#two of my classmates were like standing by the pole things in trains and one of them suddenly reached out and kind of like touched his

[totheidiot]

people will find any excuse to hold each other's hand.

[aspiringkuia]

My History | Chapter Two.

This Series is not in chronological order, this is my outlet of my History and it doesn't necessarily come back to me chronologically. I point this out because I know the feels <3

Warning: The following includes themes and discussion of tra*ma.

I am a Maori/Aboriginal Woman. It's important to me because it's been made brutally clear that that is what I am to most people. And that's okay, I'm proud of my cultures. But it has impacted me deeply, to an A N C E S T R A L level. And if we don't mind, I'd like to share a huge part of my life experience >

My Hair.

When I was 7 years old, I had long, straight, shiny and smooth hair. It reached my lower back! Mum had always braided my hair into complex styles, training it to grow even longer. One time, the braids were so tight it gave me a headache all morning. My friend's Mum was in to talk to her daughter and greeted me, complimenting me on my braids. She'd noticed that I was wincing asking, "What's wrong, love?"

I told her, "My braids are digging into my head, it hurts." She offered to help me, I said 'yes' and she carefully loosened the braids at the top of my head, evening out the sides. She was a very kind lady <3 Immediately I was relieved and I swear I felt the colour fill my face again.

When I got home that day, my Mum almost screeched, "Why is your hair all over the place?" I was 7 years old, running around all day. She was so angry and I couldn't understand why. When she'd learned about the kind lady loosening my braids, Mum retorted about messing up her handiwork.

Who's hair did this become?

When I was 8 years old, I was invited to my cousin's house to sleep-over one time. I was so excited because they had a pool with poles in them that was bigger than our blow-up pool at home. At the time, my cousins had head lice, fully infested. And all it takes is one kid to get head lice, and they had a pool. It doesn't take long for head-lice to just lay eggs and take over.

Unfortunately, I speak from experience.

Presently though, looking back as much as I begged on that fateful day, my parents were only saying, "Go on, catch knits then!" I mean, I was 8, I would've gotten over it and there was always opportunity to hang at the cousin's. Yes, I was persistent, but I was 8 years old. If you're letting 8 year olds take control of a situation, when do you take control of a situation?

So yeah, I got knits and I had them for two more years after that day. Classmates wouldn't really stand near me or sit near me. It was the first time I freaked out if someone reached out to touch my hair. I was paranoid for a big chunk of my childhood. I wouldn't wear my hair up if I could avoid it. I was always scratching my head, only at home. It was a nightmare. And petrol-smelling-treatment after more chemically-smelling-treatment, they wouldn't budge. The rest of my siblings got head lice, but I was the one with the thickest hair, the longest hair. It didn't take long for my parents to make a fatal decision:

They shaved my head.

I was ten years-old and when I was in Grade 5, I was wearing a bandana to cover my head. I had some hair, but I just felt so low, so shameful. I wasn't even forced to wear the bandana. If I could describe that feeling, it would be dread.

Sure, I shouldn't have set foot in that pool. But what's a kid to know about those things? I just wanted to swim and play with my cousins. I grew resentment towards them, not really knowing where to direct the anger I felt. When the real villains were my parents. There comes a time where you have to look at the past realistically, without your pre-conceived notions or beliefs. Growing up in my experience as of late, has a lot to do with neglect in my upbringing. It's hair of all things that just so happens to be the common thread for me, and looking at my hair now, is a clear indicator of "a-lot-of-shit-went-down." And I did not have a pleasant or stable upbringing at all. And I do credit my parents' reactions to be unconscious and an unfortunate result of the traumas they come from.

But still, every one's responsible for their actions.

My mother would gel my hair back with way too much gel. It got so bad that the skin behind my ears would shed. When I went back to bandanas, I remember a school assembly (this was 2008) where the Principal opened a panel with the school about Dress Code. Different students stood up to talk about what bothered them about the dress code. About tucking shirts, buttoning up buttons and wouldn't you guess it: Head Covers.

This one kid said into a microphone, "I don't like it when people cover their hair. Not everyone wears it, so why go against the code?"

And I just felt wrong in so many ways. I share this today to really shed light on the town I live in, the town I'm stuck in. And it hasn't changed much in 14 years.

From one traumatic experience to another, it's very strange how these ripple effects happen. But it's real and to this day I cringe whenever someone touches my hair. It is not long, straight, smooth or shiny anymore. It is short, thick, curly, frizzy and wide.

But that's just my natural hair, right?

The way I see it, touching hair is already an intimate act, is it not? My hair is a part of me, my hair is my crown. Why not protect it? Why not look deeper to how these actions ripple out and the deeper affects they may have?

I had dyed my hair too, and further chemically bleached it a couple of times, that's fair to mention. But if I hadn't of had such a detaching experience with hair, wouldn't I, in turn of knowing its sacred connection to me, wouldn't I have known its worth?

[violettelueur]

— JUJUTSU KAISEN EPISODE SEVEN || ASSAULT

↳ featuring : fushiguro megumi + kugisaki nobara + zenin maki + inumaki toge + panda from jujutsu kaisen

↳ warnings : mention of forced marriage + EXTREME grammar issues

↳ form : story

↳ published : 28 february

↳ pronouns : she/her

↳ word count : 2.5k

↳ synopsis : within the jujutsu world, there were three famous clans to be aware of, the Kamo clan, Zenin clan and the Gojo clan. However, unknown to many sorcerers there was one last family that was known to be apart of the three, only for them to disappear after the golden era leading some to speculate that they had died in battle after the sealing of ryomen sukuna, but....

↳ previous episode : after rain 

↳ next episode : boredom

↳ barista’s notes : hi again....barista violettelueur is back from the shadows of not writing anything  ┬┴┬┴┤•ᴥ•ʔ├┬┴┬┴ but i want to apologies to you all for not working on your coffee orders, i just been really being in a non productive mood theses days but i should really bring it back up since i have mocks coming in soon....ʕ ㅇ ᴥ ㅇʔ but overall, i hope you enjoy today’s episode and have a wonderful day/night ʕ•ᴥ•ʔﾉ♡

BEFORE READING, I NEED YOU TO BE AWARE OF THIS:

1. the whole story belongs to Gege Akutami and the credits go to them and them only.

2. the spell curses used belong to Tite Kubo due to them being the ‘Kidos’ being used on the manga and anime ‘Bleach’ - but none is mentioned in this chapter.

2.5 for the ‘cursed spells’/kidos (bleach) i will link this video here and tell you the time stamp to check out what i am intending to show - remember i add a few twist here and there by adding the katana to link with Y/N’s cursed technique

no cursed spells used this episode...

3. if you are confused on anything, please don’t hesitate to message me since i know this whole thing is so confusing.

“I think you can do that,” you stated in a quiet tone, causing Fushiguro to look in your direction only to see you staying still in the position that you had set yourself in before slowly pulling yourself back up to sit in a normal position, leading Fushiguro to go back to what he was in deep thought about.

‘I don’t get it, though. Why...did you run back then? What a waste of talent, but the girl back at that place, she knows how to use her technique extremely well’

“You possess such intellect, such skill, such power and such talent and yet you refuse to go against me with your full potential, are you mocking me?”

‘I have the potential to beat special grades? Is that what he meant by that?’ Fushiguro thought, before turning to look at you to discover you were looking into the distance while continuously sipping on your orange juice like the addict you were. 

‘What was she trying to tell me? It seemed like L/N knows something...intellect?’

Slowly but curiously, Fushiguro began to reciprocate your previous movements by letting his hand touch the step between his legs before waiting for a second to see what you were trying to inform him, only for his hand to steadily go deeper into his shadow leading him to widen his eyes at this discovery.

“Tuna, tuna,” Inumaki mentioned, as he pointed at Fushiguro since he noticed what he was doing, leading Zenin and Panda to look at their classmate wanting to know what he was trying to bring their attention to.

“Huh? What?” Zenin asked in confusion, before turning her head in the shikigami user’s direction to realise what he was doing.

“Senpai, I think I can do it,” Fushiguro stated, with a rare smile before looking in your direction once again to see you were still staring at the field in front of you.

‘Such intellect…’

                                               ꕥ

 “Ahh?”

Suddenly, after you masterfully was able to swipe Zenin’s footing with the metal pole-arm she had given you for the practice match, you were suddenly hoisted into the arm once you fully turned around, only to suddenly find Panda effortlessly lift you up with his paws on either side, catching you by complete surprise.

“Are they finally going to get her?!” Kugisaki shouted in question since, for the past few days of training, no one was able to defeat you in any of the practice matches they had set out.

However, before Panda could act of on his plan, you gracefully spun your body around to face the other way like a professional gymnast before concentrating your cursed energy to your leg and foot as you swang down to kick the sorcerer in the back causing the animal to let go of the pole in pain as he fell while you landed with some stagger since you didn’t have enough time to plan your footing with Inuamki behind you to make sure you didn’t fall down.

“Maybe not...” Fushiguro muttered while sitting next to his classmate as both of them were sitting on the stairs spectating the fight going on between you and the two other second-years.

“Wow!” Kugisaki gleefully mentioned as she lightly clapped her hands for your performance.

“Ah sorry senpai, did I kick you too hard?” you sincerely asked, as you crouch down by his side to check if he was doing okay, to which he gave you a thumbs up to indicate his well-being before praising you for your performance which led you to stand up straight to move over to Zenin to give her a hand on getting back up.

“You’re really strong,” Zenin muttered with a smile causing you to smile back before stating, “Nah, you really made it challenging since it’s been a while since I fought someone good with weapons,” which lead your upperclassmen to tell you to get Fushiguro since it was his turn.

Leisurely walking to your classmates by the stairs, you casually threw the pole towards Fushiguro, who caught it instantly, before mentioning to him that it was his turn to train with Zenin leading him to get up from his seat to move to his designated area for you to then take his seat next to Kugisaki, leading to your classmate to place her head on your shoulder as you took out your phone to scroll through a bit.

“Is that your sister, Gojo?” Kugisaki question, leading you to turn your head slightly to look down at her only to find her staring down at the screen of your phone to which you turned back to you.

“No, that’s my mother,” you answered as you stare down at your wallpaper that showcases a picture with you and your mother in what seemed to be in a professional setting as you both were seated on what seemed to be on an antique-like style couch while wearing similar baby-blue colour dresses as you had a familiar bouquet of blue hydrangeas with white roses in hand.

“Really?! She looks so young,” Kugisaki commented, as she, in a state of shock, grabbed your wrist and looked closer into the screen to observe the picture. “You really suit baby-blue as well, but black is more of your suit in my opinion,” your classmate commented as she released her grip before lifting her head off your shoulder to peer at your outfit.

At this current moment in time, you were wearing some black nylon cargo joggers as well as black trainers paired with a long-sleeved black cropped top since you knew it was going to be a little hot today but you never really liked wearing bright colours - you were just more comfortable with darker ones like your uniform.

“Do you think so? So, should I get this Balenciaga bag then?” you asked as you tilted the phone towards her to show the bag that has been on your wishlist for some time.

“You like Balenciaga too?!” Kugisaki screamed in shock as she turned to you with widened eyes, resulting in your doing the same, only for you both to then suddenly thoroughly search the whole website to tell each other your favourite items while planning a shopping trip together since you both were giving each other ideas on clothing to purchase.

“That’s such a cute jumper,” you commented, as you, once again, presented Kugisaki your phone for her to agree with you before showing a jacket that she has been eyeing for quite some time. “That looks so good, you could pair it with a jean skirt and maybe a top, maybe orange to match your hair,” you commented, leading Kugisaki to smile and nod at you.

“That jumper is quite long, so you could wear like a cropped white turtleneck or maybe the same coloured blue dress shirt, add that to your wishlist!” Kugisaki mentioned, while at the same time pressing the heart icon to add the item on your wishlist without you lifting a single finger.

Suddenly, while you two were busy looking up items together, a sudden shadow overcast you both leading you to look up to find a roughed up Fushiguro in front of you before he mentioned that it was Kugisaki’s turn to train which cause her to pout before giving her phone to you, so you could take care of it before making her way to the two second-years that were waiting for her as the shikigami user took her seat.

“How was it?” you asked, as you closed your phone, only to hear a sigh from your classmate.

“It’s not bad, just not used to using weapons,” Fushiguro commented, as he stared out into the distance to see Kugisaki running away from Panda with Zenin looking at them in complete confusion.

“We got more than a month left, you should be fine,” you commented, as you looked at your phone screen to see the date. “Besides, you won’t constantly use them but it’s good to use since you can combine physical attacks with weapon attacks when it comes to battle,” you explained as you continued to stare at the family photo on your phone.

‘When was the last time I wore a dress like that?’ you thought, as you tilted your head in confusion.

“What was the reason you kept being on the run?” Fushiguro suddenly asked, causing you to break from your trance to turn to look at your classmate in confusion, only to discover a nonchalant look on his face like it was a common question to ask - maybe it was for the jujutsu sorcerer world.

“Because I’m not supposed to exist Fushiguro, you’re a Zenin by blood, you should know that my clan shouldn’t exist after the golden age, we disappeared,” you answered since you were perplexed on why the sorcerer beside you, asked a question with an answer that he probably already knows.

“But you’re a powerful sorcerer, you wouldn’t have that much trouble would you?” Fushiguro asked, leading you to shift your eyes down to avoid any eye contact before turning back to the track field in front of you to see the now common sight of Kugisaki being spun around in the air by Panda.

“I don’t know what they’ll do to me, I don’t need a bounty on my head everywhere I go, it was better for me to hide in the shadows as long as the L/N clan did,” you answered with a hushed tone, to which Fushiguro barely caught since you turned so quiet.

                                             ꕥ

“If any of the other clans knew of her existence, she would be forced to bring the L/N clan back up again or forced into a marriage,” Gojo explained, as he relaxed in his usual black chair, while Fushiguro leaned against the windows of the room they were at right now.

“Marriage?” Fushiguro questioned in confusion since he was confused on what the point of you being in a forced marriage when you were enough as a sorcerer by yourself.

“To continue the inheritance of her cursed technique,” Gojo informed his student, as he sat up from his relaxed posture. “Her inherited cursed technique is an extremely powerful one that any sorcerer wants, I don’t think she has mastered all the extreme spells as of this moment in time, but she knows what she is doing,” Gojo expanded on his explanation while tilted his glasses down to eye his student to check if he understood what he had said so far.

“But what would a marriage between the clans do? It would only decrease the change of the technique even being inherited,” Fushiguro asked, only for his teacher to smirk.

“I’m sure Y/N knows this, but that’s what the Zenin Clan demanded back in the Heian era before Sukuna was sealed, that a marriage was needed to ‘strengthen their power’ only for the L/N clan to refuse,” Gojo stated bluntly causing Fushiguro eyes to widen, as the Six Eye sorcerer continued with, “her real existence must be kept a secret and that’s my job now as her adoptive father since I’ve been entrusted with her safety,”.

“Entrusted? By who? L/N?” Fushiguro interrogated in a perplexed tone, only to receive a shrug at the end, gaining no answer to his pending question.

                                              ꕥ

Continuously staring at you, Fushiguro couldn’t but recall the conversation he had with Gojo, remembering the details that were mentioned within the chat. There was no surprise in his mind now on why you were extremely anxious about him and Gojo when you first met them; you probably thought you were going to be forced into something that you didn’t want to happen.

“Do you…hate me?”

“Huh?” you confusingly said before quickly turning your head to look at Fushiguro, once again seeing his usually stoic face looking straight at you while you gave him the surprised look. “What makes you ask that?” you queried since you didn’t expect him to ask such a question especially since you both had worked together for a few weeks now as well as fought together against Sukuna back at the Eushi Detention Centre.

“Since I’m a Zenin by blood, do you-” Fushiguro explained before he was cut off by you flicking his forehead with your finger in an annoyed manner, as the impact reflected on your emotions causing Fushiguro to wince slightly at the pain since he didn’t expect it to hurt as much as it did.

“Why would I hate you? As much as I hate the Zenin clan for what they did to my clan, you and Zenin-senpai ain’t that bad. In fact, you both ain’t bad at all,” you stated before sighing in annoyance since it was an extremely stupid question for him to ask. “Fushiguro, if I hated you, I would have made you fight Sukuna alone and wait until he came to me, don’t you think, you drag?” you rhetorically asked, before lightly slapping the side of his head to shake some of his brain cells to wake up before looking at the track field to see Kugisaki getting up from the floor with an angered expression as she demanded a re-match causing you to giggle lightly at the sight.

“We’re cool Fushiguro, there’s no need to worry about it,” you reassured the sorcerer, before standing up on your feet with your hand out towards your classmate’s direction.

“Come on, it seems like we’re taking a break and about to run some errands for the second-years,” you commented, causing Fushiguro to turn to look at the field to see Inumaki signalling a timeout sign before imitating a drinking action, informing you both to get some water for them as well as yourselves.

Taking your hands, he pulled himself up before you both disconnected your hands, leading you to turn around to grab the desired bottles of water that were required before coming back to resume training.

“Gojo! Wait for me, we need to talk more about our shopping trip!” Kugisaki loudly shouted, causing you to halt and turn your head to see your classmate rushing up the stairs to come to you before resuming once she was by your side.

Slowly from behind, Fushiguro decided to walk behind you both as he knew his upperclassmen would tell him to hurry up with the errands that they had placed on your three.

“You really need to stop with your assaults Gojo,” Fushiguro stated, as he pressed his index and middle finger on the middle of his forehead, as he remembered the pain that came along with your flick as well as complaining about the side head slap he had gained from you.

“Nah, you just got to stop asking stupid questions Fushiguro,” you commented back before asking Kugisaki want she was planning to get.

‘So make sure you’re not alone in this world like I am Y/N, I want you to be happy even when we’re both stuck with this burden!’

‘I’m trying mother,’ you thought, as you tightly gripped your phone that was still in your pocket.

© violettelueur 2021 : written and published by violettelueur - do not steal or repost

[kaigarax]

Fearless, Reckless and Brave

Series: BNHA various x reader

Title: Of Shared Secrets, Stolen Kisses and Silent Hearts

Chapter: 4

Fanfiction / reader insert / 1st person P.O.V.

Quote: “I wonder if people truly do love each other as much as they do in romantic stories?“

Beneath the indifferent eyes and below the cold smile was the her I knew. A young girl who wanted nothing but to change the world.

There has always been an obvious distinction between being fearless, reckless and brave. At least, the differences had always been obvious to me.

To be fearless is to not know of the dangers that you head into; to be reckless is to jump into something dangerous when all odds are against you; and to be brave is to take a step onwards despite your own doubts.

One needed at least one of these traits if they were hoping to become a hero and I liked to think of myself as brave. I knew of all the dangers ahead of me, but I also knew what my weaknesses and strengths were.

Someone wanting to save others couldn’t just sit back and watch. They couldn’t stand there not knowing what to do because someone else’s life could hang in the balance. Not just did they need to be smart about what they were going to do next but they needed the guts to actually perform those tasks as well.

And, perhaps on a more negative note, they needed the bravery to face the families of those they couldn’t save. Because even if heroes try to save everyone it’s not always how things turn out. Whether it be fearlessness, recklessness or bravery, it was certain that you needed at least the slightest notion of strength to stand before the public in a way where you are so easily judged.

While perhaps a bit pompous of me, I liked to think of myself as a bit ahead of each of my peers in that sense. I knew the path ahead of me and I knew what I should do.

So when the villains had attacked the Unforeseen Simulation Joint I was ready. Or at least… I thought I was ready. Two of my classmates had immediately jumped into action, recklessly attacking the first villain before the rest of us had gotten separated.

We each fell from the sky over the vastly different areas of the arena.

It seemed like we had entered our first do or die situation and we hadn’t even gotten proper training yet. Wasn’t this just going great?

I called dark shadow to my aid, silently thanking the universe that I had landed in a dim area.

