#someone get this stressed dude an iced latte

[turtle-steverogers]

Soft Marvel headcanons, you say?

*cracks knuckles*

- When Steve was first defrosted, he slept on the ground next to his bed until Natasha figured out (during movie nights) that he would sleep in a bed if there was someone with him. After that, they rotated until Bucky got back. (Most nights it was Natasha and it was mutually helpful.)

- Steve hates the ice but he loves ice skating since it was something he couldn’t really do as a kid.

- Bucky’s favorite flavor of ice cream is Rocky Road. “Stevie, there’s marshmallows!”

- Natasha is unapologetically a white girl in Starbucks; she either gets a frappe or an iced coffee. On the rare occasions it’s too cold, it’s a pumpkin spice latte. (Don’t tell anyone, but she’s converted Clint too. Sometimes they’ll go together.)

- The day Tony proposed to Pepper was the day he was planning to: he was going to introduce Peter as the newest Avenger and propose to Pepper all at once. Turns out Peter wasn’t ready, so he only proposed to Pepper.

- Morgan likes the orange popsicles best because she knows her daddy likes the blue ones best and her mommy likes the red ones best. Her favorite part is when her daddy eats a blue popsicle and sticks his tongue out at her to show her how blue it is.

- Clint’s a disaster and he can’t be bothered to cook most of the time because it’s typically just him, but whenever everyone’s staying at the Tower, he surprises them all by being a really good cook.

- I know this is a pretty typical first meet across the fandom, but whenever Peter first meets Dr. Banner, that’s who he obsesses over; not the Hulk. He then gets permission to FaceTime Ned, who obsesses over Dr. Banner as well.

- Friday Night Team Movie Nights are totally a thing. Jarvis (and then later Friday) has a running list of everyone’s triggers and makes sure the movie chosen won’t set off any triggers. They watch a lot of animated movies!

Hope this helps and I hope you feel better soon! ❤️

OH MY GOD HI PAL YOU JUST LITERALLY NAILED EVERY VIBE FOR THE AVENGERS THAT I LOVE

STEVE SLEEPING ON THE GROUND UNLESS HE HAS COMPANY? MWUAH. DUDE IS TRAUMATIZED AND TOUCH STARVED HE NEEDS THOSE CUDDLES

and oh my god yeah me and my friend decided that steve and bucky's "safe mutual ice cream flavor" is rocky road cuz they cant agree on any others

nat and steve def make starbucks runs together and theyre in their like,,,, matching aviators and sipping from their cups and probably gossiping. i dont take criticism

ALSO AW MORGAN AND TONY YEAHHHH she giggles so hard whenever tony shows his blue tongue and it makes tony giggle and they have like,,, identical laughs its great

also yeah clint being a hella good cook? yes please. he and sammy and bucky are all the stress baker/cookers that knock out tower pot lucks

ALSO YES TO PETER AND NED AND BRUCE i wanna see them all become pals!

also movie nights. YES. movieeee nights w the avengers has them all like piled together. its incredible

[texassmashbitch]

Bottled Up~

Asahi Azumane x Reader !

Warnings: Angst, Fluff/comfort (because I won’t be able to sleep at night if the angst is not solved ཀ ʖ̯ ཀ) and cursing.

A/n: I feel like I could’ve done better with this story (┳◇┳), I wanted to switch the roles of the reader and the character. If he seems out of character I apologise, I’ll get better I promise d–(^ ‿ ^ )z. The Hc is based on the reader taking out their anger on our poor sensitive Asahi (ﾟ∩ﾟ). If my story doesn’t make sense I’ll slap my self to New Years day.

Asahi is a successful clothing designer stationed in Tokyo, you are his personal photographer and editor, so it’s only natural that you would both start dating because of the amount of time spent together.

You previously attended Shiratorizawa and came across Asahi during the Karasuno win against your school when you were a third year.

Let’s be honest, when you first saw him you thought he was a gang leader who just got out of jail but that didn’t make you treat him any different from others.

You watched Asahi from the side-lines, even though it was your first time seeing him a crush began to form because of how his physical looks had no relation to the big softie personality he had. As you continued to watch, you noticed he was not confident in himself and was very shy.

Fast forward 7 years, you and Asahi are both 25 years old, you’ve both been dating for 3 years and have been staying together in Asahi’s apartment.

Asahi decided to ask you out after he had finished University because he didn’t want you to feel lonely while he focused on his studies but you said yes anyways (I mean who wouldn’t).

Asahi works from home. He designed a collection of men’s crop tops which you were in-charge of photographing for next week’s Men’s Non-no. Everything was on track, the clothes designed by your boyfriend were in perfect condition,  the cameras were set up and you were just waiting for the male model to arrive.

Your mood had been good since you were picked to photograph for the Men’s Non-no and you knew that when you finished work your boyfriend would be at home.

Will everything go to plan? 乁(ᴗ ͜ʖ ᴗ)ㄏ

“Suga has the model arrived yet?” you asked your trusted assistant “He’s on his way up but I must warn you he is known for being a bit much” he gave you a sympathetic look, you let out a huff in response which made him chuckle. “The prettiest human to ever walk this earth has arrived” the model exclaimed walking through the doors “Shittykawa I suggest you show some manners unless you want them beat into you” his manager growled at him “Um hello you must be Oikawa and Iwaizumi?” you asked cautiously “Who else would we be sweet-heart?” Oikawa smirked at you “Yes we are and you must be Y/n? Sorry about him” Iwaizumi said while elbowing Oikawa in the stomach “Iwa that hurt” Oikawa pouted “Don’t worry about it, would you like to get changed into the clothes ready in your room?” Iwaizumi nodded and replied “Sure, we’ll head there right now” while shoving Oikawa who was distracted by your staff members who were fans of his. Oikawa had changed into Asahi’s designed clothes and was currently in-front of the camera posing, you were slowly losing your mind at how needy Oikawa was. “Iwaizumi I’m hungry” “Can someone get me a iced latte?” “Where’s a mirror I wanna see how pretty I look” “Y/n can we make some TikToks?” you felt a hand pat you on the shoulder “The pictures have come out really well, you can start to finish up y/n” Suga told you with a sympathetic smile “Oh thank fucking god” you  let out a big sigh. You finished up and said your goodbyes to Oikawa and Iwaizumi before they left Iwaizumi apologised for Oikawa’s behaviour and thanked you for withstanding him. Walking to your car holding a few pictures and concepts to show Asahi managed to be ruined by the sudden heavy pour of rain and this pissed you off even more. Arriving at your shared apartment, with emotions that were on the verge of exploding out of you, you entered drenched in water “Oh welcome back baby” Asahi approached you to give you a hug and kiss but you moved out of his way and kept walking “Is everything okay baby?” noticing your mood “Please not right now Asahi” you let out harshly “Y-You wanna t-talk about it?” he said quietly while scratching the back of his neck. Entering your shared bedroom “God Asahi just leave me alone, I really don’t need someone else bugging the fuck out of me today!” you say with your back facing him “O-Oh I-I’m sorr-” Asahi let out quietly “Your still bugging me Asahi just leave the room” you pointed out of your shared bedroom, when you turned around to watch him leave you saw how hurt he was by your words, you knew he wasn’t confident in himself and he was sensitive but you just had to take your stress out on the one person who loves you the most ‘Oh no, poor baby was just trying to talk to me’ you thought while watching him leave the room, crouching and putting your head in your hands “I’m the worst girlfriend ever” you say out barely audible before crying at the thought of how hurt Asahi looked at your words. You cried for almost 2 hours letting all the stress that had been bottled up flow out, after crying you went to look for Asahi to apologise to him “Asahi?” you say as you looked around your apartment but no one answered “Asahi, where are you baby?” you started to sniffle while still looking for him “Baby?” you found him in his work room drawing designs with his back facing you “Asahi, baby?” you approach him and peeked from behind to see his tear stains on the paper he was drawing on “Baby, I’m sorry for speaking to you like that” you wrapped your hands around his neck while standing behind him “I made you feel insecure in a place your suppose to feel safe and I’m very sorry Baby” “I was very stressed from work and shouldn’t have taken it out you, please, please forgive me” he placed his pencil on his desk and turned to face you still sitting in his chair “Oh baby no” you say when you see how red his eyes were from crying “Don’t believe anything I told you before” you say while kissing the corner of both his eyes “If I become too much for you to handle can you tell me please” he says to you “NO! You are not too much Asahi” you pout at him “I missed you y/n” he says while caressing your right cheek, he tapped both his laps for you to straddle which you did “I missed you too baby” you say while leaning your head on his chest and interlocking one hand with him “If you’re in a better mood, did you wanna tell me about your day?” he said while rubbing circles on your back with one hand and the other playing with your fingers “Is it okay if I do baby? I would love to tell you how much I wanted to punch this dude in the fucking face today” he chuckled while kissing your exposed forehead “Go ahead baby, I’m listening” he said, you told him from start to finish on how your day went “Then I arrived back at the apartment and here we are” you finished off only to hear soft snores coming from your boyfriend “Did he even liste- never mind” you chuckled while tucking a piece of hair behind his ear and pecking his lips “Come on you big baby, let’s go to sleep” you say while tugging a sleepy Asahi to bed, when you reached your bed and got tucked in, eyes still closed Asahi immediately pulled you into his arms and kissed your forehead “I love you Y/n” “I love you too Asahi, I won’t do it again” you said with a sigh “It’s okay baby, just go to sleep for now” he kissed you on the temple before you both drifted to sleep.

