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galadrieljones · 3 months

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What Happened to Beth's Sweater? (TD)

I decided to write this post in response to a recent post I saw in the Team Delusional tag by @rose-andthe-thorn. You can read it here. The post wonders whether any more research has been done on the subject of the flash, and so, even as this is quite an OG discussion for TD, I want to go over the basics of the flash, as I see it, plus some new trajectories on the topic, and a great deal of symbolism, which have been explored semi-recently.

Context: Though it's been quite a long time, a lot of ppl have essentially used the flash to try and understand what happened to Beth after Grady. It seems to show her running for her life amidst a flurry of walkers, wearing her yellow polo, with a great deal of blood on her right arm. It looks as if she might have something wrapped around her arm, as the blood seems to stop abruptly, in a straight line, just above the elbow, and below the sleeve. Whatever this is, it seems drenched with blood, but it's really hard to tell what's going on. Lots and lots of ppl have written about this way before I came along, and so I'll leave some links that the end of this post for some foundational perspectives on the issue. Ultimately, we think the flash is just a snippet of what might have happened to Beth, at some point, during the Missing 17 Days, or the time period between "Coda" and "What Happened and What's Going on," which we never see.

Where is Beth's sweater?: One really important aspect of the flash that has been discussed in detail recently is the fact that, in the flash, Beth is without her sweater. I've written recently about Beth's sweater, and its relationship to Wizard of Oz symbolism surrounding her characterization. You can find that here.

Re: the flash. There's been some semi-recent discussion of Beth's "sweaterless" disposition, ie: the fact that Beth also doesn't have her sweater on in Rick's hallucination in 9.4.

This is weird, as it suggests that Rick must somehow know that Beth was wearing a short-sleeved yellow polo under the sweater that he saw her get shot in. Beth's sweater is a contentious piece in "Coda." She is not wearing it in the hospital room when we see her tuck the scissors into her cast before the confrontation; however, she is wearing it during the confrontation.

This tension shows up again, via a popularly circulated picture of what is *apparently* some behind-the-scenes footage from "Coda." In some of these pictures, Beth is wearing her sweater, while in some, she's not. These pictures are odd, as many have noted that Beth doesn't have an entry wound prosthetic on her forehead, along with some other potent observations. But what I want to focus on here, is the fact that, without her sweater, in this very nicely posed hug with Lauren Cohan, we can see exactly what is hidden BENEATH Beth's sweater when she gets shot, something that we can't *really* see that well in the episode: a cross.

Why hide this? But then show it later? Well, probably because, at the time, they didn't want it to be too obvious that Beth was a Christ figure. That's something they would have wanted us to figure out over time, and out of order. What fun is a puzzle if you get the pieces all at once, and pre-organized for your convenience?

Re: the yellow polo. It's almost as if they would like us to remember *exactly* what Beth was wearing beneath her sweater, and to use it as a way of spotting or defining her character immediately. Remember, that while lots of us have watched and rewatched these episodes like a dozen times or more, and we've come to associate it as a defining feature of Beth, back in 2014, it would have been MONTHS since the GA would have seen Beth in her yellow polo, and before "Coda," in season 5, she is seen exclusively in hospital scrubs. "Coda" was aired on November 30, 2014. The last time the audience would have seen Beth in her yellow polo all by itself, without the sweater, would have been on March 2nd, 2014, in "Still."

Assuming that, while writing and filming "What Comes After," Scott Gimple didn't just "forget" what Beth was wearing the last time we saw her in "Coda" (highly unlikely lol), her missing sweater in Rick's hallucination suggests one of two possibilities:

1. The last time Rick saw Beth, it was without her sweater. This would be odd, considering the fact that she was wearing her sweater during the shooting in "Coda." This seems to suggest that Team Family took it off of her at some point, which is possible. Perhaps it was too bloodied up, so they took it off before they set off to bury her? This, of course, doesn't explain the appearance of blood all over Beth's arm in Rick's hallucination, just the absence of the sweater. So here's another possibility:

2. The other possibility is that Daryl told Rick what Beth was wearing under her sweater. Why would he do this? Most TDers believe that after Grady, the group was ambushed by a large horde of walkers while moving to bury Beth at a white church. They had to stash Beth's body, likely in the backseat or trunk of a car, in order to escape, with plans to go back later to get her. When they went back, she was gone. The group would have then assumed she'd turned and stumbled away and conducted a thorough search of the area. If they found her sweater, at any point during the search, then Daryl would tell the group what Beth was wearing under the sweater so they could more easily spot her: a yellow, short-sleeved polo. Hence, Rick's knowledge.

Beth's sweater being lost or *missing*, as a theory and in Rick's hallucination, is consistent with what we see in the flash: Beth, without her sweater, on the run. In fact, the very notion of Beth taking off her sweater to reveal the yellow polo underneath is foreshadowed directly in "Still," when Daryl covers her in blood spatter after beating a walker to death with a golf club. Beth, having just put on a new white cardigan, takes it off quickly when he does this, as if she is embarrassed. It's almost like they want us, very clearly, to remember her this way, ie: the way she's dressed at the moonshine shack during this very intense and emotional scene with Daryl.

It also seems as if they want us to understand that Beth, as she likes to dress in light colors, is sensitive to being covered in blood. One can imagine that her sweater was probably covered in quite a lot of blood after she was shot in the head. I'll come back to this, ie: what might have happened to Beth after Grady.

But for now, back to "What Comes After." Just like in the flash, Beth is shown in Rick's hallucination with blood all over her right arm.

Coincidence? Lol. Many ppl have pointed out that this is greatly bizarre. Even though Beth was shot in the head, there's no blood shown in her hair, or on her shirt in Rick's hallucination, just a bunch all over her right arm, which is also absent her cast. We obviously have no explanation for why there would be blood splattered on her upper arm like that, or why her cast is missing. Is it possible a walker bit her cast off? And that they found it, as well as the sweater? I don't know! It's headcanon from here.

There IS an explanation, however, for why there's no blood on her shirt in Rick's memory. She was wearing her sweater when she got shot, which would have absorbed most of it. But then why isn't she wearing the sweater in the memory? This is the magic question. I doubt it was to spare the audience the appearance of blood and guts. We've seen much, much worse over the years.

In any case, despite the fact that we have no idea why there would be blood all over Beth's arm, or what actually happened to Beth's sweater (or her cast), we now have two different visual examples which suggest that, at some point after being shot, Beth hurt her right arm and had to remove her sweater.

Theories for what happened: I have speculated that when TF found Beth's sweater, either one sleeve was missing or terribly bloodied, which would explain the picture Rick's subconscious conjured, with blood all over Beth's right arm, as well as the bloody appearance of Beth's right arm in the flash. Along with @twdmusicboxmystery and @wdway, we've come up with all sorts of scenarios which could result in this, ie: the sleeve was snagged on something in the car during her escape (or removal) and had to be cut off. Or it was cut off to staunch the bleeding on her arm. She may have been shot, cut, or bitten. We believe Beth may have some immunity to Wildfire, based on the cure theory, which holds that Edwards was conducting cure research at Grady, using radiation therapy to help patients survive the virus and to develop antibodies (similar to what happens to Alicia in Fear, who is bitten on the wrist and survives the fever).

Christ symbolism: I've also drawn a possible connection between Beth's sweater and the mythical Shroud of Turin, which is mythologized as the shroud that Christ was buried in, in his resurrection tomb. In the Gospel of John, we learn that it was Mary Magdalene who first discovered that the tomb was empty, and that Christ wasn't there, though there were linens left behind:

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

There are a couple versions of the language used, in different Biblical accounts, but each holds that the door to the tomb was essentially open, ie: the "stone was rolled away" or "the stone had been removed." Christ was gone, but linens remained.

After her discovery, Mary Magdalene "stood outside the tomb crying" (John 20:11). This imagery, as well as the chaos which seemed to have ensued after the discovery of Christ's empty tomb, feels consistent with what we *feel* happened, and what we see only in flashes in the opening sequence of "What Happened and What's Going On."

We can see Daryl running here, toward the car, but he's not holding Beth. What happened to her? Where did she go?

The following shot, in particularly, of Maggie crying outside the open car door, also greatly conjures popular imagery of Christ's empty tomb, and Mary Magdalene crying outside the open door, with the "stone rolled away."

You can see how, despite the fact that it's all circumstantial, we have managed to piece together a rough puzzle of what might have happened that day: Beth's body was preserved in a tomb (the trunk or backseat of a car). When Mary Magdalene (Daryl and/or Maggie) went to check on Jesus's (Beth's) body on the third day, Jesus (Beth) was gone, and only the shroud (Beth's sweater) remained.

It's also widely speculated that Beth might, at some point, have visited Terminus while tracking Daryl and found his poncho, a garment which has specific ties to Daryl and Maggie.

This is obviously pure speculation, but it would be a quaint parallel to Daryl finding her sweater during his search. Something else to consider from season 4 is that Mary from Terminus wore her own sweater which featured a prominent chevron pattern.

Beth's sweater also has a very prominent chevron pattern, as well as a herringbone stitch, which is chevron-shaped.

There is also a reminder of "Mary" in the opening sequence of "Coda," in which Father Gabriel finds a Bible near the spot where Bob's leg was amputated by the Termites. The Bible belongs to a "Mary B."

Also, if you look closely at the watercolor landscape of the house featured in the beginning of WHAWGO, you can see that the first name of the painter seems to be "Mary Frances." This is quite a few Marys for it to be "coincidence." Three to be exact. Remember that at the crucifixion of Christ in the Bible, there were three Marys.

Several years ago, @wdway drew a connection between the chevron pattern and the imagery of the Holy Grail, which is heavily featured in the Dan Brown novel The DaVinci Code. *Not* coincidentally, Scott Gimple used to write for the TV spin-off to the franchise called "DaVinci's Demons" and has claimed inspiration from the books in the past. We have paid close attention too to The DaVinci Code as it takes place largely in Paris, with many great revelations taking place in the Louvre, what we know to be an upcoming setting for Daryl Dixon season 2. @frangipanilove has also done an excellent series on Daryl as a Mary Magdalene figure, with symbolic ties to The DaVinci Code. Everyone should read it!!

Back to the sweater and the Missing 17 Days: A lot of ppl also believe that it may have been Morgan who found Beth, alive, and brought her back to Grady. Though we have no real evidence for this at all, the speculation comes from the fact that Morgan shows up in the coda to "Coda," that he seems to have been tracking Rick and his people, and he seemingly knows something we don't, re: his wise yet inexplicable laughter, while praying at the altar at the end, which seems to come as the result of an epiphany (Christ has risen again?)

Morgan (or, of course, whoever found Beth) may have removed her sweater if she was burning a fever, or again, if the sleeve was caught on something, and he was in a hurry to get her out of there. The sweater may have also been removed to staunch the bleeding from a head wound.

Tyreese being bitten on the arm and having his arm amputated in WHAWGO could also be commentary on what happened to Beth and/or her sweater. In Tyreese's hallucination, however, note that Beth IS wearing her sweater. My guess is that this is because Tyreese didn't search for Beth, and so he didn't have that information, about her short-sleeved polo. He most likely stayed behind to look after Judith and Carol, who was still badly injured from being hit by a car. It's also entirely possible that Gimple hadn't devised the exact details yet of the Missing 17 Days, though I find that hard to believe.

We might also return to the episode 5.15 "Try," in which Daryl and Aaron find a blond walker, tied to a tree, naked.

When Daryl approaches the walker to look at her face, he seems greatly distressed. The fact that the walker is naked, or missing all of her clothes, while it's most definitely commentary on Daryl's greatest fears, could also be commentary on Beth's missing sweater. If she was missing her sweater, what else could have happened? Daryl's subconscious in those weeks following Grady is a scary place to try and explore.

I also want to quickly comment on the imagery of Beth and Lizzy/Mica from Tyreese's hallucination in WHAWGO. Beth is at the helm of the hallucination, holding her guitar, or an instrument of joy. At her feet are Lizzy and Mica.

It's interesting to me that the three of them are grouped together in this vision. Though it's a bit of a stretch, it reminds me of further imagery from the Gospel of John, in which we get the story of Mary Magdalene's discovery of Christ's empty tomb. After Mary realized that Christ's body was gone, she started to cry, and she saw "two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot." The imagery of Beth and the girls, as well as Bob, "driving" Tyreese home to heaven, has always reminded me of angelic intervention.

All of this discussion, of course, hinges with the flash, which was one of TD's first and more important major bits of evidence that Beth survived the gunshot. With the revelation that Beth is missing her sweater in both the flash AND Rick's hallucination, we have new indication that Beth may have lost her sweater at some point after she was shot, a question that, despite all the speculation in the world, we still don't have an answer for. And yet, Gimple asks it. Why??

Obviously these are all just theories, or "highly informed speculation," as I like to call it lol. But it's a pretty fun bunch of theories to entertain!! To learn whether there is a shred of truth to ANY of this, of course, we'll just have to wait and see. 💫

***For more reading on the flash, check out this extremely helpful tag at @bethgreeneishopeunseen's blog and this video from @twdmusicboxmystery

#team delusional #bethyl #the walking dead #beth greene #beth is alive #beth is coming

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haven-of-dusk · 3 months

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Thoughts/theories/predictions/ideas/possible plotlines/etc. for S8

I thought I would compile these so I don't create seven or eight posts in a flurry.

Bobby/Athena: Some type of tandem storyline as part of Bobby reclaiming the 118 from Gerrard's grip where he and Athena uncover a corruption scandal in the LAFD tying to Councilwoman Ortiz, Gerrard (obviously) and others. If more plotline is needed for them after that (if it wraps up by the midseason finale for example) then I would like seeing Bobby's health issues worsen bit by bit and him struggle to be honest with the rest of the team about that. Related to that plot, perhaps have Athena learn from Harry that Michael's cancer resurfaced with a vengeance and claimed his life (it's not like we're getting Michael back on the show anytime soon considering the actor's behavior), which compiles with learning about Bobby's health and starting to worry she'll lose him too. Plus both of them spending more time with Harry.

Hen: In addition to participating in Bobby and Athena's plotline of uncovering corruption and taking down Ortiz, I'd love to see Hen become more comfortable with leadership around the 118, especially in response to Gerrard. Perhaps have something happen in the field where Hen contradicts Gerrard's orders and the rest of the team (beyond even just our main cast, the whole rest of the team) follows her orders instead of his. And subsequently when he tries to punish her, say, by trying to make her scrub the rigs by herself, he finds the entire group cleaning together, chatting, and having fun (Hen didn't ask them to help, they just did so of their own volition) Despite being enraged, Gerrard struggles to find a way to punish them since it's not like he can fire the whole house, and any punishment he tries they find a way to circumvent, with Hen leading the charge. Basically she gets to be the ringleader of the 118's internal war with Gerrard. And along the way we get more Henren home stuff and building on the connection with Mara.

Chimney: WHERE THE HELL WAS ALBERT?! I would not at all mind Chimney having an arc where he realizes he hasn't heard from Albert in a while and ends up decrypting where Albert ended up (could be as malicious or innocent as they want, anything from Albert deciding to join an Amish community temporarily while traveling the country and not having a phone while there to straight up human trafficking. Take your pic, writers). Outside of that, I want more of Chimney getting to be the Dad he never had. More of him and Jee-Yun in general. Along the way, maybe have Gerrard's treatment trigger Chimney? Situations Gerrard puts him in drag up Chimney's trauma about Kevin, something like that.

Maddie: I don't really know what I want for Maddie per se, outside of I wouldn't mind this season being her turn to not have trauma or pain. Kind of the way her brother got off easy this season. See more of her interactions with everyone, give her the occasional intense dispatch call to show off her skills, show her being happy and domestic with Chimney and Jee-Yun, all that good stuff. If we need to give her a full plotline, perhaps she could get involved if something were to happen between Buck and their parents (we'll talk about that in a sec in his section), or be a rallying point for the other plotlines whenever they need her help, or, if we wanted to go far afield from her usual stuff, perhaps have her express interest in returning to the medical field to some degree, maybe even thinking about trying to be a paramedic? Idk, I love Maddie, but I'm not certain what to do with her character at the moment outside of just letting her be happy, since she probably got the least amount of setup from S7.

Buck: What I most want from Buck, at least in the first half of the season, is to focus on how his bisexuality affects him and his mental health and let him continue to explore those emotions, perhaps with conversations with Hen, Josh, Karen, etc. As the season continues, he realizes his relationship with Tommy has...stagnated, they go on dates, they hang out occasionally, but there's just not much energy to the proceedings, so Buck thinks maybe that means it's time to propose. (This may not be going where you think it's going). So he has an episode where he goes around to Henren, Bathena, Madney, asking all of his married friends basically how they knew they wanted to get married, and while they give different, unique answers, the general takeaway is that you shouldn't feel you have to marry someone, but that you want to. That they are your forever person. And the episode ends with Buck going to look at rings...and deciding not to buy one, leaving the store looking a bit conflicted. Within a couple episodes of that, he and Tommy break up. (I would probably want it to be amicable in this scenario, to demonstrate Buck making the mature decision that he didn't have anything against Tommy, he just wasn't his forever person, but if there had to be some drama there, Tommy making a nasty comment after Buck says he wants to break up to reassure Buck's decision and leave him with no regrets. Then after that...give Buck time to realize that Tommy was, in a lot of ways, store-brand Eddie. But Buck doesn't like Eddie, right? I mean he likes him, but he doesn't like him, right? (Spoiler alert, he does)

Eddie/Chris: The first half of the season needs to be Eddie in therapy leading to Chris' return, though I would love for Chris' choice to be...borderline untethered from Eddie's plotline. Not in the way that it his absence then subsequent return has no effect on Eddie, but I think it would be good for Chris' character to have him converse with Eddie's parents, family, etc, and have him realize on his own what his father has been through and the extent to which Eddie loves him, and then the talk with Eddie is the final piece of the puzzle, not the only piece of the puzzle, if that makes sense. And I also think it's crucial that Eddie not be "cured" when Chris returns. He's still working on himself, he's still healing, but Chris is ready to be back with him and stay with him. Building on that, I think it'd be powerful for Chris to be the one to force Eddie to confront the idealized version of Shannon he's built up in his head. Even if it happens indirectly through something Chris says, it'd be powerful for them to start healing that wound together. Then once Chris is back in LA (by the second half of the season at the latest), part of Eddie's therapy arc involves him realizing piece by piece how much he's pushed the past few seasons' girlfriends away, and why, and perhaps even he runs into Ana again and finds out she has a fiancé, and they chat about finding love like that. Along the way have Eddie talk to Athena for sure, since for some reason they haven't really interacted despite her being a pretty perfect person to talk about lost loves (Bobby too, but he and Eddie have talked more than once). But all this forces Eddie to confront who he is, who he's always been, what he's been pushing down and pushing away for years, and when that arc collides with Buck realizing his feelings, the season ends with the big Buddie canonization.

I realize I went into more detail with Buck and Eddie than the others, but part of that is down to mixing their personal arcs with the 'relationship' arc which could honestly be its own section. And possibly should have been.

Every section here is compressed anyway, but part of this post's purpose is to be an organizer for my thoughts that I can add to and expand upon as more come during this hiatus (as relatively brief as it is, it will probably continue to get more and more brutal)

I can also obviously expound on something if someone wants me to...though I know that's unlikely.

#911 abc #911 season 8 speculation #bobby nash #athena grant #hen wilson #chimney han #maddie buckley #evan buck buckely #eddie diaz #christopher diaz #i really just tagged all the characters because why not #they're all important and i've seen too many posts and 'theories' as of late that forget that #especially the ones under the impression that Buck is the only main character...#back to positivity...hope this all made sense #i'm gnawing at the bars of my enclosure waiting for s8 #buddie #it's coming in s8 i swear

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abcd-em · 6 months

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20 Questions (for fanfic writers)

Tagged @fieldsofview & @seek--rest - thank you!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

112!

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

1,318,348

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Some version of Spidey almost always, though I've dabbled recently!

4. top five fics by kudos:

Everybody Talks with @seek--rest

Parallel Lines with @seek--rest

Picking up the pieces of a lego house

Learning curve

Been waiting for you

5. do you respond to comments?

Yesss

6. what is the fic your wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmmm.

Probably Giving My 5 green tiles to you?

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

The TBART series for sure.

8. do you get hate on fics?

No direct hate. I've more had some very backhanded remarks and unsolicited criticisms that have been sent my way.

9. do you write smut?

Oui. I do now innit

10. craziest crossover:

Until this weekend I hadn't written any sort of crossover before, merely AUs inspired by existing media.

So I suppose my only crossover will have to be my craziest which isn't that crazy at all as its post NWH Peter meeting a few X-Men

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware?

Please don't this isn't an invitation

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I'm aware!

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

YES!!! It is so fun!!

The idea daunted me for a time bc of self doubt innit, but it takes all the fun of screaming about your own writing and screaming about your friends writing and mashes it into one huge cacophony of screams!!

14. all time favorite ship?

Has to be petermj. They're just built different to ME

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Hmmm I've been humming and hahing about a line that separates words - I started it in a flurry while consumed with other fics and the outline SHOWS, plus it being a Christmas fic means I have to be in a certain mood which has made it very hard to return to

16. what are your writing strengths?

Getting into a characters head, building out a world from their pov.

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions. Whether it's scenery or physical character or action. The image of a scene is so clear in my head but translating that to word is difficult.

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

If it needs to be there, yeah.

19. first fandom you wrote in?

Wouldn't you like to know

20. favorite fic you've written?

AHHHH

Some version of you, right now

Tagging: @weezly14 @missamyshay @the--journeys @hollow-dweller @ambivalentmarvel @shrinkthisviolet

#em answers #my fics #hehe

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seektowrite · 10 months

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A Maze of Hearts | TMNT Fan-Fic

Chapter 3: Training Grounds

⚠️Disclaimer: In this fanfic, the brothers and (Y/n) have surpassed the age of 18 and are in their early 20s. Despite the narrative being rooted in the TMNT context, the brothers' appearances are similar to their Bayverse designs. This is not based on the Bayverse story nor like any of the other multiverses created. This is an entirely different universe with these characters. This story is mainly about (Y/n) being stuck in a 'Love Maze' with the four brothers, AKA a 'Love Triangle'. This story contains NSFW content, including but not limited to graphic depictions and discussions of death, depression, suicide, and rape. If you are sensitive to these topics, it is advised not to proceed with reading.

⚠️Insight: (Y/n) is a human with a neutral gender to ensure enjoyment for all audiences. However, in NSFW writings, there will be three distinct versions with corresponding pronouns—She/Her, He/Him, and They/Them—. Throughout the story, various prompts will be included, and here is the key:

(Y/n) = Your Name

(L/n) = Last Name

(E/c) = Eye Color

(H/c) = Hair Color

(4,279 Words) (Saturday Night, August 19th)

(Y/n) headed back to the main living area, the persistent worry about the missing brothers weighing on their mind. The unsettling silence persisted, fueling the anxiety that gnawed at them. Just as they were about to voice their concern, a sudden movement in the shadows caught their attention. Out of the darkness emerged Michelangelo, his mischievous grin barely visible in the low light. Before (Y/n) could react, Mikey sprang forward, his nunchucks whirling through the air as he initiated a playful, yet unexpected, fight. Swiftly, (Y/n) unsheathed their wakizashi, intercepting the oncoming swirl of Michelangelo's orange-clad nunchucks with practiced precision.

Amidst the flurry of strikes and blocks, Michelangelo maintained his energetic assault, nunchucks twirling with a playful finesse. Between maneuvers, he managed to squeeze in a conversation, his grin unwavering. "You're getting rusty, (Y/n)! College making you forget the ninja moves?" Mikey teased, dodging a well-aimed strike. (Y/n) parried another attack, a smirk playing on their lips. "Just because I'm not here every day doesn't mean I've lost my edge, Mikey. What's going on with you guys?" Mikey's movements didn't falter as he responded, "We thought we'd shake things up a bit, you know? Keep you on your toes!" (Y/n) chuckled, realizing Mikey's intentions. "And a surprise attack is the new ninja tactic?" Mikey winked, "Just trying to spice things up! Plus, you gotta admit, it's fun surprising the un-surprisable ninja!"

The dance of combat unfolded in the lair's living area, the clash of weaponry and the swift movements creating a dynamic spectacle. Michelangelo, with his nunchucks in hand, executed a fluid series of strikes. (Y/n), wielding their wakizashi, countered with practiced precision. In a sudden move, Mikey swept low, aiming for (Y/n)'s legs. Swiftly responding, (Y/n) lifted one leg, dodging the attack, and then delivered a forceful kick to Mikey's midsection. The impact sent him staggering backward, but Mikey, ever resilient, used the momentum to somersault gracefully, landing on his feet. The fight continued, now weaving around the furniture in the living area. Mikey utilized the agility of his nunchucks to disarm and confound (Y/n), while (Y/n) countered with acrobatic kicks and swift strikes of the wakizashi. The furniture became both an obstacle and ally in their intricate dance.

Dodging a series of strikes, Mikey leaped onto the couch, using it as a springboard to launch an aerial assault. (Y/n), however, anticipated the move and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the flurry of attacks. Amidst the pulsating energy of their fight, Michelangelo paused for a moment, his nunchucks poised. "Whoa, (Y/n)! Your ninja skills are seriously impressive. Been practicing without us, huh?" (Y/n) smirked, deflecting Mikey's compliment with a swift counter. "Well, you know what they say. I learned from the best." A raised eyebrow and a mischievous grin painted Mikey's face. "Leo?" he guessed, expecting a confirmation. (Y/n) shook their head, a knowing smile playing on their lips. "Nope, not Leo. I learned from Master Splinter." Mikey stumbled back, genuine surprise coloring his expression. "Splinter? Oh right! Yeah! You used to train with us! Well, that explains it!" The realization dawned on him, and he continued the fight with renewed enthusiasm.

In a sudden burst of energy, (Y/n) lunged forward, catching Michelangelo off guard. With a swift move, they tackled him to the ground, pinning him beneath their agile form. As they held Mikey in place, a firm yet inquisitive tone filled the room. "Okay, Mikey," (Y/n) began, "enough with the games. Where are the others?" But instead of a straightforward answer, a mischievous glint appeared in Mikey's eyes. A playful grin tugged at his lips as he quipped, "Well, well, (Y/n), didn't know you missed me this much. Trying to get up close and personal, huh?" Mikey's teasing remark was accompanied by a subtle blush, a reaction that wasn't lost on (Y/n). The pinning position suddenly took on a different tone as Mikey added a flirty twist to the banter, turning the serious questioning into a moment of lighthearted camaraderie.

Feeling the shift in the atmosphere, (Y/n) quickly moved to release the pinning hold on Michelangelo. Their expression shifted from the assertive questioning to one of bemusement. "What? No, Mikey, I just want to know where everyone is," (Y/n) clarified, an amused smile playing on their lips. Michelangelo stood to his feet, a sly grin on his face. "Lesson number one, (Y/n): never let your guard down around your enemy." His eyes flashed white, a sudden surge of energy propelling him forward. In an instant, he lunged at (Y/n), skillfully pinning them against the wall with unexpected strength. The playful banter took a sudden turn, revealing a glimpse of Michelangelo's formidable ninja skills. (Y/n) struggled within Mikey's unexpectedly strong grasp, their attempts to break free met with resistance. In the midst of their efforts, Mikey's teasing voice echoed, "Nah uh, (Y/n), I gotta teach you a lesson on what happens when you let your guard down around your enemy~"

As the tension in the room grew, and Mikey leaned in for a playful gesture, the unexpected intervention came in the form of Donatello. With precision timing, Donnie swiftly pulled Michelangelo away, saving (Y/n) from the impending close encounter. (Y/n) was caught off guard by the sudden save, their surprise evident as they stammered, "D-Donnie?" The unexpected intervention had momentarily shifted the playful atmosphere, leaving (Y/n) wondering about the dynamics at play. However, before they could delve into the situation, the lair seemed to come alive with the emergence of more figures. From the shadows, Leonardo and Raphael materialized, their presence adding to the unexpected twist. "This is supposed to be a training regimen, Mikey..." Leo's voice, tinged with annoyance, reverberated through the lair.

Raphael sided with Leo, grumbling, "Yeah, Mikey, you took it too far this time." Mikey, quick to defend himself, retorted, "Come on, guys, it was just a little friendly training exercise! No harm done." As the brothers exchanged heated words, (Y/n) couldn't help but interject, "What's going on?" Donatello, trying to diffuse the situation, stammered, "Uh... don't worry about it. Just some… training." He flashed (Y/n) a smile before turning back to the brothers. Donatello, glancing at Leonardo with an expression of uncertainty, asked, "So, uh, Leo, what's the plan now? Our 'silent ninja attack' on (Y/n) kind of got ruined by Mikey's little stunt." Leo sighed, realizing the need to redirect their energies. "Well, since the surprise is out of the bag, I guess we need to focus on our original plan. We'll discuss it later, but for now, let's get back to training."