I could vaguely spot two of my classmates as they fell from the sky near me. I assumed those two would be my parternes as we were landing in the same area. From their costumes I had assumed them to be Koda Koji and you.

Koda was one of those people who had body types that weren’t easily mistaken for others; a trait the two of us happened to share. You were one of two people wearing the gym uniform. I had quickly crossed off the possibility of it being Midoriya as I watched you land. The green haired boy was strong but certainly not as flexible.

The top of a building had come quickly to my face which resulted in an easier landing for me though you and Koda weren’t as lucky.

You had managed to grab onto a pole before swinging yourself to your feet. You landed gracefully and silently. It was almost the exact opposite of the loud Koda who was quickly coming close to the ground. If the boy didn’t do something it was likely his side of the fight would be ending soon.

I took a step forward to help the boy but felt frozen in place.

What could I do anyways? Koda was already so far away. I would likely end up running into a villain of some sort and getting captured was the last thing on my list! Sure, each of us had passed the entrance exam but none of us had actually fought real people.

It was terrifying knowing something bad could happen.

Despite wanting to move, wanting to be brave, and wanting to save a fellow classmate I stood frozen in place.

You didn’t though.

As if saving Koda was the only thing on your mind you sprinted forward. I wasn’t sure if you were being brave, reckless or fearless. You just looked so certain as you jumped over fallen debris from the side of a building for a brief moment before your body came in contact with Koda’s.

The two of you landed much more softly than I thought was possible.

From where I stood, I couldn’t hear the words shared between the two of you but it was easy enough to tell what you might’ve been saying. You were quick to check your surroundings before turning to check on Koda, “are you okay?”

He nodded, perhaps mumbling an “I’m alright.”

Then you spotted me. Stuck to the ground and unsure of what to do.

For a moment I thought you would scoff at me for just watching from a distance. I was suddenly ashamed of myself for not being able to do anything in the moment. Surprisingly, you didn’t seem to have the slightest bit of annoyance in your face.In fact you actually looked quite calm!

Your eyes were soft yet your body language was cautious as you waved me over.

I suddenly felt brave as well.

It made me wonder if this is how a hero should make others feel. Calm in a situation that was anything but. Neither relieved nor scared. Koda seemed rather calm now as you whispered something to him. I wonder if I would’ve been able to inspire the same confidence in my peers as you had.

Perhaps it was a skill you had to be born with.

To me, heroes were always people who had to be brave so that they could react in the face of danger. They were people who shouldn’t fear the path ahead of them. They were people who should know the consequences of their actions and still push onwards.

You, of course, looked calm. Your voice was low and you certainly had acted heroically but you didn’t seem like a hero. At least, not in my definition.

“Do you guys have a plan?” I asked.

“There are approximately twelve villains in this area and three of us. We don’t know their level of training but we can assume they are on the lower scale. I think we can take them out but we’re gonna need someone to be the bait.” You explained.

I doubted Koda noticed it. The trembling of your legs and the slight quiver in your voice. Sure you might’ve acted bravely but you were just as scared as we were at that moment.

Heroes had to be brave, didn’t they?

[bnhaven]

A Potential ‘Hidden Quirk’ Idea

To begin: I am so sorry. Truly. I swore I’d be a writer of fluff, and yet here we are...again...whoops.

Anyways, let’s get on with it! 

So, if there’s one thing we love about our innocent cinnamon roll of a boy, aka Izuku “Deku” Midoriya, it’s that he’s willing to go beyond (plus ultra style) in order to save the day, even going so far as to break his bones to the point of disfiguration. Adrenaline helps him fight through the pain, and even then I’ve heard a lot of people talk about his insanely high pain tolerance.

Like, ridiculously high. I mean, the Overhaul fight??? Where Izuku just destroys himself so that Eri doesn’t Rewind him out of existence? Wild. It’s like, unimaginable. Even with the decade of bullying to get used to pain, it’s almost unreal for the green bean to be able to push through so much naturally.

Which is where I say: what if it wasn’t natural?

Look, some Quirks are probably hidden ones. Ones that you can’t immediately see, ones that aren’t emitter types. Quirks that just affect the wielder, not anyone else. Like Nedzu’s High Spec, for example. But what’s another Quirk that no one would be able to see?

One that negates pain. 

Now, I don’t think that Izuku would have always had this Quirk. I think it’s one that needed the right conditions to form. Like, let’s say...a really hard punch, something with an almost explosive force.

Lucky for Izuku, he has a classmate with a very painful Quirk, and a penchant for using it on those he deems weaker or lesser. Thus, when the bullying started, Izuku’s Quirk finally kicked in after one hit went too far.

The Issue: Nobody realizes that Izuku got his Quirk. Not even Izuku realizes it. Why? Well, Izuku thinks it’s just a high pain tolerance. He still feels Bakugou striking him, he just...doesn’t feel much else. He knows that he feels pressure, so he must have just gotten used to Bakugou’s hits. (And with all of the burn scars that Izuku is gaining, he wouldn’t be surprised if he’s lost some nerve endings due to the damage.)

And Izuku would definitely have burn scars in this AU (I’m not really sure if canon gives him said scars, I’ve done more reading for this fandom than watching, oops.) But no matter what happens in canon, this Izuku would have burn scars for one reason: Since Izuku doesn’t feel pain, he doesn’t cry out. Since he doesn’t cry out, Bakugou thinks his explosions aren’t strong enough to hurt...so the boy uses stronger blasts in an attempt to prove his ‘point’. (There is definitely an inferiority complex going on here, where Bakugou subconsciously worries that his Quirk is weak if ‘Quirkless Deku can stand there and take one of my hits without a single flinch’.) He pushes himself harder, lets more force into every controlled blast, etc.

So Izuku has no clue that he has a Quirk, Bakugou uses crazy amounts of explosions on the boy, neither realizing just how much damage is happening because Izuku can’t feel any pain.

Canon continues. The Sludge Villain stuff goes as usual, and All Might chooses Izuku as his successor just like always. The training montage from hell might actually be more self-destructive, not only because Izuku feels the need to catch up but also because he doesn’t feel so exhausted/sore. (Along with pain, the boy also doesn’t really feel when his muscles and body are sore, so he doesn’t realize he needs to take a breather.) But that isn’t the focus, so let’s move on!

The Entrance Exam occurs, and wow that really should have clued someone in. Because Izuku breaks his limbs for Uraraka and when he hits the ground, instead of dragging himself away he tries to stand up. He actually manages to find a 3-pointer, and breaks two more of his fingers by flicking in its direction, destroying it with a gust of air before he collapses to the ground.

But wow, everyone is just like ‘this boy is wild’ before completely forgetting about how they heard his bones crunching with every step. 

Continue on. 

Quirk Apprehension Test? Izuku doesn’t really get why Aizawa is complaining about how he shatters himself. Like, he doesn’t need to stop just because his arm is apparently broken. It’s fine, he can still use it. Still, he settles on breaking a single finger because he can’t risk expulsion, and he definitely doesn’t have the courage to talk back to a teacher. 

Hero v. Villain Fight? Izuku doesn’t even collapse after the final blast, instead walking off without batting an eyelash. Iida ends up corralling him to Recovery Girl’s room, because first Izuku protested having to leave without getting to watch the other teams, then he got distracted by the school and nearly got lost.

USJ? Izuku goes a little more feral, fun times.

Sports Festival? Oh honey you know things are going to get wild here. Broken bones left and right, yeehaw it’s shatter city baby!

Izuku ends up with even less self-preservation with every passing problem, basically. Since the boy can’t feel pain, he assumes that any injury that he does get isn’t that bad. After all, wouldn’t he be crying and, you know, hurting if it was bad? Izuku knows what pain feels like, and this isn’t it!!

It’s only the realization that breaking bones so often could end his career early that causes Izuku to try new approaches to the whole Quirk-using situation. Even then, the boy has no sense of when to stop, and as such pushes himself to the point of passing out from either exhaustion or blood loss multiple times.

-One such time was after getting impaled. The boy didn’t realize he had a broken pole halfway through his back until Kaminari screamed and passed out from seeing Izuku bleeding, a giant rod jabbing out of him. Izuku tried to shrug it off.

Sometime around the impalation incident, people begin to notice that Izuku has a freaky high pain tolerance. 

But nobody really connects the dots until Bakugou goes too far in training.

The bad news: his opponent loses a limb.

The good news: It is Shouji, and it’s one of the regrowable ones.

The bad news: the following dialogue occurs after school…

Bakugou: What the fuck? But that’s barely anything!

Aizawa: Bakugou. That explosion had enough force to sever your classmate’s hand off of his limb due to how you directed it. You should know to limit yourself by now.

Bakugou: But I was! That one is so weak that even Deku can walk away without flinching! 

Aizawa: There is no way that Midoriya would be able to move on without needing medical attention after a hit that bad.

Bakugou: He has.

Aizawa: ...I beg your pardon?

Bakugou: Deku fucking has! How do you think I learned my limits, huh? Deku has taken a hit like that directly to the chest and didn’t even flinch! I know how weak I am!

Needless to say, Aizawa proceeds to lose his absolute shit. He makes Izuku stay after class the next day, and questions him about whether or not Bakugou has ever used his Quirk on him. 

Izuku, a boy who is unafraid of breaking three limbs to save a girl from a giant robot, but who is terrified of teachers most of the time, cracks without too much pressure. He admits that Bakugou has used his Quirk on Izuku for years, but ‘It wasn’t bad, sensei! They were like love taps, I never even felt a thing!’

And Aizawa knows something is wrong with this, something isn’t adding up because if Shouji lost a limb to Bakugou’s hit, Izuku has to be lying...or there’s another factor in this equation.

Aizawa dismisses Izuku, and spends the night trying to figure it out.

And then he does.

The next day, he makes Bakugou and Izuku stay in the classroom during lunch. He questions them on their past. Bakugou complains about how ‘weak’ he’s always been, Izuku brushes past the concern without much thought because it never hurt, and sure there were markings but-

Aizawa: Markings?

The scars are revealed. Well, the ones on his upper body.

This is when Bakugou begins to realize that he’s fucked up.

During training, Aizawa pulls Bakugou and Izuku off to work with him separately. He

brings out machines that test how much force a blow gives off, and has Bakugou throw his ‘weak’ explosions at them.

As it turns out, Izuku should have been in crippling pain from everything Bakugou did. And then Aizawa drops the ‘I think you have a pain-related Quirk’ on Izuku, and yeah.

I didn’t really plan an end, sorry. I just think it’d be interesting, you know?

On the bright side, at least Izuku isn’t constantly in pain!!! He just got his body a whole lot more damaged than he would have, and has maybe half of the self-preservation that his canon counterpart possesses.

Finally, for an extra bit: Izuku only feels pain when Aizawa erases his Quirk. It’s not pleasant. (And, to make him even more oblivious, Izuku believes that the pain is because his Quirk is being ‘severed’ in its connection, not that this is lingering pain that comes from having bones shattered over and over without hesitation.)

[storydays]

Season 1, Episode 1, p2

You dodged an Earth disc from the opposing team's earthbender's steady hand and used two water blast toward the earthbender and the firebender, sending them into the sink below. The crowd cheered as Mako and Bolin then sent the remaining benders into the sink. "And what an amazing triple play by the Fire Ferrets! If they can win the expedition match, the rookie sensations will be moving into the championship!" You grinned at your long time friends, brothers Mako and Bolin. Bolin was a rather loud, excitable earthbender and happy go luck person in general. Mako, however was a angst filled firebender, very serious, and could be a bit of an unintentional ass. 

You stumbled across them about 8 years back, while trying to track down your father with your Auntie Kya, who had been on a break from their busy lives. 

*Flashback*

Your Uncle Tenzin was searching with your Aunt Lin, while Aunt Pema and Gran-Gran were staying back with a newborn Ikki and a two year old Jinora. You felt so grown up, helping the adults. Your Auntie was rambling about how her brother's were idiots, and a few not so children friendly cuss words, when you felt a pair of eyes watching you. You stopped, catching her attention. "(Y/N), what's wrong, honey?" She knelt in front of you, waiting. 

You would tell her when you were ready. She knew you were listening, for something. 

Your (e/c) eyes looked down the alley, before whispering into the older waterbender's ear. Kya smiled, before standing up and followed you to the alley. There you found a pair of kids, one wearing a red scarf around his neck, the other with thick eyebrows. The one with scarf, you knew was a firebender, held sadness, and protection for his brother. The other was an earthbender, and he oozed fear for his brother, and he also held sadness, but could be a different reasons. You put on a gentle smile, before holding your hand out. 

"We've been looking for someone, and we found you two. We've been wondering around for hours, and I'm hungry. Do you guys want to join us,at the Rosemary Cafe?" The older brother eyes you and Kya for a moment before looking at his brother, and nodded, trusting your (e/c) eyes. Together, the four of you spent time  in Republic City, until your Aunt Kya ran into the pro-bender gym owner. They were old classmates/associates and knowing how hard it was to survive, the older man, adopted the boys, and they became family. 

After waving goodbye to them, you and Kya found your father making a fool of himself at a local bar. Your aunt whacked her brother upside her head, grinning as you try to stifle your giggles. That was a day, you would never forget, because it made your Aunt Kya proud at your big heart.

*Flashback end*

You grinned, after taking a sip of water as you listen to Bolin chat happily to his brother who replied bluntly. Other than your family, they were the only ones who knew you were an airbending master, and it was the biggest secret Bolin has ever held which, and it made your proud and special that he could help protect you. You finished changing, fixing your hair, so it hid your arrows again, before answering your radio that you kept on your person while off Air Temple Island. "Yes, Uncle?" You questioned, waving goodbye to your friends. "Yes, I'll meet you there, soon." You hung up, and then whistled for your other pet/friend, a polar bear dog, like Naga, but they were sister and brother. "Neo, here boy." You cooed as he sat in front of you, nudging you and looking at you fondly. "Let's go see Auntie Lin, boy." 

He barked happily, and quickly ran to the police station where your Uncle was waiting. Waving down a nearby guard, you asked him to take Neo to the animal section of the station, before Tenzin began walking. "So, why are we here?" You asked putting your arms behind your head, acting nonchalantly. "We're here because of Korra, it appears she ran away, and came here to start trouble." He grumbled, leading you into an interrogation room, where Korra was flinching under the Chief's stern voice. "Let's see, multiple counts of destruction of private and city property. Not to mention, evading arrest." She slammed the file in front of the girl, before leaning in close. 

"You're in a whole mess of trouble, young lady." "But there were some thugs threatening a helpless shopkeeper and I--" Korra tried to explain. "Can it." Lin growled, walking away. "You should have called the police, and stayed out of the way." "But I couldn't just sit by, and do nothing. It's my duty to help people." She pouted, before giving the Chief an awkward smile, "See, I'm the Avatar." 

You snicker, seeing the unimpressed look on your aunt's face. "Oh, I'm well aware of who you are, and your avatar tittle might impress some people, but not me." Korra looked a little shocked before relenting. "All right, fine. Then I want to talk to whoever's in charge." Unfazed by her tactics, Lin sat down across from her. "You're talking to her. I'm Chief Beifong." 'And in 3,2,1..' you counted down in your head before realization struck Korra. "Wait, Beifong? Lin Beifong? You're Toph's daughter!" She exclaimed. "What of it?" Lin huffed. "Well, then, why are you treating me like a criminal? Avatar Aang and your mother were friends! They saved the world together.." Korra trailed off. 

"That's ancient history. And it's got nothing to do with the mess you're in right now. You can't just waltz in here, and dole out vigilante justice like you own the place!" Your Uncle then ushered you to follow him. "All right, let's go get Korra before Lin kills her." He muttered, making you grin. "Chief, Councilman Tenzin is here." A guard called into the room. "Let him in." Lin sighed before standing up, and folding her arms behind her back. Tenzin walked in with a frown on his face, and you hung in the doorway, leaning against it and crossing your arm with an mischievous grin. "Tenzin, (Y/N), sorry. Got a little sidetracked on my way to see you guys." She shuffled nervously in her seat.

Tenzin inhaled softly, before sparing a grin at Lin. "Lin, you are looking radiant as usual." Your shoulders shake as you tried not to laugh. "Cut the garbage, Tenzin. Why is the Avatar in Republic City?" She growled at the man. "I thought you were supposed to be moving down to the South Pole to train her." "My relocation has been delayed. The Avatar on the other hand, will be heading back to the South Pole immediately, where she will stay put." "But--" Korra tried to cut in, but Tenzin continued as if she hadn't spoken a word, "If you would be so kind, as to drop the charges against Korra," He paused to glare at the shrinking girl's figure. "I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events and cover all the damages." Lin looked back at the crestfallen teenager, looked at you who smiled cheerfully back, before sighing in resignation. 

She waved her hand, unlocking Korra from her cuffs, before crossing her arms. "Fine, get her out of my city." "Always a pleasure, Lin." Tenzin complimented, before turning sternly to the Avatar. "Let's go, Korra. You as well, (Y/N)." "Wait, I need to talk to (Y/N). He'll catch up with you in a second." Lin stated, fighting a grin as the two made their way out. Korra rubbing her wrists, cast a look behind her, only to see Lin shoot her the famous, 'I'm watching you.' look before Korra replied with the same look, only mushing up and mocking the woman. Lin threw her hand up and scrunched her face in confusion before turning to a laughing you. "So, tell me what happened today!" Lin grinned, no one knew it but you, but she loved watching your matches, and tried her best to catch them when she could, or at the very least, listened to the matches on her private radio. 

You grin quickly explaining everything to her, and she smiled seeing you hyped up. It wasn't often she saw you this excited and it was a breeze of fresh air, and she was happy to see a spark in your (e/c) eyes. "But yeah, and if we win the expedition match, we go to the finals and we could be the champions!" You cheered. "That's great, (Y/N)! I'll be sure to catch those two matches for sure." She smiled before hugging you and sending you on your way. "See ya tonight for dinner, Aunt Lin."

You quickly grabbed Neo, and followed your Uncle to the harbor where he was trying to get a boat for Korra to leave immediately. "Tenzin, please don't send me back home." "You blatantly disobeyed my wishes and the orders of the White Lotus." Tenzin stated.  "It was actually (Y/N)'s idea!" Korra defended. You grumble, ignoring your uncle's withering stare. "It was your idea to have her come here?" He demanded. "Technically, I told her to look for the pro-bending gym, or I'd assumed she would've gone straight to Air Temple Island." Your Uncle then began lecturing you before you blurted out, "I had a vision!" They both looked at you with looks, varying between shock, awe, and surprise. "Why didn't you tell me, (Y/N)?" Tenzin asked calmly, knowing you responded better that way.

"Because I only just figured it out, what that vision meant, and I knew I had to act quickly, to try and speed things along." You fidget in place, Neo whining and gently nudging you in an attempt to comfort you. Seeing you were uncomfortable, Korra spoke up. "Katara agreed with me that I should come. She said my destiny is in Republic City." She felt successful when Tenzin turned his attention to her, face turning redder than his clothing, and you sent a grateful smile to the waterbender. "Don't bring my mother into this!" he snapped, ignoring your laugh. "You look like a tomato, Uncle."

"Look, I can't wait any longer, to finish my training. Being cooped up and hidden away from the world, isn't helping me become a better Avatar. I saw a lot of the city today, and it's totally out of whack. I understand why you and (Y/N) need to stay, Republic City does need you both, but it needs me too." Korra finished her speech, leaving Tenzin to stammer before sighing as a police officer brought Naga to the group. "Is this your polar bear-dog, miss?" He asked tiredly. You laugh before gently taking Naga to see her brother Neo who howled with glee seeing her big brother. 

