks this was always the plan, to bait people in with what I’m told is Invader Zim energy and then wallop us all with feels), she gets away with calling Blitzo by his full/former name, and she was clearly someone important enough to him that he still has pictures of from when they were together on his phone. He does feel BAD about how it went down, even if he won’t even admit it to himself.

And how did it all go down? Let’s listen in: “run off, leaving someone else to pay for the hotel room, steal their car and run three rings to Wrath and max HER credit cards on shitty horse-riding lessons.” Ouch. Let’s look at the layout of Hell, which we don’t know yet but will soon: Pride, Wrath, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Envy, Sloth. Three rings away from Wrath? Lust. Not surprising, seeing as how Verosika is a succubus, but think about it. A relationship that is likely on the rocks (or, knowing Blitzo, maybe getting too serious and he’s uncomfortable either way), so they take a night in Lust at a hotel (maybe after a performance for Verosika?), and maybe whatever Blitzo was doing (I have seen here and there that he was doing bodyguard work for Verosika but I don’t know about that tbh, I’m willing to bet the flashback we get from s2.5 involving Millie and Blitzo fighting might give us some insight there but it’s likely Blitzo was either still working at Loo Loo Land or had just left it) would have allowed him to pay for the hotel room or at least help pay, and Verosika wakes up with him gone along with her car and her wallet. After she got a tattoo of the guy’s name on her arm. Verosika’s behavior towards him might lend some viewers to believe she deserved that, but I’m not so sure, actually; I don’t think she’d be so hurt and Blitzo would feel guilty about it if she fully deserved that kind of treatment. Yes, yes, this is Hell, everyone is shitty, but there’s something about that scenario that goes beyond shitty into just…ouch. Couple that with her Beezlejuice addiction and all of Blitzo’s fucking trauma…match made in Hell would be too cliché here, right? I’m probably better than that?

I’m not. Match made in Hell, indeed.

Dammit. The HR joke makes me laugh every time.

“I wasted so much time with a bag of holes like that.” So this was a relatively lengthy relationship, then. Making the whole…leaving and stealing thing…worse, actually. It feels less shitty somehow if it was a fling or a hookup, but something that dramatic probably only happens after a longer commitment and WOW I want to know all the details of that train wreck PLEASE VIV AND BRANDON PLEASE.

Side note that I have finally noticed the stickers on the back of the van, that’s ADORABLE Blitzo you absolute SAP.

Also Tex is too good for all of us. Appreciate him. Appreciate the HECK out of him.

(Blitzo protecting his employees because he cares about them, nbd, I’m sure this affliction won’t get any worse for him at all.)

(Blitzo having the exact same thought process I have when I realize I use the same notable words too close together and already posted something, it’s FINE)

There’s something about how the banter flows with Blitzo and Moxxie sometimes that makes me wonder if they improvise this stuff, at least in the writing stages, because “Why don’t YOU take an art class?” “Why don’t YOU see how EXPENSIVE they are?” kills me dead every single time. It’s just. It’s such beautifully comedic escalation into further absurdity. This show is poetry sometimes.

So I think it’s been confirmed that the scenes in the 2.5 trailer in a fancy Pride room with the Goetia and the Sins is a trial; there are little hints here and there that some sort of unrest is building, that Blitzo and IMP going topside is causing wider-spread issues that are slow-burning but there. I think this is the first episode where we lay the foundation work, beyond the actual first episode where Stolas reminds them that their use of his grimoire is technically illegal: not only is it illegal, but they’re supposed to be in human disguises on top of that. And they’re not supposed to be obvious about what they’re doing. Or causing giant fish monsters to grow out of the ocean and attack humans. It also makes me wonder if the killing of humans themselves is also illegal, but somehow I doubt that; I think they’re just supposed to not be obvious about it. Pretty sure this will be popping up more in future episodes, which I’ll list as they appear, but I think it’s a good bet that what IMP is doing is not just piddlingly illegal, but actually a big hecking deal.

Also a first showing of Blitzo’s surprisingly strategic and smart mind: they aren’t supposed to be seen, and loose shots will cause a panic. Sensible. Absolutely correct to use Loona as bait to lure away their targets. It becomes more and more obvious the longer the show goes on, but the ways Blitzo’s bizarre brain is actually kind of a genius at strategy and violence to get to his preferred outcome are both entertaining and gratifying to see. Until his care for Loona completely overrides his sense, but, y’know. Can’t win ‘em all, can’t fault Blitzo for being worried about her (especially when she has a YEARLY SHOT that she can get only EVERY FIVE YEARS, that feels AWFULLY POINTED, HEIRARCHY OF HELL).

And, yeah, Verosika has SO much room to be talking, when she’s throwing a flask of Beezlejuice into a crowd of humans, and from my understanding, that stuff is toxic to humans. The thing falling into the ocean and mutating a fish isn’t as discreet as humans dying from ODing on a hellish liquor, but it does seem more like giving them a fighting chance. Additional question: succubi and incubi (unsure if there’s a difference in the Hellaverse or not) in lore, to my memory, get something out of encouraging sexual appetites in humans and killing them for it, dragging their souls to Hell; at the very least, they feed off the sexual energy until they kill their host. What exactly is the succubi’s purpose in the Hellaverse? Because it doesn’t seem to be killing humans. And they’re adept at inspiring lust, but to what end? Probably doesn’t really matter, but I’m curious anyway. Wonder if it’s ever going to be explained (because much like the Envy demon who will be showing up in Ghostfuckers, I assume there is an actual reason for them doing what they do, and I wanna know why hanging around and messing with humans is so beneficial to them. Can’t be for their souls; all sinners go to Pride and they have their own issues to be dealing with, and it seems only sinners can own and barter souls anyway).

Listen, I know Blitzo isn’t nearly that awkward around other people, but something about Loona being so nervous around people and stumbling and being adorable (to us, at least) just screams “yeah this is Blitzo’s kid” to me, somehow. IDK why. Maybe the yearning for connection while being kinda hopeless at making any. Especially with each other. Though in a way, Blitzo managed to do exactly what he wanted: he made a stable, safe place for Loona. She relies on him, she cares about him, and while she’s closer to him than almost anyone else, she does have very much a kid’s view of their parent: he’s always fine, he’ll be okay. It was just a dumb fight. He’ll get over it. He’ll be there for her when she needs him (and often when she doesn’t). THAT’S FAMILY BAYBEEEEE.

(Heeee Drunk Possum Moxxie :D :D :D)

“Would be a shame if anyone found out y’all were behind a giant monster fish in the human world.” “Oh Satan! You’d all be so FUCKED!” …yeah that trial ain’t gonna be a good thing, is it, fam. My gut feeling that IMP, or at least Blitzo, is gonna be on trial for everything he’s doing in the human world continues to gain traction in my own head.

“Let’s get you some friends, girl.” TEX IS TOO GOOD FOR US.

Listen I’m more sensitive these days to fat jokes but sometimes…sometimes the fat jokes are just really funny. “Let’s go park our FAT FUCKIN CAR in our FAT FUCKIN SPACE” dammit why is that funny. Why am I laughing. (Maybe because it isn’t using fat in a derogatory way, more a victorious to neutral descriptive way? I don’t know.)

The fact that the chorus of the song that Blitzo is singing in the credits goes into the tune of HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH BY BELINDA CARLISLE ABSOLUTELY *KILLS* ME. MURDERS ME DEAD. OMG.

So, in my first journey through these episodes, the showing of care between Blitzo and Loona helped me get through this. But the next episode…that one was kinda hard for me to plow through. It’s easier now, so let’s go!

To episode 4!

First things first: heeee Cherub Towne and Imp City. My brain does love its symmetry.

Second things second: wow Collin gets thrown into all the crap situations, huh? I’m so excited to see them again in s2.5 (I KNEW CHERUB AND DHORKS WOULD BE WORKING TOGETHER OKAY I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT. I’M NOT GONNA STOP SCREAMING ABOUT THAT), because even this early, Collin deserves better and already seems kind of at odds with his teammates.

Also interesting how Hell seems to get Heaven’s commercials. Makes me wonder if anybody in Heaven gets Hell’s, and what that might mean if any of them saw the Hazbin Hotel commercial. (Ooh. Wouldn’t that be fun, if the commercial actually does something in Hazbin Hotel s2? Like…alert a certain spider-shaped winner that her twin brother is alive in Hell and attempting redemption? HMMM.)

I’ve been pondering what to call Blitzo’s gun, since I don’t know gun types. “Flintlock” is what I kept seeing most, but that puzzled me, since flintlocks are single-shot firearms that need loaded a specific way and the show doesn’t do that. EXCEPT IT DOES. RIGHT HERE. IN THIS EPISODE. Which makes me kinda happy, because “flintlock” is a badass and kinda sexy word.

Also, Wally Wackford as a recurring background character makes me happy.

Aaaaaand the advent of the Fat Jokes About Moxxie That Make Literally No Sense Because LOOK AT HIM Train. Lovely.

Y’know, on the subject of Moxxie, actually, which I was maybe saving for a later episode but screw it I’m thinking about it now because of the frame I paused the episode on to write the previous paragraph: he doesn’t have any scars. His freckles are there (and freckles and tattoos are also white on imps, though there is every possibility that Moxxie and his mother weren’t freckled, but…scarred…specifically…), but no other white patches on him. I find that fascinating.

OKAY HERE WE GO, 1:41 INTO THE EPISODE: a nice long shot of the poster of Blitzo and Barbie Wire, the Amazing Imp Twins. Clearly made before the accident. What precisely their show was meant to be, I couldn’t say, because Blitzo is the one in clown attire and Barb just looks sort of normal, but it looks like early concept art anyway so we’ll let them have it. Millie later pops up in this empty space, but the fact that we get such a long uninterrupted view of the background makes it clear that this is important information we the audience are supposed to pick up on. HB does this often, actually, and it makes the rewatch rewards SO GOOD.

“I am eccentric and must therefore do eccentric shit!” Mood.

You heard it here first, folks: Moxxie finds eternal torment hot.

Okay, here’s another building block for my “IMP is in deep legal shit” theory; the “three tacky stalkers about to attempt a Murder” scene. Where there are many pictures taken of them. And their disguises are…okay. Humans don’t typically see the imps and immediately think “devils” (see “possum”), but that’s still photographic evidence that at least one earthly agency and any hellish law enforcement could use against them. Which just makes me question the whole “human disguises” rigamarole, how Loona got one, and how far we can plausibly stretch “IMP doesn’t get any” before it becomes ridiculous past the point of humor or belief.

Blitzo losing his cat sock puppet in a holy explosion: the most poignant story of loss in this entire show.

Okay actually who sent CHERUB to save Lyle Lipton? I know they say “on behalf of all the people benefitted by your amazing technological advances” but…like…who???? Who was the poor naïve person who sent CHERUB to go stop that man from committing suicide? Unless it was more calculated than that, but I doubt it.

“Commit die” should be what took off instead of “unaliving.” Only children’s show animated Deadpool gets to say that word. Heck.

“He’s classier than that!” NO ONE IS CLASSIER THAN A KATANA, COLLIN.

The costumes that IMP is wearing all episode are incredible, though. I know Blitzo’s first one is a character by Brandon Rogers, though I’d love to know who/what Moxxie and Millie were supposed to be (more characters by him?). The second round is pretty obvious: it’s Cats. Which is only funnier given the movie abomination. I know nothing about it but Blitzo as Rum Tum Tugger feels appropriate on a vibes level. But the third round…WHO ARE THEY. WHERE ARE THEY FROM. THEY SEEM SO SPECIFIC BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS. IS IT HEATHERS? IS IT MEAN GIRLS? IS IT HAIRSPRAY? WHAT IS IT.

So imps seem about as mortal as living humans, if a little hardier, and it doesn’t seem as though cherubs come packing angelic steel (…Heavenly classism?), so getting threatened by some golden crossbows seems about as dangerous as anything else; it does make me wonder if cherubs have the same mortality rates as imps, though.

Keenie showing her own bloodlust and rage issues and Cletus going along with it feels…foreshadowy, now that we know they’re coming back for sure. Saying it once again: Collin is not gonna be on board with them and how far they’re willing to go for vengeance (though admittedly getting locked out of Heaven because their fight with IMP caused them to accidentally kill the mark is a pretty good reason to go looking for vengeance; however, a human agency outfitting and working with angels to invade Hell is NOT gonna look good for IMP if and when the law comes calling).

Nice to know that Helluva Boss is just as clueless for what gets someone into Heaven/Hell as Hazbin Hotel, only it matters so much less and their guesses for getting into Hell are much more on the mark, I think :P

Also, is this the only episode where the credits aren’t bloodstained? I haven’t been paying enough attention.

And that’s the end of this batch of episodes! Next batch coming soon!

[erigold13261]

>:3 more headcanons

1. Mayday and Purl Hew start purring if pet for long periods of time ( You bet thier partners take advantage of that)

2. Tatiana tried licking a curling iron when she was younger, it didn't go well

3. West and DJ love depressing county music and give each other recommendations on songs the other might like

4. Kliff has a big collection of 50's rock movies

5. Mama bit a guy in 8th grade who wouldn't stop touching her hair, he got better luckily but she hasn't told anyone since

6. Sofa chills at a cat Cafe when the crew have a day off of course Sayu merself joins in

7. Zimelu is a huge Gundam nerd and has several models, that no one is allowed to touch

8. 1010 found the old advertisements J shot for NSR and have never laughed harder, J was just embarrassed the whole time and made sure this would never be found again

1). I LOVE the headcanon that Purl makes weird or animalistic noises so much, and I can totally see May also doing that! May doesn't mind purring for her partners, Purl does and if pushed they will just leave for the night all pouty.

2). You know what? I'm pretty sure NO ONE in Tatiana's family or friend group would have a curling iron. So that literally means that Tatiana either went to a mall, hair salon, or some random person with a hair iron and licked it lol!

Also, I see her as not being hurt, so that isn't the "didn't go well part." What was though was either Joust or Quida thinking it was not hot because of Tatiana's lack of reaction and so one of them licked it, which is when things went down hill and chaos ensues!

3). Honestly, I don't see DJSS as liking country music until they hear West and Purl listening to depressing country music and he fell in love with it. Before all he heard was like the stereotypical "bad" country music that a lot of people seem to hate, so hearing a "good" country song was something else for them.

I also don't know if this counts as "depressing country" music, but I can see them all really liking Poor Man's Poison (which is Folk genre but kinda close to Country, maybe. Let me know if I'm wrong lol). I love that band so much and some of their songs are on the darker side! Purl would love "Stronger than the Whiskey" while DJSS I can see liking maybe "Pressure Cracks" or "Black Sheep" and West would really love "Georgia Law Man" and " Hell's Coming With Me."

4). I don't knoooow... Kliff doesn't seem like a rock fan to me. /j

No, but he totally would! I can see Kliff having all the major songs, vinyls, CDs, cassettes, and whatever else of all the most popular rock bands of each year/decade. Then he'd have smaller artists that he liked and then just a HUGE digital collection of all kinds of rock music too! This guy lives, laughs, loves rock!

5). I can honestly just see her punching a guy touching her hair. She knows not to bite people unless really in danger or something because she could potentially kill someone with her venom.

That being said, she WOULD bite someone to protect Papa when they were younger. It only happened once, but that kid (and other kids) never bothers Rubato after that incident ever again. It finally put a stop to all the bullying he was going through at the time, since none of the other adults would ever stop it.

And again, thankfully he got better. She doesn't like to tell that story, and Papa knows this, so it never gets told to people around her. Though I'm sure her mom would let it slip one day during a visit with Yinu probably lol.

6). Sofa, Sayu, Haym, and Yua all have weekly cat cafe meetings. Many fans await the many photos of foam cat coffee or cute deserts that the 4 put out after the outing lol.

7). The only one who would be allowed would be Eloni and that's only because he would have helped Zimelu build them lol! Other than that they are never touched and put inside a beautiful display case (I know nothing about Gundam other than it is a mecha anime lol)

8). I honestly don't see Neon making advertisements without 1010 as I see him and 1010 as starting NSR together and not like Neon started as some guard or something and then made 1010. So 1010 would definitely already know all the advertisements Neon would have made.

However! I can see them looking back to the first ever 1010 advertisements and laughing at how bad they were for the time. Neon is obviously embarrassed at how messy and awful they are, but is happy with how much he has improved.

If anything, I can see 1010 doing embarrassing advertisements at first before they finally told Neon "We don't want to do this commercial" or whatever. Now 1010 and Neon make sure they communicate if they want to do a ad, collab, promotion, etc.

[charred-entiity]

A laugh bubbled out of Izuku's throat from his spot amongst rubble. It was not too dissimilar from the clash of titans he'd been a witness to the first time. 5 years ago.

"Sensei! It's been... Too long." A slight snarl dripped into the phrase. Of course All for One was behind the league. Of course he was still after All Might.

"You stupid, petty, bitch." Izuku was in front of All Might again. Deja vu washed over him in waves.

"Ah, Nine, it's you." All for One said deftly. He seemed annoyed if anything, that Izuku was repeating their last interaction.

"Sensei! Don't! He doesn't deserve to die!" Izuku stood in front of the hero who's name he hadn't even learned, his arms spread to block him.

"Shut up, Nine! You pathetic worm! I don't care if he deserves it, he has that fucking quirk, and it'll die with him! Move!" Sensei's tone was cold and venomous. If he gave in now, he still would have to face the basement or worse.

"No!" He couldn't be complacent in his own life anymore.

"What is with this defiance, Nine? I gave you everything! He's just some hero!" The exasperated behemoth said, as if he were scolding a child for bad grades.

"And you're just some villain! I won't stand here and watch you kill innocents anymore!" He could see it before it even made contact. Sensei was always prone to violence when it came to him.

A fist crashed against his face. It wasn't enough to take him down though. He was made to be a punching bag.

"don't you remember?" A sick smile came across Izuku's bloody face. A protrusion from the man's arms must've caught his skin again. It couldn't be too bad.

Another strike, the bulging of muscles alerted him to the active strength enhancers.

"you made me to withstand."

Another, he was obviously pulling his punches still. How many of these hits had Izuku taken before? Was sensei really that egotistical?

"Stay down, Nine." All for One struck him again, hard enough to make izuku's vision swirl like a kaleidescope, but he had yet to fall.

"That's not my name." Izuku swung a fist back. It was sloppy, only about half strength. It still managed to be an annoyance in any capacity.

"I don't have time for this Nine!"

"That's not my fucking name!" Izuku was on him in an instant. Pulling quirk after quirk from the man, using everything in his artillery.

Maybe if All for One was a smarter man— maybe if he focused on himself more than making puppets— maybe if he had done anything more than rely on quirks, he would've seen the enhanced bite coming for his throat. Maybe he would've seen the claws coming for his eyes. Maybe he would've expected his protege to go for the gut like he had.

But he hadn't.

Now he was dead.

Izuku had dreamed of this moment. Sure, his therapist was going to be pissed, but he couldn't find it in him to care. Izuku dragged himself off of the mans dead body. He lifted All Might's unconscious and otherwise concerningly frail form from the ground, the giant of a man barely contained in Izuku's arms. With two wing beats he'd made it to the EMTs.