After Leo's directive, the group reluctantly made their way to the dojo. Raphael rolled his eyes, giving Mikey a playful shove in the background. Meanwhile, (Y/n), Donnie, and Leo walked together towards the training area, leaving the minor squabble behind. As they strolled, (Y/n) couldn't help but giggle slightly, breaking the tension with a light-hearted remark, "Well, it was a good plan, Leo.” Donnie chuckled in agreement, while Leo shot a glance back at the bickering brothers. Leo nodded, a hint of approval in his expression. "It was a good plan... Let's just get to the dojo and start training." With that, the group entered the dojo and sat on their knees in front of Leo, who stood before the four.

Leo cleared his throat, his tone becoming serious. "Alright, team. We need to get back into the regiment of training. There's a potential new alien threat, and we can't afford to be unprepared." He looked at each of his brothers in turn, emphasizing the importance of the upcoming training sessions. "We'll be doing some one-on-one sparring today to sharpen our skills. And since (Y/n) has been away for a while and is human, they'll be the first to fight." Addressing (Y/n) directly, Leo added, "We need to make sure you're up to speed with the changes. No holding back, okay? We're all here to support each other and ensure we're ready for whatever comes our way."

(Y/n) nodded in agreement with Leo's words, understanding the importance of the training regimen. However, they couldn't help but voice a suggestion. "Leo, I get the need for training, but how about I spar with Mikey again? His little surprise attack was kind of unfair, and I want a fair match this time," (Y/n) suggested, a determined glint in their eyes. With (Y/n)'s request hanging in the air, the room fell silent for a moment. However, Leo eventually nodded and broke the stillness. "Fair enough. (Y/n) and Mikey, you two go first. Let's keep it clean, no surprises this time," Leo declared. A bright grin spread across Mikey's face as he eagerly responded, "Awesome! Get ready for round two, (Y/n)!" The thrill of a fair rematch sparked excitement in the orange-clad turtle, setting the stage for the first sparring session in their renewed training regimen.

Donatello, Raphael, and Leonardo all shifted to the sides of the training mat, their eyes fixed on the impending match between (Y/n) and Mikey. Leo spoke up, reminding them of the seriousness of the training session. "Remember not to hold back. During your match, you two are enemies," Leo emphasized, his gaze shifting between the combatants. (Y/n) nodded in understanding, readying themselves for the bout. Mikey, always one for a bit of humor, chimed in, "Enemies, got it. But you know, we're still friends after the match, right?" A goofy grin accompanied his comment, indicating the playful spirit he brought to the sparring session. "Sure, Mikey. We're still friends," (Y/n) replied with a small smirk. Mikey couldn't resist some pre-fight banter. "Okay, prepare yourself, (Y/n). I've been practicing my ninja skills since our last encounter." (Y/n) chuckled, rolling their eyes. "We literally fought not even five minutes ago, Mikey." Leo intervened before the banter could go on for too long. "Hajime!" he declared, signaling the start of the match.

The dojo was filled with the rhythmic sounds of training, as Mikey and (Y/n) faced each other on the mat. Mikey twirled his nunchucks with a practiced ease, the metallic swishing cutting through the air. On the other side, (Y/n) gripped their wakizashi, adopting a defensive stance, ready for Mikey's moves. Mikey initiated the attack, launching forward with a series of swift strikes. His nunchucks whirred through the air, each swing calculated and precise. (Y/n) deftly blocked the incoming strikes with the wakizashi, their movements fluid and controlled. As the dance of combat unfolded, Mikey showcased his agility, leaping and spinning in a display of acrobatic prowess. (Y/n) adapted, anticipating Mikey's movements and countering with well-timed parries. The clash of metal resonated in the dojo, creating a symphony of battle.

Mikey attempted a disarm maneuver, aiming to catch (Y/n) off guard. However, (Y/n) swiftly sidestepped and retaliated, using the flat side of the wakizashi to tap Mikey on the back, scoring a point in their friendly match. Undeterred, Mikey grinned, showcasing his infectious enthusiasm. "Nice one, (Y/n)! But don't think it'll be that easy!" The banter continued as the two engaged in a back-and-forth exchange. Mikey's nunchucks blurred with speed, creating a dynamic challenge for (Y/n) to navigate. Meanwhile, (Y/n)'s precision and technique with the wakizashi proved to be a formidable defense. Midway through their sparring match, (Y/n) couldn't help but bring up Mikey's earlier words, "I gotta teach you a lesson on what happens when you let your guard down around your enemy~." With a playful grin, they asked, "So, Mikey, what did you mean by that?" Mikey's confidence grew, and he responded with a cocky smirk, "I can show you if you like~" The playful banter continued, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the match.

However, (Y/n) saw an opportunity and seized it. In a swift and calculated move, they swept Mikey off his feet, bringing him to the ground. With the wakizashi pressed gently against Mikey's neck, (Y/n) declared victory. "Lesson learned, Mikey," (Y/n) teased, the friendly banter taking on a victorious tone. Raphael couldn't contain his laughter as (Y/n) pulled off the victorious move, putting Mikey in a compromising position. His boisterous laughter echoed through the dojo, a mixture of genuine amusement and brotherly teasing. "Nice try, Mikey! Looks like your lesson on lettin’ your guard down turned into a lesson for yourself!" Raph teased, enjoying the light-hearted moment at Mikey's expense.

Leo rose from his seat, a proud smile on his face as he approached the mat to congratulate (Y/n) on their victory. Turning to Mikey, Leo offered a firm but supportive critique. "Mikey, you let your guard down. In a real fight, that could have cost you," Leo pointed out, his tone emphasizing the importance of the lesson. "If (Y/n) wasn't your friend and truly our enemy, you would've been in serious trouble." Extending a hand, Leo helped Mikey to his feet after (Y/n) graciously stepped back. After helping Mikey up, Leo engaged in a brief conversation with him, likely offering some additional guidance on improving his combat skills. As they spoke, Leo eventually turned his attention to (Y/n) and posed a question. "(Y/n), who would you like to spar with next?" Leo inquired, giving them the choice to decide their next opponent in the ongoing training session.

(Y/n) couldn't help but question the necessity of another sparring session, a hint of confusion in their expression. "Why am I fighting again?" they asked, a bit puzzled. Leo, with a calm and focused demeanor, explained, "Because you're human, you need the extra training. We need to ensure you're at your best in case we face a real threat." His words were rooted in a genuine concern for (Y/n)'s well-being and readiness. However, (Y/n) couldn't help but feel a slight offense at the implication that their humanity made them less capable. Nevertheless, they brushed it off and decided on their next opponent, "Fine, I'll spar with Donnie next." Donatello rose from his seat, a confident smile on his face as he approached the mat. Leo and Mikey shifted to join Raph on the edge, creating a small audience for the upcoming spar. Donnie pushed up his glasses with a thoughtful expression and twirled his bo-staff with a flourish. "We haven't sparred for a while, (Y/n). I look forward to it," Donnie remarked, his eyes gleaming with a mix of anticipation and analytical curiosity. With a playful glint, he added, "Remember, no holding back, (Y/n)~."

Leo, embodying the role of Sensei, raised his hand and declared, "Hajime," signaling the start of the sparring match between (Y/n) and Donnie. The atmosphere in the dojo intensified as the two skilled ninjas prepared for their duel. Donatello twirled his bo-staff expertly, a calculated and strategic move. (Y/n), armed with their wakizashi, adopted a defensive stance, ready to counter any of Donnie's attacks. The first clash of their weapons echoed through the dojo, setting the tone for the intense match. Donnie lunged forward with a series of precise strikes, probing (Y/n)'s defenses. Their movements were agile and well-coordinated, each anticipating the other's next move. (Y/n) skillfully parried Donnie's attacks, retaliating with calculated strikes of their own. The dance of combat unfolded, the mat becoming a canvas for their intricate maneuvers. Donnie, utilizing the reach of his bo-staff, attempted to keep (Y/n) at a distance, while (Y/n) closed the gap, aiming for swift and close-range strikes. The clash of metal and the synchronized rhythm of their movements painted a vivid picture of their prowess as ninjas.

As the fight progressed, Donnie showcased his intelligence on the battlefield. He strategically feinted attacks, attempting to outmaneuver (Y/n). However, (Y/n) remained vigilant, reading Donnie's moves and countering with a mix of precision and agility. As the sparring match between Donnie and (Y/n) reached a momentary pause, Donnie couldn't help but express his admiration. "Wow, (Y/n)! All this time away, and you're still as skilled as I remember," he remarked, genuine appreciation coloring his words. (Y/n) was momentarily caught off guard by the compliment, a hint of surprise crossing their features. In that split second of distraction, Donnie seized the opening, swift and calculated. With a skilled maneuver, he used his bo-staff to pin (Y/n) against the wall, demonstrating his own quick reflexes and strategic thinking.

Donnie, towering over (Y/n), released a series of breaths as he peered down at them. When they glanced up, they noticed a soft pink hue gracing Donnie's features. Assuming it was a consequence of their rigorous sparring session, (Y/n) dismissed any further thoughts about the subtle change in his complexion. Donnie's staff pressed against (Y/n)'s wakizashi, effectively immobilizing them. The brief exchange showcased not only their physical prowess but also the constant need for awareness and focus in the unpredictable world of ninja combat. "Caught you there, didn't I?" Donnie teased, a playful smirk on his face. "Yame!" Leo's authoritative voice echoed from behind Donnie, prompting the purple-clad turtle to release (Y/n) and step back, adjusting his glasses with a swift motion.

Leo approached (Y/n) with a discerning gaze, analyzing the recent sparring match with Donnie. "You let his words get to you, just as Mikey did prior," he pointed out, his tone a mix of observation and guidance. The wise leader recognized the importance of mental resilience in combat, emphasizing the need to remain focused and composed, regardless of the circumstances. (Y/n) sighed in response to Leo's observation, a hint of annoyance coloring their tone. "I know what I did wrong, Leo," they muttered, frustrated with their momentary lapse. Leo paused for a moment, meeting (Y/n)'s gaze with a stern expression. However, he chose not to dwell on the matter further. "Pick someone for the next round," he instructed, refocusing the training session. (Y/n) decided to face the hotheaded Raphael next. "Alright, Raph, you're up," they declared, meeting the challenge head-on. Raph grinned, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "Good. I've been lookin' to fight you since you got back, pipsqueak," he remarked, his competitive spirit evident in his words. Donnie, having concluded his match, took a moment to express his gratitude. "Thanks for the match, (Y/n). It was a good sparring session," he acknowledged before retreating to the edge of the mat alongside Mikey and Leo.

Raphael and (Y/n) circled each other on the training mat, a playful tension hanging in the air. The banter between them began almost immediately. "So, you think you can handle me?" Raph teased, a smirk playing on his lips. "Pipsqueak, huh? I've been away for a while, but I'm pretty sure I can still give you a run for your money," (Y/n) retorted, their confidence matching Raph's. Raphael's smirk widened as he absorbed (Y/n)'s confident reply. "That's what I like to hear," he grunted, charging forward with an explosive burst of energy to initiate the battle. The clash of their weapons echoed in the dojo as Raph swung his sais with calculated precision, aiming to test (Y/n)'s defenses. (Y/n), wielding their wakizashi, moved with agility and skill, blocking Raph's strikes and retaliating with swift counterattacks.

The dance of combat unfolded, each movement a calculated response to the other's actions. Raph's brute strength met its match in (Y/n)'s nimble finesse. They dodged and weaved through the attacks, anticipating Raph's every move. The sparring session became a dynamic exchange of blows, the mat serving as their battleground. Raph's sai clashed against (Y/n)'s wakizashi, the distinct sound of metal meeting metal reverberating through the dojo. The air crackled with the energy of their friendly rivalry. Raph's strength pushed (Y/n) back, but they responded with agility and strategy. They feinted, creating openings that allowed them to land calculated strikes against Raph.

In a surprising twist of agility, (Y/n) smoothly slid under Raph's attack, evading his strikes with swift finesse. Before Raph could react, (Y/n) positioned themselves behind him, their wakizashi pressing against his neck in a victorious stance. "I told you so," (Y/n) remarked, a hint of amusement in their tone. (Y/n) pressed the blade of their wakizashi closer to Raph's neck, a demand for submission. "Drop the sais, Raph," they instructed with a firm tone. Raph, acknowledging the defeat, complied, releasing his sais and dropping to his knees as instructed. Leo's authoritative voice cut through the intensity of the moment. "Yame," he declared, signaling the end of the match. (Y/n) withdrew their blade from Raph's neck, taking a step back to create some distance from the towering turtle. As Raph rose to his feet, a wicked smirk crossed his face. "Never knew you to be so dominant, (Y/n)~," he remarked, his tone carrying a teasing edge.

Leo approached Raph with a critical eye, offering constructive feedback on his performance. "You need to be quicker, Raph, and be cautious of your weak points," he advised, his leadership role guiding him to help his brother improve. The air in the dojo became charged with tension as Raph dismissed Leo's advice. "I don't need you tellin' me what I did wrong, Leo. I know my own weaknesses," Raph growled, his temper flaring. Leo, maintaining his composure, responded firmly, "Master Splinter entrusted me with the role of Sensei. What I say goes, Raph. I'm just trying to help you improve." Raph scoffed, a scoff filled with skepticism. "You might be the Sensei, but that don't mean I see you as one. I've been leadin' this team just as much as you have." The argument escalated, each brother defending their stance.

Donnie and Mikey, sensing the escalating tension between Leo and Raph, rushed to intervene, attempting to deescalate the situation before it spiraled out of control. "Come on, guys, let's not do this," Mikey urged, his voice carrying a note of concern. Donnie, ever the voice of reason, chimed in, "We're a team, and we need to stick together. Fighting each other won't help us face whatever's coming." However, Raph, still simmering with frustration, brushed off their attempts. "Save your lectures. I don't need anyone tellin' me what to do," he declared, crossing his arms defiantly. Leo, standing his ground, responded, "Raph, we're family. We need to trust and support each other. Master Splinter taught us that." "Oh, don't give me that. We all know it should've been me in charge, not you," Raph asserted, his words carrying a surge of frustration. He shoved Leo backward, eliciting a grunt from the usually composed leader.

"Raphael," (Y/n) spoke up, stepping between the feuding brothers. Their sudden intervention commanded the attention of all the turtles. Placing a calming hand on Raph's arm, (Y/n) looked up into his red orbs, a silent plea for restraint and understanding. "We're a team, a family. We've been through too much together to let disagreements tear us apart. Let's focus on what matters – the mission and protecting each other." The touch of (Y/n)'s hand on Raph's arm carried a reassurance that spoke louder than words. Almost as if touched by magic, Raph felt a calming influence seeping through (Y/n)'s touch and lingering gaze. After a moment of contemplation, he relented with a resigned sigh. "Fine," he grumbled, the tension in his shoulders visibly easing. Mikey and Donnie both released audible sighs of relief as Leo approached (Y/n) from behind. "Now that that's settled, it's our turn to spar," Leo declared, steering the focus away from the previous tension and back towards their training regimen.

(Y/n) nodded in agreement with Leo's proposal, gracefully returning to the center of the mat. Meanwhile, Mikey, Donnie, and Raph took their places on the edge, observing the impending duel with keen interest. The anticipation hung in the air as (Y/n) and Leo assumed their stances, weapons poised and ready for the next round of their sparring session. “Hajime!” Leo called and the dojo was immediatly filled with the rhythmic clash of blades as (Y/n) and Leo engaged in a spirited sparring session. The air crackled with the energy of their movements, both warriors displaying precision and skill honed through years of training. Leo, wielding his twin katanas with a fluid grace, moved with calculated elegance. His strikes were swift and controlled, each movement purposeful. On the other side, (Y/n) danced around his attacks, the wakizashi an extension of their own swift movements. The clash of metal echoed through the dojo, a harmonious melody of battle.

As Leo expertly countered (Y/n)'s attacks, a steady stream of instruction accompanied each move. "Remember, you need to predict your opponent's moves," he would admonish, his voice carrying the weight of discipline. Conversely, when (Y/n) found themselves caught off guard, knocked back by Leo's precise strikes, the stern training intensified. "Get to your feet! Your enemy would strike while you're down with no mercy!" Leo's voice, gruff and demanding, echoed through the dojo. The relentless pace left (Y/n) breathless as they tried to keep up, the cycle of counter, parry, attack repeating in rapid succession. Leo's teachings were a formidable blend of guidance and tough love, pushing (Y/n) to the limits of their skill.

The two ninjas moved in a synchronized dance, each step deliberate and measured. (Y/n) initiated a swift feint, luring Leo into a defensive block with his katanas. Seizing the opening, (Y/n) seamlessly transitioned into a rapid spin, delivering a precise strike that momentarily unbalanced Leo. Undeterred, (Y/n) launched another attack, but Leo, ever the adept strategist, caught on to their tactic. In a swift and calculated move, he swept their feet from underneath them, causing (Y/n) to gracefully tumble onto their back. In an instant, Leo capitalized on the advantage, pinning them down with a precision that spoke volumes about his mastery. The gleam of katanas hovered dangerously close to the mat beside (Y/n)'s body, emphasizing the control Leo exerted over the sparring match. "Anticipate your opponent's moves, but ensure you don't fall into predictability yourself."

I hope you enjoyed chapter 3 of 'A Maze of Hearts'! This is a work-in-progress story, however, if you are interested please let me know by liking/commenting/reblogging/etc. I will be posting chapter four in the near future so come back later to check if it's there! Thank you.

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little-peril-stories · 11 months

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Happy STS, Kate!

I’m editing, so let’s talk about that today.

On a scale of 0-10, with 0 being ‘editing makes my soul sing’ and 10 being ‘editing makes me want to set myself on fire’, how do you feel about editing?

What do you find the best or most difficult part of editing is for you?

Happy STS, Anna! Thank you for the ask!

Tl;dr editing good if in the right mood

What a timely question. I'm kind of always editing (especially now, with TQOL ongoing plus Whumptober), but I'm back on editing TPOT as of a few days ago so I'm in the thick of it!

Let's put myself at a solid...2? Maybe it doesn't make my soul sing, but as long as I'm in the right headspace/mood for it, then, yeah, I really like editing. There's something so satisfying about watching the text transform. And right now, because it's TPOT, I'm enjoying it with absolute earnestness, because I just fucking love this story and these characters and ahhh. And that makes it so, so fun.

What I find easiest or most difficult...well, that really depends. I think the part I like least is structural/development rewrites, because it can feel tiresome....but. BUT. That's not always true. I rewrote the third act of Book 1 in the summer in a flurry of passion, knowing this new ending was far superior to the previous, and it didn't feel like a slog at all. So it just depends.

(Looks like I'll be doing a similar thing with act one of Book 1 at some point, and I'm NOT feeling it right now, so it's on the back burner until I get that fiery passion and inspiration. I don't know when, but I know it'll be here at some point.)

I guess I like line edits - making the wordy magic flow.

But you know what I'm really good at? NOT noticing typos. My own typos, that is. :) but I don’t mind error checking other people’s work for errors! 😂

#happy sts!#storyteller saturday #lps the prince of thieves #editing

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loveandscience · 2 years

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1, 2, 7, and 9 for the ask game?

Thanks so much, this is fun! :-D 1. What is your most popular fic? Weirdly enough, the most popular one in terms of 'hits' (9051) on Ao3 is one of the very few I never finished. It's this Mycroft/Lestrade fic from when I was into Sherlock, called "And Goodnight to the British Government Whispering Hush." I started it when my kid was a baby and so at the time I was really into babies (babies like, have to be the greatest thing ever, when you're taking care of one. It's the only way to escape that period of life without losing your mind lol). But then I ended up really disliking Benedict Cumberbatch with some of the crap he was saying, and it just ruined the series for me. In the TF fandom, it's "Cause and Effect." which is one I'm actually proud of. Soundwave dealing with grief and crisis of conscience was really personally meaningful to me to write and marked a point where I actively began to use writing on purpose as a way to process my own 'stuff.' 2. What fanfic do you wish you got more response on? Hm, "My Mind is No Longer Mine" got to me in a big way, because I got to write out the recovery and therapy processes for Shockwave. I loved taking someone so on-paper irredeemable and having him suddenly have to deal with having emotions again, and what that could do to someone. I liked exploring the idea that not only can people be traumatized by what's done to them and what they've seen, but also by the things they've done, and how someone could possibly recover from something so difficult. The biggest thing with this fic was that like, while I objectively never did anything so awful, when my depression was at its strongest (a long long time ago) I did hate myself AS IF I had done that kind of horrible stuff. It was very irrational, of course, but there's something healing in seeing meaning being made after coming out of that even if in real life I'd not be having the same reaction as I did for Shockwave in writing this fic. It's not that this fic didn't get a 'good enough' response or anything, I just have such a love for it that I want more excuses to talk about it with more people. There's so much to say about it. Plus, I want more Shockwave/Cosmos shippers, I am literally carrying that entire tag on Ao3, lol! Last thing before I force myself to stop writing about this fic: it was really great to write how a toxic romantic relationship can become healthy through therapy. I enjoy working with couples as a therapist and don't get to do it enough. It was fun to draw from some really old tendencies I had like back in high school for Cosmos and Shockwave, and amplify those to create their mess of a relationship, and then to work through it. 7. What’s a trope you love to write? I'm a huge sucker for characters that are basically breaking down or broken down, and then the other one comes in and gives them so much love and tenderness (romantic or not, tbh) that they realize they deserve to heal. 9. What’s your favorite line(s) or scene(s) that you have written? One from "Cause and Effect" that I go back to read time and time again:

Soundwave’s cables lashed out, smashing against test tubes and the deactivated computer, thrashing about the room. Fury raged in his spark and the destruction wasn’t enough, no, it just took the edge off. Shattered glass flurried across the room, slashing him as he continued to rip apart everything, a tornado of grief and shame and pain.

When his cables had nothing left to hit as they whipped around, and he couldn’t tell what pieces went where anymore, Soundwave sank to the floor. Exhausted. His spark that had felt like it was spinning wildly finally seemed to slow, and he stared at the ground in front of him.

Hours seemed to pass, but then again, he didn’t have the energy to check his chronometer. His helm whipped around at the sound of pedesteps crunching over glass and metal bits, to see First Aid walking toward him with nothing but worry in his optics. Not even judgment, which he deserved.

First Aid kneeled down beside him and drew him into a tight hug that Soundwave didn’t want to let go of. How had First Aid found him?

“You sent me your frequency,” First Aid said softly, answering the question he hadn’t asked yet. “That means you wanted me to find you.”

What? When had he done that? He realized he was clutching the doctor like he was desperate, and maybe he was. He noticed his frame was slightly shaking.

First Aid pulled back and Soundwave let him, wondering if he would finally understand the severity of what Soundwave had done. But he was still holding on to him as he inspected the parts of Soundwave leaking energon, the dozens of small cuts and embedded shards of glass. “ Can you come with me so I can clean you up?” he asked, and Soundwave didn’t think he had the strength to decline anything First Aid asked of him right now. He let himself be led into an adjacent room, where First Aid patted a counter for Soundwave to sit on.

As Soundwave sat, too tired to even wince when First Aid dislodged bits of glass from all along his cables, he decided that the doctor deserved some kind of explanation. So he detailed his culpability, his guilt and shame, without giving away what the mini-cons were. He told him about his failure and not being good enough, and that he would understand if First Aid didn’t want to be around him anymore, knowing these things about him.

First Aid read the messages quietly as he worked, until Soundwave had finished. He set aside the latest shard of glass to reach up to Soundwave’s visor and take it off, carefully placing it on the counter. First Aid rest his servos on either side of Soundwave’s face, and placed their helms gently together. “This, what happened to those mini-cons, was not your fault,” he said seriously. “It just wasn’t. If you had known about them, you would have stopped it, you said so yourself. This was deliberately hidden from you precisely because of that fact. Maybe you could have pretended to be more unethical—what would that have cost? You would have had to allow other things slide to have learned about this, and who knows what that would have led to? Yes, there were other things you ignored because you thought that was for the greater good, but you always had good in mind. Look, I also know you did some bad things in the war, but this? This was not one of them. And I don’t for one nanoklik think you deserve any of the shame or guilt you’re putting on yourself.”

First Aid gave a sharp, short intake as Soundwave’s servos landed on either side of his faceplate and Soundwave started to lean his lips closer. First Aid pulled his helm away. This wasn’t the right time, not when Soundwave was hurting and not thinking clearly. He couldn’t tell if Soundwave was disappointed or relieved, but they each dropped their hands and First Aid stepped back to continue removing bits of glass. But maybe a part of him, despite the situation, was a little bit thrilled at the idea that one day, if Soundwave still wanted to, they might possibly kiss.

#ask game #fanfiction #fanfic #my writing #sorry this is long!#long post

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mickules · 3 years

Photo

Saints and Sinners Order and Chaos

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(this was supposed to be a Mastermind Taka/Ishida & Mastermind Mondo pic but came out more like a Persona 4 shadow confrontation- whoops!)

My thoughts on Masterminds got SPOILERY so beneath the cut is the ask that prompted this!

(Plus a bunch of angst themed asks, based off [these] li’l minicomics, mostly about Ultra Despair Girls - but I thought they paired well thematically with Mastermind AUs) (next set of angst asks [here]) (previous set of angst asks [here])

(plus another little ask [here] about the persona 4 parallels)

SPOILERS For the Masterminds of all the games, and discussion of canon character death.

Please use your discretion; dark, canon-typical themes. mentions of death and suicide.

@yaysof11037

I’ll be honest, but once they’re found out, the Masterminds aren’t that interesting to me - what can I say I love the chase! (I mean I SAY masterminds plural b u u u u t . . . ) Part of that is just the nature of the game, they’re there to be discovered. We don’t get a chance to explore their real personalities or motivations throughout the game the way we can with the other characters. It’s all in one concentrated stream once they’re revealed. (fun fact; I worked out who the V3 Mastermind in trial 3. No Hate, but it was because she acted as close to a background mob character as you could get, which is a pretty big red flag for a character in a Danganronpa game.)

I do love how people have taken the concept of the Mastermind, and even the whole killing game, and have put their own spins on it - different murderers, different victims, supremely cool! I also like how people develop Junko’s motivation into a different Mastermind- She’s driven by an inborn obsession with despair coupled with the intelligence and charisma to pull off an apocalypse, so seeing why other characters find themselves becoming the Ultimate Despair is always interesting! I think @mangoshibi ’s Mastermind Hiro is a brill example of this - He was trapped in a supernatural loop, became despondent with his clairvoyance, and began to pit his predictions against the Ultimates; chasing despair every time they defy his divination - Marvellous!

I LOVE the Mastermind designs; the Half and Half uniform looks snazzy as hell! BUT THEN I saw somewhere that Mondo and Taka’s colour scheme is perfectly balanced as a yin yang, and it BLEW MY MIND, I really wanted to try inverting the scheme to keep the balance with a Mastermind version.

It’s a shame that Taka’s death happened in such a flurry of back and forth because it really became a footnote in working out how Hifumi died, and who ultimately was the puppeteer. I mean, blunt force trauma with what is essentially a sledgehammer is fairly deadly, but I don’t believe they say Taka’s death was instant the way they clarify with Chihiro. That coupled with his hair being black rather than white when we find the body, and that Hifumi definitely lived for a while after the attack does lend itself to some pretty dreadful implications. It was probably a foregone conclusion - even if he was found I doubt he’d have been able to get the treatment needed to survive a catastrophic brain injury; but the idea that he was shocked to reality? Did he too, gain back the memories of his life before the killing game? Did he realise the true mastermind - but is paralysed, unable to warn anyone? Did he understand the horror of being betrayed, only to die, alone? Holy cow. That would be Junko’s dream - a truly despairing death.

---

Honestly; glad they didn’t! It might sound like an oxymoron to say that’d be “too dark” for dangan, but ultimately in my opinion it’s because dangan is FUNNY that it’s so good. It explores some really dark stuff but it never takes itself too seriously. Taka having a mental break at the death of his only real friend is heartbreaking but Ishida? PATENTLY RIDICULOUS. HELL; Sakura’s death reveal is a feckin’ reference to ASHITA NO JOE - it’s like, such a haunting moment, and they referenced that BLOODY FAMOUS SCENE and I damn near yeeted my laptop across the room.

---

ah, being able to put the blame on someone else is quite the tonic isn’t it? I guarantee Hiroko, and Hiro too, would have a couple of very choice words for Takaaki after that stunt.

(can we get an F in the chat lads) I genuinely would have liked more info about ALL the hit list targets, the raw potential! That’s definitely how I see Takaaki in the ‘worst timeline’, from his Father’s scandal (and maybe even before that, having a parent become Prime Minister isn’t easy even if they aren’t embroiled in corruption) his life is just a series of unfortunate events, continually trending downward. Taka getting into Hope’s Peak would probably have been a brief break in the clouds; only for it serve as the boy’s grave. However - Takaaki is a difficult one precisely because there is so little info about him. It’s hard to delve without mixing a liberal amount of headcanon in. I’ve seen some excellent interpretations that frame Takaaki as much more of an antagonistic influence in Taka’s life; his being a Hit List Target not actually proof of being a loving or even a good parent, just that he’s important enough to isolated, lonely Taka to be made a hostage.