Korra sighed seeing the boat come closer to the port. Tenzin was really making her leave. You stood next to your Uncle as he studied Korra. "You know she's right. It'd be helpful and beneficial for everyone involved, if she stayed. It's going to happen anyways, so it'd be better if she was here under good tenses, instead of her constantly sneaking off." Your conversation was cut short, as the 3 Airbender kids landed in front of your group. Meelo hopping off of Jinora's back, and the kids hugging her legs and waist. "Korra!" They cried happily. "Are you coming to live on the island with us?" Ikki asked, as Korra knelt in front of them. "No, I'm sorry, Ikki. I have to go home now." She felt her heart break at the kids disappointed cries. 

"Aw." Tenzin watched the scene with sad eyes. Ikki then hopped on your back, and snuggled into your back. "I don't want Korra to leave." She murmured, sadly. "I know, she doesn't want to leave either." You said, clearly, before sharply elbowing your uncle. He looked into your (e/c) eyes, and then looked at the sad faces of his kids, before sighing in defeat. "Wait." He walked forward to a surprised Korra. "I have done my best to guide Republic City towards the dream my father had for it. But you are right, it has fallen out of balance since he passed. I thought I should put off your training in order to uphold his legacy. But you are his legacy." He put his hand on Korra's shoulder, and smiled softly at the girl.

"You may stay here and train airbending with me." Korra gasped excitedly as Tenzin continued. "Republic City needs its Avatar once again." "Yes! Thank you! You're the best!" Korra cheered as the Airbending kids cheered with her. She grabbed the airbenders in her arms, giving a giant group hug, and making Tenzin groan at the girl's strength. You laugh as Naga snuggled Korra's back, happy that her girl was happy. You smiled softly from atop of Neo, as Nevermore found you and curled in your lap. "Hey girl, didja miss me?" You coo, running your fingers along her scales, before looking into the stars, smiling. 'Things are going to get crazy, aren't they, Mom?' 

--The Next Day--

You stood behind your Aunt Lin's stern figure as Korra was at a press conference. The Avatar didn't know where to look with all the flashing lights, but a quick glance to you, made her get her confidence back, she cleared her throat, before speaking. "Hello, I'm Korra, your new Avatar." "Does this mean you moved to Republic City?" An older reporter called out. "Were you trying to send a message to the  Triads yesterday?" A green eyed woman asked."Will you be fighting crime, the anti-bending revolution, or both?" Another cried. "Will you be working with Chief Beifong and the police?" A final question rang out. "Uh, yes, I am definitely here to stay, but honestly, I don't have a plan yet. See I'm still in training, but all I know is Avatar Aang meant for this city to be the center of peace and balance in the world, and I believe we can make his dream a reality, and I look forward to serving you! I'm very happy to be here! Thank you, Republic City!" Korra then walked off with Tenzin, as you stood by Lin's side. "That's all, no more questions." Lin demanded, before tugging you along with her. 

You grin finding Neo and Naga playfully wrestling, before sitting next to Korra while Tenzin and Lin were talking quietly. "Good job, Avatar. I know things will start to get better now that you're here. Just promise me one thing." You refused to meet her eyes, but you knew she was listening. Turning toward her, you raised your pinky to her, "Promise me, we'll do this together." You beg as she studied you. Korra sent you a gleaming smile before hooking hers around yours. 

"I promise."

[joshslater]

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I would normally be able to roughly keep track of time by how thirsty I was. Master didn't usually tie me up, but there had been many scenes planned by others that had kept me in different kinds of bondage for many hours. This was different on a whole new level. The penis gag kept leaking small amounts of something not quite water. It was the same viscosity, but it tasted more like cum. Perhaps diluted cum, but that wouldn't taste as much as this did, I would guess. It would slowly drip from the end of the rubber dick, back in the mouth where you could easily accidentally inhale it instead. And since you are gagged you can only cough out the liquid through your nose. You quickly learn you can suck it and get a full shot at once, and then nothing for like a few minutes until it starts to trickle again. Makes it bearable, but keeps you awake. I'm getting off-topic I guess. I'm exhausted. I would think that's understandable as this has been by far my longest session, days possibly. I have no way to tell.

This isn't the first time they've changed something or moved my position, but this is the first time they are letting me walk. What a sight that must have been. I could feel them remove the restraints and the other things, one by one. All except the gag, the hood, and the chastity cage. God, that cage has probably been worse than any of the other stuff they did. I have no idea what nasty stuff they smeared on my dick, but I would happily fuck a tube of bengay instead any time. After they smeared the dick in whatever that was they slipped on the tight cage, the kind the also go up the urethra. I've been caged before many times, but pretty soon it just sits there, keeping you horny and impotent. But this shit, it acted as viagra gel, constantly keeping my dick struggling to break free. I can feel it's still trying. But I'm rambling again I guess.

It's the mental version of what pathetic spasms I do when they help me up to walk once the bondages were off. There are at least two of them I can feel, one on each side helping me up, and supporting my steps forward. I feel my mobility is getting back, though we are slowly going somewhere. I can't see where though, for the black sock or whatever covering my head. We are indoors, but it is a bit chilly. That might just be me being naked and suddenly have a blood flow. The floor feels like concrete, I think. Hard and cold.

We walk pretty far, only turning once, and the sound I hear sounds like echoes of a corridor. We turn right and walk into a new room. I can hear more people here, though no one is speaking. After a few turns my guides stop me and something is rolled towards me from behind. I can hear them fiddle with something, then they grab me again, and one of them tells me to sit down slowly. They still hold me, guiding me to whatever I'm supposed to sit on. I suddenly feel a blunt point going up between my ass cheeks. Another butt plug or similar. I slowly lower myself onto it. It is well lubed, and I have had far bigger things up my ass just in the last hour, so I manage to impale myself easily and sit myself down on the modified office chair. It might not be a very thick plug, but it goes deep. Hands grab booth my ankles and pull them backward on either side of the central pole below the seat and I can feel them being secured in some sort of padded, stiff shackles mounted below the seat. Finally I hear a wheel on the side of the chair being turned quickly. I feel the butt plug slowly expanding in my ass, forcing me to sit more and more upright. Certainly more than what I would have liked with the legs folded back the way they are. Then they leave.

I'm more or less naked, secured to a chair, but my arms are free for the first time in I don't know how long. I had cuffs on while master took me to this place. I'm fighting the urge to stretch my arms. I don't know what this is, but if it is a test, I want to succeed. I suppose I could remove my face sock in one quick motion, but that would definitely be a fail. I don't think I want to touch my dick. As painful as it is right now, I don't think it will be any better if I mess with it. Nothing will improve, and then someone will see it and punish me. Who are the other people in this room? I can hear breathing. Are they spectators, or are they secured to furniture like me?

This is worse. When you are tied up you are helpless. You can test the strength of your bondage, but they have so far been rated far above what I can muster in strength. But here you are just sitting almost free, with no idea what to do with your arms. Just waiting, listening, and sucking rubber dick. How is it still feeding liquid by the way? I try to lean back, to see if there is a backrest to the chair, but the buttplug makes it impossible to lean that far back. I know it isn't possible, but it feels like the plug is reaching all the way up to my lungs. Or is it possible?

There's a distant sound getting closer. Several steps getting closer and closer. Once they get into the room, somewhere to my right, I hear them walk to a spot just next to me. Then the same rolling sounds, and the same voice telling the person next to me to sit down slowly. I guess the other people in this room are in the same situation as I am.

They complete the same procedure as was done to me, best I can determine from the sounds. Then they leave, and it's all calm and silent again. You would think I would be used to that by now, after having master tell me to sit somewhere and wait, only to be gone for hours. He doesn't allow me to watch TV or read books, so all I have is to think about what has happened recently, what I'm feeling right now, and on the rare occasion what was long ago. That's on purpose of course, so my thoughts center on master, myself and nothing else, but I can't help thinking like something has been taken from me. Thoughts I might have had.

Footsteps again, lots of them. How long was it since they left us? I tried to keep count of how many times I suck the gag dry, but gave up when I came to about eighty for the third time. I think it was the third time. They don't talk. Their steps all sound the same. It must be at least four of them.

I'm completely unprepared when someone behind me pulls the sock off my head and the light of the room burns my eyes. I haven't seen any light since master put a gym bag over my head, however many days ago. The entire wall on the left is windows. This is a run-down classroom, almost stripped bare. The green blackboard is still on the wall in front of me, and on the small elevation where once a teacher's desk stood a man is standing. There is a desk in front of me, out of reach, with some papers and a pen neatly placed on top of it. There's a line of desks. I look to my sides and see five other naked men locked to modified office chairs. All have a gag secured around their head, with a transparent plastic tube attached to the gag in one end, and a drip bag hanging on an IV stand next to them. This isn't just a weekend at one of master's friend's home.

The man in front of us simply stands still, observing us. Handsome, muscular, short hair, black boots, blue jeans, and white T-shirt. Once bored with our puzzled looks he starts to speak to us.

"Congratulations. Your master has decided to improve you to better serve him. I don't know your master, or what he has done to you before, but I'm pretty sure this next part of your life is going to be your toughest so far. I'm not going to tell you how long this training program is. I'm not going to tell you what you will learn and unlearn. I'm not going to tell you what alterations will be made to your body. But I am telling you that your master knows the answer to these questions, and have handed over you and a sizeable amount of money to implement these changes."

He makes a sweeping gesture in our direction.

"These are your classmates. You will never learn their names, should they still have any." He made a crooked smile. "Though I guess you will be very familiar with what each and every one of them smells and tastes like. While the majority of the program here is the same for all of you, there are some customizations that are unique to you, as per your master's wishes. Parts of the program have already started. No doubt you have reflected on the uncomfortable feeling in your dick and balls. As you know all too well the point of a chastity device is not only to control when you get hard, but also to create an ever-present low hum of horniness, so you are always ready to please. A side effect, though some see it as a bonus, is the ever-shrinking dick size after prolonged wearing."

I wasn't sure what the rules were, but one of my hands sought its way down to touch my cage. I got a wave of dull ache in response. The man's eyes shifted to me, but he showed no change in expression and continued to talk uninterrupted.

"The process you have all started will rapidly accelerate this, both in terms of horniness and dick shrinkage. When you leave here you'll have not much more than a circumcised dick head rubbing against your panties, leaking precum, and keeping you horny. You won't need a dick cage. You'll be unable to play with your dick anyway without a vibrator."

Suddenly someone behind me pushes the chair forward, stopping just behind the small desk. Everyone else has been moved forward as well.

"In front of you is a contract waiving any rights and objections you might have to this education and to any modifications done to you. Nothing done so far is irreversible, but once you graduate we will have done our utmost to make it impossible for you to go back to a normal life. We're talking permanent physiological changes. You think it is water you're sipping on?"

He made a pause, letting it all sink in. I love my master, and this past year with him has been lovely, but is it all I want out of life. What does he mean by physiological changes? Can you actually develop a dependency for sucking dick? Is that what he means?

There is a spray of mist coming out of the man to my right. Sounds like he tried to not swallow any more of the liquid after what he just heard. He makes horrible noises while he recovers. No one moves an inch towards him to help him.

"Read the contract if you want. Put your initials on every page. Sign the last page."

[mysteriouslyswimmingfan-blo-blog]

Damian’s Sister

So I read @unmaskedagain‘s Lady Noire In Gotham and @monkeebratz‘s SMOL DAMIEN MARIBAT AU. Which created this idea.

A tad bit of background info.

Marinette, as well as most of the class, is between 15 and 16.

Damian has barely turned 11, having spent barely a year with the Wayne’s, so some of the things that they are teaching him are slowly root in his mind, which is why in the beginning he will come across as a bit of a lost boy. Not entirely sure of himself but sure of what he wants.

Marinette has the Black Cat Miraculous, and is notorious among everyone in her class for taking phones. Everyone just laughs about it whenever a phone is missing because it is most likely with Marinette.

*Line Break Inc.*

Marinette sighed as she looked around her classmates, everyone very unimpressed. They all realize that their lives are at stake and that a gun is being pointed at Marinette’s head. But Marinette wasn’t panicking, so why should they?

Marinette wasn’t panicking because she realizes that she had died before. While they aren’t pleasant memories, she still knows how it is to die, and she doesn’t panic just because some villain thinks that they can have a large pay day from the people in her class, from the French government.

Only thing is that they never negotiate with terrorist.

So, no. Marinette was not worried. Not for her life. For her parents, yes, she is worried for them. But not her life.

Marinette looked back to her class and see that the men that have surrounded the class with guns, weren’t paying attention to their guns, very much. Allowing Plagg to slip in and go through the guns, doing whatever it is that Plagg will do to cause luck on their side.

“Hey,” The class president called to her class. Every single one of their eyes turned to her, while also keeping an eye on the men in front of them. The men also turn their entire attention on the young Parisian fully ignoring their guns at that point. “Have we or have we not survived akuma after akuma?” The teens straightened their backs and looked more defiant. “And how did we survive them?” Marinette saw Alya and Cholé smirk before the two and every other female kicked the men in front of them, in the pelvic.

Marinette looked away from her classmates as they cause havoc and escape. The man in front of her smirked as he pulled his trigger, causing nothing to happen.

Marinette is so lucky she is Lady Noire.

The Asian Parisian raised a single eyebrow before she kicks the man in his jaw with her heel. Shame she was wearing her flats that day.

She looked around to her classmates and how they captured the group of men. Adrien and Nino were rounding up the guns and putting them a safe distance away from everyone. Ivan and Myléne were sitting on one. Cholé and Sabrina were putting makeup on one, who looks to be happy to be having makeup being placed on him, or her, Marinette wasn’t getting into that. Alya and Alix had one on his knees and were each pulling his arms behind him. Nathaniel had somehow convinced one to pose for him, every time that the guy tried to move Nathaniel would scream about aesthetic, in French. Rose, Juleka, and Lila were talking to one about all of his regrets in life, well Rose was getting him to talk about it and Juleka was there while Lila was digging into for everything that the man said. Kim and Max were arguing over the best way to hold a person down while demonstrating with two different guys.

“Alya, switch me and call it in.” Marinette walked over to where Alya was with Alix and took her spot, planting her foot in the man’s knee cavity and pulled his arm back towards her. Alya walked away and pulled a phone out from somewhere on her body. Marinette wasn’t going to question it. “Adrien, Nino, will you two check on Madam Bustier?”

Their teacher was rather violently knocked out when she took a stand, alone, against the men. They waked her with one of their guns on the side of her head, she fell over and has been bleeding from where she was hit.

It took another twenty minutes before police or paramedics showed up. Twenty minutes listening to Max and Kim argue, of listening to Rose comfort and Lila berate the same man in broken English, of listening to Cholé give the man (or women) makeup tips in perfect English and listening to Nathaniel occasionally scream in French about aesthetic.

Marinette was proud of her class.

Yeah, they could survive in Gotham as long as they were together.

However.

Three hours later, Marinette has winded up alone. She simply got lost in a crowd and thought she had heard her teacher call for her in one direction, the paramedics had slowly cleared the class and the teacher. The mass hysteria of the area, from the police, to the paramedics, even ten different new reporters (some yelling over each other after having set up too close to one another, both looking like they want to destroy the other one with their mic) has caused Marinette to completely miss her class getting onto their bus back to their hotel.

So, Marinette made a mistake and ended up walking down Crime Alley. She admits it is her fault.

And looking a group of three men in the eyes, all of them having knives, Marinette has had it for the day.

“Plagg, transform me.” She felt the power of creation wash over her as she continued to look the men in the eye. “You are all the worst. I just wanted a vacation from my own villain, but instead I had to come here to deal with other heroes’ villains.” They were in such a state of shock she was easily able to take them down tie them up to a light pole and left an anonymous tip on the GCPD website. When she turned around, she saw a jaw dropped Robin.

“Welp. I’m died.”

“No, no you are not.” He quickly countered and started muttering about five different things and he paced back and forth in front of her. He was talking so fast and so low it was hard for Marinette to understand completely.

“Uh, so sorry but I must be going to my temporary home.” Marinette waved to the side before taking her staff and launching herself the other way that she waved. Marinette got all the way to her room, with there being nine girls on the trip Marinette ended up with her own room. She had just closed the window and dropped her transformation when she heard a tapping on her window.

“AH!” Marinette screamed, jumped, and spun around wielding her purse as a weapon. A throat cleared, making Marinette open her eyes, finding Robin there. “Oh, hello.”

“Hello, I wish for you to be my sister.” Robin stepped off of the windowsill and took a step into the room before turning around and closing the window and the curtain.

“What?” Marinette did not know what was happening, do people just adopt other people in the States?

“You’ll get to know who I am under the mask as well as the rest of the dubbed ‘Batfamily’.” He kept his back towards Marinette as he talked.

“Wait.”

“As well a bit more formal training. You are good; however, you could use some work.”

“Stop.” Marinette finally got Robin to stop talking and turn towards her. Marinette also saw how tense he is. His posture, his face. Marinette was sure that if she could see his eyes, she’d see tears welling up in his eyes.

“Do you not wish to be my sister?”

“Well, it’s just that…”

“Yes of course, it was foolish for me to assume.” He turned away from her and clenched his fist at his sides, Marinette swore he had his eyes clenched underneath his mask.

“Robin, stop.” Marinette reached for him and brought him to sit on the bed with her. “I have parents.”

“Better than mine, I’m sure.” He continued to not look at Marinette, his fists tightened even more.

“I was a sort of miracle child. My parents never thought they could have me, or any child.” Marinette brought his face to look at hers.

“You have no siblings?” His fist unclenched as realization came upon him.

“I’d like one though.” Marinette opened her arms to receive a hug. She kept them open while Robin turned away and took off his mask, bringing his hand up to his face to rub at before turning back around, without his mask, and buried his head in her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her middle.

“I have three brothers and one sister as well as two sorts of sisters. But I had no say in them. I had no say in my parents. But I want a say in who my family is. It would mean the world to me to be your brother and your parent’s son.”

Marinette knew that this moment was very delicate. She had to remind him of his own family, but she didn’t know the situation of his family or how they treated him. Marinette sighed as she ran her fingers through his hair, deciding to just be quite for now and talking to Robin either in the morning or the next night.

A knock at the door interrupted the moment. In a second Robin had gotten across the room and hid in the bathroom and had silently closed the door. Marinette just blinked not sure if what she saw was correct. She slowly stood up and got to the door just as the person on the other side knocked again.

Marinette waited for the knocking to finish before opening the door to her teacher.

“Hello, Madam Bustier.” Marinette smiled brightly and subtly kicked her shoes off, to show that she has been there the entire time.

“Hello Marinette. I need you to do bedroom checks. You know where everyone needs to be. My head is still killing me.” Caline Bustier held up a clip board with a sheet with names across the top, room numbers right next to the name, as well as boxes underneath the names and numbers.

“It is a good thing that tomorrow is supposed to be a free day.” Marinette grabbed hold of the clip board and held it to her chest.

“That is another thing. Everyone is supposed to report to me tomorrow, but you mind if they reported to you?” Bustier leaned against the door jam, seeming to have a difficult time to just stand at that point.

“Not at all. Let me just get my slippers to walk around in the hall with, and I can get started on those bedroom checks as well as tell everyone that you will need to rest tomorrow so they will need to report to me.” Marinette backed out of the doorway a tad to start heading towards the bathroom to put her slippers on her feet as well as warn Robin of what was going on.

“Thank you, if anyone has any questions have them email me.”

“Of course. Rest well, Madam.”

“You’ll also need to do a morning check in and check ins through the day tomorrow.”

“How often do I need to have everyone check in with me?”

“Once an hour, use the clip board to keep track of the times.” Marinette nod and ensured that Bustier made it to her room before slipping back into her own and heading to her bathroom.

“Hey, I need to go…”

“Room check, I heard. I know French.” Marinette nodded, he seemed more hesitant.

Marinette after a moment of neither saying anything asked,  “Do you need to go home?”

“Yes, unfortunately.” He moved back to the bed and picked up his mask and turned back to her still as hesitant. “I’d like to spend the day with you tomorrow. If you are alright with that?”

Marinette smiled and pulled him into a hug. “I’d love to spend the day with my brother.”

