#also for the fist bump thing. literally YESTERDAY at work a stranger went in for a fist bump. this is a very normal thing for strangers.

[maytheamazing]

Saw another "Keanu is a zionist" post with no supporting evidence or citing and this annoyed me so I'm making a post about it. To preface, this is all in good faith and to educate.

Zionism is, to be put simply, the belief that Israel has a right to make their own homeland, to create a "place for all jews" by clearing out the native population and culture. As Israel is committing a genocide, it is perfectly acceptable for those supporting Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people to be labeled a zionist.

Specifically we are going to be talking about Keanu Reeves and his involvement with the zionist company Paramount, who expressed their explicit support of Israel and has not issued another statement changing their stance as far as I am aware. I will also be adding film making information as needed.

To start off, we only know of two examples of Reeves interacting with people who have a connection to Israel. He has not stated his stance on any social or political movement, full stop. The first of two such instances is his weapons trainer for John Wick 2, who was hired by the producers specifically. And the second is his attending of a party in 2014 by producer Arnon Milchan, who you may know from movies like; Fight Club, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the Chipmunks sequels, and more. At this party Reeves was photographed speaking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. [image description in alt]

This photo is the only information we have on this party and their interactions. Here is an article gossip mag MalibuTimes released on it. This article also goes to say that Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife made sure to interact with multiple actors- in fact the photo they used for this article is them posing with James Caan.

Seeing as this appears to be their only known interaction and Reeves has been photographed candid and not posed, it is a fair assumption to say they aren't friends catching up. On the film/actor side of things, parties like this are a fantastic way to network within the industry. Arnon Milchan is a well known name in producing movies with a long history and it would not be a smart move to decline or spur his invitation.

Now back to Paramount and Sonic 3, as is our main discussion. Paramount this last October in response to the Oct. 7th bombing announced that they stand with and support Israel.

As you should know by now, six months later, Israel has far gone past "defending itself" as some may claim it has a right to do, and firmly and undeniably into genocide. In this time Paramount has doubled down on their support, donating large sums of money to Israeli based charities and military. In their new Sonic spin off series, Knuckles, one of the human characters openly supports Israel and practices a form of martial arts invented by the Israeli armed forces.

When it comes to Sonic 3 and staff and cast involvement, a little more context is needed. Filmmaking takes a long time and a lot of hard work. The script needs to be written before the cast can audition and then rehearsals, prop design, set and location set up, rigging and prepping Sonic character stand ins for their CGI coverups, and more all need to be done before filming can ever start. According to Collider this last summer Sonic 3 was set to start filming in August of 2023; meaning that cast had been hired months before that. Contracts for movies from big studios like Paramount or Disney often include Non Disclosure Agreements so that staff members wont leak anything before its ready and/or a legally binding punishment should a leak happen. We only found out Reeves is playing Shadow the Hedgehog this last week, and filming has completed earlier this month according to ScreenRant who cited James Marsden for that confirmation. Meaning that Keanu has been done for a little while now, if he was only in booth voice acting rather than some combination of on set and in booth. Depending on the NDA the agreement can last for years, according to BrewerLog Attorney's Office the average amount of time a NDA lasts is 1-5 years and depends heavily on what is outlined and what information the business in question wants to be kept secret.

Reeves nor his PR team has yet (as of 4/28/24) to make any statement regarding his role of Shadow the Hedgehog in the upcoming film, but that's the norm for him. Keanu Reeves rather rarely does interviews or public outspeak; he doesn't even make a statement or announce when donating or setting up regular funding to charities in the past.

To wrap things up there simply isn't enough to say Keanu is a zionist. Circumstantial at best, and heavily assumptionist and bad faith at worst. If in the future there is confirmation that Keanu purposefully or willingly sides, supports, or is politically aligned with anything to do with Israel and their genocide of the Palestinian people and their destruction of Gaza Strip then I will absolutely change my tune here. But there's ACTUAL people who are vocal about their support of genocide who I see get no negative feedback. Jerry Seinfeld openly support and even donates to Israel- why say nothing about him? Or Gal Godou. I have literally seen zero posts about either of them.

TLDR; Keanu isn't a zionist, and explaining why

#keanu reeves #paramount+ #sonic the hedgehog #sonic 3 #free palestine #free gaza #also for the fist bump thing. literally YESTERDAY at work a stranger went in for a fist bump. this is a very normal thing for strangers. #knuckles series

[dekus-afro-pic]

The Girl that fell From the Sky

Shoto Todoroki x Reader

Summary: You fell from the sky. Literally

Warnings::: Profanity, abusive mother, throwing of glass bottles, cigar burns

You closed the door to your moms beat down apartment. The scent of booze and smoke thick in the air. You quietly made your way to your room hoping that your mother was not in the living room. But to your dismay, there she was, hunched over with a cigarette in her hand.

“Y/n” She spoke. “Look at what you’ve done to me”

You rolled your eyes and tried to escape before she could continue. But with a grip to your arm, you were stopped.

“Let me go” you struggled.

“You’re the reason your father left me. 16 years later and your still here instead of him. I should’ve aborted you” The middle-aged woman spat.

“He left because your batshit crazy”you cried as you tried to loosen her grip on your arm.

She inhaled her cigarette and presses it against your arm. You hiss in response to the burn. You finally tug your arm away and quickly walked to your room. Ignoring the insults your mother spewed.

“Same shit” you huffed closing your room door “different day”.

You inhaled the aroma of vanilla that heavily scented your room. Your plugin air freshener doing the job it was intended to do. Which is to keep the smell of your mother out.

You made your way to your bed, which is covered in unfinished manga books. You absentmindedly picked up the closest one to you and start reading. You smiled at the illustration of All Might and Midoriya. Your smile dropped into a confused frown as the illustration started glowing a bright light.

You run your fingers against the glow, only to make the light shine brighter.

“What the hell?” You cursed. You watched as the light spread throughout the pieces of paper. Your sight blurred as the light shun brighter. And then everything went black.

You woke up to a bright light shining in your eyes. You rapidly blinked and held your hand up to shield yourself from its rays.

“Good” a voice spoke. “You’re awake”

You sat up on the bed you were in and rubbed at your eyes.

Where were you? And what happened to the book?

“Can I please have your first and last name” the voice spoke again.

You turned to see where the voice was coming from. You were met with an old lady. Not just a normal old lady. THE Recovery Girl. You opened and closed your mouth like a fish out of water. You were speechless!

How could this be? Were you transported into their world? Are you dreaming?

“Um miss? Your name?” Recovery Girl asked again.

“Oh shit” you mumbled. “My apologies. I’m Y/N L/N”

The woman nodded her head and typed away on her computer. “Well Ms. L/N. There’s no record of you existing anywhere Japan.”

“Well you see” you started. “I’m not even sure how I got to Japan ma’am.”

“She came from a reality rip. Of course she’s not in the system” another voice spoke.

You turned to see Principal Nezu on an irritated looking Aizawa Sensei’s shoulders. Your eyes widened at the two and you were speechless for the second time today.

Wait. Did he just say reality rip?