---

Although Haiji’s reasoning seems more selfish & cowardly than ‘for the greater good’, Takaaki has an unfortunate predisposition toward paranoia and would probably agree with the idea of killing the children as a last resort in an Us vs Them ultimatum. This isn’t to say he’d WANT that solution, but he’s nothing if not frighteningly practical; you can only do so much if you’re trying to non-fatally defend against someone earnestly trying to kill you. (tho’ would Takaaki be able to resist the temptation of extra-judicial punishment against Haiji now the police essentially don’t exist? That’s another question entirely)

Ah~ The morbid curiosity of teenage boys. Takemichi would 100% demand to see the body. I mean if someone told me my brother had turned into butter? I’d be devastated, but there’s NO WAY I ain’t seeing how IN THE HELL that happened

!!Thank you very very much!! :D Angst stuff really gives ya a chance to go ham with expressions and I love it! I’ve got a longer full colour angst thing in the works - early stages - but it’s SO MUCH FUN!

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Just to let you know; I have a MASSIVE ask dump in my drafts, which I’ll be posting soon-ish, after a full comic (which isn’t Dangan, but it is a fandom which has some decent crossover - we’ll see how it goes XD) I love all the asks but I like to collect them all into one space like hoarder and then unleash ‘em all at once! If you’ve asked me anythin’ I’ve seen it! I’m just ruminating over it, they give me something fun to think about when I’m at work :)

edit: That ask dump is [here] and that full colour non-dangan comic [here] ;)

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burntmcnuggies · 4 years

Text

A Good Sidekick

Manipulative Hawks x Reader

Warnings; sexual content 18+, thigh riding, oral sex (receiving and giving), possessive hawks, manipulative behavior, slightly yandere if you squint, and strong language.

Word count: 9.3K

It was finally happening, you were finally becoming a sidekick, and to your favorite hero Hawks no less! It was the happiest moment of your life when you heard his receptionist happily congratulate you on your new position. You were practically bouncing off the walls at the news. You were quick to text all your friends, especially Rumi knowing that she sorta knew the winged-hero. She warned you briefly about how manipulative the pro was, and how lazy he could be. She even told stories of how she had to team up with him and he never did any of the paperwork. Poor Rumi went on an hour spiel about it, still irritated at the higher ranked hero’s negligence for his important paperwork. Besides that, you were still over the moon about meeting him!

If only you knew how dangerous that was.

Your first day rolled around and you walked into his agency, vastly spacious and lively with other pros and staff. Everyone greeted you kindly, introducing themselves and giving you a pathetic good luck once you made your way to the front desk. The receptionist looked up at you, her eyes trailing up and down your body with a slight furrow in her brows. “Oh, you must be Ms. (L/N).” Her snobby attitude rubbed you the wrong way, but you decided to keep your mouth shut about it and pretend you didn’t just hear anything. You nodded, telling her you were there to see Hawks. Her lips twitched in annoyance, showing you that she was indeed one of his thirsty fans. “Let me ring him, make sure he’s-“

“Ah! There’s my new sidekick!” As if on cue, the number two pro hero sauntered over with his hands in his pockets, large wings tucked behind him to make him more approachable, less intimidating. Your eyes cast upwards hearing his friendly voice, a smile creeping it’s way to your lips. “Good morning, Hawks.” You greeted politely, standing in front of him while the receptionist quickly stood and blushed, greeting Hawks with her hands in front of her. He grinned and gave her a wink and wave, giving her a morning greet as well. “So, are you ready to go, birdie?” He asked with smirk, wings twitching and slowly unfurling to show you a sneak peek of just how large they were.

“Yes, I hope we work well together!”

——

After about a month being Hawks’ sidekick you were absolutely exhausted. They weren’t kidding when they said he was too fast for his own good. The man could make it all the way across Japan in seconds without breaking a sweat. You also learned fairly quickly that a lot of his time was spent lazily patrolling, giving fan service and autographs, and stuffing his face full of junk food and chicken. This wasn’t at all how you expected to spend your first month as Hawks’ sidekick to be like. You were hoping you’d take down some villains, have Hawks praise you and have that feeling of knowing you helped people. But all you got was being the background character for Hawks’ show, his one man show. You began to wonder why he even wanted a sidekick.

“It’d look good on my reputation. Takin’ in a fresh new hero and bein’ a mentor. It bodes well with the approval ratings don’tcha think?” Well, that made you feel like absolute shit. Of course you were expecting that kind of answer knowing the winged-hero and how he loved to push peoples buttons occasionally. You just weren’t quite ready for it yet. “Awe, don’t look so sad, birdie. You’re my favorite side kick.” You were his only sidekick, his first one to be exact. So, you cut him a little slack judging by this was his first sidekick as the 22 year-old continued to rise in popularity and recognition. “Oh I’m not upset, Hawks. Just tired of doing this lame paperwork you should be doing yourself.”

“But I really appreciate you doin’ it for me!” He gave you a cheeky lob-sided smile and kicked his feet up on his desk. A heavy sigh left your lips, reluctantly going back to breaking your wrist over doing his paperwork for hours. After a couple minutes you heard the shifting of clothes and movement from Hawks’ desk. You peered up to see him walking over to you with a smile. “C’mon birdie, we’re goin’ out.” You quickly stood and followed him out of his office, an excited expression smearing over your face. He shoved his hands in his pockets and flared his wings out behind you. “S-So what’re we doing? Are we going to kick some villain ass? Are we going to meet up and help some heroes out? Oh! Or are we going to help the police!”

“You’ll see, birdie.”

——

“Man! I sure was starved! Thanks for treatin’ me out to lunch, my amazing sidekick!”

Oh, so you were treating him out to lunch now? You’re paying? Even though he’s the one who brought you here? You were starting to lose respect for him every moment you spent with him. A small tick mark appeared on your forehead, and you sent the winged-man a harsh glare snatching the menu off the table before looking over the food. Might as well go with it, he is the number two hero, you couldn’t afford to go to a new agency when you’re this far along. Your eyes almost bulged out of your head at the expensive prices. “Hawks! I-I don’t have this kind of money! I-i can’t afford anything on this menu except water!” Your heart was sinking to the pits of your stomach, already envisioning your wallet producing cobwebs in a matter of seconds once he drained you of every penny you owned. You were broke out of your panicked nightmare when his laughter pierced your eardrums. “I’m just playin’ birdie. I thought I’d treat you out to some food since I haven’t been the best boss to you lately. Get whatever your little heart desires!”

You looked up at him surprised, not really knowing how to take in his offer of buying you lunch. It was definitely true you were working hard, so having Hawks treat you to lunch wasn’t too bad... right? No way, then you’d owe the bastard a favor. “Thank you, Hawks. But really, I can’t. I’ll just have a water and pick up something on my way-“ He silenced you with his index finger, smushing your lips against your teeth. A suggestive smirk spread across his lovely pale pink lips, thumb slowly caressing your bottom lip before he gripped your chin. He brought his face closer, eyes staring directly into yours. Furious flurries of golden clashing with the sea of (E/C) that was fading as your pupils dilated in surprise. “I said I was treating you didn’t I? So just order whatever you want, or I’m gonna order the most expensive thing on the menu for you whether you eat it or not. I’d choose if I were you, birdie. Wouldn’t want an empty stomach before patrol would we?”

Damn, how manipulative he could be. Hawks knew how to push people’s buttons to get what he wanted in the end, and that’s exactly what he was doing to you. Forcing you into a situation to guilt you. After you reluctantly agreed and ordered something small, he began to talk your ear off. His hands flew here and there, his smile widening with every word that spewed out of his mouth. You had no idea Hawks could talk so much, and about nothing at that. Most of his one-sided conversation was about how much he loved chicken and food in general, then brief mentions of his modeling career on the side. One thing that interested you during his spiel was how much he admired Endeavor. Why had Hawks became a pro instead of becoming a sidekick?

“Why didn’t you go to Endeavor’s agency and be his sidekick instead of starting your own agency? Seems like you’ve admired him even before you started it.” His eyes widened in surprise, a bit taken aback by the question. The feathers in his strong wings rippled slowly, twitching as they tightened against his back. You’d made him uncomfortable. “Endeavor wouldn’tve accepted me no way! Our quirks are totally incompatible. Plus, it’s more fun being in my own agency where I can do as I please!” His smile faltered for a moment, before he brightened it forcefully, laughing it off and taking a sip of his drink. You frowned. You were no idiot. You knew he was lying. “If you didn’t want to tell me the truth you could’ve just said so instead of lie.”

“Ah, so you saw through my lie?” A teasing smirk plastered his lips, cementing itself there like that just to tease you. You couldn’t force down the light blush that dusted across your cheeks at his smirk, but you shook it off quickly, remembering your professional relationship with the pro. “It wasn’t that difficult. Judging by the look of surprise on your face I figured you’d tell me a lie.” He laughed and shrugged his shoulders back throwing his hands up in defeat. His eyes closed and he showed off a charming grin. “Didn’t think you’d notice that! You’re pretty smart birdie I’ll give ya that.” Was that an insult or a compliment...? Who cares, foods here! Time to dig in.

“Thanks! Looks delicious as always, my compliments to the chef.” He winked at the waiter charmingly and she bowed respectfully leaving the two of you alone. He immediately began digging in, stuffing his face until his cheeks looked like a chipmunks. “Geez Hawks... you act like you haven’t eaten in weeks. You’re making a huge mess.” Leaning across the table with a napkin in your hand, you wipe his cheek and dab his lips, frowning at the mess he’s making. He mumbled something with his mouth full, making your frown deepen more in disgust. He swallowed and laughed. “Ya know, you should just be my wife instead of my sidekick. You already take care of me so well!”

“Haha, very funny Hawks.” An eye roll is given as a response along with your words, digging into your own small meal you got for half of what Hawks got his. He stayed silent while he ate, letting you enjoy the small serene moments of silence with him before he was back to teasing you and asking you to do his work for him. “Come on, Hawks. I think I’ve been good, can’t you do your paperwork just this week? Please? And then I’ll do it next week?” Oh how he was spiraling into a dangerous field of temptation. Yeah, you have been a good girl, so good he wants to bend you over his desk and fuck you. He knew it wasn’t the right time though, you were still getting adjusted to him. Maybe a few more weeks... if he could hold out that long.

“Alright, alright, fine. You’ve twisted my wings, birdie. You tricky little minx you are.” He smuggly smirked and looked over at your food, eyes staring a little too intently. He was staring at your breasts, playing it off as staring at your food. “You gonna eat the rest of that? ‘Cause I’ll totally eat the rest.” You smiled shaking your head and slid the remaining bits of your small meal over to him, letting him plumpen his belly. Afterwards, he was a gentlemen, and took you back to your house, not wanting a pretty, fertile girl like you to walk by herself. “Thank you, Hawks... I really needed that. I was beginning to feel down.” He cocked his head to the side in confusion, his poor birdbrain becoming jumbled.

“Why would you feel down? You’re doin’ a good job! I’ve never met anyone who could keep up with me as good as you can!” His usual heart stopping smile spread onto his soft lips, pearly white teeth showing. Your heart soared at the praise from your favorite hero, doubts slowly washing away like the tides. “Oh... w-well all I did was do paperwork and just walk with you... I’ve never been a sidekick, so I wasn’t sure if I was doing something wrong or not.” Hawks let out a held in sigh, his shoulders slumping with his lip sticking out in thought. His hands went behind his head as his walked down the street to your home with you. “To be honest, I don’t know either. I’m just doin’ my thing with someone else! Nothin’ too different.”

“And I’m really glad to spend time with you, Hawks. I was just hoping my time as a sidekick would be more... exciting ya know?” Hawks didn’t respond as you both neared the entrance to your low budget apartment. You stopped in front of your door, fishing for your keys before he spoke. “Tell ya what, tomorrow I’ll see if I can trade patrol routes with someone, and we’ll go patrol somewhere with a lotta crime. Sound fun, birdie?” He didn’t miss when your eyes sparkled brightly at his proposal, smiling genuinely at your pure excitement. Taking hold of your keys tightly, you grinned ear to ear, nodding enthusiastically. “Yeah! That sounds great! I’ll see you tomorrow Hawks, thank you so much for buying me dinner and talking to me... it really meant a lot.”

“No problem, baby girl. Get in, get some rest, we’ve got a busy day ahead of us!” He smirked and gave you a wink, waving as he lifted his wings and took to the skies outside your apartment complex. You stood still briefly, thinking about what he’d said. ‘Baby girl’? What did that even mean? He usually called you ‘Birdie’ but baby girl? He sure was getting more cocky and flirtatious with you. Yet again, Hawks was a huge flirt with everyone, mainly to keep up his reputation as a friendly supportive hero. His fan service is what made girls swoon for him. However, you weren’t really affected by it, you wanted to remain professional with Hawks, nothing more, nothing less.

He had other plans.

—

Two more months past easily. You were starting to get more and more used to Hawks’ antics and behavior. He hired two more sidekicks, primarily to clean up after his messes so he could drag you along to the next distress call, all to see that smile on your face. Other than finally being able to work a lot more, you grew closer to Hawks personally. You discovered his favorite coffee, favorite food, restaurant, places to go, and what he enjoyed doing in his free time. The wall that divided friendship and a friendly co-worker relationship remained established by you, becoming uncomfortable when he would start to casually touch you inappropriately. In a way co-workers shouldn’t be doing.

The relationship between you both was complicated in the eyes of others, especially when Hawks was so persistent. He would come behind you and swing his arm around your shoulders, fingers occasionally brushing gently over your breasts. Then you had the slight PDA. If you were on patrol and some guy walked a bit too close to you, Hawks would place his hand on the small of your back, his thumb stroking slowly, dangerously close to touching your ass. It didn’t help when his wing would cover your body and shield you away from everyone. His flirting became sexual fairly quick, and you were beginning to become more and more uncomfortable by the day. Just like now.

Hawks ordered you to lay down on the couch in his office while he cut your nails. Why? Who fucking knew. He explained it was a bird thing. His hands were bare of gloves, jacket discarded to rest over you to keep you warm in his slightly cool office. His rough fingers glided across yours gently, trimming your nails like an expert. “Do you trim your nails a lot, Hawks? I feel like I’m about to get a professional manicure.” He laughed and rose his hand further up your hand to your wrist, golden eyes admiring your fingers closely. His warm hand carefully began to glide up your forearm, then back down, caressing your skin. A chill ran down your spine at his lack of response. “H-Hawks?”

“Ya know birds preen themselves and their mates? The males...” He began to lean in closer towards your face, pupils dilating while he focused solely on you. You attempted to pull your hand back away from him but he continued. “They’ll preen their feathers to look their best to court fertile females.” That word made your stomach twist in fear. The word ‘fertile’ was such an animalistic and carnal way of viewing a significant other. You could now smell the heavy musk of his cologne, the minty scent of his breath, and the hot gaze he had fixated on you. He was intoxicating. “And the males will preen the females, and feed them, and take care of them while the females raise the chicks.”

“W-What’re you s-saying all of a sudden...?” He only stared into your eyes with a smirk, wings stretching out behind him while his other hand finally came to rest on your thigh. His wings began to close in around you both, before his phone rang. Tearing himself away from you, he plucked his phone from his pocket and gave off a cheesy smile. “Hawks here, whatcha need?” You were struggling to regain your composure from what had just happened, but the shock would settle into your brain somehow. You should’ve expected this from Hawks, he was a flirt sure, but to the extent of explaining avian courtship with you? What was he even getting at? “We’re on our way.” He hung up the phone abruptly and slung his coat off you and onto himself. His gloves slid on easily, looking at you in confusion.

“What’re you doin’? Let’s go! We’ve got work to do, birdie.”

——

“Man that was boring. At least I got to stretch my wings out a bit, right birdie?” Hawks grinned and looked back at your dizzy form struggling to stand due to the speed and harsh jerks while Hawks was flying you to the distress call. You propped a hand against the wall and covered your mouth briefly before swallowing thickly and coughing. “Y-Yeah... right... not like I almost died flying with you or anything...” He let out an obnoxious heart fluttering laugh and walked on over to you, smiling smugly as he handed you his stack of paperwork from the distress call. You stared at it for a moment, then looked back up at him, tempted to wipe that smug look right off his pretty face. “Well... to repay you, I’ll just go on ahead and give you my paperwork, then you can have the day off tomorrow. Sound like a plan?”

A grumble came from your lips in response, sitting on the couch and looking through what was needed to be done. There was no way Hawks was actually going to let you have a day off. The last one you did have he came to your home and told you to get dressed, that you both were going on a mission. Sadly that mission ending in chicken nuggets, a lowly robber trying to rob a gas station, and more paperwork for you. “Like you’re gonna give me a peaceful day off tomorrow, Hawks. Might I remind you that my last day off you dragged me out of my house the entire day? The time before that you wouldn’t stop texting me about how bored you were, and spammed me every time I didn’t answer.” A small huff is directed towards him, and he only laughs in response, shrugging his shoulders dismissively.

“What can I say, I miss you baby girl. I always like havin’ my favorite side kick by my side, fightin’ crime... and helping me get one step closer to my dream for this world.” Your eyes softened at Hawks’ kind words, a smile spreading over your lips. Maybe Hawks genuinely did think you were a good sidekick. Maybe you were a bit too hard on him, a friendship could actually work between the two of you. “You’re the best fucking side kick ever, birdie. Ya know that?” He questioned, wings slowly expanding while he came around beside you and plopped down. His wings came behind you, his legs spread wide apart and nudging your knee. “But there’s still more room to improve, birdie. You wanna know how to be an even better side kick?”

“How?” You tilted your head in curiosity, momentarily stopping your assault on the pile of papers you had in front of you to look him in the eye. Hawks turned his body towards you, wing covered your bodies from the door so no one would see. His eyes had once again filled with carnal desire, his tongue sliding across his lips. “By kissin’ me. Right now. Right here on the lips.” He pat his soft pale pink lips, a devilish smirk spreading over his lovely pretty face. Your eyes widened in shock, freezing in your tracks as those words processed in your brain. “Wh-What?” You thought you heard him wrong, did he actually just ask you to kiss him? You must be hearing things or he must have flew into a window, cause there was no way in hell, the Hawks just demanded you kiss him. “I think you heard me baby girl, you’re just playin’ with me aren’tcha?”

“H-Hawks that’s very inappropriate... I’m your sidekick... we shouldn’t-“ He cut you off by grabbing your chin, his deep golden eyes burning holes through your skull as he stared at you with a predatory gaze. You swallowed thickly, feeling utterly trapped by his hypotonic gaze. “There’s nothin’ inappropriate about it. You’re just a good lil’ sidekick, who wants to show her hero how much she appreciates him, right? That’s what we’re doin’ love bird, unless... you’re not a good girl? And you don’t appreciate everything I’ve done for you.” This was definitely peer pressure and sexual harassment. One kiss couldn’t hurt right? Then he would leave you alone, let you finish your work, and you could be on your merry way back to the comfort of your bed. “Just... one kiss okay?”

“That’ll depend on how good ya kiss me.” He smirked smugly and brought your faces closer together, his head slowly moving to the side. Your noses brushed together, the contact making your whole body shudder under his touch. His eyes scanned yours, a smirk still tugging at his lips as he waited for you to lean in the rest of the way. Swallowing thickly and trying to calm your racing heart, you rested your hands on his chest, slowly leaning in and molding your lips together with his. You were going to pull away, but he harshly grabbed the back of your head and jerked your head back by your hair, deepening the kiss. Your eyes jerked open in shock, hands clenching together against his chest, weakly trying to push him off.

His wings spread wide around you both, feathers rippling and shivering under the pleasure of your lips finally against his. He had only dreamed of having you like this. Hawks knew he needed to keep himself contained for the moment, he wasn’t done playing with you just yet. His tongue slid over your lips, digging his slimy muscle between your plush lips, grazing your teeth with his tongue. You slowly opened your mouth, deciding it would be better to give him what he wanted than to have him whine and manipulate you for more. His tongue was hot, spit exchanging between your mouths as hot breathes were exhaled into each other when you parted for air. There was something that was keeping you glued to him —much to your disliking. His touch felt too good to let go of.

“Fuck, baby.” Hearing him curse like that made your legs twitch in your seat, a sudden rush of heat making your love parts tingle in excitement. Spit ran down your chin as he continued his assault on your mouth, thick gloved hands roughly grabbing your shoulders and moving down your chest, giving your breasts a firm squeeze. This was when you pushed him off, his tongue lulling out of his mouth, both your saliva coating his dripping muscle. “J-Just that one kiss! That’s it! N-Now can I... c-can I go home?” His only response was the dispersing of his wings to shrug his jacket off, dark vermillion feathers coming back to bring his intimidating wings back to life. He wiped his mouth on his now bare hands, smirking with a knowing grin. “Nah, I ain’t satisfied yet. I think I need s’more kisses from my good sidekick.”

The blush burning your cheeks only grew more prominent when he pulled you over to the couch in his office, plopping you on his lap before running his hands over your waist. His eyes roamed over your body lovingly, biting his lip in anticipation once he looked back up into your waiting eyes. “Kiss me everywhere, baby. Show me just how much you appreciate me, yeah? How much you love your brave handsome hero.” You shifted uncomfortably on his lap, clothed sex slowly brushing against his thigh while you leaned in close to his lips. Your fingers glided over his cheek, kissing him once again before trailing slow tender kisses across his cheek and down to his stubble. That small patch of hair that made him look more like a man than a pretty boy. “Yeah, love bird. Your lips feel amazing on me, keep goin’.”

Spurred on by his praise, you continued to kiss down his neck, biting gently near his Adam’s Apple and give it a nice lick. Your kisses fell to his clothed collar bones, kissing over his shoulders and down his sternum. Your body was growing hotter by the second as Hawks piercing gaze remained on you while you moved to the floor between his legs. A low groan rumbled in his throat when you began to kiss his abdomen while running your fingers down his slim waist and over his lovely abs. “Fuck, birdie. This ain’t your first time is it? I bet you’ve done this plenty of times. I can smell your arousal all the way from up here, damn.” His husky words sent more warmth between your legs, feeling a noticeable wetness start to build up in your panties. It made you ashamed at how wet your boss was making you.

“N-No, sir... I’ve only done this... once or twice...” Hawks’ sadistically cruel smirk widened upon hearing you voice your vague inexperience. He ran his fingers through your hair, slowly running over your cheek before he pushed your head away from his lower abdomen with his palm. “Well... you’re acting like a total slut. A slut for me, yeah? You’d spread your legs for your hero wouldn’t you? It’d make you the best sidekick in the world.” His deep manipulatively sultry voice echoed in your ears, turning your brain into mush. Hawks slowly brought his hands away from your face and moved his tight shirt up his abdomen, hands immediately going back to fumble with his belt. Two large H’s hung loosely to the sides while his fingers slowly pulled the zipper down, bright crimson wings fluttering in excitement. “Hawk got your tongue, love bird?”

You swallowed and answered quickly. “Y-Yes sir... wait, I-I mean no. I don’t... I don’t want this Hawks.” Your arms lowered to covered your chest defensively, a blush rising against your cheeks. Still, you couldn’t ignore the wetness that gathered between your legs. Now Hawks was getting forceful. “Why not? I can smell how aroused you are down there. You want it too, you can’t deny that, birdie. What’s holdin’ you back from letting me fuck you so fuckin’ hard against my couch, huh?” His question was poisonous, daring you to say one word of rejection before he would pounce on you and infect your body with his lust. You shifted under his harsh pressure, squeezing your arms tighter against you. “I... I don’t know...“

“Then stop resisting, and be a good girl. Wouldn’t want me to punish you, right?” His thumb lightly ran over your bottom lip, ever so slightly pushing your top lip up to hook his thumb in your cheek. You swallowed and obediently parted your teeth and lips to suck on his thumb, succumbing to your arousal and his persistent advances. “Awah, there’s my good girl.” Hawks lightly smacked your cheek with his other hand, growling lowly as the tent in his pants grew. He pulled his thumb from your mouth, smearing your saliva back onto your lips before palming his erection. “Mmff... C’mere baby girl, come gimme a kiss real quick, huh?”

You shakily stood, legs almost giving out from the amount of heat swimming around your head. You leaned down, obediently kissing your boss’s lips sweetly before he pulled away to snap out your next order with authority. “Strip. Now.” His deep gravely growl sparked an unknown fire inside your heart to please. You’d always been somewhat of a people pleaser, and right now, you wanted to please the fuck out of Hawks. You stood from the floor, staring straight into his eyes while you unzipped your hero costume, the sound exciting the pro more. His lip caught between his teeth, eyelids hooding over his gorgeously animalistic golden eyes. He groped and grabbed at himself, groaning lowly when you started to slip the material off your shoulders and down your waist, revealing your lovely clothed breasts to him. “Fuck, birdie. You’re so fucking gorgeous, damn.”

Once you had unzipped it all the way, you peeled it off your body, showing him inch by inch of your smooth plush skin. He watched carefully as your feet slipped from the last parts of the costume, excitedly watching you reach behind yourself to unclip your bra. “There ya go, birdie. Gimme more.” The fabric slid off your shoulders, nipples hardening at the cool air hitting them. It didn’t help that Hawks wings beat aggressively at the mere sight of your breasts in front of his avian eyes. His jaw clenched harshly, his palm crushing harder onto his hard cock, aching for some sort of relief from the tightness. “Oh fuck, C’mere love bird.”

He roughly grabbed you and yanked your panties off with one harsh jerk, shamefully making you wetter at his roughness. His hands shakily shuffled to push his pants down to his knees, instantly attaching up to your hips and pulling you onto his thigh. Hawks attacked your lips once again, rubbing his hands up and down your sides before harshly pulling you back and forth against his muscular thigh. Your nimble fingers tangled into his messy golden hair, your head tilting back in ecstasy at the amazing friction of his thigh on your sopping cunt. “Mmm... so wet for me, you like ridin’ my thigh? Yeah? You like me shovin’ you back and forth, grindin’ my thigh against your cute little pussy, achin’ to be filled by my fat cock. Ain’t that right?”

“Yes, ahhh... mhm! F-Feels good, sir...” His hands smushed your cheeks together, forcefully bringing your face towards him and sloppily kissing you. A deep groan went into your mouth while his tongue worked wonders to your own mouth. Your hands slowly slid up his other thigh, resting your thumb on the underside of his clothed cock. It was so warm, and hard, you couldn’t help but let your eyes roll back into your skull as you imaged how good it’d feel inside. “You want it? Tell me...” He leaned close to your ear, groaning deeply at how good your sweet pussy felt against his thigh, slick with your arousal all for him. He breathed huskily in your ear, nudging his cheek against yours. “Tell me how fucking bad you want it.”

“I... I want it, Hawks... I want it... s-so badly, sir...” He chuckled against your ear, the vibrations of his deep voice sending goosebumps down your spine. His semi-large warm hands pressed you harder down on his muscular thighs, his thumb coming down to rub harshly on your clit. “What is it you want, baby girl? What d’you want? I won’t know unless you tell your hero properly.” The egotistical smirk returned, his teeth peeking from between his soft pink lips, teasing you. He pulled you close to him, slamming your lips together against for another passionate sloppy kiss before he yanked you away with your hair. “Say it, right fuckin’ now.”

“I-I want your... f-fat cock Hawks...” He pondered for a moment if he even wanted to accept. He snaps his fingers unexpectedly and points to the floor. Immediately understanding what he wanted, you got on your knees between his legs, staring lewdly at the bulge in his boxers, mouth already salivating at the thought of pleasing him and hearing praise. “You’ll take it in your mouth first, right? Make it all nice ‘n wet for that slippery pussy.” His dirty words had a sinful effect on you, urging you and plaguing your mind to try harder. Your hands moved up his thighs, his warm skin making your body all the more hot. “Y-Yes sir, anything for you...” Once your finger tips met fabric you slid your pads over his raging hard on, slowly hooking over the hem of his boxers, pulling them down slowly.

Your face lit up in embarrassment once he was displayed all for you. His cock sprang free from its confines, lightly hitting his abdomen as small pearls of his sweet pre cum oozed from the tip. His wings fluffed up at the chilling air sweeping over his steamy cock. “Well? What’re you waitin’ for baby girl? Go on and suck your hero’s cock.” You could practically hear his grin, his cockiness shining through his lack of embarrassment to hide himself. He knew he looked good, Hawks was very attractive, but he was also well equipped down under all his baggy clothes. You carefully leaned forward, anxiety shooting through your veins as you gave his ruby red tip a kitten lick. “C’mon birdie, you can do better than that can’tcha? I thought you wanted to be a better sidekick. Guess I was wro- Oh fuck!”