[dumbbitchenergy17]

Extra Part 10

U.A. a school for students to learn how to become the best Pro-Hero. When young Y/n Midoriya returns from her traveling to be accepted through recommendation. What awaits her when she meet the explosive blonde Katsuki Bakugo

Words- 4471

Katsuki Bakugo x Midoriya!Reader, Izuku Midoriya x Cousin!Reader

Warning-Spoilers from show and Hero license Arc, and fighting scenes.

Series Masterlist

After everyone had joined they continued on with the exam, “Oh, right for the hundred of you who passed the first test, please turn your attention to the screen,” The screen in front of you lights up showing the arena.

“It’s the test arena,” Izuku comments.

“What happens next?” Uraraka questions. You all watch as buildings begin to explode as well as other parts of the area get destroyed.

“What the hell.” You watch as structures collapse destroy the entirety of the arena.

“There’s only one more round to the exam. Your goal is simple: Undertake rescue exercises and save the bystanders who are trapped in these disaster sites.” The announcer explains the next exam.

Both Kaminari and Mineta look confused “Save the what now?”

“Bystanders. We learned about them in class, remember?” You try to spark their memories, “They’re people at a disaster scene.”

“It can also simply refer to innocent citizens on the street.” Momo adds.

The announcement continues. “Use this time to show us how you will carry out successful rescue procedures once you receive your provisional licenses. Treat this as though it were a real thing.”

“Look on the screen.” Shoji points out

“Little kids and old people?” Sato gasp.

“That’s so dangerous, why are they here?” Mineta adds.

“These specialists have been trained as professional ‘persons in need of rescue’ They’re very popular introducing the ‘Help Us Company’, also known as HUC for short”

Sero crosses his arms looking at the Tv “So, they’re basically actors, I guess?”

“It’s the kind of job you never think about, ribbit.” Asui points out

“But a necessary one in our world, since they support our hero training.” Ojiro noted

“The HUC bystanders have dressed up like injured victims and will be located throughout the disaster site. We'll be judging on how well you keep them safe as you go about your mission, We’ll be scoring you on a point system. If you have more points than the benchmark at the time the exercise ends then you pass the exam. We’ll start in ten minutes and take care of any necessary preparations now.”

Most of your classmates head off to go prepare for the next part of the exam. You head over to one of the tables to grab some water and a quick snack. You could feel a presence next as you went to go reach for some water when they grabbed the one you were going to. You turned and saw it was one of the students from Ketsubutsu you think you met earlier. He hands you the water bottle and you nod confused you could have grabbed it.

“Uh thanks..”

“Yo Shindo.” You nod using your quirk to get a piece of milk bread to come to you as you were too lazy to walk over. Shindo watches in awe as the bread floats to you and you grab it taking a bite from it.

“Um bye.” You said turning around heading towards your classmates, he rushes to follow you getting in front of you.

“Uh your quirk is pretty cool.” He stumbles over his words trying to remain calm in front of you.

“Thanks only gets better with training.” You state taking a sip of your water.

“I’m Yo Shindo.” He holds out his hand.

“You already said that earlier.” You smile when his face turns red and he stumbles over his words rubbing that back of neck.

“It’s fine really, I’m Y/n Midoriya.” You shake his hand giving him a smile he nods. 

“I didn’t see you at the sports festival, did you not participate?” He questioned not remembering your face on the TV.

“I only joined this summer, I used to travel so I got in through recommendation.” You explained and he looked more impressed.

“Wow.” He looked at you as if you created the stars.

You heard shouting and you turned seeing Kaminari and Mineta harassing Izuku, you sigh turning to him. “Sorry I gotta deal with stuff I’ll see you around during the exam.” You give him a wave, him giving you one back and you make your wave to the boys. You throw out the empty bottle, finishing up your bread as you use your quirk to pull Denki and Mineta away from your cowering cousin. “What the hell is going on?” You look at the two boys glaring at Izuku.

“Midoriya got to see that smoking hot babe’s body naked.” Mineta pointed over to a girl from Shiketsu still waving. You release them from your hold pinching your bridge nose sighing.

“I don’t have time for this boy drama.” You turn away from them, Izuku crying out in distress as they go bombarding him again.

“Oh, hey it’s Shiketsu.” Kirishima munches on a piece of bread as their school comes over to you all.

“Bakugo.” Mora greets him. He was the one who was covered in hair

“What.” Bakugo grumbles,

“I think you met Shishikura in the test. My classmate with the flesh-molding power?” 

Bakugo looked uninterested “Yeah. I took him out.”

“I thought so. I’m guessing he may have acted rudely, or perhaps offended you. He has a tendency to try and push his own values onto others. He probably couldn’t help it in your case, since you’re pretty famous. I apologize for him, I’d like to build a good relationship between our schools.” The way he spoke chilled you and it was hard to tell his expression with all that hair.

“I-I guess he wants to be friends?” Mineta shuddered

“So he says.” Izuku is exactly as fearful, “But the way they were fighting, it didn’t seem that way.”

Mora nods walking away “Anyway that’s it.”

You and Kirishima look at each other and shrug and he went to get more food as you watched the Shiketsu students leave. The way Mora acted seemed to hide hidden ideals, you didn’t get to think more as an alarm went off before you were directed to the TV.

“Villains have performed a large-scale terrorist attack spanning all of Insert City Name Here. Since most buildings collapsed there are many injured,” The room around begins to open up again just like before in the beginning “Due to heavily damaged roads, the first responders have unfortunately been delayed for the time being. Until emergency services arrive, the heroes in the arrive will lead the rescue efforts. Your task is to save as many people as you can and help the injured. And with that..” A loud blare goes off and everyone begins to run “BEGIN!” He never stated how this whole point system was going to work so every action counts.

“Let’s start by heading to the nearest urban area. We’ll work as a team as much as possible.” Ida calls out to the class

“You’re going on your own again?” Mina calls out to Bakugo who starts leaving the group and then turns next to you “Are you not going to follow?”

You shook your head following the group in front of you. “Ida’s plan for us to all work as a team will benefit all of us with what the judging is.” You explain.

“Even though this is just a test, it feels pretty real.” Asui looks around the area as you try to find anyone.

“Stay alert!” Ojiro calls out, “be careful of falling debris and explosions.”

You see Izuku stop in front of you turning to face one of the buildings and you go up to him. “What’s wrong Izuku?”

“Do you hear that?” He asks as the group tries to listen and then you hear faint crying. “I hear someone.” Izuku heads in the direction of the cries with the group following behind.

“Help me, please!” Someone calls out and you rush over to him. “My grandpa! He’s been crushed. I think he’s hurt.” He cries and you can see that there is some blood on his forehead.

“Oh no. This looks bad. Where is he?” Izuku analyzes the situation

“This looks bad?” The HUC actor yells breaking character, “That’s points off your score!” and Izuku yelps at his reaction. “The first thing you should do is see how bad my injuries are and if I can walk. I’m breathing kinda weird, too, aren’t I? And didn’t you even notice that I’m bleeding from the head?” He yells at your class, “People with Hero licenses should be able to judge a victim’s condition in an instant!” Are the members of HUC going to be the ones scoring us? “Your gross lack of training is all too apparent right now. You better shape up and pay attention, newbies! You’re not just here to provide aid. Until the police and firefighters show up, you need to exercise authority and make sure this goes off smoothly. Think of the victims here. They must be terrified. There are many aspects of being a hero. But take note, there is one thing to keep in mind above all else. Anyone in need of reducing is having the worst day of their lives. And the first thing you said was ‘This looks bad’? Seriously?” He scolds you all and you see Izuku slap his hands to his face.

“Hey! It’s fine!” Izuku gives him a smile bending down to his level. There is a brief pause before the actor gets back into character crying

“Over there! My grandpa!”

“Don’t you worry. We’ll definitely save him. I can carry this boy to the first aid station myself. You guys, go on without me!” Izuku reassures the actor while addressing the group. You nod heading off to go find more bystanders. It had been a while traveling through the rubble and debris being wary of explosions and such.

“Wait, look, someone is trapped under here.” Momo points over to where you see a elderly man under debris, “I believe he is still conscious.” She deduces. 

“I’ll use my quirk to get him out.” Uraraka begins to make her way over but Momo stops her.

“That wall near him looks like it will collapse.” Momo creates metal poles and directs Sero to use his tape to stabilize the wall, then Uraraka went and removed the rubble slowly. There wasn’t much for you and your other classmates as the three of them worked.

“We aren’t going to save anyone just standing here.” Mineta whined and for once the little creep was right.

“It would be smart for our class to split up into smaller groups.” Shoji suggested and you all nodded.

“Our best way of passing is communicating and working together with the other schools to save the civilians.” Ida states. You go off into smaller groups, you are with Mina, Jiro, and Ojiro. You had to travel further into the city looking for any victims.

“Hear anything Jiro?” Mina asked the girl kneeling her earphone jacks inserted into the ground. She stood up and pointed towards where the highway you fought at in the beginning of the exam was destroyed.

You headed over to the location and that when Mina called out the three of you. “Guys I found someone, hey you’re going to be okay I have friends here to help you.” You went to where Mina was and she was calming down an older man. 

“He doesn’t have any abnormal responses but his leg is pinned down and we have to be careful if the highway has any falling rubble.” Mina explained pointing to the location where you could see his leg was pin down his pant leg was red but you knew it wasn’t really blood.

“Please help me I can’t feel my leg!” the man cried.

“It’s going to be okay sir, Ojiro you and I will lift the rubble up and Mina and Jiro as soon as you can pull him out, this area isn’t that stable so we need to be careful but also quick.” You ordered and they nodded. Mina and Jiro got into position, Mina holding underneath his arms and Jiro by his legs. Ojiro placed his tail underneath the rubble and your hands glowed red. “Ready, 1..2..3!” You and Ojiro pulled the rock up and Mina and Jiro pulled him out. The two girls pulled him a safe distance for you both to let go of the rubble. They helped the man up to his feet letting him put his weight on the two of them. “Okay let’s get you to a safe location.” You all made your way out of the destroyed highway zone to more clearer areas. Suddenly you could feel rumbling and loud explosions towards the area where you all started at the beginning of the exam.

“Isn’t that where the shelter zone is at?” Jiro commented and an announcement came over the stadium.

“Villains have appeared and they are wreaking havoc on the city, the heroes must suppress them as well continue carrying out rescue maneuvers.”

“Villains and continuing rescue operations? They really want to make this as really as possible.” Jiro points out as you head away from the explosion.

“The only thing we can do is find a new location for civilians and hope any students nearby are dealing with the situation.” Ojiro adds and you all focus on the task at hand. You had found the other examinees setting up a new shelter area and more students with bystanders showing up. You were a reasonable distance from the fight and you could see the occasional gust of wind and fire. You had looked over the examinees and citizens trying to see if you could find Izuku.

“You should go help them.” You turn and see Mina looking at you, you shook your head turning back to people resetting up the shelter zone.

“I’ll be better helping here if we need to move again. Anyway my quirk is better for defense then combat.” You go back to helping pass medical equipment to one of the examinees checking a bystander.

“I’ve seen you fight in training during school and when we don’t have classes. Your quirk is definitely more than just defense, you can move things with your freakin mind. You could end that fight in seconds, they need you Y/n.” She pulls you away from helping and pushing you into the direction of the fight, “So go over there and show those people in the stands that you are going to be the next number one.” You smiled taking a deep breath in and turned back to her.

“You are literally my favorite.” She laughed, shooing you off and you sent a quick wave before turning towards the fight and taking off running. You could see both Shoto and that one student from Shiketsu trying to fight the “villain” who was Gang Orca. You remember seeing him during the Kamino Raid. Whenever Todoroki tried using his fire and Yoarashi with his wind they both cancelled each other or didn’t affect Gang Orca at all. Todoroki tried using his fire again but Yoarashi used his wind quirk which deflected his flames in the wrong direction. 

Heading towards a paralyzed Shindo “No! He’ll be incinerated!” Todoroki thinks unable to stop the flames heading towards the student. Right before the flames can reach two people reach there at the same time. Izuku using his enhanced speed to rescue Shindo, and Y/n landing previously where the boy was using her quirk to stop the flames.

“Dammit what are you two doing!” Izuku yells at the two of them, bringing Shindo to a safer distance.

“Are you two really bicker during a fight.” You commented as Gang Orca’s goons came your way. They had fired their cement guns towards you but you stopped the cement mid-flight sending it back their way. You stuck multiple people together with the cement, keeping your distance to not get over crowded with a more mid-range attack. While you were focused on his sidekicks, Gang Orca grabs Todoroki and uses his soundwave on Yoarashi, knocking him out of the sky. You send a wave of energy towards Gang Orca’s sidekicks sending them flying back rushing over to a falling Yoarashi. You used your quirk to soften his impact with the ground. Facing Gang Orca you got ready to fight your eyes turning red as energy surrounding your hands.

“You're foolish thinking you can take me on by yourself.” He tries to intimidate you.

“As long as those civilians are safe I’ll fight you with everything I got!” You call, a smirk appears on his face as he makes his way towards you. He uses his sonic wave to immobilize you, bringing your hands up to block his attack with a force field getting pushed back by the strength of it even when protected. Running to him going into a close combat fight, throwing punches mixed in with the psionic energy. Gang Orca is pushed back when you throw a ball of energy at his chest, his feet digging into the floor. ‘Just keep fighting until everyone is safe and rescued’ You remind yourself. Punches and kicks are thrown, Gang Orca using his Sonic wave but you keep putting up a force field protecting you.

“How long will you be able to last?” He sees your reaction time getting slower to his attacks. You get back up to your feet ready to keep fighting. Gang Orca sends another Sonic Wave towards you stronger and faster than the other ones. You are not going to be able to protect yourself. Bring your arms up hoping that you have a small force field so you are not fully immobilized. You don’t feel any pain or effect of his quirk, then you hear struggling.

There was Gang Orca cover in a light red haze, your hands had energy a darker red than it’s ever been. “My quirk..” you hear him struggle trying to use his sonic wave to break out of your grasp but he couldn’t. 

Dropping your hands the red disappears and he quickly attacks while you are confused on what happened. You flew back, rolling landing on your back looking up to the sky. Your ears rang and you could hear you breathing most noise muffled as the fight continued around you. Why can’t I hear? Turning your head when you felt a wave of heat and there was a huge fire tornado, when did this happen? You couldn’t do anything but watch as the blazing whirlwind is destroyed by Gang Orca who was inside it. You didn’t get to view the rest of the fight when your vision was turned away by Mina who is kneeling above you. Her mouth was moving talking to you but everything was muffled.

“What…” you gazed up at your friend as she helped you up from laying down to sitting up.

Slowly her voice became more clear and the noise around you returned. “Y/n are you okay when the rest of us came to help I saw you on the ground and thought the worst.” You nodded and looked around and saw Izuku standing next to Gang Orca but they weren’t fighting. Before you could question the loud speaker came on.

“All your scores have been tallied. For those who have suffered injuries, head to the infirmary and for those who aren’t to change back into their normal clothes and await for further instructions.” So the exam was over and all you did in the end was stare at the sky.

“Come one let’s get you checked out.” She grabbed your arm helping you to your feet. You both made your way out of the arena when you felt eyes on you. Looking back you saw Gang Orca looking at you, looking back forward you let Mina lead you away. How did I do that? After being checked out you had a bit of a concussion when you got hit at the end of the fight, but it didn’t explain the bloody nose and blood coming from your ears.

You got cleaned up and changed back into your school uniform gathered in front of a screen. “Okay. Everyone, thanks for your hard work in today’s exam. Now before I announce the results. I should probably explain the way we evaluated you, between HUC and those of us at the Heroes public Safety Commission. We had a two-fold demerit system that we used to determine your total scores. In other words, we were evaluating you based on how few mistakes you made in a crisis situation. Anyway, the names of those who passed are listed here in alphabetical order. Keep my words in mind as you search the screen for your name.” The screen in front of you all turns on with a list of names. Come M.. Midoriya. You look through all the M’s and there it was Midoriya Y/n. You passed! 

Mina tackles you into a hug “We both passed look at us! One step closer to being Pros.” You laugh as you other classmates freak out about passing. You glance through the board and can’t find Bakugo’s name.

“Todoroki!” You all turn to see Yoarashi slamming his head into the ground in front of Todoroki. “I’m sorry! It’s my fault that you failed the test. My focus was too narrow minded.”

Todoroki doesn’t move before stepping forward. “You’re fine. I was the one that got us off to a bad start. And thanks to the things you said to me, I have a lot to think about.”

“Holy crap. Did he really fail?” Mina asked

“How could our top two classmates not pass the exam?” Sero said out loud. 

“Shoulda been more careful what you said. Words are important, you know.” Denki teases Bakugo and Bakugo looks ready to kill.

“Shut your mouth before I murder you.” He hissed and Denki's face went pale. 

“Those entitled people at the top think so highly of themselves, don’t they?” Mineta joins into the conversation, “Their own egos are their worst enemies.” He grabs onto Todoroki’s shoulder “Looks like our class hierarchy is collapsing”

A red haze surrounds Mineta and he’s thrown away from your classmates. Todoroki gives you a nod and thanks and you respond, but a sharp pain in your head has you hissing pressing a hand to your forehead.

“You okay Y/n?” Mina looks over at you but you wave her off.

“I’m fine, I probably shouldn’t use my quirk with a concussion.”

“When did you get that.” Sero asked as you stopped rubbing your head feeling better.

“When I was fighting Gang Orca.”

“You fought Gang Orca!” Denki and Sero yelled, making your head hurt more and they lowered their voices.

“He’s like the number 10 Hero and you like actually fought him.” Denki asked and you nodded.

“Todoroki and Yoarashi were down and everyone was busy with the evacuation. I did what I could but then…” You froze remembering Gang Orca struggling unable to use his quirk, but you can’t stop people’s quirks right? Your friends look at you confused when you stopped talking to tell what happened, “Um… all I remember after a bit was that I was on the ground with Mina there and the exam was over, not a big deal.”

The boys nodded and Mina squeezed your hand and you didn’t see Bakugo still staring at you. What really happened in that fight.

“So next we’ll give you the printouts of your results. They include a breakdown of your scores, so you’ll know exactly what areas you need to improve going forward.” People came out handing out papers to each of you giving a breakdown on your profile during the exam. “We lopped off points when you did something wrong. Fall below 50, and you’re done. These demerits are itemized on your result forms, as you’ll see so I’d look at them.”

“Mina what did you get?” You looked off your paper turning to your friend who was glazing over hers.

“I got a 80 seems I’m pretty good at these things, what about you?”

“Eh I got a 85 they mainly took points off when I went to fight by myself instead of helping the evacuation or at least bring someone with me.”

Mina's arm went over your shoulder pulling you into a side hug. “I think you did the right thing. You were able to single handedly fight a Pro on your own, that’s freaking awesome.” you smile thanking her and the announcer continued on, 

“Anyway, moving forward those of you who passed can exercise the same authority as pro heroes, but only during emergency situations. In other words fighting villains, saving the victims of criminal acts or accidents. You may act using your best judgement with no direct orders. Keep in mind that your every action from now on carries with it the deep responsibility toward bettering society, and that the world is watching you. I’m sure you’re aware that All Might, our greatest hero, no longer has his incredible power. One of the reasons crime in this county has been so low is due to his presence. With that deterrent gone, criminals are sure to become bolder and more widespread. Expect the balance we currently have in our world to be destroyed, and for things to change quickly.”

