#if this showed up in your search results and you would like to argue with me about this. im sorry but you are not my intended audience.

[autisticaradiamegido]

day 86

do any of yall ever have like. an Evil infodump? where instead of endlessly word vomiting about a thing you love and are very informed about, there is a thing you are equally well-informed about but hate with a passion that you cannot hold back in conversation?

i do :')

(I'll put it under the cut for the curious because I think it's important and i cannot be stopped but also i'm not kidding the facts are infuriating)

SO. "Homeopathic" is often interpreted as sort of a vague synonym for "natural," or "organic," but it's actually related to a system of alternative medicine that means something Very Specific.

There are two main principles behind the practice of Homeopathy.

"Like cures like." This is the idea that, for example, if you have a headache, taking a veeeery small amount of a substance that is known to CAUSE headaches will cure that symptom. I understand where people fall into this flawed idea, as it sounds very similar to the principles behind, say, vaccines, or antivenom. But it isn't universally applicable in this way. An herb isn't a virus. But even if it was, a Homeopathic preparation of that herb would not have any effect on the body because of the second principle.

"Water has memory." This is the idea that water is able to "remember" any substance that it has had contact with. This is also not true. Molecules don't really have any way to store information like that, and even if they did, well... What would that information do inside our bodies? Would our cells have any way to interpret and process that information? What would they do with it? It's all rather nebulous and it seems like more of a spiritual claim than a scientific one. Which is fine, but is not medicine.

So, with these principles in mind, the process of creating a "Homeopathic Preparation of [insert substance here]" goes a little something like this: You take a dropper and put one drop of your active substance in a container with a hundred drops of water. You then take a drop of that mixture, and put it in another container with another hundred drops of water. You continue this dilution process until there is, quite literally, a near-zero percent chance that your mixture contains even a single molecule of your original active substance (depending on the level of dilution believed to be best for the substance in question. Typically, a higher dilution is considered more potent.) So it is, by this point, literally just a vial of water.

This vial of water is what is then sold as a "Homeopathic preparation of [substance]." OR that water is used to compound a batch of sugar pills, or gel capsules, or tablets, whatever format is being offered. Regardless, the composition of the tincture is literally just water and ~*vibes*~.

And they sell these vials of expensive vibe water! At!!!

THE PHARMACY!!! WITH LIKE THE IBUPROFEN AND ALL THE OTHER REAL MEDICINES!!! AND NO BIG WARNING LABELS THAT SAY, "THIS CONTAINS NO ACTIVE INGREDIENTS AND IS BASED ON VIBES ALONE," OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT!!

In fact! In the US they are able to advertise that they have been FDA approved! (FDA approval of dietary supplements is not the same as FDA approval of actual medications. In the context of supplements, approval just means they've proved it won't just kill you straight up, and thus you're allowed to sell it.) And, well. It certainly won't kill you! In fact they often also advertise things like, "It's natural!" and "No harmful side effects!" and "No risk of overdose!" and it's all technically true! BECAUSE IT'S JUST WATER! LIKE I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW IT'S LITERALLY JUST WATER!!!

Anyway. Please keep this in mind the next time you are offered a homeopathic remedy, or see one advertised in the store, or hear your antivaxxer auntie bragging about the fact that her kids all got a "homeopathic" alternative to their MMR shots.

IT'S! JUST! VIBE WATER!!!!

#day 86 #year 5 #it me #truly very few things get me more heated than this specific concept. i dont know what it is... just.... WOOF. #anyway i didnt bother checking beforehand if there's a homeopathy side of tumblr but i must assume there is. so. #if this showed up in your search results and you would like to argue with me about this. im sorry but you are not my intended audience. #i didnt mean to show up to your party and simply shit on everything. #but also if you spread medical misinformation on my post or get rowdy in my inbox im gonna block ya.

[lovelybrooke]

Hello, Brooke.

I was wondering, what are the headcannons for how the strawhats would react to a reader who obtained a horrid wound in a fight, but wont show and tell them? (I know the strawhats wouldn't allow them to fight, just humor me)

Were talking almight stomach blast level wound and scar, but over their chest, one that barely missing their heart, with the only one knowing being chopper because he was the one who probably healed reader, or not if that's the direction your thinking, I'm cool either way.

I refuse (Yandere Strawhats x reader)

Took a break from 'I have to be dreaming' to write this. Hope you enjoyed this.

---

No one has found you yet.

You take a slow, wavey breath in, a shallow breath out, as you grip your chest in pain. Rain fell upon your face as you listen to the distant sound of swords clanking, people screaming, and of course, your friends arguing even during the middle of battle.

It honestly made you smile, if you had to die at any moment, it would be now, after you did everything you could to protect your crew. You smile, knowing the ship was safe. And you smile even more, knowing your friends were safe.

---

The ship was wrecked, parts of it were missing, but most disturbingly, blood was everywhere.

Chopper scans the main deck with a bated breath as he examined the damage. The others were still fighting, and you stayed on the ship, just like they told you.

You had to be safe, but the trail of blood leading towards the storage room said otherwise. Chopper stumbles, nearly falling over as he carefully examines the blood. It was dry, the liquid already seeped into the floorboards and has darkened. Chopper quickens his pace, fallowing the trail before stopping at a door to the storage room.

There were a few small, red handprints that caused Chopper's stomach to churn. The doorhandle was completely soaked red, dripping onto the floor below. Chopper hesitates opening the door, afraid of what's inside. He takes a deep breath, entering the dark room with a shiver in his body.

He couldn't see anything right way, having to blink a few times for his eyes to adjust. He stumbles around as he tries to find the light switch, hearing wheezing coming from deeper in the room.

As the light flickered on, he could see more blood, and for a second, he thought he could smell you. "(Y/N)..." There was so much blood, it covered the floor and a few boxes. Chopper waited for a response, nearly letting out a sob when the room remained silent. The wheezing though, it remained, it was so miniscule he almost missed it.

Following the sound and the blood, Chopper is frozen by the sight of you, on the floor, your lower stomach and chest covered in blood. It seeped into your shirt, on your hand, and on the floor. You were the source of the wheezing; your mouth opened a bit while your eyes were shot wide. He could tell you were struggling to breath by the terrible sound coming from your mouth and by your chest that was struggling to rise and fall.

Chopper stumbled over to you with a loud sob. He searches your body for the source of the bleeding, realizing it's coming from multiple points. You don't move or react at all when he starts asking you questions in a panicked, rushed manner.

"(Y/N)!! W-what...what happened!?" He cries, growing frustrated when you don't answer, only continue to wheeze. Chopper takes your hand, pulling you to stand up, but you scream in pain, resulting in him dropping your hand immediately.

He panics for a second, looking at you, now groaning in pain, and the door leading back to the main deck, before crouching down next to your ear. "I'll be back...I'm going to get help." Chopper runs back onto the deck, your blood covering his hands.

On the deck, Chopper hops onto the railing closest to the island they were fighting on. He heaves, squinting as he looks for any familiar faces. There were too many people on the battlefield, but he could hear his friends far away. Taking a deep breath, he yells.

"Luffy!! Zoro!! Anybody!! (Y/N)'s hurt!!! Please come help!!"

---

Luffy stops moving, the marine he was fighting confused as Zoro stops as well, slashing a few marines in quick succession. "Was that Chopper?" Zoro turns towards the captain, who was already facing the sound.

Luffy's face was nearly devoid of emotion, only slight rage present on his face. He didn't say a world, and when the Marine behind him tried to pounce on him, he sends a punch flying his way. Teeth and blood shoot out as the Marine collapses. Blood drips down Luffy's fist as he faces Zoro.

"He said (Y/N) was hurt, let's go." Luffy didn't wait for him, bounding off towards the ship, Zoro quickly fallowing.

On the boat, Chopper was pacing tirelessly as he waits for anyone. Every few minutes, he rushes back to the storage room to check your pulse, it still beating faintly.

The moment he heard someone enter the deck, he rushed towards them, being greeted by a very panicked Luffy and Zoro. Chopper stammered a bit, watching with tears as Zoro's jaw tightens at the sight of the blood.

"Where are they." His voice was so cold, and Chopper could help but notice his tight grip on his swords. Chopper points towards the storage room, trying to catch up to the two men as they rush to you.

"I-I...they need to be moved to the medical room...I can't lift them...they're in pain..." Chopper explains as they weave in between the boxes of the storage room.

The wheezing has stopped, and Chopper swears his heart breaks when he Luffy shakily checks for a pulse, and his eyes widens when he doesn't feel it. Chopper starts to sob when Luffy hurriedly checks on the opposite side of your neck, then your wrist, which was cold.

"Chopper...why--there's not pulse--" Luffy mumbles, looking at the crying reindeer.

"I--I checked...they were breathing...I swear..." Chopper sobs, hiccupping as Luffy presses his fingers deeper like he refused to except what's happening.

"Zoro..." Luffy chokes out. Zoro had remained silent, his eyes fixated on you and the blood surrounding you. "Take them to the medical room." His words were stilted, robotic like as he directed Zoro towards you.

Zoro swallowed hard as he inched towards you. As he got closer, he could hear the squelch of your blood on the bottom of his shoes. He had to bite his tongue in order to ignore it, flinching when he touched your cold skin.

He wraps his arms around your shoulders and legs, attempting to lift you up when you groan in pain. The sound is more of a gurgle, but he could tell you were in pain by the blood that was now soaking his arms.

"You're okay...I'm just going to take you to the medical room." He whispers at your cries, trying not to drop you when you weakly cough out some blood. Luffy and Chopper follow him, Luffy attempting to hold your hand only for it to weakly flop to the side.

Zoro kicks open the door to the medical room, placing you down on the table while Chopper hops up onto a chair next to you. Luffy and Zoro stand next to you as Chopper cuts open your shirt. Underneath, stab wounds were littered all over your chest and stomach, a large, deep cut traveling near the side of your heart.

Luffy clenches his fist as Chopper pats alcohol onto the wounds. You remain quiet, your body still as Luffy keeps a hand on your pulse, constantly checking for any signs of light. He leans down near your ear, ranting to you in hushed whispers that you don't respond to.

"(Y/N)...you're okay. Everything is going to be okay. I promise when you wake up, I'll kill whoever did this to you." Zoro stopped listening to anyone or anything a while ago. He couldn't, not when you were so clearly dying right in front of him. No...you weren't dying...he wouldn't allow it. He refuses for you to die.

"Luffy! Zoro! Where did you--" Zoro turned around, being faced with Nami's terrified face. Her shaky hand was covering her mouth, and her eyes were blown wide. "W-w-what...happened..." She could barely get the words out as she attempted to move closer without actually looking at your wounds.

Luffy nor Zoro responds, Chopper having to do the work for them as he prepared the stiches for you. "I-I think they were attacked, I'm not sure."

"Do you think they're dead?" Luffy, who was previously to concerned with whispering in your ear, shoot up, sending Nami a terrifying look.

"NO!" He shouts, scaring Nami. He grips you hand tighter as Chopper begins to stich you up. He leans down back near your ear. "I swear I can feel a pulse. You feel it too, right Chopper?"

Chopper doesn't respond.

More footsteps are heard, all rushing towards the commotion. First was Usopp, who had a similar reaction to Nami, nearly screaming when he saw you on the table, asking questions no one could answer. Then came Sanji and Robin, who both were more muted, but still visibly upset at the state you were in.

"Do you know who did this." Currently everyone, except Luffy, was gathered in the dining room. Sanji was trying to make food for everyone, but no one was really in the mood for food currently.

Zoro shook his head at the cook's question. "No, but it had to be a marine who got onto the ship." Zoro was stating the obvious, but it was better than nothing.

Sanji placed down some soup for everyone onto the table, lighting a cigarette afterwards. "This is all your fault. I knew we should've kept them in an inn. Less obvious and less dangerous." Sanji snarled at Zoro.

"Yeah, an inn is super inconspicuous." Zoro rolled his eyes. "Dumbass."

"Don't call me a dumbass when your stupid decision has them laid out across a medical table!" Sanji howls, standing up in pure anger, nearly spitting on the swordman.

Zoro stands, face to face with Sanji. "Well at least I'm not selfish enough to keep them locked up somewhere they don't want to be."

Sanji laughed. "You're calling me selfish. They begged to be left off the ship for weeks now and you know who kept them from leaving? You!"

"Enough!!" Nami stands up, separating the two. "Blaming each other isn't going to solve anything. We did what we thought, as a crew, was best for them. We collectively me a choice." Nami says.

Sanji and Zoro both sit, rage still radiating off of them. Usopp, who was sitting near Chopper in the corner, looked down at his hands. "Do you...really think they're, y'know..." Usopp couldn't finish, he couldn't say the word, but they understood.

"No." Zoro said matter of factly. "They're going to be fine."

No one had the heart to refute him.

---

Luffy was still sitting right next to you, even when the sun set, and the stars were decorating the sky. He remined, waiting for you.

"And them Sanji kicked some Marines ass, it was so funny, he was crying like a baby." Luffy recounts the battle from earlier today. He smiles at your unconscious body, it was wide, but devoid of any real happiness.

Luffy wants to cry at the sight of you. He's the captain, he's your friend, he has to protect you, and he failed. He can talk to you, sit with you, apologize all he wants, but it doesn't change the fact you're still in this situation.

You were probably so scared, begging for them to help you, and they were off, none the wiser to your own plight. The thought makes him want to cry.

"(Y/N)...please...as your captain I demand you wake up. Right now." He was acting childish, but he didn't care. He wanted you back, that's all he cared about.

You didn't respond, he knew you wouldn't. But he had to try, it was the most he could do.

"When you wake up, Sanji said we're going to have a big feast." No, he didn't, he hasn't talked to Sanji in hours. "So, don't keep me waiting, alright?"

You didn't respond, and it was heartbreaking.

---

A/n: I wanted to try something more angsty, hope you liked it.

#yandere x reader #soft yandere #platonic yandere #one piece x you #yandere one piece #one piece x reader #one piece strawhats #one piece

[anystalker707]

"Show me how to kiss?"

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x [gender neutral] Reader Summary: Two sets of headcanons: one in which you ask Zoro to show you what it is like to kiss and another one in which he's the one to ask. Tags: Shy Zoro / Fluffy and loving / Also sorta funny Check out (Vinsmoke Sanji's version)

MASTERLIST

If you’re the one to ask him...

• He just. He doesn’t know how to kiss either. I mean, do you think he ever had the time or mindset to do it??

• So, it’s messy. None of you really know what to do.

• Behind it all, Zoro has been kinda hoping he could kiss you and you’d been looking at him in a different way lately, so something like that was sort of bound to happen at some point

• It’s like a switch turns for you two, and it’s impossible to stop after that because, after all, you gotta practice to be perfect, right?

          “...They wouldn’t stop kissing.” You sighed, twisting your mouth a little as you thought back to the couple you saw at a bar when hanging out with the crew at an island. You and Zoro were out on the deck for the night watch; he sat back against the railing while you had your back on the ground, observing the stars above you. Once in a while, a colder breeze would make you shiver, but it wasn’t really that bad. The gentle rocking of the ship would intensify your tiredness, at times, but never enough to make your consciousness slip away into slumber, which resulted in sporadic and pointless talks. “It was obnoxious.”

Zoro hummed in agreement, shaking his head as he kept his gaze far in the horizon.

“What’s so great about it?”

He raised an eyebrow, humming again, and looked at you.

“About kissing,” you explained, sitting up and scooting closer to him with a sigh. “What’s good about it?”

...Why would he know? Zoro blushed a little as he looked away and preferred not to answer it. Maybe you’d give up on the question or talk about something else. Having to deal with always trying to find something other than the annoying couple at the bar was already stressful enough.

“Zoro.” You nudged him. “Can I ask you something?”

He blinked and looked at you for a moment. He nodded. You were a pain in the ass everyday—affectionately—, so he was mostly used to what you could come up with.

“Look, I don’t know how to say it without making it awkward, but like, I trust you, so...” You sighed, your eyes averting away for a moment. “Like, could you show me how to kiss? I never really had any time to think about it because I was always training to be strong out in the sea, y’know?” Was Zoro even paying attention? Even in the dark, you could see his red cheeks. Did you say something wrong?

“I can’t help you with that.” He kept looking forward, eyes narrowed. You knew that serious posture was just a play. It was when Robin and you ran into him taking care of babies.

You pouted. “What? C’mon, I’m just curious. We’ll just never talk about it.”

Zoro didn’t bulge, only groaning when you poked his side, squirming away more than he usually would. “I already said I can’t help you with that!”

You opened your mouth to argue, but nothing really ever came from your mouth. Instead, you searched in your mind for some reference, however, you could only remember Zoro always in the corners of bars or celebrations or over the sake. He was never the type to be around hitting on someone like Sanji did nor pay attention to whoever approached him. Maybe...

“I think I get it.” You smirked a little. “You don’t know how to kiss either.”

The flush on Zoro’s face intensified as he gasped and widened his eyes. “Wh—What are you talking about?”

You chuckled. Of course, Zoro, the swordsman with his unbelievable focus on becoming the best ever and his whole damn shyness wouldn’t allow him to be with anyone else either. It was almost relatable.

“It’s obvious Zoro. You can tell me, though,” you continued, ignoring the stuttering mess he was in, “y’know, it all makes sense. And I’m, like, the closest one to you here, you can at least admit it to me, right?” You elbowed his side a little—you didn’t give a fuck about it, to be honest, it was just nice seeing him like that. “I’m up to helping you with it, though, hm? What do you say?” You chuckled again, but made sure to keep a serious hint. It was all a joke until he agreed. If he disagreed, you were just fucking around, right?

Zoro’s face was so red. He could feel it burning and everything felt too much. His heart already felt like it would rip off his chest, and then the way you elbowed his side and that your face was so close to his that he could feel your breath on the side of his face, he was—

“Fine!” He breathed before he could notice it himself.

You raised your eyebrows. Did you hear it right? “Fine,” huh? Your own cheeks warmed up at the thought.

“You really...”

“Don’t make me regret it.” Zoro gulped, and you almost chuckled as he shifted to face you, his eyes still not looking anywhere near yours.

Despite fooling around the whole time, a serious atmosphere fell over both of you simultaneously, having the two of you gradually fall quiet. Zoro took a deep breath while you already looked at his eyes, waiting for his gaze to meet yours, which it did, eventually, even if still a little uncertain. You wanted to smile, laugh and hide all at the same time, but still held the gaze.

The ship had never been that quiet and maybe the wind was a little colder than you thought it to be. It didn’t matter, though, because Zoro’s hand was warm against your cheek, and you held onto his wrist out of reflex, which also felt warm. A quiet exchange of gazes was enough to determine you were ready and he was leaning in.

It was slow and careful, with nervousness lacing it, but still sweet nonetheless.

Zoro’s nose tickled a little when it brushed against your own nose, as if testing the waters before you leaned in properly. The distance was miscalculated and your lips brushed together too soon, making both of you pull away at the same time as if it’d burned. It didn’t burn, no, but there was something.

Your eyes met Zoro’s and he had a similar look on his face—so he felt it too. He mirrored the small smile that showed up across your face before the two of you leaned in again, carefully and slowly letting your lips meet.

Warm. Zoro’s lips were warm, but the kiss also made you feel something inside your chest that stirred up with the “kiss”, and made you lean in for more as you’d seen other people do, which snatched a soft gasp from Zoro, but he still tried to make up for it. If anything, things were just messy. None of you really knew what to do, trying to set your own rhythm but also match with the other’s and put in practice only brief notions you only had so far.

Suddenly, Zoro had his other hand cupping the side of your neck, which made you pause for a moment, but it was more than enough for him to figure out exactly what was missing and make the kiss more of a kiss. You just followed his lead this time, letting his lips guide yours through a gentle and uncertain kiss that maybe awakened more in you that you were aware of.

Cold air replaced Zoro’s lips when he pulled away. Your mind was still a little fuzzy, so you took a moment to open your eyes, already meeting his waiting gaze when you did so.

“That...” You whispered and gulped. The small pause had Zoro holding his breath and tensing up. “Can we do it again?”

Zoro chuckled, closing his eyes as he blushed again. “I hoped you’d say that...”

The new kiss had actual synchrony, even if it was barely present. Your hands actually held onto his shoulders this time as you pressed yourself closer, allowing the kiss to be deeper.

There was a look on Zoro’s face when he pulled away this time, one you couldn’t quite read. “You taste nice.”

“I taste nice?” You chuckled. “What’s it like?”

“It’s...” Zoro sighed, blinking a couple of times as he looked at you. “Sweet. What do I taste like?”

“Sake.” You answered without missing a bit, which made his face fall a little; you chuckled.

.𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟.

If he asks you...

• Zoro’s been thinking about it for a while now, to be honest, trying to find an excuse to make it happen

• He genuinely didn’t think it would be that good. He had little faith in it—mostly curiosity—, but when you kiss him, he just ends up getting lost and wants more. Just wants you to show him everything. Also uses the excuse he gotta practice to get perfect

          “What’re you so grumpy about?” You raised an eyebrow, seeing Zoro walk in while grumbling under his breath. He usually didn’t come over to the aquarium bar when you were there during the afternoons messing with your own stuff just like the rest of the crew, so he certainly wanted attention that you were more than willing to give.

Zoro took a seat next to you, scowling. “That damn cook.”

“Oh.” You raised your eyebrows and sighed with a nod without looking up from the stuff you messed with. There were a few lists of what each one of the crew needed since you would soon make a stop on another island, so you needed to organize all of those and estimate how much money you’d need, and thinking wasn’t very easy with Zoro there, but it probably wasn’t anything that bad since it was just more fighting with Sanji. Not that he really cared about it, but you supposed it was a way of him gaining your attention despite how shy he tended to be. He wasn’t that shy around you, though. It was even funny when people commented about him being only cold and stoic—he could be, yeah, but he was also too shy for his own good.

“He’s spilling some stuff about kissing today, y’know?” Zoro huffed, crossing his arms. “About how he misses it and how I wouldn’t understand because I’ve never kissed!” He growled.

“Is it true, though?” You mumbled between the numbers of berries. 15 minus 7 resulted in 8, then 2 minus 1 would be 1, so 11 minus 7, so it would be...

Zoro clicked his tongue. “I’m not like him.”

“That doesn’t answer the question,” you hummed. So, 15 minus 7 was 8, then the 2 turned into 1, and 11 minus—

“I don’t have time to waste around like he does, kissing and— and hell knows what.” He looked down with pursed lips then turned to you.

“Right.” You inhaled deeply and scratched out the math you were doing to start it all over again later. “It’s not really a waste of time, I mean. Depends on the person. What, you’re aromantic or something? Or just never kissed? You’re sounding a little too bitter about something so irrelevant.” Now and then, Zoro just needed you to poke him with the raw truth so he would ground himself in reality again a little.

“I—I wouldn’t think about it.” Zoro clicked his tongue, looking away again. “I got better things to do.”

You sighed, putting your pen away and sitting back on the couch. “I mean, you never tried it. I wouldn’t be so secure about it myself, in your position, but you do you, right? I'm no one to judge."

Maybe that rubbed off on Zoro the wrong way. He raised an eyebrow at you for a long moment, but all you could do was shrug and nod at him to say something already. You had work to do, after all.

"If you're so sure about it, then show me."

"What?"

"Show me how to kiss." Zoro's face had a tinge of red despite how confident he tried to seem.

Despite the surprise, a smirk still tugged on your lips as you raised your eyebrows. "Oh? You sure? Wanna give me your first kiss? Am I that special?"

He clicked his tongue and looked away once again. "Don't be annoying about it or else I'm leaving."

A chuckle erupted from your lips as you tugged a little on his haramaki when Zoro started to stand up. The way he put it all made you want to tease him more to humble him down a little, but you knew better than that; things probably wouldn't go the right way if you kept him there grumpier than he already was or even accidentally scared him away, something you absolutely didn’t want before such an opportunity.

“Come on, don’t be like that.” You scooted a little closer to Zoro on the couch, putting an arm over the backrest of the couch, behind him. “Right, seriously. You mean it?”

A little crease was still there between Zoro’s furrowed eyebrows as he glanced you up and down, with his arms still crossed over his chest.

“Okay.” You rolled your eyes. He could be just like that sometimes. Annoying.

“How do you do it? Is there any secret trick or—” Zoro shrugged and raised an eyebrow at you. His shoulders dropped a little from their jagged stance and his arms weren’t crossed so tightly anymore.

“I mean, there’s no secret, but there are a few tips I wish I knew before I did it the first time, y’know?” You shifted a little, trying to push your mind away from annoying numbers to a new setting instead. “Like, it’s not necessarily a continuous thing, and it’s sort of you kissing my upper lip while I kiss your bottom one and then vice versa, but you can also— You’re not listening, are you?”

“I’m not.” Zoro confessed with that grin that made you want to punch it right off his face. “Your lips do look nice while you talk, though.”

“...Shameless bastard.”

“What was that?” He narrowed his eyes at you.

“Nothing!” You mirrored his expression and clicked your tongue, holding back a chuckle. “You’re quite useless sometimes, huh? You listen to nothing.” Your hand cupped Zoro’s face gently, letting your thumb reach the corner of his lips before going down along his lip. “That’s why you’re such an empty head, got nothing but muscles...”

Zoro grinned. “You may complain, but you just never get away from me.”

“I’ll just make you shut up at once.”

His hand held onto your elbow as you leaned in and finally pressed your lips to Zoro’s. It was a simple kiss, just keeping your lips against his for a few seconds before pulling back again. A light blush dusted his cheeks and he still glanced at your lips, so you leaned in once again to give him a kiss that wasn’t just like a prolonged peck, actually moving your lips together.

Zoro wasn’t the best at it—of course not—, but he still tried, his grip against your elbow tightening a little at times while he messily kissed you back, trying to keep it up and mirroring your movements. His lips were clumsy and messy, but still something that you could guide and make the whole thing worth something. You held his cheek as you deepened the kiss a little, which made his breath get caught in his throat and his lips get a little lost for a second before they followed your lead again.

The mere seconds you had to pull away already felt like too long, with you exchanging gazes with Zoro to silently check if everything was alright, before your lips were pressed together again. Your tongue ran against his bottom lip this time, actually snatching a gasp from him.

“Is it okay?” You whispered, furrowing your eyebrows a little. Just a few inches still serpared your faces, having you both feel each other’s out of pace breathing.

Zoro nodded. “I just wasn’t waiting for that.”

“Is it okay, though?” You grinned again, seeing him grow flustered once more.

“...Do it again.”

You did kiss Zoro and lick his bottom lip once again, but this time, he opened his lips and allowed you to slip your tongue past his lips. There was a little taste of sake still, already faint. He still didn’t know what to do, but the way you held onto his jaw did ground him a little so he would calm down.

“Good?” You whispered against his lips, lips still grazing him.

Zoro’s breath hitched as he tried to catch his breath, hazy eyes observing you from close. “Do... Do it again.”

.𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟.

#one piece #roronoa zoro #x reader #x male reader #x female reader #gender neutral #fan fic #fan fiction #oneshot #imagine #zoro x reader #monkey d luffy #vinsmoke sanji #usopp #nico robin #nami #tony tony chopper #trafalgar law

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

The reason why the toh fandom can have such wildly diverging interpretations of the Wittebane story is because the show did not do its job. How old was Philip when Caleb left? Did Caleb truly believe in witch hunting or was he just playing along to what the town expected? Did Caleb ever tell Philip anything? Did he ever talk to his brother and try to change his mind? How long was Philip searching for Caleb? How did he get cursed? How exactly did the knife fight start? Did Philip kill Caleb accidentally or on purpose? Did he kill him only because he married a witch or because he left him? Or both?

The fact is, we don't have definitive answers to any of these. We only have educated guesses based on portraits barely glimpsed in the show that lack any context, Masha's barebones version of events, and Belos' self-justifications. Casual fans shouldn't have to be knee-deep in fandom just to get the main villain's backstory, especially when said story is the literal basis of the whole plot.

Plus, if you're going to spend the final half of your last season barely exploring the villain's origins, only to completely ignore it in the series finale, then you've written a bad ending.

Update: This is getting some notes so I'm including additional thoughts to the original post. The rest will be under the read more:

Just to add onto this because some folks argue that we don’t need his backstory because we already have the essentials or it’s not really important to the plot. The thing is though is that Belos’ story launches the entire plot of the show, his character and motivation are the direct result of actions that happened centuries before the main characters were born. It needs to be depicted and not largely inferred. 