[voraciousvore]

The Half-Blood Giant (25/51)

Chapter 25: Drowning

Principal Henderson provided Pedro with a list and files of all the human students, which detailed their grades and any behavioral issues or reprimands. Pedro was not surprised to see that most of the human students were well-behaved, considering they would have difficulty creating problems when surrounded by people hundreds of times their size. However, he did notice that a significant portion of the students struggled academically, with low or mediocre grades and subpar attendance. He could see why the principal wanted a human to help them out with their problems, in the hopes that the students would be able to flourish with additional support. 

He decided to meet with each student, to discuss with them their academic goals and any issues they were having that got in the way. Since he had their class schedules and information, he knew where each student would be. Now, the difficulty would just be going to retrieve them. He decided to go in alphabetical order, starting with “Amber Applegate.” Pedro poked his head out of the hole in his office door and surveyed the hallway. Since classes were in session, the hallway was empty. He sighed with relief and scurried out into the massive space. Even though nobody was around, he kept to the pathways painted on the floor, just in case. He didn’t want to get stepped on. He felt like a mouse. 

He reached the classroom and peered in. The giant teacher was lecturing about quadratic formulas and scrawling numbers on the chalkboard. Pedro saw the platform with the humans against the wall and entered the room. For once, he was grateful for how small he was, for his insignificant presence went unnoticed by the teacher and didn’t disrupt the lesson. He walked alongside a giant desk that towered above his head and ascended the stairs to the top of the platform. 

“Um... Amber Applegate?” he called out. A female student with long ginger hair and a bandage on her nose looked up. He gestured to her. “Come with me please. Take your stuff with you, because this might take the whole class period.” She gathered her things and followed Pedro, grabbing her bike on the way out. They left the classroom, returning to the huge echoing hall. 

“Am I in trouble?” she questioned. Her voice was nasally, probably because of the bandage squeezing her nose.  

“No, no, nothing like that. I’m just taking you to my office to discuss some things. I’m planning to meet with all of the human students.” 

“Who are you anyway?” 

“My name is Pedr—er, I mean, Mr. Pablo. I was recently hired here as a human counselor, to give all the human students a point of contact and any support they may need.” He offered his hand to shake and smiled genially. The girl hesitantly took his hand and shook it. They reached Pedro’s office and entered through the hole in the door. 

“This is your office? A big broom closet?” Amber inquired with a giggle and a shake of her head. “Typical.”  

“Typical? What do you mean?” Pedro responded as he sat down at his desk. The girl sat across from him, still looking around at the huge empty space. 

“Well, this school really isn’t designed for students our size. So they’re always coming up with silly half-baked accommodations like this. Like the bike paths, for instance. They don’t offer us much protection from getting stomped on, beyond alerting giants not to step there. Though, that doesn’t stop some of them.” Her face darkened as she fingered the bandage on her nose. 

“What happened to your face?” Pedro queried, suspecting by her body language that it was relevant to the conversation. 

“Oh, some jerkwad giant I’ve never seen before made me crash my bike into his foot yesterday, and I faceplanted on the concrete. I’m sure he did it on purpose, by the way he was leering at me,” she spat with venom. 

Pedro recoiled. “That’s horrible! Did he get reprimanded?” 

Amber looked down at her hands and sighed. “No. I didn’t tell any of the giants working here. Why bother? They would probably just dismiss it as an accident. It’s not like I could prove he had malicious intent.” Her head sank lower. “Nothing would be done, and I’m sure he could do it again, if he wanted. It’s not as if we humans have any power here. The giants can do whatever they want to us.” 

Pedro bit his lip. “Do you know who this giant was?” 

She shook her head. “As I said, I’ve never seen him before. He was a big bastard though. Tall, muscular, pale, reddish-brown hair, bright green eyes. Honestly, though, he’s the only giant I’ve had a problem with at this school personally. For the most part, the giant students have been respectful to me.” 

“That’s good at least,” Pedro sighed. He discussed some more things with Amber, listening to any concerns she had. As far as her grades were concerned, she was a model student, and she seemed fairly well-adjusted, with both human and giant friends, so Pedro let her go and asked her to send another human student to his office. She agreed and left. 

The next student who came in was a tall, curly-haired boy with a square jaw and broad shoulders. He wore a baseball cap backwards on his head and exuded confidence. He walked right up to Pedro without hesitation, thrust his hand into his to shake, and introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Hector. Amber said you were meeting with all the human students?” 

“Yes,” Pedro affirmed, taken by surprise by the lad’s directness. “I’m Mr. Pablo, the new human counselor. I’m here to address any issues or concerns you may have.” 

Hector flopped down into the chair across from Pedro and made himself comfortable. “Hmm... well, I can’t really think of too much. I guess it would be nice to have more extracurricular sports for humans. I’ve tried playing with my giant friends, but that didn’t go so well.” He guffawed. “They ended up using me as the ball!” 

Pedro tried and failed to hide his shock at this flippant remark. “Oh my!” 

“Oh, but don’t misunderstand! It was all in good fun! Although I did throw up afterwards because I was so dizzy. And I was sore and bruised for a couple weeks. But, ya know, we were just having fun!” 

“I... I see...” Before Pedro could say more, he was interrupted by a thunderous knock on the door. Milton opened the door, his giant figure stretching high above the two humans. 

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but we have a bit of a situation,” he explained. He had his hands folded together to make a hollow, as if trying to hide something small from sight. As he crouched down, he lowered his hands to the floor and removed the top hand to reveal a small, sniffling girl ensconced in his palm. 

“Hannah!” Hector cried. 

“Hector!” she called back. She jumped out of Milton’s gigantic hand and rushed over to her fellow student, leaping into his arms. He held her against him with tender love, stroking her soft brown hair. 

“Oh, good, your boyfriend is here too,” Milton rumbled from above. Pedro noted, with a warmth in his heart, the principal’s surprising knowledge of the relationships between the students. Milton really did care for them and was invested in their well-being. “You two can stay here as long as you need. You’re formally excused from classes for the day.” He stood up and gently closed the door behind him. The floor and furniture rattled with his footsteps as he ambled away. 

“Hannah, sweetie, what happened?” Hector asked. He rubbed her back with circular strokes. 

“A giant student grabbed me in the middle of class, ranting about how humans are inferior to giants,” she related, her eyes shiny with moisture. “He shook me and squeezed me and brought me close to his mouth. I was so scared. I thought he was going to squash me or do something terrible...” She buried her face in Hector’s shirt. His features contorted with anger. 

“Who was it?” he growled. Pedro had a worried pit in his gut as he observed the couple. He hoped Hector wouldn’t do anything rash. 

“I’ve never seen him before, and I didn’t catch his name,” Hannah responded. “He was really tall though. Thick with muscle. He had striking green eyes and rusty red hair.” 

Pedro felt a chill. Whoever this student was, he matched the description given by Amber of the giant who tormented her. It couldn’t be coincidence. He needed to speak with Milton about his concerns right away, but his responsibility was to the two students in front of him first and foremost. Pedro didn’t have to do much, as Hector did a better job than he ever could of comforting his girlfriend. However, he found what she said next deeply disturbing. 

“The worst part about it was... he’s right. Nobody wants to acknowledge it, but giants are superior to us.” Fresh tears trickled from her eyes. “He picked me up so easily and could’ve done whatever he wanted. I’m... I’m just a worthless little nothing.” 

Hector gasped. “Hannah! That’s not true! You’re everything to me!” He squeezed her in his arms. 

Pedro placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. “Just because giants are bigger than us doesn’t make them better, Hannah. Nor does it diminish us as people.” Even as he said those words, though, he realized he had fallen into the same pitfall when he compared himself with Ray. He considered himself inferior and inadequate, primarily because of his size. But would Ray see it that way? He honestly didn’t know. He needed to have a frank discussion with him on the matter and confess his feelings, even if it made things awkward. 

The bell interrupted, signaling the end of first period. Hector continued to hold Hannah in his arms, murmuring sweet words in her ear. She finally seemed to be recovering from her experience. By the time lunch rolled around, her eyes were dry and she was smiling and talking quietly with her boyfriend. The couple decided to go to lunch. 

“Thanks for your help, Mr. Pablo,” Hector said as he placed his arm around Hannah’s shoulder. 

“No problem, though I didn’t do much.” 

“I think I’ll feel okay about going back to my dorm after lunch,” Hannah piped up. “I don’t even have a class scheduled in my last slot of the day, since we don’t have to take PE. I’ll be fine.” 

“Are you sure?” Hector mumbled as he guided her out. Hannah nodded. Though he remained outwardly gentle with his girl, Hector was boiling inside. A foolish idea was calcifying in his brain. If he knew Principal Henderson’s disciplinary measures well, he figured the student who bullied Hannah would be assigned detention. He would check on Hannah after class, and make sure she was safe, before returning to the main building. He would find out who this monster was and confront him. He couldn’t exactly beat him up, with the size difference, but at least he could verbally berate the giant and force him to issue an apology. 

Hector was bold to the point of idiocy, but he was used to being around giants for most of his life and didn’t fear them as some humans might. He stuck to his plan, despite the obvious hazards involved. After school, he rode his bike over to the human girls’ dormitory and met up with his girlfriend as he usually did. He didn’t tell her what he was going to do, because he didn’t want her to worry or try to dissuade him.  

He returned to the central courtyard and waited. There were some human-sized benches by the fountain where he sat and did his homework in the interim. The students gradually dissipated, leaving him alone with the tranquil ambience of flowing water and his own thoughts. He wondered, briefly, if he was making a bad choice in confronting the giant bully, but this doubt was tossed out of his head before it could breach the surface. It was his responsibility to protect Hannah; he couldn’t bear the sight of her crying with the knowledge that he stood by and did nothing to ameliorate her distress. He needed to do this, regardless of the consequences. 

Hunter was bored out of his mind by the time the hour was up for detention. First, he had been forced to sit in the principal’s office all day, and then he was compelled to sit in constricting silence in a room with a few other students, with nothing to occupy his mind. His mood was sour as he stormed out of the building. Not to mention, he was faced with the same dilemma as yesterday. He didn’t want to go to the dorm, but he had nowhere else to go. He didn’t want to be around other people; he just wanted to be left alone, in his little bubble by himself where he was comfortable. 

His wishes would not be honored, for Hector had already distinguished him from the rest of the pack. The human felt his blood turn to frost in his arteries when he beheld the giant. He knew right away that he was looking at the right giant due to his distinctive features, which matched his girlfriend’s description: his dull red hair, his towering burly physique, his brilliant green eyes. Above all, he had a cruel, cold look to him, a frigid condescension that regarded the rest of the world with disgust and bitterness. Even so, Hector didn’t back down. He mustered up every ounce of courage in his comparatively small frame and stomped forward, yelling to make his presence known. 

“Hey, you!” he yelled, pointing his finger aggressively at the towering behemoth above him. “I’ve got a bone to pick with you!” The enormous giant stopped in his tracks and looked down at the miniscule human at his feet. He didn’t deign to respond, instead examining the peculiar human with a critical gaze. 

His silence unnerved Hector more than any verbal retort, but he barreled forward nevertheless with foolhardy resolve. “You’re the one that manhandled my girl in class this morning, aren’t you?” 

Hunter smirked and finally spoke up. “So what if I am?” 

“She was sobbing for hours, you bastard! Don’t you realize what you’ve done? You owe her an apology! You had no right to treat a sweet little girl like her in such a rough manner!” Hector shouted, shaking his fist. 

Hunter raised an eyebrow, his smirk deepening into a grotesque grin. “Is that so?” He slowly bent down, making sure to hover his great mass over Hector as menacingly as possible. Hector stayed firm, but Hunter could discern with his predatory senses the faintest glimmer of fear crawling just beneath the surface. He could almost smell the human’s fear, taste it. He peeled his lips back from his teeth, wetting them with his tongue. 

“And just what are you going to do about it?” he growled in a low voice. 

Hunter fully expected Hector to back down from his implicit threat, but the small student surprised him with a fiery comeback. “I expect you to act in a civilized manner, not as a dumb brute. You know what you did was wrong.” 

A flicker of rage crossed Hunter’s features. He had to admit, Hector had a point, and that irritated him. The fact that he stood firm despite the giant’s intimidating display impressed him. Regardless, he felt the need to teach this cheeky little brat a lesson. He reached down and plucked up the human between his fingers. 

“Hey!” Hector cried out. “Let me go!” He punched Hunter’s thumb with his fist and flailed his legs uselessly. Hunter stood back up, staring coldly at the tiny student. His grin faded into a thin line. 

“Hmph.” Hunter thought about what he could do to teach this insolent human a lesson. Other than Hector’s protests, the courtyard was quiet and empty, with only the trickling of water from the fountain filling the silence. Hunter strolled over to the fountain, gazing down at the water, which shined like crystals as it caught the sun. “Alright, you little shit. I’ll release you.” 

Hector heard the acid in his tone and sensed a trap. However, he had little warning before Hunter let him go, from high up in the air. He screamed as he blindly plummeted an alarming distance. He was shocked when he plunged into the chilly water in the fountain. He flapped his arms helplessly. Terror finally gripped his heart; he couldn’t swim. 

Hunter anticipated obscenities or empty threats from the defiant student, but instead his tiny face was stricken with a look of panic. Hunter grinned as the boy floundered in the water. Hector flapped his arms ineffectually to stay afloat, but he started to sink. The basin was too deep for him to find any purchase with his feet. He was going to drown. He opened his mouth to call out for help, but his head dropped below the crystalline liquid with a flood of ripples. Hunter rested his hands on the edge of the stone basin as he watched the unlucky teenager sink. 

The human student failed to reemerge from the water. Hunter observed his small limbs wriggling through the distortion of his reflection. His movements slowed, becoming more irregular and uncoordinated. Hunter froze up. Was he... drowning? His desperate movements were eerily quiet, with the steady trickle of water masking his struggle. With a surge of electricity in his gut, Hunter stuck his hand into the water and pulled him out.  

The student didn’t sputter, or cough, or make a sound. He lay limp and waterlogged in Hunter’s hand, like a corpse. Hunter was horrified. What had he done? He placed the tip of his finger delicately on the boy’s chest. He couldn’t feel a heartbeat or any intake of breath, but he couldn’t be certain with the size difference. He started to panic. He didn’t know what to do. He hadn’t intended to kill the human. 

He laid the boy flat in his palm and tilted his head back to clear his airway. He started to perform chest compressions with the tip of his finger, hoping he didn’t break any ribs. He couldn’t think of anything else he could do. His insides spasmed with despair and regret. Was he dead? What would he do if he had killed a fellow student? He started to hyperventilate. He couldn’t exactly give a human mouth-to-mouth when the poor bastard’s whole body was smaller than his lips.  

In his panic, his finger shifted down the slippery surface of the boy’s chest to his diaphragm, squishing down on his soft belly beneath his ribcage. The squeezing forcefully expelled a jet of water from the human’s mouth, and he choked and gasped for breath. Hunter sighed with relief as he finally witnessed signs of life. His heart was pounding. 

Hector labored for air, his breath rattling in his throat and his lungs on fire. He sat up in Hunter’s hand and grasped his chest, coughing hard. Hunter waited for several minutes, until Hector’s heaving breaths returned to normal. He slowly regained awareness of his surroundings, realizing he was sitting in Hunter’s palm, with the giant’s enormous face mere inches from his own, studying him earnestly. He was shocked to see concern and fear buried in his big green eyes, swimming alongside his own reflection. 

“I-I can’t swim...” Hector stuttered, barely able to speak. 

Hunter winced. “I could see that.” 

“But... you saved me,” Hector gasped through another strained, throaty cough. He didn’t bother to mention that Hunter had put him in that situation in the first place, but obviously the giant hadn’t intended to kill him, not knowing that he couldn’t swim. He sounded hoarse from all his hacking. His chest and torso hurt, inside and out. 

Hunter exhaled. “I’m just glad you’re not dead. I thought...” His face puckered up. 

“Hey, I’m all good. See?” Hector assured him, patting down his soaked body. He bit back his reflexive anger. Even though the giant had mistreated him, Hector could see the abrupt change in his expression, the overwhelming remorse and fear and helplessness, magnified with his huge visage so close. He figured perhaps he could use the opportunity to get through to him, rather than throwing insults and curses his way. Hector had every right to be angry, but he didn’t see any point in it. 

“I’ll tell you what. You can make it up to me by apologizing to my girlfriend and being nice to her. How’s that?” 

“Okay,” Hunter agreed meekly, mostly out of guilt. 

“Let’s start fresh, yeah? My name is Hector. It’s nice to meet you.” 

“I’m Hunter.” The giant offered his index finger, and the human shook the tip in a sort of handshake.  

“Now, if you don’t mind putting me down...” Hector requested. More than anything, he wanted to get out of the giant’s hand. Hunter obeyed, lowering his hand to the floor. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, alright Hunter?” The giant nodded dumbly in response. Hector hopped on his bike and pedaled away, still wracked with small coughs. Hunter watched him go with a strange feeling. He glanced over to the fountain, where the boy’s tiny baseball cap was still floating in the water. He scooped it up in his fingers and stuck it in his pants pocket. He wasn’t sure what to think of the whole interaction. Despite his barbarity, had he just... made a friend? 

Chapter 26

Chapter 1

[casspurrjoybell-28]

Alpha's Temptation - Chapter 3

*Warning Adult Content*

- Ash -

When I come to, I'm lying in a white cot in a white room, with blue curtains on either side of me. I've never been in one but it looks similar to hospitals I've seen on TV so I'm assuming I'm in some type of medical facility.

Where, though? I have no idea.

The searing pain in my head has lessened and I felt floaty for some reason. My left arm has an IV running into it, something I have also only seen on TV before.

How did I get here? A nurse walks into the room holding a clipboard and notices I'm awake.

"How are you feeling, honey?" she asks, coming over to check something on the screen beside me.

"You're in the local hospital of the Shadow Pack. Daemon found you out in the forest and brought you here."

So Daemon is his name. Honestly, I think it fits him.

All serious like he is. And he'd... saved me?

The nurse has a nervous look on her face, chewing her lip as she glances at him.

"Listen, the head Alpha Lucien is going to be here soon... I had to tell him about the pack mark on your back."

My heart drops. She's talking about the tattoo at the top of my spine, the small dark circle with a sliver of a crescent, a symbol that shows that I belong to the Dark Moon Pack.

My cover, which wasn't much of one in the first place, has been completely blown. The door swings open then as a tall Alpha steps through, a commanding aura around him.

He's clearly an older man, probably in his late forties by the salt and pepper hair and beard he sports. And accompanied by him is no other than Daemon.

Dread pools in my stomach as they enter the room, nearing my cot. I will never forget the shiver that runs through me at the hateful stare Daemon gives me.

His jaw ticks in irritation as he looks down at me and I scramble to sit up in the cot. He definitely knows I lied to him by now, evident by how he looks at me like I'm the dirt on the bottom of his shoe.

"Hello, omega. I can't say it's a pleasure to have you here, as this severely complicates things for me," the older man says, who I'm assuming is the 'Head Alpha Lucien' that the nurse mentioned.

"What are his stats, doc?" he asks the nurse who blushes at the incorrect title, fumbling for her clipboard.

"Alpha Lucien, he's suffered a grade three concussion in addition to being severely dehydrated and malnourished. That's why I plugged him with the IV."

"And why are we wasting valuable medical supplies on some Dark Moon trash?" Daemon interjects, venom in his tone.