“You young people will be the hope for our future. It’s Imperative that you become exemplary heroes. That your reputation grows to suppress crime as did his. Remember the license you earn today is provisional and you still have much to do. I would like for you to think of yourselves as fledglings, and be even more diligent in your studies. And as for those who fell short and did not pass. We don’t have time for you to feel bitter about your loss. Instead, we offer you a chance to redeem yourselves. After you attend a three-month-long special course and pass an individual test, we plan to issue a provisional license to those of you who failed as well. In order for us to reach the idyllic future that I just spoke of, we’re going to need as many good heroes on the streets as we can get. The first round was one to weed people out. But we would like to grow the 100 selected in that test as much as possible. That's' why we watched you all until the very end. So we can see for ourselves that you each have promise. That once your shortcomings are corrected, you have the potential to be as great as your fellow classmates. This special course will keep you busy as it will run concurrently with your normal studies. You’re welcome to retake the exam in April if you prefer to wait.” He had finished his speech and with that the provisional license exam was complete.

[fang-wolfsbane]

Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia: Inked Feathered Flame: Chapter 04: Training Exercise

“So gear up, and meet me at the training grounds,” their current class teacher, the famous number one hero, All Might said, and with a press of a button, the wall on the left side of the classroom slid open, revealing numbered cubbies, each containing a hero suit they had all gotten the chance to give their opinion on.

Opening his cubby, Akuriru bit his bottom lip nervously. When he originally filled in his hero costume requirements sheet, he had been nothing less than uncertain about its appearance, never mind functionality. He didn’t want to end up looking like a costume clown, but he also needed his suit to be functional, so he had opted, with help from Momo, for clothing that left plenty of space to make full use of his quirk for the day he got more than his current tattoo. In the end, he had settled for black ripped pants, steady combat boots and a loose tank top and hoodie. A casual look, but still functional.

A glance towards Kyoka and Denki revealed that they had similar ideas in mind, respective of their own quirks. Kyoka met his eyes and flashed a kind smile as she and the girls all headed towards their changing room. Holding the body-heat adjusting fabric, Akuriru found himself smiling. Things were really starting to look up for him.

***

He might have thought too soon. All Might gave them a simple simulation situation where they divided into teams of two, one half playing the hero and the other half villains. Just his luck that All Might didn’t take into consideration that there were twenty-one students, leaving him as the odd number out. He had opted to sit the exercise out, only to receive a dramatic lecture from his teacher instead.

In the end, he ended up in a team with Fumikage Tokoyami and Tsuyu, or Tsu, as she insisted they all call her. Fumikage didn’t talk much, but he felt comfortable enough that Akuriru found himself to be relaxed around the other male student.

Their team was to play the villains, something he hadn’t expected, but neither did the team they were up against. All Might on the other hand had thought it a good opportunity for the team playing the heroes to deal with a situation where they would be outnumbered. It made sense, so no one had thought to argue against it.

Fumikage had chosen to defend the object the heroes were sent in to disarm, or capture them first, which left him and Tsuyu to attack. Tsuyu seemed to know exactly how she would go about it, but it left Akuriru a little uneasy. His tattoo could work for both attack and defence if he tried but going up against his classmates did leave him a little on edge.

Becoming a fulltime hero required going up against opponents, fighting in close to far ranges, whether you were adept at it or not. Akuriru knew he would need to practice on all fronts. Momo had nearly drilled that fact into him. If it hadn’t been for her own enthusiasm to become a hero, he would have dropped out before she even suggested this whole crazy route in the first place.

Tsuyu had voted to be the first line of attack, leaving Akuriru as the second line, and if they both failed, then it was up to Fumikage. If he remembered right, they were going up against Momo and Minoru Mineta. He didn’t know Minoru as well as he knew Momo, but he didn’t appreciate the way the purple-haired boy eyed his cousin, or any female in their class. He was certain they felt similar to him on that front.

Tsuyu had set herself against the wall, waiting until they could hear their opponents approaching. Just as Momo rounded the corner, Tsuyu’s long tongue struck out, blocking his cousin from entering the room as it wrapped around her waist and yanked her off to the side, earning a startled yelp from the taller girl.

“Don’t worry Yaoyorozu, I’ll save you!” Minoru’s voice screeched from where he came tumbling through the open doored threshold, his short legs spiralling in mid-air.

“Iro-kun, grab him!” Tsuyu called out, trying to hold Momo in place with her arms pinned to her sides. Akuriru had to shake his head to clear his thoughts before he realised that Tsuyu meant Minoru might get through their defence. Luckily for him, he had manifested his tattoo before their arrival.

With his right hand firmly grasped onto the pole, Akuriru spun the modified spear around, the tip blunted so as to not cause any physical harm. Upon spotting it, Minoru fell back on his backside. Akuriru had never felt like he possessed any physical power over anyone else but standing above Minoru left him with an idea of how that might feel. All he needed to do was pin him down and then Fumikage could wrap the given capture tape around their temporary enemies and win them their round.

He brought the spear down and felt it come into contact with something squishy. His first thought was that he might have accidentally struck Minoru and hurt him, but the second he looked, he saw his spear had been diverted by one of Minoru’s hair balls and stuck to the floor beside him. Who knew the little pervert had such fast reflexes?

With a snarky grin, Minoru jumped to his feet and rushed past. Akuriru released his hold on his spear, but must’ve lost most of his concentration, causing the tattoo to think that it was done with its current task and forcing itself back to its original spot. The unconcentrated return hit him like a bat to the back of his leg as he went down from the temporary pain.

Minoru used the situation to his full advantage, until Tsuyu’s voice called out for Fumikage. Akuriru would have felt sorry for Minoru because of their team’s technical disadvantage with having someone on their team that had a quirk that allowed him to use a physical manifestation that served as a second person, but All Might had decided that his role would be chosen through randomly drawing a team’s assigned letter, which had ended up with Akuriru joining an already three-person team. With how he had let Minoru slip past him, he was certain that both Fumikage and Tsuyu regretted being forced to team up with him.

Fumikage and Dark Shadow wasted no time in capturing Minoru, spinning around him like a snail waiting for an opportunity to strike. Tsuyu already had Momo wrapped in tape against the wall, taking care of Minoru less than a minute later. He couldn’t deny that she and Fumikage made a pretty good team. He would have smiled, had he not nearly cost them their victory.

***

Because Izuku had been injured during his and Ochaco’s match against Katsuki and Tenya, Akuriru was assigned as her replacement partner for the reverse situation exercise. Since Ochaco had already played the hero and Akuriru was the odd one out, they were assigned the villain roles against Mina Ashido and Yuga Aoyama.

Ochaco had the idea that she’d levitate the supposed threat outside the building’s window whilst Akuriru focused on trying to restrain their classmates. He wanted to point out to her why he wasn’t the best choice for defending her, but seeing the excitement in her eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to do so, so he had agreed.

At least they weren’t up against Fumikage and Tsuyu. He didn’t feel up to looking them in the eye, especially not after Tsuyu had been kind enough to tell him not to worry over Minoru slipping past him. It might not have been such a big deal during a training exercise, but if the situation had been real… he didn’t want to think about it.

He must have zoned out, because the moment Ochaco patted his shoulder, Akuriru had nearly launched himself into the air out of fright.

“Hey, are you okay?” she asked, her face showing the same concern her voice portrayed. An expression he had seen so rarely that he almost didn’t know how to respond to it. They weren’t that much different in terms of height, his own reaching more to Katsuki’s height, if only a centimetre shorter.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was just, uh, thinking about how to stop Ashido and Aoyama when they get here,” Akuriru said, attempting his best chuckle in his current nervous state. She must’ve bought it, because a second later she gave him the same confident, reassuring smile she gave Izuku when the two of them were teamed up. He only hoped that he would be as good as a partner to her as Izuku had been.

“Oh, well that’s good! Try not to worry about it so much, okay? We can do it if we work together!”

Her energetic attitude was near enough to put him at ease enough to relax his shoulders. His quirk became painful when he was stressed. She must have guessed, or at least asked Momo, when she heard he’d be her replacement partner. The two of them didn’t know everything about each other’s quirks, but he knew she became nauseous when using her quirk too much, and she probably knew his became painful to control if he lost concentration. Luckily for both of them, they knew Yuga got a stomach ache from his, so at most he would probably attempt to use it three times, meaning Mina would be their main attacker.

He had only seen Mina use her quirk once or twice, not nearly enough times to try and find its weakness. They were at a clear disadvantage against her. that didn’t mean that he didn’t wish Ochaco could use her quirk on their opponents instead, but he understood her reasoning for protecting their objective first. If they could defeat their opponents or keep the object out of their reach until the time ran out, then they would win. He didn’t plan on letting down her like he had done with his previous teammates.

[shigarakis-fifth-hand]

Tenya Lida x fem! Reader

Warning: Mentions of attempted rape, vaping, and then kissing~kinda

Inspiration: I’m Yer Dad by GRLwood (idk why)

“Get your feet off the desk! You have been here for five minutes and you are already destroying school property!” Oh boy... you recognized that voice. 

Walking into class on your first day of high school at UA, you were met by an unwelcoming yet familiar sight. There stood your long time acquaintance Tenya Iida, yelling at a student who had their feet on the desk. 

As you two met eye contact, you smiled, happy to have something familiar in all of this chaos. Walking in, you walked in Tenya’s directions before a bunch of people surrounded you.

 “You must be that girl from the exam! I saw you swing that pole at that robot that went down instantly!”, “Wow, your quirk is so cool!”, “Can you change the size of people?” All these questions from your fellow classmates filled your head as you answered them.

Iida, on the other hand, was having a hard time processing what he was looking at. One, L/N Y/N had gotten into UA, even 1-A to be exact. She was known for being a party animal, not knowing anything about anything, and hooking up with everyone left and right.

The other part was... that between the last day of middle school and today, you had... changed. You were a lot... curvier in certain areas, your hair was longer, you had grown a few inches, and overall you looked... prettier. 

Even though you were known as the cutest girl in Iida’s middle school, you had become more mature in your looks. So when you looked at Lida with that half grin, he was confused. 

Why were you smiling at him? You had never talked to him once the entire three years you had been at the same school, and now you were happy to see him? Maybe he was over-reacting... yea, that had to be it.

Once you were finished answering questions, you managed to squeeze threw the group of students to get to Iida. Once you arrived, you were out of breath from all the talking.

“I-lida! Hi!” you exclaimed, making him even more confused. “(L/n)… you’re here? Talking to me? At UA?” Iida felt woozy, and almost dizzy. “Uh, I think so.” You took a quick pause, looking at his face.

“God, it’s so good to see you after a whole Summer.” With no warning, you brought him into a tight, quick hug before letting go. You sat your backpack right next to his, smiling ear-to-ear.

“Gosh, after that party I thought I’d never hear your voice again.” Iida thought and thought, becoming even more confused. “Um, I think you may be confusing me with someone else Y/n. We’ve never talked before.” 

Your smile dropped as confusion and worry filled your eyes. “N-no. Remember the party? Where you had one two many drinks and ended up kissing me?” As you finished your sentence, Iida had a flashback.

It was the going away party for the eighth graders in the middle school gym, even though you had decided to hang out with your cooler friends in Mr. Himiza’s classroom. There was Riku, Haruto, Haru, and Yuuto. You had only met these guys two days ago, but they were awesome. You were the last of your old friend group to be at the school, as all of them had been expelled or sent to Juvy. Not you though, how could you tarnish your reputation when you and these guys were planning on running away together. That was, until...

“Stop! Get away from me!” You had walked to the bathrooms, not realizing you were being followed. Lucky for you, Iida was patrolling the school for kids going drugs, and heard your voice loud and clear. “Stop! Please!” you cried out as Riku pinned you against the wall and tried to kiss you while also removing your shirt. “No!” you pushed him back, trying to use your quirk on him. But you were just too drunk and not as powerful as him.

“You bitch! Shut up!” Riku slammed his fist into your head, making your skull hit the wall and cause you to fall back. “There, you’re good. Easy there.” As he put his hand on your shirt once more, Iida came up behind him and grabbed him by the collar, raising him high off the ground. You could see Iida’s muscles through his t-shirt, and man was it hot.

“You better run your as home before this gets bloody.” Iida threatened as Riku nodded, getting down and running out of the bathroom. Immediately Iida looked at you concerned, kneeling down and grabbing your hand to help you up. “Are you okay? Is your head alright? What about your eyesight?” The questions just went in one ear and out the other.

“You saved me Iida.” Iida stepped back, surprised that you even knew his name. “You’re my hero.” you looked up at him with lust in your eyes as he gave the same look back at you. “It’s nothing, I’m going to become a hero in real life.” he looked down, a blush forming on his face. “Wait, you applied to UA?” What else would you expect from Tenya Iida?

“O-of course, only the best to keep the family up. What about you?” You stayed silent, thinking of how you had been blessed with such an amazing quirk but had never strengthened it. You hadn’t ever thought of a career in heroism, but again you had never felt such a desire for a single human being as you were feeling right now.

“Um, UA.” You lied as his eyes widened, shocked by your secret lie. Dang, why did you have to be such a sad human being. “Really?! That’s amazing L/n.” he looked... impressed by you? “Call me Y/n.” By now, you were nose to nose with Tenya Iida, in a situation you thought you’d never be in.

Just as you were about to kiss each other, the sound system alarmed, alerting the students that their parents were waiting for them. As Iida was about to walk off, you grabbed his arm to hold him back. “Wait, I’ll never see you again.” You held him back as he just looked back at you with the most innocent smile. “I’ll see you on the first day of high school. Then we can pick up where we were.” And with that, he walked out of the bathroom, leaving you standing there.

“Wait! Iida!” You ran down the hall past him, trying your best to talk to him before he walked out of your life forever and you never saw him again. “Yes Y/n?” he looked behind him at you, his eyes full of happiness and lust like your own.

Now! Here was your chance to confess that you had lied to his face and would never see him again. But instead, you said the most stupid thing in the world. “I’ll see you soon!” He smiled and waved before stepping into his car. Suddenly, it started raining, but you didn’t care. As you sat in the rain, you realized what you had to do. You would get into UA if it killed you.

Somehow, you managed to get into contact with Present Mic when meeting him at the super market, and somehow convinced him to train you. “Well if All Might can have his protegee, I guess I can have mine!” he smiled, patting your hair nicely. Immediately, the training was awful. You quirk was zoom out, meaning that you could change the size of certain objects and move them with your mind. Hizashi, and eventually Aizawa had you use everything, from rocks to buildings. He made you move the heaviest things with your mind, and had you change the size of people.

At the end of the Summer, he had happily given you a recommendation letter for UA, making you cry for days upon days with the Pro Hero, who by now thought of you as his daughter.

So here you were, standing in the UA classroom, a completely different person.

“Y-you remembered that?” Iida asked, his eyes bugging out in shock. As he thought about it, he remembered how you had almost kissed him and promised to resume your relationship on the first day of high school. He could feel his heart beating, and knew immediately that he wanted to have you as his girlfriend.

 “Oh please Iida, that night changed my life.” 

[dinoyoongi]

Confirm or Deny (5)

SYNOPSIS: You’re a member of the rising group FRNZEE. You’ve been dating Namjoon for years when Dispatch releases an article exposing your relationship. Your company confirms the relationship. Big Hit denies it.

PARTS: ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX

PAIRING: Namjoon x Reader

GENRE: Romance, Angst

WARNINGS: Strong language

WORD COUNT: 3503

AUTHORS NOTE: A bit shorter than the others but I felt this was a good spot to end the chapter on. There will only be one more part to this before it’s over! I want to thank everybody for your patience - I’m definitely not as quick a writer as some others on here and when I do sit down to work on this, writer’s block hits me like a garbage truck every time. This chapter is kind of rushed and Namjoon-less but it I hope you’ll all like it just the same! Thanks for all the love. ❤️

___________________________________

BREAKING: Y/N officially departs FRNZEE & terminates contract with Hot Star Entertainment!

After two months of speculation of whether Y/N would return to FRNZEE after being attacked outside the KBS building, it's been confirmed by Hot Star Entertainment that Y/N has officially terminated her contract with the company. Y/N was recently involved in controversy after her company confirmed dating rumors between Y/N and BTS' leader RM that the latter denied. She had been removed from the group's comeback and was on hiatus from all activities when she was attacked by BTS fans outside the KBS building during a taping of Music Bank that she had attended with her manager out of support for her members. Despite official statements being released by both Big Hit Entertainment and RM – who uploaded a handwritten plea on Weverse begging for his fans to stop the bullying – Hot Star Entertainment felt that Y/N's mental health was being compromised and released her from contract.

“Like they give a shit about my mental health,” you snicker sarcastically, dropping your phone a little too forcefully onto the kitchen counter. From your peripheral, you can see your mother's lips turn downwards in disapproval at your foul language but she fortunately chooses not to scold you, recognizing the delicate situation. It's not as if this is a blindside. Nobody was pulling the wool over your eyes right now. You had been aware that they were permanently removing you from the group and from the company only one day after you returned home to Daejeon.

You're only surprised that they waited this long to announce it. You imagine it wouldn't look too good for them if they kicked you out of the group right after you were assaulted – no surprise there. Their image is all they care about.

“Has anyone tried reaching out to you?” your mother asks from the stove, stirring a steaming pot languidly.

Your eyes fall down to your still-lit phone, catching the small red balloon icon that signifies missed notifications. Calls, texts, voicemail, emails; you don't need to open them to see who they're from – you've spent the past week dodging any incoming forms of communication from everyone including your members, your former manager, the CEO of Hot Star, numbers that you don't recognize that you assume to be reporters and even all seven members of BTS.

Out of all the names that showed up on the screen on your phone, Namjoon's appeared the most.

His unread messages and unopened voicemails feel like an anchor on your chest. Is he reaching out to pity you for what happened with his fans? Is he reaching out to get back together with you? Is he reaching out to cuss at you because you dragged his name into your articles again? Is he reaching out to hammer that final nail in the coffin and be done with you for good?

All of these scenarios are equally terrifying so you pretend that the messages don't exist. However, there are times when you miss him so much that your chest physically aches and the thought of loading up your phone's inbox to listen to his voice is so devastatingly tempting. Playing his albums or watching him on YouTube isn't the same. You don't miss RM – you miss Namjoon. Your Namjoon.

You're not completely depriving yourself of him, though. Two months ago, the day of your attack, he posted a message messily scrawled onto a napkin to his Weverse account. Despite his username displaying as RM, your heart can tell just by his words that it's Namjoon. You've stared at the message so many times over the past few weeks that you have the words ingrained into your head.

ARMY,

Today, somebody I care about was seriously injured. I want to deny that our lovely ARMY would do anything to cause harm to other people. That's not Bangtan. That's not what we teach, what we stand for. But that was our logo on their phone cases. That was our lightstick in the pocket of their bags. That was our faces on keychains that hung from their straps. At the risk of upsetting some, I speak on behalf of the rest of the group to say to those who harm other people in the name of Bangtan – both physically and verbally – you are not ARMY. ARMY is better than this. ARMY is too good for this.

Please ARMY, let's always be better.

It's a simple message but one that you know was difficult for him to write. Having known the boys for the majority of their career growth, you know that the admiration they have for their fans is one-hundred percent not an act. Knowing that some of them assaulted you in such a humiliating manner had to have felt like a knife in the gut.

“Nobody,” you lie to your mom who quirks her brows, waiting for your response. “Nobody has tried contacting me at all.”

“When are you going back to Seoul?”

You sigh, dropping your eyes onto the kitchen counter. “Mom, why would I go back to Seoul? There's nothing there for me anymore.”

“What are you going to do then?” your mother asks softly. You hear the spoon she was stirring with drop the table, followed by a heavy sigh. “Is that it? You're done with your music career?”

“It isn't as if my contract just expired and I can shop around for new agencies. I was the center of a very huge scandal. I was the butt of jokes and online bullying for so long. I don't think there's an agency out there that would poke me with a ten foot pole at this point.”

“But you trained for so long. You didn't go to university. Y/N, what -”

Your body slides from the stool, your feet slapping against the linoleum so hard that your mother flinches from the sound. “I'm suddenly feeling kind of sleepy. I'll just go take a nap before dinner.”