You didn’t let him finish before you grabbed the base a little firmly and took him into your mouth, teeth slightly grazing his cock. “N-No teeth baby! Ahah fuck! Your mouth is so fuckin’ warm baby girl... you damn slut.” Your eyes instinctively squeezed shut hearing his degrading comments. It made you ashamed how much he turned you on. You were dripping and aching to be filled by his hard cock, but you also loved the passionate fore play. “Yeah, suck my cock harder, yeah birdie oh fuck yeah!” His hands shifted through your hair, messing it up in the process. You obeyed him, turning your head to the side and taking him in deeper. Inch, by inch, his steamy cock disappeared into your hot mouth. His head threw back momentarily at your harsh sucks, mouth gaping and panting loudly. “Ahgh! Yeah! Just like that, just like that, oohhoo fuck...”

Drops of pearly pre cum smeared over your tongue and the back of your throat, the sweet taste making everything hazy. His tip grazed your uvula, making you slightly gag, but you forced it down, taking his cock all the way down till your nose bumped against his pubic bone. His musky smell only became more clear, your nose buried in his curly blonde pubes, chin brushing briefly against his plumply perfect balls, full of potent cum to knock up fertile little birds like you. His hands suddenly fisted your hair into a tight grip, pulling you back and then back down, a gagging sound resonating in your throat. “I’m almost there...! Shit!” He jerked your head back and forth, tears prickling at the sides of your eyes. He threw his head back, growling through grit teeth as his dick twitched inside. “Cumming! Fuck!”

He shoved your face flush against his crotch, salty spurts of white shooting to the back of your throat. His head hung low quickly, panting and rasping out a few curses. Your eyes fluttered open, a few stray tears falling when you go to look up at him. His sexy golden eyes are squeezed shut, his lip caught between his pearly white teeth, cheeks flushed a soft pink with some sweat trickling down the side of his head. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. Ahh... good girl... so good baby... mmngh.” He slowly opened his eyes, pupils blown up with lust and need. His feathery blonde hair a mess in front of your face stuffed with his cock. He wiped your tears away and pushed your forehead back slowly, groaning as he watched his cum drip down the side of your chin. “Yeah, birdie. Swallow it, swallow all of my sweet nectar. It’s all for you, ya know?”

You sucked on his tip once he got that far pulling it out of your mouth, milking the last bits of cum from his slippery cock. Your tongue moved around the thick liquid, squishing it and mixing it with your own saliva before you shakily swallowed, shivering at the thought of swallowing the number two pro hero’s cum. A low cough burned your throat the moment it struggled to go down your throat, amusing the man above you. “Such a good girl... you deserve a reward don’tcha think? Well, it just so happens I know just the thing to give ya. On the couch, birdie.” You nodded. He pat the couch, smirking smugly when you obediently got on the couch and laid on your back. He quickly stepped out of his underwear, leaving him now completely naked just like you. “Feet on my shoulders, now love bird.”

“H-Hawks what’re you gonna do? I-I’m not ready for that...” You were under the sole impression he was going to stick his cock in you right now, raw, without any preparation or anything. You were happily mistaken. He chuckled, animal-like eyes staring straight into yours while his lips moved from the inside of your knee caps down to your inner thighs. “Oho no, baby girl. I told you I’d reward you didn’ I? And ‘m gonna do just that... by eating out this sloppy pussy of yours.” Without another word, he pushed your legs apart and gave your most private parts a lick with the flat of his tongue. Your back arched, hands flying to the couch to grip onto the expensive leather. “Ahh! Hawks! Wait-!”

“No time for waitin’ birdie, now that I’ve got a taste I want more.” He growled out the last word with a snarl of his lips, sharp canines showing themselves to you as he dove right back in. He gave your wet lips a few kisses, licking small circles with the tip of his tongue, tasting your sweet love juice. “Mmm! Hawks! Stop teasing me you a-assho- Oh! Mm, yes!” Your head unexpectedly lulled backwards, toes curling once he pushed his tongue inside your sopping cunt. Wet and lewd noises came from below you, slurping sounds coming occasionally as Hawks ate you out so good. His teeth mashed against your folds as his tongue pushed deeper inside, sucking your tasty arousal into his mouth. His stubble slightly grazed your pussy, making you squirm.

“Ahh, Hawks, Hawks ngh! It feels so good...!” Your sweet moans spurred him on, his nose bumping against your clit as he ate you out so damn good. His tongue was like magic, your thighs were becoming all the more hot with his large hands pushing them apart. “Mmff~ yeah birdie, keep lettin’ out all those sexy noises. Moan out my name, better yet, scream it. Let everyone know who’s gonna fuck you real nice, and that you’re my birdie. Fuck you taste so damn good.” He growled against your pussy, becoming more ferocious and desperate to taste your cum. Your hands shook harshly against the leather couch, breathing heavy and ragged as the knot in your stomach came close to snapping. “Hawks I’m cumming! Oh god I’m going to cum...! S-So hard, Ahh!”

“Yeah baby, cum on my face! Fuck I want it! Cum for me, oh fuck cum for your hero!” He seemed just as desperate as you are for you to cum. He wanted to taste all your sweet arousal for him, to pride himself in making you cum from his tongue. His thumb harshly pressed and rubbed against your clit, the bundle of nerves making your body twitch in ecstasy. The coil finally snapped, throwing your head back and cumming on his face. “Hawks! Mmm! Hah!” His hot hands grabbed your hips, smushing his face further between your legs, tongue fucking you through your blissful orgasm. Your eyes caught sight of his massive red wings beating weakly and twitching ever so slightly. “Mm, fuck, baby girl, you taste amazing. I can see myself becoming addicted to you... good thing you’re about to be mine~”

He pulled his face away with his lips dripping with your sweet juices, some smeared on his pink cheeks. He clambered on top of you, kissing you passionately, his hands coming to rest against your face in comfort. His tongue weaved it’s way through your swollen lips, letting you have a taste of yourself. He pulled away briefly to pant and stare down at your dripping sensitive pussy while he pushed his fingers in. “Gotta stretch you out the right way, yeah? Gotta make sure your cute little pussy is ready for my fat cock.” He panted softly against the top of your breasts, his hair in your face as he intently watched his fingers disappear. He could feel the ridges of your fluttering walls, the sloppy mess of his saliva and your cum inside making his wings shiver.

“Hawks, wait! It’s s-sensitive! Mm!” His fingers thrust into your core faster, making wet squelching noises while his other hand rubbed against your clit again. He spread his two fingers, stretching out your walls to prepare you for his big cock. “Stop! I’m gonna cum again! I’m-!” He pulled his fingers out quickly and brought his fingers up to his mouth, sucking away your juices before grabbing your hips and yanking you towards his lower half. He growled lowly, his lips now grazing against your ear, his hips rutting against yours, rubbing his already hard cock against your folds. “I want you to cum on my cock... crying out my name, grabbin’ at me and beggin’ me to let you cum... so fucking hard.”

“Y-Yes, Hawks...” You whispered obediently.

“Keigo.” He corrected softly.

“Huh...?” You asked in confusion. His smile turned sad and he pecked your lips, wings coming to cover the both of you. It was his way of telling you and reassuring himself that you were both safe with each other. “It’s... my real name. Keigo Takami. And you can’t tell anyone, okay? Only you can know. I trust you, (Y/N).” There was no ‘baby girl’ ‘birdie’ or any other nickname he’d given you, just your first name, displaying his seriousness. You parted your lips to test his name on your tongue. “Keigo...” You smiled a little, heart warming at the amount of trust Hawks—Keigo had in you. His cheeks darkened with a flustered smile. It was clear that it’s been a while since anyone had ever said his real name. “Yeah baby, feels good hearin’ you say it. Say it s’more.”

“Keigo Takami.”

“Again.”

“Keigo Takami.”

“Fuck, I love you.” He attacked your lips again, not giving you any time to process or respond to his confession of love to you. It had to be a spur of the moment thing. There wasn’t any way in hell he loved you. Your brain barely registered what he had even said when you felt something hot, wet, and hard brush against your entrance. Your fingers ran up his arms, grasping onto his shoulders before he pushed himself in slowly. He parted his lips away to moan in unison with you, panting lightly against your face as he struggled to contain himself. “So damn t-tight... feels so good, fuck.” The hero’s blunt nails dig harshly into the leather couch, his teeth coming to rest in his lower lip, trying his hardest to resist fucking you as hard as he could right now. He need to make this moment memorable. The first time you had sex with him.

“Keigo it’s... it’s so hot... ahh, I-it’s still going!” You hook your arms under his and pull him closer, his own arms collapsing beside you to have his elbows near your head. His golden eyes focused on your lewd expression, drinking in every detail with his sharp avian eyes. “Almost there, love bird, almost there. Fuck, you look so damn sexy gettin’ stuffed with my cock, hah~ Do you like it? You like my cock slowly goin’ inside you baby?” Your head nods eagerly, blunt nails digging crescents into the hero’s back. Finally he stopped his hips, panting against your face as his golden eyes searched for any signs of wanting to back out. When he saw none, he let out a breathy chuckle. “Damn, you really are a slut... I wonder, if you were Endeavors sidekick, would you let him do this to you?”

“H-Huh? N-no- mmm! Keigo!” He pulled out and slammed it back in unexpectedly, the sound of leather being scrunched in his palms echoing beside your ear. Your passionate hero slammed his hips against yours, harsh pants beside your ear with a sliver of a groan. “L-Liar... hah, you’d let... anyone do this to you wouldn’t you? You just want a big... fat cock buried inside you! Ain’t that r-right, love bird?” Your hands were clawing at his back, desperate for something to hold onto so you wouldn’t be forced away from him. It definitely helped him slam his cock deeper inside. Your head frantically shook, hands shifting to run through his hair and to touch his face, trying to stare into his golden eyes. “N-No Keigo! Mmm! I only want you! Please! Ahh!”

“Yeah, yeah that’s right baby, you’re fucking mine! All mine to... tease and p-please all I want! Yeah? Yeah?! Ohhh yes baby, yes.” The air around you was becoming thick, a steamy tension that you could probably cut with a knife. Your eyes were already rolling back into your skull at all of the blissfully sinful stuff Keigo was doing to you. He was hitting all the right places, the rigid movements of his cock making you go wild. Keigo was soaking in all of your lewd moans and cries of his real name, loving the way your body ached to keep him close. “Such a good girl. What a good, ahhh... sidekick you are, hmm? Lettin’ your favorite hero... shove his cock inside you like this. Ahh, hah, yeah... so good.”

He slowed the rolling of his hips to a steady, deep pace. He would pull out only to push harshly back inside until his balls painfully pressed against your curvy ass. Keigo watched your body shudder harshly under him, smirking as his teeth grit together attempting to push his cock deeper inside. His slicked up cock head met the opening of your cervix, a moan slipping past him once he felt the entrance to your fertile womb. “Ooohhh fuck. Baby you’re driving me fuckin’ wild!” He leaned over your head, his breath gently hitting your face before he sucked in a breath and smashed his lips against yours in a fiery passion. He moved his hips up and down, the friction of his skin on yours burning your sore thighs more than they already were. “Mmm, K-Kei-... go~”

The call of his name between sloppy kisses urged him to pull out only to thrust back inside a bit more shallower. His lips parted from yours and he began to kiss your neck while he picked up his pace. Hickeys soon blossomed over your neck, indicating you were his. The large red wings on his back were twitching and flapping in tension. Smaller feathers fell to the floor as they shook loose from his avian limbs. Your breasts bounced with every thrust he made inside, slowly jerking your body up and down the leather. The couch weakly moaned at the weight and rapid movement of the hero’s hips. “Mmm, do you hear that? Hah... the wet sloshing of your p-pussy... gettin’ fucked by my cock so deep...”

“Yes... yes I hear it! Oh, Keigo!” He continued, slamming inside of you aggressively and possessively, making it his soul goal to make you cum all over his hard cock. His wings were twitching and spreading wider, flapping harder as he neared his climax. Papers went flying as his wings knocked them off the coffee table, a couple nick nacks tumbling to the floor. “Tell me, mmm! How good of a sidekick you are... how good It feels being pumped full of cock... ngh, fuck! And how much you need me! C’mon birdie say it!” His hips were beginning to falter and become clumsy and organized, his moans getting louder. You were beginning to feel a tight knot forming in the pit of your stomach, walls clenching around his cock.

“Keigo! I’m a good sidekick! It-! It feels so-! Ahhh! Feels so good inside! I need you so bad! Oh fuck! ’m gonna cum!” He moaned deeply into your face, biceps shuttering beside you as his muscles began to tighten with tension. He fucked through your tightness, moaning uncontrollably and babbling about how close he was. “I’m close, oh fuck I’m close. I’m so close. You’re m-milking my cock so fucking good! Yeah, mmm! Milk my cock! Squeeze every... bit of my cum out! Y-Yeah? C’mon baby! Cum for me!” It didn’t take much more before you were clawing at his back with your thighs trembling, toes curling wildly. Your head threw back, back arching with a very loud shout of ecstasy as you came all over his warm cock. “OH GOD! KEIGO!”

“Yes, yes, fuck, yeah, yeah, yeah, FUCK! Oh shit! I’m cum- NGH!” Keigo’s wings shot towards the ceiling, sharp feathers scattered and flying away as he lost control of his body, mind hazy and incapable of controlling his quirk fully. He sheathed his hips inside, gooey head smushing against your cervix to give you his potent seed. His mouth hung open with stuttering raspy gasps and pants. “I love you, I love you so much, love bird.” He weakly rolled his hips back into yours, cum soaked balls pattering against your ass softly. With his cum pathetically fucked back into your pussy, he pulled out and sat up on his haunches, staring down at the mess you both made. “F-Fuuuuck... that was... amazing, birdie. You’re the best sidekick in the world... you know that? Spoilin’ me like this.”

“Sh-Shut... up you winged... bastard.” You panted between your uneven breaths, trying to calm your racing heart and staggered breathing. The air was still thick around you both, the smell of sex still evident. There was worry swirling around your head at what had just happened. Your first thought was to go home, clean up, and buy some plan B since the bird brain had mindlessly came inside you. But that wasn’t the biggest concern. What was Keigo going to do now that he had gotten what he wanted? He’d manipulated you into having sex with him, praising you like a lover would. You couldn’t help but wonder if all of this was just some game to get into your pants. What you didn’t know was that he was waiting for a response to his confession. Now, he needed to confront you. “What’s with the look, love bird? You seem stressed. Regretting sleepin’ with me? You don’t have to be afraid of tellin’ me how you feel! I know it’s intimidating but no need to be afraid.”

“Keig- I-I mean Hawks...” He felt a pang in his heart at the way you corrected yourself from his real name, something he trusted you with. He didn’t regret what he’d done, but this was not the outcome he was expecting. In his slightly delusional thoughts, he figured you would’ve fallen in love with him the moment you kissed. His poor ego would be his downfall. “I don’t know what you were trying to gain from this... well, this wasn’t entirely your fault, I gave in, and I shouldn’t have done that. You’re my boss. And-“ Now he was getting frustrated and impatient. Of course that’s what you thought. He did use his authority and manipulative nature to weave his way into your pants and sprout insecurities and worries within you. “Enough with that already. Who cares if I’m your boss, I thought I’d made it pretty clear I have feelings for you.”

“But- But-“

“And you wouldn’t have slept with me if you actually hated me that much. There’s still a lot you don’t know about me, but I’d be glad to enlighten you.” His golden eyes were becoming more intense and steely, dangerously glinting in a threatening way. If you wouldn’t willingly love him, he would manipulate his way to your heart, exploit you and make sure you believed you love him. Cause if you believed you did, he knew you would eventually love him for real. “Don’t you want to know the secrets of your favorite hero? You wanted to be special? Wanted to rise in the world of being a hero? Let’s face the reality here, you fear of not being successful.”

He was right, and he was slowly breaking you down.

“I’ve done so much for you, (Y/N). So damn much. I think I’ve sacrificed a lot of my time and efforts to try and make you better.” His hands ran over your cheek, slowly trailing his hand down and over your breasts causing your breath to hitch. You were frozen into place as his perfected behavior settled in your heart, churning your stomach. “You’re nice, ya know? A little too nice sometimes. But I think I deserve a little more of a reward for bein’ such a good hero and mentor.” Tears welled in your eyes, a stray salty streak coming down and slipping down your neck. He smirked and leaned down, licking up your neck and your cheek until he kissed your eye softly. “And what I want... is for you to be mine, and love me just as much as I love you.”

So you had heard it right, he loved you.

“I know you want to be successful love bird, and I know all you wanted was to fight beside me. But... I want more than that.” He gave you a lob sided pure smile of his. It wasn’t one of his fake public smiles, a real genuine one. You slowly looked away from him, biting your lip as he continued to shower you with how much he wanted you. “C’mon, just admit it. Tell me you’ll be mine, love bird. You’ll be mine, and we’ll be unstoppable together. We’ll make my dream come true. That way... we can experience a world of peace together.” He was talking from his heart. You didn’t know it, but after being trapped by the commission, he desperately wanted to be free so he could fly without a care in the world. He wasn’t done yet though, he still needed to complete his ultimate mission. And he wanted you beside him the whole way. “Say it.” He pressured passively.

“I... I’ll be yours Keigo...” He chuckled in response.

“Such a Good Sidekick.”

#hawks smut #hawks x reader #hawks-x-reader-smut #bnha hawks #pro hero hawks #my hero academia #sidekick #feral hawks #slightly yandere hawks

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firefly-in-darkness · 4 years

Text

Smooth

Pairing → Sam Wilson x Reader

Characters → Marvel

Summary → Y/N has to fight off the smile and laughter at Sam Wilson’s chat up lines throught their relationship but here are a few of their milestones.

Word Count → 3.7k

Prompt → Trope: 5 Things Plus 1 for @bonkywobble challenge - congrats on your follower milestone lovely!

SSB2021 Square Fill → Posted at the end of the story as it’s a spoiler // @star-spangled-bingo

Warnings → Fluff, sweet, tooth-rotting fluff. Cheesy chat up lines.

Betas → @daydream3r-xo // all mistakes are my own.

A/N → This is my first proper Sam Wilson fic - I have done one in the past but there was more platonic - so I hope you enjoy this story!

Firefly’s Masterlist

Sam Wilson couldn’t believe his luck, he’d signed up to the right gym, that’s for sure. There was the most beautiful woman standing at the opposite wall with a group of women. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of her as she instructed the class. It was like he was hypnotised, but at least he was happy about it. Her figure was strong, and she commanded the attention of the women with ease and a stunning smile that made her eyes sparkle.

He dropped his bag onto the floor and folded his arms, as he watched on in wonder while she instructed them to loosen up with various stretches. The way her body bent and twisted into the poses was enough to make him stir under the belt.

Lost in his daydream, Sam didn’t realise the instructor had turned away from the class and walked in his direction. Lost in the sight of her plump lips and then he realised that she was looking at him. No, not just looking, her lips were moving. She was talking to him. He snapped out of his haze and apologised for not hearing.

“Are you here to assist with the self-defence class?” Her eyebrow raised at him, slight confusion on her face.

Now that she was in his personal space, Sam felt nervous. He was usually so quick and an absolute charmer with women. Well, with most people, young and old. He’d get himself out of any situation and this is when he needed his wits about him.

“Uhm- No, I think there’s something wrong with my eyes.” Sam wrinkled his nose and cringed at his train of thought.

The woman looked at him with widening fear and reached out to take his arm, “Right, okay, what do you need? What’s wrong?”

The feel of her soft skin warmed his arm in an instant, a tingle bloomed across his cheeks. Then he refocused back on his plan, even if it could potentially end badly, he wanted to charm her.

“I just can’t take them off you.” Sam grinned, but it dropped when he saw the scowl, she was giving him.

Suddenly the most beautiful sound came from the woman, the laugh that fell from her lips made him feel like a cloud, completely soft and weightless. And the sight of her head thrown back brought the grin back to his face. It worked.

“But I am more than happy to help out with the class.” Sam’s smile didn’t drop but his heart raced at the thought of his offer being rejected.

“Oh, you are definitely helping out now.” grabbed his bicep and brought him to the front of the group. “Now ladies, this is-”

“Sam” He waved and gave them a lopsided smile. “Sam Wilson.”

“Sam is going to be our test dummy for today’s session.” Y/N grabbed a [added vest and handed it to him, “now put this on and be a good boy so these Ladies can practice kneeing someone in the stomach.”

“What? I thought you were going to wrestle me or something.”

“Nuh-uh, good luck sugar.” She grinned.

“Wait, do I get to know your name?” Sam asked as he pulled on the vest.

“You can call me Boss Lady.” She replied and returned to the group of women.

Sam didn’t miss the teasing smirk she sent his way as she walked away and discussed the techniques with the women that were lining up to practise their recently learned moves on him. He was glad he had this padded vest and years of training in the army to deal with the blows about to come his way.

At least he got to meet her, see that stunning smile, and hear that beautiful laugh. It was all worth it.

Y/N stroked her fingers through her hair, a failed attempt to tame the flyaway while giving herself a once over in the pocket mirror. Nerves swirled in her stomach as the Uber approached the Italian restaurant. She wasn’t sure if this was a good idea or not, she hadn’t been on a date in over a year and she had only known this guy for a few weeks through an online dating app.

The maître-d took her coat then led her to an empty table, leaving her to browse the drinks menu. Y/N wasn’t fazed by being here before him, she was a little earlier than planned and decided to order a glass of wine.

Yet, the minutes ticked by. Y/N sipped on her drink, eyes focused on the entrance for any sign of her date but after twenty minutes and an ignored message, she decided to ask the waitress to clear the reservation and bring over the cheque for her wine. She wasn’t going to sit there any longer, waiting for someone that wasn’t going to arrive.

Feeling scorned by being stood up, she left the restaurant in a flurry but tried to remain composed and swiftly began to walk down the block to the busier part of town to hail a taxi. But before she reached the end of the sidewalk an illuminated sign across the street caught her attention. Compound. It was the place that Sam had mentioned to her earlier in the week when they were at the gym.

They’d formed a good friendship over the last few months and with a few of the other regulars at the gym. Sam had invited Y/N alongside Bucky and Nat who were personal trainers at the gym. Y/N knew them well but had declined the invite to the bar that was now opposite her. She made up an excuse, unsure as to why she lied about needing to go to her parents.

But now that she was here, she might as well put the time she had in getting ready to good use. She could just think of some other excuse and pretend like the evening hadn’t started as badly as it did. With a renewed surge of confidence, she skipped across the street and entered the bar.

It was busy but considering it was a Friday night, most people ventured further into town for a night out. She spotted Bucky and one of his best clients, Steve, at one of the pool tables in the corner. Bucky had just broken the set and Steve moved to take his shot. That’s when Y/N saw that Natasha was here too, almost hidden from view by the muscular giant that was Steve. Y/N was sure that Natasha never looked less than radiant, she never looked out of place anywhere. She was perfect.

Y/N removed her coat and hooked it up, uncertainty starting to worry her about turning up unannounced. She shook it off and walked over to the bar to grab a round of beers to take over to the table, she couldn’t go over there empty-handed.

At the sound of her name being called, she turned around to see Bucky, his signature smile on his lips and arms opened wide to welcome her in a light hug.

“Hi Buck, parents didn’t need me so thought I’d gate crash.” Y/N grinned and held up the bottles, “And I have beers.”

“Always welcome. But we need one more.” Bucky gestured over to the table, the new addition at the table was Sam.

An unexpected rush of butterflies assaulted Y/N’s stomach as she ordered the remaining beer and walked over to the bar with Bucky in tow. She greeted everyone, pausing as she approached Sam. This was the first time she’d seen him in something other than gym clothes and she appreciated the form-fitting shirt that hugged at his muscular arms.

“Somebody call the cops because it’s got to be illegal to look that good!” Sam bellowed out and held out his arms, gesturing up and down her body.

Y/N couldn’t help the giggle that erupted and wrapped her arms around his neck. She was glad that her date had stood her up because now she was able to enjoy the night with friends that wanted her to be around. Plus, who doesn’t love a confidence boost from a handsome guy?

Even though Sam used the most ridiculous lines to get Y/N’s attention, something was charming about him. It was a confidence boost for sure and when later that night, he asked her on a date, she secretly hoped that it was going to lead to something more. Even if the rational voice in her head told her not to get attached too soon.

Sam couldn’t believe his luck; they were on their fifth date and Y/N had invited him up to her apartment for coffee. Of course, he hoped it was code for sex. But honestly, he didn’t mind if that didn’t happen, he just wanted to spend more time with Y/N. She was great company, had a wicked sense of humour and was genuinely fun to be around.

Nerves bubbled in Sam’s stomach while he waited for Y/N to return with their drinks. He had sat on the cosy couch that was adorned with plush cushions and the softest blanket he’d ever felt but he needed to distract himself from the butterflies somersaulting in his stomach. A display of photographs and memorabilia adorning one of the walls caught his eye and he wandered over.

Several photographs of Y/N with different groups of people; at festivals, out for dinner, on vacation. Some of the frames had ticket stubs tucked into them, the other frames had ornaments hanging from them or polaroids stuck to the corners. It was a collage of happiness and colour. He couldn’t help the smile that formed as he thought of all the possibilities of their dating heading towards making memories like this, together.

Sam returned to the couch and Y/N placed the cups onto the coffee table. He noticed the change in her body language; she smoothed down her skirt several times, a coy smile played on her lips as she sipped on the drink. He grinned, she was on the same page as him and maybe just as nervous.

“We don’t have to do anything.” Sam’s voice gained her attention, “I’m happy to wait and see where things go if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Y/N’s eyes sparkled, she looked as if the weight of the world had been taken off her shoulders and then she plunged towards him. Their lips met in a heated kiss; Sam was shocked at the sudden change of pace, but he couldn’t resist the need to feel her body pressed up against him.

They both pulled back for air, and Sam brushed his knuckles against her cheek, “I guess that means you do want to do something.”

Y/N bit her lip and shuffled backwards, straightened up and gestured for him to follow her to the bedroom. Sam kicked off his shoes and loosened his tie in the doorway, completely enamoured by Y/N while she removed her heels.

“Sam, can you help?” Y/N looked behind and pulled her hair over her shoulder, exposing the zip that she couldn’t quite reach the top of the dress.

Slowly, the zip glided down, showing a hint of the black lace underwear. Sam looked up to the ceiling, thanking God for the beauty before him. She turned around and began unbuttoning his shirt, her fingers delicate and features focused on the clothing. But there seemed to be an air of nervousness coming from her.

Sam tipped up her chin before she could finish undressing him. He kissed her lightly, in hope to ease her, comfort her.

Their lips parted and he rested his forehead against Y/N’s, “as I said, we don’t have to do anything.”

Y/N nodded and guided him to the foot of the bed to take a seat, “I’m okay. It’s just been a while.”

Sam was in a similar situation and didn’t want his nerves to add to the concern that was already laced on her features as she stood in front of him, “We’ll do this at your pace.”

She nodded, a smile now taking over her features as she removed her arms from the sleeves of her dress and letting it pool at her feet. Sam’s mouth dropped agape as he took in her all beauty; the soft skin that curved and dipped in exquisite ways.

His hands rubbed at his thighs and looked back up to the woman who approached cautiously, a smirk on his face, “I hope you know CPR because you are taking my breath away.”

Y/N bit her bottom lip and straddled his lap, “I think I’m pretty good at mouth to mouth.”

Sam held her waist with one hand, the other exploring and massaging the exposed skin of her thighs, her hips and stomach before he reached for her neck. Their lips crashed together, and they shuffled up the mattress, exposing more of their bodies and letting passion guide them through the remainder of the night.

The episode of The Big Bang Theory played in the background, Y/N was too occupied with painting her toenails, her feet rested on the coffee table as she tugged up her sweatpants for the fifth time in the hopes to not smudge the polish.

Sam had been in the bedroom for ten minutes, putting on an outfit that he needed Y/N’s approval on. At least they’d ordered food before he went in there because otherwise, Y/N would have consumed everything in his fridge which didn’t consist of much other than a block of cheese and a bottle of vodka.

The buzz at the intercom made her jump but luckily there were no smudges to her newly pampered feet.

“I’ll get it,” Y/N shouted from the lounge of Sam’s apartment and headed to the front door to wait for the delivery person. She handed the guy some bills and a little tip before hitting the door shut with her hip.

Y/N held onto the pizza boxes and bottle of soda tightly and cautiously made her way down the hall. She waited for Sam to appear, but he still hadn’t come out of his bedroom. It was getting a bit ridiculous now.

“Sam, hurry up or your food is going to go cold.” She called and poured out the drinks.

“What do you think?” Sam asked as he entered the room, arms wide as he twirled slowly.

Sam was in a crisp white shirt, smart black trousers, and a suit jacket. The bowtie was a little crooked, but it made his sheepish grin all that more endearing to her.

“A little formal for movie night don’t you think?” She smirked and dipped an onion ring into the garlic sauce.

“Thought it might impress you.” Sam grinned at her, “Thought it would bring a bit more class to the charity gala. We need to raise money for the community centre.”

“Well, I think you look rather handsome and I’m sure someone will bid a lot of money on you.” Y/N’s eyes squinted at him, for being reminded that Sam was being auctioned off alongside Steve and Bucky for dates to the rich women of New York.