I wince at the aggression in his voice, looking down so I can avoid the glare the Alpha is giving me. The nurse seems scared too but manages to speak out.

"He's just a boy. And from the looks of it he's been wandering out alone in the forest for many days."

Well, it's more like one night that I was out there but I glance at the nurse's clipboard and she's written stuff in bullet points like "underweight and starvation" like she's planning to make a whole research report about what might have happened to me.

In her defense that is very much what it looks like. But I've been starving for a long time and it's not because I was lost in the forest.

"And he got hurt out there," she looks like she's going to say more but Alpha Lucien holds up a hand to indicate silence.

"Don't mind my son, Vaela. You did your job and you're dismissed," he says and she nods vigorously, all too eager to obey his words as she rushes out of the room.

I want to call for her to come back, to keep me company. I don't want to be alone with these two scary-looking Alphas.

Lucien sits at the edge of his bed, gazing thoughtfully at me as I fidget under his stare.

"Now tell me the truth. What's your name?" Lucien questions.

I don't want to tell him but I know lying for the second time to this Alpha isn't the brightest idea.

"Ash Willow,"

"Ash Willow," Lucien repeats, as if testing how it sounds in his own voice. "Did Dark Moon send you here?"

My eyes widen at the question.

"No," I say, shaking my head, an answer that really seems to piss Daemon off.

"That's bullshit," he snarls. "You lied to me and said that you were a rogue. You're obviously some spy Dark Moon sent."

"That's not it. I swear."

I put my hands up, desperately trying to defend myself from the accusations.

"Then what is it?" Lucien asks, his demeanor still relatively calm in comparison to his hot-headed son.

"Uh," I start, wringing my hands together, reluctant to share the full story of why I'd left Dark Moon. "I... ran away. I just wanted to leave that place. I really didn't mean to come here, I w-was planning to go somewhere else but then I fell and hit my head so I got all confused and just ended up here! It really was an accident."

The torrent of words leaves my mouth flustered and I just want to crawl in a hole and die. They're looking at me like they don't buy what I'm saying and I probably wouldn't either if I was them because I'm terrible at lying.

"Do you understand that now that you're here, we can't let you leave so easily? This is a major breach of our pack security and we can't risk letting you go on the chance you'll return to Dark Moon."

The thought of going back to that horrible place makes me clench my fists so hard I stamp bloody crescents into my palms.

"But I'm not gonna go back," I reply, trying to make them see that their suspicions are truly unfounded.

No one would ever hire me as a spy even if I was the only option. Lucien strokes his beard contemplatively.

"I see. So you would stay here?" he questions.

It's evident that Daemon is not happy with the suggestion by the way his nostrils flare, shooting me a warning look. I take the memo, quickly shaking my head.

"W-well, n-no, I didn't mean that. You can just um, dump me somewhere. Far away from Dark Moon, if you're worried I'll go back,."

"Let me rephrase this, omega... You will stay here. It's in my best interests to keep you under surveillance."

Shit. I'm definitely in deep shit.

"D-do you mean I'll stay here as a hostage?"

Lucien sighs, pinching his brow like he's getting tired of explaining something to a little kid.

"No. What kind of Alpha would I be if I locked up an omega who doesn't even look like he's had his first heat?"

I flush at that. It's true that I haven't had my first heat yet.

The first heat usually comes anytime between the ages 16 and 17 but I still haven't gotten it and I'm nearly 18. I wonder when it's finally going to come but I'm kind of glad I haven't had it yet.

It would be one more thing that Alpha Ferix would throw in my face and use to punish me for. He hates everything 'omega' about me so him discovering my heat would have been bad news.

"So then..." I say, not sure what comes next.

I look anxiously at myself in the reflection of the metal panel on the wall, my opal-green eyes staring right back at me.

"You'll exist here like any other citizen. I'm gonna put you in school and you'll live with me."

That's definitely the last thing I was expecting on offer from my enemy pack's leader. And Daemon doesn't like it, not at all.

His last thread of patience seems to snap and he shoots me a glare.

"You know what? Fuck this." he yells, storming out, slamming the door with earth-shattering rage on his way.

I flinch at the force of it, putting my hands up to shield my face as an automatic response, the fear of being hit ever-present. It happens any time I encounter violence.

"Forgive Daemon," Alpha Lucien says to me as he looks at the door his son just slammed.

"He hates Dark Moon and for good reason. I just wish he'd learn to control that temper of his..." 

[digitalsatyr23]

The Watchful Eye (Commission)

Setting: Arachnia Characters: Reah and Hideaux

    “What about this request? ‘Local farm besieged by rat hounds. Requesting aid to prevent further damage to crops. Reward: 5 copper per rat hound.’ That should be easy,” I said.

    “Yeah, but look at the location. That’s hardly local. We’d spend more money going there and back. Hopefully they find someone in their area, but as for me, I need more coin than five copper a piece,” said my friend.

    “All right, fine. What about… This one? ‘Accursed on the loose, must be stopped at all costs.’ And that pay… I haven’t seen that many zeroes in a while.”

    “Might be a bit above our pay grade, though. The last time I tried to take on an Accursed, damn thing almost ripped my head off. Saw a lot of men die that day… That’s not something you take on with two people.”

    Frowning, I put the request back on the board and kept looking. After weighing the pros and cons of the many Guild requests available, we finally settled on a good old fashioned bounty hunt. After we shook on it, we left the Guild Hall and prepared for the journey ahead of us.

    It’s been over a decade since Nicholas took the crown. Once the leader of the prestigious organization known only as “The Guild”, Nicholas helped the Boccovian Empire through the tumultuous Black Sky War, leading not only to Boccovia’s victory, but also to its survival. My father had told me a great many things about this time. It’s not surprising, since he had helped Nicholas in the war. When it was all said and done, he came back to our village in Tirachna, down in the Crescent Valley, but he seemed… Changed. He was like one big scar, covering up some deep pain barely beneath the surface. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could do to bring him comfort. All I could do was be a good daughter.

    While my father Toma always had a haggard look to him, he was at his best when he told me stories. I suspect the nasty details were stripped from them, but he wasn’t shy about sharing his adventures. Fighting dangerous fey, riding a magical train to a tower in the desert, saving an innocent girl from the clutches of Hell – he had done it all and more. I think that’s what really set me on this path. I knew the life of an adventurer was dangerous, but if I could bring back my own stories to tell, maybe that would comfort him the same way they comforted me.

    “Is something on your mind?” Hideaux asked me.

    “Hm? Oh, it’s nothing. My mind was just wandering a little,” I replied.

    My name is Reah, daughter of Toma Fenae. Unlike my traveling companion, I don’t hail from Boccovia. My home lies far to the east in the wild lands of Tirachna, home of giants, beastmen, and more venomous animals than you can shake a stick at. When I came of age, I took part in a tribe ritual known as the Proving in which I had to hunt a beast on my own and bring back something as a trophy. In my case, I hunted a dinosaur known as a snapjaw (though I’ve heard they’re called “allosaurus” in other lands). After felling the beast, I took its jaw bones back to my tribe and proved myself an adult. Later I would use my trophy to make a twinblade, using the jaw bones in place of where metal blades would go. This became my weapon, Bonespur, and it has always been my most stalwart companion.

    After my Proving, I made up my mind to join the organization my father for so long helped but never became a part of. As a member of the Guild, I’ve gone on many adventures to different lands, slaying beasts and helping those in need. Some years have passed since I joined, and I have the battle scars to prove it. Each one is a reminder. Each one is a story.

    While a bit shorter than most Boccovians (I last measured at 5’6”), I was quite a good deal stronger, being both lithe and muscular. I grow my bright red hair down to my shoulders and keep a protective charm braided into the right side. My eyes are peridot green, my skin tanned from the time I spent outdoors, and my hands are always covered in calluses. My attire is a tad strange compared to most Boccovians, incorporating bits and baubles from all the places I’ve seen. A painted green ironwood spaulder from my homeland, a wolf fur mantle from Boccovia, a bead armband from canyon sages, a patterned yellow chest wrap from the arid plains of Ugankka, dark blue breeches and padded fur long boots from the Glacier Isles, and a light blue sash from the faraway deserts of Niraiyah, its colorful braided waist ties and a carved peridot in its center a sign of its fine craftsmanship. I even had a jeweled armband on my left forearm I got from helping a huldra village. Made from the seed of a dryad, it had grown roots and woven itself around my arm, which I decorated with gemstones. On my right hand is a fingerless blue glove with another protective bead charm around the wrist. This way, my hand could never be led astray by evil spirits and cause me to miss the mark. I preferred traveling light, so I only had a few bags and satchels on me. One thing I always keep with me (besides Bonespur and my guild token around my neck) is an ivory wolf necklace my father gave to me. It was given long ago, even before the Black Sky War. I was told that if ever I was in true danger, it would protect me.

    “Hmph. You can let your mind wander all you want, just as long as the rest of you doesn’t stray from the path,” said Hideaux. “We’re almost to Bannon Bridge. If you slip and fall into Moletooth River, you’re on your own.”

    Hideaux was a veteran member of the Guild. He was a scruffy and portly man with dark brown hair, a light tan, and blue eyes. His unshaven chin had hints of grey in the beard, and his hairy arms had tattoos around the biceps depicting wild animals in an autumn forest. He was wearing sturdy brown breeches, a white linen shirt, mud-caked boots (we had been on the road a while), and worn-in leather armor. Aside from his big traveling pack, he had brought along his longbow, a painted wooden shield, and a hand axe that rested in a belt loop. We only knew each other from shared missions, but we got along well enough. I joined the Guild so I could have an excuse to travel. Hideaux was a more practical man. With a wife and kids at home, he put his life on the line so they could live well. Watching him pull out a wine bottle and take a swig, though, it was clear “they” included himself.

    “By the gods, man. Why’d you bring something like that along?”

    “A man’s got to drink, doesn’t he?” said Hideaux.

    “We’re almost to a river!”

    Hideaux laughed. “Well I’m thirsty now! Besides, I have no intention of fighting the moletoads over their sandbanks. If you want to deal with them, be my guest. I’ll save my energy for that mage.”

    I took another glance at the wanted poster we had taken from the last Guild branch we were at. It was a bounty for a man named Orthyx, a rogue mage. 2,000 gold for bringing him in alive, or 1,000 if he was brought in dead. Either way, it made for an easy split. The previous ruler of Boccovia was Alderman, and while he was a benevolent ruler, I had heard once from Nicholas himself (as my father and I had visited him on the occasion) that he was also naïve. The man had been surrounded by ambitious nobles and self-interested magi who took advantage of Alderman’s kindness, but once Nicholas sat the throne, he was quick to clean house. Those who didn’t bend the knee and follow Nicholas’ lead fled the capital. In the safety of the post-war wild lands that were still being resettled, these magi were left to their own devices. Far enough from the capital to avoid bother, some became unofficial lords, waving their power around to cow fresh settlers. Others returned to their studies and research. In Orthyx’s case, research meant disappearing villagers.

    The two of us reached Bannon Bridge, which took us over a large river that flowed below. The white rapids crashed against sharp rocks, kicking up mist that washed over my face. It was a welcome respite after so much time walking. Had there been horses to spare, we could have saved ourselves some trouble, but stable masters had struggled to keep stock with so many in need (and hungry monsters on the loose besides). I didn’t mind, though. It just meant more time to take in the sights.

    The sun shone over the grassy plains and descending cliffs before us. A thin layer of dirt and dust was kicked up with our every step. I stopped, taking a moment to wipe the sweat from my brow. That’s when I noticed the once cool breeze had halted. Something was amiss. I reached for Bonespur and readied for the worst.

    “Hm? What is it now, Reah? You don’t think this bridge has a troll, do you?” When Hideaux finished, a loud splash rang out, and a creature leaped from the river, landing in front of us. “What the devil?!”

    It was an elemental. Its watery body was in the shape of a horse, and what passed for a mane was like a rolling fog. Shimmering eyes like gemstones stared us down as Hideaux pulled out his axe. But then the elemental approached in a calm, slow trot.

    “Wait,” I said, putting out my hand. “I don’t think it’s hostile.”

    “Isn’t that an elemental, Reah?” asked the sweating Hideaux. I gave a nod. “How do you know it can be trusted?”

    “I don’t, but let’s see what it wants first. If it tries anything, don’t hold back.”

    As we tried to maintain our composure, the water horse stopped a few feet in front of me. It glanced over to Hideaux for but a moment before looking back at me.

    “Honored child,” its words echoing in my mind, “thou hast journeyed many moons, and I sense a great fatigue. If thou would permit, I shall take thee down the road.”

    “But why?” I asked in my mind.

    “My master knows your father well. I would not permit such an esteemed guest to toil upon their boots so long.”

    “If you’re offering, I accept – but only if you bring him along as well.”

    The elemental looked to Hideaux one last time, then telepathically said, “It shall be done.”

    Another elemental of similar shape to the first appeared on the bridge. Hideaux took a step back.

    “Uh, Reah? If you have a plan, I’d really like to hear it!”

    I took a look at the mythical steeds before me, feeling a well of excitement in my gut. “I say we ride!”

    “What?!”

    “Just trust me. These two mean us no harm.” I quickly saddled myself upon the first elemental, feeling the soft yet dense watery body beneath me. I then gestured to Hideaux. “Come on, man! Where’s your sense of adventure? You were acting so calm a minute ago!”

    Hideaux scoffed at my comment, but approached the water horse, nonetheless. The gairen people - one of the natives of Boccovia - were superstitious to a fault, and Hideaux was no exception. Yet even from the start, I sensed no malice in these creatures. Once we were ready, the first elemental let out a bubbly neigh and took off, with Hideaux and the other elemental riding close behind. As the two water horses galloped, splashing white waves followed in their wake. I felt myself bob up and down as we rode like I was on a true horse, yet they were gentle bobs, as if calm river waters were flowing around me, and the rise and fall was like the ebb and flow of a tide. A wet muddy trail grew behind us as we traveled further and further west, passing rolling hills, sparse woods, and a great burial site where the gravestones were as numerous as stalks of wheat in a field. Two hours must have passed, maybe even more. During that time, I tried to speak to the elemental I rode upon.

    “Who is this master you referred to earlier?”

    “A great power in the realm I call home. She and your father have something of a history together,” said the elemental.

    “What, as lovers?”

    The elemental snorted in protest. “More as allies… And enemies.”

    “I don’t understand. I’ve never heard of this woman.”

    “Such things needn’t be understood, simply known. And know, too, that she watches over you, even now.”

    I wasn’t sure what to say. It was clear the elemental didn’t want to divulge the details, but why? Why did it matter if I knew? This and dozens of other questions rolled around in my head as we continued our trek west. Finally, we reached a crossroad near the town of Mildan. The horses stopped in its center.

    “This is as far as we go, honored child,” said the water horse. “May the tide remain in your favor.”

    “Wait, who is your master? What’s her name?!”

    But it was too late. The horses ran south, fading into mist and disappearing. All we could do was watch and scratch our heads.

    “Hmph! What strange creatures,” said Hideaux. He then touched his rump, realizing all too late that it had been soaked. “Oh, well isn’t that just great. Good thing I brought a drying spell wand!” Hideaux reached into his pack to pull out the magically-charged stick, but when he tried using it, nothing happened. “What? I’ve barely used this thing! How is it already out of spell power?”

    “Wasn’t that a bargain bin wand?” I asked.

    “There’s a difference between a bargain and a scam! Hopefully this backwater town has an inn with a fireplace. If I knew this damn thing wouldn’t work, I would have brought an extra pair of pants!” As he fumed, I couldn’t help but laugh at Hideaux’s complaints. “What’s so damn funny?” he growled. “These were my best pair! And besides, cold water on the skin is the perfect way to catch a cold. Unlike you, I don’t bounce back from being sick so easily. I have to take good care of myself!”

    “And you think I don’t have to take care of myself, you old codger? How do you think I maintain these?” I knocked my fist against my abs.

    “Bah! Good looks are wasted on the young.”

    That’s just how it was with us. We helped each other just as much as we poked fun at each other. I didn’t mind the quiet of solo travel but having someone to banter with made time pass pleasantly.

    As we approached Mildan, the dark sturdy wood of the buildings came into view. It was a well-built town, if a bit weathered. Its stone walls were in need of repair, showing signs of cracks and scorch marks from recent years of turmoil. It didn’t surprise me. Many of the demons that had appeared during the Black Sky War were migrating west towards the desert lands, and with the country of Quinavelle resting against the mountain border that separated east and west Boccovia, it was safe to assume the people had seen quite a few nasties as of late. When we reached the gate, the guards on the wall were quick to question us, sounding harsh and agitated. It was only when Hideaux pulled out his Guild token that the two guards looked at each other and nodded, letting us in. It was a palm-sized bronze coin with an eye symbol on one side and a hawk wing symbol on the other, representing the God of Magic, Gicaccius, and Boccovia respectively. The sight of it was proof we were here on serious business.

    Inside, various parts of the shanty town were mid-construction. Even the cobblestone streets were halfway done, leaving the mud and dirt exposed here and there. It would take more people, and more stone besides to finish off the project. As for the people, their clothes were conservative and mostly colorless. Whites, greys, and blacks. Everyone kept a close eye on me and Hideaux as we made our way through Mildan, passing us distrustful glances before disappearing into buildings or alleyways. It was a claustrophobic town with all too many nooks and crannies for people to hide away in. We both stayed on alert, knowing all too well the dangers of desperate folk.

    “So what are you thinking, old man?” I asked in a hushed tone.

    “An inn couldn’t hurt. There’s bound to be a bloke or two to spare good gossip for coin,” replied Hideaux.

    “Then I’ll follow your lead.”

    Hideaux examined the signs around the town, which were mostly in Igearan. We both had a passing understanding of the dialect, and quickly found a watering hole named “The Mudpie”.

    “Charming,” I smirked.

    “Better than the last one we visited. This one doesn’t have any broken windows.”

    “Not yet anyway.”

    Hideaux shot me a glare then pressed through the entrance. Once our eyes adjusted, we could see a long sitting bar taking up the right side of the room, several simple tables and chairs, support beams, a stairway on the left, a firepit on the wall opposite the door, and several tired-looking workers. Most wore simple clothes stained by dust and stony debris, and despite the good weather and bright sun from before, the people here were pale of skin with dark eyes, dark hair, and cold expressions. The only one inside that looked happy to see us was a black and white-furred dog that came up to sniff my pantleg.

    “There’s a good boy,” I said, rubbing its head. It was clear it wanted a treat, so I helped it to a bit of jerky from my travel rations. Its eyes lit up with delight, and until it grew bored and went elsewhere, it stayed by my side.

    Hideaux led the way to the bar where both he and I sat on sturdy but rough-edged stools. The man behind the bar scribbled on a loose piece of parchment then approached our side of the bar, setting his hands down.

    “Welcome, travelers. What can I get you?”

    “Two mugs of chilled wine, some bread, fruit, and cheese.”

    “I never said I wanted wine,” I protested.

    “Who said the second cup was for you?” Hideaux smirked. I rolled my eyes and smiled back.

    “We don’t have fruit at the moment,” the bartender said.

    “That’s fine,” said Hideaux. “Here’s some money for the order.”