“We must keep her here in case she manifested a quirk on her trip down.” The principal spoke again. He then turned to you and smiled. “I’m Principal Nezu. And this is Shouta Aizawa. He will be your sensei”

“I-I’m Y-Y-Y/N L/N” you struggled to get out. “I’m sorry did you say reality rip?”

“Yes. A rip was seen in the sky yesterday” the middle aged hero spoke “Then we saw you fall from it. It’s a good thing that Todoroki saw you and acted fast. Otherwise..”

“I’d be dead” you finished. “Well it’s an Honor to finally meet you Aizawa Sensei”

“What do you mean ‘Finally’?”

———

“Class this is L/N Y/N. She will be staying with us for while as her quirk manifests.” Aizawa introduced. You stood at his side as you looked around the common area.

“Sensei, is this the girl that fell out of the sky” Yaoyorozu asked, raising her hand slightly.

The class looked at Todoroki as the man nodded his head.

“Dude. You saved her life” Denki exclaimed.

“That’s so manly” Kirishima whispered.

“Oi stop fangirling over icy hot” Bakugo yelled at his best friend.

“Silence” the teacher yelled while activating his quirk. “I think L/N has something to say”

It was your turn to be stared at by the famous class 1-A. You nervously smiled at the hero. “Well um... first, you can call me Y/N. Second, Thank you Todoroki-kun for saving me.”

The boy nodded in your direction as if telling you “you’re welcome”.

“Also” you started again. “I think I should tell you why I was falling out of the sky to begin with. I’m sure some of you were wondering.”

The class all mumbled in response. You looked at Aizawa Sensei, who only nodded his head for you to continue.

“I came from a reality rip. Meaning, I’m not from this time”

“So you’re a time traveler” Denki asked.

“No Kaminari. Not quiet. Where I’m from, there’s no quirks. They’re fictional” You stated. “Just like you all”

The class was both shocked and confused. They were flabbergasted. What did you mean they were fictional?

“Hey dumbass what do you mean that we’re fictional?” Bakugo screamed.

“Well dumbass” you mocked the blonde. “I mean that you are all characters in a manga I read. Well a manga I read before being teleported into it.”

“Wow. That’s so cool. And kind of disturbing” Midoriya stuttered.

“Since we’re ‘characters’ in your world” Shoji spoke “does that mean you know our backgrounds, favorite food, and all of that stuff?”

Your face flushed at the question. If you told them yes then you’d look like a stalker.

“Well um... kinda?” You winced. You groaned and squeezed your cheeks together out of habit. Your anxiety was reaching its peak and you felt like you were going to burst into tears at any moment.

“The book goes into detail about a lot of things I’m sure you guys don’t want anyone to know” you glanced at Midoriya and Bakugo. Both had a shocked expression on their face.

They know you knew about OFA.

“Fuck” you mumbled “ I’m sorry that makes me sound like a weirdo. I have no ill intentions to use the information I know against you guys in a negative way. I only know ABOUT you. I don’t necessarily KNOW you.”

The students faces were unreadable. Besides Midoriya who was shaking like a salt shaker in his spot on the couch.

“Well since your quirk is bound to manifest at some point.” Todoroki spoke for the first time today. “I can help you adjust to the new environment”

“Yea me too” Uraraka joined in with a smile.

“As will I” Iida chopped through the air.

One by one, the class vowed to help you adjust to your new life and you couldn’t be more happier. You looked up at Aizawa with teary eyes.

He put his hand on your head and said “you’ll fit in kid”

——————————————

After sleeping in a bed that wasn’t decades old, you woke up to the sound of knocking on your room door. You straighten the pajamas yaoyomomo lent you and your hair before opening the door.

“Goodmorning Aizawa Sensei. Is something wrong?” You asked sleepily.

“No. Here are your uniforms, bath necessities, and some extra clothes. Class begins in 30” He responded. He handed you your items and rolled away in his sleeping bag.

“Never gonna get tired of seeing that” you laughed to yourself. You made your way to the women’s shower to prepare your self for the day. The center of your forehead throbbed but you chose to ignore it.

“Goodmorning y/n-Chan” Mina squealed “you look so cute in your pajamas”

“Thank you Mina” you smiled.

You did your morning routine witch consisted of showering, brushing your teeth, and talking to the girls.

You smoothed the skirt to your uniform as you walked behind the group of girls...struggled with tying your tie. You’ve never worn one before so of course you didn’t know how to tie it! In the midst of throwing a tantrum, you bump into something hard. Before you could fall backwards, you felt arms wrap around your back stopping you from hitting the ground.

“I’m so sorry. I was trying to tie this damn tie. Are you alright?” You rambled. You look up at the stranger and was met with a dual colored stare.

“I can help you with that if you’d like” he suggested.

“Yes please” you sighed.

You watched as his large fingers worked at the tie. He held a focused expression as he finished tying the piece of fabric.

“Too tight?”

“No. Thank you Todoroki.” You smiled as the two of walked into home room together.

You spot your assigned desk, which was covered in cards and balloons, and made your way to it. You sat in between Midoriya and Mineta, who was unsurprisingly checking you out. You turned to face him with a faux smile. “You know it’s really ugly being a pervert. Everyone in my reality hates you”

The grape boy’s face fell. His eyes followed the buttons on your jacket and fell on your breast. You flicked the perverted boy’s forehead out of disgust. You faced foreword in your desk and listened to whatever Aizawa had to say.

“Today you’ll be sparring against eachother. Quirks are allowed. Y/N will be monitoring you and adding necessary comments” The hero instructed. “Go get changed and meet in gym gamma. You too Y/N”

——————

You stood in the middle of the gym with a clipboard in your hands. It was the latch match of class and it was the most anticipated one of the day.

Todoroki V. Bakugo.

“DIE HALF AND HALF” The blonde screamed.

You watched in horror as Todoroki’s right side slowly covered in frost.

“DAMN ICYHOT. USE YOUR LEFT SIDE DAMNIT”

“Bakugo” the poor boy huffed a puff of cold air from his lungs.

“I’m gonna call it” you told the middle aged man beside you.

“No. Let them fight”

“But his right side-”

“Just watch”

Todoroki trapped Bakugo in another sheet of ice, which the blonde blasted out of. Without hesitation, the young Todoroki set his left fist aflame and punched the angry teenager.

“Oh damn” you gasped.

“Todoroki wins. Now Y/n” Aizawa called looking down on you. “Spar with Todoroki”

Your eyes almost fell out of their sockets. He wants you to do what? You don’t even have a quirk! The teacher pried the clipboard out of your hand and nudged you towards the mat.

“No quirks obviously”

“nO qUiRkS oBvIouSlY” you mimicked as you walk towards the center of the mat. Todoroki looked at you with a shit eating smirk, which faded into a focused stare.

“Ready?” Aizawa yelled. “Start”

The boy charged at you with his fist cocked back. You dodged left and jabbed him in the chest. Todoroki stumbled back at the hit with his eyes widened. “You’re strong”

“Now you don’t have to go easy on me” you smirked.

The two of you exchanged a number of hits before the match was over. The match ended with Todoroki sending a kick to your side, which caused you to fall to the mat.