Y/N knew they weren’t exclusive, but she knew they weren’t dating other people, they just hadn’t talked about that. It had only been a couple of months since their first date and as much as Y/N was enjoying Sam’s company, she didn’t want to rush into anything or mistake how she felt and that it was unreciprocated.

“Do you know what my shirt is made of?” Sam walked towards her and knelt to be at her eye level, “Boyfriend material. Yeah, I like the sound of that.”

Sam pressed a kiss to her cheek then stood back up to return to the bedroom while Y/N remained glued to the spot, eyes wide at the way he’d casually pulled off another cheesy line and quietened her insecurities in one swift movement. She was falling, hard.

Sam pulled the van into the driveway, feeling giddy at the sight of Y/N standing on the porch with their realtor. The sun beamed down onto Y/N’s skin, an ethereal glow as she spoke animatedly with Phil, probably talking his ear off about the cost of hiring a van themselves in comparison to hiring a removals company.

It had taken them a while to get here but Sam was over the moon to be where they were now. Everything came into alignment, apart from the odd bump in the road. But after many sleepless nights, a last-minute scramble for cash and only a few days to pack up their separate lives; they were finally moving into their dream home.

They had talked about this for months, both unsure to take the leap when viewing different houses until this one came along. The minute they walked into the place, it felt like home. It was vacant and they were able to imagine what it would look like with their belongings; where the sofa would look best in the lounge or which room should be the guest bedroom or office space.

Of course, the kitchen was Sam’s favourite place, it was open planned and the best for socialising and he couldn’t wait for everyone to come round for a barbecue as the French doors opening onto a patio that stretched into a neat lawn. Perfect for hosting their friends this summer.

“Did you get lost pumpkin?” Y/N smiled at him.

“Never, I’m like a homing pigeon when it comes to you.” Sam chuckled, “are we ready now Phil?”

The middle-aged man that had a childlike spark, gave him a curt nod, and headed into the property, “Right this way.”

The papers were signed, and all that was left was to be handed over the keys so that they could begin unloading their belongings. The atmosphere was charged with excitement as Phil placed a set of keys into Y/N’s hands.

“Be careful with those.” Sam gave her a lopsided smirk and a raised brow.

“I’m not going to lose them!” She retaliated.

“Yeah, but this one,” Sam pointed to one of the keys, “is a special one.”

Y/N turned to him, brows knitted together in confusion, “what are you going on about Sam?”

Sam placed his hands on her shoulders, focusing her attention on him. His face lined with seriousness, “It’s the key to my heart.”

Y/N groaned and rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him.

“Nailed it!” Phil said as he high fived Sam, “Now, I will leave you lovely pair to get acquainted with your new home.”

Y/N placed the keys onto the kitchen island and looked out onto the garden. Sam’s arms wrapped around her waist; his chest pressed tightly to her back.

“We did it, baby girl,” Sam whispered into her ear and lightly pecked her cheek.

“That we did.” She turned her head to capture his lips with her own.

Y/N grabbed the plates, shoving them into the dishwasher while Sam waved Steve and Peggy off from the front door. It was a good date night, regardless of the lack of wine. Peggy was almost ready to burst with the twins that had wriggled constantly in her belly. They’d finally decided on a name but refused to tell Y/N or Sam.

“Anything else I need to do, baby girl?” Sam asked as he returned to the kitchen.

“All done in here.” Y/N yawned, “Think it’s time for bed.”

Sam’s face dropped for a split second, but Y/N spotted it. She wandered round to his side of the room and wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers massaging the back of his head.

“What’s up?” She asked, pressing a light kiss to his lips.

A grin formed on his lips, the warmth spreading to her in an instant, shared happiness was a beautiful feeling.

“I was just thinking that I don’t think there’s anything I’d like to change about you.” He swayed your body to the music that filtered through from the music dock in the living room.

“So why the grumpy face?” Y/N pouted and squeezed his cheeks together; lips mushed into a dramatic grimace.

“Because I realised there was something I’d like to change,” Sam mumbled through your hold on his face.

Y/N pulled away instantly, her hands dropping to her side as anger began to bubble under her skin, “excuse me?”

Sam tugged her by the waist, keeping her close, “Let me finish.”

She relaxed the tension in her body and placed her hands back on his chest, the annoyance still simmering but less noticeable. Sam’s fingers traced soft lines up and down her back until she gave in and placed her head on his shoulder.

“Now, where was I? Ah yes, the one thing I’d change about you.” He spluttered as Y/N hit him on the arm, lightly but still effective. “The only thing would be your last name.”

Y/N cringed at the chat-up line and pulled away, breaking their hold in favour of turning out the lights in the kitchen before re-joining him but he was nowhere to be seen when she turned around. The sudden silence had her on edge as she headed to the lounge to find Sam kneeling in front of her, his hand raised with a velvet box.

She gasped and clamped her hand over her mouth, he was being serious. He wasn’t using some cheesy chat-up line, well he was, but he was doing this! Y/N squealed internally, the sudden realisation that Sam was talking had her snapping up to his eyes.

The gorgeous brown brimming with tears as he told her how much he loved her, “I want you in my life always baby girl, will you be my wife?”

“Yes!” she responded, throwing her arms around his neck as he spun her around the room.

Y/N pressed kiss after kiss to every place she could, their salty tears mixing in with their passion. Sam pulled back with a chuckle, he took her left hand and placed the sparkling ring onto her finger.

He might have used his cheesy pick-up lines to get to this point, but Y/N loved every single one. Especially this one.

The End.

SSB2021 Square Fill → Proposal // @star-spangled-bingo

Everything Tag List: @kitkatd7 / @fandomfic-galore / @writerwrites / @thefridgeismybestie / @wedonttalkaboutitenough / @courtneychicken

Marvel Tag List: @natasha-danvers / @little-baby-vixen / @stuckonjbbarnes / @starlightcrystalline / @nekoannie-chan / @hailhydra920 / @vollzeitliebe / @fitzsimmons-is-forever / @ladyacrasia / @emmabarnes

#Sam Wilson x Reader #bonkyshalfwayto1k #SSB2021 #Sam Wilson #Sam Wilson Fic #Star Spangled Bingo #Sam Wilson Fluff #Sam Wilson Fanfiction

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makeste · 4 years

Text

BnHA Chapter 289: Looks Like the Gang’s All Here

Previously on BnHA: Horikoshi was all “you guys don’t really need to know what’s gonna happen to Deku and Shouto right now” and cut away to Toga and Ochako before anyone could get a word in. Skeptic utilized the power of Freak Shounen Coincidence to magically zero in on Ochako and Tsuyu amongst the fleeing crowd. Toga was all “IS THAT OCHAKO” and immediately leaped down to fight them, ignoring Spinner’s heartfelt speeches about Villain Found Family because fight now, hug later!! Down in the streets of some unidentified crumbling city, Ochako was approached by a sweet old lady and was all “I better help this sweet old lady who is definitely not leading me into a trap”, which unfortunately turned out to be poor decision-making on her part. Anyway so now she and Toga are going to throw down. AND ALSO, P.S., BEST JEANIST IS STILL ALIVE, and that doesn’t really have anything to do with anything right now, but BY GOLLY I JUST HAD TO SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS.

Today on BnHA: Iida and Hadou are all “is it our turn yet”, and Horikoshi is all “yes”, and so the two of them finally burst onto the scene and are all “hello Shouto, Gigantomachia is on his way, btw do you need help” and so they all get ready to fight Tomura together. Meanwhile in Unnamed Ochako And Toga Fight Town, Toga is all “what’s up Ochako, oh is this the All Might doll Deku gave you, I guess you must like Deku as well, just like me, we truly are the same, btw I can use other people’s quirks now” before she vanishes in a flurry of knives and ambiguity, as mysteriously as she came. So that’s a thing that happened. The chapter ends with Gigantomachia and the League STOMPIN’ ONTO THE SCENE, JUST IN TIME FOR ENDEAVOR TO WAKE UP AND BE ALL “OHHHHH SHIT.” YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT, “OH SHIT.” Finally the pieces are in place for Dabi to reveal his true identity to Hadou and Iida, JUST LIKE WE ALL EXPECTED.

before I start, thank you so much to everyone who sent birthday messages on Wednesday!! I had a good day; my quarantine impulse purchase guitar that I ordered months ago but had been backordered finally arrived, and so now I can do something productive with my time as I continue to while away these months in isolation! not to say that capslocking over fictional characters and their shounen escapades doesn’t also count as being productive lmao. anyways, my fingers hurt so typing is kind of a bitch right now, but I’m having fun still. IF KAMINARI CAN DO IT THEN SO CAN I

anyway so let’s see what mishaps my various catastrophe-prone children are getting up to this week

okay there are several things happening in this panel which I want to comment on

IIDA!!!

HADOU!!!

“some time after” jesus fucking christ though, how long have Deku and the rest actually been fighting?? like it’s absolutely absurd to imagine that they’ve been managing to hold off Tomura for more than a few minutes, and yet everything we’ve seen these last couple of chapters suggests that this is indeed the case. which is just pure insanity tbh. excuse me sir, but I have an emotionally maturing son, a homewrecking grandpa, and a sleep-deprived one-legged platonic husband who are all in DIRE NEED of medical attention just FYI

lastly, I direct your attention to these two cool cats in the background who are both riding on hover surfboards. living it up like it’s Back to the Future. why are there two of them. do they both just happen to have the exact same quirk. what are the odds. ARE THEY TWINS. I want to know everything about them dammit

anyway so Hadou is asking Iida why he’s tagging along, because unlike the others, he can’t fly and is thus vulnerable to Tomura’s attacks and such

well Hadou I’ll have you know that it his DUTY AS THE CLASS PRESIDENT to tag along and THAT’S WHY

oh shit you guys IIDA SAID “FUCK THE LAW”

“plus Bakugou-kun, whom I am not particularly close to, but nonetheless hold nothing personal against!” well uh, kind of a weird distinction to make there bro, but okay. listen everyone, it’s a tense situation; if Iida feels the need to clarify the ins and outs of his interpersonal relationships with each of the people he’s rescuing then please just respect that okay

anyways though have I mentioned how much I fucking love Iida Tenya though you guys. feels like I haven’t mentioned that enough. I LOVE HIM. there

FINALLY

AFTER THREE WHOLE WEEKS WE FINALLY CUT BACK. OH MY GOD. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG OF A TIME THAT IS TO BE HOLDING YOUR BREATH. [EXHALES]

is it bad that my immediate reaction to this page was A LOT OF LAUGHING, though. fkldlksh this entire situation is SO ABJECTLY TERRIBLE that if I were Shouto I would almost be fighting the urge to look around for a hidden camera at this point. ASHTON KUTCHER WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING HERE. OH THANK GOD, IT WAS ALL JUST A PRANK

anyway so uh. heh. how screwed are we at this point, exactly. oh and also, whose speech bubbles are these. who the fuck would look at this situation and these bleeding children and say “HA!” what kind of monster. just ignore that paragraph right before this one please

OH SHIT, OH SHIT, OH SHIT

TOMURA I CANNOT BELIEVE I’M SAYING THIS, BUT PLEASE LISTEN TO AFO FOR ONCE AND JUST LEAVE

pretty please. we kind of have a situation here. not that I wouldn’t love to see what this icy flamey boi could do if push came to shove, but I also have had just about enough of watching children get maimed for today though

OH SHIT

THE TIMING OF THIS MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE AT ALL BUT I DO NOT CARE!! THE CAVALRY HAS ARRIVED THANK GOD

“WHAT UP GUYS, WE BROUGHT YOU SOME TERRIBLE NEWS” FKLSHLKHLK

WELL GEE IIDA THANKS SO FUCKING MUCH!!

lmaoooo a wild Lida has been spotted what the fuck is this translation though

I don’t know which is better, the “Lida” (DO YOU EVEN READ THE SERIES BRO), or the “CHRIST” gkfhkg. CLASSIC LIDA

OH SNAP HADOU

sobbing at Manual cradling the still-warm corpse of Gran Torino like a tiny baby khlk;h. BUT ANYWAYS HADOU SAW HER TEACHER ALL BLOODIED UP AND IS READY TO THROW DOWN, YESSSSS, THE MY LADIES ACADEMIA ARC CONTINUES

(ETA: listen you guys, there were many things at the end of this chapter that brought me joy, but perhaps none more than the inclusion of Hadou in the final two page spread looking all serious alongside the Todorokis, as if she has any fucking clue at all wtf is going on slfkhlkhgghsl. what I wouldn’t give to see her and Deku and Iida all making frantic bewildered eye contact at each other throughout the next chapter lmao.)

GOD FUCKING DAMMIT DEKU

ARE YOU PROPPING YOURSELF UP WITH YOUR ARM THAT’S IN SPLINTERS, I CAN’T EVEN BELIEVE YOU RIGHT NOW. SOMEONE PLEASE SLAP SOME SENSE INTO THIS CHILD. SIT YOUR ASS DOWN

LMAO TODO’S READY TO TAKE AFOMURA ON. THE SHARED HERO BRAINCELL HAS ALREADY EXPIRED. FUCK IT LET’S DO THIS

“true, I already watched him murder my dad, my boyfriend, my other boyfriend, my teacher, and dozens of other people, but gosh darn it, I just feel like the fifteenth time’s the charm you guys.” shit, I ain’t even mad. who’s up for yet another episode of Todoroki Shouto Attempts to Murder a Bitch

-- “TIME TO CUT AWAY!!” laughs Horikoshi as he gleefully dodges out of reach before I can punch him, that SON OF A --

goddammit. you’re just lucky that I’m invested in the girl power fight too

YESSSSS OCHAKO

DON’T BE SORRY FOR KICKING ASS! NEVER BE SORRY FOR KICKING ASS

damn, looks like she managed to touch Toga’s shirt but not Toga herself. both of them are so fast

now Toga is monologuing from the shadows

we’ve all been there, Toga. sometimes you see someone you really like and it’s just like, ahhhhhh gotta kill them am I right

lol I love Toga so much you guys, but I’m also kind of wincing in anticipation of whatever essays are gonna materialize out of the fandom this week explaining how hero society has failed her utterly and she is just a victim here. CAN YOU NOT SEE HOW SHE JUST WANTED FREEDOM TO BE HERSELF AND MURDER A BUNCH OF PEOPLE flhkklhl

OH SNAP SHE WENT AND TOLD HER THE THING!!

and it was fucking awesome and scary as shit, Ochako. like damn, still sends a chill up my spine just thinking about it

anyway so now Toga is continuing to explain that she can use the quirks of whoever she transforms into

and Ochako is kind of freaking out, which I don’t blame her for, since it’s probably really upsetting to hear that your stolen blood and quirk were used to murder a bunch of people. shit

so now she’s all “WTF WHY WOULD YOU EVEN TELL ME THAT”

??? was this somehow the wrong answer?

for fuck’s sake. Toga you literally came down here to ask her if she would be willing to kill you, and here she is telling you “I would never be happy about killing someone, that’s fucked up”, and you’re all “......”

like come on though, what else do you want her to say?? and why does Ochako look so shocked now

OOP

LMAO

THEIR FACES DKSLHFKG. TOGA NO THAT IS MEAN. and jesus christ Ochako it’s just a toy. I know it has Sentimental Value and shit but is this really the thing to be getting distracted about right now

FOR FUCK’S SAKE

JIN-KUN WHOM OCHAKO HAS NEVER FUCKING MET?? THAT JIN-KUN??!

OM NOM NOM

this entire confrontation makes absolutely zero sense to me you guys. just. Horikoshi was all, “this is the kind of stuff girls talk about when they’re battling to the death, right?” just, are you okay my dude

anyway so Toga has somehow deduced that Ochako got the doll from Deku, which means that she and Ochako are exactly alike in every way, and this is somehow an important plot point, and now they’re finally getting back to the fight lulz

OH SHIT

OCHAKO BOUT TO SLAP THE SHIT OUT TOGA WITH THIS BOOKCASE ON A STRING AND THIS LOUIS BAG OH FUCK

so now Toga’s all excited and she’s all “THERE’S SOMETHING I OUGHT TO TELL YOU, I’M NOT LEFT HANDED EITHER” oh snap

fuck, it almost feels like she’s trying to warn her. Ochako idk maybe you should run shit I do not like this ( ﾟдﾟ)

but of course she is not running, and she’s all “I’ll have you take responsibility for your actions”

HEY NOW

WHAT IS FUCKING HAPPENING, DID TOGA JUST FUCKING MURDER TSUYU, WHAT THE FUCK. I AM TERRIFIED, I DON’T WANT TO SCROLL DOWN, SHE THREW LIKE FOURTEEN KNIVES INTO THE DARKNESS, WHAT THE FUCK

IT’S POSSIBLE THAT I MAY HAVE OVERREACTED

so did Toga just Swip a bunch of knives for no reason and then abscond, lol what. CAN ANYBODY PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THAT ENTIRE SCENE WAS. ASIDE FROM GETTING TO SEE OCHAKO TRY AND YEET A BOOKCASE AT SOMEONE

fuck, she was crying??

DID MY GIRL TOGA JUST KILL AN OLD WOMAN, NAKEDLY LURE OCHAKO INTO A BUILDING, ANTAGONIZE HER INTO SAYING “I’LL MAKE YOU TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR KILLING A BUNCH OF PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE YOU FELT LIKE IT”, STEAL HER DOLL, GIVE HER DOLL BACK, TELL HER “OH SO YOU LIKE DEKU TOO HUH? BTW I CAN USE OTHER PEOPLE’S QUIRKS”, AND THEN RUN AWAY CRYING??? BRUH

-- OH SHIT, OH FUCK

[SIRENS BLARING WILDLY] [AUDIENCE LEAPING OUT OF THEIR SEATS] [T-SHIRT CANNONS BOOMING IN THE AIR] [VIKING WAR HORN SOUNDS IN THE DISTANCE] FUUUUUUUUUCK

well never the fuck mind about Ochako and Toga and WHATEVER THE FUCK THAT ALL WAS SUPPOSED TO BE, I guess, BECAUSE!! MACHIA MADNESS HAS ARRIVED. SPEARS SHALL BE SHAKEN!!! SHIELDS SHALL BE SPLINTERED!!

AND LOOK WHO WOKE UP FROM HIS NUMBER ONE HERO BEAUTY NAP RIGHT ON CUE, TOO!!! ATTENTION ALL PASSENGERS... IIIIIIIIIIT’S TOUYA TIMEEEEEEEE

#bnha 289 #iida tenya #hadou nejire #toga himiko #uraraka ochako #todoroki shouto #todorokibowl 2020 #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #makeste reads bnha

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starryeyes-darkestnights · 4 years

Text

Shut Up and Drive

Part 3 of We Dance Together Now

An O’Knutzy au where Leo and Logan are still playing for the Lions, but Finn is a musician they met by chance on a roadie to Montreal.

Here are the first few parts!

Part 1 - Jingle Bell Rock

Part 2 - This City

I hope you like it!!! :):)

Also, this is getting kind of crazy long, so I’m going to stick it up on AO3 too :)

These beautiful characters and their world belong to the incredible @lumosinlove

---------------------------------------------------------------

Finn was standing at his bathroom sink, brushing his teeth, when he heard his phone buzz in the other room. He wandered out to look for it, toothbrush hanging from his mouth. When it wasn’t immediately visible, he just shrugged and headed back to the bathroom. It was probably just his mom. She texted to say goodnight sometimes, which was adorable but didn’t require an urgent response.

But then the phone went off a second time while he was rinsing his mouth, and a third while he was pulling on his sleep pants. Definitely not his mom. Curious now, he grabbed his book off the nightstand and headed off in search of the mysterious messages. He padded out to the living room, spotting the phone on the couch and flopping down next to it just as a fourth notification went off. He scooped it up and swiped open his messages. He was surprised to see Logan’s contact come up. He figured they would be busy tonight after their game.

Logan: Finn!

Logan: FINN!

Logan: FINN ANSWER YOUR PHONE

Logan: We won!

Finn smiled at Logan’s excitement. He had actually seen the alert for the team’s win flash across his phone a few hours earlier. He’d set up notifications for Lions game results a few weeks ago, after an embarrassing evening of asking them how the game went, not knowing they had lost. He would only make that mistake once.

Finn: I saw. Congrats! 😊

Logan’s response was immediate.

Logan: You’re alive! Come celebrate with us.

Finn’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. That was unexpected. He knew that after winning games they usually went out with the guys from their team. That’s why he had gotten ready for an early night.

Finn: Aren’t you out with the team?

Logan: Yes! Leo says to tell you they’re cool if you join us. They want to see you again. They remember you from Montreal.

Finn chewed his lip, looking longingly between his book and the phone in his hand. Usually he would love to see them - the trio had become nearly inseparable over the past month - but he had been looking forward to reading tonight. He hadn’t had much opportunity since school had started back up. Plus, he had to be up early tomorrow.

Finn: Ordinarily I would be all over that. But I’m almost in bed

Logan: Your bed will still be there in a few hours!

Finn: But it looks so comfy right now.

Logan: Pleeeeaaase? Dancing isn’t fun without you any more

Finn melted a little at that one, his conviction starting to waver even as he texted back.

Finn: I don’t give in to peer pressure!

He watched the screen, waiting for an answer, when a message from Leo popped up at the top. A picture. He swiped it open, curious, and his jaw dropped.

It was a picture of Logan, taken from close up. His head was tilted, his messy curls falling over one eye, and he was pouting, his lower lip jutting out just slightly. He was looking directly into the camera, and his eyes… Finn took one look at the wide, green, puppy dog gaze, and knew he had just been made a liar. There was absolutely no way he was not going to do whatever Logan asked if this was how he asked it. He stood up and sent one final text.

Finn: Where are you?

---

Two hours later Finn was in the middle of a dance floor, sweat dripping in his eyes as he leaned over to put his hands on his knees, trying to stop laughing long enough to catch his breath.

His efforts were futile, as Logan chose that moment to expand on his interpretation of the Toosie Slide dance, one that had been getting more and more extravagant every time they heard the song at a club. As he slid dramatically across the floor, he almost knocked over a poor, unsuspecting woman. He hadn’t actually crashed into her, but it was close enough to scare her into turning toward him with a very angry look and Finn cackled as he watched Logan’s face turn from mischief to horror, nearly knocking her over a second time as he rushed to apologize. His amusement was short-lived, however, as the woman gave Logan a once-over and did a complete 180, from angry to impossibly seductive, in less than the time it took her to introduce herself. Finn looked to Leo, hoping for a distraction, only to find him in a similar position with the first woman’s friend.

Finn stood up, laughter draining quickly from his system as his smile turned wry. This was a familiar scene. Girls were not shy with Leo and Logan. And it’s not like he could blame them- he was painfully aware of how beautiful they both were. He just didn’t usually let himself get caught having to watch it. He had quickly learned to spot the girls coming before they did, to extract himself from the situation before he had to watch it unfold. This was the first time since that first night at the Burrow that he’d been caught off guard. And it was… painful. So much for keeping your feelings in check, I guess, he thought drily.

He waited for a moment, until Leo and Logan were both fully distracted, and took the opportunity to sneak away quietly, back to the table where he had been introduced to the team earlier. He slid into the seat he had previously abandoned, next to Kasey Winter, and shot him a quick smile when he welcomed him back. He pretended to be interested in the conversation he was having with Sirius Black, across from him, but his mind was elsewhere, and he jumped when a voice sounded in his ear.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He recognized Leo’s teasing voice and a small smile crept onto his face. “We lost you out there. Logan thought you might be getting a drink.”

Finn turned to look at him, taking in his dance-flushed cheeks and bright, dimpled smile. One thing he had learned after spending enough time with him, was that a genuine Leo Knut smile could light up a room. Usually that smile caused a warm glow in Finn’s chest, but right now all he could picture was the woman from the dance floor being on the receiving end of it.

Finn shook his head. “Nope, just needed a quick break.”

Leo’s brow furrowed at that, and his head tilted as he looked at Finn, assessing. His eyes flickered between Finn’s, and across his face, radiating kindness. His expression softened and he reached up to place a gentle hand on Finn’s shoulder. “Hey, are you ok?”

“Ya, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Finn tried to paste on his biggest smile, but he could tell Leo wasn’t fully convinced.

“Are you sure? You know you can talk to me, right? I –“

Whatever Leo was going to say was cut off by Logan returning to the table, loudly. Finn took a second to thank whatever divine intervention had prevented him from having to come up with an excuse for his moping, before turning his attention to what appeared to be a very passionate argument between Logan and Thomas Walker.

“I’m just saying Talkie, that can’t possibly be true.”

“Logan. Explain to me why it cannot be true.”

“No! You explain to me why it can be true!”

Finn caught on to what Logan was doing. He had seen him try it before, on Leo, and on himself a few times as well. But it had never worked.

“It was on the Discovery Channel Tremz! Why would they lie?”

“I’m not saying they’re lying, I’m just saying you haven’t convinced me that they’re telling the truth.”

Thomas’ jaw dropped at that one, disbelief on his face. “Logan, I-, what?? That’s- this is ridiculous! Aardvarks exist! Fucking Google them!”

Logan just shook his head cheerfully, popping a cheese fry into his mouth. “Nah.”

“Aargh!”

Finn couldn’t help but laugh at Thomas’ exasperated face as he stood from the table. “I’m going to the washroom. I can’t handle you right now.” He gave Logan a playful shove in the back of the head as he walked behind him.

Logan just laughed into his drink, looking smug.

“So,” Finn picked up his own drink, “is antagonizing your friends on purpose a personal hobby?”

“No.” “Yes.”

Logan and Leo spoke over one another.

Finn looked between them, amused, as Logan pretended to be offended.

Leo just looked at Logan, eyebrows raised and a corner of his mouth pulled up affectionately. “Getting people worked up is Logan’s favourite game, but he’ll pretend he doesn’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kasey, overhearing, leaned back over to Finn. “We’ve all just learned to ignore it. Talkie’s the only one he can still get to.”

Finn chuckled at that. “You know aggravating people on purpose isn’t very nice, right?” He cocked his head at Logan.

Logan just smiled innocently. “I have no idea what you mean.”

Leo gestured pointedly toward him. “See?”

Just then, there was a flurry of movement from the other end of the table as people started getting ready to go. As the three of them stood together to join them, Finn was reminded of something.

“Hey, before I forget, you guys have tomorrow off right?”

Leo nodded, shoving his arms through his jacket sleeves. “Ya, we do. What are we doing?”

Finn loved that it had become natural for them to just assume they would be doing something together on a day off. He started walking backward toward the door of the bar and grinned at the other two as they followed.

“We, my friends, are going on an adventure. Dress for being outside, and be ready at 9am sharp.”

---

At exactly 9 o’clock the next morning, Finn watched as Logan yanked open the door to his car and flopped into the front seat. His hair tousled, eyes bleary, he leaned back against the headrest with a groan. “Whyyy are we awake right now Finn?” His voice was still raspy from sleep. “Early bird gets the worm!” Finn chirped back at him with a smile. He gave a noncommittal grunt, but perked up as Finn passed him a coffee.

He took a sip, eyes closed. “Mmmmm. Ok you’re forgiven.”

“You’re welcome. Are you awake now? I need you to tell me how to get to Leo’s place.”

Finn had picked up the two of them from Logan’s place a few times over the past couple of weeks, swinging by on his way home from campus and driving them to his place to play video games or to Sid’s for dinner. He knew Leo didn’t live at Dumo’s too, but he had never actually picked him up from his own house.

“Why didn’t you pick him up first?” Grumbled Logan, his eyes still half closed as he tried to stifle a yawn.

“I picked you up first because I know where you live, and you know where Leo lives. It’s called logic. Now give me directions, Sir Yawns-a-Lot. We have places to be!”

“Mmm.” Logan grunted back in his still sleep-rasped voice. “I actually don’t remember where he’s staying right now, let me give him a call.”

Finn furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “What? Where he’s staying right now? Does he not always stay in the same place?”

But Logan waved him off as Leo picked up the phone, and Finn was left to wonder impatiently for the short duration of the call.

“Ok, he’s downtown. At the Hogwarts Hotel, right across from the arena. It’s like 5 minutes from here. You know it?”

“Yeees…” Finn dragged the word out, still trying to piece this together. “… can I ask why he’s at a hotel?”

It was Logan’s turn to look confused. “He’s always at a hotel? He’s a rookie, that’s usually what happens.”

Finn was caught off guard. “Seriously? Like for the whole year? Did you do that too?”

“Ya, I guess for the whole year. And no, I didn’t do it. I got really lucky the year I came, Dumo had an open room. He invited me to billet and I’ve just never left. They’re like a second family to me now.” He paused, running his finger around the lid of his coffee cup.

“I feel really bad for Leo though. It was hard enough coming here when I had Dumo’s family to rely on, I don’t know how he’s doing it.” He shook his head, looking up at Finn. “He tries to pretend it doesn’t bother him, bouncing around between hotel rooms, but you can tell he’s homesick sometimes, you know? I try and drag him over here to crash on my floor when he looks really down, but it’s still just another strange place for the night.”