    I looked down, noticing five silver stags – a common mint in Boccovia. It was far more than the order would cost in most towns (especially of the backwater variety), but Hideaux was no stranger to these environments. The bartender’s sour expression turned warm at the sight of coin and said, “This will do. Give me a moment.”

    After the other customers got bored of staring at us, conversation returned and the buzzing of life (what little there was) filled the air. People walked in and out, some drunk, others tired and sober. One of the workers was hitting on a serving girl who seemed not wholly against the advances, and the two disappeared to who knows where. Nothing unusual at all, by my wager.

  “Here you go,” said the bartender, returning with the order. “Let me know if you need anything.” Hideaux nodded to the man, and he walked away to attend someone else.

  “So,” Hideaux said, slicing the bread and cheese. “What was with those things on the bridge? You seemed to recognize them faster than I.”

  “Can’t say I know for certain… They spoke without words, whispering in my head. They knew my father,” I replied.

  “Sheesh. No wonder he buggered off to his homeland. If I was that famous, I’d quit the Guild and live in a cave… Hopefully a dry one. Speaking of,” he paused, looking over at the firepit, “I have a rump to roast. I’ll be back. Help yourself,” he gestured to his plate before getting up. Wine cup in hand, he approached the pit and talked up the first person he saw, and that was that.

  By myself, I took a piece of cheese, smelled it, then took a bite. It had a sharp aroma, and a real bite to it. Not bad, but not my favorite. I washed the flavor down with the fruity wine, then my thoughts returned to the elementals. They couldn’t have been related to my quest. Who, then, was their master? Whoever it was, they must come from high places… Or low ones.

  “Hey there,” a voice called out. A brawny man with a shaved head, dark eyes, and bushy beard took the stool to my left. “Can’t say I’ve seen you around before. Who are you?”

  “The name’s Reah. And you?”

  “Call me Mule. Are you one of those adventuring types?”

  “What gave it away?”

  “It’s not every day that someone comes through Mildan toting around,” the man’s eyes scanned me until he looked at the jewel on my sash, “such nice greenery. Except for traders.”

  “Okay, you got me. Here,” I said, slapping the wanted poster down on the bar. “You know the guy?”

  Mule was taken aback by my own forwardness, but then looked over the poster. “Can’t say I know him, but he looks like a mage.”

  “You’d be correct on that. His name is Orthyx. Word is people have been disappearing around this area ever since he showed up. Do you know anything?”

  The once friendly Mule seemed to go pale at my words and quickly backed off. I tried asking around a bit more, but no one seemed willing to talk. Either they were scared, ignorant, or both.

  “Any luck on your end?” I asked Hideaux upon my approach.

  “Not a bit. These are a tight-lipped folk. They don’t trust outsiders a wink.”

  “Can’t say I blame them. What now, though?”

  “We pub crawl our way through the town until we get answers or have to retire for the evening. Either way I’m good.”

  I shook my head. “You’re the expert. Come on, then. Let’s get moving.”

  Hideaux and I continued our way through the ramshackle town of Mildan, asking questions, slipping coin, and looking for clues. We got confirmation enough that the rumors were true, but we were also told in rather colorful language to stay out of it. So averse to outsiders, they shunned the help of strangers at their own expense.

  It was evening when we decided to call it for the day. The sun was already disappearing behind the mountains to the west, flashing rays of brilliant gold before being blot out completely. The sky remained clear as it darkened, and the distant sound of chirping crickets and other insects sounded off night’s arrival. Windows lit up as people continued their business well into the night. With such varied light, it made it difficult for my eyes to adjust. Luckily, my ears were just as fine-tuned.

  On our way back to an inn we reserved rooms at, we found the streets had grown quiet. Then, the sudden scuff of boots on dirt rang out.

  “Behind us!” I yelled. I turned and caught a club in my hand, kicking my attacker away before dodging back from the others. Several men wearing grain sacks with eye holes had cornered us in the northwest part of town, and each of them wielded either clubs, knives, or hammers.

  Hideaux raised his shield then pushed back against one of the men. “So that’s how it is, eh?” He stopped talking, getting his axe out and spinning it around so the blade faced away. Taking note, I left Bonespur on my back and balled up my fists.

  The next man to take a swing at me got a fist to the gut, falling over in an instant. Two more swung wild – one to distract and the other to harm. I kicked dirt in the eye of the first and knocked the other over with a swift kick to the leg. Taking hold of a falling club, I smacked the other across the face while he was rubbing his eyes. A fourth managed a slash across my arm in the heat of the moment. I jammed my elbow towards him, smashing into his collarbone.

  While I kept the bulk of the group fended off, Hideaux was slugging his attackers across the face with the back of his axe. Unfortunately, the man whose collarbone I shattered stumbled into Hideaux, pushing him back against the wall and leaving him open for a clubbing across the head. I turned to aid him – a bad decision – and received a clubbing to my own head as reward. I lost balance for a moment, feeling hands try to pull me to the ground. It was then I decided to take things seriously.

  The tribe I hail from is known to be in-tune with nature, using magical arts to mimic and change into the beasts of the wild. Some turn fully into animals, while others merely copy aspects of them. In my case, I was more like the latter. Calling upon the unrelenting fury of the boar, my muscles bulked up as I threw off the five men upon me. Some smashed into the walls or nearby crates and barrels, while others skid across the ground. I then dashed towards one trying to knife Hideaux in the side, picked him up by his head, then smashed him into the ground.

  “Reah!” Hideaux shouted. A new figured emerged from hiding behind me, taller and brawnier than the rest. He punched me across the face as I stood back up, pushing me back. I then traded a few blows with him. He put up his arms and absorbed most of the blows, but it was clear it was more than he could handle. Rather than knock him out like the others, I came up with a new plan. I reached for Bonespur. Hideaux’s eyes went wide.

  “Don’t worry. There’ll be no more blood tonight,” I hissed through clenched teeth. Kicking the man before me in the knee staggered him. While his guard dropped, I pulled Bonespur free from its buttoned holder, flicked a switch near the center of the handle, then swung a blade toward my attacker. Rather than take his head off, however, the blade extended further out, its hidden chain released. The chain wrapped around the man’s neck, and one quick yank later I had him in my grasp. The first thing I did was pull of that grain sack. “Wait… Mule?”

  “You know this guy?” said Hideaux, moving to my side.

  “I met him at the Mudpie. He was the first one I questioned.”

  “In that case,” Hideaux grabbed one of the thugs’ knives, “spill the stew, prick.” Hideaux got the knife nice and close to Mule’s left eye as he said, “Are you working with Orthyx? Tell us!”

  “Piss off! I don’t care about a mangy wizard!”

  “Then why did you attack us?” I asked.

  Mule kept silent, so I tightened the chain around his neck. Finally he broke. “This was just a mugging, I swear! You think I’d let a gem like the one on your sash pass me up? One of those traders would set me up for a year if I gave ‘em that!”

  Hideaux frowned, looking at my sash. “He’s not wrong.”

  Before we could press further, the commotion had finally gotten the attention of some guards. I released Mule from Bonespur’s chains. “What should we do? We were just defending ourselves.”

  “The guards won’t care,” came a whisper from an alleyway. “Quickly, to me!”

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  “Someone who’s gonna get you out of this. Now come on!”

  Hideaux and I exchanged glances before slipping into the alleyway and leaving the thugs behind. The stranger led us through the snaking cracks throughout the town before slipping us outside. After we put a bit of distance between us and the town, the stranger pulled his hood back. He was a scraggly looking man with grey hair and a glass eye.

  “Name’s Ilva. You two sure like to wave your wealth around.”

  “That wasn’t my intention,” I said.

  “Doesn’t matter. Money’s scarce in these parts. When you’re in Mildan, you keep your friends close and your coppers closer.”

  Noting the expression, I looked at Hideaux, remembering the silvers he first put down.

  “What?” he said.

  “It’s nothing.”

  Hideaux pulled unfolding chairs off of his travel pack and the three of us took a breather out in the cold grassy fields. The wind had picked up in the night, masking the crickets and muffling the sounds of guards back in the town. Perfect weather for conversation.

  “Saw you blokes in the Mudpie,” said Ilva. “I wanted to approach, but the rest of the townsfolk made it too hard.”

  “What’s with them, anyway?” I asked.

  “Times are troubled. Town’s poor, people are disappearing, and monsters keep attacking at random. Everyone’s on edge, so even a hint of the foreign is enough to make them reach for their pitchforks. When you have people showing up clearly of wealth and from far away, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that they tried to gut you in the night.”

  “Speaking of, you’re still bleeding,” Hideaux pointed at my wound.

  “Oh yeah… I kinda forgot.”

  “Of all the things to forget!”

  I dismissed his concern with a wave of my hand and set to healing the wound. I lacked the talent for magic that my father had, but I was adept enough at channeling my own ether. Pulling upon the same magic running through my veins as any other natural creature, I weaved a spell to seal the wound, hastening the healing process. After wetting a cloth with my waterskin and wiping my arm, I was as good as new.

  “That’s some trick,” said Ilva.

  “It’s no trick,” I said. “I could even teach you if you have the potential.”

  Ilva shook his head. “I’ll be fine without it.”

  “Surely there’s something we can do. You saved our hides, after all.”

  “Yeah… Why did you help us, anyway?” asked Hideaux.

  “Because,” Ilva paused, looking over his shoulders, “I know where Orthyx lives.”

  He had my attention. Finally, someone who can actually help us. Hideaux, however, remained skeptical.

  “Sounds good to me. A bit too good, I wager. What’s the catch?”

  “I want a cut of the bounty.”

  Hideaux bit his lip. “I figured as such. How much?”

  “A third. As acting guide, I can take you where he was last headed, but I won’t settle for less.”

  “You’re out of your mind! We’ll be the ones putting our lives on the line when we get there!”

  “But we don’t have any other leads,” I cut in.

  “Still…”

  “What’s your answer?” Ilva asked. “If you won’t pay, we’re done here.”

  “We can pay, but we won’t get the bounty until after we return Orthyx to the authorities. If you’re fine with the walk, then we can pay you when we get there.”

  “In that case, I want half of my share now.”

  “You sodden-” Hideaux got up from his chair and was about ready to grab Ilva, but the bruises he got from earlier made him wince, so he sat back down. “How do we even know we can trust you? What proof do you have of where Orthyx is?”

  “I filched something from him when I had the chance, though I’m not sharing until I get half of my cut.”

  “And I’m not paying until I know I can trust you.”

  The two men glared at each other. Hideaux wasn’t in the wrong. Anyone could have overheard us earlier and start claiming they know where our mark was, but whether it was truth or lie was another matter. Luckily, healing wasn’t the only spell I knew. I reached for a knife sheathed in my boot and ran two fingers across the blade, sparking the knife with white and blue light.

  “Reah?” Hideaux looked at the dagger, then at me, his mouth turning to a grin upon recognition of the spell. Then he sat back and let me work.

  “Ilva, I have enough money to pay half of your share now, but we have to know you’re telling the truth.” Brandishing my knife, I said, “I’ve enchanted my dagger. If the next thing you say is truth, it cannot harm you. However, if what you say next is a lie, the dagger will cut as deep as any other. Will you give me your hand?”

  “You could be lying yourself,” he said. “Use it on yourself first.”

  “Of course.” I paused for a moment, considering what story to share, then said, “Once when I was a child, I pretended I was a snake and tried to swallow an egg whole, but the shell broke and got caught in my throat.” I ran the blade across my left palm, drawing no blood.

  “Wait, you really did that?” asked Hideaux.

  “Yes. It was one of the most unpleasant things I had ever experienced.” Hideaux held in his laughter while I turned my attention back to Ilva. “So, now that I have shown proof, will you give me your hand?”

  Ilva was hesitant at first, but it was clear he recognized the trap. If he didn’t give his hand, that meant he was lying. Begrudgingly, he passed his hand over.

  “So do you truly know where we can find the rogue wizard Orthyx?” I asked, clutching him by the wrist.

  “I do. I can show you both to where best to find him.” At this, I cut across Ilva’s hand with the dagger. When no blood was drawn, I let him go. Ilva breathed a sigh of relief and leaned his head back. “Seven hells, I’m glad that’s over. Now what about my pay?”

  I slipped coins out from my pouch and passed them over to Ilva. He inspected them and put them in a pocket.

  “All right. We held up our end of the bargain, so it’s your turn,” I said.

  With a nod, Ilva pulled out a scroll and unfurled it before us. Channeling a pinch of ether to the end of my fingertip, I summoned a small ball of light, and the three of us read it.

    “These look like an architect’s papers,” said Hideaux. “Seems our wizard friend wanted to set up a small fortress.”

    “Indeed,” said Ilva. “He last came through town disguised as a trader, so I thought to filch a magic scroll from his pack mule. What I found instead was this. And do you see these notes around the edges?”

    Ilva’s hands were shaky, but I could read the notes well enough. According to the notes, the fortress was being constructed somewhere on the Skittering Mountains, a range northeast from Mildan. It would take at least two days to walk there, and more to get up the mountains and look, but we had our destination. I snuffed out my light spell by squeezing it in my hand, then leaned back.

    “That’s a good distance away. We should make sure we have everything we need before we go,” I said.

    “Yeah, but with the trouble we stirred up, I’m not sure getting supplies will be easy,” said Hideaux.

    “I can help. You two only just arrived, so not everyone knows your faces. I can slip you back inside at first light when the merchants are opening shop. You’ll have an hour before the guards start making their rounds in the streets proper, so that should be plenty of time to supply yourselves.”

    “Sounds like a plan,” I said. “In that case, let’s turn in for the night. We have a lot ahead of us tomorrow.”

    “Agreed,” said Hideaux. After untying a long sheet of treated hide, Hideaux and I constructed a lean-to out of sight of the town, then we set our bedrolls down. Ilva parted ways with us, returning to Mildan. Come morning, we would meet him near the western gate.

    As I closed my eyes, I said, “Hey Hideaux, do you think Ilva can be trusted?”

    “About as much as cats can be trusted with yarn, but we have to make do.”

    “All right.” I almost asked him a second question, but he started snoring soon after. I kept the question to myself for the rest of the night, contemplating the day’s events until I, too, slipped into the realm of dreams.

---

    The next morning, we were met with a cold grey sky.

    Ilva helped us back into town. I focused on gathering necessities, like refilling our rations in case food proved scarce. Hideaux, on the other hand, was buying potions from a local alchemist. After I finished things on my end, I sought him out and approached just as his dealings reached their end.

    “I wouldn’t need it to last that long, so I’ll take that one instead. Here’s your coin.”

    “Thank you, sir.”

    Hideaux handed a few coins to the withered-looking alchemist then set the vials into a side-pouch.

    “Got everything?” I asked.

    “Yeah, I’m ready. That wizard won’t know what hit him. Literally.” I tilted my head at this statement, to which Hideaux patted his pouch and whispered, “Potion of invisibility” with a smirk.

    As we made our way to the meeting spot where Ilva awaited, I couldn’t help but wonder. A proper alchemist’s wears can cost several gold crowns (another Boccovian mint), but Hideaux had only paid a fraction of the cost.

    “Hideaux,” I started, “that alchemist back there… Are you sure they’re proper?”

    “What do you mean?”

    “You barely paid anything for those potions. You weren’t trying to copper pinch again, were you?”

    Hideaux scoffed at me. “Relax, it’s nothing of the sort. You just don’t know how to haggle. Back when I was…” Hideaux trailed off, glancing at passer-by. “Well, before I was in my current profession, every coin mattered. And sure, I do like to splurge every once and a while, but I can only do that because I know how to spend my money.”

    “Are you certain? This isn’t like that cheap wand, right?”

    “Of course not! Fret about your own self for once. We only know so much about the enemy. For all we know, we might not be able to take him down. If things get bad, you save your own skin first. Got it?”

    “Don’t lose hope before we even get there. You’re going to see your family at the end of all this, all right?”

    Hideaux shrugged. “Had no intention of doing otherwise. Just don’t get hurt on my behalf like yesterday.” The man then moved ahead. I sped my pace to catch up, meeting him and Ilva near an open gate. Together, we left the town of Mildan behind and began our trek northeast.

    The three of us walked through more rolling hills of green, some of which were used as ancient burial mounds. I could feel a faint energy coming from each, a sort of buzzing of ether like the fluttering wings of insects around a campfire. We saw no signs of men along the trail, only the occasional wild beast. Around midday I spotted a healthy buck grazing. A well-placed stone from my sling later and it was stunned, laying on the ground. I offered a small prayer to Gerovi, God of nature, so that the animal’s spirt could find peace in the afterlife before I slit its throat. After I butchered the animal and wrapped the meat I could carry, I took its hide and antlers with me. My tribe would be ashamed of me if I let anything on an animal go to waste. After that, I tied the meat I couldn’t take to strings and hung them from a nearby tree as a peace offering to the land’s beasts. Later that night, Hideaux, Ilva, and I had a small feast of deer meat. What we couldn’t eat, we smoked. As I had hoped, nothing bothered us over the night or the next day.

    Upon the third day when the Skittering Mountains grew near, I sized up each of the mountains. One of them had faint traces of magic along a half-made path leading up.

    “It’s this way. I’m sure of it,” I said.

    “I’ll let you take lead, then,” said Hideaux.

    With me in the front, Ilva in the middle, and Hideaux behind, we marched single file up the left-most mountain in the range. Even if I couldn’t tell the ether here had been stirred up, there were many signs of tampering and even construction in certain parts – most notably, a small wooden bridge covering a gap between the rocks. I tested its weight then made my way across, quickly followed by the others.

    While the climb up the mountain was easy, we were far from alone. On more than one occasion did spider-like creatures burst from holes in the sides of the mountain. Their holes had a rancid smell, however, so they lacked the element of surprise they so heavily relied on. Sliced legs and swift kicks were enough to dispatch the beasts, though one nearly dragged me off the cliff by firing web at me as it fell. There were other creatures up in the mountain as well. Birds of prey roosting on rocks and roots, lizards, and even skittergoats – small goat-like creatures with pure black eyes and a single horn on their heads like a unicorn’s.

    “You know, I once heard miners used skittergoats to detect danger in their mines,” said Hideaux. “If there were monsters, the skittergoat’s horn would buzz and vibrate, but if it remained still, everything was fine.” At Hideaux’s words, we all looked at a nearby skittergoat’s horn. It vibrated gently as the impish creature looked and bleated at us before hopping away with surprising speed. “Huh… I sure hope it thought we were monsters.”

    “Just in case, keep your eyes open,” I said. I drew Bonespur from my back and turned to Ilva. “In case something happens, run. If you can’t run, hide. Just like with the arachnids, Hideaux and I will handle things.”

    “Of course,” Ilva nodded. “I’m fine with acting as a guide, but that’s all I was paid for. The rest is up to you.”

---

    The mountaintop was quiet.

    What felt like an hour had passed since the skittergoat, and after some searching, we finally found the entrance to Orthyx’s fortress. A thick stone doorway hid a dark and dusty cavern, feeling more like a mausoleum than a cave. Hideaux lit a sealed lantern on his hip and readied his axe and shield. While Ilva kept his distance in the back, Hideaux and I pressed forward.

     Half-finished grey stone halls extended before us, rough and bumpy as could be expected. It was clear that Orthyx’s fortress was far from complete. The path branched, but not for long, and we quickly found another stone door - likely for Orthyx’s chamber.