I totally understand if you don’t like it, I’m not even sure if I like it yet (¬､¬). I realised my stories are getting shorter and I don’t know if this is a good thing or not? ب_ب

[dingyuxi]

I was tagged by @cuddlybitch​; tysm hannah ❤︎ 

1. What is the color of your hairbrush? wait but I have three...one is a dark wood, the other is silver and the last is blue and white

2. Name a food you never eat. I hate eggs. In all shapes and forms (unless it’s literally baked into something which at that point it’s not an egg)

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold? Too cold. 

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Watching Live On.

5. What’s your favorite candy bar? Heath bars! I love toffee. 

6. Have you ever been to a professional sports game? No...unless you count this really minor league (honestly it’s probably not even considered a league) baseball game. I think they were the Rockcats? lmaooo I honestly don’t even know how I ended up there.

7. What is the last thing you said out loud? I was helping my brother set up his bluetooth speaker, I think I asked him if it was charged.

8. What is your favourite ice cream? Ohh this is a tough one. It really depends on my mood. For basic flavors...strawberry and vanilla. I also like green tea and mint. 

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Green tea with lemon and honey.

10. Do you like your wallet? I mean it’s fine? It’s useable. Could be cuter lol.

11. What is the last thing you ate? A brownie-peanut butter cookie bar. 

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? Nah. I wish I had money to buy new clothes. But also I have no where to go in them...

13. What’s the last sporting event you watched? I don’t really watch sports. But recently I went down the youtube rabbit hole of dog sporting events. I watched many agility competitions....and then we transitioned to dog dock diving. Don’t ask.

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Kettle corn!

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? My friend Jillian.

16. Ever been camping? Yep! Tent and all. It was on like an official camping ground tho so there were bathroom facilities and such. It wasn’t actually just in the woods in the middle of nowhere. 

17. Do you take vitamins? My doctor said I should take vitamin D (not because I was deficient but just because that’s something people should do)...I did not listen.

18. Do you regularly attend a place of worship? No.

19. Do you have a tan? Whatever limited summer tan I got has mostly faded. But let’s be real it only became a tan after I first burned. I’m pretty pale, probably because I rarely see the light of day oops.

20. Do you prefer chinese or pizza? This is so? Why isn’t it like Italian vs. chinese? I’m gonna go chinese because there’s so much more to choose from to suit my specific mood.

21. Do you drink your soda through a straw? No. I mean if I'm in a restaurant and they give me a glass I'll drink from a straw. But if it’s a can or bottle or I'm just pouring it into my own cup then no. Although we have a collection of metal straws at my house and I use those occasionally when I’m drinking something that I had to mix. 

22. What color socks do you usually wear? Generally white. 

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? LOL. I’d like to meet someone who never does. But I'm not a speed demon. I simply follow the flow of traffic. And that usually means 10-15mph over the speed limit on the high way. On inner roads its more 5-10mph over.

24. What terrifies you? All bugs need to stay a great distance away from me. I will shriek like a banshee and jump 10 feet in the air if they startle me. I kid you not. 

25. Look to your left, what do you see? My desk. And it’s messy array of papers, notebooks and folders strewn across it. I really should organize it...

26. What chore do you hate most? Cleaning the bathroom YES. But that’s not really a daily thing. If we’re talking daily I hate doing the dishes.

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? I’m sorry but it’s just this beach blonde surfer dude. Or kangaroos. There’s no in between.

28. What’s your favorite soda? I like Sprite and Root Beer. 

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Drive thrus stress me. I feel too pressured. I’d rather go in. Also I’m the type to examine the menu carefully before ordering anything. And the drive thru menus are never comprehensive, or they’re shown at the very last minute. 

30. What’s your favorite number? 7

31. Who’s the last person you talked to? My brother

32. Favorite meat? Beef.

33. Last song you listened to?  “Trying My Best” — Anson Seabra according to spotify

34. Last book you read? I was trying to read Kingdom of Sea and Stone but I got so bored I stopped. 

35. Favorite day of the week? Friday or Saturday.

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? I mean...I'm sure I could if I really think about it. Definitely won’t sound fluent. 

37. How do you like your coffee? Definitely not black. I’m more of a latte, cappuccino type of coffee drinker. Or iced coffee with condensed milk. 

38. Favorite pair of shoes? I’m not really super attached to any one pair. I’ve mostly been wearing my grey keds as of late. But I will start transitioning to ankle boots soon for the fall season.

39. Time you normally get up? If I have no classes or other engagements, 10:30-11am. What can I say? I’m a night owl. 

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? Sunsets! There’s no way I’m waking up at the crack of dawn to watch a sunrise. Honestly it’s more likely that I’ve stayed up so late that I see the sunrise and then go to bed. 

41. How many blankets on your bed? Two. A fluffy blanket and a comforter. 

42. Describe your kitchen plates They’re your basic white corelle plates with this green and red floral pattern or a grey-blue floral pattern around the edge. 

43. Describe your kitchen at the moment Uhh It’s clean? The dishes are all in the dishwasher (to dry), the pots are all put away in the cabinets. It’s also 1am right now though, so everything has been put away for the night already.

44. Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? No, I definitely haven’t tried enough to know. I want to try flavored soju and mixed drinks with it. I’ve had this sweet sake once and that was good. It didn’t even really taste like alcohol. 

45. Do you play cards? I like learning new card games, even if I don’t play often. But this also means I forget the rules because I don’t play regularly. I used to remember actual poker rules but when I play with my fam it’s an abridged version. 

46. What color is your car? White.

47. Can you change a tire? LMAO that would be a call to my dad or triple A stat

48. Your favorite state or province? I like the northeastern states. Maybe I'm biased since I live there. 

49. Favorite job you’ve had? I had a job as barista and that was fun. Plus I always got to have fun with my crew mates. 

tagging @hwanginyeop, @thingskateknows, @kdramaxoxo, @junghaesin, @moonlightsdream, @liveasbutterflies, @jingyans, @therukurals (only if you want to!)

[todorokiaimee]

Blues In The Night 16. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Previous Chapter | Chapter Song

“Yikes. I didn’t think The Colonel would lose his top like that,” Mei muttered as she looked through racks of clothes. She had taken Aimee Christmas shopping with her at the mall to help get her mind off of things. Although, her ulterior motive was to get all the new gossip on Aimee’s love life without the worry of Shoto overhearing.