Finn nodded. He knew how hard it had been for him moving to Gryffindor- the loneliness he had felt, exhausted from working hard all day and dreading coming home to an empty apartment. He had spent many sleepless nights talking himself out of dropping out and moving back home to his parents, his brother. June. It was during that time he had written This City, the song he had played at the Burrow the first time Leo and Logan came to see him play.

He thought about how Leo had responded to his explanation that the song had been about moving to Gryffindor. It wasn’t a happy song. Finn didn’t like that Leo could relate to it.

He put the car in drive, mulling an idea around in his brain as he headed to Gryffindor Hotel.

---

Leo

Leo sat in the middle of the backseat of Finn’s car, watching the roads they passed and trying to discern where exactly they were headed. So far all he could tell was that whatever they were doing, they weren’t doing it in downtown Gryffindor. He didn’t like not knowing things, it made him feel on edge. He sighed, deciding to try one more time. “Finn. We’ve been driving for fifteen minutes. Are you going to tell us where we’re going yet?”

“Actually, yes!”

Well, that was pleasantly unexpected. Finn had been denying Logan an answer since before Leo had even gotten in the car.

“Just one second…”

Leo watched from the backseat as Finn checked his blind spot, merged off of the entrance ramp, and…

“Ta-da!”

Leo looked outside the window. They were on a freeway. Was Finn… excited about the freeway?

He shared a glance with Logan, who looked equally confused.

“Finn,” Logan started slowly, “what do you mean ‘ta-da’? Is this where we are going? The freeway? You said to bring clothes for outside. We can’t go outside when there are cars driving by at 80 miles per hour.”

Finn was unphased. “The freeway is our gateway to adventure, boys.” He explained cheerfully. “Everyone knows a road trip doesn’t begin until you get onto a highway.”

“We’re going on a road trip?” Leo’s interest was piqued. “A road trip to where?”

“I’m glad you asked!”

“We’ve asked ten times and you ignored us. NOW you’re glad?” asked Logan incredulously.

“Yes,” Finn explained patiently, “because I couldn’t tell you before. Not until the road trip started. Remember the rules of the list?”

“We decided that was bullshit!”

“You decided it was bullshit. I never agreed.”

Logan opened his mouth to retort, and Leo decided it was time to interject. “The road trip started now. Can you please tell us?”

He watched Finn’s smile through the rear-view mirror. Leo rarely had the opportunity to observe Finn like this, without him noticing, and he was trying not to make it obvious that he was taking advantage. But they were headed East, and the morning sun that came through the windshield was drawing out these tiny gold flecks in his wide brown eyes, and Leo couldn’t look away. He was just thinking that he wanted to see those flecks up close when Finn suddenly met his gaze in the mirror. He jerked his eyes away immediately, cursing himself as his heart skipped a beat. Then he realized that just made him look even more guilty, so he looked back up and raised his eyebrows at Finn, pretending that he had just been looking at him to hear his answer.

Finn held out for a dramatic pause before responding smugly. “I have found us the perfect adventure.”

Logan groaned, and Finn glanced over at him, sticking out his tongue. Leo noticed his cheeks had a flush that matched his own. He must have realized Leo was staring. Fuck.

The smug look fell away when he spoke again, and he sounded almost nervous. “So, there’s this town called Ilvermorny, over on the coast. I heard about it a while ago from a customer at the Burrow, apparently people love to go there because it’s super beautiful and you can walk around and explore the whole place in a day.”

Logan looked over at him, interested. “Sounds cool.”

Finn looked relieved for a second, and then an excited grin took back over. “I’m glad you think so. But that’s not the best part.” He wiggled his eyebrows excitedly. “I have received some excellent intel, that not only is this place all picturesque and shit, but, Leo…” he waited for Leo to meet his eyes in the mirror again. “They also have THE best authentic Cajun food this side of Louisiana.”

Leo felt his jaw drop, and he couldn’t stop the huge smile that he felt stretching across his face. He’s been so homesick for the food his mom made for him back in New Orleans. He leaned forward between the front seats. “Are you serious? Finn. Are you for real?”

Finn just laughed, eyes on the road.

“Logan!” Leo turned to Logan, who had one corner of his mouth quirked up into an amused smile as he watched Leo’s excited reaction. “If this is real- and I swear to god Finn this better be real or I might actually cry- I can finally introduce you to food from home.”

He flopped back into his seat, his mouth already watering at the thought of real, authentic Cajun food. “Not having a kitchen has been absolutely killing me in Gryffindor. I miss the food from home so much.”

Logan turned back to look at him, surprised. “Really? You’ve never mentioned that you like to cook.”

Leo groaned, his eyes closing. “I love to cook. I never mention it because it just makes me sad. But nothing can make me sad right now if you’ve just put shrimp étouffée on the table.”

“I have no idea what you just said, but I’m glad you’re happy.”

He heard the amusement in Finn’s voice and cracked an eye to see him flickering his eyes between the road and the mirror. “Best. Surprise. Ever.”

Finn looked so pleased, it made Leo’s heart swell.

“Now can you please talk about something else to distract me from the fact that I have to wait hours to get to this place?”

“Yes!” Logan jumped in quickly. “We can talk about what the hell this road trip playlist is.”

Finn startled, glancing over at Logan. “What do you mean?”

“What are we listening to??”

Finn looked scandalized. “It’s the Eagles, Logan.”

“The Eagles?! What are you, 60 years old?”

“They’re iconic!”

“They’re old. Now give me the phone cable.”

Logan didn’t wait for Finn’s response before unceremoniously yanking the cord out of Finn’s phone and plugging in his own, scrolling through his music library.

Finn wasn’t done defending his choices. “Being old doesn’t make you less iconic! Plus, I like the way they write. And so do like, a hundred million other people! We can’t all be wrong!”

Logan finally stopped scrolling and interrupted the incensed redhead. “Hey, Finn?”

Finn glanced over one more time. “What?”

Logan just grinned, and pressed play. The opening notes of Rihanna’s ‘Shut Up and Drive’ filled the car and Leo just smiled and shook his head as Finn’s offended spluttering was drowned out by the sound of electric guitar and Logan’s self-satisfied cackle.

---

When the boys arrived in Ilvermorny, it was only 11am. Finn had packed them a big breakfast for the car and they still weren’t hungry enough for a full lunch, so they decided to grab a quick snack for now and leave the restaurant for dinner. There was a bakery across the street from the Information Center they had parked beside, and as Logan headed in to get their order, Leo stood outside with Finn and looked around. Finn had been right, this was a super quaint little town, all brightly coloured shop fronts and cute wooden sidewalks. He winced as a cool wind blew by, regretting that he had chosen to wear a snapback instead of a beanie. He still wasn’t used to the winter weather here.

“Hey, trade me.”

He turned to see Finn tugging off his beanie and gave him a questioning look. “Sorry, what?”

“You’re cold already, it’s just going to get worse over the day. Give me your hat and you can have this one.”

Leo was caught off guard. “Oh, my god, Finn. No. I was the idiot who didn’t bring a proper hat. I’m not going to make you freeze your ears for my mistake.”

Finn just reached up and plucked Leo’s snapback off his head, dropping it onto his own before using both hands to pull his beanie down low over Leo’s curls. Leo immediately felt the warmth, both of the wool over his ears, and of the blush moving up his cheeks to reach the place where his skin tingled from the brush of Finn’s fingers.

Finn’s wide eyes were kind as he smiled up at Leo. “I have a hood,” he said, voice soft, “you don’t. I’ll just pull mine up if I get cold.”

“Thank you.” Leo swallowed, trying and failing to pull his gaze from where it was locked onto Finn’s. Those damn gold flecks were still there. The pull he had felt since the day he had met him had never been stronger, and he felt himself start to move closer when the chime of the bakery door startled both of them.

He spun around, cursing himself internally. Stupid, stupid. Get it together. He’s not into you. You can’t be into him.

A gust of warm air blew over him as Logan stepped out with an armful of drinks and baked goods.

“Hey guys, sorry that took a minute, they were out of chocolate croissants, so I had to get something different.” His voice trailed off as he spotted Leo’s snapback over Finn’s red locks, and his gaze shot up to where Finn’s beanie was now snug over Leo’s ears.

A strange look crossed over his face, so quickly that Leo almost thought he imagined it. But it was gone before he could figure it out, replaced by a happy smile as he handed out coffees and they set to walking.

---

Finn

The three of them spent the afternoon checking out every recommendation from a guide-book Leo had snagged from the Information Center.

They toured what was apparently one of the oldest functioning lighthouses in America, tried (and failed) to spot whales from coin operated binoculars on the winter-emptied fishing pier, and stopped to watch a local artist creating beautiful framed scenes out of ocean glass she collected herself from her front yard. Finn bought one of her pieces. “A memory!” He told Leo and Logan.

They meandered down the entire length of the boardwalk, perusing heated stalls selling local goods and goading one another into walking down to the icy shore to test the temperature of the calm ocean water. When they stuck their hands in, it was so cold that it burned. When they finally needed to warm up, they had gone back into the little town to wander in and out of the local shops, talking and joking with the owners and with one another.

When they walked out of their final store, a chocolate shop that Logan in particular had been itching to check out, the sun was just disappearing behind the cliffs overlooking the town. They must have been in there for a while. Longer than Finn had thought, for sure.

Finn stood next to Leo, who was checking out the guidebook again, and watched Logan walk out of the shop after them, a bag of carefully selected chocolates held in his hand. He took a few steps away from the building and stopped, closing his eyes and tilting his head back to pull in a deep breath of seaside air. Finn watched as he breathed out, relaxed. It was something he did often, just taking a moment to take in the fresh air after a long time inside. Finn had noticed him doing the first time they had met, back in Montreal, and it had become engrained in his mind as something quintessentially Logan.

Finn’s stomach gave a loud grumble then, and he pulled his attention from Logan to nudge Leo. “Hey. It’s getting late, no? Do you guys want to get dinner now?”

“I’ve been waiting all day for you to say that!” Leo joked. Logan came back over to join them, and Leo passed him the guidebook as he stretched his arms above his head.

“And Logan can double check, but I actually think we’ve checked off everything in that book now, so the timing is perfect.” He dropped his arms. “Let’s head over?”

Finn led the way through the cheerful streets, scanning storefront signs until he saw the one they were looking for. Feeling dramatic, he grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, bowing deeply to Leo. “After you, my Louisian Lord.” He frowned at the way the word sounded and looked up to Leo for help. “Louisianian? Louisianan?... Orleanian??”

Leo just looked at him. “You’re ridiculous.”

Finn stood and shrugged. “Maybe. But you still have to go in first. Lo and I don’t know shit about Cajun food. You need to make us look cultured.”

Leo let out a snort at that, but led them into the restaurant anyway, looking around happily as they were led to a table.

The moment they had menus in their hands, Leo immediately took to describing every dish with an over-the-top enthusiasm his composed self rarely showed, and Finn gave up reading his own menu in favour of leaning back and listening to his version of the dishes instead.

A few minutes later, Logan joined suit, closing his menu with a shake of his head.

“Nut, they should hire you to rewrite these descriptions. You make me want to eat everything.”

Leo’s eyes shined. “We should! Let’s just order a bunch of things and share them. There are so many things you need to try.”

Finn shrugged amenably. “Works for me. Will you order? I wanna go wash my hands.” He stood as Leo nodded, eyes still glued to the menu. “Get something with sausage, ok?”

Alone in the washroom, Finn sighed happily as he let the warm water run over his chilled fingers, looking up at his own reflection in the mirror and smiling dopily as he thought about how well his planned day had gone. His eyes moved up to lock on to where he was still wearing Leo’s snapback, and his smile dimmed a bit as he flashed back to the moment he had had with him this morning.

Despite having told himself regularly for the past month that he needed to keep his feelings in check, not let his heart get too attached, this was now the second day in a row that he had let himself get caught with his guard down. Somehow he was getting worse at it, instead of better.

He had a tendency to get lost in the bubble he shared with Leo and Logan whenever they were together, forgetting to remember that for them, it was different. That for them, he was just a friend. And he had still been feeling a little exposed after last night’s crushing reminder of that when he had, without thinking, pulled his own beanie over Leo’s ears that morning. Then Leo’s eyes had locked onto his with that look, that indecipherable look, and he hadn’t been able to dredge up the willpower to turn away. Or, you know. Breathe.

But, he thought to himself, smile returning, Leo hadn’t seemed to notice anything off, or if he had, he had let it go, and the rest of their day had been incredible. Only with Leo and Logan could a winter day in a beach town, of all places, be this much fun. He’d never had this kind of a friendship with anyone before. He dried his hands, wondering vaguely if this was what the characters in Friends felt like with each other. He figured if it was, then Leo and Logan must be his Ross and Chandler.

And he knew he would fight anyone, even his own heart, to ensure they could remain that way.

When Finn came back to the table Leo was just finishing up their order. As the waitress walked away, he relaxed happily back into is seat, the warm light of the restaurant lanterns caught his hair in a way that made it glow like spun gold. His eyes were shining as he looked up at Finn, his smile bright and content.

“Alright, Finn?”

“So alright. And so ready to eat.”

Logan snorted at that. “Nut just ordered half the restaurant, so I hope you’re serious about that.”

“Don’t be dramatic.” Leo rolled his eyes. “I ordered a completely reasonable amount of food.”

Finn smirked as a memory resurfaced. “Mmm. Completely reasonable in the way that Logan is a ‘completely reasonable player’?”

Logan gasped at that, looking offended. “Finn! Why do you remember that!”

Finn laughed openly as he dodged the sugar packet Logan threw at him. “How could I forget you beating up Leo on the streets of Montreal?”

Logan leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest and a grumpy look on his face that only made Finn laugh more. “You still haven’t come to watch a game. You have no idea how totally reasonable I am.”

“Fair enough.” Finn acquiesced, still chuckling. He caught sight of a server walking toward them with a gigantic tray of food, and his eyes widened in alarm. “But if you and Leo have the same definition of reasonable, I’m thinking it’s going to be an interesting game.”

At that, Leo followed Finn’s gaze and let out a moan so obscene that Finn was sure he would be thinking about it for days. “Oh my god, you guys. Best. Day. Ever.”

Finn just grinned and prepared himself to feast.

---

Logan

Leo ordered too much food.

Despite joking about it while he ordered it, Logan had actually been surprised when their order was dropped at the table. Leo was usually so concerned about food waste, but there had hardly been room for their plates with everything the servers delivered. He knew they were definitely not going to be able to eat it all. He had almost teased him about it, but then Leo had taken his first bite of the jambalaya that he claimed to be ‘exactly like home’, and there was no way Logan was going to say anything that might take that look off of Leo’s face.

But now, after trying to eat as much of the excessive, and admittedly, phenomenal, food as he could, Logan was feeling very full, and very much less inclined to indulge Leo’s desires, which at the moment involved ‘sitting back and letting it digest’. Absolutely not. He needed to move.

It only took a few minutes of pleading to get them standing up, and Logan led them out of the restaurant and onto the street before flipping open the guidebook. “Ok, so Finn said there’s a lookout around here somewhere that we can walk up to. They don’t have it listed as a thing to do in here but I think this is a picture of it. It looks like it’s supposed to be more for watching the sunset, but I think it’ll still be cool to look down at the town, even though it’s already dark.”

Leo voiced his agreement from where he was leaning against the wall of the restaurant. “Let’s do it. Finn, do you know how to get to it?”

“Ummm,” Finn pulled out his phone. “I don’t remember exactly, but I know it’s a trail, not a road to get up there, and it starts closer to where we parked the car.”

“Ok cool,” Logan stomped his feet against the chillier evening air, “lets go to the car then, and we can pull up a map once we’re closer. We should start moving before we get cold.”

Leo pushed off the wall as Finn tucked his phone back into his pocket, and the three of them started moving back down the sidewalk- much more sluggish than they had been before dinner. They didn’t really fit three across, and Logan let Leo and Finn pull in front of him as they talked about the history of Cajun cooking. Logan wasn’t particularly interested in the topic—he couldn’t cook, like Leo could, and he wasn’t all that interested in history, like Finn was—so he let his mind wander as he fell into step behind them.

Seeing the two of them side by side reminded him of this morning, that weird moment outside of the bakery when he had felt, for a moment, as though he was interrupting something. Between them.

It was the way they had both looked vaguely flustered, Leo taking that step back, away from Finn, that had triggered his imagination. He had brushed it off almost immediately; he knew he was projecting, letting the old feelings for Leo that he had been pushing down for so long, and the new ones he was trying desperately to avoid for Finn, make him see things that weren’t there. They had clearly just switched hats, which explained it. It was ridiculous, really, and he knew that. But…

As he walked along behind the two other boys, Logan allowed himself to picture it, just for a moment. The idea of the two of them being together. He thought it would make him sad, but he was surprised to realize that it didn’t. That he liked imagining it.

At least, he liked it until he remembered that if the two of them had each other, there wouldn’t be a place for him anymore. The thought made his heart twist. Even though he knew he would never be able to have either one of them the way he really, truly wanted them, he loved having them like this. As friends.

It was funny, he thought to himself as he watched Leo and Finn chatting casually in front of him. He and Leo had gotten along well from the time they met, but they were definitely closer now. Something about Finn and his chaotic open-heartedness had made them more open too. And as a result, they had gotten closer not just with him, but with each other as well. He would die before he would admit it, but he was glad Leo had dragged him up on that stage.

“Hello, earth to Tremzy?” Logan jolted himself out of his thoughts with a flush, realizing they had reached the car without him noticing.

“Sorry, I got distracted. What’s up?”

Finn was holding up his phone up with his usual cheerfulness, waiting for Logan to look at the map he had pulled up.

“Look, we found the trail head!”

He pointed off the side of the road, where they could just see the very top of a short sign sticking out of the snow. It was very clear that nobody else had gone up to the lookout that winter. The snow was deep and untouched.

“I’m thinking that maybe we could throw on our snow pants and give it a try? And if it turns out to be impossible, we’ll just turn around and roll back down.” Finn tilted his head at Logan and Leo, lips pulled up into an eager, hopeful smile. It was adorable. “What do you think?”

Logan couldn’t help but smile back. “Well, we brought snow pants, might as well get some good use out of them.”

---

Finn

Ten minutes later Finn could hear Logan cursing as he sank in the snow.

“Tabarnak! This is insane! Why am I in the front?? You both have longer legs than me, this snow is over my hips!” He complained.

“You’re Canadian, Tremz. I thought you would know how to handle snow.” Leo was focused on the ground in front of him, picking his way carefully through the trail Logan broke for them. “Plus,” he added thoughtfully, “this is the first time you’ve ever admitted to being short.”

Finn laughed as Logan whirled around with a glare, bending to grab a handful of snow. Leo ducked, laughing, as the snowball flew past his head.

“He’s got goalie reflexes Lo, you’re gonna have to do better than that!” Finn called up over the sounds of Leo’s bright laughter. Logan lifted a hand over his head to flip them off without turning around and they continued their trek up the hill.

By the time they reached the observation deck all three boys were panting.

“Oh my god, it’s hot.” Finn whined as he made his way over to the railing, pulling down his hood. He opened his mouth to say more, but his complaints stuck in his throat as the sight below them came into view.

“Whoa.” He breathed out the word.

He felt Leo and Logan lean against the railing next to him.

“It looks like a postcard.” Leo sounded as awed as Finn, and a quick glance at Logan showed he felt the same.

The town glowed softly below them, the warm light of the streetlamps sparkling prettily off the blanket of snow that covered every peaked roof. The lighthouse they had visited earlier that day was lit up, sending a beautiful reflection rippling through the waves of the never-ending blackness of the ocean in front of it. The moon was full, and the sky was clear, and Finn felt like they had just stepped into the fairy tale. He almost wanted to hold his breath.

The spell was broken when Leo took a step back from the railing to unwind his scarf. He looked apologetic as the other two turned to watch him. “I’m sorry guys, I’m just too hot.”

“You don’t have to apologize for being warm, Leo,” said Finn, smiling at him and taking the opportunity to look around the rest of the platform they stood on.

The observation deck was surrounded by the pristine sparkle of a fresh snowfall, and Finn suddenly had an idea. He trudged through the snow to the other side of the deck, hoisting himself up on to the railing as Logan and Leo looked on in confusion. “What are you doing?” Logan eyed him suspiciously. “I,” he grinned down at them, “am cooling off. And so are you. Come on!” He felt his smile widen as he watched the two boys look between him and the snow on the other side of the railing and connect the dots. To his surprise it was Leo who grinned and climbed up next to him first, looking back at Logan expectantly. “Absolutely not.” Logan shook his head from where he stood resolutely on the deck floor. “It’s gonna be cold.” “Come on Lo,” Finn pouted at him, “it’s not like we’re jumping in the ocean. It’s a snow pile. You have a winter clothes on. Get up here!” Leo joined in, eyes twinkling as he teased his stubborn teammate, “Come on Tremz. All your friends are about to jump off a cliff. Aren’t you gonna do it too?” Logan snorted. “The edge is on the other side of the deck. You’re going to jump ON to a cliff. And no. No, I’m not.”

“I remember saying something similarly ‘no’-like when I was being peer pressured into leaving my nice warm house yesterday.” Finn reminded him pointedly. “I’m sure you will recall how that worked out for me.” “I do.” Logan’s expression suddenly shifted into something more mischievous and his voice turned teasing. “And what made you give in, Finn?”

Finn felt his face go warm as Logan held his gaze. Was he…?

No. He was just trying to get him worked up. Leo had said Logan loved to push people’s buttons. Finn had seen Logan do it. But being on the receiving end of that look was sending a burning feeling straight down to Finn’s core, and he needed to change the subject before it became a much more noticeable problem. “I looked up the menu.” He blurted out. “They had cheese fries” Smooth. Idiot. Finn mentally facepalmed as he put on his best fake haughty expression and looked anywhere but at Logan for a moment as he reined himself in.

Thankfully, Leo came to the rescue, laughing at Finn before looking back at a now grumpy Logan, who was upset that his goading hadn’t worked. “Please Tremz?” He held out a hand, giving him a very exaggerated pout. “You know you want to jump with us.”

Logan looked back and forth between the two of them for a second before rolling his eyes and dropping his arms.

“Fine.” He sighed, resigned. “But if I get sick I’m telling coach both of you threw me in.”

Finn, calm now, beamed at Logan as he batted Leo’s hand away and climbed up on Finn’s other side. “That’s the spirit!”

“Shut up.”

But Finn could see the smile Logan was hiding now as he looked down at the untouched snow below them. “On the count of three?”

They looked between one another as Leo took the lead.

“One. Two. THREE!”

They jumped in sync, screeching as they cannonballed down into fluffy drifts.

Leo immediately scrambled to his feet, eyes sparkling with excitement as he looked down at Finn and Logan. “Again!”

Finn chuckled at that, rolling around to find his own leverage. “Alright then.”

---

The three boys spent the next hour of the evening concocting ever more complex dives into the deep snow. Finn was delighted to find that apparently when it came to snow, it was reasonable, level-headed Leo who was the instigator of the most ridiculous ideas. It was him who came up with the idea of catapulting one another off the railing, making a game of who could knock the snow from the highest branches.

After one final jump, which brought him absolutely nowhere near the record-holding branch, Finn let himself flop backward into the snow, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. “My entire body is exhausted.” He groaned. “How do you guys do this for a living?”

Leo and Logan joined him on the ground as Leo responded to him, amusement in his voice. “You really need to come and watch a game if you think this is what we do for a living.”

Finn just laughed. “I meant the exerting yourself part, not the jumping in the snow part. I’m not completely oblivious.”

“Mmhmm. Whatever you say, O’Hara.” Logan was smiling as he leaned back to join Finn looking up at the sky.

Leo laid down on Finn’s other side and the three of them stayed in comfortable silence for a few moments, catching their breath again.

Finn could see their faces in his periphery, the moonlight glowing on Logan’s tan skin, reflecting off of Leo’s golden curls. He felt peaceful, relaxed in their quiet company.

It was Leo who broke the silence, his quiet voice carrying through the late evening calm.

“I haven’t seen the stars like this since I was home.”

Logan leaned up on an elbow to look at him, on the other side of Finn. “Really?”

“Ya.” His voice was almost a whisper now, and Finn turned to look at him too, catching the wistful look in his eyes as he watched the sky. “You can see so many of them at home. I didn’t know I would miss them so much.”

“Knutty…” Logan made a move as though he wanted to reach out, but stopped himself, simply looking at Leo for a moment before lying back down instead. “I didn’t know.”

“I never told you.” Leo responded gently; his eyes still turned up.

Finn followed his gaze up to the glittering ceiling, so high above them. “I get why you would miss them. You never see anything like this in the cities. It’s beautiful.”

“It is.” He agreed, his smile sad.

But then his voice turned playful again, and he smirked as he sat up to look at Finn and Logan, flat on their backs next to him. “Too bad you have to freeze your ass off to see them here. Time to go!” He dug his hands down beside him, flicked handfuls of snow up at both of them, and was up and running to the car before either of them could register the shock of the cold sliding down their faces.

---

The drive back home that night was peaceful. Logan and Leo relaxed in their seats, listening to Finn singing quietly along to the radio as he drove. Logan had teased Finn for knowing all the lyrics to every song that came on (“it’s literally my job, Lo.”), but he had also been the one to ask him to keep singing as he dozed off against his window in the backseat. All three of them were pleasantly sleepy from the day spent out in the cold air.

When they arrived back in Gryffindor, Finn drove past downtown, where Leo’s hotel was, to drop off Logan first. When Logan questioned him about it, Finn simply replied, “You get picked up first, you get dropped off first. I don’t make the rules Lo, I just follow them.”

Logan seemed to be too tired to argue with that logic, so he just shrugged and carried on singing softly with Finn until they reached Dumo’s driveway.

“See you guys later.” He clapped their shoulders, looking tired but happy as he climbed out of the back seat. “Thanks for today, Finn. I had fun.”

“You’re welcome, Lo. Anytime.” Finn smiled at him.

“See you in the morning, Tremz.” Leo added, and the two of them watched as Logan walked up the front steps.

When Logan was safely inside, Finn started the short drive back to the hotel. Leo was still quiet, looking content with his head against the window, studying what little he could see of the stars now that they were back in the city.

Finn kept sneaking glances at him as he went over a plan in his head. He had a reason for dropping Logan off first- he wanted an opportunity to catch Leo alone. Had been waiting for it all day. But now that he had it, he was nervous, and before he knew it they were pulling up in front of the hotel.

“Thanks for today Finn, I had an incredible time.” Leo smiled sincerely at him and turned to open his door. Finn panicked then, not wanting him to leave, and practically screeched his name.

“Leo, wait!”

Leo jumped, eyes wide in confused surprise as he looked back at Finn.

Goddamn, those eyes. Finn had never seen eyes so blue. He had to look away to find his voice again.

“Uh. Sorry. I didn’t mean to yell that.”

“That’s fine, Harz. What’s up?”

Finn took a breath to steady himself and brought his gaze back up to meet Leo’s.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were living in hotels?”

Leo’s expression grew even more confused.

“I don’t know… I guess it never came up. It’s not a big deal, rookies do it all the time.”

Finn nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay…” Leo nodded too, waiting for Finn to speak again. When he didn’t, Leo turned to the door again. “Well, thanks again for today, I’ll –“

“You should come and live with me.” Finn blurted it out, and then held his breath as he waited to for a response. He hoped he hadn’t crossed a line. But it made him so sad to think of Leo, kind, sweet Leo, all alone in strange hotel rooms every night. Especially after tonight, after seeing how homesick he really was.

Leo’s eyebrows shot up, and he opened and closed his mouth several times before managing to stammer out, “I- what?”

Finn looked back down at the steering wheel, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. He spoke quickly, nervously. “Obviously you don’t have to do that. I don’t want you to feel like I’m pressuring you or anything, that’s definitely not my intention, I just- I mean, I have the space, you know that… and just, the idea of you not having a place that you can call home right now…” He paused for a moment. “I don’t know. I don’t want you to have to experience that. Not when I can help.”

He kept his gaze focused on the steering wheel, the stitching of it suddenly very interesting.

“Finn,” said Leo softly. Finn swallowed once and forced himself to look back up at the younger boy. There was an odd look on his face. Finn hoped it wasn’t a bad sign. “Thank you, for offering.”

Finn nodded, swallowing again even though his mouth felt desert dry.

Leo looked out the window, up at the façade of the Hogwarts Hotel, thoughtful. Finn would have given anything at that moment to know what he was thinking. Leo and his stupid goalie face.

After a moment, he turned back to him. “Are you serious?”

Finn nodded quickly, his confidence starting to return when Leo didn’t laugh at him. “Of course. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. But I’m also serious when I say I won’t be offended if you’re not interested. I know sometimes people don’t like sharing a space.”

Leo let out a breath through his nose and chewed his lip as he considered Finn for a few more moments.

“I think I would like that.” He said, his features softening as he started to smile.

“Really?” Finn was pleasantly surprised. “You would?”

Leo laughed. “I would.”