    “There it is,” Hideaux whispered. “Ready yourself.”

    A muffled thud came up from above, causing me to stop. “Wait, did you hea-”

    Before I could finish, the ceiling gave way. Stone exploded towards us as a great lumbering beast crashed to the ground, landing in front of me and my companion. Almost immediately, golden rays of light shot all around us like a volley of arrows. In that moment, my body moved on its own. I picked up Hideaux and ran for cover, narrowly avoiding the magic rays. The debris from the ceiling provided ample cover, so the two of us squatted behind the rocks to try and assess things.

    “What in the seven hells is that?” whispered Hideaux.

    It was hard to tell at first, as one of the rays had destroyed Hideaux’s lantern. When the dust settled and my eyes adjusted, I caught a glimpse of our foe. It was a gigantic lumbering creature with thick stocky legs and a bulbous body that was nothing more than red meat and dozens of eyes. The moment I looked at it, the beast’s eyes turned on me, firing off another volley of golden rays. Once more, Hideaux and I ran for cover – this time behind a large boulder. Its reflexes were top-notch, and it was clear the creature had no issue seeing in the dark. Whatever our next move was, it had to count.

    “Wait, where’s Ilva?” I whispered.

    “No time to worry about that. I’m going to pop that invisibility potion and fill its eyes full of arrows. When you see an opening, don’t hesitate.” I gave Hideaux a nod and the man reached into his pouch, quaffed his potion, turned invisible, then moved away. I heard footsteps followed by a bowstring being pulled taught, then an arrow flew through the air, hitting its mark. But after Hideaux’s first arrow, he suddenly reappeared. “What? How did-”

    The creature made a horrid gurgling noise and unleashed its wrath. Innumerable shafts of golden light converged on Hideaux’s chest. I thought he was a goner, but he managed to block with his shield in the last moment. The shield turned to scorched splinters as the man was sent flying, slamming into a wall with a terrible crack. He was either unconscious, or far, far worse.

    I nearly yelled out my friend’s name, but I choked it down. Unnecessary noise would do me no good. What I needed was information. What I needed was a plan. I took a moment to regain my composure, taking a slow, deep breath. What light the magic rays had made were gone, and I needed time to readjust. Even then, it proved a struggle to see. My eyes were sharper than most humans, but even I still needed some light. I reached into my pouch, retrieving bullets normally meant for my sling. Channeling trace amounts of ether into them with a whispered incantation, I closed my hand around the bullets. I shimmied to the edge of the boulder, then with a toss, the glowing bullets sailed through the cavern. It wasn’t long until the creature’s rays started chasing them. Most were destroyed in an instant, but a few survived, leaving just enough light to help me see.

    Now that the cavern was no longer pitch black, I took stock of the situation. Hideaux was unconscious, burned, and full of shrapnel. He would need treatment soon or he would bleed to death, if he wasn’t already… No. He was alive. He had to be. My eyes moistened for a moment as I continued looking around. The creature was lumbering towards one of the bullets. Not so much maliciously, but more like a curious animal. So distracted, I finally got a proper look at it. It was an eye-beast. I had heard of their lot before. Grotesque as they were, they were manmade. No one knew for sure how they were made, but since they were often employed as guards by mad wizards and cultists, it was safe to assume the method was less than palatable. Being a type of construct, it likely lacked the intelligence of a thinking guard. This mattered little, however, as its dense, bloated body and swift attacks would make most confrontations a death sentence. There had to be some manner of weakness to it, though. I just had to keep looking.

    I turned my attention to the rest of the cavern. I knew where the eye-beast and Hideaux were, but the whereabouts of Ilva were another matter. It wasn’t long until I found the man. He was crouched next to Hideaux, pilfering his body.

    “Ilva!” I shouted in a whisper. “What are you doing?!”

    He looked up at me and smirked. “Helping myself to the rest of the share, of course.”

    “Are you crazy? You’re gonna get killed!”

    “Tsk. No need to worry about that. Orthyx gave me this,” he said, pulling out a magic pendant he had hidden under his tunic. “You could say we have a little… Arrangement. It’s nothing personal, of course. It’s just business.”

    I felt a fire burning in my blood in that moment, but I was distracted from my anger when I noticed something peculiar about the pendant. Part of it looked broken. Spotting the missing piece nearby, I remembered all the sharp debris that went flying when the eye-beast first appeared. One of the rocks must have struck the pendant without Ilva noticing. And if that was the case, that meant…

    “Best of luck with that beastie! You’ll be needing it!” Ilva got up and walked off with a swagger, laughing all the while. The once distracted eye-beast took notice, immediately firing on him. A moment of confusion fell across the thief’s face before he was eviscerated, exploding in a fountain of blood and charred meat. It seemed that without the pendant, the eye-beast would kill indiscriminately.

    While Ilva’s death was as horrid as it was deserved, the way the creature reacted, as well as the way its beams moved gave me an idea. It was clearly a reactive thing, not actively seeking targets the way other monsters might. And when the beams fired upon Ilva, they all came together in the end, almost like they could be focused into one devastating blast. The time it took for this to happen was consistent with its other volleys. This could only mean that foes at a distance were at the greatest risk. I glanced at Hideaux once more, holding back the urge to drag him to safety and treat him. He was bleeding bad, but if the eye-beast was truly a reactive sentry, it was just as likely to fire on his unconscious body as it was on me.

    While behind cover, I set my weapon aside and rifled through one of my packs. While I knew some magical spells, my knowledge was limited. I compensated for this with scrolls, whose arcane words contained the ether of other casters. Among my supplies, I found three scrolls. One was called “Magic Volley” which could pepper the beast with several small blasts. Not enough to harm, but enough to distract since the spell fired from every angle on its target. The second scroll was named “Cloud of Fog”. With luck, it would hide my presence. Finally, the last scroll was called “Eagle’s Flight”, which allowed the user to fly with magic wings, if only for a short time. The cavern was vast, but not vast enough to allow easy maneuvering. I slipped the Eagle’s Flight scroll back into my pack and made ready the others.

“Hold on, Hideaux. I’ll get us out of here,” I whispered.

    First, I traced my fingers across the Cloud of Fog scroll, activating its magic before flinging the spell toward the eye-beast. Soon enough, blankets of fog covered up its location. Then I used the Magic Volley scroll, and tiny sparkling bolts fired on the beast, striking at its eyes and making it gurgle with rage. Lastly, I ran to a broken piece of stone. It was a stalactite that had fallen to the ground after the ceiling broke open. While it was too heavy for an ordinary person to pick up, I was far from ordinary. Once more, I channeled the strength of beasts through my body. My teeth clenched, my veins popped, and my muscles bulged. Taking the stalactite in hand like a javelin, I hurled the stone straight through the fog. The stalactite slammed into the eye-beast. It stumbled from the impact and blood hissed from its wound. Now all that remained was to finish it off.

    Bonespur in hand, I made a mad dash toward the eye-beast. Already enough of the fog had cleared so that three of its eyes could see me. Rays of gold fired at me like arrows. I dodged two, taking one in the left shoulder. It burned, but my spaulder absorbed most of the impact. I leaped into the air and sliced diagonally, blinding those three eyes. A stubby, malformed arm shot out of its bloated body to try and grab me, but I ducked just in time. I continued to cut and slice into the thing, spilling more blood than any creature had a right to survive without. As if on instinct, it fired its beams with abandon, burning away the magic fog and doing what it could to kill me. Luckily, my theory proved correct. It could aim well enough at me, but I was too close for the beams to converge. I had reduced its sword to a mere letter opener.

    Flicking the switch to transform Bonespur, I grabbed hold of its two handles connected by chain. I spun about, slicing and tearing into the beast with my jawbone blades in swift, graceful arcs. Flesh split open, blood flowed, and with one final attack, I slammed both jawbones into the beast’s sides, digging the teeth in deep.

    “This is the end!”

    With a powerful kick, I knocked myself back while dragging the jawbones through the eye-beast’s body. It tried to fire on me one last time, but its life energy was spent. It collapsed to the ground with a ground-shaking thud. The fight was over.

    In the heat of the moment, I had ignored the wounds I took during the fight. But now that I had the chance to breathe, my whole body felt like it was on fire. Dozens of small scorch marks riddled my skin. Time and healing magic would fix things, however…

    “That’s far enough,” said an old man’s voice from behind. “Drop your weapon and turn around, slowly.”

    I turned to attack, but a fire bolt struck me in the knee. The spell hit my bone with the force of a hammer, making me wince. Against my better judgement, I obeyed the man, dropping Bonespur. As I looked up, I realized it was Orthyx. He stood some six feet in height with a braided grey and white beard, crimson eyes, and travel-worn imperial robes. He held a lantern in one hand and had a scorching fire spell ready in the other - just in case I felt extra brave that day.

    “Orthyx. We finally meet.”

    “And it will be our last meeting as well,” said the mage. “It’s trouble enough to create a good eye-beast. It’s another thing when you have to worry about mage hunters breathing down your neck all the while.”

    “Since you’re going to kill me, how are they made? I’m curious.” I needed time to think of a plan, but I genuinely wanted to know. When the old man grinned a grin most vile, I soon regretted my question.

    “You’re here for my bounty, yes? So you must know about the disappearances.”

    My blood ran cold at the statement. I glanced back down at the dead eye-beast, only now noticing hints of noses, small hands, and protruding teeth where they would be otherwise useless.

    “You didn’t…”

    “You think I care what becomes of common folk? I once sat on the imperial council! These caverns ill-suit someone of my breed, but I’ll fix things up soon enough. Once my fortress is complete, I’ll claim this territory for my new dynasty.”

    “You really think Nicholas is going to sit back and let you take Boccovian soil?”

    “It’ll be years before these lands are reclaimed. In the meantime, it’s every man for himself. I have nothing to fear from a mage hunter. I’ve dispatched several already. You’ll just be another body on the pile.”

    His words struck me as strange. Just me? Surely he could see Hideaux as well from his vantage point. I glanced over my shoulder for a moment, realizing his body was gone. At this, Orthyx called out.

    “What are you looking at? Tell me!”

    I smiled. “Just admiring the scenery.”

    “You think this is a game?! I should-” And that’s when a wine bottle smashed against the back of Orthyx’s head. A bloody, haggard Hideaux suddenly appeared behind the wizard, watching him fall unconscious.

    “Crazy bastard. That’s what you get for flapping your jaws.”

    “Hideaux!” Despite my injuries, I ran to the old man and nearly picked him up in a bear hug, but he shoved me away.

    “Hey! That hurts! We can save the happy tidings for after we get this loon in shackles.” Hideaux crouched down, pulling out a pair of enchanted manacles from his travel pack. They were made especially for the business of mage hunting by Guild enchanters. The cold iron metal sapped the ether from the wearer’s body, rendering even the greatest of mages powerless. With the shackles on Orthyx, he was nothing more than an old man. “There we go. Now to the matter of…” Hideaux paused, wincing. “… Patching things up.”

    “But how did you get the drop on Orthyx? Even I didn’t notice you sneak up on him.” At this, Hideaux smiled, pulling out two empty vials. “Two? I thought you only bought one potion.”

    “Who said I only bought one?”

    Hearing those words, I burst out laughing. For a moment, I forgot about the pain in my body. After that, I spent the next several minutes using healing magic and bandage wraps, doing what I could to seal Hideaux’s wounds and get him ready for the travel that was ahead of us. He complained the whole time, even saying I should heal myself as well, but I ignored him. I was just happy he made it out. When things were settled, we both stood back up. Hideaux tried squeezing his weapon hand, but doing so made him grit his teeth in agony.

    “Agh! My hand!”

    “Take it easy! You took a bolt straight through it. It’s a miracle you can move the fingers at all,” I said.

    “But if I can’t use this hand, what will I do?”

    I shook my head. “There’s no way to know for sure. Just take it easy. Time will heal the rest of your wounds.”

    I tried to reassure him, but I didn’t actually know. The best we could do was seek out a better healer on the return trip (which would cost a hefty share of the bounty), but even then, it might be too late. Hideaux would likely never hold a blade ever again.

    While Hideaux retrieved his belongings from the remains of Ilva, I decided to go through the second stone door. It was already open from when Orthyx had snuck out. Bright lights shined from within the cavern. I approached the entrance and stepped inside.

    The cavern had been decorated with all the trappings a former noble would want. A luxurious bed, a finely woven carpet, a wardrobe, work desk, and similar things. That wasn’t the only thing I found, however. Past the bedroom was a passageway to another room. A stairway led to the place where the eye-beast had been made, which included arcane circles, blood-stained tools, and the remains of men hanging from meat hooks. I took the bodies down and piled them up, burning them in the hopes that their spirits could finally move on to the afterlife.

    “What are you doing up there?” shouted Hideaux from below. I looked through the hole the eye-beast had made.

    “I’ll tell you later! Just give me a moment!”

    Putting that grizzly business behind me, I made my way back down the stairs. I hadn’t noticed before, but there was a hole on the wall opposite the stairs just big enough for a person to fit through. It was oval in shape, with its inner rims unnaturally smooth. The sight of it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, but curiosity overtook fear.

    I summoned a ball of light as I traveled through the tunnel. It led to a small cavern that the wizard must have visited, as different parts of the walls were covered in special scrolls. Protective scrolls, at that. The magic scrolls hung across several odd protrusions throughout the cavern. While it beggared belief, I say these words true. These things… They looked like limbs. Stony limbs, but limbs nonetheless. Were they another of Orthyx’s experiments? I had no idea. That’s when I felt something brush against my leg. I looked down. It was a hand-shaped rock coming out of the ground. I… Must have forgotten it was there and brushed against it. And yet, I was certain I had stepped into a clearing in the chamber.

    As I turned to leave the strange cavern, I stopped. Many times before I had felt the sensation of eyes upon me. In the past, these were mostly from beasts of the wild. Birds in flight. Natural things. Yet as I stopped at that cavern’s entrance, I felt something otherworldly looking at me. When I turned around, all I saw was a hole in the wall. A hole that hadn’t been there before. The ether coursing through one of my protective charms lit up.

    “What… What is this?”

    I fought with every fiber of my being to move, yet I found myself paralyzed. As I stared at the hole, I could see it growing and growing, moving towards me as if it were a mouth about to swallow me whole. The protective charm around my right hand sparked and burned. I had to get out of there, but why couldn’t I move! Why couldn’t I move?!

    “Reah!” a familiar voice called out. “What are you doing?” It was Hideaux. Control of my body returned. Only then did I notice I was grasping my ivory wolf necklace.

    “Hideaux! This cave! We have to get out of here!”

    “Well yeah, of course. How else will we get paid?”

    “No, I’m serious!” I pushed myself and him out. “There’s something wrong with that cave!”

    Hideaux tilted his head to look past me. “Looks like a normal cave to me.”

    “What?” I turned around, realizing that the hole, the hands, the limbs… They were all gone. All I saw were the protective scrolls barely hanging onto the rock, their edges burned. I covered my mouth with my hand, shaken. “No… I swear I saw something in there!”

    “Are you okay, Reah? You might be more worn out than I am. What did you see?”

    I glanced around, unsure how to answer. In the end I took a deep breath and said, “Nothing. Let’s get going.”

---

    It didn’t take long for the mage to wake up.

    While he struggled and tried to flee on multiple occasions, without his magic, Orthyx was helpless – though he still proved a stubborn bastard. Eventually I had to tie a rope around his waist and mine, binding us together. With few options left, he resigned himself to his fate.

    The trouble Orthyx caused did little to distract me from my thoughts. Though I had long left the cave behind, the things I saw and feelings I had still lingered in me like a bad stomachache. Since Hideaux didn’t see anything, I worried bringing it up while he was awake would only cause problems. I decided to wait until the second night to broach the question. Orthyx, who had been bound to a tree for the night, was pretending to sleep – as was I. When Hideaux started to snore, I got out of my bedroll and approached the mage.

    “Orthyx?” No response. “Hey! Orthyx!”

    With a groan, he said, “What is it now?”

    “When I was exploring your chambers, I found a strange room. What were you doing back there?”

    “All my rooms probably seemed strange to a country bumpkin like yourself,” he said dismissively.

    “No, that’s… I mean the cave with the oval entrance. The one with those special scrolls hanging all over the place.”

    Orthyx was quiet for a moment. “So you found that room, did you?”

    “What were you doing in there? Were you trying to summon something, or keep something under wraps?”

    “What does it matter? It’s just a cave. Nothing more, nothing less.”

    “But I saw something in that cave. And… I think you did too.”

    Orthyx looked up at me for the first time, his eyes a mixture of hatred and impatience. Yet somehow, I felt like we had an understanding.

    “You are from the far east, are you not? How much did your tribe teach you of nature and its elements?”

    “I was taught many things. We of the Crescent Valley have always been in-tune with the natural world.”

    “Given your questions, I highly doubt that. Allow me to enlighten you, savage. To be a true mage, one must have a keen understanding of the world. In its simplest terms, the world and everything in it is comprised of the five elements. Stone, water, fire, wind, and ether – the element of life. Ether can be found in everything. It’s in the air, the soil, and the very stars. It is the binding agent of this world and any other. Do you understand what this means?”

    “That everything, including the other four elements, have traces of ether in them?”

    “Yes. And if ether is the element of life-”

    “Everything else is… Alive…”

    Once more did Orthyx make that devilish grin. “Now you are beginning to understand. Not everything living is the same as you or me, but wherever ether gathers, so too does life. Remember that.”

    Orthyx refused to talk to me for the rest of the trip. I grappled with his answers the rest of the way to Mildan. My tribe always taught me that the world was alive, and I had to do everything I could to protect it. But my image of nature was beautiful and serene. Whatever I encountered in that cave felt alien and primordial. Has this world always been what it appears to be? I didn’t have an answer.

---

    Travel back to Mildan proved a difficult affair.

    After we made it to the backwater town, we explained the situation, showing the wanted poster. While the guards were ill at ease to see a wanted criminal (and a mage besides) dragged into town, they understood the purpose of the shackles well enough and arranged for a cart and horse so the prisoner could be transferred. While the guards held Orthyx overnight in their jail, Hideaux and I relaxed at the Mudpie. As soon as we sat down, the bartender passed us two mugs of chilled wine.

    “Here you go,” he said. “You both look like you need it.”

    “Are you sure we can have this?” I asked.

    “It’s fine,” said Hideaux. “I started a tab,” he grinned.

    “Word has already gotten around about that Orthyx,” said the bartender. “Nasty business, but just knowing the source of those disappearances is dealt with takes a great weight off my shoulders. You know…” The bartender paused, staring at the ground. “There was someone dear to me who disappeared a few months back. I tried to find her, but I had no luck. After everyone went hush, I didn’t know who to trust anymore. It’s good to know there’s still some justice in this world.”

    “Cheers to that!” said Hideaux, taking a swig from the cup in his good hand.

    After that, the bartender treated us to free dinner, as well as access to rooms with baths. As the evening came to a close, Hideaux turned to me and said, “Tell it to me straight. Do you think my hand will get better?” I hesitated for a moment.

    “We’ll have to go out of our way to find a good healer. It’ll be expensive, too.” Hearing this, Hideaux took a long swig of his drink and sighed.