His story is important to creating a more fleshed out character and can strengthen the themes of the show (the rivalry between Eda and Lilith and Luz struggling to fit in at home are parallels to Belos). Instead the show gives little kernels of his story and character that make him more interesting than just Evil Emperor (the fact that the brothers became witch hunters to fit in, the fact that Belos worst memories are of killing Caleb and making grimwalkers are never touched on again). The first (and last) time we see Caleb in a full scene is in For the Future and it has huge implications for the dynamic between the two brothers. But again, nothing is done with it. It seemed like the show was building up that Belos’ lies and self-justifications would lead to his undoing but it doesn’t. So him dying with his ideology and self-delusions intact feels empty.

The worst part of how the Wittebane story is handled is that since it’s largely inferred and you have to be pretty involved in fandom to have a more nuanced take of it, a casual fan can easily just accept other characters’ views on the matter. Masha says “looks like little bro was jealous of big bro” and it undercuts the story of the Wittebanes (to say nothing of the tonal whiplash). The Titan dismisses Belos as only caring for himself and to be the hero, which while technically true, misses a lot of context and makes it easy to dismiss Belos as a whole as simply being evil and crazy instead of a more layered villain. And it can’t be argued that these are just the characters’ perspectives and we shouldn’t take it at face value because there’s nothing really in the show to pushback against that. 

Now, yes, it is fun to imagine how the Wittebane story played out and in hindsight, it’s probably better that the show didn’t depict the entire story because they probably would have botched it. But the point remains that the handling of this storyline was a mess (and don’t give me the cancellation excuse, the show learned early on about this and wrote all of 2B with it in mind). The Wittebane story and Belos as a whole showcase why setup and payoff matter. You show the villain feels guilt about their worst deeds? What’s the payoff to that? The villain was originally an outsider who tried to fit in and conformed to a town’s toxic ideologies? What’s the payoff? The villain continually lies to himself and commits atrocities to justify his actions? What’s the payoff? 

If you’re going to raise interesting and thought-provoking questions then don’t give the audience a simplistic answer.

#toh critical #toh criticism #the owl house #emperor belos #philip wittebane #caleb wittebane #I don't want to hear any nonsense about belos not “deserving” a proper ending #if you spend two episodes adding new information and context #then that needs to pay off for the audience somehow #long post #post update

[melanieph321]

Ruben Dias x Reader - A House Is Not A Home Part 7/8

This chapter makes me 😤 but it had to be written.

Ruben's wife dies during childbirth along with their son. Ruben hasn't been in a relationship since. Y/N is a single mother to a four year old boy. She buys a house in the small town that Ruben lives in. The house needs alot of fixing which Ruben helps with, resulting in him slowly falling in love with Y/N. However, falling in love with Y/N makes Ruben feel like he is betraying his dead wife.

Enjoy!

A memorial for Gina was held at your house on the 25th. Katarina helped you with the food and David made sure to solve any logistics so that Ruben wouldn't have to. Alot of people in town had known Gina and most of them came to honor her memory. You had never imagined your house being this full of people. Especially people you didn't know.

"Hi."

"Hey."

You found Ruben alone on the porch, a bottle of beer in his hand. It was his third one for the day. You felt guilty for keeping count.

"Food's ready if you want to head inside?" You said.

Ruben took a slow chug of his beer. "Nah, I'm good thanks."

"I could make you a plate, bring it out here if you like?"

Ruben tilted his head to look at you, a crooked smile on his lips. "It's okay Y/N, I'm not hungry."

You nodded, but did not leave the porch. "Mind if I join you?" You didn't think he would mind anyway and prepared to sit down. As you bent your knees Ruben's arm brought you down to sit between his legs on the step below where he was sitting. He tucked you in by wrapping his arms around your body, letting you relax with your back against his chest. There was a minute of silence as the sound of nature around you took over. Birds sang in the trees above your heads and a cricket lurked somewhere in the tall grass. You found it difficult to see beyond the property. There was fog in the distance. Not even the barn could be spotted amongst the evaporating clouds.

"Do you miss her?" You asked. Perhaps the question wasn't justified in a time like this,  but you wanted Ruben to feel comfortable talking about Gina with you, somthing you knew he wasn't.

"Every day." He sighed, his chin resting on the top of your head.

"What do you miss the most about her?"

Ruben had to ponder for a moment, perhaps let the memories of his wife resurface in his mind. "Her smile." He smiled. "And her kindness. Gina always wanted the best for everyone and would go out of the way for people, expecting nothing back. It's where we differ."

You tilted your head up, letting Ruben see the frown on your face. He raised a brow as to ask 'did I say somthing wrong?'

"You helping me with the house, was that not you showing your kindness?"

He nodded. "Yes, but I had my reasons."

"What reasons?" You sat up, wanting to face him.

"Like I said Y/N, that house had been haunting me for years. I was glad to sell it to you, but I wasn't gonna let you stay in a house with no roof. Helping you clear the house after the storm was not me being kind, it was strictly business."

You wanted to argue further, ask if Ruben kissing you had been strictly business as well? However, your questions silenced within you since Ruben was probably hurting. You settled down between his legs again and let his rough hands outline the contours of your face. Behind you the front door came ajar. Both you and Ruben turned around to see David, with Johnny bouncing in his arms.

"Has any of you seen Emily? Kat says she's missing."

Ruben got up almost immediately, forcing you to do the same. "I'll check upstairs." He said.

"Alright. Johnny and myself will check the basement, but I doubt it she's down there." This left you on the porch, feeling ill willed that you had no interest in looking for Gina's sister Emily. Nevertheless you grabbed a coat from inside and stepped out again. You might as well cover some ground as to say that you participated in the search. You came as far as to the fields where the fog was as thickest. But as you stood near the fence you could see the outline of the barn, it's door swaying with the wind.

"Emily?"

Light rain had begun to fall when you reached the barn. You hurried to take cover under its high roof.

"You threw all of it away?"

You turned as a shadow swept behind you. It was Emily, wearing nothing but a black dress and a pair of gummiboots.

"My god Emily, what are you doing in here? Aren't you cold?"

Emily gave you one of her fretful glares. You had gotten quite used to them since she stepped into your house. She made it seem like everything you did was wrong or insulting, weather that would be clearing a plate from a table or hand Johnny his juice. For some reason Emily seemed to constantly judge you. Obviously disliking you.

"You threw all of it away, all of her things." Emily hissed, ignoring your question.

"What things?" Emily was older than you, but only by a couple of years. Along with Gina she had studied law in Manchester, now serving as a divorce attorney at a law firm in the city. Compared to her you felt so unacomplished with your nursing degree.

"My sister things, all of her belongs. They used to be here in this barn." She said, clearly upset not to have found them there.

"They were given to charity." You said. "It was Ruben's idea actually."

"He would never." She chuckled. "What else have you brainwashed him to do, huh?"

"Pardon?" You frowned.

"You've forced Ruben to give away all the last memories of my sister, what else have you done? Tricked him to thinking that your son could ever replace the child he lost?"

You caught yourself wanting to say something that you would regret, but quickly redeemed yourself. Just like Ruben this must be a very difficult day for Emily as well. "I know you're hurting Emily." You said, your voice low and reasonable. "But making others around you hurt too, won't make the pain go away."

"Who are you to...." Emily flinched, but you interrupted her. "Ruben hasn't done anything to deserve this." You said. "But there is nothing wrong with moving on. Surley it's what Gina would have wanted."

"What do you know?" Emily's face trembled with rage as tears slid down her cheeks. "What Gina would have wanted, Ruben and I are going to make that happen, sooner than you think."

Your eyebrows furrowed, unsure what she was indicating.

"He hasn't told you I see." Emily looked amused. "I suppose he wanted to spare the time you had left together."

"What are you talking about Emily?" You couldn't stand her fretful glare. The way Ruben described Gina, she would have been nothing like her sister.

"Gina always wanted a house in the country."

"Yes, so I have heard." Katarina and David told you this some time ago.

"But she also wanted a house in the sun. Ruben suggested his home country, Portugal. The sun there definitely shines more than it does here. All he needed to do was get rid of the house. Luckily he found you."

You were beginning to understand.

"Upon my arrival I was given the green light from the land owners in Madeira, and what would be greater than me delivering the news to Ruben personally. Turns out he and you had gotten a little too familiar during the treaty of the property. A distraction, I think he called you."

"You're lying!" You exclaimed, by now you really were pissed. Emily's uneven stans also suggested that she has had a little too much to drink to cope with her emotions. What she was saying to you couldn't possibly be the truth.

"Ask him yourself." She laughed. "Am I not telling your little friend the truth Ruben?"

You turned around as Emily's gaze was focus somewhere over your shoulder. Because of the increasing rain you hadn't heard him come up behind you. Ruben, standing in the rain, looked both guilty and innocent at the same time.

"Y/N...let me explain."

He had overheard your conversation and these were his first choice of words.

"It's true?" You frowned.

"Yes ." Emily spoke behind you, but your eyes were only on Ruben.

"Yes and no." He said. "I was planing on selling the house and use the money to build a new one in Portugal, but...."

"But?" You chuckled as it was absurd. How come he hadn't told you?

"But then I met you." He nodded. "And I couldn't decide."

"So you're still contemplating it, moving to Portugal?" You were quite stunned. Ruben's answer was slilence which was enough for you.

"Y/N, don't."

You stepped outside, the rain showering you in seconds. You turned back to the barn where Ruben stood in the doorway. Emily had shied away in the back, perhaps too difficult for her to remain standing.

"For once in my life I need someone to choose me." You said.

"Y/N, please, come inside. We can talk about this inside. " He stretched out his hand, offering it to you.

You shook your head. "There is nothing for us to talk about, I have a son Ruben and like always, I choose him. But for once...." Your voice trailed off. You thought about Johnny's father and how much this reminded you of the day you told him that you were pregnant. "For once..." You said, wiping your eyes. From rain not tears. "For once I wish someone would choose me. I was stupid to think that that someone would be you."

"Y/N, wait!" Ruben stepped out into the rain, chasing after you. He didn't chase for long, of course. Emily was left in the barn, drunk and unable to return to the house by herself. And so Ruben made a choice. He chose her.

#fanfiction #football imagine #ruben dias #man city #manchester city #ruben dias x reader #ruben dias imagine #footballer imagine #footballer x reader #football angst

[gothic-thoughts]

Come To Fruition

(I do not like this nigga; #day1sukunahater 🙄)

Ryomen Sukuna x Black GN Reader Angst

JujitsuSorceror!Reader, TrueForm!Sukuna, Drabble

TW: Kidnapping, threatening, just Sukuna tings

CW: Your cursed technique implies you'll fall in love with the King of Curses

“What?” He scoffed, “I brought you into my domain nicely and you can’t even kneel?”

With an annoyed sigh, you slowly sink to your knees glaring into his red eyes as his evil smile grows wider and wider, taking pleasure in your animosity.

“So...you think you can fight me?”

“No. I didn't come to fight, I just said that so you’d bring me here so we can talk.”

“So you tricked me?”

You wince in guilt, looking at the floor, hoping the king of curses wouldn't kill you on the spot. With a deep chuckle, he rests his two lower hands on the mountain of skulls, pushing himself to his feet. He crossed all of his arms, red eyes narrowing down at you.

“Heh, no one has ever tricked me before—much less into a conversation. You intrigue me, human; therefore, you get to speak freely.”

“Freely?”

“Well....as free as I’d like. Now tell me, how stupid could you possibly be to want to be here?”

“Like I said, I just came to talk. I saw that you’re destined to be with me, like....romantically.”

He laughs loudly, shaking his domain as he walks around your body to stand before them, looking down at them as if your very existence was unfortunate.

“You truly believe you're...what? My fated one or something?” He laughs again, “Tch, how can something so foolish exist? What even lead you to such a theory?”

“I’ll show you, but it involves my curse technique.”

“Hm...” He cups his chin with his massive, upper right hand in thought, “Very well, but no more tricks out of you, understand? Or I’ll gut you so fast you’ll still be conscious enough to see what your liver looks like.”

Despite your trembling, you manage to open a small blue puddle atop the shallow pool of blood on his domain floor. You look up at Sukuna, making sure he is watching before saying "Where will I be when I find love?". The puddle shines brightly before fading to a dimly lit image of Sukuna’s domain. The monster’s eyebrows lift, leaning down to get a closer look at the vision before standing up straight with a scoff.

“Heh, and I reiterate, you think that the King of Curses would fall in love? And with a little...thing like you?”

“And you think I’d love you? My technique does not lie and it's never wrong.”

“So much for ‘never’. How does it feel knowing your curse technique is useless for your next battle?"

You hang your head slightly, trying not to argue, "It's not useless."

"Really, now? So you're saying there's a possibility that I will fall for something as foolish as mortal?”

“I hope not.”

“Exactly, so we're on the same page. Tch, I’d outlive you if I breathed on you wrong; it would be just a waste of time. My time, to be clear, not yours.”

“I know. But like I said, my technique is never wrong, and it only gets stronger the more I use it."

His smile suddenly disappeared as a result of a sudden change of attitude. "Interesting..."

"Yes, or it was supposed to. Can you...send me back out now?”

Your eyes widen but before you can speak he uses his lower left hand to grab your throat and guides you up to your feet. He pulls you closer, making you stumble as he drags, watching your eyes twitch and search his face for any mercy.

“Though I do admit that you’re intriguing, why would you think I’d do that?”

“...what...?” Your voice cracks, "But--" 

He held up a finger to his lips. “Shhh. You think that I would just let you go just because those pretty lips beg me to?”

He roughly releases your neck, making you drop to your knees, coughing. You rub the sore windpipe as he kneels. He suddenly grabs your chin, nails sinking into your cheeks and jaw, drawing blood from the puncture marks. Your eyes burn, preparing to release tears.

“Why?”

“And you still have the nerve to ask me questions!” He laughs loudly in your face, “You really are an interesting one, especially your technique. That being said, I want to experiment on you."

“Wait...my technique didn't mean you fell in love with me..." Your eyes widen in realization, "It meant I fell in love and you made me stay here...”

“Aw, isn’t that unfortunate?”

You sniffle, tears falling from your eyes to his fingers, “I shouldn't have come....”

He feigns a pout and wipes your tears with his other hand.

“Oh, don't cry, it's cute when you cry.” His pouting face cracks another arrogant smirk, “Keep that up and who knows, I might fall for you.”

#sukuna angst #jujutsu kaisen x black reader #x black reader #black reader #black writers #jujutsu kaisen #sukuna x reader #ryomen sukuna x reader #sukuna x black reader #jjk sukuna #true form sukuna #sukuna x y/n

[thornbutch]

I Wanna Show You Off (18+)

check out my masterlist! ♡

Pairings: Jordan Li x Fem! Reader

Summary: The only way to keep you safe is to mark you up.

Tags: Fem!Jordan Li, Gen V, 18+, sapphic, wlw, Jordan is a bit possessive and toxic (it’s sexy asf tho)

Word Count: ~800 (?)

“It hurts,” you whimpered. Your arms are wrapped loosely around your partner’s neck while their hands are tight on your waist. Their vice-like grip keeps you in place, unable to rock against the place you crave the most.

“Just a little longer, baby,” Jordan replied against your neck. They continue their abuse against your throat, leaving harsh, dark marks. Their nails are digging into your flesh, leaving indentions in your skin. It hurts, pleasantly so.

This all resulted from them catching you talking with a guy at a party. Jordan had gone to the bathroom and came back to find you laughing at his jokes. Your hand reached out to their chest in a simple, friendly gesture. They didn’t see it that way. Before you knew it, you were snatched up and practically thrown into their car.

The car ride was silent the entire time. You weren’t scared or afraid of Jordan, not even a little bit. You were scared of disappointing them. Did they really think you wanted that guy? Your body was tense in the passenger seat, arms folded over your chest. You feel a hand creep along your thigh, followed by a gentle squeeze from a familiar hand. Jordan’s eyes were focused on the road, but you could tell their mind was racing. They were in their feminine form, hair slicked back and the pearl side of their necklace glimmering against the lights inside the car.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, your voice low.

“I know,” they responded, “Not your fault. You can’t help lookin’ the way you do,” Jordan glanced over at you, a slight smirk playing on their lips, “I won’t let it happen again.”

Their solution to deter guys away from you was to cover you in hickeys and love bites. They couldn’t be with you 24/7, so they had to give you something to remind you who you belonged to.

They pulled away, leaving you trembling and bruised. They wiped their mouth and marveled at their masterpiece. Your neck and collarbone had been ravished, just how they liked it. “There,” they thumbed at a particular mark that was darker than the rest, pressing down on it and relishing in the hiss you made, “All done.”

They leaned back on the bed. Their eyes were glued to your body. You were so beautiful. You stared down at them from your spot on their lap. They were so beautiful. You weren’t the only one who appeared disheveled. Jordan’s hair was far from neat, and their necklace was twisted to where both the pearl and chain side were visible from the front. They wore a wife-beater with material so thin that you could see their dirty-rose colored nipples from underneath. No bra, as usual. Their breasts were the prettiest. You two could argue for hours over who had the perfect body, never being able to agree. You were perfect, they were perfect.

“You done starin’?” They raised an eyebrow. You shook your head. They reached over, searching for their phone in the comforter. When they found it, you already knew what they were planning. Your cheeks tinted and your heart rate increased.

Jordan raised their hand to your throat. You obediently tilted your head back so they could see their marks easier. You felt them shift underneath you, dainty fingers turning into calloused ones. The hand around your neck grew larger, but still familiar. A series of flashes went off in the room. Jordan would trail their fingers down your torso. They told you how pretty you were, how gorgeous you looked like this, how sweet you were for allowing them to cover you.

When they were done, they set their phone aside and allowed you to lay down on their chest. You loved them so much, and the loved you. They didn’t say it, but you felt it. Something deep inside them prevented them from forming those words, but their body didn’t. Their actions were just enough for you. You laid your head on their chest, listening to the slow sound of their heartbeat. It was slow and steady. They were relaxed. The two of you laid like that, their arms wrapped around you loosely and you drifting off to sleep. They’d lightly traced your spine with the tips of their fingers, careful not to cause any sudden movements that would startle you awake.

Soon, they fell asleep as well. Comfortable, understood, loved. All the things they never expected they could feel. Some may see their jealousy as something toxic; their possessiveness as something that needed to be fixed, but you knew it wasn’t like that. They were protective in their own way.

You’d get them back when you woke up.

#gen v #jordan li #mature #18+ content #Spotify

[jiihu]

BONJOUR, MAY I REQUEST A KARINA/READER FIC?possibly where reader and karina are not in a public relationship, and as a result, reader accuses karina of cheating bc of dispatch photos being leaked of her with another idol?? JUST LOTS OF ANGST, FIGHTING, JEALOUSY, EMOTIONS???? MESSY RELATIONSHIP TYPE BEAT. HAPPY ENDING PREFERRED, but feel free to end it however you’d like ! :) TYSM

﹅ 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲?; 𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮

﹅ summary — pushing your own feelings aside, you keep your relationship with karina a secret for the sake of her career. although you trust her, you can't help your insecurity.

﹅ content — angst, cheating, arguing

﹅ word count — 1.5k (the next fic will be longer dw)

﹅ a/n — i got a request to write this one without caps (and it's 10x easier so thank you), so if you guys like it i can continue in the future! also, this wasn’t as angsty as i wanted because for some reason if i do angst + fluff, it’s hard for me to not do one or the other TT

“you know i love you, right?” jimin mumbled into your hair as you two sat on your couch, a cheesy k-drama being used as background noise. you craned your neck to look up at her, your eyebrows furrowing as you tried to decipher her unreadable expression.

"i'd hope so," you joked, laughter trailing off when you realized that she wasn't laughing with you. "jimin? what's wrong?"

she shook her head, plastering a smile on her face as she began watching the show that she wasn't paying any mind to a few moments ago. you brushed off her strange behavior, resting your head back on her forearm.

"by the way," jimin flinched, "where'd you want to eat tonight?" you watched her let out a puff of air, her shoulders relaxing once again.

"mm, you pick," she whispered. her hand reached between the two of you to retrieve your phone, before sliding it into your hands. you scrolled through the delivery app, absentmindedly clicking on restaurants you assumed would be appetizing. your scrolling was interrupted by jimin's phone ringing, which she jumped up to answer, almost pushing you off of the couch in the process.

you watched as she disappeared behind the wall, her hand coming up to cover the speaker to prevent any sound from leaking. you sat up, suspicion pricking at the back of your mind.

not even ten seconds later, jimin appears again, this time with her coat in hand. you sat up, your eyes searching jimin's. she stared back at you with a sympathetic expression.

"jagi, i'm so, so sorry." she crouched in front of you, her hands encasing your own. "they need me back at the dorms. i'll be home later tonight, but don't wait up. you need rest." she pressed a kiss to your lips, giving you another kiss on your forehead before standing up.

"don't forget to eat, i love you." she left after those words, the sound of the door slamming shut echoing in your mind. you picked up your phone once again, chewing on your lip while you tried to keep your mind from wandering. they need me back at the dorms.

you were interrupted by your phone ringing, your eyes focusing on the screen to read the name aeri. you felt your heart begin to race, fearing that something bad had happened to jimin; like a car accident or something worse.

"y/n! you and jimin wanna come with us to this new barbecue restaurant? everyone says it's good, and i've been dying to try it."

it felt like your entire world had just come to a halt. "jimin's not here. she said you guys needed her for something." you heard hushed whispers through the speakers, the sound of rustling following shortly after.

"uh, never mind! we just heard a knock at the door, so that must be her. bye, y/n!" you stared at the phone in a dazed-like state, the beeping sound of the phone call ending ringing in your ears. trying to ignore the sinking feeling in your chest, you continued to look for something to eat.

once you found somewhere to order from, you sat up from your position and moved to grab your wallet from the table before your phone buzzed. usually, you would ignore it. but something felt different this time.

you looked down at your phone, feeling your entire world come crashing down when you read the notification at the top of the screen.

[BREAKING NEWS] 

AESPA's Karina was spotted leaving a restaurant with ITZY's Ryujin!

you opened your text messages between you and jimin, starting to type before you realized that you'd sent her about seven other messages, which she hadn't bothered to respond to.

you sat back in your previous spot on the couch, turning on an action-packed movie while tracking your food on the map to keep your mind off of karina. your eyes followed the delivery guy's icon as he got closer to your apartment. once you saw him reach your street, you slipped on your shoes and prepared to meet him outside.

before you could even unlock the door, you got a notification that alerted you that the food was delivered. you groaned, assuming that someone had stolen your food from downstairs. you opened the door and you were met with jimin with the bag of food in her hand, and flowers in the other.

"where were you?" jimin moved past you into the doorway, setting the food on the counter and finding a pot to put the flowers in.

"i was at the company with the girls. i told you that before i left, didn't i?"

"you did. but why is there a picture of you with ryujin on dispatch?" you watched jimin stop her movements, setting the flowers on the table before gesturing you over to show her your phone. you showed her the picture, and she shook her head, a smile spreading across her face.

"that's old, babe. different outfit."

"do you think i'm stupid, jimin? it might be blurry, but i can tell this is the same outfit you have on now. including the coat you took with you." jimin sighed, putting the flowers in the water and looking up at you.

"we went after i left the company. i just didn't want to tell you, because i knew you were going to overreact like this." you scoffed, stepping back and pointing at the door.

"get out."

"y/n, i didn't mean it like that-"

"get out!" you raised your voice at her, feeling tears brimming your eyes as you grabbed her by the arm, shoving her towards the door. you slammed the door behind her, pressing your forehead to the door after she walked off. you peeled yourself off of the door, a choked sob slipping past your lips as you made your way back to the bedroom.

while you sat on the bed, deep in thought, you looked back at the tweet again. you zoomed in on the picture, realizing that jimin had the same flowers in her hand that she brought to you. you sighed, falling back on the bed with your eyes closed.

"maybe i did overreact."

you nervously sat on the couch, your foot tapping on the ground while you thought about the crestfallen expression on jimin's face. you still felt the fabric of her long sleeve on your palm, like a reminder of how you treated jimin before she walked out of the house.

jimin had agreed to meet up with you again today, and even though it didn't seem that she was mad, you couldn't help but feel guilty because of your actions. trying not to get too lost in your thoughts, you tried to distract yourself by tidying things around the house.

you were cleaning up your nightstand when you found a folded-up note tucked under the lamp. you pulled it out, reading over it as you felt your heart swell. it was a note that jimin had written, who knows how long ago, basically pouring her heart out to you before practice.

while you were reading it over and over again, you heard a knock at your door and you perked up, fixing your clothes before rushing over to the door. you opened the door a bit and saw jimin standing awkwardly beside the door, another bouquet clutched in her fist.

"jimin, hi." you moved aside to give her room to enter, and she walked over to the pot and slid the flowers beside the previous ones. you two awkwardly faced each other before jimin pulled you into a tight hug, her head resting on your shoulder. she rubbed circles onto your back, her other arm resting on your shoulders.

"i'm sorry. i should've told you where i was going, and i shouldn't have said you were overreacting." you shook your head, your fingers playing with the hem of her shirt.

"it's fine, promise. i should've let you explain yourself." jimin pulled away from you, sitting down on the couch in a relaxed position before gesturing you over to sit in her lap. she grabbed the remote, trying to find something to watch while you looked up at her, nothing but love in your eyes. "you're not mad, right? we're good?" jimin smiled, pulling you closer to her side.

"we're good."

#fem reader #aespa karina #karina x reader #karina imagines #kpop imagines #girl group imagines #gg imagines #aespa x reader #aespa imagines #⸻ writes! 📄

[thetrashywritingwitch]

“Be Still, Just for Me” Bakugo x Fem!Reader, Ch. 46

First Chapter

Previous Chapter

(all chapters are available in my masterlist!)

Summary: Bakugo Katsuki, a Pro Hero in Japan, is used to the routine: wake up, kick villain ass, rinse and repeat. He’s living his dream, soaking in all he’s ever wanted and worked for.

During the brief moment he lets his guard down, everything changes.

Tossed into a world without quirks with nothing but the clothes on his back, he’s forced to accept the help of someone who knows exactly who he is: a manga character who should definitely not exist. ---------------

Chapter length: 26k (HIGHLY recommend reading on ao3, wattpad, or quotev if you are a mobile Tumblr user and don't use Tumblr desktop because you will have a hard time with lag or app crashing trying to read this fucking long post)

Warnings: M+ for language, Katsuki-typical threats of violence, mentions of panic attack, sexual content (nothing super explicit)

Reminder that the A03, Wattpad, and Quotev links will be in a reblog so this post shows up in search results! They’re also in my profile header! <3

Co-written and plot mapped by @rose-sparks13

thanks to all my beta readers!!! @birinboom

@bananabossbitch, @dellappatca and @jems-all-in-a-wood and a few others who prefer to remain anonymous. NOTE: please ignore and forgive anytime i might’ve misspelled “Yaoyorozu” because I'll never learn how to spell her name correctly

Chapter Title: The Night We Met, Part II

_____________________________

The celebration on the other side of the outside garden grew quiet and eventually vanished as though muffled by a growing mound of indiscernible cotton. Bushes and creeping vines paused their benign swaying. As the world surrounding Katsuki gradually came to a halt, its energy seemed to seep into his bones and beneath his skin, buzzing and oscillating tortuously. 

This isn’t real, he thought in desperation as his mouth went dry, eyes bulged, and chest tightened in disbelief. There, barely three meters away from him, stood a ghost shivering under the moonlight in a dress the deep red color of blood. Katsuki blinked, expecting you to vanish like you always did… yet you remained statue-still and staring stunned right back at him. 

The glass in his hand slipped out of his trembling fingers, clattering onto the floor. Neither of you flinched as ice and alcohol stained the wood grain underfoot. 

He remembered waking up this morning. Going on patrol with Mar. Arguing with Kirishima in the agency hallway. Feeding his cat. Riding his bike over here for his stupid birthday party… No, there was no way that the entire day's events and memories could have been more than an illusory dream. 

…Then what kind of sick trick caused a hallucination of you to appear before Katsuki as if taunting him ceaselessly for six months wasn’t enough?

Voice hoarse, arid, and strained, he attempted to speak as if hearing his own voice might jolt him out of this mirage. “Are you a nightmare?” 

Could you hear him? Would you answer? No, of course not. You never did; spirits couldn’t speak. 

You winced at his words, his voice uncharacteristically brittle compared to the strong, unwavering tenor you were used to, the sound you dreamed of hearing just one more time. All you wanted to do was run to him and bury your face in his skin and bathe in his warmth and sob in his arms. But cinder blocks tied your feet to the ground. He looked almost scared, as if reaching out to touch him would splinter the tension and he’d crack beneath your fingertips; the fear and anxiety kept you immobile as the device in your shaking hands translated his words. 