She calls your name as you lug yourself upstairs towards your bedroom but you pretend not to hear. You're not angry with her – absolutely not. If you're angry at anything, it's your life. It's this situation. It's the world. It's a fact that most idols audition and join agencies for two things and two things only – money and fame. And while those two things can be really great at times, that's not why you decided to be an idol. You decided to become an idol because, well … there was really nothing else you could do.

Throughout your life, whenever anybody asked you “what do you want to be when you grow up?” you never gave the usual answers that your classmates did – police officers, veterinarians, doctors, lawyers, judges, the president. Your answer from the first time you were asked until the last remained unchanged: an idol. Music was everything to you. There was nothing that you could study for, nothing you could major in that would give you a sense of happiness and fulfillment like music did. Like music still does. It was the upbeat songs, the quirky choreography, the super cute but super outrageous outfits, the camaraderie and bonds formed between group members and the thrill of satisfaction when all of that came together for a comeback. That is what you've always wanted. There was nothing that came even close.

And now that you've had it, now that it's slipped right through your fingers … what do you do? What are you supposed to do with your life?

Heaving yourself onto your bed, you groan in frustration. Your phone chirps from the pocket of your hooded sweatshirt, alerting you to a text message. Waving the device in front of your face, you sigh when you see Ji-na's name.

Ji-na: please be strong. keep your head up. don't skip meals. i love you and i'm sorry.

Your chest throbs are you reread the words again. And then for a third time. If you were being honest with yourself, you stopped being angry with Ji-na and the rest of the group the moment you arrived home. If you were to put yourself in their shoes – would you have reacted the same way? An idol's career is already typically short; seven or eight years if you're lucky. Would you be willing to risk that for another person? The knee-jerk response might come easy to some but only those who have been in your shoes, trained as long and hard as you and your members did, can answer that question. But despite not holding onto any anger, you can't erase the betrayal from your heart. Ji-na was more than just a member of your group. Ji-na was your best friend. Ji-na was the hand that you reached for when FRNZEE was getting mobbed at airports. Ji-na is your first dibs sleeping buddy when you had to pair up in hotel rooms. There was very little that you couldn't and wouldn't tell Namjoon but if there was – Ji-na was the one you confided in. Ji-na was everything.

And going through this without her and Namjoon seems incredibly impossible.

Your eyes leave the phone, slipping over to the corner of the room where your suitcase and bags are haphazardly strewn about as you were too lazy to commit to unpacking. The one thing propped neatly against the wall is a sparkly, medium-sized gift bag, intricately tied with rainbow ribbons. Ji-na's birthday is coming up in week but you've had her present ready for months. Instead of leaving it at the dorms, you brought it home with you. At the time, you were so caught up in your anger and woes and self-misery that you had every intention of sending it back to the store once you settled in but now?

It seems you have a present to hand deliver.

_______________________________________

- TWO WEEKS LATER -

You've only been gone for two months but it seems like Seoul has already changed so much. The first big difference? There's now a doorman stationed in the lobby of the dorm apartments. You can tell that he recognizes you immediately by the way his cheeks flush red but he still refuses to let you go any farther, keeping you a safe distance away from the elevator. You get it, you really do. He was probably hired to keep out nosy reporters and fansites and journalists but knowing Hot Star the way that you do now, you have no doubt that he was also explicitly warned not to let you in. Sighing, you pull your phone from your bag, typing a few quick words to Ji-na before hitting send.

It only takes three minutes for the elevator to open with a loud ding and a flash of pale skin is hurtling itself at you. Ji-na wraps her arms around your neck so tightly that you cough from the pressure until she loosens her grip. You try to ignore the moisture that you see building in her eyes when she pulls away.

Grabbing her hand, she tugs you toward the elevator. “Come on. We have some talking to do.”

“Ah -” the doorman interjects, nervously stepping in front of you. “I'm sorry, Ji-na. She's on the no clearance list. She can't go up.”

Ji-na scoffs. “Even with my permission? Even though I'm bringing her up with me?”

He grimaces. “I'm sorry. It's my job.”

“It's okay, Ji-na. I just wanted to drop this off anyway,” you say, thrusting the bag in her direction. She stares at it for a few hard seconds before hesitantly accepting it. “Happy Birthday. If you're ever near Daejeon, let me know, okay?”

You turn on your heel to leave but a painful grip on your hand stops you. Ji-na twirls you around to face her, like a scene straight out of a cheesy drama. She's toe to toe with the doorman, facial features locked in what you know is supposed to be intimidation but on Ji-na it just looks like an angry kitten.

“If you won't let her upstairs, let's compromise. Your office?” she quirks an eyebrow, head jutting toward the door behind his podium. He contemplates this offer for a moment before relenting with a sigh, dropping a pair of keys into her hand.

“Don't tell your management about this, okay? She's not even supposed to be in the building at all.”

Ji-na throws him an obnoxious salute before yanking you into the room.

_______________________________________

Your heart-to-heart is long and full of anger, accusation, revelations, tears, laughter, giggling and so much more. While you're not ready to completely forgive her for leaving you behind that day, you've accepted the reality that Ji-na is one of the only friends that you have and you're not ready to let her go. She understands your continuing edginess with the situation and promises to do everything in her power to regain your trust and make it up to you.

You expected to leave with a heavier heart than you came with. Instead, most of the weight has lifted.

You only exit the doorman's office after Ji-na receives a text from one of her managers about a project meeting the group has soon. Her arm is around your side as she walks you to the front door, squeezing you tightly. “Please come visit a lot more. We have some off time coming up – would you mind terribly if I came to stay with you in Daejeon?”

You roll your eyes but your smile stays wide. “No, I wouldn't mind terribly. Just give me a heads up so I can stock up on soju and shrimp chips.”

She throws her head back to laugh loudly, bumping her hip to yours as the two of you take a few more steps toward the front door. “Yes! You know me so well! And you also have to make sure that you have tons of-”

“Y/N.”

The voice is jarring but immediately recognizable. Lifting your head, you meet the eyes of your previous manager. The last time you had seen him, he was loading your belongings into the back of a car that would send you right home. He gapes at you, gaze wide and shocked. Behind you, the doorman audibly groans.

“Um, he has nothing to do with this,” you hurriedly declare, throwing your thumb behind you in the groaning man's direction. “He was in the process of kicking me out, I swear. He's very good at his job. You guys should give him a raise. Okay, bye.”

You squeeze Ji-na's hand one final time before moving to scurry out of the building. For the second time today, fingers wrap around your wrist and pull you backward. You sigh as you yank your hand away. “A simple 'wait! stop!' would suffice. Why is everyone so grabby today? Look, I was just dropping off a birthday present for Ji-na. I promise that the doorman didn't let me go upstairs.”

“Y/N, I don't care about the doorman. I have something for you,” he says quickly before reaching into the tote bag that hangs around his shoulder. He rummages somewhat frantically for a few seconds before producing a business card, raising it into the air with pride and beaming as if it was the cure to a zombie outbreak. “You remember me telling you about one of my old co-managers for a different group who quit Hot Star and started working for P NATION?”

Your eyebrows furrow in confusion. This was not the greeting that you expected out of your former manager.

“Um … I think so. He's one of Hyuna's managers now, you said.”

“Yes!” he screeches, his chest heaving as if he has just finished running a marathon. You exchange a glance with Ji-na who looks equally perplexed. “Yes, he works with Hyuna. And he called me last week and said that Hyuna heard about everything that happened to you in the news. And so she started looking you up on YouTube and she thinks you're really talented and wants your contact information.”

It takes a few seconds for your brain to register everything that he has just said considering how quick, breathless and jumbled his words are. Ji-na is elbowing you excitedly in the ribs.

“I've tried asking Hot Star for your address but they wouldn't tell me anything. I was literally coming here to ask Ji-na to try to reach out to you so I could pass the information along but here you are! It's like fate!”

Ji-na throws her elbow much deeper this time, accompanying the jab with a sharp screech. You can see that there's something exciting happening but your brain isn't putting it all together yet.

“Um, why does Hyuna want my contact information? You said she heard about my situation in the news so she must know that I'm not with FRNZEE anymore, right? Or any company, for that matter. We can't collab or anything like that.”

Manager and Ji-na groan in unison, so in sync that it seems rehearsed.

“Y/N, please, are you really this dense? Do I need to dumb this down for you?”

You grimace but bat your eyelashes hopefully. “Would you?”

She sighs, slapping her hands down hard onto your shoulders. “Hyuna was kicked out of Cube for a dating scandal. Psy – who founded P NATION – signed her right after. You were kicked out of Hot Star for a dating scandal. And now Hyuna is contacting you. I mean, I'm just speculating here but there's no way this is a coincidence.”

Wait.

If she's saying what you think she's saying then …

Hyuna wants to contact you … to sign you … to P NATION?

All you were here to do was to drop off Ji-na's birthday present. After this, you were going to stop into a few cosmetic stores to stock up on some harder-to-find products and then treat yourself to a well-deserved oreo bingsu before heading home. Talking to Hyuna – arguably one of the most popular and influential females in the k-pop industry ever – about possibly signing with Psy's new agency was not in the forecast.

Realizing your stunned state, Manager smirks smugly, lifting your hand to drop the business card into before wrapping your fingers around it and letting it fall.

The card feels like fire in your palm.

“Y/N,” Ji-na's voice breaks through your haze. You glance up at her silently, her warm smile only heightening your nervousness. “Go home and call her. Listen to what she has to say or what she has to … offer. Okay? And then call me and tell me every little detail.”

“You guys, that can't be right. Hyuna and Dawn's scandal was different – they both admitted to being in the relationship. Nobody bullied or laughed at them. I … I'm a joke. Why would P NATION want to sign me? Do you think they're just going around plucking up poor little k-pop idols who are mistreated by their labels? No, they're smarter than that. They-”

A hand – belonging to either Manager or Ji-na, you're not sure which one – whacks you upside the head. The strength of the blow is painful but it has its desired affect – it shuts you right up.

“Stop it, Y/N,” Manager scolds. “What happened to you wasn't fair and we all know it. You worked so hard for FRNZEE and maybe this is your good karma. Maybe this is ...”

“Fate!” Ji-na squeals hysterically.

___________________________________

An hour later, you're sitting in the corner of the cafe by yourself, a heaping bowl of bingsu untouched in front of you. Instead, your eyes focus on the card that you've set down onto the table. You wonder if this is a prank; if someone from Hot Star is getting one last act of cruel revenge on you before parting ways completely.

But what if it's not?

What if this is what was always supposed to happen? Everything that has happened to you, everything that you've been through, everything that you've lost … was it for this? Half of you jitters in happiness at the prospect of being signed to a label that houses some of the greats – Psy, Hyuna, Jessi. But the other half of you mourns what you had to give up for this.

Namjoon.

Was this opportunity supposed to make you grateful for losing him? Are you supposed to feel like your breakup served some kind of purpose now?

It didn't. Most of the happiest moments you can remember are either with Namjoon or because of Namjoon. If the choice was your idol career or Namjoon then …

Why do you have to make a choice? Why can't you have both? Why is that wrong?

For the first time, you shift your eyes away from the P NATION logo and onto the phone number scrawled messily onto the bottom of the card.

Lifting your phone, you dial with trembling fingers.

< -- PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER -- >

[violettelueur]

— JUJUTSU KAISEN EPISODE SIX || AFTER RAIN

↳ featuring : fushiguro megumi + kugisaki nobara + zenin maki + inumaki toge + panda from jujutsu kaisen

↳ warnings : mention of death + EXTREME grammar issues

↳ form : story

↳ published : 25 february

↳ pronouns : she/her

↳ word count : 2.6k

↳ synopsis : within the jujutsu world, there were three famous clans to be aware of, the Kamo clan, Zenin clan and the Gojo clan. However, unknown to many sorcerers there was one last family that was known to be apart of the three, only for them to disappear after the golden era leading some to speculate that they had died in battle after the sealing of ryomen sukuna, but....

↳ previous episode : curse womb must die II

↳ next episode : assault 

↳ barista’s notes : hey hey hey~ let me admit, i have no idea how to write the next episode since you don’t see anyone in them except for gojo and itadori (domain expansion episode) ʕ ᵒ ᴥ ᵒʔ so i might have to improvise something now...BUT there’s nothing much happening in this episode, so i hope you still enjoy it even when there is no action or anything interesting going on ʕ •ᴥ•ʔゝ☆

BEFORE READING, I NEED YOU TO BE AWARE OF THIS:

1. the whole story belongs to Gege Akutami and the credits go to them and them only

2. the spell curses used belong to Tite Kubo due to them being the ‘Kidos’ being used on the manga and anime ‘Bleach’ - but none is mentioned in this chapter

2.5 for the ‘cursed spells’/kidos (bleach) i will link this video here and tell you the time stamp to check out what i am intending to show - remember i add a few twist here and there by adding the katana to link with Y/N’s cursed technique 

no cursed spells used this episode...

3. if you are confused on anything, please don’t hesitate to message me since i know this whole thing is so confusing

“We’re in!” Fushiguro and Kugisaki simultaneously answered with determined looks on their faces before turning back to look at you, waiting for your answer.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, you knew that you had no way out of this since they looked so motivated for you to join, even if you disagreed with them.

“This is such a drag, but fine, I’ll join in too,” you replied with a small smile on your face leading them to nod at you before turning back to your seniors.

“But if I decided this training and exchange event is pointless, I’m quitting instantly,” Kugisaki mentioned.

“Same here,” Fushiguro commented, causing you to kick both of them on the back much to their surprise.

“So you drags make me do this event, only for you to dip when it’s pointless for you, besides I heard there are some interesting sorcerers in the Kyoto side, so prepare yourselves,” you stated before stepping down the few steps you were in front of before standing between them.

“Well, people this cocky are all more worthwhile to train,” Panda mentioned with his arms folded with a determined look on his face.

“Bonito flakes,” Inumaki said in a softer tone.

Looking up to the sky, you couldn’t help but brisk in the sunlight that was shining lightly down upon you, leading you to raise your hand over your face in order to not be blinded.

‘I wonder how I’m going to hide from this one now?’

                                                   ꕥ

“You’re late, Megumi,” Zenin obviously mentioned, as her head was turned with what seemed like to be a wooden combat pole in her hand as it casually leaned against her shoulder.

“Kelp,” Inumaki stated, as he was sitting on the ground, also having his head turned to look at the Shikigami user, ignoring what seemed to be a race between Kugisaki and Panda going on behind him.

“What were you doing?” Maki asked curiously, as Fushiguro made his way down the stone steps towards his upperclassman while zipping up his blue track top.

“What does it matter?” Fushiguro then questioned, not giving the weapon-wielder sorcerer a clear answer since he thought there was no need sharing the fact that he went to visit the mother of the man (that Itadori want to save) that had been killed by the special-grade curse back at Eushi Detention Centre to pay his condolences.

“Zenin-senpai...what kinds of people do you want to save as a jujutsu sorcerer?” Fushiguro queried, as he processed to stare down upon the ground trying to hide his emotions to compose his stoic nature, causing the mentioned sorcerer to turn her head once again to look at the other student.

“Huh? It’s not like I care if my actions save anyone,” Zenin answered in a matter-of-fact tone, causing Fushiguro to look to the side with an ‘I’m done’ expression.

“I shouldn’t have asked,” Fushiguro muttered in a lowered tone, leading Zenin to instantly become annoyed as she eyed at the erratic-haired boy with instant irritations in her eyes as well as expression.

Suddenly…

“FUSHIGURO! Quit asking interview prep questions! Switch with me! I’m sick of these school uniforms! Let me go buy some cute tracksuits!” Kugisaki shouted in a fit of rage, as she was strangely spun around in a dizzy circle like she was at a funfair circus as a clueless gymnast before being thrown in the air by Panda.

“What are those two doing?” Fushiguro confusingly asked as he watched the amusing sight process while his classmate landed on the floor.

“Falling practice!” Panda announced as he pointed his finger in the air like what he was doing was obviously.

“Mustard leaf,” Inumaki stated as if to confirm Panda’s answer, as he too looked at the ridiculous scene.

“You’re both weak in close quarters, after all,” Panda stated, as he informed his younger classmen on why what he was doing, made sense to the training that he had planned.

“By the way, where is Y/N? She was with you when you both left to do whatever you were doing,” Zenin questioned, as she looked around the area behind her to see if you were there since she did miss your presence the last time you both met.

“She said she needed to go somewhere important, but will be back as quick as possible,” Fushiguro recalled, as he remembers after you both met with Tadashi’s mother, you informed him that you had to go somewhere for the time being, but didn’t tell him where you were exactly heading off to.

“That’s fine, I guess,” Maki replied back as she processed to swing around the wooden pole she had in her hand with such grace and accuracy before continuing with, “if what that idiot Gojo said to us about her is true, she could beat all of us in an instant, she’ll probably be perfect in the individual’s battle,”.

“Okay, land a blow on us,” Zenin stated, with her palm out, as if inviting Fushiguro to attack her.

                                                ꕥ

“I’m here, mother”

As of right now, you were holding a small bouquet of a beautiful arrangement of blue hydrangeas paired with white roses with some incense sticks in one hand, while the other was holding a wooden tub filled with water with a wooden ladle as well as a plastic white bag with items you quickly brought from the corner store causing you to quickly place your items down before leaving the delicate bouquet in a safe area.

Digging through the white plastic bag, you pulled out a cloth before removing the stubborn tags that refused to be taken off as you processed to soak the material before beginning to wipe down the marble gravestone that towered you as your crouched down before cleaning the vase that you had also brought from the corner store - yet you were surprised at the fact there were no weeds to be pulled.

After you had quickly clean the gravestone, you picked up the incense sticks in their rightful holder before lighting them up with a match (that you also brought from the store) before carefully removing the paper that held the flowers to gently place the floral plants in the same neat arrangement in the now cleaned vase.

Making sure the china vase was placed in the middle, you grabbed the wooden ladle that was in the wooden bucket, making sure it had enough water before standing back up on your feet to pour the clear liquid over the grave as you then placed the ladle back into the bucket.

Placing your hands together in prayer, before internally thanking your mother for protecting you as well as expressing your gratitude for her.

“They’re your favourite flowers right?” you gently asked, as you stared down at the flowers that were beautifully sitting in the vase. “Those were really expensive you know, I wonder how you were able to buy them so often without any regrets,” you muttered with a small smile before crouching back down as if you were going to look eye to eye with the gravestone like your mother was going to be sitting in front of you.

“I've been found…but...I wasn’t as bad as I suspected, the people at Jujutsu Tech are such drags but they’re really nice people,” you expressed, as you continued with, “I’m sorry I took so long to visit, you know Sendai to Tyoko is a really long journey, technically that’s both our faults since we agreed that we wanted to rest in Tokyo if we did pass,”.

Looking at the marble stone in front of you, you could see the thin smoke of incense that was slowly swirling into the air, as if it was trying to hypnotise you with its graceful movements. However, even though you knew you had to get back to Jujutsu Tech as quick as you could, you couldn’t help but utter a few more words to your late mother.

“I miss you mum”

                                                ꕥ

“Ah- am I late?”

At this current moment in time, it seemed like training had taken a pause since everyone was seated somewhere close to the stone stairs that lead the way down to the track field.

“Where were you? I needed you to train Megumi more,” Zenin asked, as you carefully made your way down the stairs with another white plastic bag in hand before making your way to your upperclassmen with one hand holding each handle, leaving an opening that was large enough to let her have a view on the contents inside.

“Sorry, I was visiting someone, but I got you guys some refreshments since I know you all were going to be tired by the time I came. Oh! The orange juice is mine by the way,” you mentioned, as you swiftly grabbed the orange carton from the bag as if someone was going to steal it if you didn’t.

Smiling at you, Zenin leaned away from the tree bark to see what she could choose from the bag, before reaching in, to grab that bottle of water as her choice before you processed to hold the bag around for everyone to get a pick on what beverage they wanted before you took a seat on the steps between Fushiguro and Inuamki.