“Todoroki wins”

“Fucking shit” you huffed. Todoroki offered you a hand, which you graciously took.

“You’re a better sparring partner than Bakugo” the dual hair colored boy spoke.

“I heard that you bastard” the blonde yelled behind you. “You. I want to spar with you after school”

“Yes sir Mr. Boom boom man” you salute. He growled at the nickname and stormed off. You turned on your heel with your arms crossed and walked to the locker rooms.

—————-——————»

You sat in the common area while everybody else were either in their room or out training. Everyone except Todoroki, who was currently sitting in front of you with a bowl of cold soba, starring right at you.

“Can I help you Todo?” You asked looking up from the book you were reading.

“I find you fascinating. You fell from the sky and you’re adjusting well” He stated. Slurping on his noodles.

“This is a better life than my old one. So I’m satisfied” you shrugged.

Todoroki scrunched his eyebrows together. Confusion visible on his face. “What do you mean a better life?”

You sighed as you closed the hard covered book. “Well, my life before any of this happened was complete–excuse my language– shit”

The boy nodded his head as you spoke.

“My father left right after I was born. He’s the lucky one in this story” you joked. A small smile formed on Todoroki’s face. “He left because when I was born my mom got abusive. She drank and drank and took out all of her anger on us. Cigarette burns here and there. Beer bottles thrown, wine bottles on a good day. My whole life story is bull”

“Wow. And I thought my dad was a dick” He laughed. You chuckled at his joke. “I’m sure you already know...”

“Like I said before, I know about your story. You’ve never told me”. You made your way to his side of sofa as he placed the empty bowl on the table in front of you.

“Well it’s really no different from what you’ve probably read. The way he used to breed my mother like she was some show dog.” His face scrunched in disgust. “The way he drove her crazy. It’s really a shitshow. I barely see either of my siblings anymore due to the fact that the thought of them resenting me plagues my mind.”

You looked into eachother eyes as he spoke. The trauma and anger that his bicolored eyes held as he spoke tempted you to hug him right then and there. You arms hesitantly wrapped around his neck.

You felt his tense shoulders relax in your hold as his arms wrap around your waist. He buried his face in between your neck and your shoulder.

“It’s always that one parent who has to be a bitch. That’s why son’s of bitches are a thing” you joked, trying to lighten the mood. Todoroki’s shoulders jumped as he laughed at your corny joke.

You pulled away from the boy and smiled. The two of you wished eachother a goodnight and went your separate ways. On your way to your room you see Midoriya and Bakugo outside of your door, waiting.

“Um…hi guys?” You smiled nervously.

“So you know?” Deku hesitated. His hands visibly shook with anxiety.

“I guess I do. I won’t tell anyone. I know you’ll get in a whole lot of shit if I do”

“Like hell you won’t” Bakugo growled “I’ll blow your ass into oblivion”

“That’s a big word for a asshat like you. I just said I’m not going to tell anyone” you growled back playfully crossing your arms with a smirk. You turned back to the baby broccoli with a smile “Your secret is safe with me. Have a goodnight. Both of you”

You walked into your room and fell backwards onto your bed. You moaned at how good it felt to finally lay down and go to sleep.

————————————————

Todoroki was woken out of his sleep by light knocks on his door. He rubbed the sleep away from his eyes as he opened the door to reveal a h/c haired girl with an unreadable expression.

“Y/n? It’s 4 in the morning. Why are you-“ his question was cut off by you grabbing his hand and dragging his half asleep body towards your room.

“Ask questions after I show you” you said. Expression still unreadable. Once you entered your room and made sure the door was locked, you pushed the heterochromatic eyed boy down on your bed.

He looked at you with worry. We’re you hurt? Should he take you to see Aizawa? Or recovery girl? His thoughts went blank as he watched you closed your eyes as a third one opened in the middle of your forehead. He watched in awe as you created a void of darkness in the space between your two hands. Everything in your room began to float as the void got bigger. Even the bed Todoroki was sitting on. His eyes widened as you then ball your fists which caused everything to remain still while they were still afloat. You dropped everything back to their original placements by clapping your hands together with a toothy smile plastered on your face.

“Look Todoroki. I manifested a quirk.” You squealed happily. The boy smiled at how excited you were about your quirk. He’s only known you 2 days but he couldn’t stop thinking about the girl that fell out of the sky and her smile.

“That was really cool y/n” he clapped. You jumped into his arms causing the both of you to fall backwards on the bed. The position you two landed in had both of your faces beet red.

“Uh...sorry. I got a little too excited” you laughed nervously. You stood again brushing off you pajama bottoms with a smile.

“It’s fine. I’d be excited too if I’d just manifest my quirk” he chuckled. “What’s your hero name going to be?”

“I have no idea” you yawned. “We should probably go back to sleep”

“Goodnight Y/n”

“Goodnight Todoroki” You watched as he closed your door silently not wanting to wake up your classmates.

The teenage boy smiled hard on the other side of the door. His thoughts swarmed with vivid pictures of you as he walked back to his room. Maybe Midoriya was right. Maybe he did have a crush on the girl that fell from the sky.

————————

You skipped into the common area mentally preparing yourself for your “presentation”. It was Saturday evening meaning that almost everybody would be there.

“Hey y/n-chan. You look happier than usual” Denki chirped, causing everyone to look in your direction. They watched as you walked into the middle of the room with a toothy smile.

“I am. I want to show you guys something” Everybody watched as you closed your eyes. They didn’t expect a third one to open in the middle of your forehead. They all gasped as everything around them covered in black goo and began to float. Everybody except Todoroki. He was just as happy as you were.

Once you disabled your quirk everyone screamed in joy.

“WHEN DID IT MANIFEST!?” Mina asked

“WHAT DO YOU CALL IT?” Izuku chimed in.

“Guys give her some space” Todoroki sighed pushing through the crowd. “You’re going to be an awesome hero y/n”

———————————————————

You held the bouquet of red and white roses tightly as Aizawa walked you down the aisle. All of your friends were fawning over how beautiful you looked. Even Bakugo was speechless.

When you reached the alter, you hugged Aizawa and whispered a faint “Thank you”. When you pulled away the man wiped a stray tear that had fallen on your cheek.

“Does Y/n have her family’s blessing to marry Shoto?” The officiant spoke.

“Yes. Yes she does” Aizawa smiled. He took his seat in the front row as the ceremony continued.

You wiped at the stray tears that fell from your eyes and smiled at your soon to be husband.

“The couple will now recite their written vows”

Shoto looked you deeply in your eyes and spoke. “Y/n ever since you fell from the sky 5 years ago you’ve always found your way into my thoughts. From the smile you sent me on your first day to the tears you shed when Aizawa adopted you I’ve always been star struck by your beauty. You fought by my side during all my battles. Mentally and physically. I’m no good at words but I mean it when I say I love you”

You didn’t even bother to wipe the tears that were flowing. You just smiled at the man before you. You tried to compose when it was your turn to recite your vows.

