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kayparker20 · 3 years

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Inner Turmoil

Chapter 1 - His Guilt, Her Yearning

FFN | AO3

Sakura waited with Naruto for Kakashi. He was always late. She smiled as she shook her head and sighed.

"It's been 20 minutes now! He's never this late." Naruto groaned, his impatience more than apparent.

She nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

"Hey… Sakura." He remembered something Hinata had told him. Her teal eyes turned to face him. "Hinata mentioned something to me, and don't be mad at her, because I'm happy for you!" He beamed suddenly and she raised an eyebrow.

The messy head blonde looked around them before speaking and even kept a hushed tone. "She told me that you and Kakashi… Had a moment, you could say." He giggled mischievously at the finish of his statement.

Sakura's heart sank at the reminder. "I guess you could call it that…" She sighed. "We were drunk. He cut it off before it got…" She turned away as her cheeks tinted pink at the memories surfacing in her mind.

"I've seen the way you look at him lately, Sakura." Naruto's voice was tender, and he placed a hand over hers on the bar of Ichiraku's. "And don't fool yourself into thinking it was just lust. Kakashi may be a closet pervert, but he'd never hurt you."

Sakura looked up at Naruto sky blue eyes, which were filled with seriousness. "Thank you, Naruto."

"You should tell him. He'll never tell you how he feels first. Especially with how closed off he is…" Naruto laughed. "And don't forget, it would probably be considered scandalous. A former sensei developed feelings for one of his students he taught who is 14 years younger than himself."

Sakura's face only darkened in the now cherry tint, but remembered the comfortableness the other jounin seemed to have that night. "I don't think it seems as scandalous to at least other ninja…" She said quietly, and then told the whole story of that night to him.

"Sakura, go find him. Really! You shouldn't give up before it even starts! I'm gonna go find Hinata. She's probably training with Hanabi!" His eyes lit up at the thought of her.

"Wait… Does it even shock you? At all? And today is the day Sasuke left, of all days to think about this..."

"Sakura, it makes me happy to see you finally able to move on. It will hurt us forever, but we have to stop letting it stop our lives, you know?" He grinned sadly. "I still will get him to come back one day because he's our best friend. But that won't change because your feelings have."

She nodded. "I guess you're right."

"And besides, if there's anyone I would ever believe you're safe with, its our old, porn reading sensei!" And with that he strode off toward the Hyuga complex.

She walked through the village, having a decent idea where she would find Kakashi, especially on a day like today.

Her stomach twisted with nervousness. Ever since he touched her with such need, and expressed such… Protectiveness, but also possessiveness over her, the thought of him gave her butterflies. She's had feelings for him for awhile now. She knew she loved him, but really, never thought he would love her. Some of the reasons Naruto brought up rang through her mind. Did the age really matter if she was an adult now, twenty years old? She'd been a ninja for seven years.

Even though Kakashi was closed off and flippant; Indifferent most times, they had moments where he was tender towards her. And he had saved her from Sasuke. The memory caused an ache in her chest, all those motions happening so fast around her. Mixed feelings bubbling up, regret she hesitated. Regret she even thought of killing him. Grateful Kakashi had been there. Her heart swelled at the fact that he had followed her, knowing her well enough to know what she had been doing.

She looked up at the sky and smiled at how beautiful it was. She was coming onto the memorial now, and she could see the silhouette of the man she loved so much now, but was scared of being rejected. Seeing him, it seemed impossible to even start the conversation of that night. They had been going on like it never happened. She was glad he didn't distance himself, but she hated that it was almost forgotten. Did he wish for her touch at night like she wished for his?

Approaching him, but not close enough to be sensed just yet, she stopped to stare at the somber man, his head hung low. She found him like that near the memorial stone often.

The sun was becoming visible along the horizon, reminding her it was a shock Naruto had even woke up for such an early breakfast. The sky was swirling with orange, blue, and pink hues. A breeze came and went, just light enough to rustle his clothing. It was a beautiful scene, stark in comparison to figure of silver haired nin standing within it.

I should've done something more for Sasuke, I was supposed to help him.

Silver strands fell loosely around the seasoned ninja's hitai-ate as his gaze fell from the sky and back to the memorial stone. It stood there as it always did, solemn and low. Too many of his own already engraved into the black rock, the reason he came here in all of his free time. How long before the list grows? Will his name be there before his younger genin he trained? If that's what he wants to call it, anyway. Will it be his fault that their names are there?

"What have I actually done for them?" He scoffed out loud. "Can they really defend themselves from Sasuke if they had to?"

I failed them, just like Rin and Obito.

The copy nin gently ran his hand across those two names on the memorial stone. His eyes slid close as he grieved once more silently, feeling the survivor's guilt all over again. The guilt of not being able to love her like Obito had loved Rin; like Rin had loved himself. No matter how many times he came here to make sure at least someone remembers them, it never went away. He sat staring at the memorial stone forever; Only time knows how much time he has spent in this spot.

This pain never goes away, it only dulls. It worsens, having a set of guilt for each person in his life.

What of Naruto? Sometimes I wonder if they purposely put the son of the fourth hokage on the team of his student. However, he has run off, and found a different sensei. Little to the young ninja's knowledge, he was taught his own father's jutsu, by his father's sensei, that Jiraiya. It's kind of beautiful, but shadowed in sadness. His shoulders hunched over. Maybe it's more fitting, considering how much they have in common. But he got through to Naruto better. My own sensei, his father. What would he think of me? Barely able to get them to even work together as genin, let alone giving them any new skills. I taught Sasuke one jutsu and he tried to use it on a comrade, his own teammate.