    “Damn. Come all the way out here, get attacked in the streets, chased out of town, nearly die in a cave, and all for what? To get enough money to fix the injuries I got doing the job? Maybe my wife was right. It might be time to hang up the axe before I get myself killed.” Hideaux set his mug down, holding his hand in pain. “Either way, I should get this looked at. I’ll be useless at home with only one hand.”

    “Don’t worry. I’ll help with the bill. And even if we can’t get it fixed, I’m sure there will be plenty of ways you can help out back home.”

    “True, yes, but nothing quite as glamorous as the life of an adventurer,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ll be helping organize books in a church somewhere or pulling weeds one hand at a time in someone’s garden for the rest of my life.”

    “But you’ll have more time with your family.”

    Hideaux looked up at the ceiling for a moment, a tear in his eye. “Yeah… That I will. Maybe my new life won’t be so bad after all.”

    “That’s the spirit!” I gave him a pat on the back.

    A smile returned to the man’s face, and soon we made for our rooms. Just as Hideaux disappeared behind his door, he turned to me and said, “In the future, I hope you’ll have time to visit this old fool every now and again.”

    “Of course,” I said. “Who else am I going to share all my stories with?”

    With the door closed and locked, I took a bath, sprinkling healing herbs into the water to help ease the pain across my skin. Though the water proved warm and soothing, my mind wandered back to that scene in the cave. Just what happened in that place? Why did it seem as if the very rock was trying to swallow me up? Was it simply the visions of a strained mind and body, or did Orthyx speak true?

    I opened the shutters of the window next to the bath, glancing outside. The moon shined brightly up above, its white light painting the town and distant fields in shimmering silver. As I looked at the grass and soil beyond the town’s walls, I couldn’t help but think about my father.

    “You always looked so haggard… How much of the world have you seen that was never meant to be seen?”

[justasimp1]

Five Hargreeves x F! Reader

Angst, Jealousy, **requested: "You should do more five ones :)" @boisboysboisboys

Platter

There was no way this could be happening right now. The world could be fucking ending at your dressed like this- so promiscuous, dazzling, and entrancing... Five couldn't contain himself, he fixed his posture, taking a gulp of the harsh liquor.

He didn't like you, he couldn't like you even though his heart pounded everytime you came into view and he even thought about living in the apocalypse ruins only with you.

He was practically an old man trapped in an young body, he wasn't emotional stable neither available. Five swore you deserved better, someone who could caress your smooth skin, kiss you goodnight, and tell you how beautiful you were everyday.

Five would do all of those things till the day he dies but it just couldn't be him. He pushed your flirty comments away, ignoring your presence when you hang out with the family.

You assumed he didn't like you...at all. You even tried changing up your advances, seeing if there was a sliver of chance he could see you the way you saw him. You felt head over heel, the book type of romance, or the late at night crying love.

You decided maybe Five wasn't the one but you never lost your burning feelings for him. Attending this party, the commission was holding, with Clint was an example of you trying to shove your feelings away.

You bit your tongue, eyes seraching for an escape. "So how about after this-" "I should go get a drink, I'm a little parched" You chuckled, pulling your wrist from his grasp. "Okay" Clint nodded, his eyebrows furrowed.

You quickly walked, trying to wrap your head around some sort of emotion you might have for the male. "A Blue Lagoon please" You spoke to the bartender, not noticing Five walking beside you.

"Another one" Five muttered, his eyes trained on you. Your ears perked to the sound of his voice, your stomach cringed at the proximity. "You enjoying the party?" You reached for your cocktail.

"Eh not really my style" He smoothed out his shirt, watching you intensely as you sucked on the blue liquid. "However you seem to be enjoying this...with Clint" Five added the last part with a strong amount of venom.

You would start banter about he seemed jealous but you refrained from it. "Yeah I am. He's...unique" You tried faking a smile. To be honest, all you could imagine while being with Clint was Five, every physical trait shifting into a version of Five's.

"Huh.." Five hummed, intrigued. He has studied Clint before, average looks, average fighting, average grades, good dental records (maybe a cavity or two when he was young). Clint definitely didn't deserve to be with you who excelled at everything.

"What" You smiled, looking at his concentrated face on Clint. "He's doesn't seem like your type" "Whats my type?" "Someone who can fulfill your needs properly" Five eyes narrowed, turning back to you.

"Someone like you" You quirked, nudging his arm. Five froze for a moment, eyes locking deeply with you. "Anyone but me" His mouth moved slowly. You shook your head, squeezing the lemon slice into your drink.

You glanced at him through your eye lashes, furrowing your eye brows. "Five Hargreeves. You're everything I need" You snickered, brushing your fingers against his skin. "Don't" Five hissed but he allowed his arm to rest on the counter.

"I'm not right for you" His eyes squeezed shut. "No one seems to be" You sighed, eyes flickering to Clint who obviously found another attraction. Five clicked his tongue, bringing your gaze to him.

"Someone who deserves you will come, that's a fact" Five placed down his whiskey. He didn't mean the shitty hookups or deceiving boyfriends. A part of him even wanted to talk about himself but he knew you were made for something way better than a crippling 60 year old in a teenager's body.

You pinched your temple, blinking furiously at the burning feeling nudging your eyes. "Yeah whatever" You scoffed, setting down your drink. His eyes flickered to ground as you walked away.

A gut twisting feeling pulling at his intestines.

Masterlist

[chil2de]

𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐈𝐂𝐄 — zhongli.

💌: “professor!zhongli getting angry that you chose his best student:albedo instead of him to tutor you??”

a/n: all u zhongli fuckers come get ur juice. albedo stans are welcome with open arms, too.

tags: afab reader, love triangle: albedo!reader!zhongli, prof!zhongli (obviously), use of ‘sir’, spanking, unprotected sex, pet names ‘love, darling, dear’, sub/dom, possessive zhongli, semi-public sex / voyeurism, zhongli’s kinda lowkey mean, dacryphilia, size kinks, degradation: ‘whore’, thigh riding

c.w: student/professor relationship

w.c: 3.5k

There seems to be some sort of nondescript tension whenever you’re around professor Zhongli. Usually you’d simply shrug the ordeal off, claiming it’s just a jittery university experience. Touches that, although feathery and lightweight, had an underlying message towards them. Zhongli’s strong hand would lean the back of your chair if you ever heeded his aid. He’d lean in beside you, glancing at your laptop screen as his brunette locks fell to ornate the slim space between you two. His shoulders would hover against yours, fuelling that kindling desire in your very being. He’d make the effort to give you small shoulder pats or ‘accidentally’ ghost his fingertips against your spine— revering in the way you would lean into his touch, constantly battling the urge for more and more.

It isn’t particularly unheard of to hear about students dating professors, more or less them hooking up with one. And yet? Zhongli finds it extremely commendable. The way you try to act as though the thought hasn’t crossed your mind, like your thighs don’t ache and squeeze whenever he gives you as much as a simple, small smile from across the lecture hall. He holds you in high regard because it’s so fascinating to him the way your mind works, and why you won’t just give into your animalistic desires.

If Zhongli were to really think about it, though, he’s uncertain as to why he hasn’t told you about how pretty you’d look bent over his desk.

And, of course, your academic prowess. Right. That’s another reason he holds you in high regard.

Though you might not be his best student, it’s convenient to note that your ‘high dedication’ translates over into your works.

So therefore, cold sweat will never fail to be your personal reminder towards an untimely doom every time you think about disappointing professor Zhongli. He may do his absolute best in maintaining his monotone, stony exterior whenever he passes you back a paper that wasn’t up to par. But you can always, always hear it in his voice. The gentle, sugar coated reassurance and yet there’s that twinge of venom in his tone. It’s because Zhongli knows what you’re capable of. And why wouldn’t he? You are one of his students, and he knows exactly what your writing styles like. It’s not like you to get such a.. mediocre grade.

“Professor Zhongli I—“ You clear your throat after mustering your courage to speak about this affair with him in the first place. He glances up from his stack of papers that cake his desk in a disarray, pools of warm honey orbs watching you intently.

“Are you alright?” He inquires, noting the lack of confidence in your posture and overall demeanour.

You swallow the lump in your throat, mentally psyching yourself until ultimately you decide to back down.

“Nothing. I—Um. Thanks for teaching us today. I’ll see you tomorrow, sir?” You sputter, tearing your gaze away from him almost immediately.

Zhongli can only sit there, astounded. He blinks once, twice. Then thrice. He still does not get it.

Thanks for teaching us today? Well, it’s not like he’s forced to be here. This is his job, after all.

“Are you having difficulties understanding the current assignment?” Zhongli quips, and a prolonged groan draws out of you. You’ve successfully managed to draw out his investigative zone, something that he particularly excels at as a teacher.

“No, sir. I understand the current assignment very well, thank you.” You squeak, causing Zhongli to perk a brow at your idiosyncrasies. He clears his throat, ignoring the pathetic way your breath just deflated like helium hissing out of a balloon.

“Would you like me to tutor you?” He inquires, briefly glancing up at you as his wrist continues to scrawl against paper. You’re almost certain that he can hear your heart pound when he instigates the proposal. His amber gaze flickers to your lips, even if very briefly, before meeting your gaze again.

You would love absolutely nothing more than for Zhongli to bend you over his desk, but you don’t think you could withstand being privately tutored by him. He tends to.. drone on. A lot.

“Huh. Well. A—“ You begin thoughtlessly, mindless garbage spilling out of you before you can even think twice.

“A?” Zhongli reiterates, drawing out the syllable in hopes of getting you to speak up.

“Albedo! Yeah. Albedo’s tutoring me today.” You gasp, playing off your demeanour suavely by acting as though you just recollected your plans to meet up with him. It’s crafty and intelligent, Zhongli thinks. Might have worked on the average human, but it'll never work on him. Besides, he was nothing short of the CEO of menaces during his younger years.

“Albedo’s tutoring you?” Zhongli repeats, slowly. This is the first time he’s actively set his pen down against his desk, slightly turning in his chair to fully face you and by Lord does he look intimidating.

“Yes? Is uh, something the matter?”

Zhongli’s expression remains impartial for the most part, but you can see it in his eyes. Like he’s about to make a remark, except he doesn’t.

“Not at all. A fine decision, may I add. He does consistently excel in his work, unlike others.” Zhongli states blankly, an underlying leer evident in his tone. You know he just took a stab at your inconsistent grades, and you can’t do much but gawk at him with astonishment.

“I wish you the best of luck in your studies. Hopefully I’ll be able to see the fruits of Albedo’s labour in your next essay.”

You take this as your cue to leave, mentally cursing yourself and profanities threaten to spill out from between your lips.

You may have just exceptionally outdone yourself today, butchering any and all chances of finally getting to sleep with Zhongli.

It’s obvious that this fact comes to torment you mentally from the way Albedo can discern your sour attitude from half a mile away when you approach him at the library. It’s the only place he’d ever be, since it’s too cold outside for Albedo to prop his canvas up on the quad.

“You look..terrible.” Albedo muses, a small grin perking his lips. You roll your eyes, huffing and puffing at him like a benevolent child before dragging out a seat to sit beside him. Albedo makes quick work of his surroundings, bunching up his thick textbooks and stacks of organised paper to accommodate you beside him.

“You and Professor Zhongli are both god awful at managing your workspaces. Looks like a crime scene, minus the blood.”

“It’s an organised mess. To you, it may look ‘godawful’.” Albedo borrows your phrasing, knitting his brows in slight distaste at your demeanour.

“Though to me? I can find what I need. I know that for a fact”— Albedo slurs in thought, slender hand reaching out as he combs through the stacks of white sheets.

—“‘Source Analysis: Economic Downfalls of Teyvat is right here. Page six, to be precise.” Albedo pulls out the singular sheet of paper, casting the page at an angle so that you can see the bold ‘6’ that adorns the bottom right corner. His features are at an impasse, but the small smirk that threatens to don him as well as the slight falter in his tone leads you to think otherwise.

Usually, you’d offer him a witty remark or something of the sorts. Albedo’s very perceptive.

Especially when it comes to you.

So when you murmur a meek ‘whatever’ whilst slouching back in your seat, you instantly become the crux of his concerns.

“I figured as much by your expression that you wouldn’t want to talk about whatever happened just now. So…” Albedo begins, albeit meekly.

“So?” You glare up at him, snapping back an answer that was a little bit too harsh. If Albedo were to take it personally, he hid any telltales with extreme ease.

“So.. Ahem. I can hold you, if you want. Physical touch is reassuring, or so I’ve been told. I might not be able to solve your problems, though I guess I could aid in helping you forget.”

Albedo doesn’t tend to open up to people very often, much less offer them help in such a comforting way. He can be.. awkward, at the best of times. You can feel the tingle of guilt pang in your gut because for a split second, it crosses your mind.

You wish that Zhongli were the one giving you support. You wish it were his hard, sturdy thighs that would cage you in and protect you all the same.

You ground your thoughts immediately before Albedo can discern your hesitation, deciding to climb on top of him and settle yourself onto his lap instead of dragging the male elsewhere just to cuddle with him. Albedo, in the process, lifts his hands in the air— somehow protecting your privacy but invading it simultaneously when his hands wrap to settle on your waist.

“Is this okay?” Albedo inquires, glancing up to watch for your features. You nod quietly, opting to wrap your limbs around him; resting your jaw onto his left shoulder.

Albedo’s surprisingly.. warm. You can feel the warmth radiate off of him, as though he may be competing with Teyvat’s largest star and source of energy. When you inhale deeply, there’s a discernible scent that makes Albedo.. well. Albedo. It’s the faint hints of chalk, assumedly from the amount of hours and dedication he’s put into the art department.

You feel Albedo gently tap his dominant hand on your waist, signalling that he’s going to move it. He’s not sure where to put it and he hesitates for a hot second, internal panic slowly freezing his veins. One thing that he does know, though? Is that you probably shouldn’t be so close to him, limbs wrapped around his mid and with the way you press your tits against his torso.

It’s ironic, with the way Albedo’s labelled a genius but he can’t discern if you’re doing this on purpose or not. He instead lets his hand fall to his lap, forgetting that you’re sitting on him completely.

Before Albedo can snatch his palm away from your thigh, you halt him there.

“Don’t worry. You said physical touch is reassuring, right? So by all means.” You hum, voice dulled by the structure of Albedo’s shoulder.

Albedo murmurs something else, but you don't hear it. Zhongli continues to plague your thoughts.

You wonder how his agile hands work, if they can bend and dip excellently. You’ve caught yourself staring at how Zhongli’s pretty and long fingertips curl around the pen he’s always nursing, wondering one too many times if he could prod and curl them into the spongy crevice inside your pussy that you always struggle to reach. You wonder if his moans are low, almost animalistic with a growl, or if they’re more pitchy— whiny, desperate even. You wonder how his cock feels, the sheer size and—

“What are you doing?” Albedo panics, eyelids blown and his pupils dilate. His voice comes out as a murmur, if even. The question sounds like it was reserved for himself.

It takes you a few moments to realise your predicament, for you to notice that you’d started subconsciously rutting your clothed clit against Albedo’s thigh. His face is flushed, lips slightly agape and he can only gift you an expression of perplexion.

“Sitting.” You lie straight through your teeth and Albedo can only scoff.

“Seriously? That’s the first thing you can say in response?”

You wouldn’t have the courage to confess that you were fantasising about Zhongli, either way.

Albedo’s slender digits slowly stalk the way up your thigh. He grabs the soft muscle there, kneading into it to memorise your composition by touch.

Zhongli is an addicting daydream, a man who often occupies your thoughts, but Albedo may really just be the answer to some of your problems. Like a gush of cold wind on a scorching hot day.

“Why’d you stop?” Albedo inquires, genuinely intrigued. If the library wasn’t stuffy enough, you can physically feel the temperature kick up a few notches when his torso fully clicks against yours. His heartbeat, uncharacteristically jackhammering, gives way to how he’s really feeling despite the monotonous exterior. That, and the twitch of his cock underneath you respectively.

There’s something so intoxicating about Albedo that persists you to chase him.

You don’t give Albedo the answer he was anticipating. Instead, you silence the blond with a hot, wet kiss to the side of his neck. A small whimper oozes out of Albedo’s throat as he rolls his hips, grinding his clothed dick against your clit. Another gasp and a stutter rip from him when your teeth come into contact with his soft skin.

“We should—uh. I mean. Find somewhere a little more private.” Albedo gasps, breath hitching in his throat as he bites down another moan.

As though to challenge that idea, there’s an audible knock from a nearby bookshelf that sends cold fear coursing through both your veins.

“Did I interrupt something, perhaps?” Zhongli inquires, eyebrows cocked and you can feel the amusal oozing off of him.

You part your lips to say something, except nothing comes out.

You do not know where to begin.

“A moment of your time. Whenever you’re finished, of course.” Zhongli glances at you head-on, innuendo thickly lacing the air and Albedo can feel his secondhand embarrassment kicking into overdrive.

“Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room, shall we? On the basis that you’re not going to waste my time, of course.” Zhongli hums pleasantly, closing the door to his office behind him.

The door doesn’t lock.

“I’m sorry— Professor Zhongli, I—“

“—Not now, darling. You may save your baseless apologies for later when I’m through with you.”

“So? Please. Do explain to me. What on Earth were you doing back there?” Zhongli presses you, crossing his arms over as he leans himself back against his desk. You swallow thickly, jaw locking and you refuse to meet his gaze.

Zhongli sighs out of pure vexation. His slender digits clasp your chin, tilting your head upwards. You roll your eyes forward, matching his pools of honey.

“Speak up. I’m waiting.”

“Isn’t that obvious?” You murmur dejectedly, tip of your ears blazing hot.

“Was that your idea of tutoring? Nevermind the fact that you were foolish enough to deny my help.”

“If I didn’t know any better, it’s almost as though you wanted to get caught. The university library? My. You really are something.” Zhongli muses, warm exhale panning the expanse of your features. You could feel the room gasp if you tried to, inanimate objects withdrawing their breath and you could run a knife through the atmosphere.

Your case isn’t justified when your gaze subconsciously flickers to Zhongli’s soft lips, to which his brows cock in amusement in return.

Zhongli abruptly pulls away from you with a mean scoff, hand recoiling as though he’d just touched a sizzling hot pan. The brunette stalks around to his chair, strides long and dauntingly elegant.

He pats his lap with his left hand, signaling for you to come over.

It is downright pitiful how fast you clamber over to Zhongli, so much so that the notion earns a small chuckle from the male.

“Eager, aren’t you? Though I’m not sure what you’re doing— trying to settle yourself onto my lap like that.” Zhongli murmurs, manhandling you with ease until you’re laid over his thighs, ass slightly perking in the air. You attempt to scramble to free yourself from the demeaning situation, except the brunette only pins you into place with a strong hold to your smaller back.

“Zhongli! I— What are you—“ You squeal, rubbing your thighs together nonetheless. Zhongli hushes you with a small coo.

“Isn’t that obvious? I believe it’s crystal clear that students who misbehave should.. bear the consequences of their actions.” He borrows your earlier phrasing, twisting the sentence to once again embarrass you for the poor attempt of an excuse you tried to gift the man.

Zhongli’s padded fingertips draw over the surface of your warm, soft thighs. He loops his digits into the band of your thigh high socks, knuckles drawing into your warm skin. The touch makes you shiver, even more so when he pulls back the fabric before allowing it to snap against your skin. You yelp with a small jolt at the unexpected pain, stifling a moan.