Peeling your tongue from the roof of your mouth, you dared not blink as you managed to weakly shake your head in denial. “No, Katsuki… I’m not.”

More than anything you wanted to capture him, hold onto him, keep him close like a fragile treasure, but tension hung like tepid puddles after a thick rain - the kind that filled your nose and lungs with stale air and upended rot. Don’t cry, don’t cry yet. If you do, you’ll never stop. “W-why a nightmare?”

A bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck and disappeared into the collar of his pressed shirt. He quickly glanced at your hands gripped tightly around the device that somehow far exceeded the accuracy of your phone with its robotic Japanese inflection. But… your voice. It pierced between his ribs like a spear aimed with deadly accuracy to strike with poisonous memories dripping from the sharpened edge. 

Commemorating you through the keepsakes was easy; everything observed months ago, he saw again behind closed eyes or whenever he took out his hidden gifts when waves of longing nostalgia washed over him. However, sight was just a single sense out of five. The language barrier became less noticeable and cumbersome over time as he focused on the tone and inflection of your voice. Though your singing and laughter stuck with him, Katsuki lamented that they became harder to recall with every passing day. 

Dreams were satisfying and light, or comically nonsensical. The ones with you always began happily enough, and often alluded to memories he fought to remember and forget and remember and forget in a never ending cycle. But when morning came and Katsuki awoke, he knew that none of it was real and would never be real again; it might as well have been a nightmare. A looping display that haunted and taunted him knowing all that really remained of you, was just in his imagination. 

Waiting for you to disappear just as he had six months prior, Katsuki stood staring, unmoving despite the wretched hum screaming under his skin.

“Because,” he started, “I always wake up."

Not understanding the connection between you and nightmares, you managed to force your feet to move a single step towards him. "I… no. Katsuki, I'm not a dream or nightmare or anything imaginary. I… I'm real and I'm here and-" 

"You're not supposed to be here," he abruptly interrupted. The shock written across his face slowly morphed into that familiar grimace of frustration he wore like a shield. 

Your fear of rejection seemed like it might come true. 

Back inside the house, a line of people with their ears pressed up against the wall stood tense and impatient while those who had no fucking clue what was happening lingered in confusion. 

Kirishima went first, trying to see if he could hear the conversation happening outside with his face smooshed against the off-white wall. He needed to know if all their planning would actually pay off or if Bakugo was going to somehow blow his second chance at love. Midoriya followed right behind him and Kaminari, hating feeling left out, did the same even though he was only halfway in the know. 

"Jirooooouuuuu, pleeeeease? This is actually super important!" Ashido's black eyes glistened as she begged Jirou to use her earphone jacks to listen to the tense conversation happening on the other side of the sliding door.

Raising an eyebrow, Jirou said, "I don't even know what's going on? Who was that lady that went outside?" 

However, Yaoyorozu came up behind her girlfriend and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You don't have to do as she says, Kyoka. It isn't really our story to tell; that's up to Bakugo-san. The conversation happening outside is private and we shouldn't eavesdrop.” 

Ashido pursed her lips and huffed. "Spoilsport. I know you're just as curious as the rest of us," she claimed before marching over to the wall and lining herself up with the others. 

Deflating, Momo nibbled on her bottom lip as she stared at her friends’ backs. It was true - she did want to know what was happening between you and Bakugo, especially after seeing with her own eyes how much you cared about him and all the trouble the others went through to get you here in the first place. A gentle, familiar hand on hers eased Momo’s worry as Kyoka met her eyes. 

“I definitely wanna know what’s going on because I’m so lost… but if you say it’s not our business, then I’ll just wait for you to tell me later,” she conceded with a knowing smile. 

“It… is a very interesting story, that’s for sure.” 

Towards the back of the room, Sero stood next to Todoroki who loudly sipped from his cup while Uraraka worriedly twisted the hem of her shirt in her hands on his other side. “Hey dude, you know what’s goin’ on? Is this all part of the party…?”

If it were anyone else, the ice in his cup would’ve melted into shards by now, but Todoroki held it in his left hand, a fine mist of frost keeping the mostly-empty cup perfectly chilled. “Yeah. Sort of. I’m just going to watch and see what happens. Uraraka, you shouldn’t worry, especially when you’re pregnant. I think Bakugo will be fine.”

Uraraka let the breath she was holding tumble out while absentmindedly rubbing her stomach. “I know, I know. He’s just so bullheaded sometimes; I don’t want Bakugo-kun to do something else he’ll regret…” 

Off in a far corner of the main living space, the remaining guests - Shinsou, Tokoyami, and Camie - lingered around the speakers and the snack table, all just equally as confused about what was happening, both inside and outside. 

“Should we-“

“Nope.” 

“… Yes, it's probably for the best.” Tokoyami closed his eyes in agreement within Shinsou, but peeked his left one open after a moment when he heard Camie giggle. "And can you tell me why you're so enamored with Dark Shadow?" 

The sentient shadow attached to Tokiyami was laughing, too, while Camie was trying to feed it a snack. "Huh? It's like, kinda cute, ya know? Like one of those little pocket monster things except like, real and stuff. Does it like brownies?" Although she had a high alcohol tolerance, it was obvious the spiked juice was beginning to affect her much to Dark Shadow's amusement. 

While party guests bickered or wrung their hands together with worry, your staring contest with Katsuki wore on. Confusion, tension, and agitation evident in his posture rolled off him like mist. You told Uraraka that keeping their plan a secret probably wouldn't end well, and you hoped she had convinced her other cohorts to come clean… but they didn't, and now you were paying the price. 

Opening your mouth, you tried to find the words to assuage his frustration and save the night from total ruin and heartbreak. "I… Katsuki, I know I'm not supposed to be here. That we both knew that when you left, that was it. That would be the end." Although you tried to keep your voice even and strong, it cracked like brittle china faced with an angry bull ready to charge. "Your friends… Uraraka and Kirishima and some others found a way to bring me here. They wanted… they thought you might want to see me again… I wanted to see you again." 

This wasn't right. None of it was right. He'd ached and wallowed in his own pathetic misery for months before finally managing to get a hold of himself and return to a life of relative normalcy and routine. Coming to terms with the brutal truth of his inability to just be fucking honest with himself, with you, was just as exhausting and difficult as any big villain he'd faced. 

It had to be some screwed up joke to cement him in the past he'd fought to leave behind. That's what you would've wanted. That's what Katsuki wanted. Right? 

But for the first time, you answered him. You didn't just fade away like every other instance. You claimed his friends helped you get here, but that just shoved more questions into his sweaty, trembling hands. 

Maybe this really was a nightmare… or possibly some elaborate illusion based on his knowledge and memories to leave him fumbling and vulnerable. Only the two of you stood outside, but for all he knew someone unseen could be pulling the strings with Black Hole as the resurrected puppet master.

She'd wanted him to suffer, after all. 

The sad, worried look in your eyes, however… did he trust his own senses that rarely led him astray, or was there a way to know if you were truly who you claimed to be? She isn’t. She couldn’t be. 

Unsure of what to do because his so-called friends left you on your own rather than explain to Katsuki what the hell was happening and why, you began to step closer to him, but stopped when he interrupted. 

“Don’t move,” he ordered. Hearing Katsuki so uncharacteristically wary reminded you dismally of his first few days in your home: distrustful, tense, and exasperated. After everything the two of you experienced together, it hurt. Oh, it stung bitterly. “Tell me something only the real (y/n) would know. Something no one else would know.” 

Frowning, you should’ve expected something like this. Rather than come here and be welcomed warmly by the man you fell in love with months ago, you were forced to prove you were really who you claimed to be through some time-wasting test. If by some miracle this actually worked and Katsuki eventually believed you, Midoriya and the others were going to catch a nasty earful for making this already stressful situation so much harder than it needed to be. 

Ignoring that impending argument for now, you focused on remembering everything only privy to you and Katsuki. While you had no idea exactly what he’d revealed to his friends about his time with you, it didn’t really matter; you knew Katsuki in the most intimate of ways; convincing him was - hopefully - only a matter of choosing something that struck a sensitive chord. 

The bear incident was too grandiose and at least a handful of other people knew about it. You recalled the flowers you’d managed to keep alive in your apartment, but you’d told Uraraka where they came from. While the karaoke date was something you’d never forget, it didn’t strike you as the correct choice, either. The amusement park, scheduling his haircut, running into your ex… All of these flashbacks resembled down-facing cards spread out on a table with your hand hovering between them. Every card except one meant permanent defeat. 

Then, it hit you. Something you were positive he kept to himself considering he almost didn't admit it to you at all; and Katsuki gave you a hint without even realizing. 

"The nightmare," you blurted out as if worried an invisible timer would run out and yank you back into your own world at the ringing of a jarring game show buzzer. Katsuki's brows furrowed, his face still written with apprehension, but you continued. "I don't remember the exact day… but I remember waking up in the middle of the night. You were sitting up next to me and I could tell something was wrong… I just… held you and hoped I was giving you some comfort. Like you helped me after the whole bear incident. I didn't know until the next day that you had a nightmare…" 

He remembered. Whenever painful memories tortured him while he slept, Katsuki always remembered, even if he'd much rather forget. It was the first and only time someone had been there when he awoke in a cold sweat with visions of failure and blood far too vibrant whenever he closed his eyes. 

And he'd never told anyone else about it. 

Back inside the house, it felt like an hour as time and tension serenaded each other despite only a few minutes passing. More people had joined in the group pressed against the wall trying to overhear what was happening outside. 

"It's too quiet; I feel like he's blowing it." Kirishima groaned at the thought of his best friend making the same dumb mistake twice which, for someone like Bakugo Katsuki who prioritized a perfect victory every single time, was unheard of. 

Bored after doing nothing for all of thirty seconds, Kaminari had left his place against the wall and was currently leaning on Shinsou's shoulder who played off the close contact like it was no big deal despite having a spike of internal bisexual panic. 

"C'moooon guys! Just go outside and tell him he's being dumb or something-" 

"You do it then," Todoroki suggested nonchalantly. 

Grimacing, Kaminari shook his head and latched onto Shinsou's arm. "If this was less serious, then, yeah, maybe! I don't wanna piss him off again; especially on his birthday." 

Shinsou still wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but distinctly remembered Bakugo's embarrassing outburst at the bar months ago. He couldn't really blame Kaminari for his avoidance of a potential repeat. "Can someone at least tell me what all this drama is about? Ignoring it is getting tough with everyone acting weird and I'm too sober to tune it out." 

"It's… a long story, Shinsou-kun," Midoriya answered as he rubbed the back of his neck and stood next to Uraraka. "Depending on what happens tonight, maybe Kacchan can tell you himself in his own words."

And judging by the strained and hushed conversation happening in the garden things were not exactly going how they all expected. 

The silence between you stretched on far too long for comfort after you answered Katsuki's demand. What else were you supposed to do when all of this apparently rested on your shoulders alone? 

"If… if you really don't believe me or actually want me here… then I'm not going to keep trying to convince y-you." The last word came out as more of a whimper, your throat swelling with strain as you fought back bursting into tears on the spot. All those months of waiting… just to have your heart crushed all over again because of his fucking bullheadedness. I was so stupid to think this was a good idea…

It took a monumental effort to take a step back from him when all you wished for was to be as close as you used to be. Just for a while. Just for tonight. 

As you began to swivel on your heel, pain evident in your glassy eyes and stammering speech, an image he'd hoped to forget sprang forward like a memory resurfaced from the drowned, dark depths. 

That awful day culminated into a horrible night as Katsuki watched you cry and scream before disappearing out the door in a whirlwind of his own doing. He hadn't stopped you then, too stunned to react as you spat his own words right back in his face. The fear and guilt attempting to swallow him back then… it all could've ended so much worse. 

But you took him back. He didn't deserve it, but you did anyway. You allowed his effort at making amends with barely any time left to see the fruits of his redemption begin to ripen into something sweet and filling. 

If this were real… if you were real, there was no way in hell he'd make the same mistake twice. Letting you walk away once was difficult enough, but if Katsuki stood by and accepted watching you disappear, then he deserved whatever sisyphean punishment fate shackled to him for the remainder of his days; but you didn't.

As if Medusa's paralyzing grip on him suddenly vanished, Katsuki lurched forward, his hand outstretched in desperation to keep this illusion from slipping through his fingers. And true enough, he was surprised to find that he didn't phase through your wrist. 

Warmth. Soft skin. Racing pulse. He felt it all through his hardened calluses. "Wait… please."

The sudden grip on your arm tugged your shoulder back, but turning around to face him after resigning that this once in a lifetime opportunity ended in rejection was too much. Pressure behind your eyes swelled as you continued to fight off crumpling in a crying heap on the ground when he asked - no, pleaded - for you to stay. 

Just like before… Except  this time, Katsuki didn't let you run away. You stared at a vine crawling up the side of the house while trying to avoid focusing on the familiar warmth of his hand, the strength of his grip, and even the damp sweat slowly soaking into your skin. But he felt unsteady, something Katsuki never was, his fingers shivering as if freezing despite the comfortable warmth outside. 

So, two distrustful people waited for proof that this second chance would not slip away, one desperate for truth while the other pleaded for patience. All you had to do was turn around and face him. And you did. 

To anyone that didn’t know him, Katsuki looked exactly like you remember him. His ash-blonde hair. Those damn eyes of his that caught light like rubies. The sharp, strong jaw that framed his sharper tongue. The past six months apart just melted away as aching familiarity came bursting through the door. But, just like when he found you at the park, his face and body language betrayed his normal composure: unsure, shaken, disbelieving, desperate… everything you also felt and knew he was seeing mirrored right back. 

Without tearing his eyes away, Katsuki reluctantly let your wrist fall from his hand before cupping your face with his sweaty palms. Warm. They didn’t pass through. He was close enough to smell some faint but recognizable aroma that he’d forgotten with time. Your perfume. Only detectable when you were close enough to touch. You looked like you wanted to cry. 

“I don’t know what the fuck is going on… but I don’t really care.” Logic and reason be damned on his birthday; if you hadn’t disappeared by this point, then he wasn’t going to waste his time fighting against it anymore. “If you’re really here, then- hell even if you’re not, just listen to what I have to say.”

No repeated mistakes. 

“I don’t have a lot of regrets in life. I’m doing exactly what I set out to do since I was a bratty kid. And even though I’ve screwed up a lot, I’ve tried to pinpoint those flaws and fix ‘em.” You’ve rehearsed this a thousand times. “But I made a huge fucking mistake months ago, and I’ve been driving myself crazy trying to live with it while knowing I couldn’t make it right.” 

No more hiding. 

You knew him too well. He wished he hated that about you - how you managed to find shelter in his exposed remains after peeling through layers he didn’t even know existed - but he didn’t. 

Words gummed up his throat when the simplest answer was right here. With his clammy hands still preciously cupping your face, Katsuki leaned his forehead against yours and felt your shaky breath on his lips. 

The kiss was real. You didn’t disappear. Just…

“(Y/n)… Aishiteru.”

Barely audible. Fiercely soft. Perfectly understood. Your lip quivered and eyes screwed shut as the buildup finally overflowed. Katsuki returned your love even now, and nothing else was going to keep you apart tonight. 

The translator device bounced across the ground as you lurched forward and draped your arms around his neck, clinging to his hair, shirt, skin, anything you could reach, terrified of letting him go again. Choking out a guttural sob muffled by his shoulder, your body went limp as the compounding burdens of the day finally disappeared. You didn’t have to hold yourself up anymore; Katsuki was there to support you. 

The sudden noise outside caused Uraraka to chance a peek around the corner to make sure she didn’t need to break up any unfortunate disasters, but whipped back around quickly when she saw the two of you in a tender and intimate embrace on the ground. “Ooh! You g- ow!” 

Ashido had come up right behind her to also eavesdrop and earned them both potential head bruises as a result. “Owwww, sorry, sorry! What’s happening?!”

Ignoring the pain, Uraraka yelled and whispered simultaneously that you and Katsuki were kissing. 

“Ohmygod, really?!”

“YES!”

Kirishima and the others nearby heard this and broke out of their hiding spots against the wall to celebrate their hard-won victory. Kirishima threw a fist in the air, Midoriya slumped against the wall with flooded eyes, and Todoroki nodded in approval with a sincere smile. 

At this point, most of the other guests had wandered into other rooms of the house to enjoy a party with an absent birthday boy, though a few remained behind to observe the inevitable end of this secretive drama. 

“… And then he said they went to karaoke I think, so- oh, are they done now?” Kaminari turned towards the back door to see his friends were no longer acting all sad and weird. 

“Keep going.” Shinsou tugged at Kaminari’s shirt collar to pull his attention back to him. The alcohol was making him stupid and bold and the blonde extra attractive. “It was just getting good.” 

Cocking his head to the side, Kaminari smirked with half-lidded eyes. “Yes, sir, whatever you say.” 

The noisy guests indoors barely registered as you let Katsuki hold you. He kept your relief grounded while you tried and failed to stop crying. His warm, shaky breath on your neck and his arms tangled around your chest reminded you of the final embrace on your couch before he vanished and left you pressed against nothing but air. Only this time, you didn't have the last word; and oh, the bursting elation building in your chest at his words was altogether cathartic. 

He loves me. It's not unrequited. 

Telling the truth never felt so fucking rewarding as it did right then. The reality that none of this made one iota of sense left his mind completely as he buried his face in your skin as his eyes and throat ached with pressure. He saw you, felt you, smelled you, tasted you, every tiny thing he'd craved for six goddamn months. 

"Moushi wake nai," he mumbled while turning his head to see messy tear tracks on your cheek that he gently tried to wipe away. 

Sorry for being a coward. 

"Moushi wake nai…" He pressed chapped lips to your jaw and tasted salt. 

Sorry for leaving you unanswered.

"Moushi wake nai." Your noses brushed as you sniffled, meeting his glassy gaze briefly with bloodshot eyes before properly returning his kiss, albeit weakly as though your energy and strength was completely spent. 

Sorry for making you cry again.

“Aishiteru,” you echoed before kissing him again as if the words themselves reinvigorated you. Hearing it again in your own voice and inflection and accent rather than the embarrassing imitation from his dreams left Katsuki nearly breathless before you shifted in his lap, gripped the collar of his shirt, hands trembling, and glared at him with adoration and frustration in equal measure. Fuck, you were beautiful. 

“Baka ńe,” you bit out, your voice squeaking at the end from strain despite trying your best to rightfully insult him after six months of holding it in. All Katsuki could do was stare dumbfounded with lips parted in a foggy haze before you yanked him forward like old times’ sake to try and kiss some sense back into him, but you didn’t have to; he would’ve met you halfway. Would’ve fought off a hundred bears to hear you call him stupid every fucking day for the rest of his life. 

God, you’d shared many kisses over those last few weeks - some soft, some sloppy, some heart-poundingly passionate - but none of them compared to the satisfaction billowing through him right then. Or maybe it had something to do with the six months he survived on nothing but his own memories. Maybe they were all equally important in their own ways and trying to weigh one over the other was beyond pointless. Didn’t matter. Reveling in the desperation, his mouth chasing you like a starved man presented with a mouth-watering buffet, was more than satisfying. 

Alcohol, fire, and musky cologne. One second you were crying on Katsuki’s shoulder and the next his skin was marked with red trails left by your nails under his shirt collar while you knelt between his legs and a hand slithered under the hem of your dress to grip your thigh. The way your heart raced as your tongues fought for dominance made you forget about wanting to headbutt him for being an emotionally-constipated dumbass. 

This was like the real life version of those stupid Hallmark-esque movies with the tragically separated couple spotting each other from across an airport terminal, running through a bustling crowd, and leaping into each other’s arms in the middle with ear-to-ear grins. Except they never fucked in those movies, and if you weren’t in Uraraka’s backyard with Katsuki’s main friend group inside, then the Hallmark channel would’ve absolutely deemed this heated encounter inappropriate for their prudish audience. 

However, Katsuki seemed absolutely unbothered by potential voyeurism as he practically growled in your mouth and pulled you flush against him as if daring any higher powers watching to rip him away from you again. 

Straddling his lap, you reluctantly pulled away causing him to practically whine while trying to keep you right where he wanted you. But there were things you needed to explain and answers he no doubt wanted judging from the disbelieving comments and interrogation just minutes before. Smothering his mouth with one of your palms, you managed to keep him steady while wiping at your eyes that were still damp from the emotional deluge. 

You sat back on your heels and looked from side to side before spotting the translator you’d dropped. Leaning over to grab it across one of Katsuki’s legs, you really hoped it wasn’t busted from the couple of new scratches on the screen and one of the corners. “Shit…” 

Huffing through his nose at you interrupting your own makeout session, Katsuki took a deep breath to try and calm himself down. As he pulled your hand away from his face, he glanced up just in time to see familiar red hair and eyes peeking around the corner of the back door before quickly retreating back inside after being caught peeping. Only a small part of him was embarrassed, though. If he could finally tell you that he loved you and apologize for his past faults, then dealing with PDA witnesses was a walk in the park by comparison. 

He saw you fiddling with the device in your hand before slipping his fingers between yours and pressing a tender kiss to your palm, resting it against his cheek. Grounding. Warm. Real. The longing ache that had weighed him down for months seemed to vanish at your touch. Zoning out for a second, still pushing away all of the questions he had about how all of this happened, you kissed his other cheek before resting your forehead against his and stared lovingly into his eyes. 

If he said it once, he could say it again. So he did. Telling you he loved you was easier the second time, but no less impactful as you bit your lip and smiled sheepishly but oh so earnest and bright. Enough to rival those park fireworks. To put them to shame. He couldn’t help but smile, too. 

Feeling tired of sitting on the hard ground, Katsuki stood up and brushed dirt off the back of his pants before extending a hand to help you up, too. 

“C’mon… Please don’t be broken. Does this thing still work?” He watched you press a few buttons on the thing in your hand while The same voice from before came through just fine and you let out a relieved sigh. Right as you turned back to him, Katsuki grabbed your chin and stared down into your eyes before glancing at the device. 

“Tell me again for my own sanity that this isn’t a dream or illusion or anything, because that kiss seemed real as hell to me, and if it wasn’t, then I’m gonna lose my fucking mind.”

The tension dropped along with your shoulders as you pulled his hand away, but didn’t let go. “Yes, Katsuki. I really am here, just like I said. None of this is fake or anything. You can thank your friends for setting all of this up, but also blame them for not telling you I was coming in the first place.”

OK. Alright. So he wasn’t crazy after all. Now that he’d had a minute to readjust and most of the shock had finally worn off, your answer sealed the deal. His gut instinct to protect himself through vehement denial of the unbelievable twisted in opposition, but he forced himself to ignore the discomfort. 

Then it hit him and he scowled while running his free hand down his face. 

“Those fuckers,” he cursed, eyeing the now-closed door that led back into the house. “I knew Todoroki wasn’t telling me everything! Who all is in on it? Who do I-“

Before his annoyance levels rose too high, you shut him up with a simple gesture that he rejected from just about everyone else: a hug. You tugged on his hand and pressed against him like a shield. God, he missed this, just burying his nose in your hair and shutting his eyes to savor feeling close and wanted.

"I don't want you to fight on your birthday," you said. "Oh, right. Happy birthday, Katsuki." 

"They started it," he retorted, his eyes still closed as his hands came up to wrap around your waist. "Mm. Are you my gift?" 

Even though you couldn't see his face, you knew he was smiling. "If you want me to be, then yes." Although him calling you a gift was sweet in its own way, it reminded you sorely of his friends back inside and how they seemed to pass you around from one person to the next. You were a person, not a present, and chose to come here of your own volition. 

"Katsuki," you said, gripping his hand tighter in your own. It was heavenly being able to say his name and actually hear him answer you, again. "Why didn't you tell me back then?" 

He knew what you meant without explanation and you swore you felt the pace of his heartbeat quicken through his chest. "I was stupid. I didn't think things would go the way they did, that we'd keep growing closer, and by the time I realized what I was feeling, I didn't know what to do. It…" Katsuki hesitated and you squeezed his hand reassuringly to keep going. "It scared me. I'd never been in love before, especially not to someone I couldn't be with in the end. I could always train and learn and evolve to prepare for whatever the future held as a Hero… but I wasn't prepared for you." 

Your breath hitched as he revealed insecurities you knew were difficult to explain. Of all the things that could scare someone like Katsuki… but thinking back to everything that happened during those last few days together, it all made sense. 

"I was a coward," he stated bluntly. You knew he was frowning just from his tone. "I was angry. Back on the ferris wheel, I knew. It hit me and I knew. I was happy and you were beautiful and I just…" 

"...You panicked." Finishing his thought for him, all the pieces finally clicked together. Katsuki didn't want to leave and you didn't want him to leave, but there was nothing either of you could do about it. Fighting against the unbeatable and coming out on top was something Katsuki excelled at. Something he couldn't overcome… no wonder he lashed out. "You dummy." The annoyingly familiar pressure began building behind your eyes again. "It's OK to be scared or unsure of things. Talking it out can help, though. You're supposed to be smart…" The weak laugh at your own words hopefully obscured him from hearing you sniffle. 

His lips and warm breath caressed your forehead; the tiniest gesture was going to make you cry again from how much you missed it, missed him. "I know that now. And I won't make the same mistake again." 

I know you won't… because my time here is limited. But you refused to think about going back home without him, not when you had so much catching up to do. "You know, I was going to tell you I loved you back on the ferris wheel. I'd known for a while how I felt… but was waiting for the right moment. It was so cliché and romantic… then all the drama happened and I didn't want to make things worse with just one day left." You loosened your arm wrapped around his chest to look up at him; even under the pale moonlight, his eyes glistened like the beautiful red rubies you remembered. "So I waited until the last possible moment. I guess I was a coward, too." 

Back then, he knew. It was noticeable from the way you looked at him fondly with a coy smile that was just for show but also completely earnest. How you reached for him without hesitation. The darkness in the ferris wheel carriage couldn’t obscure what he saw backlit by city lights and fireworks. Katsuki knew, and he’d chosen to run instead. 

“Don’t,” he warned while shaking his head and holding his ground to stare down what he was so terrified of seeing six months ago. “I ran from my problems even though I would’ve called out anyone else for the same thing. There’s way more to strength and resolve than just how hard you can punch or how much you can take before going down. You did what I couldn’t.” He wasn’t afraid of your truth, anymore, nor his own. “So you better not call yourself a coward while I’m around, got it, Clumsy-chan?”

Your eyes widened and brows rose while the corners of his lips tugged into a grin. “Really? Even now, you’re stuck on that nickname?” The way you smiled through your words gave you away. 

“I’ve changed, but not that much. You’re stuck with it unless I find one I think suits you better.” He felt you attempt to tug your hand free from his pitiful rebellion, but his hands and arms were far stronger than the average person’s; it was a fight you’d never win, but the outcome wasn’t the point, anyway. 

Only now with most of his brain fog finally gone did he finally take in your appearance. Your hair was styled in an unfamiliar way, but it more than suited you. Matching earrings and a necklace that sparkled from the backyard light attached to the house. Smeared makeup circled your eyes, but Katsuki didn’t give a damn about that. And the rest…

Blinking in realization, he stepped back - hand never leaving yours - to look at the whole package. Confusion written on your face, he answered you before you had a chance to ask what the hell he was doing. “You’re wearing the red dress.” 

Yeah, he’d been right: you did look good in it. Brain dead idiot of an ex-boyfriend had as much taste as he did sense when he said it didn’t suit you. Red was always a striking color and stood out among a crowd, but you wore it well. When you realized exactly why he was staring, your posture shifted as if trying to appear more flattering to him than you already did. 

“Oh… yeah, I am. I mean, I’d only worn it once before… and I wanted to look nice for tonight. I thought about what you said about not letting anyone else decide what I should or shouldn’t do or wear. I'm guessing it was a good choice, then?" You managed a slow twirl in the uwabaki that didn't match your dress at all, the fabric flowing out from your thighs before settling back down as you stopped to face him expectantly. 

Deku's house slippers and tear-stained makeup be damned. Katsuki yanked you back towards him with little effort, catching you with an arm securely around your waist as he leaned down and caught you in a surprise kiss. The tiny squeak you let out had him smiling as you pressed against his chest and stood on your tiptoes to try and gain back some leverage, but he pulled away before you ensnared him in a willing trap. 

"You don't just look nice." The desiring glint in your eyes shifted to perplexed, but he was ready this time. "You look fucking beautiful. No extra can compare." No repeat of the "what the fuck are you wearing?" situation. 