Aimee scoffed as she examined a sweater, putting it back on the rack with a sigh, “Obviously, I’m mailing Daddy his gift this year. If he wants to stew, he can stew by himself.” She was still so angry with her father due to his rude behavior at dinner. She hadn’t spoken to him since, ignoring his calls and messages. She did make sure to post a picture or two on social media every so often so he wouldn’t send out the national guard to look for her. 

“Oh, so you’re spending Christmas with The Todoroki’s this year then?” 

The ravenette shook her head, walking over to her friend who had now wandered over to an electronics store. “Actually no. Shoto said that they don't really celebrate at his house so we’re just gonna do a little thing at his apartment. I’m bringing Mochi along and everything.”

“Aww!” Mei gushed, giving Aimee one of her bone-crushing hugs. “How cute and domestic!”

“Mei!” Aimee giggled, struggling to free herself from her friend’s hold. Once she had broken loose, Aimee walked over to a display of electronic gifts, twirling her curls around her finger. “Now I just have to figure out what in the world to get the man for a gift...”

Clapping her hands excitedly, Mei cheered, gesturing to herself, “Give him one of my babies! They’re one of a kind and kick ass!”

“No offense hun, but your babies are also very likely to explode,” Aimee said apologetically as she shook her head with a smile. “Also, Shoto isn’t really a gadget guy, other than his spaceship car.”

“Hmm…” Mei tapped her chin in thought as she walked to stand next to Aimee. “You can’t go wrong with a leather wallet… Or maybe a nice watch?”

Aimee’s large eyes filled with sadness as she shook her head solemnly. “I’m sure Shoto has much nicer wallets and watches than I can ever hope to afford.” She bit her bottom lip as she wrapped her arms around herself protectively. “He has to have those things custom made so they won’t be damaged by his ice and fire.”

Christmas with Shoto was becoming a lot more stressful than she had originally thought. What do you give the man who has everything? The man who wants for nothing. What does she have to give on just a teacher’s salary? He gives her the world and what can she possibly give him?

“Hey,” Mei interrupted her thoughts with a pat on her shoulder. “I’m sure we’ll think of something. Let’s keep looking.”

_______________________________________________________________________

It was Christmas eve and instead of enjoying the office Christmas party put on by the sidekicks at his agency, Shoto was trapped in a meeting with the missing person's task force. Dozens of photos of victims lined the bulletin board and unfortunately, not much evidence accompanied them. Shoto held his head in his hands as the other heroes continued to discuss the gravity of the situation. 

“I’m sick and tired of this guy sneaking past us,” Eraserhead mumbled over his cup of coffee. 

“You’re always sick and tired,” Shinsou snickered.

“Someone else was taken last night,” Endeavor announced to the room, adding another picture to the board. “Yoshimoto Bokkai, age 22. Quirk: Size Shift. He can change the size of his body at will.”

“To be taken right at Christmas, that’s so sad,” Deku mumbled, writing notes in his journal. “His poor family must miss him terribly.”

Shoto sifted through the file in fount of him with a quiet hum. “The file says he’s a runaway living on the streets. I doubt he would have seen his family anyway.”

Aizawa nodded as he leaned back in his seat, “That’s probably what made him an easy target.”

“Do we have any leads?” Endeavor asked the room, taking a seat at the table. “I’ll take any sort of whisper at this point.”

Deku stood, a hopeful smile on his face as he held up a file, “Well, we did happen to get some super grainy footage from a security camera nearby. It caught a shadowy figure leaving the scene.”

Shoto’s ears perked up at this new information. He turned to his green-haired friend, his low voice carrying a new sense of urgency, “A shadowy figure? Let me see. Do you have a still?”

Midoriya handed him the file, his green brow quirked at his friend, curious of where his train of thought was going. Shoto opened the file and studied the footage still intently before letting out a low growl. It was just as he feared. He had seen this figure cloaked in shadow before. He’d know those black tendrils anywhere.

“Do you have something to share with the class, Todoroki?” Aizawa deadpanned as he sipped his coffee.

“This guy…” Shoto mumbled. “I think it might be the same guy that attacked Aimee and I on our date.”

“This guy,” Shinsou interjected, gesturing to Shoto. “Dude gets a girlfriend and it’s all he can talk about.” His smug smirk was knocked off his face with a swift smack to the back of the head by Aizawa. “Ow! Jeeze.”

Choosing to ignore Shinsou, Shoto continued, handing the file to Endeavor to look over. “He must know we’re investigating. For him to lash out  like that we have to be getting close.” Shoto then turned back to Midoriya, a determined look on his face, “Any luck on identifying him?”

Deku shook his head, a grim look cloaking his features. “Unfortunately no. We can’t find any quirks like that registered in the Japanese Quirk Database.”

Son of a bitch! Shoto cursed under his breath as he clenched his fists. If his guy really is connected to the disappearances, then he knows what Aimee looks like. He had to protect her. He made a vow. 

Bringing him from his thoughts, Shoto felt a large hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw his father, a determined look on his face as he addressed the room. “Finding this guy and his identity is key to solving this case and giving these families some peace. Especially if he’s after one of our own now,” He paused, giving his son’s shoulder a squeeze. “Keep pounding the pavement. Dismissed.”

With a heavy sigh, the duel quirked hero rose from his seat and exited the room, walking down the hallway towards his office. He waved weakly at a few of his sidekicks, happily celebrating and dancing to Christmas music. He just wasn’t in a party mood, given this new information. Walking into this office, Shoto set his eyes on Aimee, sitting pretty on his desk. She was dressed in a forest green sweater dress with brown thigh-high boots, her long soft curls cascading over her shoulders. Shoto watched her in the doorway for a moment as Aimee continued to talk to a few of his sidekicks as they merrily munched on some of her homemade beignets she brought for the party. 

“Ah Aimee, my love. Aren’t you popular?” Shoto said with a smile as he walked over to her.

“Shoto!” Aimee’s brown eyes lit up at the sight of her beau, a bright smile warming her face. “I thought this was supposed to be an office Christmas party, so why are you still working?”

Shoto chuckled, cupping her face with his hands. “Unfortunately, crime does not take a holiday.” He kissed her forehead softly before clearing his throat, looking around the room. “Alright, everyone take a beignet and clear out. I need to talk to Miss Faurie alone.”

The sidekicks shared a couple of knowing looks to each other before heading towards the door. Shoto moved to hold the door open for them, nodding politely as they left, a few donning a faint blush. Once everyone had left, Shoto closed the door behind them, before walking back to Aimee, pulling her close by the waist. 

“Uh oh, am I in trouble Mr. Todoroki?”

“Are you trying to get me flustered at work with that dress… these boots?” Shoto breathed, his hands gliding over the soft curves of her body. 

“I just wanted to look good for you, mon cher.”

With a light chuckle, Shoto picked Aimee up bridal style, earning a surprised squeal from the dark-skinned beauty. Carrying her with him, he sat down at his desk, Aimee resting in his lap. “You always look delectable.”

The pair shared a lingering kiss before Aimee pulled away, lightly brushing his bottom lip with her thumb. “Thank you, cher.” She paused, reaching for the two coffee cups she left on his desk. “Here, I brought us some coffee from our place.”

Shoto smiled, taking the cup offered to him. “Thank you, love. I owe that coffee shop a lot, seeing that’s where I met the love of my life.” He placed a kiss to her neck as he gently ran his hand up and down her plush thigh. 

“Oh stop! You’ll make me blush.” Aimee gushed, giving his chest a playful smack.

While taking a sip of his coffee, Shoto caught a whiff of Aimee’s coffee, piquing his curiosity. 

“What did you get? It smells different than usual.” 