“By the looks of it, however—“

Zhongli’s warm palm connects with the plush curve of your ass. The echo of a resounding smack! vibrates off the walls, leaving your eyebrows knitting as tears threaten to paint your vision.

“—You wanted exactly this, did you not?”

“N-no! I swear— I-smack!— Ow!” ‘Liar’. You can feel the implication waving off of Zhongli, feel the way a small smile creeps onto his lips. You’re horrific at lying, he thinks. The bittersweet concoction of pain and pleasure rolls through your body from head to toe, the earlier remnants of where Zhongli previously smacked your ass continue to leave you breathless.

“Zhongli!” You mewl, clawing at his arm rest with fervour.

“I believe that—smack!— it should be ‘Sir’ to you, should it not?” Zhongli hums, a dark and somewhat sinister chuckle resounds from deep within Zhongli’s chest.

You attempt to whine out a meek apology in response, pitchy tone instead interrupted when Zhongli’s palm connects with the soft plush of your ass again. Your teeth grit, eyes rolling into the back of your head and your thighs twitch in anticipation. There’s no way he can’t not feel how you’re writhing under his touch, right?

A fat tear globs out of your duct, streaming down the side of your face. At the sight, Zhongli knits his brows and a small groan escapes from him. You can feel his cock pulse underneath you.

“Crying already, my dear? We’re just getting started.” He murmurs with false reassurance, slender digits smooth over your sore and burning hot ass as though to comfort the skin there; like Zhongli’s nursing your skin back to proper condition.

Your mind is far too hazy to register or even begin to partially remember at what moment in time Zhongli flipped you onto your stomach, making you lay flat against his ice cold Cuihua desk.

The thing that comes first nature to you are your begs, the way you keen and absolutely plead for Zhongli to just fuck you. You want to feel an ounce of decency, try to cover yourself up or even try to resist, but it’s futile.

Zhongli humours himself for a few moments, watching the way you arch and attempt to grind your ass against his clothed cock, the cute mewls that escape from you when a string of half-assed pleas roll from your plush lips effortlessly.

You’re so broken for Zhongli, ruined and delirious and he hasn’t even fucked you yet.

The brunette’s digits ghost underneath your flimsy little skirt, hiking up the fabric but never taking it off.

You hear his belt unbuckle, cool metal clashing against metal and the way the leather peels. You can feel the way your throat constricts, heart running hundreds or even thousands a minute because you need him. Need Zhongli’s fat cock inside you.

Zhongli only kneels down behind you, spreading your ass apart with his thumbs before diving in to lick a long, wet stripe with his hot tongue.

“Wasn’t aware that you’d be such a whore.” Zhongli murmurs between your thighs, obscure squelches ring throughout the air with how he’s fucking slurping and teasing your clit as though he’s starved. Like you’re his last meal.

“Wh— Ah!— Why?” You sob, gritting your teeth and mounds of frustration bubble up from within you. Your veins light ablaze, blood singeing hot as a wave of utter desperation clashes over you.

“I’m sure I made myself quite clear when I stated that you deserve to bear the consequences of your actions.”

“And besides—“ Zhongli detaches himself from your puffy lips with a loud smack, drool and your slick ornating his chin. He straightens himself, grabbing you by the locks of your hair to bring you backwards until your spine just about clicks against his torso.

“—This wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t a fucking fool, denying my help of all people.” He snaps, tone dripping with venom in your ear.

“Albedo can’t help you.”

From the other side of the door, Albedo can most definitely attest to his heart rate skipping multiple beats. There’s no doubt about it.

His free hand flies to his mouth as he attempts to calm his erratic breathing, dominant palm curled around his angry, leaking cock.

A broken moan stutters out of you, jaw falling slack and you keen when Zhongli finally, finally decides to ease the tip of his cock into your cunt. You can’t stop yourself from crying out Zhongli’s name in pitchy symphonies, sobbing and gripping the edges of his desk at how his thick cock stretches you out to the hilt.

Zhongli’s well aware that Albedo’s memorising every little noise you make, how he’s gonna stroke himself to the thought of this day for probably the rest of his life.

And so, Zhongli abruptly pulls out of you.

He pins your back up against the door, holding you up like you weigh nothing as you sink back down onto his cock with a loud slam.

Might as well put on a show, right?

CHIL2DE 2021.

reblog or i WILL punch you.

[duskamethyst]

broken reverie.

a/n: he’s not wearing glasses in this one.

word count: 3.9k

genre: smut, nsfw, college AU

warnings: taboo rs, slapping, spanking, choking, face fucking, brat taming (kind of), slight degradation, creampie, age gap (nanami reaching 40)

pairing: professor!nanami x f!reader

summary: professor nanami calls you to his office to ‘talk’ about your terrible performance in his class.

maybe you went too far.

or else you wouldn’t have ended up in his office. 

but is this the outcome you coveted? yes.

the door creaks behind you before it closes again as you sit and wait in front of the big wooden desk. you were kind of excited when he told you to come and see him at his office earlier but now you’re having a whirlwind of emotions making your stomach churn and you don’t dare to look around to face him– even though he’s going to be sitting in front of you in a moment.

his shoes clack against the floor as he strides and sits on his chair. the air in the room feels dense when the male doesn’t say anything; as if you’re not in his presence to begin with.

he looks exasperated. a long, deep breath is emitted through his nostrils as he loosens up his tie from the collar. you only gawk at him in awe as he does so, but quickly snap out when he finally shifts his gaze at you. 

“so, are you going to tell me what’s going on?” he finally breaks the silence. the deep, husky tone of his voice fills your ear and you hope he doesn’t notice your thighs press against each other almost immediately.

“tell you.. what?” you mentally slap yourself. you’re clearly aware of what he’s insinuating but you’re suddenly lost for words. there’s a huge difference between seeing him in class and being alone together with him. it’s even more nerve wrecking than you imagined and oh god, is his ac broken? because it suddenly feels hot.

nanami raises a brow, evidently unamused. “i had the courtesy to make time for you when i should be having brunch now so i don’t appreciate you playing coy.” 

you gulp audibly, “i’m sorry, sir.”

“if it’s not clear to you yet, i’m talking about your grades.” he opens the drawer under his desk and pulls out a pile of paper before slamming it in front of you. you blink in surprise and flip through the pages, though you know you don’t need to see it when you already know what lies on them. there are a lot of red circles on the papers, namely yours, with huge unpleasant numbers on the corner ranging from 12% to 25%. 

then he takes out another file which you realize as your student record throughout your semester and the subjects you currently take. 

“i find it odd that you scored well for your other courses.” he skims through the pages. “you certainly didn’t cheat, i can tell.”

“no, of course not.”

“then, what’s the problem here?” his tired eyes bore into you as he waits for you to answer or come up with whatever excuse.

“well, i–” 

“you’re doing it on purpose.” he snaps.

it’s as if time comes to a stop. your cheeks heat up with humiliation and you can’t bring yourself to continue to look at him in the eyes. although you’re aware that your silence means compliance, you’re still jumbling up words in your head to deny his assumption. 

“are you going to tell me i’m wrong?” 

“yes– i-i mean–” you stammer.

“then enlighten me.” he glances at the branded watch donned on his left wrist. “we have time.”

you shake your head, “i have another class soon.”

“skip it.” he quickly retorts. “i’m sure you have no problems with that. your grades are doing well for that one, but certainly not mine.”

sweat starts to form on your palms as you look down on your thighs, purposely avoiding his eyes that hold nothing but so much intensity. you’re weighing between two options; to keep on bluffing or come clean. you don’t think that nanami would let you get off the hook if you keep on lying and you’d definitely be bombarded with more questions, yet the outcome of the latter would be so embarrassing and you don’t know if you can live it down for the rest of the semester.

you’ve fantasized about being alone with him but.. not particularly this way. 

gathering courage and taking a deep breath, you decide it’s best to just tell him the truth.

“you’re right,” you feel your ears burning, hands clammy. “i purposely failed your class.”

lifting up your head, you see the male grinning lopsidedly in his seat. maybe he’s pleased that you’re not wasting his time anymore, you’re not sure, he’s not easy to read.

“wasn’t that easy?” he folds his arms in front of his chest. “i have my own speculation but i wanna hear why you did it.”

“um,” you look down to your hands again, also half wondering what kind of bold assumption he has in mind. “i was dared by my friend.”

“wrong,” he scoffs. “and look at me while you’re talking.”

you sigh defeatedly and nervously fix your gaze. if you’ve learned one thing now, it’s that your professor doesn’t have tolerance for bullshit and he knows one when he hears one.

“i-i did it for.. attention.” 

“my attention?” he emphasizes, maintaining his stoic persona to mask his amusement of finding out that his speculation turns out to be indeed true.

you purse your lips in a thin line, nodding your head quietly. nanami remains to stare at you as he ponders in silence. you can hear your heart beating rapidly in your ears and you want to break eye contact so badly but you’re certain it wouldn’t be wise. 

“all that, just for a crumb of my attention?” he spits with a hint of venom in his voice. “are you happy with what you did?”

well, you’ve imagined him punishing you on his desk, fuck you raw or spank you with his belt until your ass turns red– not some serious interrogation.

“no, sir.” 

nanami props his elbows on the table, hands clasped under his chin to keep his head up. the air around him becomes even more threatening but it somehow manages you to feel even more aroused, making your toes curl in your shoes. you definitely need to get out soon.

“you know, if i have even one student failing my class, i could get into trouble and be questioned for my performance.” he starts. “to have you doing that for your own selfish incentive is unacceptable, don’t you think?”

“i’m sorry.” you mumble with meek.

“besides that, you might have to retake this course again for your next semester and it’ll waste your time– or..?”

you stay silent to let him continue.

“or you were intending to be in my class again so you can see me?” 

“y-yes.” you bashfully admit after one silent moment, knowing that lying will take you nowhere. “i’m sorry, sir.”

nanami chuckles, finding your naivety to be rather entertaining. never has he ever met a student like you, outwardly expressing their interest in him by failing their paper. he’s not too sure what you’re trying to get out of him but maybe he can put one and one together. it’s pretty common that younger women have an attraction to older men like him and your classmates are.. well, not exactly the best looking either. 

“are you?” he smirks cynically. “do you have any idea how many students i have to monitor? how tiring my job can be?”

“yes. it was inconsiderate of me. i’m sor–”

“show me.” nanami cuts you off and leans back on his chair. maybe he can push you a little bit, he thinks. you owe him this anyway.

you blink, perplexed. “what?”

“you kept saying sorry.” he undoes two of the buttons on his blue dress shirt and spreads his legs apart. “talk is cheap. show me.” 

you do a double take as he taps his thigh and waits for you to come over. you have the faintest idea of what he’s implying but your body freezes and your brain short-circuits as if paralyzed.

“you chose to lie again? you’re not really sorry, are you?” 

“no, no! that’s not it. i just..” 

an ongoing battle takes place in your mind– sure that this is a part of your deepest, darkest fantasy yet you’re just baffled over how quick nanami catches on to it. now that your debaucherous dream has become a vivid reality, you don’t know which is the right step to take. 

“but if not now, when?” a soft voice in your head whispers. if desire could embody a voice, you think this is it. gentle, yet seductive as if it attempts to give you a push to pluck and have a taste of the forbidden fruit. 

“how much longer do you have to touch yourself to the thoughts of your professor before you go to bed?”

“although this could be a one time thing, at least you’d know how it feels like.” 

you slowly get up from your seat and make your way towards him. nanami’s eyes trail up at you, down to the floor then back up at you; gesturing you to get on your knees.

you settle between his thick thighs and look up at him timidly through your lashes before you bring your hands to undo his belt.

“no hands.” he quickly demands. 

you lick your lips as you figure the structure of the belt and how you’re going to take it off without the aid of your hands. the taste of cold metal and leather instantly invades your palate as you feebly use your teeth to tug the front loop of his belt. your head shifts awkwardly side to side until you finally get to catch the buckle between your teeth, pulling it hard before the belt soon unfastens.

nanami only observes you indifferently from above, yet the large tent in front of you doesn’t conceal the excitement he currently possesses. 

you take a deep breath before you continue on succeeding your quest. you twist your neck as you find and tug on the fabric loop that holds the button.

“i know you’re a smart girl.” he praises as he rests his hand on top of your head while you struggle to lift up the zipper with your tongue and grasp it between your teeth. the simple praise inflates your confidence and you become more eager to complete your task so you can claim your awaiting prize.

with valiantness, you finally lock eyes with him as you pull down his zipper completely to reveal the huge bulge pressing against the fabric of his briefs and the tip slightly poking out from the top. 

“hm? you still have to take it out, no?” he smirks as he notices you gape at the outline of his cock. 

you quickly pull yourself together and lean back up to the stretchy band on his waist. he hisses when he feels your tongue purposely graze against the flushed tip before you pull down the briefs by force to reveal the one thing you’ve been desiring for so long. 

you press your thighs together as a dull ache forms in your core from the sight of his thick cock standing proudly in front of you. it’s nothing like you’ve ever imagined– it’s better and you’ve finally found it worth going through all that trouble of failing his class (and using your mouth to take off his pants).

“this is what you want, isn’t it?” he sneers, titling up your chin with his fingers, brushing your lips with his thumb and pulling the bottom lip apart so he can see a row of teeth.

“y-yes, sir.” you gulp and breathe as you wait for his next command. 

nanami’s lips tug into a conceited smirk, “suck.” 

leaning down your head to the base, you flatten your tongue underneath the shaft and slowly drag upwards in favor of reveling the veins on his hard cock. nanami lets out a sigh of content when he feels your tongue licking his tip and his hand tugs on your locks by reflex. you look at him as you wrap your lips around the tip, slobbering the tip with your saliva and his precum.

“fuck.” he curses under his breath and his head falls back when the warmth of your mouth finally engulfs his throbbing cock as you take most of the length inside your mouth.

you hollow your cheeks together, head bobbing up and down as you struggle to take more of his cock that you nearly choke whenever the tip hits the back of your throat, but the hand on top of your head grabs a fistful of your hair and he pushes your head down to sink all his length inside your mouth deeper. when you want to pull away, he only holds you in place and remains his cock down your throat. 

“through your nose.” he mutters. tears start to well in your eyes while your saliva just trickles down to his balls as he screws his eyes shut and relishes in the pleasure that washes throughout his body. “i needed this so bad, you know?” 

your whines only give him more stimulation and his hips jerk in response, “just wouldn’t think that a student– fuck– out of all people would choke on my dick.” he lets out a sardonic chuckle as if something just crossed his mind. “it’s wrong, but that’s what makes it feel so good, isn’t it?” 

nanami keeps you in the position as he ruts his hips slowly into your throat. his eyes are closed in concentration and his lips part slightly in fast and short pants. you work on your gag reflex as you let him fuck your mouth, enduring the sharp sting on your scalp when he tugs your hair harder– at least you know you’re making him feel good.

“if i cum in your mouth, you’d gladly swallow, won’t you?” 

you can feel his cock twitching when you let out a choke of assent from your throat but you splutter as soon as nanami abruptly pulls away his cock because of a sudden knock on the door that startles the both of you.

“get under the desk.” he urges and you quickly crawl to hide while he coughs and inches closer to his desk. “come in.”

you hear the door open followed by echoes of footsteps before it comes to a halt in front of his desk.

“didn’t i tell you to contact me before seeing me?” his voice is laced with irritation yet collected as he speaks. you can imagine the agitated look on his face, thinking it would be only natural for anyone to assume that he’s already having a bad day. and to them, interrupting the peak of his orgasm is most definitely not it. 

without a second thought, you take back his dick inside your mouth. a spur of triumph swells in your chest when you feel his body jolts in surprise. you think it’s only fair since he has choked you with his cock and what perfect timing to carry out your petty vengeance when the man is busy advising his student. 

however, nanami shifts on his seat to give you more access to take more length of his cock. he tries to stay composed as he feels your tongue gliding up and down his shaft but once the wet muscle prods against the slit, he emits an oddly sharp exhale. you can hear him almost stammering as he speaks and the way his tone changes to conceal the squelching sounds you elicit from underneath the table as you please his cock with zeal.

“so, i want you to fix the mistake and hmm..,” his hands ball into fists on the table as he takes a deep breath. “show me in class tomorrow.”

“sure. uh, are you okay, sir?” you hear the voice say. “you don’t look well.”

his eye twitches when your tongue wraps around his balls, taking one inside your mouth to suck harshly.

“yeah, fine.” he clears his throat. “thanks for asking.”

nanami only watches as his student turns to walk towards the door until the door closes behind him. once he’s sure that the student has left the door, he finally leans back on his chair in relief. 

“fuck.” he groans, glancing down at you as you look up at him innocently with doe eyes and your swollen lips wrapped prettily around his balls. yet, he looks dissatisfied more than anything. 

nanami grabs your arm and drags you out from under his desk until you’re on your feet, “i never took you as a fucking brat.” he lifts up your skirt and bites back a groan once he sees the damp patch on your panties. “did you touch yourself?”

you hum a ‘mhm’, feigning guiltlessness as he grazes his fingers on your inner thighs. 

“you’re just asking for me to touch you here, hm?” shivers run up your spine when his thumb ghosts over your wet slit and up to your clit.

“y-yes.” your breath hitches.

“begging for me to push your head on the table and ram my cock inside you?” he muses, pressing on your clit as he watches you squirm. “is that what you want?”

“please–” you roll your hips slightly to soothe the ache on his thumb but a hand comes down harshly on your ass, gesturing for you to stop in a fierce manner.

nanami chuckles mockingly, “well, that’s what exactly you’re not going to get.”

a whine elicits from your lips when he draws back his hands to his thighs and you glance at his dick; still throbbing and leaking precum from the florid tip. well, at least he hasn’t put it back inside his pants, so you still have a chance.

“come on. you haven’t shown me how much you’re sorry.”

with your inhibitions already flew out of the window, you stand in between his thighs, hoist the skirt to your waist and tug your panties to the side before squatting down to smear your slick on his dick. sparks of arousal swim through you as you grind your clit on the tip before you sink down, gasping as his thick cock stretches your cunt and down until you’re filled to the brim.

you glance at the male expectantly, waiting for him to move but he raises a questioning brow at you, “if you want something, work for it.”

not exactly what you sought for, but it should suffice. you begin to gyrate your hips slowly, adjusting to his size before you can pick up the pace. you fight the urge to hold onto him for leverage, in fear he wouldn’t appreciate the crumple on his expensive dress shirt later.

as you become more delirious, you start to hump his cock vigorously, whining like a bitch in heat as you feel every vein and ridges on his cock brushing deliciously against your walls. nanami lifts the hem of your shirt and brings it up to your mouth and you quickly catch it between your teeth. 

“the door isn’t locked, you know.” he muses, staring at your bouncing tits with half lidded eyes; mesmerized and thick with lust. “what’s going to happen if someone comes in and sees you bouncing on her professor’s cock like a little whore?”

a low, guttural sound rips from his throat when he feels your walls clenching around him in response.

“you’d like that, don’t you?” he smirks, tugging your bra down slightly and brushes his thumb against the erected nipple, making you mewl through the fabric in your mouth.

“you know you’re not supposed to do this but,” he brings up his thumb to caress your cheek. “you’re just so eager to please me, aren’t you?”

you sniffle in response, hands clutching on his solid thighs as you melt into his soft gaze before it’s gone in an instant.