“Where’s Kugisaki?” you asked in curiosity, as you looked around the fielded area only to not find your classmate leading Fushiguro to explain to you that she went out to buy a tracksuit since she didn’t have one, causing you to realise that you probably needed to change later but for now, you didn’t find being in your school uniform since the slit on the side of your long skirt, made it easier to move as well as deal with the warm environment that was coming in for the season at the moment.

“Gojo, your katana is a cursed weapon right?” Fushiguro asked, causing you to look at him weirdly after stabbing the straw into the carton before giving him a nod as a way to reply to his question.

“I agreed with the others that supplementing my close combat with weapons is the best choice right now, but with my cursed technique, I want to be able to free both hands at any time, with katanas, you lose time sheathing them,” Fushiguro explained, as he placed the pads of his fingers together while looking down at them.

“How do you carry your weapon when your cursed technique is used by your hands as well, also how did you manage to hide the chain attached at the end?” Fushiguro asked as he looked up at you, only to be surprised when he saw you looking at him with an annoyed expression.

‘That’s one way to somewhat expose me, I guess’

“I can utilise my technique by using only one hand, although there are times when I have to use both hands like you. However, I rarely unsheathe my katana, so it usually hangs on my back,” you described, causing Fushiguro’s to concentrate on you, trying to understand your technique since it seemed more complicated then you made it look at your battle with Sukuna.

“About the chain, the red charm cancels the chain being constructed since it will use my cursed energy, not a lot for me, but it’s a drag since I need the extra bit. When the charm is off, I use my curse energy to conceal before clicking my fingers to reveal it, if I want to, and when I use two hands, I can use the chain to pull it back,” you explained, causing the second-years to be surprised at the amount of cursed energy you have to use to employ such a simple weapon - maybe it wasn’t as simple as they intentionally thought.

“How much cursed energy do you possess, Y/N?” Panda asked as he placed his paw on his chin in a thinking posture, only for Fushiguro to answer the question.

“She has a lot more than she is showing right now, I don’t know how but she can hide it,” Fushiguro stated, causing you to smack the back of his head before placing the neglected straw back to your lips since you were desperately craving the citrus content that was in the carton.

“Zenin-senpai, you often carry more than two around with you, right? How do you do that?” Fushiguro queried as he rubbed the back of his head to soothe the pain you had given him.

“I made Panda carry them,” Zenin answered, as she pointed at the classmate leading to the animal sorcerer to proudly show off his muscles as if to inform you and Fushiguro on how strong he was.

“I shouldn’t have asked, part two,” Fushiguro muttered under his breath, causing you to giggle internally at the statement as you wondered what he must have asked the first time since ‘part two’ was in the sentence.

“Some sorcerers keep cursed spirits that can store and retrieve objects,” Panda presented a well-thought idea, even though there was a disadvantage to that.

“He can’t do that. It’s a rare thing and it takes time to tame them, as well. But if you find any, let me know,” Zenin countered, before Panda replied for the payment he wanted if he ever finds a curse for her, causing you to zone out from the conversation as you processed to stare down at the step before you, that was slightly darkened by the shade of your shadow.

In curiosity, you took a side glance at your classmate only to notice that he was in deep thought, leaving you to figure something out for him while he thought of his own solution.

‘His shikigami uses shadows for a medium, then if that is the case…’

Using your hand that was occupied with your orange juice, you leaned forwards slightly, letting the tips of your fingers touch the stone step below you while making them land in the middle of your shadow.

“I think you can do that,” you stated in a quiet tone, causing Fushiguro to look in your direction only to see you staying still in the position that you had set yourself in before slowly pulling yourself back up to sit in a normal position, leading Fushiguro to go back to what he was in deep thought about.

‘I don’t get it, though. Why...did you run back then? What a waste of talent, but the girl back at that place, she knows how to use her technique extremely well’

“You possess such intellect, such skill, such power and such talent and yet you refuse to go against me with your full potential, are you mocking me?”

‘I have the potential to beat special grades? Is that what he meant by that?’ Fushiguro thought, before turning to look at you to discover you were looking into the distance while continuously sipping on your orange juice like the addict you were. 

‘What was she trying to tell me? It seemed like L/N knows something...intellect?’

Slowly but curiously, Fushiguro began to reciprocate your previous movements by letting his hand touch the step between his legs before waiting for a second to see what you were trying to inform him, only for his hand to steadily go deeper into his shadow leading him to widen his eyes at this discovery.

“Tuna, tuna,” Inumaki mentioned, as he pointed at Fushiguro since he noticed what he was doing, leading Zenin and Panda to look at their classmate wanting to know what he was trying to bring their attention to.

“Huh? What?” Zenin asked in confusion, before turning her head in the shikigami user’s direction to realise what he was doing.

“Senpai, I think I can do it,” Fushiguro stated with a rare smile, before looking in your direction once again to see you were still staring at the field in front of you.

‘Such intellect…’

© violettelueur 2021 : written and published by violettelueur - do not steal or repost

[nightowlfandom]

Shoto Todoroki- Valentines Day Special

Why hello there! Today we are doing some V-Day imagines for a few people...I won’t expose the lovely ask who requested this because they weren’t anonymous but...here we go my dude.

I also forgot to screenshot it and I’m to lazy to go back...sooooo heey

LEGGO!

...

“Why do I have to go to this thing anyways?” You asked your mother who was in the middle of putting on her earrings. “Last time I checked this was called The Heroes Ball.”

“Your father insisted the entire family show up.” she spoke. “Where’s my lipstick?”

“Right here.” you were sitting in front of the mirror. You grabbed your mother’s signature Blood Red. “Here you go.”

“Thanks honey. A few of your classmates will be there!” she tried to lift your spirits.

“Yeah, Uraraka is my only friend...remember?” you sighed. “Mom, do I really have to go?”

“Y/N....Is something wrong?” Your mother finished applying her lipstick and walked to stand behind you. “Did something happen at school today?”

“Forget it.” you shook your head. “...I guess I just-”

“Y/N...I’m your mother. You can talk to me.” she began playing with your hair. “Give me the comb.”

“...I embarrassed myself in front of my crush.” you murmured as you handed her the styling comb. “I tripped and landed right on my face.” you recalled the morning.

Everyone was talking about who was and wasn’t going to The Heroes Ball. You were walking with one of your friends when your eye caught a specific person. You hadn’t watched where you were going and that asshole Bakugou had tripped you, which sent you flying.

“Honey.” she sighed. “Why do you let those things get to you?” she styled your hair. “You should have told whoever did that to you to sit in a bed of needles.”

“You should have seen it.” you began venting to you mom. “He saw and he didn’t even flinch. I wanted to crawl up and die.”

“You know, had that been your father. He would have set a fire under his bully’s ass”

“Times are different now. This was basically social suicide.” you laughed dryly.

“Well consider this Social Resurrection.” she grabbed her eyeliner off the table. “You already have natural beauty...but it doesn’t hurt to enhance those features, don’t you think?”

“I guess.” You giggled. “It’s going to be weird surrounded by all the heroes, and me still be a rookie.” you stared at your mother in the mirror. “How did you do it?”

“When you come from a whole family who became heroes before you, you learn.” she winked. “See? Beautiful.”

Your mother didn’t do much, you were assuming it was because she wanted you to embrace your features. Everyone in your family one your father’s side had a diamond shaped birthmark under their right eye. You actively worked to hide yours, but you guessed that your mom wanted you to show it off tonight.

...

You lost count of how many hands you shook. Thanks to your father being an elite hero in the game. Everyone just wanted to meet Diamond Mine’s and Diamond Crush’s only daughter.

“Head up, chest out.” your mother whispered into your ear.

“Sorry, I’m just a little nervous.” you chuckled.

“Try to have fun.” she pat you on the back. “It’s the thought that counts.”

“Yes mam.” you nodded. You went to follow your mom somewhere only to be stopped by a familiar head of hair entering the room.

Shoto Todoroki crossed the floor, decked out in an all white suit. He looked so handsome. He entered the room with such grace and confidence that it almost blew you away.

“...I’m assuming that’s the crush?” you heard your father laugh from behind you, only to get shushedby your mother.

“Why don’t you go and say hi?” she whispered. “See if he wants to dance or something.”

“Mom, I can’t-”

One stern look from your mom was enough to send you away. You crossed the floor slowly, your dress swaying in all different directions as your walked. You noticed a few of your classmates along the way, all looking at you.

“H-hi Todoroki.” your voice was high with nervously, but it was enough for him to hear you over the chatter. He turned his sights on you.

“Hello Y/N. I’m surprised to see you here. I swore I overheard you saying you weren’t going to come tonight.” he greeted you. “You look beautiful tonight.”

“T-thanks.” You said sheepishly, looking down. “And my parent’s convinced me to, I thought you weren’t gonna show up either.”

“Change of plans.” he gave you a small smile. “I wanted to ask, are you alright? I saw what Bakugou did this morning.”

“Please don’t remind me.” you shook your head. “I’ll be fine. Nothing I can’t handle on my own.”

It suddenly grew very quiet between the two of you. It was awkward with every adult with their eyes on you. From the distance your mother and father were watching very close.

“I love this song.” Todoroki commented as the orchestra began to play a new melody. It was slow and romantic. You noticed a lot people getting onto the dance floor. “Perhaps you would like to dance with me?”

“Oh I would but...I’d probably trip and take you down with me.” you stared down at your shoes.

“Oh come on.” he playfully tilted his head to the side. “Just one dance, and if you don’t have fun...you can stop.” he held his hand out. “What do you say?”

You looked up from your feet to him. He was smiling sideways at you, hand still outstretched.

“Okay.” you slipped your hand into his.

He led you right to the middle on the dance floor where you two became the focal point of the entire room.

“Just relax...and let it carry you, like a wave.” he rested a hand on your waist. “Move from one side to the other.” You followed his steps, trying to relax. You were relieved at how easy it was just to move. “Perfect. Now for the fun part.”

“Excuse me?”

All of a sudden, you felt your body jerk and before you knew it, you were staring up at a smirking Shoto.

“Woah! D-did you just dip me!?”

“I believe that’s how you do the tango, Y/N.” he stood you back up. “If i’m going to sweep you off your feet. I’m starting with the literal approach.” You didn’t have time to ask what he meant because you were to busy trying to keep up with his effortless footsteps. You tried your best to look at seamless as he did, but it didn’t look as good.

After a whole bunch of spinning, lifting, and who knows what-ing, you were definitely swept off your feet. So much so you almost found yourself leaning onto his shoulder to stay upright.

“Y-you’re pretty light on your feet.” you commented.

“I could say the same about you.” he rebutted. Slowing down as the song switched again. “I’ve seen you during training sessions. You’re very graceful.”

“Yeah, but when I’m not using my quirk, I’m tripping over thin air.” you scoffed. “How adorable can that be.” you looked down. “You’ve seen me head-butt a pole...while trying to actively avoid said pole.”

“Believe it or not, I think that’s the most exquisite thing about you. You don’t try to act as if you and your power are one and the same. There are things about you that set you apart from everything else.” he spoke softly.

“Really? Because without my quirk...I’m pretty useless.” you looked away from him.

“Not to me.” he whispered. “....Come outside with me.” he tightened his hand in yours. “I hear the gardens are beautiful.”

You turned your head to look for your parents, they were nowhere in sight. “Sure, why not.”

...

He was right, the gardens were just as magical as the ballroom. You sat on a bench next to Todoroki, staring into the distance.

“Things seem so much more clear when there isn’t someone in your face to blur it up.” You commented.

“You’re absolutely right.” he commented. “...By the way, Happy Valentines Day.”

“Yeah, happy ‘let’s remind you that you’re single and worthless by making you show up to a gala that has no purpose other than to show off.’...” you joked, rolling your eyes.

“I’m assuming you don’t like the holiday.” he replied, partially amused.

“No, it’s okay. I just don’t have a lot of people to celebrate with.” you shook your head.

“...Well would you want to celebrate with me? I don’t neccesarily have a Valentine either.” he suddenly asked, making you look up in shock. “Maybe tomorrow when everything isn’t so busy, we could go to the beach or maybe I could take you to dinner.”

“But you have girls falling at your feet every day, surely one of them would be better than me.”

“Well that’s my issue Y/N....they aren’t you.” he hovered his over yours. “I like you.”

“Really?” you squeaked. “I mean...You really mean that? This isn’t some elaborate prank? You aren’t conspiring with Bakugou to make fun of me, right?”

“Would I do this if I were pulling a prank?”

Todoroki lifted his hand and rested his fingertips under your chin. You froze in place, wondering what he was about to do. Shoto gently pecked your lips. The small interaction was enough to take your breath right out of your lungs.

“So what do you say?” he asked after a while. “Spend the day with me tomorrow.”

“...mhm.” you nodded, not knowing what else to say.

“Great.” he stood up. “May I have this dance?”

“You can barely hear the music.” you replied, grabbing his hand and standing up anyways.

“Then just move with me to the silence.” he whispered. “Just enjoy this moment with me...won’t you?”

(OKAY RANDOM REQUESTER, Hope this was to your liking! She wanted it short and sweet, so I kept it that way like I usually do!)

[mcfanely]

Nightowls

Dancing, as Cole now remembered, was addicting in the best way possible. One performance was all it took and now he couldn’t get it out of his head. The exhilaration, the sheer feeling of elation and for once being able to just let loose a long hidden part of himself, even if no one knew about it. Yet, the shift in emotion definitely didn’t go amiss amongst his brothers.

Chapter 06 - What’s Next?, 2080 words

There were times when Cole questioned his life choices, and dancing with Chamille; not caring what anyone thought of him- odds on, some of the people there didn't even know him. He was probably just a guy who showed up one day and eventually decided he wanted to do more than just stand at the sidelines and watch. 

There was no downside to his decision, all he could think was, why did I ever stop doing this?

But Cole knew why. He remembered the regimented and planned schedule that Marty Oppenheimers' focused on. All the classes that he didn't enjoy, all his classmates; all the teachers even; former performers, singers, actors, who were all well aware they taught at one of the most renowned private schools in Ninjago. They all loved what they did, that was clear, but it just wasn't… 

It wasn't Cole. 

He liked structure and order as much as the next person, but being graded on a dance discipline he didn't like, or taking written exams on the history of Performing Arts in Ninjago. 

Then there was the fact that he only went to that school because it was the same thing his dad had done when he was his age. 

Whereas his dad had graduated with flying colours and gone on to have a successful career, Cole had run away. 

That wasn't to say he hadn't been successful. He'd helped save Ninjago multiple times, averting disaster after disaster, and if anything his time as a Ninja had only served to strengthen the honestly dwindling relationship he'd had with his father for so many years. 

His dad was proud of his choices, Cole was proud of his life; but the universe always had a weird way of coming full circle sometimes. 

What he was doing, in that moment, nothing was comparable to it. 

So why did he ever stop doing something he genuinely loved? 

The second time he danced was later that night, though it wasn't nearly as out there as the first performance. 

He was standing just at the edge of the crowd, partially watching the dancers in the middle, but also trying the steps for himself. They fell into place easily, and he'd never felt more at ease just dancing. He was in a place where it was expected and enjoyed, and even though it had taken Cole over a month and many sleepless nights, he had the stark realisation that doing something he loved doing, surrounded by people with the same interests, what was there to be embarrassed or nervous about? 

The only issue was that, as soon as he stepped back into the monastery everything went back under wraps. Though, that didn't stop the wide smile that he felt plastered on his face for the entirety of the following day. He'd even gotten back in time for training, walking into his room just a little before six in the morning, Cole had subjected himself to the quickest and coldest shower he could to try and wake himself up and it still wasn't enough to stem the still present hum of adrenaline and excitement under his skin.

Even losing a spar against Lloyd didn't dampen his mood, he just kicked himself up off the floor, dusted himself off, retrieved his scythe and shouted, "Nice work, kiddo," He smiled, "Didn't see that hit coming."

The area lapsed into silence, the clanging of weapons stopping.

"Did you… Really just say that?" Lloyd questioned, one eyebrow arching up, before he settled on an idea, "You never let your opponent win, why now?" 

Cole paused, leaning on the pole of his scythe, the end jammed in between two stones, "Let you win? Dude, no, you won fair and square. I wasn't paying attention."

"Did you just admit you lost?" Kai questioned, he must have been listening in. 

"Yes? You say that like I'm a sore loser. That's Jay." He nodded to the blue ninja. 

"Hey!" 

"Anyway," Cole shrugged, "Nice job, greenbean, I'm going to go change."

He turned and started to make his way back inside. He could feel sweat making his gi stick to his chest, and the way his hair was dampened down; it didn't help that it was a warm day too. Yet, training had to be done, even if the heat was sticky and uncomfortable. Nothing another shower couldn't fix. 

Only, Zane was in his path, "Who are you and what have you done with Cole?" 

There was a sense of humour in those circuits then. 

"Oh, ha ha." He rolled his eyes, "Funny. I lost, so what? It's training, that happens." Cole moved his eyes over his icey friend, and crossed his arms over his chest, "This feels like an interrogation." And it did. With everything stopping. The birds were still tweeting their morning song, the sun was still rising, Jay had gone back to messing with his nunchucks if the woosh noise of them spinning through the air was anything to go off. 

But with Zane on one side, and Lloyd and Kai on the other, he felt almost penned in. 

"You're happy." Zane observed. 

Cole frowned in an oxymoronic reaction to the statement, "Am I not allowed to be happy?"

"Of course you are, it's just--" 

"We know you haven't been." Lloyd added after a second, stepping just a fraction closer. 

Oh. 

So maybe he hadn't been as subtle as he could be with his ongoing issue with nighttime and what it brought, but that was getting better.

He was getting better. 

At least, he felt better? 

"Cole, you've been looking exhausted recently and--" 

"Guys," Cole held his hand up loosely, as if waving off the incoming conversation before it even started. "I'm fine. I'm all good. Golden even."

Lloyd ran a hand through his hair, halting just off to his side "Cole--" 

"Listen, I'm having a good day. A really good day." Cole admitted after a moment. "Like, a 'nothing can dampen my mood' type of day. Those are rare. So, I'm going to go shower," He pointed in the general direction of his room, "And I'm going to enjoy this day. I'm fine, literally."

What did it say about him, if nobody seemed convinced at his words?

He sighed, then brushed past Zane with a small smile and a wave which for him, halted the conversation, "Right, you guys can keep being pessimistic, I'm out."

He could feel the eyes on the back of his head until he turned a corner, but he left it at that. Cole had other things to focus on, anyway. 

Specifically, when he was going to dance next. 

It was weird, that the night before he'd spent the entire trip into Ninjago city experiencing a minor freak out over what he had been planning to do. He'd talked himself out of it, and then back into it multiple times, and in the end he hadn't been given much of an option due to an extremely excited Chamille. So Cole definitely had her to thank for everything, because now he couldn't get the experience out of his head. 

It was incredible, it had been so much fun and he could see why he saw the same people perform almost every time he went to Nightowls. Dancing was addicting in the best possible way. 

Sure, he could freestyle whenever he wanted, it wasn't hard. Give him a good song or a specific style and he would make do. Yet, there was just something different about a choreographed routine. All the hours that went into it, the focus. The passion and dedication. If freestyle was like a sheer burst of serotonin, then what if he actually did a routine? 

As Cole was stepping out of the shower after his second wash of that morning, this time at least having less paint to make sure he scrubbed off, he was already set on his idea. 

Then it just came to the logistics of everything. 

Mainly, how he was going to choreograph and practice a routine in a place that was never empty unless there was a Ninjago ending crisis going on, in which case there would be no time for anything else other than saving the world again. 

However, Cole wasn't a quitter if he had his mind solidly set to an idea, so the process quickly went from a case of 'how?', to ‘how was he going to keep the inevitable process hidden?’ 

Though that wasn't so hard once he thought about it either. 

It was honestly amazing how far a good set of headphones and a chair propped up against the door could go. 