His lack of hesitation in complimenting you must've come as a mild shock judging from the bashful way you tried to hide your smile, lips sucked in between your teeth; that, or you were still bashful about his praise. "Thank you… have you been practicing flirting this whole time Mr. I'm Bad With Words?" 

This back and forth banter was yet another thing he desperately missed; it was the small, prosaic interactions rather than grandiose displays that stuck with him the most. "No, but I've had six months to consider things I wish I'd said or done. I don't hold back with anything else, and this - you - shouldn't be an exception." 

"Glad you finally learned your lesson on that one," you concurred before leaning back and drinking him in from head to toe. "You clean up nicely, yourself. I'd almost forgotten you had other clothes besides black tank tops and jeans." Humming to yourself, you traced your fingertips lightly across the stiff collar of his shirt before trailing down his bicep. Touch-starved for close contact and affection, the small but sensual movement sent goosebumps across his skin. "Hmm, yes… very handsome, indeed. I like the jewelry, too. And… are you wearing eyeliner?" 

While you and Katsuki traded words, a small group had formed behind Jirou who had her earphone jack pressed up against the wall separating them from their friend outside. After Kirishima got caught peeking around the corner, even Jirou couldn’t hold back her curiosity as to what was going on after piecing together a rough idea through the whispered discussion of her friends.

However, it didn’t take long before her cheeks flushed and she quickly turned to disappear towards the snack table. “O-okay, their flirting really isn’t our business-“

“Flirting?! No way… but I guess he must have some game if he managed to get a girlfriend…” Ashido pondered mischievously about what in the world Bakugo’s flirting would entail as Jirou reached for her girlfriend’s hand. 

Yaoyozoru sighed. “I warned you, dear…” 

“But you totally wanted to know, too!” 

Her free hand flew to her cheek in exaggerated shame. “Oh, I know I did! I just wanted to see how Bakugo-san and Y/N-san were doing… but eavesdropping isn’t the answer. How impolite of me…”

Midoriya stood between Todoroki and Kirishima who all glanced sidelong at each other. “Do you think they’ll come back in, eventually?”

“I would think so, Todoroki-kun. They have a lot to catch up on. At least nothing bad happened…” His relieved chuckle contrasted with Kirishima’s annoyed groan. 

“Yeah, I mean I get that, but we still planned this whole party thing, y’know? And you still have Sato’s cake to bring out!”

Humming to himself, Todoroki pondered while Midoriya and Kirishima talked about cake. "But… I doubt staying at the party means more than spending quality time with his true love." 

The line made Kirishima snort. "Sounds so cheesy saying it like that, especially for someone like Bakugo, but it's also super manly to love who you love without caring what anyone else thinks! I mean, I'm not gonna cockblock my best bro-" 

"K-Kirishima-kun!" Even now as a married man with a kid on the way, Midoriya never fully overcame talking publicly about anything even mildly salacious. Searching around frantically before spotting Ochako, he decided it was the perfect time to check on his wife who was eating mochi while giggling at Dark Shadow acting like a puppy while Camie remained fixated on treating it as such. "They'll come inside when they want to and wecanhavecakethen!!" 

The redhead laughed. “I guess he’ll never outgrow talking about embarrassing stuff… but man, am I glad Bakugo didn’t totally blow it with… you alright, Todoroki?”

Still deep in thought over inconsequential details, he said, “I suppose with your quirk, you would be the best at cockblocking… like a shield…” He only came out of his trance when Kirishima doubled over with laughter. 

Calming relief replaced anxious uncertainty both inside and outside, although the current tempo of Katsuki’s heart begged to disagree.

“... Can’t believe I almost blew it.” 

Rather than stand around fawning over each other, you and Katsuki sat on a swinging porch bench situated at the furthest corner at the back of the house. You tried not to gush too much when you recognized that the earrings he wore were eerily similar to the Fantasy AU art that everyone always fawned over. They suited him well alongside the thin chain of silver around his neck and expensive-looking watch on his wrist.

It was evident he’d picked up a few pointers from his fashion designer parents when he had more to choose from than t-shirts and tank tops. 

You had finally noticed his hearing aid, as well as the newly-healed scar on his left ear. He'd reassured you that he was fine and the hearing aid was more of a safety net than necessity. It was only a matter of time before his quirk affected his hearing, but something like this would never keep Katsuki down.

“Hm? Blew what?” You leaned against Katsuki's side while he gently rocked the swing with the heel of his foot and stretched his arms across the back of the sun-bleached wood. 

Without glancing your way, he said, "I almost let you run. Half a year trying to move on and find some normalcy in my routine again. Come to terms with everything. My own mistakes. I didn't think it would be as hard as it was." 

"Relationships aren't easy," you reassured. "Especially breakups… including ones that have to happen even if no one wants them to. It was hard for me, too." Katsuki pressed his cheek to the top of your head. The weight was grounding. "Like… a piece of me was missing, and time and distractions just didn't make it go away. I mean, if I was fully over you, then I wouldn’t be here right now.” 

Katsuki remained silent as he continued to rock the bench back and forth. He knew why moving on was so difficult, thinking back to the pathetic state of self-wallowing he turned into after visiting Tartarus. Her second quirk… so, it affected both of you, then. You attributed it to intense heartbreak; and yes, while that definitely factored into it, Black Hole’s quirk complicated everything tenfold. 

Should I tell her…? Katsuki wasn’t so sure it was something you needed to know, at least not yet. 

“After months of trying to accept the mistakes I couldn’t fix and move forward with my life, you step back into it. If you were really here, then all that work I did would've vanished. Like I was back at square one, like your memory was taunting me. So, I almost let you run… but even if it seemed impossible that you were here, I didn’t want to let that chance slip away.”

You couldn’t help but frown at his words. “I told them to tell you what they were planning. Good intentions but stupid execution…” 

Katsuki moved away so he could turn to face you, his expression sincere and his eyes sharp. “How long have you known about this whole thing? How long have they been planning it? How did you even get here?”

Ah, right… you knew he’d want to know the logistics of everything considering how this all came out as a literal birthday surprise. Sighing, you fiddled with the translator in your lap and hesitantly looked up at Katsuki. “I… you know how I said I didn’t want you to be upset on your birthday?”

“I’m not mad at you. It’s not like you could’ve told me what was going on, anyway.” 

You shook your head. “No, I know that. What I mean is, you’re probably going to be upset at your friends, whether it’s me that tells you or them… “ Starting a yelling match between Katsuki and his friends seemed like an awful way to get on the good side of the people he was closest to, but he’d make them fess up either way. “I know I’m technically in the middle of all this, but I don’t… shit. Am I making any sense?”

“I see.” Why did it sound so ominous coming from him? "You don't have to tell me. But I'd rather know everything now while we're all together. If you say I'll be mad, then you're probably right. But I doubt anything they say will make you being here not worth it. They can't ruin that." The soft intensity he gave off was just as flustering now as it was back in your apartment. "And I'll try really fucking hard not to yell…" He hesitated before sighing and holding up his pinky, albeit reluctantly. "For you." 

You could've cried all over again from how adorably sappy it was to know he remembered how you insisted on pinky promises; he didn't need to know you only liked them because of how embarrassed he always looked doing something so juvenile. 

Holding up your own pinky, you twirled it around his and smiled. "I'll hold you to it. I love you, Katsuki." 

The casual way you dropped love into the conversation made his eyes widen and the tips of his ears flush pink. You said it with complete confidence as easily as if discussing the weather. How you could ever call yourself cowardly was beyond him. 

Scoffing and shaking his head, Katsuki snickered before invading your space, keeping you in place by your pinky while close enough to see his own reflection in your startled eyes. "Love you, too." Each time he said it was a little easier than the last. Besides, he couldn't let you outdo him, especially not on his own birthday. 

On that note, while he wanted to pull away to tease you just the tiniest bit, you leaned in close enough for your lips to brush. "Otanjoubi omedetou, Kat-su-ki." The slow, slurred way you tugged at his name like you knew exactly how much slack to give and take to keep him from toppling over the edge made him briefly regret wanting to go back inside at all. 

Over as soon as it began, the kiss was brief but had you smiling before hopping up from the bench, pulling him up by the hand to meet you. God, he was so fucking whipped. 

As you neared the back door where you heard the party moving on without you or the birthday boy, you slowed to let Katsuki overtake you. This was his conversation to have, not yours. Sort of. 

Katsuki paused, glanced back at you, and tugged his head towards the house before giving your hand a light squeeze of reassurance. Don't worry, I'm here. Even if they were all his friends, everyone except for Uraraka was, for the most part, a complete stranger… again, sort of. 

With a final deep breath, you turned off the translator, slid it into your small purse, and let Katsuki slide open the door and lead you inside. 

Almost immediately, you felt far too many pairs of eyes on you as the commotion and conversation died down leaving only the background music playing from the speakers. Even though you technically knew who all of them were, they didn't know you. Some were probably out of the loop completely as to what was going on judging by several confused or intrigued stares. Jaw clenched, body tense, and toes curled inside your slippers, you immediately regretted leaving the isolated safety of the backyard. 

"Oi, stop staring, you weirdos," Katsuki demanded as he kept you close to his side and glared at anyone trying to make a spectacle of the two of you. He had nothing to hide, not anymore. "This is my girlfriend. Don't make a big deal out of it." 

Scanning the various faces of everyone at that curt announcement - some shocked, some excited, some ambivalent - he stopped when he saw the four morons in charge of this so-called surprise. 

Kirishima broke the awkward quiet by strutting through the crowd towards you and Katsuki with a satisfied grin plastered across his face. However, it gradually fell as he came closer and noticed Katsuki’s obvious irritation. Midoriya, Todoroki, and Uraraka stood behind Kirishima. “Uh… happy birthday? Again? You don’t look happy even though… “ Kirishima tried to glance your way, but Katsuki sidestepped to block you from view. “What’s wrong?”

Jabbing a finger in each of their directions, he barked out an order that left no room for debate. "You four. We need to talk in private. Now." 

"What's like, happening? Is the party already over…? Bummer." A tipsy Camie squeezed past Sero and Ashido looking flushed and frustrated at the killed mood. 

Scraping a hand down his face, Katsuki's eye twitched trying to keep his composure for your sake. Fucking pinky swear… "It's not over. This won't take long. Do whatever you want; it's not my house." 

This immediately cheered up Camie who seemed oblivious to the drama unfolding before her like a soap opera. Kirishima, Midoriya, Todoroki, and Uraraka all shared a look before Uraraka cleared her throat. "Um, there's a spare bedroom down the hall we can use." 

Reluctantly, the group filed into a messy line and began walking away from the rest of the party with Midoriya at the helm. Katsuki took one step before you pulled on his arm and beckoned him closer with your finger. Judging by the reluctance written in your body language, you wanted to do this even less than he did, which meant ripping off the bandaid now would hopefully ease the soreness for the rest of the night. "Eh?" He leaned down to let you whisper into his good ear. Gesturing with his thumb, Katsuki ignored the stares from everyone else left behind as he led you by the hand down the hallway after the others. 

Once you’d disappeared, Ashido and Yaoyorozu shared a concerned glance. They’d listened to your story earlier today. The worry regarding how things would turn out in addition to this secretive surprise nonsense and being in a totally unfamiliar world with unfamiliar people was a lot to deal with. At least the Bakugo part of the equation appeared to turn out for the better…

Sero glanced around since he realized someone was missing. “Hey, where’d Kaminari go…?”

As Midoriya opened a door at the end of the hall, Katsuki pointed to one on the opposite wall leading to the bathroom. At least those Japanese lessons with Liviya were paying off a bit. And in all honesty, you kind of wanted to let them all have their back and forth without feeling like a third wheel in the corner; trying to keep up with five different people speaking over each other in Japanese was probably beyond the little translator’s capabilities, anyway. 

Turning on the bathroom light, you took a deep breath before glancing at yourself in the mirror with a jolt. “Oh, god… I really walked back inside like this?” All that crying had smeared the makeup around your eyes and left dirty tear tracks down your cheeks. “Waterproof my ass,” you cursed while digging in your purse for the makeup wipes you rightfully assumed you’d need for some emergency cleanup. 

The last in line, Katsuki closed the door to the spare office behind him as the others stood in front of a desk littered with Midoriya's unmistakable scribblings; a habit he never abandoned even into adulthood. 

Honestly, Katsuki was glad to be alone with them for at least a few minutes because he didn't want you to observe him blowing a gasket. He rounded on the nervous group as Midoriya stepped forward with his palm out as if presenting an invisible peace offering. "Kacchan, I know you're probably confused-" 

"What the hell is wrong with all of you?" His biting cadence shut Midoriya up with a squeak as he glared down at the rest of them. "I know you take pride in trying to solve my own problems without consulting me first, but why the fuck did you think it was a good idea to bring (y/n) here without telling me? How did you even get her here?!"

Katsuki was loud, always had been. Eventually, those that knew him best learned that he was actually most dangerous and serious when he was quiet, when he didn't hide behind roaring noise and bravado. And right now, with a deep set frown and shadowed eyes, the gravel in his voice was honed enough to cut glass. 

Kirishima took up the mantle of attempting to calm him down. "What all did (y/n) say already? And I'm sorry we didn't tell you before now, but we weren't even sure this was all gonna work in the end. It was a huge gamble. Plus, y'know… birthday surprise and all that…" Sheepishly, he rubbed the back of his neck when Katsuki’s grimace didn’t budge. 

“She didn’t tell me much of anything. Said it would probably piss me off, and she’s right even though you haven’t even begun explaining yet. Besides, it’s not her responsibility to fill me in because it wasn’t her plan to begin with.” He accusingly cut his eyes towards Midoriya who was the worst out of all of them when it came to acting without thinking. “So,” he continued while crossing his arms, “start talking before (y/n) comes back.”

It seemed like their plan for a happy reunion came to fruition, but good intentions didn’t excuse the underhanded tactics to get there. 

While the group unenthusiastically took turns explaining the hoops they jumped through to get their friend and his long lost love back together - researching potential quirks, pulling favors, Uraraka paying you a visit - you were just about done cleaning yourself up in the bathroom when someone whispered your name outside the door. 

“(Y/n)…? Daijoubu desuka?” It sounded like… Ashido, maybe? 

Leaving your purse and makeup scattered on the counter, you unlocked the door and peeked outside to see a black and gold eye staring back at you. You opened the door to see Yaoyorozu standing behind Ashido, both with worried expressions. 

“Oh, uh, daijoubu desu.” Before you could attempt to try and listen in on what was happening in the other room, Ashido pushed her way inside the small bathroom with Yaoyorozu in tow before closing the door behind her. Scrunching up her eyes as if you were under inspection, Ashido eventually nodded while Yaoyorozu picked up the translator on the sink and turned it on without much difficulty. 

“I believe this is… there we go. Simple enough. Apologies for intruding, (y/n)-san, but we wanted to make sure you were all right.” 

“We could tell you’d been crying outside,” Ashido explained. “Needed to make sure Bakugo didn’t say something dumb to our new friend.” Even though they’d only met you earlier today, the two of them came to make sure you were OK? “You did a pretty good job cleaning up your makeup, though.” 

You couldn’t help but feel appreciative of their concern; Katsuki was lucky to form bonds with such strong-willed and considerate people. “Thanks, really. But they were happy tears. He almost screwed up, but quickly made up for it. I don't really blame him, though, since I think it would've been much smoother if it all wasn't, y'know, a secret." 

Your reassurance that nothing terrible happened seemed to ease their concern before Ashido huffed and crossed her arms. "Thought so. Boys can be so dumb, sometimes. Don't worry, I gave Kirishima an earful when we got here. But I'll leave most of the finger-wagging to you and Bakugo." 

"Speaking of," Yaoyorozu began while glancing at the bathroom door. "If you need to rejoin the others, we don't want to hold you up if there's nothing else you need from us." 

As you started shoving makeup back into your purse, you paused. Surely they would know, right? "Actually… I have a question about certain Japanese words and phrases since I know they can be highly contextual." 

The two women nodded confidently and said they could provide some translation help. "OK, well… what's the difference between 'dai suki da yo' and 'aishiteru'? I know the latter is generally more serious… what?" 

Yaoyorozu flushed and covered her mouth with her hand while Ashido’s eyes sparkled mischievously as a pursed grin spread across her pink face. “For one,” Yaoyorozu hesitantly began, “using ‘aishiteru’ is um, very rare. It’s reserved for intense and serious situations such as a marriage proposal… It’s a term that cannot be misinterpreted and is used very intentionally.” 

Keeping her sly expression, Ashido added onto Yaoyorozu's explanation. "Mm, yep, it's a super intense term for loooooove," she reiterated while batting her eyelashes. "It's not an everyday term, you know. And some people might never use it at all." It was like this kind of gossip directly fueled Ashido's excited energy.

All you could do was stand dumbfounded. You knew way back before Katsuki left that Japanese was highly contextual and, though simplistic, the dictionary touched on it briefly. So, for Katsuki - someone who knew full well what it meant and the implications behind it - to say it first… "Oh." 

"... Oh?" 

"Did we break her?" 

At that exact moment, all three of you turned towards the unseen hallway as raised voices echoed past the doors. Remembering what was going on in the other room snapped you out of your stupor. So much for Katsuki staying calm. "Uh, guess I should get back and see what's going on," you said while picking up the rest of your things and checking yourself one last time in the mirror. "Thanks for checking in on me. Katsuki's lucky to have friends like you." 

Yaoyorozu seemed to calm down from the aishiteru discussion and gave you a warm smile. "Of course, (y/n)-san. Hopefully, things turned out for the best even if we had a rocky start." 

Ashido nodded before opening the bathroom door to find Sero trying to listen in while pressed against the wall. When the bathroom light illuminated him, he just grinned and shrugged to play it off as no big deal. "Oh, well. Was just trying to feel included is all," he joked. “So, Ashido, don’t you owe me some money?”  You heard him chuckle as Ashido pushed him back down the hall through some incoherent grumbling followed by Yaoyorozu. That left just you standing in front of the door. The voices had died down by now, but you were still a little worried for whatever scene lay beyond it. 

The tension in the office hung heavy as Katsuki glared at a squirming Midoriya. "I can't fucking-" Knock knock. Someone at the door cut him off. Before he could tell whoever it was to get lost, he heard his name on the other side. 

"Katsuki?" 

Taking a deep breath to calm himself after hearing the absolute bullshit excuse of a story they told him to try and explain away what almost turned into complete ruin, Katsuki turned on his heel, walked to the door, and flung it open. 

No wonder you were in the bathroom for so long - you'd cleaned up your makeup and seemed less frazzled than before. He just figured you needed some time to yourself, but it also gave him the opportunity to hear out the morons standing on the opposite end of the room without feeling you side-eyeing his exasperation. 

"Hey. You good?" Nodding, you let him lead you into the room before gently closing the door behind you. Although he appeared collected, the stiff way he carried himself and the vestige of various creases along his brow and around his mouth gave the truth away. Not to mention the four people now staring in your direction looking equally drained. You finally noticed Uraraka's belly, but said nothing as she looked especially apologetic before staring down at the floor.

The room, you observed, seemed like an ordinary spare bedroom that they turned into an office space. How often they actually used it was unclear, but a few framed posters of All Might and various shelves lined with books and Hero memorabilia made it feel less sterile. Of course, the room itself wasn't important; your eyes hesitantly drifted to Kirishima, Todoroki, Midoriya, and Uraraka before Katsuki stomped up to them to presumably continue where they left off before you knocked. 

"I was hoping this would be quick. Didn't think this story had a hundred different chapters to it," he bit out while crossing his arms. Katsuki glanced over his shoulder to see you leaning against the wall. The sooner he could get this over with, the sooner he could get back to what was actually important. "So, if I'm not missing anything, you," he emphasized with a glare in Midoriya's direction, "told Melissa personal shit that wasn't her damn business, then she went and told some extra that I don't even know because he had a teleportation quirk?" 

"For the most part, yes," Todoroki answered. "We exhausted our own resources while searching, so Midoriya reached out on his own. If this didn't work, then we would've been out of options." 

While the secrecy of it all was infuriating, Katsuki was honestly amazed, but not at all surprised, by the massive hoops they jumped through for his sake. No one here would dream of giving less than 150% when it came to helping each other out; he realized that back at Kamino all those years ago. "Right… and this guy-"

"Devin-san," Midoriya quickly corrected. Katsuki narrowed his eyes. 

"Devin, whatever. Is he even a Hero? How does his quirk work? Why did he agree to help you all, anyway?" All four of them shared glances as if silently trying to figure out who would do the explaining. That didn't bode well, but Kirishima was the one who finally spoke up. 

"Alright, so, one, he isn't a Hero, but his mom is or…?" Side-eyeing Midoriya, Kirishima continued when he saw a confirming nod. "His mom, yeah. She's a Hero over in America. That's how Melissa knew him since she or her dad probably worked on support items and tech over there. Apparently, Devin owed Melissa a favor, and she used it on this." Unimpressed, Katsuki stood silently and waited for the redhead to get to the point. "Uh, as for his quirk… it is a teleportation-type quirk, but it works differently than Kurogiri's." 

Those types of powerful quirks were rare; not as uncommon as they used to be when quirks were overall simpler and less powerful, but still coveted all the same. What made this guy's quirk so special, then? "Well? Tell me how it works, Kirishima." He needed confirmation of something he was unsure of last year. Something that irked him, but he lacked proof for any kind of confrontation. And judging from how hesitant Kirishima appeared to let out the full extent of the truth, this was either going to close the case or leave it indefinitely unresolved. 

Kirishima visibly deflated and seemed to resign himself to finally telling the truth. "It works by using important objects. The more emotional attachment the object has, the further Devin can teleport, including to places he'd never been before. But he had no idea if he could even go to a whole different world. The only way we could try and make it work was to have something… really meaningful." 

Tightening his jaw while staring daggers at Kirishima's sinking frown, Katsuki took a single, measured step forward until they were almost nose-to-nose. His words held dangerously steady like a dagger pressed against a windpipe. “I want to hear you admit it.” Katsuki felt your eyes on the back of his neck, watching to see if he’d keep his promise. 

At least Kirishima’s eyes looked as fearless as ever as he stared down at his long time friend with a mixture of determination and heavy guilt. “I’m really sorry, Bakugo… yeah, I took the note (y/n) wrote for you. I swear I only saw the first couple of lines before realizing what it was-“

“I should Howitzer you in the fucking mouth.”

It was one thing to defy teachers’ orders and go on a dangerous rescue mission to save his life. But it was something else entirely for them to just assume they knew what was best for him and steal his things. “I deserve it,” Kirishima admitted easily. Telling the truth seemed to dispel most of the strain he was holding in his neck and jaw. 

Flaring his nostrils like a cartoon bull preparing to huff out a stream of angry smoke before charging at a taunting red cape, Katsuki let his hands fall to his sides and took a step back before cutting his eyes to the other three. “And you all just went along with everything? It’s obvious that his quirk did work, so why the hell didn’t you just tell me everything then, huh? And-“ Something Kirishima said struck him as odd. Creasing his brows, Katsuki turned on his heel to look at you with confusion before turning back to the group. “You put the note back,” he stated while pointing at Kirishima who nodded obediently. “Which means you didn’t use it to bring (y/n) here, today. So what the fuck was it for?”

This time, it was Uraraka’s turn to solemnly raise her hand. “Um… that’d be me. I sorta volunteered to test out Devin-san’s quirk to make sure it would be safe to go back and forth since he’d never done anything like this before…” 

"Safe?" It was just one blow right after the other with this lot. Katsuki stomped over to stand in front of Uraraka, incredulity written across his face in bold lettering. "You mean to tell me you went to her world and presumably saw her and still didn't think to just fucking tell me what was going on?" Wiping a hand down his tired face, Katsuki breathed out a mirthless chuckle. Of course they had to have some kind of contact with you before this point to explain things and get you on board with their scheme, but everything compounded was just too much to take in right then and there. "Ya know what? I don't even wanna know the rest of it." Maybe he should've listened when you insisted that confronting this now would sour his mood, but he couldn't change it now. It would've eaten at him until he heard the truth, anyway. 

He hated what he needed to do, but it was necessary. Holding out his hand to Kirishima, he said, "Gimme my spare apartment key back." 

Kirishima appeared taken aback and hurt at the request, but handing over the key Katsuki gave him as a symbol of trust and friendship was just the natural consequence of his actions. Without complaint, he pulled out his keyring and slid the key off before wordlessly dropping it in Katsuki's waiting palm. 

Avoiding looking at the others, he kept his back to them and trudged over to you with his hands jammed into the front pockets of his jeans. You looked about as tired as he felt, and you couldn't even understand most of what was being discussed. While there was more he could've pried into, salvaging the remainder of his birthday by spending time with you was far more important than wasting the rest of the night thinking about all this shit. 

Katsuki angled his head towards the door that led back to the main hallway to signal he was done here, but to his surprise you weren't ready to head out just yet. You shook your head, whispered, "Chotto matte," and brushed past him to stand in his previous spot in front of Kirishima, Todoroki, Midoriya, and Uraraka. 

You didn't want to do this. You really didn't want to do this… but it was one of those unavoidable adult situations that needed to happen. So much discussion around regret and second chances forced you to confront your own anxieties about how the day didn’t exactly measure up to your expectations. Holding the translator up like a microphone, you nervously addressed the group. 

“Um… hi,” you reluctantly began. Meeting Katsuki’s closest friends and some of your favorite characters from the series would’ve been so much more exciting if the circumstances weren’t so somber. “I think you all know who I am, but I really only know one of you.” Cutting your eyes to your right, Uraraka was already staring in your direction with mixed emotions. “I know that Katsuki just talked about some things…” Honestly, ‘talked’ was a much kinder word than how Katsuki would’ve described it, but you didn’t want to rub unnecessary salt in the wound. “Still, I wanted to say a few things while I have the opportunity.” 

Deciding to start on a positive note, you brought your hands down and bent forward in a shallow bow. Staring down towards the floor, you saw Kirishima and Midoriya's feet shuffle awkwardly from your peripheral vision. "I wanted to thank you all for helping me get here to see Katsuki again. I know it must’ve taken a lot of work and planning. Me being grateful doesn’t dismiss some of the hurtful things you did, though.” Standing back up to your full height, you forced yourself to look everyone in the eyes; you wanted them to see you - truly see you - for who you were. 

"In all honesty, today didn't go at all like I thought it would. I came here unsure of who or what might greet me. I didn't know anyone and was in an unfamiliar place." You noticed as realization finally seemed to spark in Midoriya's eyes as you tried to articulate your feelings regarding their treatment of you. "The only two people I did know weren't there, and almost as soon as I arrived I was practically pushed out the door-" 

"You WHAT?!" Katsuki's raised voice would have startled you if you hadn’t expected at least one interruption. However, you didn’t need him fighting on your behalf, not when he had his own grievances to worry about. 

You held up a hand to motion to Katsuki that you could handle yourself as you watched Uraraka quietly chastise her mortified husband. “I felt like more of a burden than a guest,” you continued as the room quieted down once again. “But I’m grateful to Yaoyorozu and Ashido for helping me out even though you didn’t tell them what was going on, either. By the time I was brought back here for the party, I felt like… you all just used me as a means to make Katsuki happy.” 

At that, Midoriya wasn’t the only one appearing regretful as the consequences of their eagerness finally set in. Todoroki’s frown was small, but not insignificant if you took into account the usual calm control he exuded. Furthermore, it really pained you to see Kirishima, normally so bright and positive, looking like a kicked puppy. Even his signature spiked hair drooped as he hung his head in apparent shame. 

“I’m not a gift to give to someone. I’m a person who has just as much stake in this whole thing as Katsuki.” Only when you finished speaking did you realize your hands were shaking. Still, explaining yourself lifted yet another weight from your chest as relief washed over you. “So… while I do appreciate everything you all did, I’d like an apology. And I think you owe one to Yaoyorozu and Ashido, too.” 

Requesting an apology from Kirishima, Todoroki, Midoriya, and Uraraka wasn’t exactly on your to-do list for the day, but you knew that ignoring your feelings was the perfect way to feel terrible and anxious when all you wanted to do was celebrate the remainder of Katsuki’s birthday. 

Uraraka stepped forward first and it forced you to analyze her discomfort when you tried to avoid looking at her completely during your speech. You considered her a friend by the time she left, so knowing she’d gone along with keeping their plan a secret after you tried to convince her it was a bad idea made the hurt more personal. Wringing her hands together, she dipped into a shallow bow. “I’m so sorry, (y/n)-san. Both you and Bakugo-kun are right. We should’ve explained things once I returned, but then we found out about the baby and… n-not that it’s an excuse or anything. I will say I yelled at my husband when I realized he let you leave without telling me, first.”