“Shoto” you said softly “it’s no secret that I’m not from here. But you and all of our friends made me feel at home. I cherish every last memory we have made. From our late night talks in each other’s rooms to teaching me how to make your cold soba. I can’t wait to make more.”

The both of you were teary eyed as you both slipped each other’s rings on your fingers.

“ I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now-“

Todoroki’s lips were on yours before the officiant had the chance to finish. Everybody cheered and threw flower petals your way.

“Y/n Todoroki” Shoto smiled at you.

“I love the sound of that”

#mha #mha fanfiction #mha headcanons #mha x reader #mha x y/n #my hero academia #shoto x reader #shoto torodoki #todoroki shoto fanfiction #todoroki headcanons #bnha todoroki #bnha shoto todoroki

[fanfiction-writers]

Lies and Discoveries Ch. 4

Pairing: Toshinori Yagi/All Might x Reader

Words: 2k

Summary: You've been in a relationship with Toshinori Yagi for a while now, but you're just now realizing that he's been lying to you. Trying to get the truth out of the man is difficult when you can barely get ahold of him, let alone have a conversation with him...

All Might checked his phone again before class started, seeing if you had messaged him. You had been going on interviews and job searches, but had come up short in one way or another. He had noticed you had become more somber than usual, even if you tried to put on a brave face most of the time. It wasn’t like he was a stranger to hiding behind a smile; he recognized the signs. Not that you knew about All Might… He really had been trying to figure out a way to tell you, but now that you were stressed from not having a job he didn’t really feel like it was a good time.

He pocketed his phone quickly before Eraser Head could see him, the man thinking All Might already slacked on his teaching. The class today was a basic course on heroics and learning about different scenarios and natural disasters that they may encounter as Pro Heroes in the future. All Might may not have much experience in the way of teaching, he could admit that, but he had plenty of experience in heroics and could hopefully get meaningful lessons across.

The class period went by fairly quickly, some of the students grasping the concepts better than others. However, he had a pretty good feeling about this group of students. They seemed to have a certain life and charm about them; he only hoped that they didn’t lose that. Being a Hero was no walk in the park, and sometimes it wasn’t glorious.

Checking his phone told you that you still hadn’t texted him. You had an interview about thirty minutes ago and you had told him that you’d tell him how it went. While he was thinking about you, the phone buzzed in his hands, nearly making him drop the thing.

>>Interview was a bust. Guess there wasn’t a job after all… -_-

He wanted to be supportive for you, but sometimes… He just didn’t know what to say. I’m sorry could only be said so many times before it lost its sincerity and he didn’t quite know what to say.

“Uhh, Sensei?” a voice called to him, shocking him out of his thoughts on how to respond. Looking down he saw Young Asui Tsuyu standing in front of him, bag in hand. “Did you need something?” she asked, signature ribbit after her sentence, “You’ve been standing there for a couple minutes. Everyone’s gone already.”

Sure enough, when he looked up, all of the seats were empty, the last couple remaining students just now leaving the doors. “Thank you, Young Asui,” he smiled brightly, teeth nearly shining in the sunlight. “I don’t need anything, I was just figuring out what to say,” he held his phone up. “We should head out, school is over for the day after all.” And he was running out of time today…

“Oh, Tsu, there you are,” Uraraka’s voice said as she peaked around the corner of the door. “We’re waiting for you. Hey, Sensei! What’s going on?”

“He was zoning out looking at his phone,” Asui explained, shouldering her bag and making her way towards Uraraka.

A sly grin broke out on Young Uraraka’s face. “Is it a girl?”

All Might startled slightly, hoping he could get out of here quickly. He really didn’t want to discuss this with his students, what kind of teacher would he be? Aizawa already tells him he doesn’t take this teaching job seriously enough as it is…

“It’s definitely a girl,” Uraraka told Asui with a definite nod. “What’s the problem?”

“There’s no problem!” All Might nearly exclaimed, waving his hands slightly. How was he getting out of this?!

Uraraka narrows her eyes at him, suspiciously. “Well, if something was wrong,” she started slowly, “then some nice flowers usually do the trick. Big, bright ones that smell good. Bye, Sensei!” Waving with a knowing smirk, she linked arms with Asui and they walked out of the room, Young Asui’s head tilted and a finger to her chin in thought.

All Might let out a deep sigh… It was bad enough Young Midoriya was too astute for his own good sometimes, now Uraraka and Asui… It wasn’t that he wanted to keep you a secret, but if it got out that All Might was dating someone, even if it wasn’t technically All Might who was… It could be dangerous.

However, he still showed up to your house with an overly large bouquet of brightly colored flowers, almost shyly hiding behind the plant with a smile. The shocked excitement he saw on your face was more than worth it.

Turned out the students had helped the teacher that day.

“Soooo, did the flowers work?” Uraraka asked, sliding up to the desk before All Might could leave the classroom the next day. He froze for a second, the hope that she had forgotten about yesterday  vanishing completely.

“We should leave him alone, maybe he doesn’t want to talk about it,” dear Asui said as she walked up next to Uraraka.

Asui Tsuyu, you are my new favorite! All Might internally cried. Then he felt bad because he shouldn’t have favorites… Too late, Young Tsuyu was one of them now!

“Please, Sensei?” Uraraka asked, interlocking her hands in front of her. “You always say heroes should go out of their way to help. We want you to be happy!” The sheer earnestness in her voice and face filled him with pride. They were actually taking his lessons to heart! He was teaching these children of the future! He wasn’t sure if the children would actually listen to him when he had first started, but now he knew!

“Very well, then! Yes, the flowers worked wonders. Thank you for the suggestion,” All Might told them. He just wouldn’t give the students any specific details…

Uraraka fist bumped the air in victory. “Yes, I knew it!”

“What did you know?” Yaoyorozu asked, seeing what the commotion was about.

“Yeah, what suggestion?” Suddenly another student’s suit popped up next to him, with no visible body. Hagakure; All Might had almost missed her. He soon found himself nearly surrounded by some of the female students and he didn’t quite know what to do. A couple of them knowing had been… okay… but several of them?

“Did I hear something about love?” Aoyama’s voice cut in, posing next to the desk.

“What’s going on?” Midoriya asked as he and Iida made their way over to see what the commotion was about.

“Uh, children, really-“ He looked at their faces, some literally sparkling with curiosity. Was there no way to deny them without being rude?

 “All Might’s having a Girl Troubles, we’re helping him!”

All Might wanted to vanish on the spot! Would it be too much to jump from (or through) the window? No, too obvious. Plus, Aizawa would berate him for any property damages to the school if he broke a window or damaged the ground. He really didn’t need Aizawa’s opinion of him as a teacher to drop any lower than it was. A second later, as if summoned by his thoughts, Aizawa opened the door and blinked at all the people surrounding the desk.

“What are you all doing in here? Classes are over. Don’t forget any assignments, I don’t accept late work.” He made eye contact with All Might, the bigger man pleading silently for help. A blink later, and Aizawa turned and walked away, blatantly ignoring his plea for escape. All Might knew the man didn’t care for him, but this was too much!