“Gingerbread latte, it’s off their seasonal menu. Have a sip.”

Aimee offered her coffee to him, Shoto taking a small sip.

“Too sweet.” Shoto grimaced handing her back the cup.

“That’s why I got you your usual americano.”

“Hmm.” Shoto hummed before giving Aimee’s ass a squeeze. “But I do love this sweet americano.”

“Eww so cheesy!” Aimee laughed as her lips pressed against his. Soon their playful kiss turned into something more passionate as they both placed their coffee cups back on Shoto’s desk to hold each other close. The pair continued to explore each other's mouths, soft sighs escaping their lips when they were interrupted by a knock at the door. 

“Ugh, who is it?” Shoto grumbled in between kisses. 

“Your Father,” Enji said from the other side of the door.

“Go away.”

“Shh, Shoto don’t be rude.” Aimee giggled, smoothing Shoto’s hair and wiping smudged lipstick from his mouth. “Come on in.”

Opening the door, Enji walked into the room, his hands behind his back. “Ah, well hello you two,” he greeted with a small smile. He fought the urge to avert his eyes as looked at his son with his girlfriend still on his lap, looking like a mob boss. “Aimee, I was hoping I would catch you.”

“Oh, is something on your mind?” Aimee smiled at the man as he shuffled his feet awkwardly.

“We uh, heard about your falling out with your father. Even though we don’t really celebrate Christmas, the family and I wanted to get you a little something.” The burly redhead revealed the wrapped box he was hiding behind his back. “You’re always welcome at the Todoroki estate.”

Aimee stood from Shoto’s lap, walking up to his father with a grateful smile. “Oh, you didn’t have to Enji,” She gushed as he laid the box in her hands.

“We wanted to.”

“Should I open it now, or wait until tomorrow morning?”

“It’s up to you.”

“Now then!”

Enji chuckled as he watched Aimee tear the wrapping paper off of the box. Opening her gift, she held up an elegant purple kono kimono with a gold floral print. “Oh, Enji It’s beautiful! Thank you so much!”

He smiled as Aimee continued to admire the soft fabric. “I got your measurements from Shoto, so it should fit perfectly.” Setting the box down on Shoto’s desk, Aimee then captured Enji in a tight bear hug, her face buried in his chest. He tensed for a moment before melting into her touch, patting her head awkwardly like she was a small child.

“Are you trying to show me up, old man?” Shoto asked with a small smirk, watching the scene before him.

“If I am able to show you up, then you deserve it.”

“Anyway,” Enji said while gently pulling Aimee off of him. “I’ll let you two get going. Enjoy your holiday. But first,” he paused leaning down to whisper into Aimee’s ear. “I heard you brought beignets. Are there any left?”

Aimee laughed giving the man a wink before grabbing a tupperware from Shoto’s desk. “I saved one just for you.”

“I knew you were a keeper,” Enji pat her back before grabbing a beignet, walking back towards the door. “Thanks and have a good night.”

With Enji out of the room, Shoto stood form his seat, grabbing his coat before placing a kiss to Aimee’s temple. “Come on, my love. Let’s go home.”

After first swinging by Aimee’s apartment and collecting a few things as well as Mochi, the couple entered Shoto’s luxury penthouse apartment. Looking around the living room, Aimee’s jaw dropped in awe. Todoroki had decorated his place with elegant Christmas decorations. His fireplace mantle was lined with frosted garland, stockings hung with care. Fresh poinsettias were placed all around, giving off a lovely scent. But the most stunning thing was the tree. It was 7 feet tall at least, tastefully decorated in blue, silver, and gold, making it look like a winter wonderland.

“It’s nothing spectacular, but I did my best for such short notice,” Shoto hummed.

“Shoto, it’s perfect. You did good boo,” Aimee giggled to herself as she sat down her cat carrier.

“I also got a few things for Mochi so his stay would be comfortable as well,” Shoto said as he gestured to the new cat bed, scratching post, and litter box in the corner. 

“Thanks, cher. Why don’t you let Mochi out of his carrier and let him get acclimated while I unpack and get changed?”

The hero nodded as he knelt down, watching Aimee disappear from view with her bags. Looking into the carrier, he saw Mochi curled up in the back. Carefully, he opened the gate of the carrier, waiting for the fat cat to make his exit. Only, he never made a move. “Mochi?” Shoto said softly. “You can come out now.” He was only met with a hiss from the cat, and he knew better than to try to pull him out. “Aimee?” he called over to her. “He won’t come out.”

After a few moments, Aimee returned with a bag, kneeling down to take a look herself. “What’s wrong, little man? Here kitty kitty kitty.” Mochi let out a quiet meow, still refusing to come out. “He gets nervous around new places and people. Luckily, he’s very food motivated.”  

Aimee stood and reached into her bag, pulling out a bag of cat treats she packed for Mochi before returning to the carrier. She held one out where the cat could see, calling his name, “Mochi. Here kitty kitty kitty.” With a treat in his sights, Mochi timidly made his way out of the carrier, claiming his prize with a happy meow. “There you go. He’ll loosen up eventually.”

Shoto nodded as he stood, helping Aimee to her feet as well. It was then that he noticed her red plaid pajamas, a reindeer silhouette placed right on her chest. “These are new. I like them,” he smirked, taking her hand to give her a twirl. “Festive.”

“Thank you,” Aimee grinned. “I got you a matching set as well. I figured it would be cute and Christmasy. It’s laying on the bed for you.”

“I’ll get changed then.”

As Shoto made his way to the bedroom to get changed into his matching pajamas, Aimee took the presents she got for him out of her bag. She carefully placed them under the tree, giggling at how barren it looked. Such a large tree needed more than just six gifts underneath, but Aimee made a rule that they were only allowed three presents each. Otherwise, she knew Shoto would buy her a whole store’s worth of gifts.

With Shoto now dressed in his pajamas, the couple curled up on the couch. Shoto wrapped his arm around Aimee as she turned on her favorite Christmas movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Shoto smiled as he watched her happily sing along to the music, a chuckle escaping his lips.

“I thought this was a Christmas movie? They’re singing about Halloween.”

“That’s the beauty of this movie. It’s both!”

The couple continued to watch Christmas movie after movie until Shoto noticed his shoulder was a little heavier than before. Looking down, he saw Aimee fast asleep, her lips slightly parted as she snored softly. A soft smile pulled at his lips as he kissed the crown of her head. Sleepyhead. Ever so carefully, Shoto pulled Aimee into his arms bridal style, carrying her into his bedroom before laying her down on the soft bed. After tucking her in, the hero turned out the lights before slipping into bed beside her, pulling her back close to his chest. “Goodnight, my love. Sweet dreams.” With a kiss to her cheek, he closed his eyes, loving this quiet moment.

The next morning, Shoto was awakened to the soft kisses of Aimee’s lips all over his face. She giggled as his lips pulled into a smile, only opening one eye to peer up at his love. “May I help you?”

“Good morning and Merry Christmas, mon cher!”

“Morning, Merry Christmas,” Shoto mumbled with a smile. 

“What do you say we make some pancakes before we open presents?”

“Sounds perfect.”

After completing their morning grooming routines, the couple went to the kitchen to make breakfast. With jazzy Christmas music playing through the room, Aimee made fluffy pancakes while Shoto sliced fresh fruit, Mochi weaving between their legs, hoping for dropped food. With the food ready, they ate in comfortable conversation, often interrupted by Aimee singing along to the music, not that Shoto minded. He loved listening to her sing. 

“Gift time!” Aimee cheered as she gathered their now empty plates, putting them in the sink.

“Only if you open yours first.” 

“Deal!”

Taking her hand in his, Shoto lead Aimee into the living room before sitting down on the floor next to the tree. He handed her a thin box with a gold bow, a soft smile on his lips. Upon tearing the wrapping paper, Aimee gasped “Oh my God… this is Hank Mobley’s Blue Note 1568 Album. This must have cost you a fortune.” This rare jazz vinyl record sells for $5,000 at least on eBay. 