“Sweet! Ok. Tell me which room you want and I’ll make sure it’s all cleared out for you. Whenever you want to come. You could literally come tomorrow. I have nothing scheduled in those rooms”

Leo leaned back against the seat, shaking his head fondly at Finn’s trademark earnestness. “I’m booked in here until the end of the week. I was supposed to move to another hotel on Friday. Is that too early?”

“No! That’s perfect.”

“Well. Alright then. I guess I’ll be there on Friday.”

“Cool.”

“Cool.” They smiled at each other awkwardly for a second, and Leo burst into laughter.

“Okay, now its weird. Goodnight Finn.” He stepped out of the car.

“Goodnight, Leo.”

Finn couldn’t stop grinning the whole way home.

#sweater weather lumosinlove #lumosinlove #Coast To Coast #o'knutzy

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songbirdsingingthings · 4 years

Text

Winter Dance - Katsuki Bakugou x Reader

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS, THEY BELONG TO KOHEI HORIKOSHI

DAY TEN OF 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS - 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS MASTERLIST - MAIN MASTERLIST

Starlight seemed to twinkle at every angle you gazed. It was incredible, really, how the staff was able to transform the cafeteria. Gone were the long lunch tables and potted plants - silk draped circle stands lined the perimeter and in the center was open for dancing.

“Wow, isn’t this incredible!” Mina gushed, clutching onto your arm. You laughed and nodded, still too much in awe to form words. However, the girl next to you was full of them. As energetic as ever, the pink haired girl flitted around, greeting everyone in her vicinity and you giving them a nod and a smile. You were glad to have Mina as a friend - she was able to break you out of your shell the moment she met you, giving you the confidence to be unapologetically yourself in all situations you were in. She also introduced you to Katsuki Bakugou. He couldn’t have been more different than most of the boys you usually pined after - a stubborn guy with even more stubborn hair and a person who seemed to always wear an annoyed expression. Something about him, however, just seemed to take hold of your heart and not let it budge.

“Hey Y/N! You look great!” A friendly voice stirred you from your thoughts. Kirishima was giving you a wide toothy grin. You beamed back at him and swished your dress a little, watching the material fold and fall over itself.

“Thanks Kiri - you as well! I like the tie.” You respond. He did look good, it was true - Mina thoroughly confirmed that notion by giving him a kiss on the cheek. They matched perfectly - your best friend was wearing a beautiful strapless dress that was light blue in color and made of tulle. Kirishima, ever the gentleman, matched his tie color and even the pattern, both of them having little flowers dotted all over. The three of you talked for a little while - small comments about the gorgeous decorations, fun anecdotes, and what they were planning on doing for Christmas. Just as your little group was about to grab some punch, a slow and sweet melody flooded the speakers, prompting couples to take to the middle of the dancefloor. You saw Mina and Kirishima look to each other and back at you, giving you an apologetic look. You gave them a silly look and pushed their backs toward the dance floor.

“You two didn’t come here to just hang out with me, go dance! I know you’ve been waiting all night.” You grin. They return your smile and Kirishima takes Mina’s hand, twirling her around once before they settle into a swaying rhythm. You watch them for a few minutes before you feel a sinking feeling in your heart. Yes, you’ve been talking to your friends all night, but you’ve also been keeping an eye out for the blonde-haired hero in training your heart was set on. Your vantage point finally allowed you to survey the entire room which proved the discouraging thought that lingered in your mind. He didn’t show up, you thought. Sighing you glance to one of the doors. This conjured a mental battle in your head. Do you leave? Is it even worth it? As much as you wanted to stay and have a good time, all you had to do was take a look at the center of the dance floor to make up your mind. Seeing happy couples spin, dance, and laugh made your heart ache - this wasn’t something that would be happening tonight.

“I just need some air,” you mumble, weaving through bystanders near the wall. You didn’t realize how stuffy it was in that room - you guessed all of those people plus dancing would fill the room’s atmosphere.

The large windows were something that had drawn you to UA. While it wasn’t the most practical thing to think of when applying to high school, you thought it was a nice touch. You could practically see for miles through them. Rubbing away the condensation, you saw the city in the distance. The colored lights from cars and skyscrapers lit up its surroundings, casting a wondrous glow to the streets and apartment buildings. Just beyond the campus you could spot the cherry blossoms covered in snow - the light pink blossoms blanketed by the heavy layer of white. And up close were the detailed patterns of the paths and foliage that accented UA so well. You could even make out the colors of the flowers. One blue, those two a light yellow, one red and- Bakugou? You rubbed your eyes to see that, yes, the blonde was really outside in the cold wearing a suit and tie. Without thinking, you ran down the steps to the door that opened up right next to him. With a shove, the door creaks and a rush of wind blows by you. Katsuki jumped a bit in surprise, his eyes widening as he saw you.

“What are you doing here?” He inquires, eyebrows narrowing. You brush a stray piece of hair away from your face and shoot him a confused look.

“I saw you from the window?” You said, pointing up to the glass pane. “I saw you out here and was wondering what you were up to.” He rolls his eyes and kicks some snow with his polished black dress shoe.

“No, seriously, what are you doing here.” He says flatly. “Why aren’t you at the dance thing.” He gestures to your floor length dress, the end of which was currently getting damp by the snow.

“I needed some air,” you say quickly, remembering that technically he was the reason you stepped out in the first place. “What about you?” Katsuki scoffs and tugs on the collar of his shirt.

“Like I’d go to a dance - they’re idiotic.” You frown at his wording but speak up anyways.

“Well, you’re certainly dressed for one - unless this is your usual Saturday night attire?” You ask, motioning to his suit and slacks. They even looked newly ironed. Realizing that you caught him, you grinned and stepped closer to him. “You can tell me Bakugou, you know I’m not one to judge.” He sighs and turns his back to you. Thinking that he was just going to ignore you, you exhale sadly and turn back towards the door, ready to go back into the warm building. However his voice, soft as velvet, found you.

“I dunno how to dance.” Stopping in your tracks, you twisted around to look at him, your dress swishing with you. “How was I supposed to ask you to dance if I can’t do it properly, dammit?” He confesses. It was as if Cupid himself had notched his arrow and aimed perfectly for the square in your back. You were ready to squeal and jump, but what Bakugou needed right now wasn’t you being giddy about his confession. He needed you to take charge of the situation.

“We can do it here.” You suggest, grabbing his hand. He finally turns back to face you, some red flashing on his cheeks. You knew if you commented on it he would blame it on the nippy weather, so you let it slide.

“In the snow? Are you serious?” He says, almost laughing at your suggestion. You simply nod, guiding one of his hands to your waist and the other into yours. You settle your right hand onto his shoulder and smile.

“Yeah, in the snow. Besides, the stars out here,” you say, looking up to the sky, “are much more realistic than the ones in there.” He nods stiffly and waits for you to make the first move. Stepping forward with your right foot he steps back. You lead him through a simple box step, and for someone who didn’t know how to dance, he caught on perfectly. Like everything that challenged him in life, he grew more confident in his motions. He surprised you with spins every now and again, always earning a laugh. Flurries began to fall as you danced but neither of you seemed to care.

“Bakugou,” You say softly as he spins you again.

“Katsuki,” he corrects, earning a shy smile from you.

“Katsuki,” you laugh, “the reason why I wasn’t at the dance and why I got some air was because you weren’t there.” The boy in front of your smirks and then dips you, your weight now fully supported by him. No words came from his lips, instead, they met your own. They’re softer than you would’ve imagined. It lasted for only a couple seconds but you couldn’t complain - it was perfect. No more words were spoken between you that night - you just danced and danced, your head now resting on his shoulders. Even when the event indoors came to an end you didn’t stop. It was just you and Katsuki and the snow, swirling and spinning in unison... and Mina and Kirishima, watching from the windows, thankful that their two friends finally got together.

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softyoongiionly · 4 years

Text

Fear and Dumplings: Chapter Sixteen Point Five

Confronting your fears for a final grade sounds unappealing but, with Yoongi as your partner, things might not be so bad.

Summary: You’re in your final semester at University when your Abnormal Psychology professor assigns you a partnered project surrounding your greatest fears. Lucky for you, your partner just so happens to be a cute boy named Min Yoongi.

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Reader

Genre: Underground Rapper! Yoongi, Soft!!! Yoongi, Fluff!!!, College! Yoongi, Sub! Yoongi

Word Count: 6.5k

A/N: this is nothing but pure fluff and smut because, LISTEN I NEED SOME EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FND YOONGI IN MY LIFE. I hope you do too! This chapter takes place after the ending scene of chapter 16 :)

NOTE: ALL BOLDED WORDS INDICATE WHEN CHARACTERS ARE SPEAKING KOREAN

Warnings for this Chapter: language, slight slight slight angst, LOVE, like an excessive love, smut, mentions of a spider

Chapter Sixteen Point Five: More and More

“Yah-” You hear Yoongi call from the other room, the sound of his voice bringing a smile to your lips, “I’m getting cold.”

The latter part comes out as a whine and it broadens your smile as you sprits a bit of perfume onto your wrists.

“I’m sorrryyyy. This is the first time I’ve been able to do my bedtime routine at your house.” You point out, giggling as zip up your toiletries bag. “I’m coming right now.”

Quickly, you pad across the bit of tile between Yoongi’s bedroom and the bathroom before rounding the corner to peek at your boyfriend.

He’s cozied up beneath the covers, his arms tucked behind his head, brows furrowed as he focuses on the tv. He’s drowning in the excess fabric of his hoodie and although he isn’t yet aware of your presence, he is still wearing the remnants of the smile that your laughter caused.

“You look cute.”

Yoongi jumps, his fingers tensing against the duvet as your presence alarms him.

“Aish- you scared me.” He pouts but as soon as he gets a look at what you’re wearing, his expression shifts, “Are you wearing pants?”

Giggling, you shake your head and turn slightly, lifting up your oversized t-shirt, “Nope.” And as you respond, you show off your ass to him.

He arches a brow, a smirk playing on his lips, “Oh ok- yeah that’s a good idea you know, pants are really restricting. You’ll be a lot more comfortable...”

“Oh you think so?” Tilting your head, you slowly make your way towards the bed whilst your fingers toy with the ends of your shirt, “Should I not wear the shirt then either? You know- if were talking about comfort here, I may as well just sleep naked.”

His smirk fully develops, his eyes following your every move, “You m-might get cold but, I mean I could just like- yah! Why do you insist on saying shit that you know is going to fluster me? Get your ass in bed.” He smacks the space beside him, brown eyes widening with incredulity.

At the end of his mini out burst, your head falls back against your shoulders with the much louder bit of laughter that leaves your lips.

Yoongi laughs along with you, his heart singing at the sound of your amusement, “Now!” He pushes out the command through his laughter, yanking the duvet back and jerking his chin towards the empty space.

Rather than tease him further, you scamper over to the bed and shimmy your way beneath the covers, immediately cuddling up into his side.

His warm and he smells like amber and the bonfire from earlier.

A hum comes from his chest as he pulls you close, kissing the top of your head.

“Thank you...be nice to me...”

His voice rumbles at the base of his throat; it shouldn’t have a taste but it lingers in the air and it suddenly makes you want to turn off all the lights and listen to him speak forever.

“I’m always nice...” You retort, peeking up at him in time to see his brow arch, “I am!”

His teeth peek out as he smiles, his arms tightening around you, “I wouldn’t necessarily say that you’re ALWAYS nice. You can be mean if you want to be.”

“Meeeaaan????? How am I mean?”

He flops against the pillow, kitten fangs on full display, his laughter dancing above the bed.

“You know exactly how you are mean, c’mon jagi, let’s be honest with each other.”

Pushing your fingers against his cheeks, you use his face as leverage to hoist yourself up over top of him, “Ohhhh are you talking about the edging and the pain play? The kinks my boyfriend most definitely possesses that I, being the loving girlfriend that I am, willingly fulfill?”

He blushes, “Yeah exactly...those things.”

You smush his cheeks together again, pecking the rounded tip of his nose, “Ok fine, we don’t have to do those things anymore, I’ve actually heard celibacy has it’s benefits.”

His face wrinkles in disgust as he jerks his head up to smush his lips against yours, “You’re so fucking funny you know that? You should do stand up.” He mumbles against your lips and although it’s a bit off topic, you can actually feel the difference between you and Yoongi.

He’s different now.

You don’t sense any hesitation anymore.

He is completely vulnerable and you love it.

The trust has increased tenfold.

“I’ll let my advisor know.” You retort, brows raising playfully, pecking against his lips

“AIYAAAAA....” He groans, smiling brightly, “Throwback.”

You feel butterflies in your stomach as you think of all the events leading up this particular moment.

Falling in love has been really fun.

“I still can’t believe I left your house like that, that night. I felt like such an idiot.”

You giggle, “I told Jimin about that the next day, I thought you hated me- I would have never guessed it was because I made you hard.”

He smirks, his cheeks reddening slightly, “I definitely didn��t hate you. I was just annoyed because, I was three months away from graduation and, I really wasn’t expecting to be bombarded with- you.”

“Bombarded?” You raise your brows, a smile lingering on your lips, “Is that how you remember falling in love?”

You feel his hands slide up the backs of your thighs before they settle on your hips as he shrugs, his expression unchanging, “Honestly yeah. I was very annoyed with it all for a long time. I knew I liked you but, I had already resigned to the fact that you wouldn’t like me back. I was also uninterested in getting into a relationship with anyone. Plus, I had to accept that I would have to keep seeing you because, we were paired up. To me, it just felt like another disappointment waiting to happen.”

At his admission, you pout and brush your thumb over his rosy cheek, “I’m sorry that you felt that way. I can understand why you did but, you and I definitely had different experiences...”

The slight disappointment in your tone isn’t intentional but, Yoongi’s keen observation skills pick up on it anyway. His beautiful features twitch slightly as he returns your pout, “I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoy it, I was just stubborn...” His eyes flit over you, a flurry of emotions swirling within them, “What was it like for you?”

Rolling off of him, you position yourself comfortably at his side, feeling a bit of apprehension coming over you, “It was great- for me at least, I don’t know. It’s kind of silly honestly.”

Yoongi pushes himself up, tugging you with him so that both of you are propped up against the headboard. He uses his free hand to tilt your chin up towards him, “It’s not silly at all. I want to know.”

Suddenly, you feel very small underneath his gaze. It’s not in an uncomfortable way but, it’s certainly not something you’re used to. Thus far, you were used to being Yoongi’s safe space, his protector, his rock but, you were no stranger to insecurity either. Yoongi may view you as a confident woman, with a steady head on her shoulders and, he was right to do so.

You’ve overcome a lot.

The woman you are today has always been within you but her emergence is recent and, you’re fairly confident that Yoongi doesn’t know that.

“I didn’t think you liked me either. You are easily the hottest man I have ever seen in my entire life and, given the fact that I’ve been rejected so many times throughout my life, I kind of assumed that we would just be friends. Most of the guys I’ve liked have only ever saw me that way. It became a running scenario in my head that I would grow old with a bunch of cats and, a bunch of really great friends but, I never really believed that I was the type of person someone would fall in love with. So when we had that conversation on the Ferris Wheel, I felt validated in a way. Here was this super attractive, interesting man who just admitted that he wanted to ‘kiss me everywhere’...I was elated. Even though I didn’t think things would go anywhere between us, I was still on cloud nine. Then we ended up kissing and then the night in your car- I guess this was a little more fairytale-like for me. I understand things were different for you though, especially after everything you’ve told me today.”

You’re not sure why this is suddenly making you so emotional but, you don’t force it away.

Yoongi did say he wanted to know everything about you and, conversations like these aren’t exactly something you plan.

He has been watching you intently during your explanation and during certain parts, you could feel his grip tightening on you slightly.

By the time you’re done, he sighs and shakes his head, “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” You cock your head, draping an arm across his stomach

“I’m sorry you ever had to face rejection or that you ever had to feel like you wouldn’t receive the type of love you deserve.” He runs a hand through his hair, “I’m also realizing that the way I described falling in love with you was fucking stupid and, I made it sound like it was this painful and frustrating process. Why do you even put up with me when I’m literally an idiot??”

The tension in your face starts to melt away and you start giggling by the end of his sentence, burrowing your face against his chest.

He throws an incredulous look your way, tilting his head in different directions to try and shove his face towards yours, “Hm?? Tell me huh? Why do you put up with me???” He demands, tickling at your sides, his own smiling appearing at the sound of your laughter, “Yah! Laughter tells me nothing! How did someone so intelligent and beautiful settle down with me???”

His tickling should force you away from him but, you curl into him more, still giggling as you try and grab at his hand.

“You’re not an idiot!”

He stops his motions, tilting your chin up towards him again, his eyes still playful but sincere, “I am though. I just described the best months of my life as annoying. I used the words uninterested and disappointed, that’s something only an idiot would do.”

“Don’t forget ‘bombarded’...” You point out, smirking slightly as you rest your chin on his finger.

“Yahhh see?” He shakes his head, leaning down towards your lips, “Pabo...”

You kiss him, letting yourself linger there for a moment before pulling away, “Have they really been the best months of your life?”

At your question, Yoongi smiles softly, “Of course they have. I didn’t mean that falling in love with you hasn't been magical. It has. I just meant that initially, I was so resistant because I was afraid of getting hurt. I should have said it like that, instead of being an asshole about it.”

“You weren’t being an asshole.” You counter

“I was though. You are the most important in the world to me and, I need to stop coating all of my emotions for you in 50 layers of irony just because, I have a fear of being vulnerable. You’re my everything- the love of my life and, I’m so grateful for you. I know that you don’t need me, I know you are complete without me and that you’ve overcome so much on your own but, I need you to know that you can always count on me and that I feel everything you feel. I’m sorry if I ever made you think any different, even if it’s unintentional or even if you like my sarcasm or whatever, it’s still no excuse to continuously avoid telling you how I truly feel. Especially not after everything you’ve done for me.”

You’re a little captivated by his words and, you don’t speak just yet but you allow a smile to say what words cannot as he speaks again.

“I want to take care of you too. I want you to feel safe with me. Sometimes I feel like our relationship has been very one-sided in terms of you always making time for my feelings and, I don’t want that. I’ve just spent so much time admiring your outlook on life that I didn’t take enough time to consider where it came from. You are always working so hard to take care of everyone around you and, I feel like it’s because you might not have always felt taken care of yourself. I hope you know that you never have to feel that way with me, I’m here for you and- sorry I’m not even making sense anymore.” His rickety laughter makes an appearance as your smile widens, “I just really love you like- fuck...”

You burst out into a fit of giggles and practically tackle him as you hop on his lap again, pulling him in for a kiss, “You’re literally the sweetest man alive and the only thing ironic about you as the fact that you constantly wonder whether or not you are in fact, a good person or a good boyfriend. You are both and I really really really really love you too.”

His gums peek. out at your sudden outburst, his smile adding 10 years to your life whilst his hands grip your hips, “I love you...” He repeats again, “I’m sorry we’ve had several conversations like this, there’s just a lot to work through I guess and, I feel like I don’t ever say enough or say the right things...”

“Don’t apologize. You’re completely right. We are both trying to navigate through some pretty intense shit. I’m glad we can have these conversations; it means that we are continuing to learn how to communicate with one another.” You assure him, kissing the tip of his nose.

“That’s a good point. You make a lot of good points.” He notes playfully, kissing your cheek this time, nibbling there, relishing in the sound of your laughter once again. “I know we’ve said it a dozen times now but, I love you...”

“I love you too.” You murmur before wrapping your arms around him.

After a rather sporadic and emotional conversation, you and Yoongi decide to put on a comedy special to lift the bit of heaviness from the atmosphere. You really wanted to enjoy each other’s company before the stressful few days ahead.

You knew it wasn’t going to be easy for him to go back to his hometown and, you also knew that it would be nerve wracking for you for a myriad of reasons.

Either way, you’d endure it together and meet the conflicts as they came.

Right now however, your mind is occupied with a completely different objective.

You’d been laying on Yoongi’s chest for the last hour or so whilst he rubbed tenderly along your back.

He traced your spine, gently pinched at the base of your neck and occasionally massaged at your scalp.

Altogether, you felt content, fuzzy, on the edge of arousal but not quite that there yet.

You’re touching him too now, your hand was resting on his stomach but you’ve started rubbing at his side, slowing and softly dragging your nails over his hoodie.

The thing is, you had been getting to each other for some time now but, there was no reason to rush into anything more.

You just wanted to touch each other, simple as that.

Your hand moves to the bottom of his hoodie, tracing the stitching before slipping underneath it.

As soon as you do, Yoongi’s hand stalls on your back as he sighs.

“Why do you have to go there?”

His tone is playful and accusatory and it causes you to giggle.

“I’m not going anywhereeeee.” You insist, tickling your fingers over his lower abdomen

“Y-yah jagiyaaa- you know what that does to me.”

His voice stutters a bit whilst you continue your motions, tickling back and forth above the band of his boxers, admiring how soft his skin is.

“Do you want me to stop?”

He smirks to himself, resuming his touch against your back, “No- but if you plan on getting me hard, you should probably come up here and start kissing me.”

You smirk too now, pushing up his hoodie to allow you better access to the rest of his stomach, admiring the goosebumps that start appearing on his skin.

“Maybe I wanna watch you get hard...”

You hear him sigh again, his chest heaving with the sound.

“Fuck, ok.” He chuckles to himself, “Fair enough.”

Sure enough, you get to watch the show you desperately wanted to see because, as you trace over the band of his boxers, his dick jumps to life beneath the cotton.

A satisfied grin plays on your lips and you take the opportunity tickle just beneath his belly button, prompting another bout of twitching from his dick.

“You know...” You murmur casually, continuing your teasing, “You’ve still never came in my mouth before.”

You feel the bluntness of his nails press into the skin of your back at your comment, another unstable sigh coming from him once again, “I haven’t.”

Slowly you sit up, finally turning to face him, resting your hand on his stomach.

You smirk down at him, his head pushed back into the pillow, a smile playing on his lips.

“Can we change that?”

He’s going all shy at the thought of being in your mouth again and he can’t figure out why.

You notice the blush on his cheeks and the timid gummy smile on his lips and, you decide to call him out on it.

“Why do you look so nervous??” You giggle, pinching his cheek

A bout of laughter bubbles past his lips like a bottle of soda that’s been shaken too much as he attempts to answer you.

“I don’t know!” He buries his face into the side of your arm, “It’s embarrassing...”

Fondness blooms in your chest and you immediately lay back down with him, pulling the covers over the two of you.

You wrestle around a bit, tucking yourself against him once more, the two of you giggling like two kids at a sleepover.

Yoongi kisses the side of your face, his own hot with arousal and embarrassment.

“Baby, you’ve literally let me tie you to the headboard...”

“Mm, I sure have...that was a good night.” His voice is deeper now as he starts kissing down your neck, “a really good night.”

“Do you not like it?”

He smirks against your neck, sucking lightly at the spot below your earlobe, sending a wave of arousal between your legs, “Are you really asking me whether or not I like getting my dick sucked?”

“WEeellll.” You laugh, relishing in the way his attention feels, slowly getting distracted by his lips on your skin, “You never let me do it for you. I’m just trying to understand why.”

Before he can answer, a screeching voice comes from the other room, “HYUNG-AHHH!!”

Yoongi’s eyes widen in alarm as he immediately maneuvers his way out of the covers and rushes out the door, tugging his hoodie down in an attempt to conceal his hardened length beneath his boxers.

“What, What’s wrong?! Where are you?”

You’re following after him frantically, your heart pounding wildly in your chest. Yoongi’s shouting in Korean and you’re trying your best to follow him up the stairs without tripping over your own feet.

“Here! Oh god, please hurry!”

Yoongi’s playing a thousand horrible scenarios in his head, trying desperately to locate Hoseok before he spots the light on in the hallway bathroom, “What’s wrong? Did you fall? Are you hurt???”

You can’t understand Yoongi but, his tone tells you everything you need to know: he’s terrified.

“There! Hyung oh my god, do you see it? It’s so big and hairy! Kill it please, I’m gonna throw up!”

Hoseok is rushing out of the bathroom with nothing but a towel around his hips and pure panic on his face.

Yoongi’s expression shifts from terrified to utterly disgusted in record time as he backhands Hoseok across the bicep, “YAH! What is wrong with you huh?! You made me think you snapped your neck up here or something! Are you seriously screaming over a spider right now? You’re 26 years old.”

Hoseok seems unphased by Yoongi’s words and points frantically at the bathroom, “Hyung I don’t care, just please kill it. You know how much I hate bugs, I almost had a heart attack.”

Yoongi is actively trying to conceal whatever seems to be transpiring but, the curiosity gets the better of you and you rush over to look in the direction Hoseok is pointing only to be met with the grossest, hairiest, BIGGEST spider you’ve ever seen.

“Yoongiiiii.” You whine, hiding behind him, your heartrate doing the impossible and increasing in your chest, “Oh my god, please get rid of it...”

Yoongi groans audibly, shaking his head at Hoseok, “You idiot, she’s terrified of spiders. We were literally about to- fuck nevermind just stay right here, I’ll go get a jar.”

He turns around, chuckling slightly at the almost childlike expression on your face, “I’m gonna get don’t worry. Do you want to come downstairs with me while I get a jar for it?”

Wide eyed, you grab his hands haphazardly, “Mhm...”

“Ok...” He leans down to peck your cheek, smirking fondly “Let’s go.”

“Yah what about me huh? What am I supposed to do?!” Hoseok returns to English now, eyeballing the bathroom in horror

Yoongi rolls his eyes, “Just stay there and try and summon some dignity. I’ll be right back.”

Hoseok scoffs and leans against the wall, “I have enough already thanks-” He insists before his eyes widen again, “Hyung please hurry it’s moving!!!!!”

Yoongi chuckles and shakes his head, interlocking his fingers with yours as he leads the two of you downstairs.

The two of you are back in a flash and you quickly take your place behind Hoseok as your boyfriend completes the task of scooping the spider into the jar and rushing it outside.

As he trudges back up the stairs he extends his hand out to you, which you eagerly accept.

Hoseok had already calmed down by this point and was attempting to make smooth small talk with you as if his (justified) outburst had never happened.

“Well uh” Hoseok laughs, throwing finger guns towards the bathroom, “Thanks hyung, so sorry to interrupt the lovemaking, I’m just gonnnnaaa head into the shower now-”

“Ah- no you aren’t. You’re going to apologize to my girlfriend for scaring the shit out of her and then you’re going to promise me that you’ll never scream for me like that again unless you are in mortal danger.” Yoongi shoots him a pointed look but there is still a bit of softness in his eyes and a smile threatening his lips.

“I’m so sorry Y/N, I had no idea you had a phobia of spiders. That was definitely my bad. And hyung,” He shoots a brilliant smile in his direction, throwing up a finger heart, “I love youuuuuuu. Thanks for saving my life.”

“Don't be sorry; I literally would have done the same thing.” You vow, giggling nervously, furthering retreating into Yoongi’s side.

Yoongi snorts, wrapping an arm around you and sending Hoseok on his way before he gently pinches your side, “Are you ok?”

“Absolutely not.” You affirm, “But, I will heal as time goes on...”

He snickers, shaking his head whilst he leads you back downstairs.

“I swear he almost gave me a heart attack.” He shakes his head, placing his free hand on his chest, “Feel- it’s still beating so fast...”

You push your head against his chest, causing him to laugh again, not expecting the method you chose but he allows it none the less.

His chest is thrumming with the evidence of commotion still and you turn your head quickly to press a kiss to his chest.

“Me too- look...”

As the two of you come back into his room, you guide his hand to your chest in order to demonstrate your fast paced heartbeat.

Yoongi shakes his head, “I’m sorry about him, he’s ridiculous.”

You nod, glancing down at Yoongi’s boxers which no longer display the evidence of his arousal and, you whine, keeping his hand in place on your chest.

“You’re not hard anymoreeeee.” You complain, slumping against the wall near the bathroom. Yoongi laughs, his gums peeking out whilst you guide his hand over your breast, “Squeeze-” You giggle, indulging in your immaturity for a moment, “We’ll bring it back...”

He laughs harder, his beautiful face wrinkling in amusement as he obliges, squeezing your breast.

“Are you hard yet???” You ask through your laughter, tugging him closer to you, tilting your head towards his lips.

“Oh yeah-” He nods to his dick, still laughing, “Rock solid...”

He kisses you then, keeping his hand in place as he smiles into your lips.

The giggling between the two of you slowly fades as Yoongi tucks his mouth betwixt your own. He kisses you tenderly, his free hand curving around your waist and securing you to him. The hand on your breast massages you gently for a moment before he feels around for your nipple. Once he locates it, he begins teasing it between his thumb and his forefinger, smirking into your mouth when you sigh at the sensation. The two of you press further into one another, getting lost in the moment before you decide to resume your earlier mission.

“Can I pleaaaase make you cum in my mouth now?” You murmur against his lips, giggling when he blushes again, attempting to hide his face in your neck. “Babyyyyy what is it? Why are you hiding?”

His arms wrap around your waist now, sandwiched between your body and the wall. He shakes his head, pressing kisses into the crook of your neck whilst he tries to figure out the best way to answer your question.

“Nervous.” He mumbles and you can feel him smirk into your skin.