Having someone bow to you was probably something you’d never get used to. They didn’t need to present some ostentatious apology for it to matter; they just needed to understand why you were upset in the first place and promise to be more considerate in the future. “Thank you. I-” Reflexively, you were about to give your own apology for dragging out this little drama party, but bit your lip to stop yourself. There was nothing to apologize for, but old habits were hard to break. "I appreciate it." 

Uraraka straightened up, allowing you to really see how her rosy cheeks had rounded out even more as the baby grew from the last time you'd seen her. "And congratulations. Really, I'm happy for you." At the very least, you didn't want to add to her existing stress of, you know, being pregnant. Smiling softly, she folded her hands under her belly and uttered a soft, "arigatou." 

Turning to look pointedly at her husband, Midoriya stepped forward with frantic speed before dipping into an excessively low bow. And another. And another. It was like he'd turned into one of those old drinking bird toys that bobbed perpetually up and down, except turned up to about one-hundred and the bird babbled out a long stream of strung-together apologies in Japanese. 

You stumbled back at his sudden whirlwind of movement, but something wide and sturdy appeared at your back to help keep your balance. "Uh-" 

"Don't make it weird. We got two more apologies to hear," Katsuki grunted out right above your head as he kept a grounding hand on your waist. So, he literally had your back on this; Comforting to know. 

Uraraka tugged on her husband's shirt collar to pull him back in line as Todoroki took his place. While he didn't bow like the others, you knew his words were sincere. "Sorry about the mess we made. I suppose good intentions don't overshadow the problems they might cause. Oh, right. I never introduced myself. I'm Todoroki. Nice to meet you." 

"You didn't even- fucking hopeless." You couldn't even argue with Katsuki's indignant grumbling. Even though you technically knew who Todoroki was, it was true that this was his first formal introduction. You kept it short and simple and thanked him for the apology. Just one more left until you could hopefully put this awkwardness beyond you…

Honestly, out of everyone you knew you might meet here, you were most excited about Kirishima. He was a fan favorite from the very beginning with his talk of manliness and friendly attitude. As the first person to really make an effort in befriending Katsuki, it was no wonder they were still close years later. Even though it wasn't technically your fault, it still hurt to see the current wedge driven between the two of them.

You felt Katsuki's grip on your waist tighten the tiniest amount as Kirishima sheepishly stood in front of you. He glanced up above your head, but even without seeing his face you knew Katsuki was giving the redhead a hardened glare. "If you didn't already know, I'm Kirishima Eijirou, but you can just call me Kirishima. And… I'm really sorry," he admitted before giving his own apologetic bow, his long red hair spreading across his shoulders. "It was all the opposite of manly. Everything you said was right and it took guts to speak your mind like that. If it's worth anything, I respect that a lot. I can see now why Bakugo likes you," he confessed while standing up to his full height which was just a bit taller than Katsuki's, excluding the hair. 

Under different circumstances, you might've felt bashful at his words, but you were tired, annoyed, and your hospitality meter was almost running on empty. "You took something important that I gave Katsuki, right?" 

Clearing his throat, Kirishima nodded. "Y-yea, I did." 

"Mmhm," you hummed, wanting to make him sweat for a moment. "That was fucked up. Don't do something like that again. Understand?" At your demand, all he managed was a slow, purposeful nod. "Good," you sighed. "OK, I'm done chastising your friends.”

Katsuki took the hint and grabbed your hand to finally lead you out of this stifling room. But as he ushered you out the door, he turned around for a final glare over his shoulder and mouthed, “I’m still going to kick your asses,” before slamming the door behind him. 

Kirishima, Todoroki, Midoriya, and Uraraka stood together in silence for a second before letting out a collective groan. Well, that didn’t go well… 

“So much for the idea that she’d protect us from Bakugo… I guess we had it coming, though,” Kirishima admitted, still melancholy over making his best friend and his girlfriend so upset. "Didn't expect her to look so intimidating…" The way you held yourself had him convinced that, despite being quirkless and a good head and a half shorter than him, you could've put him in the ground if you tried. Or maybe that was what you wanted him to think. Either way, Kirishima had no plans to make things worse for his friends or himself from this point forward. 

Once the two of you were in the hallway, you barely had time to glance back towards the living room before Katsuki grabbed your hand and tugged you in the opposite direction. He quickly rounded the corner at the end of the hall before you nearly bumped into him as he came to a dead stop in front of an unfamiliar door and wordlessly turned the knob. 

What neither of you expected to see were two figures suddenly illuminated when Katsuki flipped the light switch. 

“AGH!”

“Ow! You shocked me, Kami-”

“Ugh, gross.”

“Oooh… oops.”

Katsuki grimaced before turning the lights back off and shutting the door. All he wanted was an empty room, but those two idiots just had to be sucking face while half naked and- A dry retch escaped him before the cursed scene was complete. He glanced down at you, a hand clamped over your mouth to stifle a giggle before he pulled you further down the hall to hopefully find a room that was actually empty. 

Luckily, the next door he opened that happened to be at the very end of the hallway fit the bill as Katsuki ushered the two of you inside before closing the door. 

A light shade of green paint coated the walls while various pieces of an unfinished crib lay in the far corner. Ignoring all of the boxed-up decorations and lingering smell of paint for what would soon become a nursery, Katsuki leaned his forearm against the wall, putting you in shadow in front of him. 

"What-" 

"I'm sorry." You looked up at him in confusion as his jaw tensed. "I called you my gift earlier. I didn't know." Had he been aware of all the trouble you went through today, he would've chosen his words more carefully. To think that you'd been here all fucking day, passed around from one person to the next all for some stupid birthday surprise. The shit you put up with for his sake was frustratingly astounding. 

"Shit, don't scare me like that," you remarked with a huff and light tap on his chest. "I thought something was actually wrong. But that's nothing to apologize for," you clarified. "They were the ones treating me that way, even if they didn't mean to. You can call me a present if you want, just for today." 

It wasn't like he wanted to be irate on his birthday, not when he had you at arm's length again. He was about to switch the subject with a comment about unwrapping you to hopefully lighten the mood, but you cut him off as he opened his mouth. 

"I'm sorry, though. Not for anything I said back there, but just… " You leaned your head against his arm, still pressed against the wall. "I didn't want to put a wedge between you and your friends. And I wanted your friends to like me after all the stories you told me…" 

Putting an end to this shitty mood was his top priority at the moment, because if you were sad, then he was sad, and he'd been sad for six fucking months. "Listen," he said, leaning down close to make sure you looked him in the eyes. "Don't apologize for shit. You warned that I'd get pissed, and I did it anyway to get it over with. That whole conversation sucked, but I'm not gonna spend the rest of the night grinding my teeth over it. You shouldn't, either. And for your last point, they'll get over it. If I know them like I think I do, then you standing up and chewing 'em out made their respect for you shoot through the damn roof." It wasn't easy standing up to people you didn't know, but he expected nothing less from you at this point; it was one of the many things he loved about you. 

You sucked your bottom lip between your teeth before pushing off the wall to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. When you pulled back, you were smiling. "Thank you, Katsuki. You're still number one at motivational speeches." 

Katsuki snorted. "Of course I am." Dipping down, he smirked against your jaw before caressing your skin with his lips, feather-light and teasing. In all honesty, watching you act bossy was kind of hot if he didn’t think too hard about context. Too bad he didn't get very far before the door suddenly opened. 

Todoroki poked his head inside the room, locked eyes with Katsuki who gave him a ferocious death glare, and shut it a second later. He could hear conversation in the hallway. One familiar, whiny voice was complaining about being "interrupted". Knowing he'd get no privacy while in someone else's house, Katsuki backed away from the wall and stuffed his hands into his pockets as you suppressed a snicker. 

"Well, tell me what ya wanna do. We can stay here for a while longer, or we can leave and head to my place." He checked his watch: 9:47 PM. How the hell did it get so late? Wait- "How long are you here for? When do you have to go back?" With everything else coming to light, he'd forgotten to find out exactly how much time the two of you had together. If you only had a day and those idiots wasted it for some stupid surprise- 

“I’m here for a week.” He visibly relaxed at hearing that. While a week was much better than only a day or two, it wasn’t long enough; it would never be enough. “If that works for you, that is. Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do if things didn’t, y’know, go well.” 

Thank fuck he came to his senses before you walked out of his life forever. Again. “Why would it be a problem?”

You shrugged. “I mean, we’re kinda in reversed positions. I’m here unexpectedly, interrupting your life, relying on you for stuff even though I brought clothes and things I need with me…”

"I guess so," he admitted. "But unlike you, I'm technically my own boss. Unless it's an emergency, the others can take care of things for a week. They did it for a whole month, after all. But we can talk about it more later. Answer the other question: what do you wanna do?" His apartment was a much quieter and more comfortable space to talk and catch up properly, so he hoped you chose to leave rather than stick around much later. 

“I dunno why you’re asking me when it’s your birthday, but fine.” You glanced to your left at the closed door leading back to the hallway where you could hear faint voices and music. “While I definitely don’t want to stay super long, do you mind at least introducing me to your other friends first?” There was no way you were going to pass up an opportunity to meet some of the others. You’d spotted Jirou, Sero, and a few other semi-familiar faces; even if you didn’t get a chance to talk more with Kirishima or Todoroki, you wanted to be able to look back on some unforgettable memories with Katsuki’s other friends. 

Even though you saw his eye twitch, Katsuki didn’t argue about wanting to stay. “Yeah, fine.” Maybe a bit of mingling could distract him from falling back into a sour mood. Opening the door for you, he led you back down the hallway where, unsurprisingly, a small group had been waiting for your reappearance. Another upside of introducing yourself was to hopefully diminish the amount of gawking aimed your way. 

Wasting no time, Katsuki immediately honed in on Yaoyorozu and Jirou who were chatting off to the side. He steered you to stand in front of him as he quickly introduced you to Jirou and vice versa before guiding Yaoyorozu off to the side for some private conversation. Well, being personable wasn’t exactly his strong suit…

Luckily, Jirou took the lead and rolled through the initial awkwardness. Apparently, Yaoyorozu had filled her in on what was happening and who you were, so at least you didn’t have to recount all of that again. Rather than pry into your relationship with Katsuki, Jirou asked about what you did back home and your hobbies while you inquired about her quirk. 

Talking with her was easy and comforting with her chill demeanor. When Katsuki and Yaoyorozu rejoined the conversation, he blurted out that you were a good singer which prompted a sudden urge to strangle him. It was one thing to sing for yourself or for Katsuki, but Jirou’s parents were professional musicians and she no doubt inherited a ton of their music-making talent. Luckily, Jirou didn’t ask for a demonstration of any kind, and instead, just encouraged you to keep practicing if it was something you enjoyed. You thanked her and, before you could say goodbye, Katsuki was already ushering you towards a different friend group. 

“That was weird, but she’s nice,” Jirou commented once she and Yaoyorozu were alone again. “Seeing him hold hands with someone is kinda bizarre since I never thought it would happen, but I’m glad it did. Oh, what did he want to talk to you about?”

Yaoyorozu smiled softly. “Bakugo-san wanted to thank me for helping (y/n)-san earlier today. He said he owes me a favor whenever I may need it.” Jirou’s eyebrows shot up into her purple bangs and glanced over at the two of you now talking with Ashido, Sero, and Tokoyami. Getting a “thank you” out of Bakugo was rare, but having him admit to owing someone a favor was downright unheard of. “He really is a caring person. It’s unfortunate that she can’t stay with how happy he seems…” Yaoyorozu leaned down and gave her girlfriend a light, chaste kiss upon her hair, grateful for the joy by her side. 

While it was one thing to grow accustomed to pink skin and minor edits to the human bodies you were used to, seeing Tokoyami and Dark Shadow up close was more jarring than you assumed it would be. You knew there was nothing to be nervous about, but trying to make sense of Dark Shadow's sketchy, ethereal appearance proved difficult. Reflexively, you kept Katsuki at arm's length while Sero chuckled at how sad Dark Shadow looked at your hesitation to touch it. 

"C'mon, it isn't that scary-" A flick to his temple from Ashido cut off Sero's harmless mocking.

"Dummy, she said people don't have quirks where she's from," she chided. "I mean, they don't even have people with pink skin! Their loss, honestly." 

Luckily, Tokoyami didn't appear insulted; maybe he was accustomed to people finding his quirk intimidating. "I see. There is nothing to fear. However, your comfort remains most important." 

While you nodded and cautiously held out your right hand while gripping Katsuki's arm with your left, he reassured you that everything was fine. "Nothin' to be- ah shit." Seemingly out of nowhere stumbled a more-than-tipsy Camie who was looking around for "ghost doggy" whatever the hell that meant. If there was anyone here at this party with the potential to embarrass him in front you, it was Camie. And Kaminari. But he was hopefully too busy hooking up with Shinsou to cause any real damage. 

"Like, found you," she declared before confidently patting Dark Shadow like someone might pet a- oh. Ghost doggy. Duh. "Hm? Who's this huh? New bestie?" Did she totally space out during his declaration earlier? "Why's this phone talking weird?" She pointed a nail at the translator in your hand as you stood by awkwardly. 

"Go drink some water," Katsuki ordered while knowing damn well that Camie could down a staggering amount of alcohol before passing out on a toilet. "And since you have elevator music and emojis between your ears, I'll say again that this is my girlfriend." 

It seemed to take Camie a good five seconds to process that information, but when she did, Katsuki swore he saw a twinkle in her eye. "OMG, for realsies? You're like, so brave and stuff," she remarked with complete sincerity towards you while Sero and Ashido were already cracking up. "Cute dress, tho. I'm Utsushimi Camie, but just Camie is chill.”

“Uh, hi.” The translator butchered Camie’s words, but at least you caught her name. “Nice to meet you. You can just call me (y/n).”

Camie smiled before pointing her pouting lips up at Katsuki while still holding tight to Dark Shadow; Surprisingly, Tokoyami didn’t seem to mind, at least not outwardly. “Bakugoooo, why didn’t you spill that you were off the market? I thought we were fam.”

“Why can you never talk normally?” He could already feel impending bullshit creeping nearer. "And I didn't even know she was gonna be here, so don't throw a damn fit." While that was true, there wasn't much of a point explaining your whole backstory if your stay here wasn't permanent or at least longer than a week. 

Camie tilted her head with a blank stare before finally letting go of Dark Shadow and cocking her hip. She glanced down at you, winked, then held her hand up to her chin. “Don’t you fucking-”

Too late. A stream of opaque, light pink smoke poured out of her mouth and swirled into a tall cloud, effectively catching the attention of everyone else in the room. It only took a second for an image to appear in the smoke. A mirror copy of Katsuki now stood in front of you, albeit the fluttering sparkles surrounding him weren't exactly normal. Katsuki wanted to scream. 

"Hey there, beautiful," the fake Katsuki purred with a wink. "You made my birthday wish come true by being here." Ashido and Sero sputtered with laughter; even Tokoyami couldn't hold back a low chuckle. The only one in the room who didn't seem to be laughing was the real Katsuki. However, before he could blow up Camie's cloud, you paused your shocked giggles to point at the imposter's face. 

"Ahem… nice try, but he doesn't look right," you accused with squinted eyes. "The nose is off and his eyes aren't the right shade of red. Also, the real Katsuki has a way with romantic words that this fake just can't compete with." Accepting his defeat with mocking grace, the illusion huffed and shrugged with a smirk before the smoke dissipated, leaving only the smiling Camie behind. 

"Wow, you're like, pretty cool. But I think the birthday boy is broken or something." Her eyes drifted up, causing you to turn and see a glowing-faced Katsuki who refused to look you in the eye. Oops, I'll make it up to him later. 

Sero and Ashido took turns making kissy noises before being yelled at by Katsuki. "SHUT THE HELL UP! WHERE'S MY DAMN CAKE SO I CAN GET OUTTA HERE?!" 

While you were being introduced to his friends, Midoriya and the other chewed-out friends hung back and out of the spotlight to give the two of you some space and reflect on their actions. Uraraka rested her swollen feet in a recliner they'd bought once the pregnancy was announced. Midoriya stood nearby with Todoroki before heading to the kitchen in silence to bring out the requested cake since Bakugo’s voice cut across everyone else in the room. The most forlorn of the bunch, Kirishima leaned against the wall while finishing off a drink that smelled of strong alcohol. 

"Kirishima." Todoroki calling his name barely made him look up. "You should try to talk to him. Not tonight, but-" 

"Nah," the redhead interrupted with a shake of his head. "I've pissed him off enough for one day. I'll let him come to me when he wants." 

Uraraka and Todoroki shared a concerning look. While the earlier confrontation was far from pleasant and gave them much to think about, they knew Bakugo wouldn't be mad at them forever; they'd shared too much throughout the years to let this be the end of their friendship. Maybe Kirishima needed some time to accept his faults and mistakes just like the rest of them. 

"Oi, about time." Midoriya had lit the candles and carried the cake into the main room before giving Katsuki some space while the other guests crowded around the faint orange glow. "Candles? I'm not a damn kid- wait, how many are on here?! I'm not that old!" 

Kaminari poked his head out of the crowd. “Hey! You’re lucky I resisted eating some frosting before now! No one told me I had to do math today.” 

Katsuki groaned. “Counting isn’t fucking math- whatever…” Standing behind him, you grabbed his shoulders and turned him back around to face the cake to keep him from arguing with Kaminari. Grimacing at the candles - there were at least thirty - the sudden sound of a few people beginning to actually sing him a happy birthday song forced him to wheel back around and shout, “You all got a death wish?!” Only two notes made it out before he blew out the candles in a single gust like the Big Bad Wolf; a few of them even toppled over into the icing.

You sat beside Katsuki on one of the couches in the living room, a plate piled high with a large cake slice in one hand and a fork in the other. Of course, he’d given himself the first and largest slice and you the second. He didn’t even bother with a fork, opting instead to just eat it with his fingers. “I thought you didn’t like sweets that much?” 

“I don’t,” he answered before licking orange and white icing from the corner of his mouth. He missed a spot, but swatted your hand away before you could wipe it away yourself. "But one of my old classmates made it and he's a damn good baker because his quirk relies on sugar. He made most of the birthday cakes for us while we lived in dorms." 

"So I guess he knows what you like, then," you murmured before taking another bite; by the large bites he took, you suspected Katsuki's vocal aversion to sweet things wasn't as authentic as he claimed. It really was delicious, though - not as sweet as a typical store-bought cake, but still flavorful and rich. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw someone approaching the two of you, but the moist cake in your mouth kept you from greeting him properly. 

"Aren't ya gonna introduce me, Kacchan?" Hovering in front of the couch, Kaminari smirked down at Katsuki who barely acknowledged his longtime friend. 

He stuffed another bite of cake in his mouth before retoring, "Only if you lock the door before you try and fuck in someone else's house." Kaminari sputtered and spun his head around to make sure no one overheard Katsuki's jab even though Uraraka chewing him out earlier was loud enough for most of the guests to hear. "Speaking of, where's the insomniac?"

You shielded your mouth to keep icing from flying out while you attempted to recover from choking on your laughter. "Keep your- what the hell, man?!" Katsuki snorted at his incredulous face, a rare sight for someone with so little shame. "Shinsou's probably in the bathroom or something. But don't make fun of me for shooting my shot when I just wanted to say 'hi' to the girl you've been simping over for months." 

He opened his mouth, closed it, and shook his head. "Too easy," Katsuki sighed. "But one, shut up, and two, what the fuck is a 'simp'?" You had to set down your plate before it toppled to the floor as you struggled to catch your breath. Their dynamic seemed even more chaotic now than what you recalled from the anime. "Oi, you good? The hell's so funny?" 

"She knows I'm right." 

"About what?"

"That you're a major simp." 

"Stop callin' me that! If it's short for 'simpleton', then that's definitely you, not me." 

"Nope. Wrong," you managed to sputter while wiping tears from your eyes and a few final coughs as both Kaminari and Katsuki stared at you. "Katsuki, that's not what simp means. But you're not one, anyway. So, you're both wrong. Also, hi. Nice to meet you…?" 

"Kaminari," he answered while a confused Katsuki pouted through his cake slice. "And same to you. But also, are you suuuuuuure…?" 

You nodded before picking your cake back up and turning to Katsuki knowing what he was going to ask. Of course, you already knew Kaminari's name, but since you hadn't formally met yet, it was a good idea to exchange brief introductions. "I'll tell you what it means later, but being labeled a simp is an insult." He was more like a kept man mixed with a snarky house husband… boyfriend… yeah, something like that. 

He licked the last of the icing from his fingers while staring daggers at Kaminari who by this point, knew the guy was mostly bark and only mildly bitey. "You're fuckin' lucky I'm in a good mood, because I'm giving you a head start. One." 

"Head start for-" 

"Two." 

Pursing his lips, Kaminari understood and began moving away to a safe distance before bending down and whispering something in Katsuki's ear. Whatever it was sent sparks flying from his palms as he yelled and leaned over the arm of the couch trying to snatch the tail of Kaminari's shirt, but for once he wasn't quick enough and Kaminari escaped towards a very perplexed Shinsou hiding out in the shadows with Tokoyami. 

It didn't take long before the whiplash of the day finally caught up to you. A single yawn had Katsuki asking if you were finally ready to go, to which you gave an affirmative nod. "Mmyeah. Just lemme ask Uraraka something first." 

While you headed over to the recliner where Uraraka was sleepily chatting with Yaoyorozu, Katsuki scanned the room and zeroed in on the sullen redhead on the opposite side. Despite not wanting a repeat of everything that pissed him off earlier, just leaving Kirishima to simmer in his own self-pity felt… if things were switched, Katsuki knew what would happen. 

A shadow poured across Kirishima's face, cheeks tinted pink from yet another drink as he looked up to see Katsuki standing over him.  

"Huh-" 

"Kirishima. Stop drinking and listen to me." He lowered his drink and winced as if bracing for round two of the harsh-but-deserved verbal barrage cage match. "I meant everything I said, and I bet (y/n) did, too. The way you guys went about all this was shitty." Kirishima frowned, but Katsuki continued. "One thing I didn't say, though… was thanks. 'Cause I know you idiots only did it to help me out with all this stuff." The love stuff, really. At that exact moment, Katsuki cut his eyes to find you standing in front of Uraraka, but you were looking at him, because of course you were. "But don't you ever do something so fuckin' stupid again, got it?" 

To anyone who didn't know him, Kirishima's sudden blubbering could've been caused by all the alcohol he downed in the past hours. But Katsuki knew he wore his emotions, even the sappy ones, right on his sleeve. "Man, I'm still so -hic- soooooo sorry! And I super duper swear-"

"You already apologized. An' I'm still pissed at you and the others. I just didn't wanna leave without saying that your screwed up plan was worth it." He left those final words as he walked away to find his way back to you. 

"Everything ok?" Your eyes flickered between Katsuki and Kirishima as you headed to the genkan to replace your house slippers with your heels. 

"Mm, fine," he grunted while flicking a wave over his shoulder in a wordless goodbye to everyone. "What'd you need Uraraka for?" 

You leaned against the wall for balance as you slid into your own shoes; even though you loved these shoes and appreciated how they made your legs look, walking around in them all night would have been tortuous. "Oh, I asked if this translator thing needed a charger or something, but she didn't have one? That the girl who made it didn't mention anything about charging it…" Four months of Japanese lessons weren't nearly enough for conversational edification despite how hardcore of a teacher Livia was, so this thing needed to supplement your gaps in grammar and knowledge since your phone didn't work here. 

Without warning, Katsuki grabbed the translator out of your hand, turned around, and yelled over the entire room in his raspy Japanese to catch Uraraka’s attention while you fiddled with the buckle of your shoe. “Wh-?” All you caught through the barked Japanese back and forth between him and Uraraka was a name: Hatsume. 

He dropped the device back into your hand with a, “Should be fine,” as you stood at your full height plus heels. Without moving his head, Katsuki gave you a not-so-quick up and down with his eyes, pausing as he stopped to meet your own. Though still shorter than him, it was nice not to have to crane your neck so far to see him. Either he appreciated that too, or admired how the shoes made your legs look. Maybe both. Probably both. 

As he buckled his polished leather motorcycle boots, he called back around the corner to someone else, but you turned to open the door and hide a yawn. He placed a sturdy hand on your lower back while leading you outside into the warm spring air. 

“Feels weird takin’ you back to my place for a change.” You felt his fingers trace a line from your waist to your hand, his fingers lacing with yours through muscle memory. He ignored the cars parked in the driveway and stopped next to his motorcycle. “My ride. Like it?”

You remembered how he stared at the stopped motorcycle all those months ago and smiled. “Looks nice; very you. Guess you decided to give into some self indulgence for once? And does this mean I get to ride back with you?”

After a second, both of you realized that, for different reasons, you could not ride back with him and said “shit,” at exactly the same time. 

Your luggage was still in Yaoyorozu’s car, and Katsuki was not going to let you ride while wearing zero protective gear. "Not tonight. I gotta…" At that moment, Yaoyorozu and Jirou came outside, the latter holding a large slice of birthday cake in a clear reusable container. Perfect timing. 

“Bakugo-san!” Yaoyorozu waved to the two of you. "Todoroki-san said you asked for some cake to take with you. And we still have (y/n)-san's suitcase in my car. We were about to head home as well and wanted to catch you before you left." 

"Suitcase?" Ah fuck, right. You actually brought shit with you, so riding with him was out even if you had the right gear. "If you're heading out anyway, can she ride with you and just drop her and her stuff off at my building?" Yaoyorozu was smart enough to pick up on the unspoken addition to his growing list of owed favors. 

She looked down at Jirou who nodded. "Sure, it's no trouble. I think I still have your address in my texts somewhere, but send it to me again." 

"Ya fine with riding with them?" Katsuki asked, pulling out his phone. "We can take the bike out tomorrow. Show you the city, just like I promised." 

That hypothetical "what if" scenario about how much he'd spoil you if he had the chance was about to come true. By the way your eyes lit up, you hadn't forgotten, either. "I'd like that." 

Yaoyorozu glanced at her reflection in the rear view mirror as Jirou slid in beside her. "I figured today was gonna be busy, but not this much," Jirou joked while balancing the cake on her lap. "How does a relaxing bath sound when we get home? We can use that new tea blend you got the other day." 

Her answered smile was tired, but fond. "That sounds perfect, Kyoka." Both women turned to see you presumably saying your goodbyes to Bakugo as he sat on his bike, his boots planted firmly on the driveway to keep his balance steady. 

"Drive safe, OK?" 

"What, think I'll crash? Not a damn chance." 

"Just accept my concern, birthday boy." You tried to flick his forehead, but a quick hand swatted you away before easily sliding your wrist between his thumb and index finger and letting his hand slot with yours as gravity swayed it back and forth. Just a twenty minute separation was proving tough to swallow now that he had you back, temporary though it was. Like he'd speed off and arrive at his apartment only for you to never meet him there. But you knew his faraway looks by now and squeezed his fingers to make him feel just how real you were. "I'll see you there. Love you." 

He was never gonna get used to that, but he didn't want to. Each repeat was like hearing it for the first time - minus all the miserable heartbreak. But now, he could say it back. "Mm. Love you, too." 

"Aww, that's kinda cute," teased Jirou as she leaned across her girlfriend to mentally snapshot the two of you kissing. It reminded her of getting caught making out in the U.A. dorm kitchen by Sero and Ojiro. She was too embarrassed to look them in the eyes for a week. 

"Kyoka! Don't stare!" 

"You're staring too!" 

"N-no I'm not! I'm just waiting for (y/n)-san," she argued before turning away right as Bakugo was adjusting his helmet, his gloved middle finger waving in the air towards Jirou who just laughed. The two women quickly composed themselves as you opened the car back door. 

Buckling your seatbelt, you gave a small wave to Katsuki who revved his bike engine before pulling out of the driveway and disappearing down the lamplit street. 

You took a deep breath and slumped into the car seat before seeing Yaoyorozu and Jirou staring at you over their shoulders. "Uh… thanks for driving me. And everything else, today. Again." Having strangers haul you around town and depend on them for everything… no wonder Katsuki's short temper was pushed to the limit during his first few weeks staying with you. 

"It's no problem," Jirou reassured as Yaoyorozu pulled out of the driveway. "Bakugo's place isn't super out of the way. Considering we probably ask more of him than he does any of us, it's the least we can do." 

Self-sufficient to a fault. At least you felt somewhat prepared with what you brought with you. 

Most of the drive was silent. Yaoyoru and Jirou spoke in hushed voices over the phone directions as you gawked at the towering neon lights of late night Tokyo that closed in with the residential neighborhood left behind. 