“but i don’t like brats.” he sneers, drawing his hand away to slap your breast. “i don’t like people making my job harder. are you a brat?”

you shake your head, he slaps again.

“you act like one. stop lying.”

nanami tugs down the shirt from your mouth, a part of the fabric already drenched with your drool. his large hand circles around your throat while the other grips your hip firmly to roll your hip even faster on his dick. 

“oh– feels good–!” you moan wantonly, eyes rolling back as you let him control your body and assert his dominance over you.

“fuck it does.” he presses your throat tighter on the sides, restricting air from entering your lungs but your walls squeeze harder in retaliation. 

“bratty little bitch. clamping down on me like that.” he grits out and slaps across your face. what seems to be a rather harsh form of treatment, the pleasure filled sting and the lack of oxygen only fuel your arousal that you don’t even notice the way you hump on his cock has become more rapturous.

“getting off to this?” nanami slaps your other cheek before he lets go of his grip around your neck and you’re finally able to breathe air again. yet, he doesn’t spare you time to gather yourself before he promptly lifts up your hips and starts to pound inside your cunt relentlessly. 

the position causes you to tip to the front and you immediately hold on to him; face burying on the crook of his neck while his cologne fills your senses and sends you into a state of frenzy. 

“you like me using your tight cunt like that?” nanami grabs your ass for leverage, the angle allows him to fuck you so deep that you’re able to feel his cockhead kissing your cervix with each thrust. 

“y-yes–!” you cry, the pressure in your stomach building up as you inch closer to an orgasm.

“like it when i use you to take out my frustrations?” he spanks the meaty flesh; walls clenching tighter on his fat cock and more slick dripping down his balls. “you just want to be my little cocksleeve, don’t you?”

“yesyesyes– please–!” your body starts to tremble above him. “w-wanna cum–”

“then fucking cum.” nanami rams into your cunny faster, abusing the spongy walls until the pressure snaps and tips you over the edge. you moan breathlessly into his neck, while your pussy gushes and creams around his cock. 

“that’s a good girl,” he fucks you through your high, grunting and panting as he pushes through the pulsing walls in order to chase his high. “and good girls get rewarded, right?”

you hum in agreement, still dazed and swimming in ecstasy as you gawk at him with heavy lidded eyes; the sweat glistening his forehead and sharp eyes focusing on where your bodies join. 

“then you’re gonna get some huge load in this pretty pussy.” his pace begins to stutter, nails digging deeper into your skin before his cock twitches and his hips freeze as he paints your insides white with cum.

both exhausted bodies rest against each other, chests heaving as you and nanami take time to regain composure and come down from your highs. he lifts you up slightly to take out his spent cock and he tugs back your panties in place, not minding the cum that dribbles from your quivering hole. 

your legs tremble once you get off of him that you have to force yourself to find your footing as you fix your skirt while the older male pulls back his pants in place. 

“do your best for your next papers, no more of that bullshit.” he fastens his buttons and straightens his tie before raising his hands to brush against his sleek, light brown hair that’s mixed with a few strands of grey. “but if you have any problems, just come and see me in my office.”

nanami falls quiet for a brief second to contemplate and you straighten your back when you once again meet his icy gaze, “after hours.”

enjoyed this piece? wanna buy me coffee? :)

duskamethyst © 2020 • do not modify, translate or repost anywhere.

[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.

[kunimikat]

How they act after you break up with them.

(I made sure to check but there might be small grammar errors, and this is a long one so strap in 🙇, but hope you enjoy angst+fluff here) but not me actually feeling bad for them after-

Is more out of it then usual.

The reason you broke up with him is because you felt like it wasn’t a real relationship. And more like you sometimes got to talk during class, and sometimes out of school.

He writes in his a separate notebook of ways he could’ve done better

Starts comparing himself to other guys more often

Leaves earlier then everyone else to got to dorms.

Mumbles even more then usual, and sometimes the only person that can snap him out of it is Aizawa.

Sometimes takes it out on his friends

“Hey Deku!-“

“Not right now Uraraka.”

“Oi, Deku nerd, the-“

“Can you not right now Kacchan?”

“HAAH?-“

“Midoryia! Would you like to study?”

“Maybe later Iida...”

Todoroki offered him soba but it resulted in Midoriya slowly slurping up soba as he looked into the void of people

He shut everyone one out and didn’t talk barely most of the week.

He’d take out a lot of his anger during training.

It somehow finally clicks into place how bad you feel and how much you miss him when All Might pull you aside and asks. “Uhhh...Is Young Midoriya ok? I’m getting real worried....ITS NOT LIKE I DONT WORRY ABOUT MY OTHER STUDENTS HAHAHA! HOW’S-

There’s 15 minutes of your life awkwardly telling All Might how all your classmates are doing.

Which made you want to jump off the top of UA at the moment.

You decide to head to his dorm and ask him about it, cause you feel like it’s your fault.

You walk in on him crying, clutching the shirt you bought for him on his birthday.

You almost dropped to your knees in guilt at the sight

You rushed over and sat by him, comforting him, though it wasn’t much as you started crying too.

Basically a crying festival for an hour.

“Please....Please Y/N I love you so much, I promise I’ll make it work, and I’ll do my best to make it up to you, just please...PLEASE don’t leave me.” You kiss him on the lips and then his hand, “Babe it’s not all on you, I promise I’ll do better this time too, I’m so sorry for being selfish, I love you, ok?” Another crying fest.

After you start dating again:

Always makes sure you’re comfortable, and checks into your dorm before he starts a study session.

Helps you with your work before his. ( Though you insist he doesn’t as he’s gotten points off multiple times for turning in his work late.)

Goes on dates every time you have some free space in your schedules. Somehow ends up in an All Might merch shop 80% of the time.

!!CUDDLE SESSIONS AFTER HERO TRAINING AT ALL TIMES!! Even in Recovery Girl’s office, though many times she bops you both on the head and tells you to get out.

(If you both like All Might) You both geek out over new All Might stuff, and his old interviews while wearing an All Might onesies.

(If you like a different hero) You could spend hours bickering on who’s best hero, pulling up recordings and articles on the. With you holding your favorite hero plushie and him wearing All Might pajamas.

And waking up early just to take a long route to school together.

Makes sure to say ‘I love you’ at every small moment, and compliments you, though he can’t take compliments himself-

If it’s a permanent breakup:

“I...I understand, but why?”

Tears well up in his eyes and he for once he keeps eye contact with you, without looking away

It takes everything in you to not breakdown

“I’m sorry Izuku, I just don’t think it’ll work out in the end.” He grabs your hand and holds it both of his. He puts it to his forehead, nearly on his knees at this point. You try not to cry with him, but you knew it wasn’t going to end up a happily ever after in the end. And you wanted to break it off before that could happen.

“Izuku, I know, I know, I’m so sorry, I wish it couldn’t end like this-“

“Then don’t let it. Please Y/N don’t let this end.”

You eyes welled up as you put a hand over your mouth while repeating ‘I’m sorry, so sorry Izuku’. You looked away from him as you slipped your hand out of his, you close your eyes painfully, the tears finally running down your face. You couldn’t help but look back one more time, and almost wanted to run to where he was and take it all back. He sat on his knees, his head in his hands as painful sobs wracked his body. You quickly leave the room, shutting the door behind you.

You both were pretty quiet and emotionless the whole week.

Midoriya was even worse then before,

It got to the point where sometimes he didn’t eat or sleep

He barely responded to anything anyone said

Hell, even Bakugo was worried at some point

Midoriya would always go back to his dorm and cuddle with the gifts you gave him while you were dating.

It took a long time for him to get over it, and even when he thought it did, he still gets emotional over it

Even after highschool it pains him to see your off doing your own thing without you at his side the whole time

Quieter then usual

Is so deep in thought, sometimes forgets he’s in class or what he’s doing

During tests, or while working on assignments he’d be so deep in thought he didn’t realize he broke his pencil, or used his quirk on his desk

Instead of having his usual outburst on people he’d just walk off, or click his tounge and walk off

Even during Hero Lessons he’d be less calculated, and not as pumped up

When anyone tried to ask he’d just say “Fuck off, I’m fine.”

His grades slightly dropped

He had bags under his eyes, and had even worse posture then usual

When it came time to leave, he’d be the first one out, and no one could find out where he’d go

A permanent frown was on his face at all times (basically him most of time but with a deeper frown)

No one knew what to do at this point

It didn’t click with you until one day during Hero Lessons

He was sparring with Kirishima and all of a sudden he fainted

Everyone was surprised to say the most

You rushed with Kirishima to Recover Girls office

You both almost busted the door off it’s hinges

She wacked you both on the head but quickly tended to Bakugo, surprising you both as she checked on him

“Oh....I wouldn’t have expected this from Bakugo.” You and Kirishima had confused looks on your faces. “Well he passed out from exhaustion, which I usually see with that foolish Midoriya boy. This one usually keeps up with himself, something must’ve happened.” She cut herself off as she saw the look on your face that said it all. She beckons Kirishima to follow her out, as he still wasn’t getting what was happening.

You finally got a good look at him, and saw just how exhausted he looked. The bags under his eyes, his bruised body, and how pained he looked in his sleep. You hugged the non-bruised part of his arm, and finally let the tears you held let go. “I’m sorry Katsuki...I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner.” Before you realized he woke up, he placed his free hand on your head, rubbing small and soothing circles on your head. “S’okay, let’s make this work.” You knew you didn’t have to say anything else as you both stayed like that until Recovery Girl came in to kick you both out.

After you start dating again:

Comes to your dorm everyday to get you up knowing you’d oversleep if he didn’t (also wants to see your sleeping face...not in a weird way)

Cooks you breakfast in bed on off days,

You guys cook something together when you have a movie night

Instead of yelling most times, he just makes sure he understands your side of everything before jumping to conclusions

Makes sure he isn’t too rough with you verbally (lol not sure physically)

Brings you to his parents house during some free time since you get along with his mom and dad well

Won’t admit it but adores the fact that his parents love you

Whispers ‘I love you’ when he’s made sure your ‘sleeping’ (you’re not, you just wanna hear him say it all shy like)

You guys go on training dates, where you both train together, then have a picnic where you just trained

Him being more open with PDA, like holding your hand, or laying his head on your shoulder, etc. just small stuff

He loves playing with your hair and twisting it around his fingers while cuddling or studying

You both cheer on your favorite hero during a fight on TV, or you pick a random channel on TV and you just listen to him rant how stupid something is while you lean onto his shoulder at 2am (somehow got him to stay up this late)

If it’s a permanent breakup:

“No...no...you can’t, you can’t be serious”

He sounded so broken. His fists clutched so hard you thought his bones would pop out

Anger was evident in his face, and he honestly scared you with the face he was making

“Y/N....are you joking?” You frown and step back a little, did he really think everything you said was a joke? “No Bakugo, I just think this isnt gonna work out in the end.” You heard him click his tongue, then just look at you in shock, then anger. He looked down, his bangs covering his expression. “So you’re just gonna end it like that? No working anything out, just break up? It was one fucking mistake Y/N.”

“Yeah one big mistake, you don’t suck faces with some other person on accident, Bakugo.” The venom in your voice slicing through the tension filled air. “Can you just fucking forgive me? I won’t do it again.”

“You said that last time, Katsuki, then you go and clown off again-“

Before you could get anything else out Bakugo already had his quirk going in one hand, and the other holding your shoulder down. You both looked surprised, even as he backed away. “No..nononono fuck Y/N baby I’m sorry-” you smacked the hand that reached out for you. You started packing everything, Bakugo’s eyes widened as he just stood in shock. Before he knew it you were leaving already.

“N...NO NO Y/N PLEASE, I’M SORRY-“ he grabbed you by the arm that reached for the door knob. You quickly shrugged him out of his grasp, and opened the door. “Goodbye Bakugo, I hope well for the next person with you.” And you slammed it in his face. He stood there, it’s like the emotions he felt before were completely wiped when you slammed the door on him. It was 8:03pm, he should start getting ready for bed anyway.

For a few weeks he was unresponsive, and only talked when he needed to

His movements were sluggish and he’d often stare at nothing

Bakugo didn’t even glare, or really do anything when Midoriya tried talking him

Or shittyhair, dunce face, raccoon eyes, or soy sauce face

They were all the same, and just molded into one voice every time someone tried talking to him

After a while he got over it, but he still regrets what he did

You helped him through so much yet he went off and did stupid shit

Even after highschool, he’d still keep up on you frequently through social media

Basically stalking you on there, guessing he never truly got over it once he felt tears subconsciously stream down his face as he saw you with someone else, happier.

He felt like he didn’t do anything wrong, and he was confused at the throb in his heart every time you looked away from him or ignored him.

So he did ask you, and all you did was look at him like he just hit you.

Why did you look so hurt?

Todoroki shrugged it off, thinking you’d come back like you did after every fight you guys had

But you didn’t, and that’s what took an actual toll on him

More emotional

A permanent frown on his pretty features most of the time

All he mostly eats is soba

He didn’t know how to handle this in all honesty

Sometimes he’d just stare at you, and even when you looked back he’d just stare...

Sometimes he’s so out of it he doesn’t realize he’s either froze the entire classroom or was a living breathing radiator, or both (rip Momo, Satou, and Tokoyami)

He’d ask Midoryia for help but it came out as a fumbled mess most of the time:

“Midoryia...how do you hurt....them, a lot...without...? Can you help?

Midoryia is just like:

(Sorry I had to add that in I was cackling sm from it)

“I think you should just talk to them Todoroki.”

That was harder to do then he expected, you mangaged to avoid him pretty well,

One day he was just fed up and as soon as the bell rang he took your hand and left the class

He takes you to an empty classroom, his left side nearly giving you frostbite

You were about to yell at him before you saw his broken expression

“What...what did I do for it to be like this?” You we’re now quiet as you saw the confused and hurt expression on his face. Him barely being able to control either of his quirks, he was shaking, yet still held a confused expression. It just clicked with you, Todoroki wasn’t used to the sudden emotions or feelings, and when one of the people he’d usually go to to talk about it wasn’t there, he started to crumble.

You hugged him tightly , not caring if his quirks messed up your uniform. “I’m sorry Y/N....I’m sorry I’m not enough, but-“ You cover his mouth as tears fell from your eyes and onto the ground or his uniform. “I- I-I’m so sorry Todo...it’s just you never gave me affection and I was being so selfish and petty about it, I just- I didn’t realize that you went through your own experience for it to turn out like this. It’s not your fault, and I love you the way you are Shoto.” Todoroki didn’t even notice the tears come down his face as you kissed him over and over again. A small ‘I’m sorry’ from you every time. His quirks calmed down and now you were holding each other in a random classroom. You’re heart nearly stopped as you looked up at him and saw a small, teary eyed smile.

After you start Dating again:

Todoroki was much more observant

He’d stay up late readings articles saying “How to understand emotions” or “Is there other good food then Cold Soba” wait-

Regularly gets you gifts, even though most of the time you make him return the stuff since he’s been getting so much with his dads card

Endeavor ended up yelling at you both in a 7/11 while you were stuffing your faces with a soba flavored chips

You both figured out a way to get Todoroki to express himself without words

He’d slightly activate his left side if he wanted any sort of attention, and his right side was if he was feeling stressed or upset

He subconsciously goes to your dorm now to check up on you to make sure you’ve had a glass of water, dinner or anything really (He just wanted a reason to go to your dorm)

You played with his hair once, and he’s never going back

When cuddling he’d lay his head in the crook of your neck, hoping to feel you playing with his hair

You push him to start taking therapy sessions to understand what emotions he’s feeling and how to express them

Takes you in your free time to an empty field just to hear you talk, and learn more about you

And he’d always wake up early and made sure to get a few snacks for you before you woke up and brought them to your dorm room (Last time he tried to cook he almost burned the kitchen down)

Overall Todoroki just loves giving you small head pats now, you don’t know where it came from but you didn’t complain

Poor bby stuttered so hard the first time he said ‘I love you’ you giggled

Ended up making him feel embarrassed and like he did something wrong, but you quickly kissed him/praised him

He can’t stop saying it now, one time you picked up his pencil, before you could hand it to him just a sudden “I love you Y/N” the entire class looked at you both in shock

“STOP SUCKING FACES OVER THERE!”

“SHUT UP BAKUGO”

“HAAAH?”

Todoroki is the happiest he’s been.

If it’s a permanent breakup:

“Over? What do you mean we’re over?”

You felt so horrible by the the pure confusion on his face

But the rude things he said to you, over powering your want to get back with him

Lately Todoroki has been more protective, and rude. Insulting everything you do, belittling you slightly. It just added up and you were tired of it

Todoroki tilted his head to the side, deep in thought.

“Y/N your being on the dumber side again, are you hanging out with them too much?” You were taken aback by how nonchalantly he insulted you and your friends. “Excuse me? Todoroki did I hear you right?” You stepped foward leaning your head toward him. “Of course you can, or did Bakugo’s yelling make you not hear so well?” The fact he said it with no emotion, or nothing to it was making you clench your fist. “The hell has gotten into you Todoroki?” You shove his shoulder a bit. He frowned at you heavily making you flinch. “Well if you didn’t go and ignore me most of this week maybe I wouldn’t be like this. I usually hold my tongue but you’ve been rude this entire week.”

You stood there speechless. “Well Ex-fucking-cuse me Shoto. Maybe if you didn’t insult me all the damn time I wouldn’t ignore you, or wait for an decent apology.”

You drag out the last words as you glared at him, Todoroki giving one back. ���I’m only telling the truth so you don’t look dumb. I’m helping you out Y/N, I thought you’d understand.” You scoff in utter shock, you couldn’t help the sudden urge to slap some sense into him. Now he stood speechless, the force in that slap causing his hair to look messy, and a red mark on his cheek. Tears were in your eyes as you clenched your fist, biting your lip from cussing him out on the spot. “Your lucky I don’t beat your sorry ass, just...just the the fuck out Todoroki!” You pushed him toward the door. He looked at you with no emotion in his face as he saw you start to bawl your eyes out. “Just...just get the hell out Todoroki, it’s over, we’re over.” He felt a pang in his heart, but choose to ignore it and just left.

It only actually came to him during the night as he was about to walk to your dorm after a nightmare, when he realized the entire conversation

He tried knocking on your door but you didn’t answer, even though he could hear your music

He went back to his dorm, sat on his bed and just had a full mental breakdown

Realizing his main emotional support that helped him through mostly everything was gone

He felt he said stuff his father said to you already which made it even worse

He tried texting and calling you but you had him blocked on everything

He repeated the entire conversation in his head, just now coming to how disgusting he really did sound

Todoroki for that whole week was an emotional wreck

During hero training if he was thinking about you or what he did he doesn’t notice poor Satou trying to get out of his wall of Ice.

Is always with Midoryia at some given time,

He kind of clinged onto people in his circle that gave him attention of some sort

When he some time passed he eventually got over it

After Highschool you both kept in touch, but it pained him when he saw you engaged and happy with another person

But he was happy if you were happy.

Heyyy so this is probably the longest thing I’ve written since like my last Wattpad fanfics I used to do(yikes). But hope you enjoy, and don’t be afraid to request! I’m taking them now so go wild.

Sorry that they were all confusing it’s my first hcs+scenario thingy, but I have a few other things in the works so... 💃🕺