“Do you like it?”

“Of course, I love it.”

“Then it was worth it.” 

Next, Shoto handed her a red envelope. He waited patiently as he watched Aimee open it. He was loving watching her eyes light up with each surprise. He was suddenly regretting following her three gift rule.

“Beyonce tickets! Oh my God, these are amazing seats!” Aimee gushed, holding them to her chest. “Why do you spoil me so?”

“You did say you’d do anything for Beyonce. Perhaps I’ll call a favor in on a rainy day.” Shoto gave her a smug wink before handed her a small rectangular box wrapped in silver paper. “Okay, last one.” 

After discarding the wrapping paper, Aimee sucked in a breath at the sight of the blue velvet box in her hand. Upon opening it, she gasped, marveling at the delicate necklace inside. It had a thin gold chain and a simple diamond pendant that sparkled. Not too big so that she wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing it, but not too small either. 

“Oh, Shoto…” Aimee sighed, her eyes glowing.

“Do you like it?” Shoto whispered.

“It’s beautiful,” she smiled. “Would you do the honors?”

Shoto nodded, taking the necklace out of the box. Gently, he draped the necklace around her neck, kissing the back of her neck once it was clasped. “There,” he said as Aimee turned to face him. “It really suits you.” 

“Thank you, mon cher,” Aimee smiled as she touched the necklace, before leaning in to capture his lips with hers in a passionate kiss.

Pulling away gently, Shoto rested his forehead against Aimee’s, a warm smile on his face, “May I open my gifts now?”

“Oh…” Aimee dropped her eyes, a worried look washing over her face. “Your gifts were so wonderful now mine feels lackluster.” She bit her bottom lip before mumbling, “I should have put a price cap on you as well.” 

Todoroki sighed, cupping her face in his hand. He knew that Aimee had a tendacy to fuss over money, something he had never had to experience, but the gift itself wasn’t really important to him. He just enjoyed the surprise, that she thought of him. “No matter what they are, I’m sure I’ll love them because they came from you.”

With a nod, Aimee handed Shoto a small box, wrapped in green and red striped paper. After opening it, Shoto pulled out a thin mesh pouch. It was filled with lots of different spices and herbs along with other things. Shoto smiled weakly, not sure what to make of this gift. “Oh. Thank you for this… tea?” 

“It’s not tea, it’s gris-gris,” Aimee giggled, shaking her head. “In voodoo culture is a charm to help keep you safe. I made it myself. I thought you could attach it to your hero suit belt. Then you could be six pee-pee man.” 

“How do you even know about that?” Shoto blushed, with a pout.

“The internet is forever baby.”

“Even so, thank you,” He smiled, examining the pouch in his hand. “It’s very thoughtful. I’ll wear it on every mission and patrol.”

Aimee then handed him another gift, a pink blush growing on her cheeks. Shoto eyed her suspiously as he opened it. It was his turn to blush as he held up its contents: satin red lingerie. “Oh. The gift that keeps on giving,” Shoto smirked, locking eyes with his beloved. “Will you model this for me later on?”

“Of course, but first…” Aimee handed him another gift wrapped in blue and silver paper. Shoto tore the wrapping paper off to find a navy and grey striped scarf, a darker verison of his eyes. 

“I crocheted it myself,” the ravenette explained, watching him carefully. 

“Really? I never saw you working on it,” Shoto hummed as he felt the soft yarn between his fingers.

“I did it while you were on patrols or during my planning period at school.”

Shoto smiled at the thought of Aimee hard at work crocheting this handmade gift. It wasn’t perfect, perhaps its one of her first projects, but that made it even more special to Shoto. Wrapping the scarf around his neck to model it, he could smell Aimee’s signature scent of coconut and cocoa butter lingering on the scarf. “It smells like you. Thank you. I’ll wear it every day.” Leaning over he placed a sweet kiss to her cheek. “What would you like to do next?”

“Actually, I have one more gift for you.”

“But you said only three gifts each.” Shoto said with a quirked brow.

“I know what I said. If it makes you feel better, I didn’t even wrap it.” 

“You can’t even follow your own directions.”

“Just close your eyes and hold out your hand!”

Shoto did as he was told with a smirk on his lips as Aimee giggled as his expression. Getting up, she walked over to her purse, digging something out before placing the object in Shoto’s hand, “Okay, you can open your eyes.” Opening his eyes, Shoto looked in his hand to see a silver key on a cat keychain. “I know you hate that I leave the door unlocked for you. Now I don’t have to.”

A gentle smile pulled at the corners of his lips as he gripped the small key in his hand. His peace of mind, another small measure to help keep her safe, was the best gift he could have asked for. “Thank you, my love,” he whispered before pulling Aimee into his arms, capturing her lips in a loving kiss. 

After cleaning up and giving Mochi his christmas treats and presents, the pair spent the rest of the day relaxing on the couch together, watching more Christmas favorites. With Aimee tucked into his side, Shoto chuckled as he watched Mochi run around the room trying to catch a red laser dot. “I may get a few pounds off of him yet,” Shoto muttered as he moved the laser around the room. “Is there anything else you want to do today, my love?” he asked, turning to his beloved. “I want our first Christmas together to be everything you want it to be.”

“Hmm…” Aimee thought, tapping her chin. “Actually, could you take me ice skating again?” 

“Oh,” Shoto’s face fell as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “I wish I could, my love but it’s Christmas day. The ice rink is probably closed.” 

“No, I meant on your ice,” Aimee smiled, playing with the collar of his pajamas. “Like when you first kissed me. When you asked me to be yours.” 

“Put your shoes and coat on then.”

After quickly getting dressed, Shoto making sure to put on his new scarf, he took Aimee’s hand, leading her out of the apartment. Climbing a flight of stairs, they reached the roof his building. Aimee wrapped her coat tightly around her as she watched Shoto use his quirk to coat the roof in a layer of ice. With a soft smile, Shoto once again outstretched his hand to Aimee, “Take my hand.”

“Yes, sir,” Aimee smirked as she slipped her hand into his. Holding her hand, Shoto gently guided her onto the ice, pulling her back to press against his chest, his other arm wrapping around her waist to keep her steady. The hero effortlessly glided over his ice with Aimee securely in his arms, just like he did before months ago. Aimee laughed as she held onto him tightly, loving the feeling of the cool air whipping through her hair. The feeling of flying. “Weee! This never gets old!”

Shoto chuckled as he looked down at her. He lived for that bright smile, and especially that laugh. Wanting to hear more, he swiftly picked Aimee up bridal style, spinning around effortlessly on his ice. “Shoto!” she squealed holding him tightly as her chest began to jiggle with laughter. He couldn’t help is own laugh as he gently let her back down on her feet, holding her close before capturing her lips in a kiss.

As he slowly pulled away, Shoto stared into Aimee’s large brown eyes and he saw the world. He thought of all the things they have gone through in the past few months. He thought of all the sacrifices she made for him. He thought of how his family had adopted her as their own. He thought of the advice his mother had given him. What am I waiting for? Who cares if it’s early? I know she’s it for me. Caressing her face his hand, Shoto opened his mouth, ready to say what was on his heart, “Aimee?”

“It’s snowing!”

Breaking his train of thought, Shoto looked up to the sky. Sure enough, while he was lost in his thoughts, it had started snowing. “Hm. So it is.”

“I’m sorry, I interrupted. What were you going to say?”

Shoto looked down at Aimee as white snowflakes began to fall against her black hair. She smiled up at him expectantly as he took a single curl between his fingers, watching it bounce back into place before letting out a soft sigh.

“Merry Christmas, my love.”

“Merry Christmas, mon cher.”

“Let’s get you back inside. It’s quite cold out.”