All the students turned back to him expectedly once the door shut, awaiting any information almost patiently. He sighed. At least they were better than reporters. “I-I’m not having troubles really,” he told them. “I just needed help cheering them up…”

“You’re really dating someone?!” Midoriya gasped.

“Rude, Midoriya! And to the Number 1 Hero! Unforgivable!” Iida reprimanded him. “That was a little rude, Midoriya,” Yaoyorozu added with her arms crossed. “Why wouldn’t he have someone special?”

Midoriya’s eyes widened before he waved his hands wildly. “I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Some nice tea always makes me happy,” Hagakure interrupted, finally getting back on whatever track they had started on.

“Food always makes me happy!” Uraraka added.

“Some time in the parlor with some light essential oils from our masseuse always works wonders,” Yaoyorozu offered. Just how rich was this girl?! All Might thought incredulously.

“Chocolates!”

“A romantic night under the stars!”

All Might looked at each of the children who said something, each offering what helped them relax and put them in a better mood. He almost couldn’t keep up with them as they all kept offering ideas, almost forgetting about their teacher standing right there. Then his phone buzzed again, stealing all his attention.

>>Headed home now. I think I’m just going to eat and lay down. You don’t have to come over if you’re busy, I won’t be much company anyway. Love you! See you tomorrow <3

His heart sinks at how despondent you sounded. That just wouldn’t do!

“Was that her?” one of the girl’s asked.

“Yes, I’ve got to go, children! Please excuse me!” he smiled, heading for the door quickly. If he hurried he could jump over to the nearest store to your house and beat you home. If he just didn’t get stopped again-

“Sensei, wait!” Yaoyorozu called. “I tried to write everything down for you, I hope it helps!” She handed over a sheet of paper while the rest looked at him encouragingly.

“Thank you, Young Yaoyorozu! All of you! See you tomorrow in class!” he called, rushing out the door, before stopping and turning in the doorway. “Can you keep this a secret, please?”

“Yes, sir!” they chorused. With a grateful bow, he was out the door and nearly flying over the city.

He just barely made it to your house in time to set everything up. He had figured you didn’t want to go out, even if he offered or asked you to, so he went with his next best option.

The bathroom was covered in tiny candles, unlit even though some gave off gentle scents. He had some bubble bath ready on the side of the tub. He also went with Young Yaoyorozu’s idea and bought some lotions that he had seen you use before. The kitchen table also held a few small candles, some take-out from a restaurant that you loved already set at the table. You walk into the kitchen just as he’s lighting some of the candles, lightly burning his finger in the process.

“Toshinori, what’s all this?”

He smiled, slightly embarrassed after he was busted. He had hoped he’d been completely done before you got home. “I got you dinner and stuff for a bubble bath, if you’d like?”

You stand there for a moment, looking at him closely. The longer you said nothing the more nervous he got. Had he guessed wrong? This wasn’t like hero-work: he still didn’t quite know how to do all this relationship stuff. He thanked whatever was out there that you had the patience of a saint.

Walking up to him, you wrap him in a hug and squeeze him just a bit. “You are seriously the best, did you know that? Number one boyfriend.”

He chuckled nervously as he pulled a chair out for you, your sentence hitting a little too close to his alter-ego which you still didn’t know about. He shook his head slightly; Tonight was about you and not him.

Midoriya Izuku walked to lunch the next day, falling behind most of the others in class. He had started to furiously write his ideas and notes down before he forgot them. He wasn’t aware he was muttering as he was walking, getting weird looks from everyone he passed in the halls.

He also still had to find a way to use One for All without harming himself, and it wasn’t going good. Maybe All Might could give him some tips or ideas on how to control it…

As soon as Midoriya walked towards the cafeteria, he spotted All Might even though he was in his thinner form. He was talking to a woman, both of them smiling before he put his arm around her and steered her towards the outside tables. Curious, Midoriya followed them, trying to be inconspicuous.

The woman produced a small bento box with a cute wrap around it before handing it to his mentor.

“That must be his girlfriend!” he whispered aloud. The two eat and talk, sitting on opposite sides of the table, yet leaning slightly toward each other.

Suddenly, she stops eating and turns to look directly at him in confusion.

 Busted!

It looked like she asked him something before he answered. “Oh, that’s Midoriya,” Toshinori told her, looking over at him too. “He’s in the Hero class, Class 1-A.”

“Those were the days,” she smiled nostalgically. “Hello there, Midoriya!”

“Hello, ma’am, All M-“ Midoriya started to say before Toshinori shook his head, pointing at you under the table. Oh crap, she didn’t know! “Uh, all right! All right! I’m going to lunch, nice to meet you!” he bowed before racing off to lunch, heart thumping.

Toshinori sighed as the boy ran off.

“What was that about?” you ask, taking a bite of your food.

“Dunno, let’s just eat!” he shrugged. “You never know with kids these days.”

Although you look at him through narrowed eyes for a minute, you let it go and continue eating lunch before Toshinori’s time ran out for the lunch period.

#toshinori yagi #toshinori yagi x reader #kristen #all might #bnha #mha

[characterxreader]

Bucharest Chapter XI

Summary: After a run-in with the Romanian Mafia, a stranger provides you with protection.

Pairing: BuckyxReader

Word Count: 1,876

Warnings: Mentions of the nightmares, a little but of troubled past

Part 1| Part 2| Part 3| Part 4| Part 5| Part 6| Part 7| Part 8| Part 9| Part 10

 You and Bucky continued playing card games for hours. Throughout the set time Bucky delved into his history--what he could remember, that is. He talked to you about the journals he wrote in whenever he remembered something.

  “So, what kind of stuff do you remember?”

  “It’s coming back every now and again, but it mostly has to do with, uh...”   “Captain America?”

  “Steve? Yeah. I went to a museum a while back for some answers. Apparently, we were close to each other.”

  “Seems like. It’s that one that’s in New York, right?”   “Yeah.” Bucky shuffled the cards, which you taught him to do not long before that.

  You glanced out the window, and light started to appear. “Well, it’s the morning.”   He smiled, staring at you as you gazed out the window. “Yeah. Beautiful.”

  You hummed, turning your sights to the Winter Soldier. “So, when do we begin training?”

  “Don’t you want to sleep?” he suggested, a grin spreading across his lips. “You literally stayed up the entire night with me.”   “Nah, I’m good for now.” You stood up, pain shooting up your legs. It was only then you realized you had not used your legs in about eight hours. “You want some coffee? I’m gonna make some coffee.”

  “Sure. I’ll clean up all of this.”

  You waddled to the kitchen, lifting one leg at a time and shaking it violently. The tingling worsened. You pulled the coffee maker away from the wall, pouring in the proper amount of scoops and the right amount of water. Your fingers tapped against the counter, and you stared at the coffee maker as the black magic poured into the pot.

  The super soldier’s arms slipped around your waist as he pulled you into his chest. You could feel his heartbeat, and you wondered if he could feel yours pounding against his back. “The coffee smells really good,” you told him.

  “Your hair smells good,” he murmured in return. Your breath was caught in the back of your throat, and you grinned. An immense pool of warmth filled your stomach as you poured the coffee into two cups. “I’ll take mine black, doll.”