The main glow of the city centered around a tall building that you guessed was Tokyo Tower. Although you appeared to be within city limits, Yaoyorozu drove along the outskirts and avoided the condensed city core. Bright neon signs embellished shop windows and jumbo screens cycling through product ads were plastered on corners just high enough to catch in your peripheral vision as you passed. Sirens cried in the distance and you wondered if a villain was causing mayhem between the maze of claustrophobic structures. The clasp on your purse became the perfect fidget toy for your twitchy fingers. 

As the car slowed to a stop at a red light, you looked out the window to see none other than Katsuki parked one lane over and one car ahead of you; the grenade on the back of his helmet made him easy to pinpoint. Somehow, Yaoyorozu had caught up with him which meant you'd probably arrive at about the same time. He must've noticed in his side mirror because he swiveled his head, headlights and neon reflecting off his helmet, to look right at the car. Even though the opaque visor, you felt his stare before the light turned green - no, blue? Either way, it wasn't long before you lost sight of him again as the bike sped off with practiced ease. 

How the hell did they catch up to me? He wasn't a speed demon on the bike, but sitting behind some old hag who should've had her license taken away a decade ago would've dragged down anyone else when he could slip through shitty late night traffic. While he didn't want to keep you waiting, not after six agonizing months, there was something he needed to pick up before inviting you into his home for the next six days. 

Rounding a familiar corner, his building stood a few blocks away on the left. All he needed to do was park in the garage, run into the konbini next door, and wait outside for you to pull up. Easy. 

Was the garage door always this slow to open?! His knee bobbed impatiently before he slid under the creaking door while ducking his head. His spot, the one he always parked in, was predictably empty. None of them were assigned, but there was an unacknowledged, collective agreement between tenants not to take anyone else's space. Besides, no one was dumb enough to park near his bike, anyway. 

Once parked, Katsuki slid off his helmet and shook his head like a wet dog to dislodge the flattened hair… then skidded back to check his appearance in the side mirror. Good enough. 

With helmet in hand, he strode through the lot and shoved his wallet against the reader before shouldering open the door leading into the main lobby. Now, all he had to do was- 

"Welcome back, Dynamight." The ever-present Takahata tossed out a greeting from his desk. Katsuki never saw anyone else watching over the building. Hell, did the guy ever leave that damn desk? Maybe it had to do with his quirk. Katsuki never bothered to ask. 

Waving over his shoulder, he stomped across the polished tile to exit back out onto the street. But no sooner had he walked ten paces when Yaoyorozu's car pulled up next to the curb, Jirou spying him through the glass. So much for running a quick errand before you arrived; it wasn't a big deal if you accompanied him, anyway. 

When the car door opened and your heels swung down to meet the sidewalk, it really, finally hit him that you'd switched places: he, totally unprepared, was letting you live with him. Share his space, his food, his routine… fuck, was his bathroom clean?! 

A honking car blazing down the road made his eyes snap back to the present, landing on you digging in the trunk for something. Way to be a good host, Katsuki. 

Before you could drag the suitcase out of the car, he leaned over you, picked it up by a handle on the side, and set it upright on the sidewalk. It wasn't heavy, but he'd packed smaller bags for longer trips in the past and wondered if you'd sat on it just to get it to zip. 

You patted his arm before waving for Jirou to roll down her window so you could thank her and Yaoyorozu for a final time. Maybe you could ask Katsuki for a way to show your appreciation with more than just words. Of course, they brushed it off as no big deal - it was a big deal - as a hand came from behind to rest next to yours on the window opening. 

He boxed you in and extended his own rare display of gratitude before Jirou held out the forgotten container of cake. Holding it close, you waved them off into the night with his chest at your back. It was just you and Katsuki now under the illuminated sidewalk. You turned to him with a tired smile, but the fancy-looking building behind him pulled your attention away. The flawless white exterior, covered balconies, and crystal clear glass entryway exuded luxury and comfort; it wasn't Yaoyorozu's mansion, but if he lived here, then his place was no doubt bigger and nicer than what you were used to back home.

"Hey." Before you could step towards the building, Katsuki slid an arm around your waist, his lips brushing against your hair before leading you away from the building. You grabbed your suitcase handle from him as you followed and wondered if your assumption was wrong before realizing he was headed towards an open shop on the corner with an orange, green, red, and white striped sign stretched across the top of the brick walls. 

The sliding doors opened with a pleasant ding while you kept pace with Katsuki. Aisles and aisles lined with boxes, bags, bottles, and baked goods all crammed in a corner store that appeared deceptively compact from the outside. Even a common convenience store held novelty while visiting an unfamiliar country. 

It was easy for Katsuki to find what was looking for considering he stopped by this konbini at least once a week since moving in next door. The last minute snacks before a long patrol or a fresh box of bandages before returning home made him a regular customer; after a while, the things he bought in regular rotation never seemed to be low in stock. 

Behind him, the sound of your suitcase wheels rolling across the floor tiles in perfect repetition set him at ease. You were within reach. While in his world, it was his responsibility to keep you safe; lucky you, saving people was in his job description. 

The late hour meant there were probably as many customers in the whole store as there were employees working. Four, maybe five, the two of you included. He only passed one person crouched in front of a display to restock a low shelf on his march down the personal hygiene aisle. Recalling the hellish embarrassment he'd felt when you'd tasked him with picking out condoms was as predictable as it was laughable. The last time he bought some was over three, maybe close to four years ago. Now, it only took him a few seconds to grab what he needed without distress - being able to read the fucking packaging did help, though. 

With his helmet still tucked under one arm, he turned to find you looking every bit like the tourist you were. Eyes scanning across completely mundane items no doubt trying to decipher what they were if the packaging didn't make it obvious, you finally noticed him staring and smiled in that same pleased way you used to whenever he untwisted his tongue long enough to say something sincere. Those tiny, silent gestures were some of the most missed.

Heading towards the register with you at his side, Katsuki paused in front of a section of savory snacks and grabbed a small bag of his favorite extra spicy chips. He felt a tug on his arm as you hooked your elbows together, keeping him in place as you looked over the snacks, too. If you wanted one of everything just to try it, he'd hand you his platinum card and keep his mouth shut just to make you happy. But no, you didn't load your arms up with everything you could carry. Instead, you picked up a canister of chocolate and vanilla wafer cookies with little dancing pandas on the label. He snickered at how predictable you were before grabbing the tin and tugging you along towards the front of the store. 

Lucky for Katsuki, the chatty older clerk that always held a one-way conversation with him wasn't around. You continued holding his arm as he tossed his things onto the counter. Condoms and snacks: the late night birthday essentials. 

The cashier rang everything up while he dug in his back pocket for his phone. He didn't need his wallet half the time since most places took quick and easy payment through phones so long as you didn't carry around an outdated brick. 

The air was crisp as he led you back outside to finally go home. All he had to do was make it past Takahata and he'd be fine.

The front doors opened for him with you close behind, your suitcase wheels skipping over the tile gaps in a quicker pattern compared to the konbini floor. Expectantly, no one was around except for Takahata who looked up to welcome him back like he always did. "Good to see you back, Dynamight- oh." Pause. "You have a guest?" Takahata was quick to slip back into his usual composed and polite self, smiling as the two of you approached the elevator past the front desk. 

Still, his obvious surprise made Katsuki bite the meat of his cheek. "Yes," he grit out with you still close behind and none the wiser to their passing exchange. "Staying with me for a week. That fine?" It wasn't a question of permission, but one of formality. 

"Of course," Takahata answered with a nod. There was no reason for him to interrogate you, not when Katsuki had been living here for years and never caused trouble… aside from those idiots busting down his door, but that was their fault, not his. 

You waved your fingers in greeting to the man behind the front desk. The exchange between him and Katsuki must not have been important since he didn't stop to chat. No apartment you'd lived in had an on-duty security guard, so the upscale style wasn't just for show. 

Katsuki punched the elevator call button with the side of his fist, causing the metal doors to slide open. You rolled your suitcase across the threshold, yawned, and let your head rest on his shoulder before the elegant lobby disappeared behind the closing doors. 

Takahata, now alone, chuckled to himself. My, how unexpected. Quite an exciting night. Good for Dynamight-san. The Hero never had guests outside of other Heroes because Takahata had seen every single person that came in and out of the building for the past eight years without fail. So, anyone new - especially if they accompanied someone as busy and stern as the #2 Hero in Japan - stood out. 

Waiting in the elevator, you felt his free arm snake around your waist and watched his nostrils flare through your lashes. After all these months, you still remembered how to read him. There was nothing for Katsuki to worry about; you weren't a dream or nightmare or anything else that would vanish before morning. 

Only when the doors slid open did you glance at the panel to notice you were on the top floor. You wondered how the gleaming city must look from his window, envious of the imagined view compared to your own parking lot. 

He nudged you out of the elevator while you dug in your purse for the translator. Carrying a small bag meant things never got lost at the very bottom. You balanced pulling your suitcase, carrying the birthday cake, and fiddling with the translator buttons as Katsuki slid a keyring out of his pocket. Maybe you'd expended all your nervous energy earlier, but being able to finally rest was higher on your priority list than snooping through all of Katsuki's things or judging his decoration preferences. 

"Shit." As if realizing something for the first time, he hung his head with the key in the lock. "When you go in, do not wander around. Just gonna make sure it's not a fuckin' mess because I wasn't expecting guests," he said accusingly, to which you just stuck out your tongue and shrugged. "But I've got a roommate. Sorta. And she's a bitch when it comes to literally everyone who isn't me. And still hates me most of the time." 

Confused, you looked to him for answers, but he was already pushing his way inside. A… roommate? He didn't mention it earlier, and most of his closest friends seemed to be at the party, so who could it be? And why would he live with someone who apparently hates his guts? 

All your questions went unanswered as you traced his steps into the dark apartment. With the flick of a switch, the lights illuminated the genkan where he was already kicking off his boots. Well, shit. You knew his place would be nice, but it looked more like a display home set up for flattering photos than a lived-in space. 

"Just," he started as he stepped further into the living room before turning right back around to grab your suitcase and hoist it over his shoulder with little effort. "Stay here. If she comes towards you, don't make any sudden movements. And-"

"Katsuki."

"What?" 

"Calm the fuck down." For someone so self aware, he seemed oblivious to just how frazzled he was acting. "I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to make things perfect. I'm just here to spend time with you." 

His nostrils flared again, but you got your point across. If you could survive him dropping in while you were asleep in your underwear, then there should be no issues having his girlfriend stay over for a week. You watched him suck on his teeth and just out his bottom lip that threatened to twist into a smirk. "Don't move." 

God, you were so- You didn't even have to try to read him so easily and it drove him fucking crazy. But he loved it. Loved you. "Stupid," he growled through a grin as he stomped down the long hallway towards his bedroom. 

He pushed open his door and swung your bag off his shoulder to sit against the wall. A moment passed as he stared into his shadowed closet, eyes cast down where he knew your other bag - the one he'd originally taken with him - lay neatly among pressed shirts and spare gear. 

Tossing his helmet, convenience store bag, and leather jacket on the bed, he wondered briefly if his sheets were clean before remembering he'd changed them a few days prior because someone decided it was the perfect place to cough up a hairball. Next, he swiped up discarded clothes around the room to drop into his hamper. He knew you wouldn't care about something so trivial, but he cared, dammit! You were right that he was far too wound up when the hard part was in the past and all he needed to do was enjoy your company. But he was gonna enjoy it without feeling like a slob. 

He listened down the hallway for any sign of trouble before moving onto the master bathroom. While it wasn't the absolute cleanest, it was acceptable considering there was no time to scrub the whole room since keeping it hygienic was essential to prevent mold and mildew.

Japanese bathrooms were far more elaborate than the average bathroom in other countries. Temperature-controlled soaking tubs, options for dehumidifying the room or drying your clothes, heated toilet seats, and digital touch pads for all of it. Of course, Katsuki's place had all of the modern comforts plus a few extras that he didn't even use. The bathroom was a big selling point for the apartment considering he needed somewhere to unwind and relax his muscles after rough days. 

Scanning the room for anything worth hiding, he spotted an open bottle of lube on the counter. He snatched it with a curse and dropped it in the nightstand drawer next to his bed. Not that you'd care since sex wasn't the same worry it was in the beginning, but whatever; he was too accustomed to hiding all of his personal things for the sake of privacy, and Kirishima's earlier admission did little to assuage that reflex. 

"Oh, Kaaaaaaaatsuki!" 

Hearing you call his name had him realizing he hadn't seen Princess Explosion Murder since returning home. Shit. Katsuki stomped down the hallway and hoped he wasn't about to find you fighting off his-

"So, why didn't you tell me you got a cat? Hm?...What?" Just like he'd ordered, you hadn't moved from the genkan, but the whole scene made… no sense. You knelt down with your hand outstretched while his terror of a cat rubbed her face against your knuckles, her fluffy tail swishing back and forth in the air. 

He ran the pad of his thumb against his bottom lip, totally baffled at what he was seeing. "... What'd you do to-? She hates everyone."

You just looked between the purring cat and Katsuki and shrugged. "I doubt that. I just did the slow blinking thing and let her come to me. You're so pretty and fluffy, yes you are! Such a sweet kitty… your dad is just making things up, yes he is." 

To be honest, he should've seen this coming. You with your otherworldly ability to befriend the most ill-tempered person around: first him, now his demonic cat. The absurdity of it all made him snort out a laugh, but it switched to a hacking cough when you called him a "dad". "What the fuck. Do not call me her dad or any equivalent." 

Ignoring him, you stood up and gestured down at Princess. "You still haven't told me her name- wait! Let me guess… mm, Snowball is too cliché. Knowing you, it must be something ridiculous and over the top." 

"Tch. You'll never figure it out, but it fits this bratty cat perfectly." As if knowing she was being insulted, Princess leapt to the back of the couch and stared at him with what he could only describe as unfiltered disgust. He was used to it at this point, though, and sneered right back. "Gimme this," he said while taking the cake slice in your hand and walking it to the fridge. 

"Your apartment is nice." You followed him into the kitchen and soaked up what you couldn't see from standing in the genkan. Just like he mentioned, it was much bigger than your own home and could've passed for a single story house from the living room and kitchen alone. "And such a big kitchen… oh, before I forget, did you like the hot sauce?" 

With the cake put away, he closed the fridge with a shoulder lean and turned to you. "What're you talking about? What hot sauce?" 

You reached across the counter to examine one of the many spice bottles lined up on a matte black floating shelf. Despite the organized minimalism evident in his personal design choices, little details made clear exactly who lived here. "The one Uraraka was supposed to give you during the holidays. Wait, don't tell me you never got it." 

Poking out his bottom lip, Katsuki narrowed his eyes until they cut back to the fridge. He yanked it open, rattled some bottles and jars around until he pulled out a familiar bottle. "This? This hot sauce? Uraraka gave me some story about a fan wanting me to have this, but- damn, I knew something about the taste was familiar…You made this with the peppers that made me sick, didn't you?" 

"I mean, yes," you admitted without shame while stepping closer to examine the bottle that now looked half empty. "I was worried you wouldn't like it, but glad to see I was wrong. And I tasted it before giving it to her, so I know how spicy it is. I think this was the… second batch I made."

He twirled the unlabeled bottle around to mix the settled contents while shaking his head. "You're ridiculous." His eyes flickered from the homemade hot sauce back up to you, tilted grin and all. "Was she right, though?" 

You knew that tone, dipped in his own specialized brand of fiendish teasing paired with a small side of bashful consideration. Leaning back against the black marble counter, a flash of déjà vu tickled at your memory. "Right about what?" 

One step, two, three. If you were a stranger, having a scarred man with burning eyes lock you against the counter between his arms might've been intimidating. But your composure remained steady. "Are you a fan?" 

"Of the one and only Bakugo Katsuki," you began as you rested your arm against his and let your fingers fiddle with the fabric rolled snug around his forearms. "Or of you the Hero? Or both?" 

You felt the muscle twitch under your palm while he hovered as if simmering on a low, steady heat. "I'm no different out there than I am in here. No fake persona. Me an' the Hero Dynamight are one and the same." 

As you listened to the translator, something sounded unfamiliar. You tapped his forearm with a nail and said, "Dynamight? Dynamight, like the- wait, is that your Hero name?" 

"Yeah? Technically, it's longer than that, but got shortened- whatever, you know that." 

"No, I don't. You never told me."

Now, it was his turn to be confused. "I definitely did."

"Uh, no?" Incredulous, you poked him in the chest. "I would've definitely remembered considering how big a fan I am," you argued, tossing his words back in his face. 

When it came to you, Katsuki was all bark and no bite. His lip curled as he squished your cheeks with his hand. Maybe he knew he was wrong and just didn't want to admit it because he missed the pointless bickering as much as you did. Whatever the reason, you didn't mind his softening glare rimmed with crisp eyeliner. "Dummy." The way his eyes lingered on your puckered lips lined with the faint tint of faded lipstick made his intention obvious. 

Katsuki pressed his mouth to yours while he loosened his grip on your cheeks. The edge of the counter dug into your back as he stepped fully into your space, his breath tasting of mint flavored gum. You dug your fingertips into his tense forearm as your eyes closed and mouth opened invitingly. 

Calloused fingers traced the profile of your jaw down your neck, goosebumps accompanying the shiver down your spine as his canines tugged at your bottom lip. To refamiliarize yourself with his taste and touch and smell, to open the map you'd drawn from traveling his peaks and valleys in what seemed both like a lifetime ago and no time at all meant everything. His heart was finally bare, ripe, and within reach. 

Your pulse was warm and rapid between his lips and across his tongue as he pressed his hips to yours and fisted the cherry fabric of your dress. There was time for softness and patience, but that time wasn't now. Not when- 

CLATTER 

Both of you stilled. Katsuki ground his molars together and huffed through his nose before slowly craning his neck to glare over his shoulder with your fingers still gripping the top fastened button of his shirt. 

A green plastic cup rolled across the kitchen floor before stopping at the edge of a growing puddle of water. 

"Mrow."

The culprit sat staring at the two of you, the tip of her tail flicking over the edge of the counter. Katsuki sneered and you snickered in his ear. Getting cockblocked by his own fucking cat... I hate you.

"Oi," he snapped. "You know you're not allowed on the damn counter!" Twisting away from you, he hissed out a vulgar string of curses and slammed his palms down on the marble. The intimidating tactic worked, sending Princess Explosion Murder hopping to the floor with a chirp. 

"Katsuki! Don't be mean." Coming up behind him, you lightly flicked him on the side of the head before picking the cup off the floor. "She's a cat. Cats knock things over if you leave them sitting out." 

You didn't know that brat of a cat like he did. The cute and innocent act was just a front before she revealed her true nature when you least expected it. Sure, maybe she'd become more comfortable around him over time. And yes, maybe the scratches on his hands and arms had finally begun to fade. But deep down, she was still a menace, just like him. 

Not wanting to start an argument over something so small, he huffed before snatching a dish towel and tossing it over the spill. "Anyway," he said while his foot led the towel in a circle. "It's still my birthday for about…forty minutes." For the first time in years, Katsuki wasn't eager for his birthday to end just yet. "Ya want a quick apartment tour or what?" 

You swiveled on your heel and scanned the kitchen and living room. There were photos lined up on a bookshelf you wanted to ask him about. The minimalist, modern style coupled with specks of his life and personality begged to be studied. And of course, the still-unnamed cat who stared at you from a tall cat tree in the corner no doubt had an interesting backstory. But you had time; not a lot, but you could ask about all these things and more tomorrow. 

"Lead on, Dynamight," you affirmed, holding out your hand for him to take. Without hesitating, Katsuki reached across the counter and seized your fingers to pull you behind him with a small, satisfied grin. A laugh bubbled out of you as he dragged you down the hallway in his cute little house slippers. 

When he said quick, he meant it. Despite opening up just about every door leading directly to the hall, you had a generous thirty seconds to look around each room before he insisted on showing you the next. One was empty aside from one of those fancy robot litter boxes and some toys, another was an office covered in a thin layer of dust, and the most used room was filled with well-loved workout gear: a punching bag, a rowing machine, a rack of hand weights, etc. 

Even his bathrooms were fancy; not quite as extravagant as Yaoyrozu's, but certainly the nicest apartment bathrooms you'd ever seen. "Unfair," you murmured, jealous of the simple advancements that appeared commonplace in most Japanese bathrooms. "What's it like having a tub big enough to actually relax in?" 

Katsuki snorted. "Pretty damn nice. But I don't use this one much. The one attached to my bedroom is bigger.” 

“Bigger?” Did he have a jacuzzi or hot tub or what? “Seeing all this, I’m kinda surprised you didn’t complain more about my cramped little apartment.” 

He looked almost offended with matching slanted lips and brow. "I wasn't gonna complain about you givin’ me a place to stay. Maybe when I was a bratty teen, but not so much now.” 

Aside from that first stressful week, he really didn’t comment at all on your mismatched furniture or lack of space. Honestly, your apartment was cleaner when he was there compared to when he wasn’t. “Fair. But really, your place is very nice. Kinda big for just you, though.” 

You turned to find him leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, looking more solemn than you expected. He shrugged, the weight visible on his broad shoulders. "Shacked up with Kirishima after we graduated, and Kami was basically a roommate who didn't pay rent with how often he crashed there. But I like my own space." 

So much left unsaid. You padded back across the cool, white floor to mirror him. Under the fluorescent lighting, his exhaustion was more apparent, like he'd aged at least a year rather than six months. "That's something I like about you. Loud quirk, loud opinions, loud mouth." He couldn't argue with the truth as he rolled his eyes. "And you're still fine just, y'know, sitting with silence. I could lay on the couch and read and you'd cook and– and I really missed it. You. All of it." 

Katsuki's knee bounced as he pulled his lip between his teeth and stared, searching your face for something only he could see. "Yeah. And you're right. This place has more space than I need. Just didn't realize it 'til you came along."

The lump in your throat grew the longer his eyes lingered. "As much as I admire your guest bathroom, can we finish up the tour now?" 

He hummed before backing out of the doorway with small, slow steps. You followed him down the hall while he ignored the rest of the unexplored rooms and pushed open a final door at the end of the hall on the right. "Here's my– hey! Little fucker." 

Poking your head around the corner, you had little time to take in the one room you'd seen so far that actually looked lived-in before spotting the Unnamed Cat using your suitcase as a scratching post. "Hmm, well that's not nice." As Katsuki tried to shoo her away, she instead climbed on top of the bag and sat her fluffy butt down on the handle. "Alrighty, let's go Miss Troublemaker," you said before attempting to do the same, but even your gentle hand earned a swat that would have left a nice scratch had you not pulled away. "Wow, and I defended you earlier. I see how it is." 

Rather than fight a cat to take back your bag, you bent down and pushed it across the floor with her still sitting on top before letting it coast right out of the doorway. "Sorry! Be nicer next time!" She meowed as you closed the door with a wave. "Maybe don’t scratch my things next- what?”

Katsuki stood with a shit-eating grin, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. “Told you she was a bitch," he bragged. "But if you leave your bag out there with her, she'll shred it out of spite." 

"As long as she can't get inside it, then it's fine since the bag is old, anyway. And just tell me her name so I don't have to spend all night guessing," you conceded while plopping down on the end of his bed. Your palm slid across the plush, dark comforter as you cocked your head to the side.

"Give up on guessing after one name? Weak. But fine. Princess Explosion Murder. Don't fuckin' gimme that look! She's a spoiled brat filled with malice disguised as a cat." 

Your shoulders shook as you heaved with laughter at how beautifully awful the name was; only Bakugo "Dynamight" Katsuki whose failed attempt at naming himself King Explosion Murder as a teenager would've carried on the legacy through his very first pet. "Y… you're the one who spoiled her!" Trying to talk through the giggling made your chest hurt, and his exasperated grimace just added to the hilarity. "Her collar has rhinestones on it! Princess Explosion Murder, oh my god… I love you so much." 

As you tried to catch your breath, Katsuki's hand groped the wall behind him for the light switch and dimmed the bulbs low; one of those small quality of life things he never used, but was now grateful for. His steps were quiet as he made his way to the edge of the bed before digging one knee into the mattress and shading you from the ceiling glow, hands on either side of your head. It felt like no time had passed at all as he hovered, watching your eyes crinkle and cheeks swell. How easily he fell back into old routines of chatter and jabs that often ended in delighted silence. At last, you looked up at him, smile still wide and bright and full of- 

"You swear you're real?" Despite everything, believing you were really here still seemed too good to be true. Too much of a dream for reality to uphold. 

The corners of your lips dragged down into something more solemn, but your gaze remained steady with your hands on your chest gripping the translator. "Yeah, Katsuki. I'm real. Are you?" 

His fingers clawed the sheets as he licked his bone-dry lips. "Yeah," was all he managed before you reached a hand forward with careful grace. Goosebumps pebbled his skin as you caressed his jaw, his cheek, his hair. 

“Show me,” you implored with soft words and hard eyes.

So, he did. 

While the last time the two of you were together was saturated with slow and memorable passion, you met his lustful fervor with hunger of your own. Six months of dreaming, imagining, and yearning for each other culminated in clawing hands and starving mouths hunting to whet their appetites. Knocking teeth went ignored in your fervor to grope every inch of warm, bare skin you could reach, but it wasn't enough. You swore you heard a button fly and hit the wall when he flung his shirt to the floor, desperation mixed with adrenaline to press heartbeat to heartbeat. 

The bed was unfamiliar and big. The room, too. Everything was foreign, except for him. You knew him then and you know him now and you wish with everything - more than you could ever fathom - that you would know him in the future. Every lifetime, every universe where you and he may exist. Praying with blistered hands until your knees were raw and bloody to never forget the fiery salvation of loving Bakugo Katsuki. 

Piece by piece, clothing piled onto the floor, save for your dress. He took care with the back zipper, fingers slowing to let the fabric fall away before folding it with deft hands and draping it across the back of a chair in the corner. You wouldn’t have cared much if it got a few wrinkles, but the sweetness of his consideration was endearing. The dress you hated before he came along now reminded you of his ruby eyes that you'd yearned to see one more time. He said you were beautiful in it, and now you felt beautiful out of it, too. 

Katsuki found solace in your thighs, your hips, your ass, wherever his hands could grip after flipping you over to sit right on his face. Six months? No, it seemed more like a lifetime of waiting led the fervor that surged through him while you folded your arms against the headrest of his bed and whined into the crook of your elbow. He put that sharp tongue of his to work and left a trail of finger indents behind - evidence to find tomorrow that tonight was as real as any other.

Sweat pooled behind your knees as Katsuki kept you right where he wanted you. He countered every attempt at hovering with a breathy grunt, yanking you back down as if insulted at the miniscule distance you tried to create. 

Katsuki was a sun: hot, searing, bright with energy and passion. A man made of starfire and kindling just itching to combust under ripe conditions. The way his mouth moved - without hesitation and burning with hunger - confirmed his piety. You were the idol of his worship. His devotion. His tongue pushed hymns from your lips, eyes closed in ecstatic prayer. 

"A-ah Katsuki… fuck, I'm-!" To drown in your waves was holy bliss, holding you in place with sweaty palms while your thighs squeezed and back arched. Glancing down between your legs, he was already staring up at you, eyes dark and blown wide with lust as if committing your ecstasy to memory. Of course, he wouldn't be Katsuki if he didn't throw in a smug smirk, too, boastful even when his mouth was full and messy. Panting and whimpering through your teeth as you edged towards overstimulation, you reached down, grabbed a fistful of blonde hair, and tugged so you could lift yourself from his greedy mouth. 

Eyes rolling back for only a moment, Katsuki groaned as the growing need between his legs throbbed. Even though the day had been long for him and even longer for you, the room sweltered with lecherous and passionate energy. With your hand still in his hair, you leveraged the headboard to straddle his hips and crash your mouth into his, lapping up the stickiness that covered the lower half of his face; he'd always been a messy eater, why would this be any different? 

He hissed as you slid against his length, neglected from focusing on you and your pleasure. But the way you scraped his chest, skipping the teasing in favor of wordlessly begging for more, as much as he could give. You had his love, wrapped up like red silk shibari with all of its tidy knots and careful weaving. You could have his body, too. 

Growling in your ear, he groped the crease where your ass met your thighs and decided a riposte was due, flipping your positions. You landed with a squeak as your head hit his pillow, but quickly recovered to wrap your arms around his back. He just needed-

Fuck, where is it?! Leaning up on his hands, Katsuki glanced around the bed looking for the konbini bag while you scraped along his skin, whining and trying to pull him back down. With reluctance, he untangled his legs from yours and almost dove over the side of the bed before spotting the bag and his helmet. Goddamn cat must’ve tried to score a late night snack without him noticing. 