As Shoto lead Aimee back inside, an arm around her waist, he smiled to himself. What’s a little longer? He thought as he placed a sweet kiss to her temple. I still have to get the ring after all.

Chapter 17

[reveriesforyou]

Consolation

Hello again! I wrote this in about half and hour and didn't proof-read or anything, so it may be a mess, but hopefully it's alright? This is a Peter Parker story about the reader having an awful day and Peter being there to help make it better. I got a request for an imagine about Tom comforting an upset reader, but I just changed it to a Peter fic, so I hope that's okay!

Consolation

    Peter and Ned rushed down the hallway, late for class as per usual, each boy faulting the other for the possible detention slip that loomed over their heads. Truthfully, they were both guilty parties.

Ned and Peter had gotten hungry after gym class and snuck off campus during their lunch break to grab sandwiches at the shop a few blocks down. They’d been so absorbed by greasy fries and vanilla malts that they had forgotten to check the clock. To make it to physics on time, the boys had needed to run down the street, which proved very difficult seeing as the streets were always crowded with too many people. You could barely bend over to tie your shoe without someone getting in your way and vice versa.

“This is so annoying!” Peter whined, “I can’t deal with a detention today, what if Mr. Stark needs me, or like, I don’t know, I’ve got to somehow figure out how to multiply myself so I can be about a thousand places at once so I can fight all the city’s crime.” He bent over for a second to wait for Ned to catch up.

“Dude, shut up,” Ned wheezed, “I think I’m just going to take the detention slip, I’m over this.” He braced himself with a harsh hand on Peter’s shoulder. “This is like taking gym all over again.”

“No, Ned, we’re so close! I’m sure that we can drag ourselves a few more feet.” Peter encouraged his best friend, while the pair moved sluggishly up the stairs.

Ned opened his mouth with a witty retort in mind, when Peter smacked a hand over his chest to steady him. “Do you hear that?” Peter mumbled.

The boys strained their ears and heard the soft pitter patter of heels clacking against the floor above them. The longer they listened, the more amplified the clicks became. “Shit,” Ned cursed, “we’re so getting caught. I am not down for detention right now.”

The boys fumbled on the stairs, unsure of which direction they should run in when the noise traveled nearer and nearer to where they stood on the stairs. “Maybe we’ll just get a firm talking to for being late again?” Peter said, doing his best to think positively in the face of defeat.

Ned groaned, slumping his shoulders, as he too accepted the fact that he and his best friend were about to be completely vanquished by whatever school staff member was about to bust them for their constant tardiness.

Peter moaned and leaned back into the banister, taking out his phone to text both Aunt May and Mr. Stark that he would be unavailable for a few more hours after class. The boys both lifted their heads up to meet the furious gaze of the teacher that never came.

Instead, the young girl that breezed past the boys was one of their friends, and Peter’s biggest crush yet. When Liz Allen hadn’t worked out, Liz had made sure to introduce Peter to her friend, who was in the same grade as Peter and Ned. She even shared more than a few classes with the pair of them.

She stunned Peter on a daily basis. Whether it was her ability to quote Shakespearean literature like it was a simple recipe that she'd learned over the weekend, drink eight lattes a day, manipulate chemicals to do as she pleased, or her capability to be the kindest person he’d ever met, Peter was always left breathless. She was nice to everyone, even to the people who didn’t deserve it and had never flaunted her beauty or brains in a way that hurt a classmate intentionally. Peter didn’t think he had ever heard her utter a mean word about someone in his entire life, even when people would say horrid things to her.

She comforted Peter on his lowest nights, even without being near him. She had a soft voice and he imagined cuddling up with her in bed, while she played with his curls and listened to him cry about the level of stress that he was under without ever making fun of him. Besides that, she was easily the most beautifully luminous girl in Peter and Ned’s entire high school.

Although, right now, she was wiping her eyes and trying to cover up the sobs that drifted past her lips. Peter’s eyes widened and he looked to Ned and then back at the girl that he desperately desired to make his own, and then back at Ned.

“Go,” Ned urged, pushing Peter in an attempt to steer him closer to her. “Go or it’ll be too late. She likes you and you like her, stop being a baby, Parker. Tony Stark can’t do everything for you.”

A few weeks ago, a rumor spread that she had gotten a little too tipsy at one of Liz’s parties and had accidently, and quite loudly, revealed that she harbored a massive crush on Peter Parker. Peter had been quick to brush off the rumor, claiming that it was only started to embarrass her, remained unaware that the rumor wasn’t just a rumor, and was an actual fact.

Before Peter could take offense to Ned’s statement, something clicked in his brain and he was tearing down the stairs, trying to make his way to her before she reached the school’s front door.

He called out her name just as her hand closed over the door’s handle. She turned, brown mascara smudged beneath her eyes and waved, her lips quivering into a soft smile that she aimed at Peter before she pulled open the door and walked through it.

“Shit,” Peter mumbled, breaking into a full run in hopes of getting to her before she drove off.

Her day had been so horrible, no matter how she tried to look at. All she wanted was for Peter Parker to wrap his surprisingly muscular arms around her frame, pull her onto his lap, and allow her to cry into his neck while he whispered soft words of reassurement to her. She logiticied that Peter hadn’t reciprocate her feelings, seeing as Liz had been his crush since day one, no matter what Liz said, so she would have to settle for her warm, pink bed, a tub of ice-cream, and a Harry Potter movie marathon.

Peter called her name out once again, nearly tripping over his own two feet to stand in front of her. “Wait,” he wheezed, all of his words crawling back down his throat when he looked upon her face.

Fresh tears glimmered in her eyes, her rosey lipgloss had been disturbed, her lower lip trembled and Peter was almost lost for words. He had never seen her look so sad before and he decided right then and there that he would find the person who did this to her and destroy them, spidey suit or not.

“What’s the matter?” Peter said gently, moving to hug her close, but then dropping his hands because she hadn’t said that he was allowed to touch her and Peter wouldn’t ever want to make her heart hurt more.

In reality, the girl knew that she was probably being over-dramatic and silly, but she couldn’t help it. Everything that she had worked so hard for was collapsing in on her and there was nothing she could do about it. It wasn’t even one in the afternoon and she had suffered through three anxiety attacks, and was currently on the brink of another one.

She opened her mouth to respond to Peter, but when she couldn’t make her mouth move past a strangled sob, she simply shrugged her shoulders and catapulted herself into Peter’s arms.

Peter reacted automatically, cradling the small of her back to him while he rubbed soft circles onto her spine. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered into her floral smelling hair, “tell me what I can do to fix it and I’ll do it.”

They stood like that for a while, Peter slowly rocking them back and forth, while he supported the meager weight of her shaking frame in his arms. He spoke to her tenderly, telling her that he would help her make whatever was hurting her okay before she lifted her head to meet his eyes.

“Peter, I’m going to get you into trouble.” She sniffled, “you should be in class, I know that you love physics.”

“If you haven’t noticed,” Peter said, raising his eyebrows, “I don’t give half a damn about physics right now, you’re the only one who brought it up. I want to be where you are so I can help.”

She prayed that she wouldn’t regret what she was about to ask Peter, “do you wanna come home with me? We’re both going to get detention if we stay out here for much longer. I promise I’ll compensate you with warm chocolate chip cookies and coffee,” she trailed off, refusing to meet Peter’s hopeful gaze.

“Okay,” Peter said, “but I don’t know if you should drive right now,” he pointed to her shaking hands. “I don’t want you to get hurt by accident.”

She nodded her head, planning on ordering an uber and just leaving her car at the school.

“If you want, I can drive us home, I swear I know how.” Peter offered, a cherry blush spilling over his cheeks.

The girl dug through her purse before retrieving her car keys. “Okay, Peter. I trust you.”

Peter smiled at her before taking hold her keys and leading her into the parking lot. He couldn’t believe that she still looked so pretty after having just sobbed into his sweater.