  “If you say so.” You poured cream and sugar into your mug, stirring it up with a spoon. You grabbed his cup and turned around carefully so not to spill the coffee. “Here you go.”

  You found yourself wedged between Bucky and the counter, and you did not mind it one bit. He smiled genuinely, taking the coffee cup into both of his grasps. Both of his hands grazed your hand as you let go of the mug. “Thanks, doll.”   “Don’t mention it.” You smiled into your mug before taking a sip of your coffee. Bucky took a step back, setting his coffee on the counter. He leaned to the right, the side which the counter rounded and stretched to, as he kept his sights on you. “What’s on your mind, Buck?”   The corner of his lips turned upward at the nickname. “Just thinking about how today’s gonna go. We need to get you new clothes and I need to get mine washed, then we got the training and stuff, right?”   “Right,” you agreed. “How about we head out after breakfast? I’ll slip on what I had yesterday.”    “I’ll lend you a hoodie so you can blend in better.”

  You disagreed with his reason for lending you his hoodie but kept it to yourself. “That works for me. I will go ahead and get changed, then.”

  “I’ll make some breakfast real quick.” You sipped your coffee, heading toward your bag before Bucky stopped you. “Oh, yeah, and you can shower if you want. Forgot to mention that earlier.”

  You rolled your eyes, grinning as you grabbed your clothes and walked to the bathroom. It was not going to take you long to be ready for the day, so you decided on the shower.

  In the kitchen, Bucky prepared some of the fruit the two of you bought at the vendor yesterday. Additionally, he prepped eggs and bacon. He turned to the bathroom door, smiling shyly to himself, and then returned to flipping the eggs. He didn’t even know how you liked them, but his goal was to learn about more than the way you liked eggs for future reference.

  Future was a funny word for him. To describe your relationship. For the first time in what seemed to be forever, life had the stability he needed. You were the stability. When talking about the “Winter Soldier” you were unfazed. In fact, you wanted to stick by his side and fight his ghosts with him.

  If only he could remember what those ghosts were.

  Bucky heard the shower shut off as he slid the eggs and bacon onto two plates. The cut fruit splayed across a third plate.

  He felt sympathy for your situation. You were forced into a world full of hurt, pain, and destruction. Until all matters concerning this situation with the mafia were over, you wouldn’t be able to rest. Yes, your new abilities may have caused you excitement enough to keep you up at night, but Bucky knew that what he told you about HYDRA and the mafia was at least in the back of your mind. Until they were out of the picture, you would not rest.

  The soldier thought long and hard about this information until he fell asleep last night. He swore to himself not to tell you, but the dream. The Nightmare. It wasn’t about his experiences in HYDRA.

  It was about you. He closed his eyes, the pictures of you calling him for help whilst HYDRA guards held him back vivid in his mind. Bucky shivered. He knew it wasn’t real, but something about it made it seem like foretaste for the future. What if it came to a point where Bucky couldn’t protect you?

  He promised himself that wouldn’t happen.

  As you left the bathroom, the smells of the kitchen hit you. Heaven is real, you thought, staring at the food Bucky set up for the two of you. He turned to look at you, then gestured for you to come to the table. “It’s ready.”

  “Thank goodness.” You held your stomach to emphasize your hunger. Bucky rolled his eyes, sitting on the couch with his food. You grabbed your breakfast, snatching several pieces of fruit in the process.

  Outside, the music of the festival began playing. On the streets were dancers and musicians for entertainment. Jugglers, clowns, and magicians walked around with balloons and bowling pins and handkerchiefs. From the window, you heard people shouting and children laughing and squealing with joy.

  “You know, Bucky,” you said, setting down your empty plate beside you on the couch, “I don’t really miss normal life like a thought it would.”   Bucky took your plate, standing and briskly walking to the sink. “Doll, it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours. Give it time, and soon enough you’ll be wanting to see your family again.”

  You pursed your lips, then shrugged. “Didn’t really have one to start off with.”   Bucky’s muscles tensed as he set the plate into the sink. You never really talked about your family. At least, not in the little bit of time he got to know you. Maybe he should leave it for now.

  Nah. “Really? I took you as a family kind of gal.”

  “To be honest, I wish I was.” A lazy smile crossed your lips as your legs crossed on the couch. You took over the seating before Bucky could come back. “Or at least I used to want it.”

  “So,” Bucky said, walking to the couch, “what about your parents?” He moved your legs so he could sit, your calves landing on his lap instead.

  A frown settled on your face. You seemed focused, and Bucky inspected your facial features. “I never got to meet them. Apparently, they died when I was younger. Instead, I was adopted, but I think the family wanted nothing to do with me. The parents only wanted an adopted kid because it made them look good.”

  Bucky squeezed your leg gently. “I’m sorry.”

  You shook your head, smiling the sadness away. “It’s okay. As soon as I graduated high school I became my own person with goals and aspirations. Never had to talk to those people again, so good riddance.”

  The both of you chuckle quietly to yourselves. Bucky’s metal hand remained on your leg, and you didn’t mind one bit. He bit his lip, staring at the floor before meeting your eyes. “Hey, we should probably go and run the errands. I would rather do it before it gets overly crowded with Dalca’s men.”   “Sounds good to me, Buck.”

New clothes in your bag, you walked alongside Bucky through the flood of people. As you continued to bump into strangers and the sort, you slipped your hand into Bucky’s left. The metal cooled your hand, and he squeezed gently. You licked your lips, searching through the crowd.

  Your hood fell off not long beforehand, but Bucky also provided you with a hat. Both of his clothing items smelled like him. You could not place the smell, but you knew it smelled good. Like him.

  Someone rammed into your side, mumbling a quick apology. You turned your head in reaction, catching eye contact with the tall, strong-looking man. Eyes widening, you looked back at Bucky, who kept his eyes forward.

  The bruises on the man’s face correlated with Bucky’s metal fist. It was difficult to forget one of Dalca’s bodyguard’s faces. But the important thing was: did he recognize you.

  “Bucky, that was...”

  “I know,” he whispered loud enough for only you to hear. It was not difficult, seeing as everyone was talking with another person anyway. “We gotta go.”   You slipped through the crowd, disappearing from Dalca’s man instantaneously. You breathed heavy, adrenaline pumping through your veins. You weren’t even sure if he saw your face.

  Unfortunately, Bucky insisted on acting like he did. And he was right to do so.

  Men in well-tailored suits swarmed the streets, their fingers pressed into the ears as they both. Comms. They knew you were out here.

  “C’mon, let’s go through here.”   You followed Bucky down an empty alley. At the end of it, Bucky opened a door, pushing you inside once he was men walking down into the alley. He jumped inside with you, shutting the door and waiting for the men.

  You leaned against the wall of the small closet. Looking around with light coming through the door cracks you noticed brooms and buckets. Not that it would do much for an outdoor alley.

  Bucky remained silent, his body pressed against the door. Centimeters between the two of you were all that was left in space. Whenever you shifted, your body grazed his.

  “I think we’re going to have to wait a little while. Two men are at the end of the street.”