In one swift motion, he snatched the box of condoms out of the bag and tore it open with his teeth. The box and condoms scattered onto the floor as he destroyed the foil wrapping before finally getting the condom on. And despite putting up the bottle of lube barely an hour ago, he spaced out for a good two seconds trying to remember where the fuck he put it while you slid over and tugged on his arm, eyes pleading in the darkness to hurry the hell up, already! 

When the neurons in his brain began firing properly, several things on his bedside table threatened to topple over when he yanked open the drawer to grab the bottle of lube. It dripped onto the floor and edge of the sheets before he tossed it somewhere unseen. He ran his tongue along the corner of his mouth as he lunged over you, slick hands pinning your wrists above your head. 

Your chest heaved and mouth parted below him as he slotted between your legs hanging off the edge of the bed. He felt your pulse throbbing under his palms, fingers grasping at warm air circulating around the closed room. You were so fucking beautiful and just… here. Not an obscene daydream. If you were, this would immediately go from the best to worst birthday in recent memory. The way your hips shifted urged him to come closer. 

So, he did. 

The way you bit your kiss-swollen lips begged for him to dip down and meet them with his own. 

So, he did. 

And you had to do nothing at all for his hands to slide up and intertwine his fingers with yours. This time, his love would not be silent. 

The mattress had moved off-center from the frame and slats. The sheets had all bunched up at the end, cascading down into the floor. The heavy pants, raucous moans, and salacious slapping of sweaty skin had quieted. All that remained was Katsuki's breath in your ear, his chin tucked into your neck, and slowing heartbeat heavy against your back. Katsuki wrung you dry of every speck of energy you'd scraped together after barely sleeping for the past forty-or-so hours. All you wanted to do was pee and sleep for however long he let you. 

Wriggling your arm free from under his muscle-heavy weight, you gave his backside a light tap to try and get him up. When he didn't move, you wondered if he'd fallen asleep without even pulling out. But eventually, he peeled himself from your back with a raspy grunt. Cool air sent goosebumps along your exposed skin that sounded like Velcro when he pushed himself up from the mix of dried sweat, lube, and saliva covering both of you. Hissing when he pulled completely out, you clenched at the emptiness right as Katsuki flopped next to you, arms outstretched and limp. Knowing you'd fall asleep if you didn't move, you forced yourself up on shaky arms and moved to balance yourself, but Katsuki shot out a hand to grab your arm and pull you back down so he could kiss you without even bothering to open his eyes. Like he knew exactly where you'd be. Like he'd always know. 

When he heard the bathroom door close, Katsuki sat up with bleary vision and wiped at his face. Fuck, what are wild birthday… he glanced at the clock nearby, squinting to read 12:37 glowing in the dark. He nearly slipped when standing up from the spilled lube and wrapped condoms spread all over the floor. "Fuckin'..." Too tired to bother cleaning it up right then, he grabbed a towel from the hamper and tossed it over the mess before opening the bedroom door with a yawn and promptly stubbing his toe on the bag you left sitting right in the middle of the hallway. "Shit!," he cursed, sucking in a breath through his teeth before kicking the suitcase into the bedroom, letting it roll to a stop as he stumbled down the hallway to clean up. 

Far too exhausted to do any of your normal bedtime tasks, you dragged your feet across the floor before turning out the bathroom light. You wouldn't die from not brushing your teeth or washing your face for one night. Was it terrible to sleep in makeup? Yes, but whatever. Sleep came first.

You fell into bed and grabbed the crooked sheets, pulling them up to your chin while burying your face in the single pillow that remained on the bed. Already feeling yourself drifting off, you felt the bed dip before a warm arm snaked around your middle. You buried your face in Katsuki's scarred chest and draped your own arm over his waist. Waiting six months just for the opportunity to fall asleep with him again. To smother in his scent of burning caramel and musky wood. To whisper into his skin. Yeah. Yeah, it was worth it. 

What was the… ah, right. "Dai suki da yo, Kat," you mumbled with your last bit of drained energy. With his heart pressed against your cheek, you kissed his skin stained with dried, salty sweat. Katsuki’s legs languidly tangled with yours while he buried his chin in the crown of your hair. 

“Mh. Dai suki da yo…” Quiet. Sleepy. But still, you heard it. You wished you could hear it every day. Every night. Forever.

___________

ummmm here u go byeeee plz kudos and comment and share with ur friends and tell me how the wait was worth it so i can cry a lil :')))) please follow my tumblr https://thetrashywritingwitch.tumblr.com bc i live on tumblr, it's my main website. come talk to me, send me asks, and keep up to date with what i'm doing do yall dont think i'm dead :))))) ALSO since this has become an issue int he past year: DO NOT EVER USE MY WORK IN AI OR TEXT GENERATORS!! I don't consent to anyone "finishing" or "continuing" my fics through AI in any form!!!! AND DO NOT use my work in any youtube/asmr/tiktok videos without my written consent!!! you can mention me and link back to my work and post about how much you 💖 my fics hehhe BUT you cannot do voice overs of my fics or anything like that, esp not for ad revenue or profit!!! ok fr byeeeeeee (no the fic isn't over or done we still have like six or so more chapters until the end 🥰)

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[caseylicious]

Badass.

Summary: The brothers are injured, unable to use their weapons. How do they react to the reader using the weapons against the opponent?

Characters: Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Donnie

Reader: FEMALE

Relationship: I don't really know whether or not you wanted platonic or romantic, so let's do romantic! (Established Relationship.)

Warnings: Mentions of Blood.

Words: 2673

A/N: This is a really cool request! That I am honored of writing for. I can just imagine all the battling that has happened. Anyways! Please Enjoy 💐

Tags: @el-chiste Thank you for the lovely request!

[ If you have any constructive criticism or corrections for any of my English do let me know! :) ]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 💐

You heard your boyfriend scream in pain as they dropped their weapon. This villain was different from the others, it was more powerful. It thought differently than the others.

Running to his side, you checked over his wounds. They were bad and you could see how it hurt them. You knew the others couldn't make it in time even if you both ran.

So you did the only thing, you knew you could do.

Fight.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 💐

💙 Leo

It was going to be a simple mission, stop whoever kept stealing the condiments. You had no reason why Leo had to make such a fuss over condiments being taken away.

But thinking about it now, no ketchup on fries would've been a nightmare to humans. You only imagined everybody having wars over the very condiments. It would start an anarchy in New York! Especially with the cheap hot dogs on the street.

Leo argued that it would be easier if he went on this, solo... well with you. "C'mon guys! It's just a ketchup thief. It can't be so bad, right babe?"

You nodded your head, there was no way something this silly could be dangerous, right?

Raph crossed his arms, feeling his overprotective brother instincts almost act. Mikey smiled to you both, "I believe in Y/N! C'mon Raphh!" He sighed to Mikey's encouragement, he knew that Donnie would say a comment of "Yeah, yeah. Leo's probably right."

"Fine! But don't go too far in the city. We won't be able to reach you in time if something bad were to happen." His shoulders relaxed, having confidence that Leo can handle it all by himself.

"Yeahhh, Let's do this Y/N!" Wrapping his hand around your waist, he opens a portal. Waving to his brothers. "I'll see you when I complete this on my own! Buh - Bye~"

This would be an easy mission, right?

- - - - - - - - - -

SLAM!

He rolled to the floor, in pain. Running towards him, you fell to your knees. "Leo! A- are you okay?! Open your eyes!" You held his hand tightly. Hoping to feel his warmth, he opened his eyes. You sighed with relief. He coughed out some blood, glancing to the enemy searching for you both. "That.. really hurt- what even is this thing?" You looked with him. trying to analyze what the creature was. "It looks like a scorpion... You were thrown really badly."

He smirked, attempting to move his arms. His smirk wiped off his face immediately unable to feel his bones. "Y- Y/N, you need to run. Get the others, I'll be right behind you." You shook your head immediately, "I can't leave you. The others won't make it in time!" He sighed, scared for his own life and yours.

When you both went through the portal, You and Leo teleported right in front of the scorpion in the act. Resulting in the battle immediately starting. It was a terrible idea of Leo even bringing you, but he wanted to show off his ninja skills.

Typical Leo, seeking out your approval and praise...

He had no clue that the first thing it'd do was throw it towards the wall, hard.

"There's no other choice Y/N..." He frowned looking away. You thought for a moment, before your own mental you gave you an idea. "There's one..."

He raised a brow, watching you pick up his two blades. He had a look of confusion, before he realized. "Y/N! Do not tell me you're going to try and attempt to fight that thing!" He couldn't lose you, he just couldn't. "I'm not attempting Leo! I am going to fight it. Be right back." Before he could say anything else he watched as you ran towards the enemy. Your hair blowing in the wind. You had no fear. He feared for the worst, suddenly watching you swing the blade in front of yourself, jumping through the portal.

Then suddenly appearing out of another one, slashing the beast. How did you even know how to use his weapon? Were you watching him each time you came along on a mission? He didn't know how to take in this information, until he watched the villain suddenly fall over. Making it unable to fight you and your boyfriend. You panted, exhausted of what you just did. Turning your head; you ran back to your boyfriend dropping his blades next to him. "Okay- we can call Donnie now for help. Let me get my pho-" He interrupted your rambling, "How did you do all that, doll?" You blinked, confused. "Do.. what?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 💐

He chuckled to your obliviousness. "How did you use my weapon like that? That was totally badass!" You began to blush to the compliment, "Really? You're hurt and you're calling me a badass?" He nodded with his cheeky smile.

Rolling your eyes, you dialed Donnie's number.

❤️ Raph

"The.. CD Bandit? What on earth is that?" Donnie chuckled looking at the topic on his phone. "It's on the news D! And they've taken ALL of my favorite bands' music albums!" Leo lifted his head from his comic book. "What's so important about that band?" You gasped dramatically.

"What's so important about that band?" You chuckled, your fist turning into a ball.

"What's so important about that band? Raph could see you getting upset over the whole situation. "That band is literally GOD themselves!! They're my idols! They're EVERYTHIN-"

You felt your head being pat by the bigger turtle. "Don't worry Y/N! I'll stop that bandit for you." Your frown turned to a giant smile, a smile that Raph is so, so in love with. "Really?! Oooo!!" You hugged your taller boyfriend as he blushed. His brothers gave "ooo's" and goofy stares. "Thank you, Thank you!!"

So, off you both went to face this bandit. And to bring cheer and joy to all the stans in New York...

Raph would know how much you loved that band, since he was your boyfriend. You wouldn't stop ranting about it around him!

"Y- you're welcome sweetheart, now let's get going. We wouldn't want your bands' songs to be taken of, again." You nodded your head getting on top of his shoulders, blinded from your obsession with a band. That Raph said he, himself would stop this bandit.

- - - - - - - - - -

And here you were, on the ground with a cut on your leg. With your boyfriend being stuck to the wall with a half-cut metal CD pinning him to the wall. His Twin sais' on the floor, you quickly got up to look at him. "Raph are you stuck?! I can try to-"

"Y/N, I'm stuck. I can't reach my weapons and-" His legs were suddenly pinned to the wall with half-cut CDs as well. You were scared that his head and legs would be cut off if he tried resisting. "D- don't move. Let me think of a plan!" He stared at you confused, "What do you mean, PLAN? The plan is to use the panic button!!"

What happened before, was that while you both were running on the roofs of New York, Raph was caught off-guard by a giant CD almost slicing your head off your body. Traumatic as that was, Raph got distracted and fell off the roof. Quickly transforming into his bigger size, catching you in his hands. He let you down on your feet before more CDs were thrown towards him.

They were just thrown too quickly for him to catch all at once. Resulting to the situation at hand...

Back to the present, you held his weapons in your own hands. They were so big in comparison. "Y/N- Now is not the time to joke around. Press the call button on my wrist!" You shook your head with a mischievous smirk. This CD bandit pissed you off the moment the news spoke about it. "You.. do NOT get to take all of those CDs and then break them, to ONLY attack my boyfriend!" You screamed in anger, running towards the bandit. He was going to call your name to get back, before he saw your arm size get bigger with the red mystic energy in his weapon.

"No sweetheart, just.. amazed. Had no clue you could use my weapon like that!" His toothy smile bringing butterflies to your stomach. "Well, watching a good older brother. I guessed I learned a thing..." You glanced over to the crime scene. "Or two."

This may be a stretch, but you punched the shit out of that thing. Forcing it to confess to the police. Now exhausted, you finally pulled the CDs off your boyfriend. When he was free, he immediately hugged you.

"R- raph? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" You felt his arm around your body.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 💐

🧡 Mikey

Your scream could be heard through the whole lair. Your boyfriend sprinting to your side immediately. "Y/N! What's wrong?! Is there a bad guy? WHERE!!" He was about to take out his kusari-fundo until he saw Leo with you. Both of you sobbing to the tablet.

"Mikey.. they they..." Leo sniffles, hugging himself. "They...? What? What did they do? Who even is they??" You cried, "THEY DESTROYED THE THRIFT STORE!!"

Mikey blinked, staring at you. "I- what?" He placed away his weapon to stare at you at Leo even more. You.. were crying because of a thrift store being destroyed? Until he thought a bit more. That thrift store was you and Leo's favorite store. That's where you bought his matching sweater with you. He gasped, finally understanding the importance of this crime.

He instantly hugged you, "Y/N! This is a job for Doctor Delicate Touch. Nobody destroys a thrift store on my watch!" Your eyes sparkled with determination to Mikey's statement. "Yeah! Nobody should have to suffer their favorite Thrift Store from being destroyed..."

You couldn't help. but imagine the families who aren't able to afford most things. Watch as stores which allowed them to buy products near their price range are destroyed. It broke your heart.

Leo nodded, "Yeah! Nobody should so... I'll be waiting here until you both fix the situation" You raised your brow towards Leo. "Weren't you just crying with me?? I thought you'd be more concerned on this with me!" He shrugged, "Yeah. I'll be concerned, but! I'm letting Mikey do a solo mission.. just don't tell Raph."

Mikey's eyes lit up hearing the news. "Leo!! This is why I love you my man!"

- - - - - - - - - -

Why didn't Leo tell Raph he was going on a solo mission? He was on the ground unable to move due to hanging racks clicking him to the ground. "Urghh! Y/N! Get help!" He knew this solo mission wasn't going to end well, and you were the only one with him. He couldn't risk you getting hurt, yet he was so scared of getting hurt himself.

"Mikey- I can get you out of these.. hangers?- Ugh! Just work with me here." You could hear the monster of clothes roar towards your direction. "RUNNN!"

Before this whole problem existed, you and Mikey simply chose to go into a thrift store, hoping that if it were the next target location of destruction. You both could then quickly destroy the creature. Forcing it out of its ways to the authorities!

However you both underestimated the strength of this enemy. It took you both by surprise. Using that to its advantage, separating the both of you. What makes things even worse was that everything was dark. Mikey couldn't see his surroundings, so he didn't know where to aim. Resulting in him losing his weapon while getting stuck.

You tried pulling the restraints off of him, but there was no sign of it working. Panicking, you didn't want to leave your boyfriend, bestfriend behind. Until you saw in the corner of your eye... his kusari-fundo. "Wait right here!"

You ran towards the battle field with Mikey panicking, "Y/N WHAT ARE YOU DOING- COME BACK!!" You smirked watching Mikeys' jaw drop. "Saving your life!" You grabbed hold of his weapon and began to easily use it. As if it were your destiny to wield it...

When you finished beating the enemy's bum; Mikey was freed. You immediately gave back his weapon and apologized for using it.

"What? Y/N, no! You were amazing! You may know even more than me!" He high-fived you as you both walked back to the lair.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 💐

💜 Donnie

It was a lazy sunday, and you just barged into your boyfriend's room. "D! D!- there's this new online hacker dude on the internet!" You waved your phone around, as his metal arm grabbed it. Inspecting the phone, a smirk appears on his face. "The.. Hacker, okay babe. I don't know what jokes you're making up this time... but this is totally, 100% clickbait." You gasped, "It is not!" You pouted, crossing your arms. Looking away from your boyfriend's sweet face.

He chuckled, placing away his engineering instrument. To focus his attention onto you. "Well? How did this "Hacker" become oh, so popular?" You sighed as you felt his hand with yours. "Well... News said it hacked that game you played? Purple Ga-"

"I'm sorry, did you say Purple Game? As in the game, I am always Number One in?" Before you could respond, Donnie was all geared up with his battle shell and his one and only,  bō staff. (Tech.) "Onward Y/N! We mustn't let this foul troublemaker ruin any more games!"

You smiled, running with him to go stop this thief. You thought it was going to be your typical "skinny" and "needs to touch grass" sort of guy or gal. But no... you were very wrong.

- - - - - - - - - -

"D-donnie! Stop!" You were panting, holding onto the bloody scratch on your stomach. He groaned in pain, blocking off the bold and strong attacks. "What is it Y/N?! I don't think there's anytime for tal-" You quickly threw a rock at one blast. "Your battle shell- it's not on you!" His eyes widened as he looked to his back. Seeing his sensitive shell exposed.

Before the fight even happened, Donnie used his geolocation algorithm to find the location of the "Hacker." Surprised to find out it was in the Hidden City. You both ventured off into the unknown streets, until finding a black and green hue of light. Without knowing it, you and Donnie fell into its trap. In its game, Donnie used his staff to protect you.

He saw this as a video game, that he could be wreckless. Maybe he was distracted by Purple Game itself to realize his physical body could be affected. He didn't notice that his Battle Shell was broken off of him by a blast.

Distracted by the fact his battle shell was broken off, he was blasted with a laser. Knocking him back, he hissed in pain as his shell scratched the hard cold holographic code floor. He tried thinking of a way to get you out of here. He could hack into the mainframe of the game? No- What could he even-

He was about to tell you to run, before watching you run at the game boss with his staff. "Let's see how you work this thing- WOAH-!!" You pressed a button and one side had a rocket booster. Making up a quick plan; you began bonking the game boss multiple times. Defeating it, the both of you being released from the game safe-and-sound.

He smiled like an idiot to your kiss, before realizing what you said. "Hey!- Rude!"

While you were relieved that you both were safe, Donnie was.. very much confused. He stared at you for a good while, before you broke the silence. "What's wrong Donnie? We can grab your battle shell at ba-" You were quickly interrupted. "How did you learn to use my tech?" You blinked, smiling to yourself. Placing a hand on your hip, you flipped your hair with confidence. "I watched ya tinker with it multiple times! Of course I'd learn a thing or two." His expression still the same, you began to worry if he was mad you touched his tech, his precious works of art.

However his face showed a smile, looking into your eyes. "Well, you learned damn good. I'm a good teacher! I should rant about my tech more around you!" You not wanting a whole hour that could be used to cuddle with him, just for him to rant, kissed his cheek. "For how much I love you babe, please don't do that..."

#morilicious #rottmnt x reader #rottmnt 2018 #rottmnt #rottmnt leo x reader #rottmnt raph x reader #rottmnt mikey x reader #rottmnt donnie x reader #rise leo #rise raph #rise mikey #rise donnie

[romandaandromeda]

How Azumanga Daioh tells the difference between the "Old Web" and "Modern Internet"

a content warning for mentions of rape, pedophilia, and ableism (well, better safe than sorry!)

i had an entire thing written before this, but i decided to scrap it for when spacehey comes back online

so, the old web. we know what it is, we know how we see it, geocities, crunchy gifs, flashes and whatever. but have you ever seen the difference between its societies scattered across websites whether it be an imageboard, geocity, or forum against our discorded societies on major social media platforms?

a while back, i had begun watching azumanga daioh as a result of a sudden reinterest in the anime in this decade. this reminded me of how prevalent anime was on the internet as a whole 2 decades ago (and more or less, azumanga's iron grip on anons and lurkers alike), which led me to searching for how different this era was with memes.

memes, or a fad, wasn't very accessible as they are today, while some could be laughed at as an outsider (think awesome face, shoop da whoop, nyan cat, impact font memes), memes outside of the public conscious were mostly inside jokes spawned from forums like something awful or imageboards like 2chan or 4chan.

out of those many, azumanga was one of the more popular ones. think about it, funny teenagers do funny things and combine that with a major love from anime communities, you get things like these:

now what i've noticed about these memes from pre-2010 is their inside joke nature. ask the modern user what a sticky is or why they think osaka is pretending to be a nazi, they wouldn't know or be a bit offput. plus using kaorin's little lesbian crushing on sakaki to project their straight love for sakaki would probably be looked down upon now but that was just normal. if you couldn't handle it then it was either hit the road or deal with it.

you can probably guess that kimura was probably the most relatable character ever in those days, don't even get me started on the normalization of pedophile/rape jokes back then.

now that's fun and all, but how about nowadays? we no longer have a scattered culture, everyone is using one single site for entertainment and posting, and all of the forums and imageboards have been designated a hazard zone as their users have mutated into despicable folks that have been shunned away to the point where they seem more depraved than their past. AKA, they no longer care for relating over a character or talking about a show, they'd rather argue about their nitpicks of a specific character or show and just skulk on what used to be a thriving community. well, nowadays it seems you don't need to be part of a specific community anymore, just see a meme and laugh without any context. with azumanga's revival in interest, this has sort of spawned what i like to call "azumanga autism memes" (TO CLARIFY: I AM AUTISTIC, FEEL FREE TO MAKE UP YOUR OWN NAME IF MINE DOESN'T SOUND RIGHT!). as they've mostly just become the most nonsensical and silly images ever, you practically don't need to watch the show to understand because its so disconnected from the source material it's like a cup of coffee, just pick it up and have a taste.

some examples:

notice anything? suddenly, osaka takes the center stage! with exception to the one chiyo image, osaka has become the face of azumanga as the modern internet knows it. compare that to how every character had about the same love through different edits in the old web, and it seems that most people would think that osaka is the main character of azumanga instead of the multiple characters' stories spread through the series. this has seemed to piss off many a gatekeeper, who are mad that this series is only gaining interest because of one character and her vague memes. to which i believe gatekeeping such a building block of the internet like azumanga is like trying to defend an unstable shack, it's useless.

so, what can we tell from the differences between ye olde and the new? to cut to the chase, the old web's fad culture was built from inside jokes outside of the "webcore/y2k-integrated" memes used for aesthetics. and nowadays people have publicized memes to a point where context is thrown from the picture and anyone can enjoy a meme instead of enjoying its source.

which is better? i can't tell you, you don't see much enjoyability and genuine appreciation in editing in today's memes than you did with old fads (you have to make people laugh, lest you be banished to the "reddit" label hell) but the normalization of taboo topics like racism, rape, and ableism should definitely be left behind in the old. it's just personal preference, really.

that's the end of this post, please enjoy kasuga.swf:

#romanda says stuff #rant #azumanga daioh #i think i sound smart #meme culture #ramblings #rambles

[softly-potter]

Old Habits Die Hard

Summary: Summer has a habit that she can't seem to break, resulting in asking Qrow to do it for her.

Pairing: Qrow x Summer

Word count: 782

Warning: gaslighting?

-

“We can’t keep doing this.”

“I know.”

“We shouldn't keep doing this.”

“I fucking know.”

Qrow grits his teeth and he’s happy she’s facing away from him, happy he’s taking her from behind and her face is pressed against the vinyl cement of his home.

She shows up to his door week after week, acting as if he really has a say in anything they do, when they both know he’d never deny her, never turn her away. He loves her too much for a selfless act like that.

With a sharp flick of his wrist he slaps the pale flesh of her ass and Summer yelps, her cunt spasms around him and he grinds his teeth harder. He hits her again and again, until her skin is as red as her cloak, before rubbing the tender skin with his finger tips.

Fisting his hand in her hair, Qrow yanks her head back and she twists to the left, her mouth searching for his. They don’t really kiss, that would be too romantic for her. They fight with teeth and tongue, biting at one another until his lip splits and scarlet is smeared across the bottom part of her mouth.

Qrow thrusts hard and fast, tightening his grip in her hair and Summer moans, pushing her back against him and he can tell she’s going to come. She seldomly doesn’t, not if he can help it, and when she grips the wrist of his hand that's in her hair, he focuses on keeping the pace to help her ride it out.

“Shit.” She cries, her voice high, and Qrow lets go of her hair, instead slipping his hand to her shoulder, anchoring himself and chasing his own high. Summer throws him a look over her shoulder and in a quick few seconds he digests her expression. Heart shaped face, thin nose, rosy cheeks. Wet lips with sad eyes.

Raising his hand he smacks her ass again and she yelps, hissing through her teeth. “Outside, outside.” she breathes, and he tries to hold off just a moment longer before he yanks out of her heat entirely, his release coating the backs of her thighs.

Staggering back on wobbly legs, Qrow falls to the couch behind him, his chest heaving. Summer leans with one arm against the wall, straightening herself. She glances at the backs of her legs, and tramples softly to the kitchen sink. His eyes stay straight in a hazy gaze as he hears the faucet turn on and off before he drops his head to the backrest of his couch, slowly exhaling.

“This is the last time.” 

Summer is standing by the door, all of her clothing on. He hadn't even heard her redress. He frowns, tugs his pants fully back on and stands.

“Sure.”

“I have a family now, Qrow.”

“Raven had a family. But sure, it’s yours now.” he says in an icy tone and Summer flinches. Her eyes narrow as she looks him up and down.

“When are you going to grow up?” she seethes and his mouth falls open in shock because where did she get off acting high and mighty?

Folding his arms, he glares at her. “You started it.” he argues, his voice like a child and Summer rolls her eyes.

“You could say no.”

“We both know that’ll never happen.” 

“Well it needs to!” Summer shrieks, and suddenly the house is very quiet. Wringing her hands, she sighs. “It needs to, because I can't… I can't do it. And I need to, for Tai. And Yang.”

Qrow clenches his jaw, tightens his fists. “What about Ruby?”

Summer sighs, her eyes fluttering for a moment before she looks at him. “She can’t know.”

“I swore to you I'd never say anything,” Qrow replies, tries to keep the hurt out of his voice. “And unlike you, I can keep my promises.”

Summer lets her hands fall for a moment, then nods, almost to herself. “You’re right. You’re a better man than anyone gives you credit for,” She sniffs, and Qrows heart leaps at the sound. “So please. Just, do this for me? If I come back, don’t answer. Okay?”

Qrow stares at her, takes in her damp eyes and quivering bottom lip, the worry lines that are lightly beginning to etch in her forehead, and he nods with a lump in his throat.

Summer sighs again, dips her chin. “Thank you.”

Qrow says nothing, instead turns his heel and stands before the fire. He watches the flames crackle as he hears the door open, a pause, and then shut with a loud click, and that's the last time Summer Rose is in his home ever again.