“Peter?” She asked softly, tugging at his sleeve to make him look at her. “Thank you for being so good to me.”

He shook his head and leaned in, and before he could stop himself, he pressed a loving kiss to her forehead. Peter’s eyes widened, but before he could have his own panic attack, she flashed a real smile at him and pulled Peter forward, through lanes and lanes of parked cars.

[queenangst]

what could have been

for @spibat / cafebat on twitter; written for the vld rarepair exchange on twitter. wrote a little latte for you— hope you like it, keith! 

written by: achieving elysium summary: Rescuing Lance, as Matt finds out, means hearing lots of pick-up lines, coming out of the closet, and a fight or two.

ao3 | ffnet

“So… uh, come here often?”

Matt gritted his teeth, glancing behind him at the doors he’d barricaded with what little he could find. It wouldn’t take much longer until the Galra were here.

“Lance,” he hissed. “We don’t have time for pick-up lines.”

Lance only smiled tiredly at him, winking.

“There’s always time for you—”

“Lance.”

“Okay, okay. Sorry, dude, but you’re so much prettier than Haggar. Like, her hair’s not bad, I guess, and her nails are to die for, but you’ve got her beat.”

“Oh, be quiet,” Matt said, but he ducked his head and ignored the blush that was spreading across his cheeks.

He sawed at Lance’s chains again, growing more and more desperate as the sound of thundering footsteps echoed from down the hall. Even Lance seemed to be losing his cool; so close to him, Matt swore he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his chest.

Finally, the first chain snapped. The ones on his ankles came off easier, and Lance tore himself from the last one, crying out as it broke.

He staggered forward, and Matt surged to catch him.

He searched Lance’s face.

“Alright?”

Lance took a few shallow breaths. He still looked a bit unsteady but nodded.

“Let’s go.”

Matt led him over to the wall, gesturing at the vent above their heads before he used his staff to pry off the grate.

“Do you think you can get up if I boost you?”

Lance’s face went ashen; he sucked in a breath as he glanced up at the vent and then calculated the distance from the ground.

“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” he asked. “I’m taller than you.”

Matt chewed on his lip. “Can you…”

He wasn’t sure if Lance was strong enough. He looked bone-thin, and his face was drawn and sallow.

“I don’t think I’d be able to pull you up,” Lance said quietly, looking away.

Matt took a deep breath then released it. They didn’t have time to talk, so Matt pressed a button on his staff, the weapon shrinking in size, and clipped it on his belt before nodding.

Lance knelt, locking his fingers together to create a step.

He could feel Lance shaking under him as he was lifted into the air. Matt ignored the twisting in his stomach and reached for the vent, finally catching a hold and pulling himself in.

He turned around, using his feet to brace himself and extending his arms as far as they would go.

“Reach for me,” he called, and Lance took a few steps back.

There was a terrifying moment when Matt didn’t think he’d make it. Then a pair of hands wrapped around his wrists, and Matt pulled Lance up, groaning at the effort.

They landed in a heap, Lance falling on top of Matt.

“Hey,” Lance said, grinning.

Matt blushed at their proximity.

“Hey,” he replied, inching backwards. Lance clambered to the side.

They crawled through the vents, stopping ever so often to let Lance rest for a second, before reaching the end.

“Guess we have no choice,” Matt muttered, kicking the vent. It took a couple tries, but it finally came off; he dropped to the floor quietly. Lance came tumbling out after him.

“Where…”

“A closet?”

“Huh,” Lance said dryly, picking up what looked like a mop. “Nice place to make out.”

He caught Matt’s look and smiled. “Sorry. When I’m stressed, it’s either crying, impulse shopping online, or sending pick-up lines at the nearest person who’ll listen. Or a combination of all of them.”

“I can tell.”

Matt pressed his ear to the door, listening for footsteps.

“Coast clear?”

He shook his head. “We might have to wait a bit.”

While it was dangerous to sit around on an enemy ship, Matt figured nobody would check the closet for a pair of ex-prisoners, so they were fine for the time being.

Lance sank gratefully to the ground. He didn’t look good.

Gone was the bright boy he’d met months ago; in his place was someone who almost looked like a stranger, dressed in a torn tunic and pants so different from his armor. He was painfully thin, and there were scars where there hadn’t been before.

Matt’s attention was drawn to Lance’s fingers. He hadn’t noticed before, too caught up in the rush of escaping, but now he wondered how he could’ve missed it.

“Your hand,” he said softly, keeping his voice low.

Lance lifted his right hand in front of his face, inspecting his fingers. His lips curled up in a bitter smile.

“Kinda cool, isn’t it?”

His fingers looked like they’d been dipped in a deep blue paint that faded into his skin. The tips of his fingers were the darkest part, almost black, but at the base it was a blue the color of his Lion.

Matt reached his hand out, and Lance let him slide their fingers up against each. Lance’s hands were cold— very, very cold.

“What did she do?”

Lance lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “You know Haggar. She likes her experiments.”

Matt swallowed hard, remembering Shiro’s arm. “Yeah.”

Lance let his hand fall and then reached up to scratch at the back of his head.

“Uh, I don’t really know how to explain it. It’s like… she pumped me with quintessence. And then something… weird happened.”

“Can’t get weirder than aliens.”

Lance huffed a laugh. “Guess not.”

He was silent for another moment. “She gave me, uh, powers. Yeah, powers. Like Elsa.”

The reference took a moment to click. “Ice?”

In answer, Lance pressed his hand to the floor, and his fingers glowed faintly. Ice began to form under his touch, creeping across the ground, and Matt felt his eyes go wide.

“It’s— a bit hard to control,” Lance said, the ice stopping. “Uh, and I definitely can’t make any ice castles or anything. But yeah.”

Matt wasn’t sure what to say. He didn’t know if he should’ve been apologizing, or sympathizing, or saying it was useful in a fight.

“A bit limited, too,” Lance added, holding up his hand again. On the back of it, a rune had been painted on. “She has a matching one. So I’m in her presence, she can control me.”

Matt winced.

“Sorry,” Lance said, sighing.

“Don’t be sorry,” Matt replied, reaching out to grip Lance’s hand.  Lance sucked in a sharp breath.

After he’d found Voltron – or maybe it was the other way around, Matt and Lance had, in a sense, hit it off. They were similar to one another, shared a lot of the same thoughts (and humor), and so Lance had become his second friend on Team Voltron.

He’d ultimately made the decision to stay with the rebels. Not because he’d wanted to leave Katie or Shiro – no, that had been the hardest part – but because he was needed.

There’d always been an underlying of something more with Lance. Glances across the dinner table. A too-friendly sparring session. A flash of a smile, the brushing of fingers, a whispered word here, a late-night conversation there.

But nothing had ever come out of it.

War had hardened them, had pulled them in two different directions. In his weekly calls and reports to Voltron after he’d left, Lance would catch Matt’s eye.

“Maybe one day,” Lance had said longingly once, during one of Matt’s last few days on the Castle of Lions. He’d been staring out at the stars, but then he’d turned to Matt and smiled, soft and real.

Matt had squeezed his hand then, feeling warmth trickle through his chest.

“Maybe one day,” he’d agreed, and that had been that. He was Matt’s what-could-have-been.

When Lance had gone missing, Matt had locked himself up in his room and raged. He’d wondered if things would’ve been different had he stayed with Team Voltron, if he could’ve prevented Lance from being captured.

Katie had been in tears when she’d called. She’d begged for help, and then Matt had thrown himself to searching.

“I never said thank you,” Lance said quietly, and Matt blinked.

“For what?”

“You got me out of chains,” he replied. Matt tilted his head.

“We’re not quite out of here yet,” Matt said warningly, pressing his ear to the door again. “I think we’re clear. Are you good to go?”