  You groaned inwardly, your head resting against the wall of the closet-like room. Bucky looked down at you, frowning and shrugging in response.

  It was not what you had in mind as personal time with Bucky, but for the meantime, you supposed it would do.

Tags: @disneychic8

#Bucky #Bucky Barnes #BuckyxReader #Bucky/Reader #Bucky x Reader #Bucky Barnes x Reader #Bucky Barnes/Reader #Bucky BarnesxReader #Winter Soldier #winter soldier/reader #winter soldier x reader #winter soldierxreader

[mollykittykat]

The Cupboard Game Pt. 2

AU in which Splinter evaded the contents of the mutagen canister and ended up raising the turtles as a human. No real warnings apply. Mostly family fluff with a teeny hint of angst. (Also available on A03: http://archiveofourown.org/works/10471893/chapters/23136108)

[If sum won coms wat do we do?]

Splinter got the fist text message a mere few minutes after he clocked in, when he was gathering his cleaning supplies and heading off to mop up the coffee spill in the recreation room.

He allowed his sons to send him text messages so long as it was important, although to four year olds “important” easily ranged from ‘I’m feeling lonely’ to ‘the stove was left on’ and everything in between. Though the turtles always forgot to say who was speaking before sending a message, Splinter could usually tell who it was simply by their writing pattern.

This one was from Leonardo. He had an average vocabulary for someone his age, misspelling things and sometimes allowing autocorrect to fill in the wrong word, but that aside he used the phone properly, and was typically clear and concise about his messages.

[Is there a stranger in the apartment?] Splinter’s return text was sent immediately. Normally he waited at least a thirty minutes before replying, not wanting to be caught shirking his duties to pour over his phone messages, but after yesterday’s encounter he was fearful that he had been too quick to deem Michelangelo’s slipup inconsequential.

There was an extensive pause, eventually followed by the long slow “typing…” message that lingered for a while. Though this was status quo for a barely literate preschooler Splinter’s heart hardly beat the entire time.

[No] [Mike want to no just in cays] Splinter let out a heavy sigh of relief, then returned with his own text.

[Remember the fire escape on the fifth floor? It leads to an alley where there is a drainage pipe leading into the sewers. If you can’t hide and must run, go there.]

He knew this would strike a familiar chord with his oldest son. They had gone over a similar escape plan when discussing what they should do if a fire should break out in their small dingy apartment, a news story about such an accident striking justified anxiety into the hearts of his four children.

[The sewers are infested with bacteria, won’t we get sick?] The next text came two hours later, this one obviously from Donatello. The turtle was very intelligent for his age, sending full sentences with proper grammar and vocabulary words that most parents could only dream of getting from a four year old. Splinter finished scrubbing down the sinks, and once they were shiny and clean he took a moment to exchange his supplies in the janitorial closet and reply to the text.

[We won’t have to stay there forever. It’ll just have to do as our hiding spot until we find a new home]

Another two hours and there was a new text. The timing for this one apropos, as Splinter had just settled down for a lunch break.

[I don want to hid in sewer thats dum this were the toylet water goos we shelled not had to hid] [Wy cant we moov to a big tenthose like peepol on tv] Raphael was clearly less patient in his texts, writing runnon sentences interspersed with nonsense words, the meaning behind his statements sometimes a struggle to understand. In some ways he was similar to his older brother, thought there was a tone to his wording that certainly set him apart from the others. It took Splinter a solid minute to realize that “tenthose” was bad spellcheck child speak for “penthouse”

[You mean penthouse? the big glass fancy rooms at the tops of skyscrapers? Penthouses take a lot of money, more than I can make.]

There was a pause. He took a bite of his sandwich as he waited for the child to finish reading the hefty sentence. [Even if u werk 198490829 ours?]

[Even if I work all the hours in the world]

Splinter finished his lunch break and was retrieving the floor buffer and a few fresh rags when another text came in…. though this one was ambiguous whether it was from Leonardo or Raphael. [I do not want u to work all the ours in the world] Splinter couldn’t help but smile at this one, taking a moment to send back an immediate reply.

[Neither do I]

Four hours passed, the phone remaining silent until Splinter clocked out. Putting on a jacket to shield him from the brisk humid wind he tore into the New York streets toward the location of his next job. The overhead sky was beginning to darken, the air thick with the smell of condensation as the forecasted rainstorm rolled in a day earlier than predicted. Splinter sighed, wondering whether or not he should ask for a ride from one of the acquaintances at the docks rather than risk returning to the apartment on foot.

His phone buzzed, the arrival of another text pulling him out of his thoughts.

[Papa heanrm forkn sjklj isnuwant abcdefgabc Mikey] Even if the turtle hadn’t put his name at the end it would have been obvious who had sent the undecipherable key smashing. Luckily, Splinter often found that messages from his youngest son, though impossible to comprehend, were immensely easy to appease.

[I love you too]

He let out a sigh, contentment and exhaustion fogging together into a single undecipherable emotion as he put the phone back in his pocket and continued his way toward the docks, where heavy crates of imports and exports would be waiting for him. It was hard work, but it had an aura of adventure to it and was worth the extra money. This time, however, he knew who would be waiting there. He felt it in his gut; certainty that the moment he was done loading crates Nezumi would bump into him, claim it was a coincidence, then push and prod with his offer once again, and worst of all… Hamato Yoshi was actually beginning to reconsider.

The night Splinter got the turtles, for all of the positive changes it had brought to his life, was a long exhausting night of many conflicting thoughts. The idea of calling the police or notifying a neighbor came to mind more times than he’d ever like to admit, the sight of four reptiles the size of infants, acting like infants, initially striking him as wrong… horrific even. But they weren’t merely acting like infants, they were infants. With every passing second the genetic mishaps showed themselves to be nothing more than helpless children, who would likely be hurt or even killed if word got out about their existence. Not knowing where else to go Yoshi brought them to his apartment. He panicked at every crying fit, he panicked over whether to feed them warm milk or insects from the windowsill, he turned up the television in order to cover up the sound of their fits until the neighbors complained, and then he panicked when the tenants knocked on his door. All night, for many nights, he made the changes necessary to carry on with the secret existence of four infants, soundproofing cupboards and stockpiling supplies. He moved on instinct, an unexpected family in dire need of protection filling his life with a sudden unexpected vigor that he hadn’t felt since his days with Shen and Miwa. Of course it couldn’t last forever. He could only be absent from his waitering job for so long before he met an ultimatum: earn a living, or leave four squirming infants all alone for eight hours on end.

He knew he couldn’t choose the latter, it would put his newfound family in a position of terrible neglect even if he dedicated every hour he had apart from work to tending to their needs. He needed a miracle, and the universe followed through, though not without it’s price.

It was by sheer luck that one day, when he was walking to the convenience store, he discovered Nezumi being thrashed by gangsters who were demanding some sort of overdue payment. Splinter didn’t know much about the situation, but he did recognize when a lone unarmed man was being threatened by hoard of thugs wielding blunt weapons. To this day he still didn’t know whether it was intuition or simple stupidity that inspired him to interfere, but in the end Nezumi got a good glimpse of what he was capable of. As a show of gratitude Splinter was given an offer, an offer that would have him working for only two hours in the dead of night, filling his pockets with more than enough to pay the rent while leaving him full days to take care of his infants sons and ensure they got a decent upbringing.