#ao3 crosspost #summer rose #cheating au #summer x qrow #qrow branwen #rwby fanfiction #rwby qrow

[hungwy]

ON THE AI ART THING

i see three main points people are making, which i think are fair: first the supposition that the products of people's labor are being used somewhere in the process of art generation in an unfairly profitable way; second the supposition that the products of the artists' labor are being stolen before they can sell it; third that the other two result in a chain-reaction down the line where nobody's an artist any more because neural networks are adjective-er than humans.

for what its worth the way AIs combine images is just not the way you think AIs combine images. machine learning is complicated. neural networks are complicated. read up on GANs; watch a few Two Minute Papers videos (like this one, which is particularly relevant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCf8OA4GPvI). the way they combine im its not forgery (AI are not perfectly replicating your piece and selling it as it is for their own value; at some point it might involve copying/"looking" at it), its not stealing (you still have your art with you), its not even Youtube Poop remixing. generally the hypest way to do neural networks right now is to take a collection of items the AI knows to contain similar concepts and creates an understanding of that shared concept; a good dataset will be big enough to understand all the full variations of that concept, or accurately deduce the rest of the variations, all through the natural inconsistenties that a bunch of pictures of the same thing might produce. an AI knows how to do an oil painting style because it probably knows quite well the actual qualities of an oil painting. it also knows what the sun looks like, how cloth drapes at different weights, how holes in the ceiling of a building might imply shafts of light illuminating on the floor, and other incredible stuff. beats me how it does that, and you likely won't get it either. but the point is the way people are talking about AI on here seems solely informed by imagination.

for unfair and stealing bit, there's something to be said about how certain online communities, websites, people, blogs. etc are naturally private due to obscurity while also being technically completely public; like caves hidden in valleys that take quite a bit of looking to get to and see. in the past we just assumed they would stay hidden: the art on this blog will only be seen by its followers, or people i link the blog to, surely; ill teach you the way to my little cave. unfortunately the internet has been filled with extremely informed and skilled valley-treading and cave-finding robots, and unless you have big ol' signs that say "DO NOT FIND THIS CAVE!" (i remember for forums you could stop scrapers from coming to your website, i think on tumblr there is something like a "do not show in search results" button too), or somehow otherwise avoid their path using strange internet tricks or complete luck, they will totally find your little cave and rummage through it. what i mean to say is this: your art is already part of the publicly available data, and you're in a tough spot to do anything about it. i have no solutions.

the objectionable part is not in this collection of references for analysis, nor in how the AI is usually interpreting what objects are what, but the misuse of the AI to produce things you don't like (which is part of the point i wanted to make in my first post, besides arguing for the artistic integrity of what the AI is doing with its sources). and i see how it seems unfair -- someone smarter and more knowledgeable about art, labor, intellectual property, and value could articulate this more -- that a customer of a neural network could so freely replicate someone else's work with the original stylist having nothing to show for it. it wouldn't be any better if a sufficiently skilled person was requested to draw original pieces in your style. so in that way this is less about AI and more an objection against the violation of someone's intellectual property, if that exists.

for the second point on losing artists, i understand the reasoning as following: nobody wants to be a starving artist, and to avoid that in capitalism one needs money, and if someone is dead set on being an artist (or for some reason can be nothing else) they must sell their art to make money. if no one is going to give them money for art, they will certainly be a starving artist, which we don't want. the conclusion here is, if we want artists (starving, at the very least), we should restrict anything else that makes art which might compete with the artist's. okay, that might work: we could stop having AI make art. but what if, despite our best efforts, we can't fully restrict such a thing? what if AIs are here to stay? more importantly, what if artists are actually already partnering with AI to make art, and you've just been none the wiser? What if you yourself could adapt to new technology and use it to better your own art? The improvement of this tech is, as far as anyone can tell, inevitable. Like any tool, it will be applied in obvious and creative ways. It will displace some people, it will be used by others, and further it will be ignored by the rest.

naturally we would think at least some artists could no longer be paid for what they currently do. if companies can afford a concept artist they likely could better afford a subscription to DALL-E. If their work is no better than AI and they cost more it seems clear they're out. but im simply not jumping to the conclusion that companies specifically will be replacing ALL artists with AI, since most trained artists are in fact better than AI, and come with the human factor. some companies will certainly try the switch to AI for the novelty of it, two or three might succeed, most will probably find out negotiating with an artist or two for long term projects is much easier than talking to the team of computer science geeks to see if the damn art-generating program will churn out something slightly more [quality], more palatable to today's changing tastes -- all that, IF "AI generated images" is even the zeitgeist in whatever hypothetical time period in the future this is happening. maybe by the time the tech is developed people will think handmade stuff is popular and companies will follow suit, with all their logos or whatever being painted on glass panes.

i mean, who are we even talking about, considering artists? the fandom artists definitely aren't disappearing because of neural networks. all those millionaire furry artists simply won't lose business because people are going to Midjourney and entering in "shirtless anthropomorphic tiger, [famous furry artist]-style". people who want oil paintings want some physical oil paintings and usually not a digitally-generated oil painting printed on canvas. people want a human intermediary for basically everything, and if you've ever worked retail with an older customer base you'd know that's true. id certainly prefer human-made art to neural networks if i was gonna spend money (and i apologize to our future robot overlords for such a statement).

so who is really completely losing out here? many artists are, quite frankly, not big enough to get fried. concept artists for triple-AAA shooters might take a hit, i imagine; its decently easy to generate generic cities and alien landscapes with AI. but frankly, artificial intelligence is a tool, and not a scooch-along robot replacing your cubicle in the office. you still need people who know about art, and artists willing to put in the work, for it to produce anything of commercial value. even if it gets so good that the CEO of a business can log on to ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE-WEBSITE.com and type into the text box "I wuld like to buy a compny logo for $50 please", im sure there will always be more status in having that "human touch" to your designs, and less status in those robo-packs of ugly slightly mismatched placeholders. besides, artists are already using AI to help create their products in the first place; i refer to that Two Minute Papers video again (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCf8OA4GPvI).

Edit: Considering Two Minute Papers, we do see that VFX artists and simulation scientists are trying to find ways to realistically simulate liquid, gases, fire, etc. with AI. This likely will have consequences for whatever hand-simulated stuff VFX artists have been doing.

your art is publicly available and you really don't have much control over what happens to it. unless little intranets for families and towns and cities and such become more popular, unless you start password protecting websites like forums used to do, your shits getting collected. its not a good reality and im definitely an advocate for internet privacy. for many artists the internet is unfortunately the only place they know how to get their stuff out there. its not a good situation for artists to begin with. the thing is, what's happening with modern AI art generation isn't... really that bad. unless some specific human wants to make it bad. if from this moment on we decide to push for legal-social-whatever punishments for not compensating the artists whom AI was trained on, okay, i guess. companies developing these AI probably have too much startup money anyway and most artists make far too little for the years of wrist pain. but i would say the customers requesting your art style or whatever are certainly at more moral fault, because it almost certainly wouldn't just pop out a given art style unless your prompt guided it to.

i will stand by the fact that the art of modern neural networks is more complicated, less hurtful, and way cooler than ripped off collage nonsense, and it will be exciting and scary to see where we go from an AI winning an art tournament -- for the moment you can be scared if you want, i guess, but if you didn't already lose your job to a guy utilizing a neural network then you're probably already safe. (and you might as well get on the train before you're left behind.)

[pb-dot]

Mister Magic

I'm always searching for good horror audiobooks because, I suppose, people reading to me just never gets old, and I got to get my dose of The Horrors somehow. Most of the time I find something too self-indulgent or too mindless to be any good, but every once in a while I find something like Mister Magic.

Val can't remember her childhood, but she has always assumed something bad happened and that it in some way was her fault. She is about as content as she can be with her past being a painful mystery until her Friends find her again. Turns out, Val was part of the long-running TV series Mister Magic as a child until just before a tragedy saw the thing cancelled. Now, a cast reunion and retrospective may see the show rebooted, but Val can't shake the feeling that her past should perhaps stay buried.

Mister Magic is another in the "adults re-experience some Fucked Up Magical Shit from their childhood" genre of story, akin to King's It and Malfi's Black Mouth, although the lens of the progatonist having amnesia does provide an interesting twist on the whole thing as the narration doesn't have to pussyfoot around as to why she doesn't tell the audience what exactly went down back then. She is, after all, equally as curious, and equally as apprehensive to figure out as we the readers are.

Like the other books I mentioned above, Mister Magic also makes no bones about how it is about Trauma and specifically religious trauma. It doesn't take much knowledge about the more prolific cults of the contigious US to recognize the subtext, and occasional actual text, about mormonism as the source of the trauma.

This isn't to say it's all compulsory happiness, golden plates, and magic underwear, mind you. The book also has a robust horror mythology in itself, working with settings of eerie liminality, the fear of the unknown, the terror of malevolent cults and powerful forces beyond the ken of man. The reveal of what exactly is going on and why they are doing it happens piece by piece, but as things fall into place there is a delicious chill of neo-lovecraftian bleakness to it.

There's also one of the simplest but most powerful instances of body horror I have come across. Author Kiersten White has a real talent for making ideas stick from subtext and up, and in the scene in question she really lets the hooks sink in with some truly nauseating dream logic capped off with the vague but undeniably primal fear of something fucked up being out there and waiting to GET your ass.

Speaking of things that may have a vested interest RE:your ass, the titular character and ostensible protagonist of the TV show is also very interesting to me. His presence haunts the story, but he, or perhaps "it" is more apropriate, feels more like a ghost than an actual threat. Our heroes, per a childhood agreement, do not speak his name, and they all seem to have their own interpretation of exactly what "the man in the cape" as they've come to call him, was. Without getting into spoilers, I will say that the book handles resolving the built-up expectations of what sort of a being we're dealing with here in an untraditional way, but the end result is, I would argue, more satisfying than what either It or Black Mouth could muster.

I could go on honestly, especially the characters and how the author plays with our sympathies and assumptions, and try to unpack how this book has the protagonist change and learn throughout while seeming sympathetic throughout which is a thing curiously many authors seem to struggle with, and a bunch of other things, but I feel like I've said enough. Mister Magic. It's a good book. Read it, listen to it, whatever works for you.

#peebs reads #peebs recommends #horror #mister magic

[oro-e-diamanti]

Puppet Masterlist | Puppet Taglist | Buy me a coffee!

The band is tired of interviews. They'd rather ask you some questions.

Content: Smut

Word Count: 3.8k

A/N: I don’t actually know shit about sewing or fashion so please forgive me if any grave errors pop up here or in future chapters 😬

Lesson Seven: Talking about it is half the fun.

When Ethan banged against the locked door of Thomas' room the next morning, both of you still blissfully asleep and wrapped up in each other, he was less than pleased. As it turned out, Thomas had neglected to set an alarm the night before and was about to miss a number of interviews. He got ready in record time, flying out of the house with the other three in a flurry, all of them promising to be back with takeout in a few hours. Their hurry was the only reason no mocking or teasing comments about the night before were thrown your way. You wondered how many of them Thomas would get later on.

You had only just made your way out of his bed, lazily stretching and shuffling into the hallway, when the front door bust open again.

"What do you want me to do Vic, go with a ripped seam?!"

"But we're all matching, you can't change your shirt now!"

"It's ripped!"

Peaking down the stairs, you could see Victoria and Damiano rushing around, the latter awkwardly holding the hem of his shirt which was sporting a bit of a tear. It wasn't drastic - but it would definitely be visible. Running to your room, you quickly gathered your supplies, catching Damiano just before he was back in his own room, probably on his way to grab a new shirt.

"Stop! I can help," you called, jogging over to him, just to drop to your knees where the seam of his shirt had torn. It was full muscle memory, no challenge. Mending a seam was one of your easiest tasks. Turning the fabric around so you could look at the inside of it, you got to work. Removing the loose stitches, cutting off the excess thread, instructing Damiano to hold the hem as you placed a few needles to make sure you'd repair it in a straight line, and sewing it shut with a new one. You thanked your lucky stars that his shirt required black thread, an easy staple. A few stitches and you were done, removing the needles, straightening the fabric back out and standing up, happy with the result.

"How do you know how to do that? It looks brand new!" Vic exclaimed from behind you, having found the pair of you in the hallway upstairs.

You giggled, "I don't think this is a good time to explain, go move your asses and get to the interviews!"

For once, they agreed without arguing.

~~~

The majority of the day consisted of you desperately searching for inspiration, carrying out one google search after the other in between drawings that never seemed to satisfy you, interrupted by a flood of messages and pictures in the group chat the band had started with you. It kept you well entertained, to say the least.

A picture of Victoria, cross-eyes and showing her tongue.

One of Thomas, who had fallen asleep in the worst possible position on a chair somewhere between interviews.

A video, zoomed in on Ethan's face way too much, the slight annoyance still visible.

Another video, this time of Damiano obnoxiously shaking his ass and Victoria repeatedly hitting it.

You had no idea what the future would hold, once you moved out and lost the group dynamic that had started to establish itself again between the five of you, but you found yourself hoping to never miss them in your life again. Four years without them had felt like a lifetime, and you hadn't quite realised how big of a gap they had left in your heart until you had reconnected with them. You wouldn't be so stupid again. Whatever was to happen in the next weeks, when you moved out, when they started touring the world again, you were determined to keep in touch. You'd have to thank your brother for basically unloading you onto them, you thought.

~~~

"I'm so done with interviews," Victoria groaned, shoveling her burger in her mouth without caring about the way she looked or sounded. "I don't want to answer a single question anymore today."

Everyone else agreed with a groan, equally invested in their food after a long day. It had almost turned dark by the time the band had returned and you had to admit that the house had been terribly quiet without them. Now all you really wanted to do was chat and catch up, but Vic's statement had you shutting up immediately. They had been working while you had done nothing but lounge around after all, if they needed some peace and quiet, you wouldn't be the one to deny them.

Fortunately for you, the quiet didn't last all that long. After all the plates had been cleared away, everyone had gathered in the living room. Thomas was fiddling with some Spotify playlist or other that was sounding through the room, everyone else had sprawled out on the couches. Vic's legs were in your lap, leaving you to draw little circles on them with your fingertips as you scrolled through your phone. The rest of the band seemed similarly engrossed in their screens. Until Damiano made an excited noise that caught everyone's attention. But when you looked up, he was staring solely at you.

"Maybe it's time we interview you instead."

"What on earth would you interview me about," you giggled nervously. "I don't think I have anything to tell."

"I think you do actually. Someone just send me a very interesting link to a little test and, well, since you're officially not a virgin anymore," Damiano shot unnecessary looks between you and Thomas that you only replied to in the form of rolling your eyes, "it might be time to get into the little details and figure out your kinks, hm?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on you. Victoria sat up, moving her legs off your lap to cross them instead.

"Ooh yes, this is gonna be fun, I wanna know everything!"

The blush was rising in your cheeks, the heat probably quite visible at this point.

"And what if I don't know?"

"Then we'll help you figure it out," Ethan threw in, his face calm and supportive. Somehow you ended up nodding.

"Alright first up: Nippe play, yes or no?"

Everyone was watching you closely, curious to see how you would react, but it wasn't you who spoke first.

"That's a yes," Thomas blurted out, sending you a smile as everyone's attention now briefly rested on him. "I can attest to that."

"See, we're already gaining valuable information here!" Damiano exclaimed, obviously ecstatic that his plan was working out while you still felt like burying yourself in the ground at the prospect of discussing this in a group meeting. They could have at least given you a drink, but instead, all they were giving you were impatient stares. You wouldn't be surprised if Ethan took out a pen and paper to take notes at any second.

"So are we talking just hands and mouth or are props included in this? Because I've got some fancy nipple clamps that would look lovely on your tits," Victoria grinned next you, only to reach over and unexpectedly flick your nipple over the fabric of your shirt. She chuckled when it hardened immediately as you flinched. Suddenly you didn't quite regret not bothering with a bra.

"I..." Your voice failed you for a moment. "I'm not sure. I think I would like to try."

Victoria's smirk told you she felt the same way, but Damiano didn't let her elaborate, scrolling down on his phone to find the next question for you.

"What about other props then? Blindfolds maybe?"

In an instance, you felt hands covering your eyes, assuming them to be Thomas' as he was the only one still standing around the living room. But then another hand traced down your neck towards your cleavage for a split second, giving you no indication as to who it was.

"Yeah," you gasped. "Yeah, I like that."

With a chuckle, Thomas let go of you, walking over to Ethan to drop on the couch next to him. Victoria sent you an obnoxious wink. You could only shake your head in slight amusement.

"Handcuffs?" Damiano asked.

"Or rope," Ethan threw in, a look on his face that seemed much more innocent than the idea he was supplying.

"Or maybe just our hands for starters... it's about being restrained, the how comes later," Damiano clarified.

You were imagining it immediately. Pinned down to the bed, movements restricted by Damiano's hands, by Ethan's hands, handcuffed to the headboard, Ethan tying you up in rope, full control over you and your body, straining against it as they teased you, completely at their mercy...

"Yes."

"Interesting," Damiano smirked. "I'll keep that one in mind. What about... spanking?"

Your eyes nervously flickered between the four of them, all patiently waiting for you to give an opinion. You knew none of them were here to call you out, shame you for anything you were or weren't into. It was a simple question round, providing them with information that could possibly lead to rather interesting results in the future. You would be a fool to pass up on the opportunity.

"I'm not sure, it... it sounds good, but I've never tried it."

"Do you want to?" Ethan's voice and the slightly challenging look he threw at you had your body erupting into a different sensation of nervousness. One that was filled with curiosity and anticipation. He sat back a little, legs spread slightly, keeping eye contact. "Come here. I can give you a little taste."

Without hesitation, you got up from the couch, moving over to where he was sitting. He took your hand as he motioned for you to lay down on his lap. There was a slight shaking in your legs, you couldn't quite decide which emotion was causing it, but you followed his lead anyway as you positioned your body over his legs. Thomas, the only one still in your sight, stroked your hair lightly, almost comforting you over something that hadn't quite happened yet. A reassuring hand ran over your back, reaching the waistline of the pajama shorts you were wearing, before roughly pulling them down your legs. You tried to keep quiet, unable to anticipate what exactly was about to come, almost craning your neck to see, but it was to no avail. Ethan easily pushed the fabric of your panties upward, baring the cheeks of your ass to everyone in the room. You felt yourself taking a breath. The seconds passed like minutes, but then you felt him move and-

Slap.

The sting caught you by surprise, a tingling sensation followed by an emergence of heat spread from the place he had hit to the rest of your body. The feeling was so all-encompassing, you weren't even sure if you had made a sound at the impact. However, one thing you were embarrassingly sure of.

"One more," you gasped.

"Look at her, already begging for more," Victoria cooed. "I think we'll have her in the palms of our hands in no time whatsoever."

You didn't get a chance to answer her as Ethan's hand came down on your other cheek, the pleasurable sting from before washing over you once again. You revelled in it for as long as you could as he tucked the fabric back down, not bothering with the shorts, before pulling you up and into his lap. The tingle in your skin was still there when you sat down on his thighs, cradled up in his arms, but it was anything but unpleasant.

"You okay?" He quietly asked, searching your face for signs, but you could only nod and bite your lip in slight embarrassment at being so easy. He pulled you in with a smile, allowing you to lay your head on his shoulder as he held you. You used the moment to take a look around the room. Everyone's eyes were still on you, pupils blown, quite obviously liking what they had just seen. You almost chuckled to yourself.

Victoria recovered first. "Ready for some more questions? Because I'm ready for some more answers."

The replies fell from your lips much easier now. It was as if Ethan's treatment had somehow loosened you - and your tongue - up enough to be honest without shame. Damiano's questions kept coming.

Dirty talk? — Yes.

Using gags? — Willing to try.

Sex toys? — Yes.

Leash and collar? — Probably not.

Choking? — ...maybe.

Animal role play — What? Definite no.

Having sex while people watch?

You hesitated, almost feeling caught out. Your eyes flickered back and forth between Damiano and Ethan, almost a little unsure as to what to say, but you knew fully well at least one of them would call you out if you disagreed with the suggestion. You weren't quite sure how much the other two knew, but Damiano had eaten you out while Ethan watched, and you had given Ethan a blowjob with Damiano guiding you. And thinking back on it now, the memory was enough to incite a fire inside of you. You attempted to cross your legs, giving a little relief to the feeling emerging between them, but Ethan held onto your thigh tightly, giving you a smirk that told you he knew exactly what was happening.

"I like the idea, yes."

"I think you've been hogging her long enough, Edgar, why don't you let her come over here for a bit?"

Ethan didn't hesitate, patting your thigh before gently pushing you off his lap. Legs slightly shaky, you made your way over to Damiano who was inviting you onto the large couch with him, hand held out to you. You followed easily, letting him pull you down next to him and you didn't even have the time to ask for details of what he had planned before his mouth was on yours. The kiss was sensual, lips moving in all the right ways, tongue following naturally, and he had you breathless within moments. His hands were all over you, touching everywhere all at once, your back, your ass, your thighs, your tits. His chest was hard under your hands as you gripped his shirt, his scent intoxicating as the kiss got more passionate, both of you getting more desperate for each other.

You had half a mind to climb onto his lap, needing more of him as your panties were getting noticeably wetter, but he had other plans. Roughly pushing you onto your back, Damiano moved over you, settling between your legs as you instinctively wrapped them around his waist, before his mouth settled on yours again.

"Fuck, that's hot," Thomas' voice came through.

You had almost forgotten you weren't alone in the room with Damiano, so focused on him and everything he was manipulating your body to do. Breaking the kiss to turn your head around, you looked at the other three still seated on the couches around you, all of them having moved to get a better view, watching intently. It should have unnerved you, really, or made you self-conscious, the way you were putting on a show for all to see, but somehow, it didn't. You felt empowered, sexy, and ridiculously greedy for whatever Damiano would be treating you to.

When he sat back up without you, you almost followed, but he pushed you back down onto the couch. He was pulling the reigns and he was letting you know. He took his sweet time undressing you. You had no doubt about the fact that he knew this was pure torture for you. He peeled your top off slowly, fingers brushing every single inch of skin appearing, your breasts, your nipples, up your neck, before pulling it over your head. His speed stayed just as punishing as he grabbed hold of the waistband of your panties, rolling them down without any hurry whatsoever. You willingly lifted your butt as he motioned for you to do so, before watching his concentrated face, going down your thighs, knees, shins, finally pulling the fabric off your body completely and throwing it to the ground somewhere. You couldn't care less.

Damiano was much less patient in removing his own clothes. In what seemed like an instant, he was naked, back to covering your naked body with his own. You didn't know whether to moan in anticipation or sigh happily at the amount of skin contact. His chest was pressed to yours, you could feel his breathing as heavy as your own, hands exploring the newly-exposed flesh eagerly. He stopped you before yours made it down farther his chest. Holding as much eye contact as possible, he moved away from your mouth, lips travelling down your neck, leaving little bites in their wake.

He didn't spend nearly enough time on your breasts for your liking, only nipping at them briefly before making his way down, down, until he was all but crouching between your legs.

"You really love being between her thighs, don't you?" Ethan chuckled from the sidelines. You turned to look at him, and the others once again. Ethan and Thomas had noticeable bulges forming, while Victoria's hand had dropped between her legs, unmoving, eyes fixated on your body.

Damiano wasn't to be deterred, pulling all your attention back to him as he licked along your wetness. With a high-pitched moan, you tried to close your thighs around him, but he held you open. He teased your entrance for a moment, but then his tongue was on your clit, slight touches to its sides first but quickly moving on to fast licks all across it. You were a mess. If it had been up to you, Damiano could happily spend the rest of his life down there as long as he was doing that to you.

You could already feel the sensation build up in your pussy, a tense feeling just waiting to be set loose, but he wouldn't let you come on his tongue again, not today.

He sat up, smirking down at you as you desperately wriggled under him, before wiping off some of the wetness you had left on his mouth and chin. Taking his hard length in his hand, stroking it a few times, he grabbed onto your chin with the other hand, turning your head to the side and towards the others.

"Look at them while I fuck you," he demanded as you gasped at his words. It should have intimidated you, really, being naked and vulnerable in front of all of them, but as you studied their faces you knew there was nothing but love, trust, and desire for each other - and the prospect of letting them watch as Damiano had his way with you had you soaking.

With your eyes trained on the others, the moment Damiano entered you came as a surprise. The stretch was intense and unexpected, but you welcomed it with a moan, so aroused that you easily fit around him as he stilled to let you adjust. You heard him curse above you, obviously just as affected. Wrapping your legs around him once again, you urged him to start moving, give you the friction you desired, and he gave in immediately. His thrusts were hard and punishing immediately, a stark contrast to the way you had experienced with Thomas, but it felt so, so good and god, now that you had gotten your first time over with, you felt like you wanted this all the time.

He was relentless and unrestrained, hands clutched to the armrest behind your head for more leverage, and you were mewling and squirming under him. Your nails found his back, digging into the skin as you gasped. You had barely noticed you had started turning back to look at him, admiring his face screwed up in ecstasy and the muscles in his arms straining as he fucked you, until he stared back at you.

"I want you to look at them when you come. They need to see your face when you fall apart."

You only just managed to twist your head when Damiano hiked your legs up higher, changing the angle ever so slightly and suddenly hitting just the right spot. Your eyes were falling shut on their own accord, lost in pleasure as he kept driving into you, the feeling in your abdomen rising higher and higher to the point where you knew you wouldn't even need clit stimulation to come.

The way he was moving you up and down the couch made it difficult, but you took the moment to study the rest of the band. Thomas looked almost as fucked as the night before when you had actually fucked, eyes darting around, apparently unable to stay in one place for long. Victoria was even more restless, focused on the way your tits were bouncing in time with Damiano's movements, her hand unceremoniously shoved in her panties. Only Ethan stared solely at your face. He seemed concentrated, almost stoic, as he studied your expressions closely. He wasn't getting off, or even touching himself at all, but the look on his face did more to you than anything else ever could. When a smirk formed as he caught your eye, and Damiano increased his efforts, you came undone so easily.

With a loud moan, you threw your head back, succumbing to the feeling as he continued to fuck you, thrusting into you a few more times before coming as well, spilling in you with a gorgeous groan falling from his lips. He slowed down, before stopping completely, almost collapsing on you as all strength seemed to leave him. With a quick turn of his head, he pressed another kiss to your lips. You responded eagerly, overwhelmed by the emotions and feelings coursing through your body, only breaking the kiss to let him pull out of you and clean you up with the tissues someone had blindly provided him with. There was some rummaging going on in the room around you, but you barely paid any attention to it, still trying to catch your breath and come to terms with the fact that you'd just had sex in front of three other people. And you'd enjoyed it. So much more than you had expected.

Victoria brought you back to earth when she held out a light robe to you, offering to help you get up (which you gladly accepted as you felt your legs shaking) and drape the fabric around you protectively.

"Want to go upstairs and cuddle a bit?"

You agreed happily, wanting nothing more than a little bit of peace and quiet to come down and maybe a pair of arms wrapped around you. She easily led you away from the others, her hand protectively holding onto yours, only turning back around once more before leading you up the stairs.

"I'll go relax with this one while you guys do whatever you need to do... And maybe teach her about the traffic light system, because I'm seeing some fun times ahead of us."

Taglist: @till-you-scream-and-cry @ethaneskin @damianodavide @itsmaneskinbitch @blackberryblossom @lifeofa-fangirl @bethanysnow @noeprd27 @polygraph-paperplane @iambandlover @xx-x-frxnny @thewitchinthemountain @arrelia-hunter26 @crazyonthelines @vicbellaangelis @mortyandem @icarodamiano @Ursulalurks @Aapjesopeenfiets @xmusse @tellmesomething01 @elvirabelle @moonlight-simp @little-moonbeam-666 @maneslut @theimpossiblehologramtree @ha-la-ansia @l0standn0tf0und @iamtashaquinn @myleftsock @maneskintifoso @katmoonz @dreaming-with-happiness @que--sera--sera @cuzimitaliano @wow-ihateithere @searchingford

#puppet #maneskin smut #maneskin fiction #damiano david fiction #damiano david smut #victoria de angelist fiction #victoria de angelis smut #thomas raggi fiction #thomas raggi smut #ethan torchio smut #ethan torchio fiction #mywriting

[letapollojusticesayfuck]

[PREV]

April 20, 2026: 10:38 AM

You briefly consider checking the Court Record, distantly aware that you are mid-trial and that you probably should do your job. However, the (possibly literal!) siren song of New Music calls to you, and you fumble around with your phone under the defense bench. You just have to know what these Gavinners sound like--and you're not above listening to their music in the middle of a courtroom. Though you do pull out your headphones, too. You're not a public menace, after all.

Opening up Spooftify, you search up the band and put their latest album on.

This is....is this music? It's awful, as far as you're concerned--too noisy by far, and the lyrics--they're so on-the-nose it's not even funny. You fight to not throw your phone across the courtroom in shock when you look at the band's page--they have how many monthly listeners? This is absurd! It's a crime!

...or maybe the real crime is the one that was maybe committed by. Um. You check your notes briefly as you peek back around at the courtroom. Olga Orly? That's got to be the witness's name, right? You vaguely understand that while you've been distracted, Mr Gavin has argued that Ms Orly is the person with the real motivation to do the murder.

You can't stand listening to this noise anymore, so you rip your headphones out and try to figure out what's going on. Okay. Recap: Olga Orly was in the basement room as Mr Wright and the victim (Shadi Smith) played poker, and had been convinced to help Smith win the game by adding an extra card into Wright's hand--which would expose him as having 'cheated' and nullify the game? Wow, there's a lot of poker knowledge that goes into law, apparently. Either way, you know that the idea of there being five aces in the deck is important.

Where do you go from here?

#adventures by committee #aa4 #ace attorney #so far this trial apollo has started off very law-abiding #and then spent the rest of it on his phone #would YOU let him defend you? #also a;slkdfj plz excuse my Actual Spotify Screenshots #shhh my music taste is. well it sure is. #bonus points if you guess what album i edited into guilty as charged #ANYWAY hi hello are you reading these tags? it's my birthday today #technically. it's not really the 17th until i sleep and it is almost 2AM #soooo #whatever #close enough though #tumblr just refuses to let me update my blog description a;lskdfj #i just want to change my ageeee #ANYWAY #enjoy the poll hope you make good choices #what are the good choices? it's a mystery #goodniiiiight