Your heart is exploding with adoration at how fucking cute your boyfriend can be literally out of nowhere.

His duality gives you whiplash sometimes.

“Why are you nervous?”

His grip tightens on you as you attempt to coax his face out of your neck, snickering when you try to pinch his cheek.

“I’m gonna cum too fast.” He confesses, finally pulling away to make eye contact with you, his black hair disheveled atop his head.

You giggle, smoothing out his messy onyx tendrils before bringing his lips down to yours.

“So what?” You murmur against them, “It doesn’t matter how quickly you cum, I just want to make you feel good...”

Yoongi feels a sharp pang of arousal in the pit of his stomach at the sultry tone of your voice, his dick twitching to life between his legs.

“I just feel like you don’t get anything out of it though...I want you to feel good too.” He protests, sighing out through his nose when you slip your hand beneath his hoodie.

You smirk, tickling over his sensitive skin, “Do you really think I don’t get anything out of having you in my mouth?”

Peppering kisses down his neck, you continue to gently roam your hands over his hips and stomach, ensuring that your motions are slow and deliberate.

“I’m really second guessing getting head right now aren’t I? I’m actually overthinking getting a blowjob, I’m fucking ridiculous...” He laughs now, hugging you to his body, his smile widening when you giggle along with him.

Pulling back away from his neck, you nudge his nose, delighting in the sparkle within his eyes before pecking at his lips, “Do you want it? If you’re feeling weird about it, it’s ok. We don’t have to do it.”

He smirks, his hands sliding down your back to rest against your ass, “No, no I want it. I really do, I’m just being...myself.”

His honesty makes you laugh again.

You’re so grateful for it though.

The comfort level between the two of you is off the charts and, it makes you so incredibly happy.

From the lecture hall to the bedroom; the two of you really have come so far.

“Go lay down then...” You urge him, still smiling as he eagerly rushes towards the bed.

He flops back against the pillows, folding his arms behind his head and immediately tucking a lip between his teeth. His breathing is already unstable due to all the kissing but, he knows he’ll have to actively calm himself in order to last.

You place your knees on the bed between his legs and maneuver yourself closer to the seam of his boxers. You don’t feel the need to try and be sexy or dramatic, the intimacy floating between the two of you is more than enough to turn you both on.

However, in the spirit of making your boyfriend feel good, you still want to put on a little bit of a show for him.

“Comfy?” You grin and he immediately rolls his eyes, his lip still tucked between his teeth

“Sure.” He throws a half smirk your way and although it’s not his intention to do so, it spurs you on further.

There’s never a bad time to fluster your boyfriend...

Wordlessly, you grasp the hem of your oversized t-shirt before tugging it over your head, leaving you in nothing but a pair of black boy shorts.

Yoongi’s eyes widen ever so slightly and his chest expands to fit the deep breath he just took, the breath he lets out slowly and shakily.

“So am I.” You smirk, sitting back on your knees to give him the full view of your body. The air of Yoongi’s bedroom is crisp and slightly cooler than you’d like it to be and it causes your nipples to harden, aching for the warmth of his touch. With your hand lingering on your inner thigh, you sigh, “My panties are ruined already-” You pout, “That’s really annoying...they’re going to be drenched by the time you cum.”

Yoongi squeezes his eyes shut whilst he lets out an audible groan, “Ok- what the fuck? You’re not even giving me a chance to last at this point...” He laughs humorlessly, his eyes opening and going straight between your thighs, “Let me see.”

You smirk at his bout of laughter, delighting in how flustered he looks before honoring his request.

Dipping your hand beneath the band of your underwear you slide your fingers over your clit, which is honestly a terrible idea because now it’s throbbing with the need to be played with and, swipe your fingers over viscous arousal collecting at your entrance.

Yoongi watches you like a hawk, eagerly awaiting the evidence supporting your previous statement.

He isn’t disappointed when you remove your fingers from your panties to show him the stringy, slippery arousal connecting your digits together. The amount of wetness actually surprises you and the way Yoongi looks at you, only worsens the situation between your legs.

Yoongi sits up suddenly, grasping your wrist with both of his hands, eyeing the moisture on your fingers like a man deprived before sucking both of them into his mouth. You feel his tongue lick between them, collecting you, the sensation quickly mirroring itself in your panties. Eyes fluttering close, you allow him to suck on you for longer than necessary, your heartrate quickening as he groans softly against your skin.

He pulls off of you, allowing his lips to linger on the tips of your fingers, his cat-like eyes flitting up to yours. Wordlessly, he brings his hand off the bed and quickly slips it into your underwear. Before you even register what’s occurring, the pads of his fingers are brushing past your clit and tucking themselves inside of you. Your lips part in shock, your hands coming out to brace against his shoulders as he curls them up against your g-spot.

Wide eyed, you meet your boyfriends smug expression as he starts rocking his fingers upwards inside of you.

“Yo-Yoongi...” You grunt, as the pleasure latches on to the pit of your stomach, the sensation unlike anything you’ve ever felt before.

“Mhm, I know- it's good huh?” He chuckles, using his free hand to brace itself against your back, pushing your body against his hand working between your thighs, “You thought I’d just have a little taste and that was it? That’s all I would want?”

“Fuck...” You whimper, your head slumping against his shoulder, leaving his lips at your ear to say whatever filthy things come to mind.

He quickens his pace and the pleasure is so intense that you have a half a mind to tell him to stop because you kind of feel like you’re going to pee yourself but, the next wave of sensations quickly sends that thought to the trash.

“Have you ever squirted before baby?” He croons into your ear, holding you tightly

Your head shakes rapidly, your eyes squeezing shut as you bury your face into his neck, “N-Not with anybody...”

You’ve certainly made yourself squirt before but it was unintentional and definitely didn’t compare to the way Yoongi was making you feel.

He grins, nibbling on the shell of your ear, his breath sending a shiver down your spine, “I think you’re about to, I can feel how tight you are around my fingers. Do you want to cum all over my hand jagiya?”

“Mhm-” You whimper, tucking both of your lips between your teeth as you try your hardest not to moan, “Yoongi...”

Yoongi can feel how hard he is now, his swollen dick nearing the edges of pain from neglect but, his focus is entirely on you and making sure you get yours before he thinks of himself.

“Are you gonna say my name when you cum beautiful?” He whispers, quickening his pace once again, his grin broadening when you nod rapidly in his neck, your legs spreading further to the point where he’s having to fight against the mattress to keep at it.

“On your dick- please? Please can I cum on your dick?” You plead, sucking on his neck now, not fully coherent because all you can think about is cumming.

“Oh my fucking god.” He groans, shaking his head

He’s never heard you ask for his dick like that before and, who is he to deny his perfect girlfriend the throne she so aptly deserves?

“Come get it baby.” He pleads, pulling back to look into your eyes, “Come take it, it’s yours, use it...”

You’re on him seconds later and his fucking up into you with everything he has, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood so he doesn’t wake his roommates.

With your hand over your mouth, you whine into your palm as your orgasm approaches. Yoongi smirks proudly at you, saying everything you need to hear to push you over the edge.

“Beautiful...you’re so beautiful.”

“Please cum for me...”

“Cum all over me.”

“I love you...”

Yoongi’s successful in his plan to make you squirt and by the time he finishes inside of you, you’re a proper mess.

The orgasm he’s given you is intense and for once, you’re the one shaking in his arms, trying to get your wits about you. Lovingly, Yoongi places kisses all over your face and the side of your head, his big hands massaging gently into your back as he helps you come down, even though he’s attempting to relax after his own orgasm.

“D-damn you, that was not the plan.” You mutter, playfully nibbling on his shoulder

He chuckles warmly, still kissing on you, “It wasn’t a part of your plan but, let’s just assume that my plan will forever involve making you cum like that, that was- shit that was really hot.”

“Yoongiiiiii....” You whine, feeling very needy and slightly embarrassed, “You made me ruin the sheets though, I feel bad.”

You hear him scoff incredulously, “Yoongiiiiiii I’m so sorry my beautiful body just had a powerful orgasm all over your sheets, how rude of me, I’m so disrespectful.” He imitates your voice playfully, chuckling louder as you wack him against the shoulder, still hiding away in his neck.

“Shut uppppppp.”

“You are always the one making me cum so hard that I question my sanity. After everything you’ve been through with me today, I wanted to return the favor. You did exactly what you deserved to do; if we didn’t have a flight to catch tomorrow, I’d have my hand in your panties all over again.”

Yoongi's bedroom is dark now as the TV has turned itself off due to lack of activity but, despite the absence of light, you can still feel how wet the sheets are beneath your bodies.

It has you all shy for some reason, reminding you that although you usually take the dominant role in the bedroom, you still have a desire to be small, to be held, to be taken care of...

It felt good to let him do that.

“Thank you.” You murmur, wrapping your arms around his back, pecking the side of his neck, “It was amazing, you’re amazing.”

He smiles in the darkness, “You deserve it.” He thumbs across the cheek that isn't hidden away in his neck, “Are you going to let me take care of you more often? Have I proven myself worthy mistress?”

The nickname isn’t something he’s used before and it both amuses you and intrigues you all at once. You laugh, nodding in agreement, kissing his skin again, “Mhm, more than worthy.”

Yoongi knows he has to change the sheets.

He knows the two of you need to get some sleep.

But for the moment, he wants to stay still.

He wants to love on you and make you feel all the things you make him feel.

He wants to do everything you’ve done for him.

He’s in this for the long haul and he knows it.

This is that forever kind of love.

That I want to marry you kind of love.

That I adore every inch of you kind of love.

He’s found it, it’s all his and he wants to spend the rest of life proving to you how grateful he is.

...how in love he is.

….how lucky he is.

“I love you.” He whispers

“I love you too.”

370 notes · View notes

triforce-princess · 4 years

Text

well, i finally 100% completed hyrule warriors age of calamity in its entirety, including post game content, so i’m finally going to write a full review. beware this review will contain every spoiler imaginable so please do not click the read more if you haven’t finished the game yet and don’t want to be spoiled!

tl,dr; this game is a lot of fun despite some of its shortcomings and it’s really nice to see characters get the development they needed in breath of the wild. also a huge improvement gameplay-wise from the first game. if you’re a fan of breath of the wild it’s worth a try, just don’t expect breath of the wild style of gameplay! and if you’re a fan of the original hyrule warriors, you are going to love this a lot. ok now to get into the details. this is extremely long;

about the gameplay; it took me a while to fully adjust to the new controls and mechanics, but once i finally understood it it was so much fun. i originally wasn’t crazy about the sheikah slate runes since it was difficult at first to remember that a. i had that ability, and b. when the proper time to use it was. but when it finally clicked for me it brought a whole new interesting layer to the gameplay that challenged my memory in a fun way. it took me even longer to learn what the use of the rods were but those were great in a pinch once i figured it out. i also loved the flurry rush mechanic since dodging is a pretty important aspect of the gameplay. all these new layers added to this gameplay makes me wonder how i ever put up with the original hyrule warriors gameplay lol. something i wasn’t entirely crazy about was the wall jumping and paraglider stuff? i never really found it useful and it always just became a problem when i was trying to dodge and i’d be confused about why my character was slowly flying around at critical moments.

the camera in this game was pretty frustrating. with the more organic map & lots of tight spaces (which i’ll get more into later), the camera would get stuck a lot and you’d be unable to really see what’s going on and it got pretty frustrating at times. i wish there were some way they could fix that but i’m not sure what they could do without having the camera go out of bounds & show the edges of the map. maybe they could’ve made some of the objects that are in the middle not be things the camera get stuck on though.

i also felt like there were too many special effects going on with some enemies and attacks, sometimes it would cover up large parts of the screen & you wouldn’t be able to see what you were fighting and that was pretty stressful (i found myself frequently yelling “i can’t see!!” when i’d defeat a guardian or something in a room with lots of other enemies. this only became an issue in the later parts of the game though.

now about the maps, i do love how much more organic and natural they are. it’s a big upgrade from the original which had a lot of wide corridors leading into square rooms which were allied/enemy basses. but unfortunately, this causes issues with navigation and the camera getting stuck (like i mentioned before). i had a lot of problems where the map was too natural and i was confused about why i was getting stuck on level geometry when it looked like i could walk through there. i think the breath of the wild style makes this confusing too because you can’t really undo a thousand hours of being able to walk through nearly everything. but also it was just really unclear what was a wall and what wasn’t sometimes. i was surprised i actually had to zoom in on the mini map and look at that to move around at times. definitely an ambitious aspect of the game & i appreciate the effort and detail, but i don’t know if it works that great for this style of gameplay. i also don’t know why they bothered putting so many small details on the ground if they’re just going to pop in so close to the camera. it was kind of awkward when you cleared out all the enemies & were traveling to another location and it was the only noticable thing on screen.

speaking of ambitious, we can’t ignore this game’s framerate issues. it’s the first thing on everyone’s minds when talking about this game. most of the time, it was pretty acceptable. but they definitely pushed this game farther than the switch can go and it shows. i really appreciate the love they put into making this game as detailed as they did, but i don’t know if it was worth it in the long run. there’s only a couple times i can think of where the framerates got absolutely unacceptable, and it always seemed to be when there was a lot of electricity and enemies on screen at the same time. it happened once during the final vah naboris mission and another time where there were a ton of electric lizalfos all shooting electricity at once at the same time you have to fight an electric lynel. but, i’m not the kind of gamer that loses my shit over dropped framerates, i grew up with the n64 & have had to put up with poor early emulation many times in my life so framerates don’t really phase me until it just gets unplayable.

wasn’t crazy about how many late game missions were just boss rushes, but that’s pretty standard hyrule warriors fare. at least it was more fair in this game where most of the time you only had to fight one boss at a time and the next boss wouldn’t spawn in until you beat the first one, so there was no risk of accidentally aggro-ing a boss in another part of the map & have an unfair fight on your hands like in the first game. it was pretty anti-climactic how the seemingly final mission which had the highest recommended level was just another boss rush, and not even the hardest one (it was just a bunch of regular malice bosses in a row).

bit of a side note but i didn’t like having to grind for materials and find koroks for 100%. the koroks weren’t nearly as bad as breath of the wild though, thank god.

i’m pretty disappointed that some content that’s clearly in the game isn’t unlocked in the base game, it’s looking pretty likely that they’ll add it as dlc later & pretend it’s new content to make the game relevant again...i’ve always firmly believed dlc should be extra content that’s added in later. hopefully they’ll add some really cool stuff as dlc alongside the stuff that’s in the game & it won’t be so disappointing. there’s two characters i was sure would be unlocked as playable characters (sooga and astor) but i found it weird that you don’t get them in the post game and instead you get to play as the egg guardian (terrako) and calamity ganon???? talk about subverting expectations. also really frustrated to learn that zelda’s royal dress isn’t available in the base game but its in the files & is just missing one body part?? really hope that’s just a free update and not like, paid dlc. kind of dumb that they didn’t give the devs one extra day to model feet on the character.

about the story; the story starts out really strong i feel, i loved seeing characters get the development they didn’t get in breath of the wild and this game’s story makes breath of the wild’s story feel even more incomplete than it did before this game came out. and actually seeing the story play out in chronological order in real time without link having amnesia gave the story so much more feeling and connection. this is probably my favorite aspect of this game because i was always so disappointed with how disconnected you feel in breath of the wild because of the way the story is told. and it does so much of a better job illustrating link and zelda’s feelings. i’m probably the single most difficult person to convince when it comes to link and zelda being in a relationship or having feelings for eachother and i thought this was quite possibly the best master sword scene in any zelda game;

in previous games link has always had to prove his courage in a variety of trials spread across the land and to me its really boring, especially after how many times its been done. the thing that gets me about this scene is the master sword deems him worthy because of his desire to protect zelda even when he’s been beaten down & disarmed. that was a really beautiful moment to me & i’m glad they wrote the scene this way.

speaking of being worthy of power because you want to protect someone, i wasn’t really that crazy of zelda unlocking her power just because she loves link but honestly this game illustrated it in a much better way & i’m more down with it now. i loved this shot how it really captured what she was feeling;

it’s also in general awesome to see the champions in action, both in gameplay and in cutscenes. i remember being in awe the first time i got to play as urbosa. it feels like we finally really got to know them and how powerful they really were, instead of breath of the wild just telling us they were cool & we just had to believe it.

now for the part i know people say this game is shit because of; the time travel aspect. yeah, it’s a little silly and nonsensical, but honestly, it was kind of fun. and i don’t get how a time travel plot is somehow weird for the zelda series. the most critically acclaimed game of this series, ocarina of time, is entirely revolved around a time travel plot & the heroes would not have won if it weren’t for time travel in that game. yeah, it’s goofy, but this series is known for its nonsensical aspects & plotholes. there’s always some kind of unexplainable magic in this series that solves problems. i don’t think that makes this game shit. plus i was kind of starstruck when i first got to play as sidon lol. i was thinking to myself, man, who would’ve known 3 years later we’d get to play as sidon! crazy! none of the champion descendants were really my favorite to play as but it was still cool to see them & play as them.

something i didn’t understand was why kohga and the yiga clan joined zelda’s cause? i feel like a vital scene got cut. i don’t get why he’d join even when astor betrayed him, considering his group’s ambitions and how many times they tried to kill zelda. and where’d sooga go? the scene of astor betraying them kind of implied he was going to die but we never got confirmation of that, and he even shows up in a post game mission as an ally (no cutscene, just one line of dialogue during gameplay)

as for the ending, i guess it was alright? astor was a really lazily written villain and i just did not care for him at all. kinda don’t even care that we don’t get to play as him (yet, probably). calamity ganon’s design in this game was terrible. and i guess it would’ve been hard to make it work, but no beast ganon? just felt a little to easy to wrap up. despite this i guess it was nice to see hyrule get a happier ending even if it was a bit nonsensical at times. also this is just a bit of a personal thing for me but i liked seeing hyrule before it was destroyed. it always bums me out when you find a locaiton in game that’s been destroyed & you can only think about what it mightve looked like before. this is something that’s bummed me out since wind waker (was always disappointed you don’t get to see what greatfish isle is like!!) and breath of the wild gave me so much disappointment in that aspect lol.

one final thought but it was odd to me how many lines revali got & how often he interacted with link lol. was weird to see him slowly warm up to link a little towards the end (but of course he’s still a little mean...). no other character acknowledges link as much as revali. this scene confused me the most??

there were so many other people revali could’ve spoken to. he barely even acknowledges teba who was the one who specifically came to his aid!! and the way link looks at him with big puppy eyes?? link barely makes a facial expression at anyone else! and how revali expresses gratitude for the first time in his life after looking at link’s stupid cute anime face and smiles (but he turns around because he would be too ashamed to smile at link i guess)

anyway that’s it, i finally got out all my thoughts about this game. this went on way longer than i intended and i’m sorry if you read the whole thing & it took forever lol. this game is fun, get it.

#legend of zelda #hyrule warriors: age of calamity #breath of the wild #text #hwaoc spoilers

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grailfinders · 4 years

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Fate and Phantasms #122: Tristan

Today on Fate and Phantasms, we’re building another member of the Round Table, Sir Tristan, the “child of sadness”. This knight’s bowstrings are equal part deadly weapons and musical instruments, but his most dangerous weapon is just look at that final ascension art all the KotRT were so close I’m not crying you’re crying.

Check out his build breakdown below the cut, or his character sheet over here!

Next up: Sun’s out, guns out.

Race and Background

Don’t worry, we’re not doing anything weird this time. Tristan is, in fact, a human! As a Variant Human, you get +1 to Dexterity and Wisdom, Performance proficiency, and the Sharpshooter feat. Any cover less than full won’t affect your aim, and you can fire at long range normally. Additionally, you can take a -5 penalty to hit for a +10 bonus to damage.

Much like Lancelot, you’re a Knight of the Order, giving you Religion and Persuasion proficiency.

Ability Scores

Make sure your Wisdom is high- you can hit headshots without opening your eyes, that’s some real good perception. Second is your Charisma, your bow is also a harp, and you’re really good with it. Following that up is Dexterity. Your harp is also a bow, and you’re really good with it. Writing deadly lyrics on the fly isn’t easy, so your Intelligence isn’t bad. After that is Strength- bows actually take a lot of strength to use, but you don’t really need it here so...

That being said, we’re still dumping Constitution. You’re famously unlucky, and you died to poison, that’ll affect your HP almost as badly as Okita.

Class Levels

1. Ranger 1: Being a paladin would be nice, but smiting doesn’t work with ranged weapons. You know what does? Being a ranger. First level rangers get proficiency with Strength and Dexterity saves, as well as three ranger skills. Grab Animal Handling, Athletics, and Perception for better horsemanship and archery skills.

Speaking of better skills, first level rangers can also be Canny, doubling your proficiency bonus in Performance. You can also mark a creature when you hit them thanks to Favored Foe. Once per turn for the next minute, you can add 1d4 to your damage against that target. It’s a bit weaker than Hunter’s Mark, how sad. You can also use it a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus.

2. Ranger 2: For your fighting style, Blind Fighting is almost completely useless, but it does explain how you’re able to fight without opening your eyes. (Seriously though if you want a semi-serious build go with Archery, it’s so much more useful than 10′ of darkvision.)

You can also cast Spells this level using your Wisdom. Grab Cure Wounds for some feel-good music, and Snare for your first rope trap. I said you were really good with that bow, and I meant it. This spell creates a rope trap in a 5 foot cube that requires an investigation check (DC eight plus proficiency plus wisdom modifier) to notice. A creature that triggers the trap has to make a dexterity save (same DC) or it’s restrained above the ground. Each turn, the trapped creature can make another dexterity save at disadvantage or another creature can make an Arcana check to free the creature.

3. Ranger 3: Third level rangers join a conclave, and you’re so depressing you’re a Gloom Stalker. You get Disguise Self as part of your subclass, though it’s not particularly in character for you. How sad. You’re also a Dread Ambusher, adding your wisdom to intiative. You can also move faster on your first turn, and you can make an extra attack with your action that turn as well. The extra attack also deals an extra 1d8 damage. You also gain Umbral Sight, a.k.a. 60 feet of darkvision, rendering that blind fighting almost entirely useless. Also, while in darkness, you’re invisible to other creatures with darkvision.

You also get Primeval Awareness, letting you spend an action and spell slot to sense aberrations, celestial, dragons, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead within a mile of you. Finally, you get another spell. Entangle creates a larger area snare that requires a strength save to break free from if you’re caught in the area when it’s cast. Regardless, the area is difficult terrain until your concentration is broken.

4. Ranger 4: Use your first Ability Score Improvement to bump up your Dexterity for a higher AC and better archery skills.

5. Ranger 5: Fifth level rangers get an Extra Attack with their attack action, and they can cast second level spells. Your free spell here is another very fancy way to use your bowstrings, Rope Trick. This spell sends a rope 60′ straight up and creates an extradimensional space for you and up to seven friends. You’re relatively safe inside for the duration, just make sure you’re out before the hour’s up. Falling sixty feet doesn’t seem like fun.

You can also create a Cordon of Arrows to protect an area, throwing four arrows at creatures who come too close. Almost as deadly as your bow, and significantly less work for you.

6. Bard 1: I told you we were making that bow a harp. First level bards can cast Spells using their Charisma, and they can mete out Bardic Inspiration as a bonus action, giving an ally a d6 they can add to one skill check, saving roll, or attack roll. You can use this a number of times per long rest equal to your charisma modifier.

For spells, Prestidigitation will help you turn your bowstrings into smaller objects; Vicious Mockery, Dissonant Whispers, and Bane give you minor curses you can place with your dirges; and Healing Word and Heroism gives you some more positive energy to hand out to party members. Don’t get those mixed up, that would be sad.

You also get another skill proficiency; you’re good at getting out of the way of attacks, so I’d say that’s Acrobatics.

7. Bard 2: Second level bards are Jack of All Trades, giving you half proficiency on all your checks that don’t already have your proficiency bonus. You also make Camelot a bit more lively with your Song of Rest, enhancing healing done during short rests by 1d6. Finally, you get Magical Inspiration, meaning your inspiration dice can now be used to give spells more damage or healing.

For spells, you can now turn your bowstrings into a safety net, thanks to Feather Fall.

8. Bard 3: Your college of choice is the College of Whispers, giving you the ability to curse people in casual conversation thanks to your Words of Terror. Speaking to a humanoid alone for at least a minute forces a wisdom save or they become frightened of a creature of your choice for an hour or until they or their allies are seen being attacked. You can use this once per short rest. Go on, make your king afraid of herself, I’m sure it won’t backfire.

You also get Psychic Blades, allowing you to burn inspiration to add psychic damage to your attack once per round.

Finally, you get Expertise in two skills, doubling your proficiency bonus. Grab Perception to help you see with closed eyes and Performance because I’m a sucker for quadrupling things.

You can also cast Lesser Restoration for a stronger form of healing music, removing some of your party’s debuffs.

9. Ranger 6: At sixth level your Favored Foe grows to 1d6, making it almost as good as Hunter’s Mark. You also become Roving, giving you 5 extra feet of movement, plus a swimming and climbing speed. You might not get a fancy magic horse like the other knights of the round but... actually no, you should probably still get a horse.

10. Ranger 7: Seventh level Gloom Stalkers get an Iron Mind, giving you proficiency in Wisdom saves. You can also cast Healing Spirit this level for some hands-free healing, so you can heal while you heal! Or curse while you heal, either’s good.

11. Bard 4: Use this ASI to bump up your Charisma for more inspiration and better bard spells. You can also cast True Strike if you need to remember what a tragedy looks like, or Calm Emotions to make your enemies too depressed to fight.

12. Bard 5: Your Bardic Inspiration and Psychic Blades both grow in power, and you become a Font of Inspiration, recharging your inspiration on short rests instead of long ones.

Your final bardic spell is Bestow Curse, allowing you to technically do anything you want with the DM’s approval. Given curses include: Disadvantage on one ability score’s checks and saves. Disadvantage on attack rolls against you. Wasting a turn every time they fail a wisdom save. Dealing extra damage to them. Have some fun with it, they certainly won’t.

13. Ranger 8: Bump up your Wisdom with this ASI for a better initiative and stronger spells. You’re also Fleet of Foot, meaning you can move through difficult terrain quickly, and you don’t take damage from nonmagical plants. You also get advantage on magical plant spells. Not... super useful, but it’ll give you a better shot against Poison Ivy.

14. Ranger 9: Ninth level Gloom Stalkers can cast Fear, in case you weren’t giving your foes enough debuffs as is, and you also get Conjure Barrage to make your Failnaught truly unavoidable. Except by monks. And rogues. Still pretty good though.

15. Ranger 10: You’re now Tireless, meaning you can spend an action (a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus) to gain temporary hp. Your exhaustion also decreases on short rests too. You can also use Nature’s Veil to become invisible for a round as a bonus action, the same number of times per long rest as Tireless. We’re going a bit heavy on the evade spam here to make up for the fact that we dumped constitution what is wrong with us.

16. Ranger 11: Thanks to your new Stalker’s Flurry, you can’t miss even if you do miss- you can make an extra attack as part of your attack action if one of your normal attacks missed.

You can also cast Protection from Energy this level, because honestly we weren’t sure what to do here. You’ll get more Tristany spells when we get fourth level slots, promise.

17. Ranger 12: For your final ASI, bump up your Charisma again for stronger bard spells and a better performance overall.

18. Ranger 13: For your fourth level spells, Freedom of Movement and Greater Invisibility give you even more ways to avoid capture and damage. Ah, they keep missing. How sad.

19. Ranger 14: Your Favored Foe grows to a d8 now, and you can Vanish as a bonus action, meaning you can hide and nobody can track you without magic.

20. Ranger 15: Fifteenth level Gloom Stalkers can make a Shadowy Dodge as a reaction, giving disadvantage on an attack roll against you if the attack wasn’t made with advantage.

You can also turn your bowstrings into a Grasping Vine, forcing your opponents to dance like puppets. On a- on a string. You get it?

Pros

Thanks to all those evades you can pump out and your ability to maneuver in darkness, you’re very hard to hit. Turn invisible, dodge weirdly, stay invisible, or make your target fear you, it’s all good.

Thanks to your curses and fear building skills, you’re a good debuffer, which can help whittle powerful enemies down while your party starts getting hits in.

Thanks to spells like Cordon of Arrows, Snare, and Grasping Vine, you can also set up plenty of battlefield hazards to control and slow enemy movement. Nobody wants to rush in just to get flung into the air like a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

Cons

Remember how we dumped constitution at the beginning? That’s going to bite us in the ass. Even at level 20, you still have less than 100 hp, meaning if a wizard with Power Word Kill spots you your story’s ending early. This is why going invisible is so useful for you.

Blind Fighting would be more of a gimmick usually, but you’re an archer! Seriously, just take archery.

Being a bard and a ranger means you split your magic abilities between charisma and wisdom, eating up a lot of ASIs that could have gone towards your dexterity or constitution instead for more survivability and bow damage.

#Fate Grand Order #DND 5e #FGO #Tristan #Fate and Phantasms #Ranger #Bard

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