Underground fights. Serious underground fights settling bloody feuds under the gazes of vicious gamblers. It was illegal and dishonorable and extremely dangerous and yet, so long as he wouldn’t be hurting anyone innocent, Splinter knew he couldn’t refuse. After that, his sense of being was constantly jumping back and forth from opposite sides of the spectrum. During the day he was a father, a good father, watching small children slowly learn to talk, teaching him what he could about language and history and how to keep out of sight. However, when he was in the fighting ring, he was a submissive attack dog beating men that were all muscle and meat into unconsciousness while surrounding crowds shrieked and hollered. It reached a point to where even the simplest fights turned into behemothic bet-hedging schemes, Nezumi leeching off of the ‘“street cred” Splinter never wanted to make a name for himself in areas that Splinter wanted nothing to do with.

Those months contained some of the best and worst moments of his life. Overall, however, he couldn’t say he had any regrets. All it took was one memory of the quartet of two year olds falling asleep in his lap while he read about the antics of The Cat in The Hat, and he could contentedly affirm that… despite everything… he had done the right thing.

Would it be the right thing if he went through with it one more time? It was just a couple of nights in the ring, maybe only one night judging by the purse Nezumi had mentioned yesterday. With money like that he would be able move his family to a small place outside the city limits, somewhere far away from the constant prying eyes of strangers where the turtles could run around carefree like boys should... …. like they deserved to.

When Splinter arrived at his destination he found his suspicions confirmed. There was Nezumi, sitting in a dingy little sports car just off from the docks, windows rolled down a crack to release the smog of a half-smoked cigarette. The moment their eyes met the skinny tattooed scarecrow jumped, startled to see that not only had his target arrived, but he was walking directly toward him. There was the sound fumbling as Nezumi let his cigarette drop to the floor and rummaged around the glove compartment, probably in search for some hidden weapon. When Splinter yanked him out of the vehicle by his wrists it became clear Nezumi probably should have dedicated more time to locking his door than locating his switchblade, and before he could so much as blink he was pinned to the concrete, foot on his back, arm twisted until pain forced him to unhand his weapon.

“Hey hey hey hey!!! Cool it! This trip had nothing to do with you! I’m out here meeting some old friends!” he squealed as Splinter took the switchblade “Coincidence! Pure coincidence! I’m not-“

“How much did you say that purse was?”

Nezumi suddenly stopped, rubbing his sore shoulder as he found himself released from the painful hold. He rose back to his feet, watching his attacker casually toss the swiped blade to himself, a look of calm earnestness on his face.

“You… you’re serious?” “I don’t know yet” Splinter muttered, “Tell me how much I’ll win if I take part in this fight you talked about.”

“Th-… thirty grand if you win the final round. Twenty grand if you get second place and-” “Fine.” Splinter closed the switchblade and pocketed it while giving his answer. Forgetting his swiped weapon, Nezumi took a moment to come to grips with what was happening, a look of idiotic glee on his face when he realized his hopes were confirmed. “The Splinter is back in action?”

“‘Mister Takara.’ Or Daiki if you want to be informal.” Splinter knew he’d regret accepting that “stage name” the moment it caught on. His old self laid across ocean, lost in the passing years, but making his lifelong nickname into a tacky “extreme warrior” title served to twist the knife rather than help him move on. But of course, Nezumi took the correction as a signal to keep their plans on the down low, and still wearing that stupid smile the scrawny little thug placed a finger against his own lips in a gesture of silence and winked.

Decision made and instincts already telling him this was a terrible idea, Splinter turned away and began heading back toward the loading docks. “I’ve got to go. I’m already late.”

“Wait wait wait!” Nezumi rushed ahead, blocking Splinter’s path with outstretched arms. “Tell me when you get off work! I’ll come by and pick you up!”

Splinter shot him a doubtful glare.

“I’m taking you to dinner!” Nezumi explained “It’s on me. You can ask for all the details you want over some hot grub and some wine. Huh? What do you say?”

Splinter’s glare softened. He would have to skip out on the wine, he had a notoriously low alcohol tolerance, but the idea of a good meal swayed him. That, plus a ride home that would keep him safe from the rain, and he couldn’t find the will to protest.

[I’ll be home late] Raphael saw the text at about six, an hour before their father was scheduled to get home. The small turtle slowly mouthed the syllables, getting through the sentence at an agonizing pace before Donatello swiped the phone and read the sentence at his preferred speed.

“Papa’s gonna be home late Leo!” Big dark blue eyes looked up just in time to see the brainiest of his brothers get tackled to the ground, Raphael wrestling to regain possession of the blackberry cellphone. Leonardo, remembering how angry Splinter had been the last time they’d broken a phone by fighting over it, trotted over and took the device from his feuding siblings before texting back.

[time?] [Very late. There is apple sauce and cheese sticks in the fridge. Nuts raisins and crackers in the cabinet. Be in bed by 8.] [Ok] [Make sure everyone brushes their teeth and washes their face too] [Ok]

“What is it?” Leonardo had just sent out the last text before his youngest sibling snatched the phone from his hands, squinting at the letters with his tongue hanging out of his mouth in concentration. “Papa’s gonna be late” Leonardo explained before his brother could finish reading the first word, snatching the cell right back much to Mikey’s displeasure. “We’re gonna eat and get ready for bed without him” “No bedtime story?” Leo shook his head no, a dutiful look on his face as he trotted to the kitchen and opened the fridge door, standing on his tiptoes in order to reach the assigned snacks.

“Don’t worry though! Papa usually makes up for this stuff. He’ll prob’ly bring pizza tomorrow!” Though this reassurance seemed to please the youngest turtle, Donatello and Raphael didn’t look all too happy.

“He shouldn’t be out longer! He needs to sleep more! Thas’ the opposite of what I told him to do!” Donatello said, sounding close to tears as he gave a little stomp of his foot. “Whadya mean he’s not going to be home?!” Raph added, joining in with his sibling’s protests “He’s never home and I miss him!” “He misses us too!” Mikey whined in turn, now crying for reasons he himself didn’t quite understand until Leonardo and shoved an unwrapped cheese stick into his mouth, satiating him.

“We just gotta be patient. We’ll watch TV” Leonardo reassured, as if watching television wasn’t something they’d already done all day to pass the time waiting for their father to get back. Already bored by his brother’s suggestion Donatello peeled back the translucent foil on the window, big ruddy brown eye peering up at the sky.

“Turn it to the weather channel. I don’ like the look of those clouds. Papa really should’ve looked at them before deciding to stay out longer” Raphael wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and found the remote, slowly clicking his way toward channel six. Mikey chewed contentedly on his cheese stick as he yanked some blankets down from the back of the couch, curling up on the floor in front of the screen as his eldest brother delivered the food and began dividing it out between his siblings.

#the cupboard game #tmnt fanfiction #splinter #hamato yoshi