Lance touched his hand to his side, where a set of dirty bandages had been wrapped around a wound Matt couldn’t see. Enough to keep him alive, enough to keep him fighting in the ring, but nothing close to a healing pod.

“Yeah,” he said a moment later. Matt got up, extending a hand, and Lance took it. “Time to come out, huh?”

They managed to make it to the bay doors, where Amavit was waiting. She’d be circling around the ship until Matt signaled that he was ready to go.

“Amavit?” he called now, tapping the comms unit. “Fuck.”

“Uh,” Lance said, backing up a few steps. “We good, dude? ‘Cause we kinda need to go.”

They’d been spotted. Matt swore again, ignoring Lance’s protests as he stood in front of him and lifted his shield and staff.

“Comms are down,” he said. “Lance, stay back. See if there’s any escape pods around.”

“Matt—”

He blocked a barrage of gunfire and raced forward, tearing through a crowd of sentries. Matt lost himself in the fight, hating every second of it, but he forced himself to think of Lance. Protect.

He knocked a gun out of a sentry’s hand and lashed out at another. Protect.

A laser cut through his defenses and sliced at his arm. Matt cried out but didn’t stop.

Protect. Protect. Protect.

A sentry caught him in the leg, and Matt stumbled, losing his momentum. Shiro had saved his life, but it’d left him with a weak knee that now buckled under the pressure.

“Matt, no!”

Ice crackled. The sentry that had been about to hit Matt froze in place.

Matt scrambled backwards, slamming another sentry with his shield and managing to regain his footing.

“Thanks,” he called.

“Uh, don’t mention it. Left!”

He blocked a swing from the left and backed up further until he was with Lance. In the time that he did, Lance had stolen one of the sentries’ guns and was now firing away.

“Look at us,” Lance mused, as if they weren’t fighting for their lives. “A real power couple.”

“Oh, we’re a couple now, are we?”

Lance only grinned.

“If you want,” he said lightly.

“—Holt, you there? Holt!”

Matt sighed in relief. “Amavit, took you long enough.”

“Can you hold out a little longer? My location’s been compromised. I’ve been trying to get these ships out of the way, but I can get in soon.”

Matt hissed through his teeth.

“The sooner the better,” he reminded. “Keep in touch.”

“We gotta retreat!”

Even with the two of them armed, there were too many sentries. Matt raised his shield and grabbed Lance’s arm; the two of them ran for it, shooting down the hallway. He dragged Lance this way and that until they were able to slow down, ducking into an empty alcove.

Lance was panting. He leaned back against the wall, face twisting in pain.

“I’m sorry,” Matt gasped between breaths.

“’S fine,” Lance said. “Better than being caught again.”

Matt winced, touching Lance’s shoulder gently. “Alright?”

“As good as I can be.” Then Lance smiled. “At least you’re here.”

“We’ll make it out of here. I promise.”

Lance lolled his head to look over at Matt. “Thanks. I mean it.”

“Isn’t that what boyfriends do?” he asked, half-joking, but Matt’s heart was pounding in his chest. He wasn’t sure if it was from the running.

Lance raised an eyebrow. “Boyfriends, huh? You asking? Honestly, I expected more flowers and less Galra.”

It wasn’t the right time, but Matt wanted to kiss him, wanted to cup his hands around Lance’s face and kiss until he was breathless. Instead, Matt took Lance’s hand, and he shut up, lacing their fingers together tightly.

“One day,” he promised, smiling.

“Mmm,” Lance hummed, putting his head on Matt’s shoulder for a moment and sighing. “As long as it’s soon.”

[allaganexarch]

MUCH ASKKKKKKKKKKKKK HERE YOU GO FRIEND Mocha, Iced Chocolate, Iced Cafe Mocha, Hot Chocolate, Early Grey Tea (pretty sure this was supposed to be Earl Grey Tea but okay, I am a snob), Mint Tea, Vanilla Latte, Orange Juice, Rose Hip Tea

THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS INDULGING ME FRIENDDDDDDDDD ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Sorry if you stumble across this while I’m editing it mobile is a bitch.

Mocha : Dream Job?

Like Ideally™ I’d be like rich and moderately famous and I could just do whatever I wanted hahaha. Like do a musical, write my novels, have a corgi or two, you know, casual

But honestly I’m generally happy wit the existence I lead. It’s very trying and stressful day to day a lot of the time, but I know in my soul that I wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t get to do so many wildly different things, and if I didn’t have to stay constantly on my toes

Iced Chocolate : Do you have a crush on someone?

I’m sure you know this hahaha but I kinda have a weird half-realised crush on you that is weird bc we have never met so it’s more like a potential crush that flares up awkwardly sometimes hahaha wheeeeeee thrOW ME INTO THE OCEAN

OTHERWISE all my crush feelings ATM are very random and fleeting hahaha like I’m just deeply disinterested in people right now. E.g. I have a little talent crush on the lady playing Lovett in my production of Sweeney but like there’s no substance to it. I just think she’s very pretty and nice

Iced Cafe Mocha : Favorite thing to do on rainy days?

Just waxed poetic about it!

Hot Chocolate : Are you an affectionate person?

Most people would probably say no hahaha. I think I certainly can be but it’s in a very odd and inconsistent way that kinda comes and goes out of nowhere.  I am a very affectionate drunk.

Early Grey Tea : The inevitable Zombie Apocalypse is upon us! What’s your plan of action?

I’m not super well suited to any sort of post-apocalyptic scenario hahaha but like the rat or the cockroach I am very invested in continuing to live, so perhaps my scrappiness would afford me a little extra time

Mint Tea : How do you relax?

I DON’T

Vanilla Latte : Board games or drinking games?

LISTEN I love boTH. And do not see why they have to be mutually exclusive.  Get drunk + play board games = ideal night tbh

Orange Juice : Have you ever had a valentine?

I have! I don’t like super care about that kind of thing but fortunately i’ve mostly gotten very cute and low-key stuff, like a friend of mine who sent me flowers, a guy I was Talking To™ awkwardly being like “UHM maybe we could sorta kinda plan to talk and be valentines or whatever”

Once I got a note in the mail from my ex saying no one would ever love me so that’s also fun!

Rose Hip Tea : Describe your first kiss

I don’t know what rose hip tea is but it sounds very fun hahaha.  A hip young tea with great fashion sense.

anYWAY my first kiss was hilariously awkward hahaha

So like literally everyone hated me most of my youth, and I had an extended awkward phase so there wasn’t really anyone pining for me in most of my teen years. But my senior year of high school I guess like my general attitude was Fuck All Of You bc all my friends graduated he previous year, and that characteristic aloofness brought all the boys to the yard, so I had not one but TWO admirers suddenly. One of them I kinda knew about but was trying to ignore, the other did a whole secret admirer spiel.

I was like Deeply Overwhelmed by this because like first of all no one had ever liked me before and I was like wtf is wrong with you people, and also I still kinda thought I was a lesbian at this point, but I also like…this is going to sound so callous but I really wanted some experience under my belt before I went to college, so I was willing to humour whoever this dude was for that sake alone hahaha

So dude revealed himself. And he was this really awkward guy who is actually shorter than me. Reasonably handsome I guess but like very not my type, but I was like yeah sure it’s cool we can date that’s nice for my ego.

He was a very…structured kind of guy? So like I, who had very little idea of wtf people were thinking usually, could predict the next thing he was going to do. Like I was like okay he’s going to hold my hand now, and then he did, and it was weird hahaha

So he invites me to this big Christmas party at his house. And we sit together in the back, watching some movie, and he excuses himself, and I think oh he’s going to come back and kiss me

So he had clearly left, brushed his teeth, had a glass of water, and then returned to kiss me. Like literally sat down and fell into my face hahahahahah

It was cute in its way hahaha but for someone who had allegedly done a lot of kissing he wasn’t very good at it.

Anyway cognitive dissonance finally had its way and I broke up with him after like a month and he’s married now.