That isn't to say he didn't have any close calls. With the chosen music blaring in his ears, his eyes closed and his body moving on its own accord to map out the song and movements in his mind, it wasn't like he was paying attention to the door of his room. The only aspect that clued him in to someone knocking progressively louder with each thump was the fact that the chair nearly topped from its already slightly precarious position under the door knob. 

Cole took a mad dive, catching it before it clattered to the ground and swinging the door open in one smooth movement. 

He pulled his headphones off his head to sit down on his neck, the track still pumping from the speakers. 

Kai was standing on the other side, dressed in his pyjamas with his toothbrush hanging out one side of his mouth. He must have stopped in the middle of brushing his teeth since his words came out slightly muffled around the foam. 

"It's eleven at night, stop making so much noise." The fire ninja ground out, his brow furrowed, "What're you even doing anyway?" Kai reached out and knocked a finger against the headphones and in retaliation, Cole batted his hand away. "Nothing. Aren't you meant to be asleep already, isn't it past your bedtime?" He shot back, a smirk growing on his lips. 

That set Kai on the defensive, and quickly swayed away the conversation. "What, no! But I would be sleeping if you weren't stomping around the place. Go. To. Sleep!" Each word was punctuated carefully, and Cole just let out a breath and reached up to turn the music off, then raised an eyebrow as if to say better? 

That seemed to do the trick. 

Kai gave a half-hearted thumbs up, and trudged back off down the hallway. 

Cole did turn in for bed after that though, it wasn't as if he needed to rush the process. Plus, a tired Kai was slightly more annoying than well-rested Kai. Anything to avoid the former. Though he did practice the next night, and the next. After-dinner-game-time as Jay put it, was fun, yet there were only so many high scores that Cole could continue to break before he eventually got bored of the same five titles. 

He used that time to practice, and in between either sleeping or sneaking out to Nightowls, dancing quickly went from something he'd never thought he'd do much of again, to nearly a nightly thing. 

So when his routine was finished and polished after over a week of practice, Cole had had to force himself to go slow during dinner that night, and it was a conscious effort to stop himself from tapping his feet nervously on the floor. Whatever worries everyone had about his honestly improving sleep schedule, Cole wasn't ready to give them another reason to corner him and get him to talk about his feelings. 

He was all for being open, but some things he could deal with himself. 

Then he killed some time in his room, his headphones on full volume. Cole wasn't dancing, just humming along quietly. He knew the routine, he knew that he knew it. This was the time to cool off and relax, to try and tame the flurry of butterflies in his chest. 

Though even as he was passing through the hallways of the monastery, a cloth bag over one shoulder holding his mask and an assortment of other things for the night, the nerves were just growing. The cool air of impending night and a drooping sun helped slightly, dragging in a deep breath and letting his lungs expand for a few seconds, Cole descended the monastery steps. 

Only, he hadn't been as sly as he'd liked, since he wasn't the only one who left the monastery that night.

-

From the beginning

Ch 05 > Ch 06 > Ch 07

AO3

[justsomeoneunordinary]

Le cirque des mirages

T, 3.7k, IronHawk, Fluff & Angst, Underage Drinking, Druge Use, Implied Child Abuse & Self-Harm, H/C - it’s all not that intense, there’s fluff too | AO3

―

The first time Tony fell in love he was eight years old.

His father was abroad for a week on a business trip and his mother and Jarvis took the opportunity to watch with him a circus performance. From the very second the director entered the arena Tony was completely entranced.

With awe in his eyes he watched the trainer tame a real lion, which almost took his breath away throughout the whole show. The horse spectacle put a smile on his face bright enough to reach from one ear to the other. Even the clowns made him laugh, although it took him only seconds to see through their tricks.

But his personal highlight were the acrobats; Those men and women bending the laws of physics according to their own visions through sheer muscle strength and concentration with grace and beauty. How they performed stunts in breathtaking elegance and finesse Tony never even could have dreamed of.

Throughout the whole show his mother failed to make him sit still ― because Tony, Tony felt like he was flying.

Even months later, his eyes still reflected the sparkle of the cheery-colorful costumes. He told everyone who wanted to hear ― and those who didn’t ― about his mathematical calculations, which he puzzled over for days. At what angle someone had to hold their pose in order to balance on a rope in the middle of the air, despite the high air resistance. How much strength it needed in the arms to swing from ring to ring without falling on the floor with a loud thump. Or how strong one had to push their legs so that another person could position themselves onto the feet.

Years passed and Tony never wished for anything other than watching a circus performance for his birthday. In every second that he didn’t convulsively try making his father proud, he dreamed of big tents, the interior filled with multicolored lights, and the feeling of warmth in his chest.

His illusions stopped all of a sudden when he was fourteen years old and his much older classmates all thought of him as boring. Instead, he began to devote himself to the art of seduction and became friendly with the taste of whiskey on his tongue.

But buried deep inside, the circus always remained his personal sanctuary.

―

The second time Tony fell in love he was seventeen years old.

Dead drunk and with no memory of the last three hours, he found himself right in front of a circus tent, the loud shouts from the inside announcing the beginning of a show. He didn’t know how his feet carried him to somewhere in the middle of nowhere, but instead of ordering a cab back to the MIT campus, he bought a ticket and before he knew it, he was in the middle of that turmoil that only tormented his drunken head even more.

Though the majority of the performance flew past him in a shimmer of colors and roars, he grasped enough to see that this was not a conventional circus. The acrobats sometimes lacked some limbs, knife throwers threw at each other and not at targets, fire-eaters jumped simultaneously on trampolines, clowns juggled with swords… if Tony hadn’t been so sure that he hadn’t touched a single joint that day, he would have been convinced he was high.

Just when he thought the performance was over and he was ready to go back―

“And now a big round of applause for the star of our show, The World’s Greatest Marksman! Or as you know him: Hawkeye!”

―the wind was taken out of his sails.

A boy, not possibly older than fifteen, entered the arena in a purple suit, bow in one hand and arrow case in the other over his shoulder swinging. His blond hair looked like he had just gotten out of bed, a scar ran across his right cheek and a devil-may-care grin graced his lips.

Tony was immediately captivated in its spell. As if hypnotized, he watched this boy shoot his arrows at the moving targets in a matter of seconds without looking at them once, and each time hitting bull’s eye. Watched the muscles of the upper arms illuminated by the spotlight move as the bow was pulled. Watched him roll in midair as he was light as a feather.

Tony couldn’t help but return the next day. And the day after that. And as often as possible until more than a month had passed and his fascination with Hawkeye still didn’t find an end at all. He no longer even looked the other attractions anymore, but only had eyes for the mysterious and mesmerizing archer.

Then, the circus did what all circuses do ― they moved.

And Tony followed.

But Tony was first and foremost an MIT student, and there was only so much he could do. If he hadn’t been a billionaire’s son with unlimited access to his fortune since hacking into Howard’s bank account years ago, he would never have been able to follow them across the states whenever he had a day off.

Before he knew it, two years had passed and Tony had graduated from the university with two doctorates. The circus had once again temporarily taken root in New York, where he also planned to complete his third doctorate.

Since his third visit, he could’ve sworn that Hawkeye winked at him at the end of each of his shows ― this assumption was confirmed when, once again, he was the last one left in the tent, sweetly dazed from the marijuana mixed with the bitter taste of the whiskey, before carefully stumbling outside.

“Y’know,” greeted him a chirpy-cheerful voice to his left, “they call me Hawkeye because I observe a lot and see things better from a distance. Not just see, but see, know what I mean?”

“Ah, and here I thought it’s because you’ve got a bat’s sense of hearing,” Tony couldn’t help but say. At least this earned him an amused snort.

“Nah, ‘m hard of hearing and if I weren’t so good at lip reading, I wouldn’t have understood a word of what you just babbled,” came the witty answer Tony admittedly hadn’t expected. “I must’ve left quite an impression that you watch my shows regularly over two years, huh?”

Oh, haughty. Tony liked that a lot. “Who says I’m here for you? Maybe I’m just here because of the incredible Swordsman, ever thought about that, huh?”

Another snort. “Two words: Hawk. Eye.”

Technically, this was still just one word, but okay, he won that round, Tony didn’t know how to counter that.

Then, with a jerk, he pushed himself off the pole he had been leaning against and came so close to Tony that they breathed the same air. “Name’s Clint,” he introduced himself with a mischievous grin on his face.

Which Tony already knew. Clinton Barton, seventeen, joined together with his older brother Barney the circus when he was only nine years old. Tony did not stalk him; those are the only information he had dug up ― he just really had wanted to know who that amazing archer was.

“Tony Carbonell”, he said, like the professional liar that he was, and grinned right back.

Clint nodded once, licked his lips and asked uninhibited, “Wanna fuck?”

Hell yes, he almost shouted, if… if he hadn’t seen something in Clint’s sky-blue eyes that he couldn’t quite identify. A mixture of insecurity, fear and caution ― once bitten, twice shy, he thought. Tony understood that there depended more from his answer than just its semblance.

“Thanks, but not today. Perhaps some other time, if the offer still stands then.”

As if on command, Clint’s whole posture visibly relaxed, as if an invisible weight had fallen from his shoulders. Jackpot.

“Do you want to share a joint with me instead?” Tony seamlessly changed the subject, like he had learned from child on as the center of the media to let a conversation dance according to his pipe.

Clint shrugged. “Sure, why not?” Which is how minutes later Tony learned that Clint had never smoked a joint before. He also learned that Clint was a terrific storyteller. In particular, however, he learned that Clint’s laugh could even lighten a cathedral.

In less than two hours, the two of them became best friends. And less than three weeks of those regular meetings, they became lovers.

When one night under the starry sky Clint kissed him on the mouth without even a warning ― in the middle of the sentence ― it was as if the world had stood still. Chaotic and moisty and interrupted by their drunken laughter, it was the worst and best kiss of his life.

Two days later, Tony rented a shabby little flat in Manhattan that was about to collapse. Strictly speaking, he bought the whole building, but he twisted the truth there a little bit. That was the only way how he could bring Clint home without Howard knowing about it and without Clint getting wind of his wealth.

“I like your place. Nice view,” mocked Clint. After that there was not much left to say, because Tony wanted to inaugurate this apartment. Years ago, Tony had already lost all interest in virgins, but Clint’s inexperience was a delight that surprised even him. Every single touch left his skin tingling and made his heart flutter in an irregular rhythm. Clint tasted like honey and smoke, like nutmeg and vodka, like strawberries and chili ― he tasted like love.

Even in the dim light of the apartment, Tony took every opportunity to trace the contours of Clint’s muscles crafted by his archery training, and to memorize Clint’s facial expression forever at his climax. Not even Michelangelo could have captured the subtleties of such beauty.

Being in a relationship with Clint was nothing Tony had ever experienced before. But not everything thereof was positive. There were hardly any days when Clint wasn’t covered in bandages and plasters or grazes. Most of them Tony knew that they were the result of Clint’s clumsiness, who stumbled over his own feet even on flat ground and then broke his nose masterfully. But some of them were too deep, too clean, too precise. Tony knew what it looked like trying to make a wound look like an accident.

Once, Tony didn’t have enough whiskey left, so he brushed his teeth with gin and tonic. When he tried to kiss Clint afterwards, he was pushed so strongly that his butt landed on the floor. Clint threw up in the toilet and collapsed there, trembling and bathing in sweat.

Howard may have been an absent father who never showed a shred of interest in Tony, but at least he’d never raised his hand against his own family. Tony swore to never even look from the canthus at a gin again.

Ultimately, however, the shady sides were covered by the sunny ones. Because that was how it felt like to be with Clint ― like a warm sunny day, the rays of which finding their way into his deepest parts.

After the circus moved again, Tony continued to visit as often as he could. They then spent the nights in Clint’s bed, where Barney could catch them at any moment. It was absolutely worth the risk. And Tony didn’t have the slightest clue how, but Clint managed to convince the circus director to stay in New York more often and longer. For completely selfless reasons, he claimed.

Often it was impossible for Tony to hide his true intellect, simply because he didn’t want to. Only two months into their relationship, he learned to use ASL fluently. If Clint had had more TV access or at least a little interest in magazines, he would have quickly known who Tony really was.

“You are really good with those computers, aren’t you?”

An understatement for Tony, especially considering that Clint had already met DUM-E. But he just hummed simply while he continued to work on his next AI and enjoyed Clint’s feather-light kisses on his neck.

“Can you also hack and stuff?”

Here he had to laugh softly. “Three years ago, Rhodey bet with me that I could never ever hack the Pentagon. Guess who won.”

“Cool.” There was a grin on the back of his neck Tony could literally feel.

Which was the only explanation for how it happened that Tony hacked into NASA’s server an hour later and, while he was already there, corrected a few of their mathematical equations. It wasn’t even in the top ten of the most dangerous things he had done with Clint. Their relationship might’ve been a lot of things, but sure as hell never boring.

Two years later Howard was driving drunk, killing not only himself but also Tony’s mother. From then on, everything went down the drain.

Tony almost drank himself into nirvana and when he suddenly woke up in the bed of his apartment with a pounding headache, he found Clint snuggled up next to him. Tears adorned his eyes, which were darker than usual and reminded him of blueberries ― Tony’s new favorite fruit, as he decided at exact that moment.

Clint said nothing, he didn’t need to. In the end, Howard Stark and Harold Barton were more alike than Tony had first thought. He tried not to think about having no excuse anymore to take over his legacy and that Uncle Obie would soon find him. Instead, he hugged Clint closely and placed a tender kiss on his temple while he could still do so. The steady heartbeat of Clint’s and his hand stroking trough his hair was the only reason he stayed sane.

Love, Tony thought, must be the power of the gods.

Twelve days later, he received a call from the hospital where Clint was taken to the ER. He had had to be resuscitated during the operation and was now lying unconscious in bed tied up on various machines.

It was only after 37 hours that he finally woke up.

Jacques, the Swordsman, had stolen money from the circus and when Clint tried to tell the director, he was downright beaten to death. Barney had just turned his head and left him on the floor. Tony didn’t show his anger even for a second while those incidents were being recited. He waited for Clint to fall asleep again and then contacted his lawyers ― after hitting the wall with his fist until it was red with blood as the rage boiling through his veins like hot lava.

Tony accepted that it was probably time to tell Clint about the things he had been hiding. It wasn’t that he had deliberately wanted to lie for two years, he was only afraid that Clint would turn away from him as soon as he knew who Tony really was. His pejorative attitude towards the rich clearly spoke for it.

But Tony had the means to help Clint, so he would take the risk. He decided to address this as soon as they were home. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in the hospital.

“Yesterday,” Clint began to say out of the blue on the fourth day of his hospital stay, “one of those suit wearers came to visit me. Coulson or something’s his name. Miracle he could sit down with the giant stick in the ass.”

He interrupted himself because of a fit of giggling. The painkillers had a strong effect on Clint. “Anyway,” he continued after a few minutes, “he offered me a job. Said they could use someone with my particular skillset.”

After a long break Tony asked, “And?”

“And… I think I want to take a look at that offer.”

Tony scratched his chin where he had started to grow a goatee. He wasn’t sure what to do with this information. It sounded to him as if he’d never see Clint again, as irrational as the thought was.

“Will you… will you come back?” he just had to ask, while carefully taking Clint’s hand in his and slowly following the early rough lines crafted from archery. He would never tire of the feeling of Clint’s hand in his.

This earned him a smile, so bright that his eyes shone even more beautiful than the stars in the sky. “Of course. I will always come back to you, Tony.”

But in the end, their relationship had been nothing more than a circus of illusions. A world where Tony could just be himself. Not Tony Stark, child prodigy, son of the so-called ‘Icon of America’s Strength’, heir to a multibillion-dollar company ― just Tony. A world in which he was loved not for his money or fame, but for his heart.

A world in which Clint wasn’t the victim of child abuse. In which he wasn’t betrayed by his only brother and left behind to die. In which he didn’t hurt himself just to see if he could still feel. In which he hadn’t run away from anything all his life and wouldn’t do it again. Simply a world in which he was happy.

Because that was where they both gave in to the illusion. They had been so busy with being happy that they both forgot one important thing: Life always caught up with you.

Twenty years and almost the end of the world had to pass for their paths to finally cross again.

 ―

The third time Tony fell in love he was forty-two years old.

Rubble and ashes had made themselves comfortable in his new home. A huge crater graced the floor of his living room and the Avengers stood awkwardly in the middle, as if ordered and not picked up.

This was the first time the circus had found him, instead of the other way around.

Clint leaned against the back of the sofa and was inspecting his bow. His face was decorated with shiners and blood, though this time Tony at least knew where they came from. His posture screamed nonchalance, but his frown whispered unease.

Without thinking about it, he stood next to him, their shoulders almost touching, and continued to look at him out of the corner of his eye. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t have stayed away ― Clint has always had a magnetic attraction on him.

“So, you’d come back, huh?”

Clint didn’t seem fazed at all. But the days Tony was able to read him like an open book were over a long time ago. He wondered if Clint even realized that he built the Stark Tower on exact the same spot their apartment used to be, before he had the building torn down.

“So, Tony Carbonell, huh?” came the snarky reply.  

Okay, fair enough. “My mother’s maiden name was Carbonell, so I didn’t lie technically.”

“Well, I came back now, so technically I didn’t lie either.” And then Clint had the utter gall to grin at him. Tony almost punched him.

He thought of all those days he had been waiting in the apartment for Clint to return. Thought of all those hours he stared at the telephone in case of a call. Thought of all those times he anxiously went to hospitals and police stations, hoping to find Clint somewhere there.

After six months of unsuccessful searching, he had resigned himself to the fact that Clint no longer wanted him. That he had found out who Tony really was and that he’d just left him to twist in the wind.

Whiskey had found its way through his blood system more than ever. Cocaine had blurred his reality until he ended up in the ER which is why he stopped with it immediately. Men and women had warmed his bed, imitating what he and Clint had had. His nights have never been the same again.

Even after Tony moved to California ― trying to chase the sun’s rays, which Clint had always made shine for him ― he never quit their apartment lease. Just in case. Instead, he installed a camera there that J.A.R.V.I.S. could access. Just in case. Throughout all those years, he had looked at the death notices every day with trembling nostrils. Just in case.

It suddenly dawned on Tony why the alarm bells always rang when he saw Coulson. The new job. Special Agent Clint Barton ― codename: Hawkeye. From the circus’ star attraction to a high ranked spy. Now an Avenger. Tony had always known that Clint’s life had been nowhere near normal ever.

He took a deep breath before turning his gaze back to Clint. Tony chose his next words very carefully. “In the past twenty years I’ve done some stupid things that I can’t even begin to list. Many of them were created under the influence of alcohol,” here he looked him straight in the eye without a hint of hesitation, “but not once have I even touched a gin again.”

When Clint finally dropped his mask ― his own illusion of indifference ― Tony was able to pinpoint it the exact moment it happened. His light blue eyes, previously disinterested and dull, shone in a new light, encased by insecurity and adoration, shame and mischief, pleading for forgiveness and radiating warmth all at the same time. A mess of feelings, each of which Tony was allowed to identify and classify.

“I like your new place. Nice view,” Clint just replied. The meaning of his words made his heart skip a beat. Warmth filled him from within that Tony couldn’t help but give him a shy smile, full of trust and hope.

When suddenly Clint put his arm around Tony’s shoulders, it was as if they were both just two stupid teenagers again, bathing in each other’s attention and the weight on their shoulders not yet so heavy that it dragged them down. The bare spot on his neck, which wasn’t covered by the Iron Man armor, tingled with the touch. Blood roared in his ears and a wave of emotions hit him so hard it almost took his breath away.

Tony threatened to lose the ground under his feet. In order not to panic and kiss Clint directly on the mouth here and now, he blurted out the only thing he could do to deliberately hide the upcoming tears in his eyes: “So, shawarma?”

Clint’s loud laugh echoed through the room like a bird’s song in a cave.

And Tony fell in love again.