He scoffed. "They had been doing so well until those days during their chunin exams, that stupid curse mark from Orochimaru. All those missions, I really thought they had finally learned to be a team." He mused aloud somberly. "But Sasuke… His pride and revenge were still too much. One taste of power, and that was it took to remind him. Not to mention that encounter he had with Itachi going after the Nine Tails, and shrugging him off..."

And as for Sakura… He looked up at the trees, her own namesake blooming at this time of year. He shook his head. He taught her nothing really. He had tried to offer her comfort in those times, but after Sasuke was gone, she had known things weren't going to be okay. And he wasn't exactly good at comfort anyway. But that was when she really started to grow. After those five came back, all nearly dead besides that Nara kid from Asuma's squad, something in her changed, and she stopped being helpless. She always had the knowledge and the chakra control especially, but she was still a typical girl until then.

She went under the wing of the fifth hokage, soon becoming one of Konoha's strongest medic nin, and not just in her chakra. That girl packs a punch these days and he was glad he was never the one in front of it, apart from the second bell test. None of those skills were by his doing however. Offhandedly, the thought of her brought on a more recent memory, one with a tad of shame and regret, as well as longing but he tried to shake it away. He couldn't think of that right now, there was enough things to torture his conscience in front of him on a black stone.

But those thoughts addled his mind still. The feel of her in his arms, so intimately. He refused to drink since that night a couple weeks ago. Stupid, stupid, how could he have let that happen. However, it seemed like it hadn't changed things between them, and he was beyond grateful. He couldn't imagine losing her, even though he really kept her at arms length, just barely letting her graze the surface of his guard.

The thought of losing her, of her rejection, is what kept him from exposing that he had some kind of affection for her. Not to mention the shame that really came with it. She was so young compared to him, and so innocent still. She had seen some, but nothing like the darkness he had. And… For goodness sake, he used to be her sensei. The inappropriateness, even if neither her nor Naruto had referred to him as such for some time to mention her heart is our for Sasuke, even after everything he was sure that hadn't changed. He shook his head of all thoughts related to feeling anything besides camaraderie or friendship for the pink haired kunoichi. Besides, really he'd already failed her, nor he or Naruto have been successful in bringing back the man she loves so much…

The pain felt fresh as ever, but really it had been five years ago that Sasuke left. The ninja who were genin at the time, are now all roughly 19 or 20. He still held the burden, feeling it was his fault. He remembered the talk they had, having tied Sasuke to a tree with wire. He really thought he had gotten through to him that night. He should have watched him more closely. He should have been there when he was leaving instead of Sakura. He should have gone after him before it was too late. He should have been there for Naruto and Sakura after everything.

His thoughts stood still as he continued to look at the names on the stone. He was always filled with regret, for those living and dead. For such a strong, infamous ninja, he had lost so much, made so many mistakes. Like killing Run with his own chidori, granted it was really suicide, he'll never forget his own jutsu killed his best friend, after promising the Uchiha to take care of her. Like teaching Sasuke the chidori jutsu. Neglecting Sakura and Naruto during the days of Team Seven. For favoring him. He felt he had been a joke of sensei.

Naruto and Sakura never blamed him for Sasuke the way he blames himself. But he blamed himself for everything didn't he?

Just then, he sensed someone's presence, interrupting his reverie. He didn't bother to look behind him. The soft steps told him exactly who it was, as well as the soft scent of jasmine being carried on the breeze. She often knew where to find him, of course really anyone did.

She was closer now, just behind him at his left side. She delicately placed her right palm on his left shoulder, her slender finger tips gripping the fabrics of his vest.

"Kakashi, you missed breakfast…" The feminine voice rang in his ears as he saw pink strands blow into his view.

He slowly raised his right hand to lay over her left. This kind of touch was normal for them, even as it was platonic, or so they told themselves. But this time he wanted more than that. He wanted her close to him, in his arms. "I know…" He sighed.

Lifting his head to look at the aqua hues filled with concern, he gently squeezed her hand. "Today is the day he left…"

"I know…" She squeezed his hand back. "We all know. But it wasn't your fault. He won't stop, not until he kills Itachi… Not until he feels like he has avenged his family." He still kept silent.

Sakura's mind wandered a bit then. She was really trying to get the courage to tell a different man that she loved him, on the day the man she used to love had left her. She shook her head, there was nothing wrong with moving on, this day didn't change anything for Sasuke, so why should it for her…

She watched Kakashi closely for a moment. He looked haunted, like he normally did when she found him here, if she could find anything emotion that wasn't hidden by his mask. But over the years you learn how to find it other ways, like the way his hair is hanging off to the side instead of spiked upwards, or how he looks at the ground and the cheery sarcasm is gone.

She shifted her gaze to the names on the memorial now. She only knew the third hokage and her teammate's mentor, Jiraiya. Her heart clenched for the hokage, and then for Jiraiya who everyone held dear, especially Naruto and Tsunade. She was thankful in that moment to still have Kakashi, Iruka, and Tsunade alive. She recognized other names, such as the fourth hokage, Naruto's father.

"Do you think they're disappointed in me…?" Kakashi spoke softly now.

She glanced at him a moment, taken aback by the question. He never opened up like this. It was sort of odd, but she smiled slightly. How could anyone ever be disappointed in him, the great Copy Ninja, son of the White Fang, who has copied over a thousand jutsu, and saved many lives including her own.

"No, I don't. There's nothing you've done they could look down on." She chuckled a tiny bit. "Except for maybe those dirty little books you enjoy reading, however I'm sure Jiraiya would be far from disappointed."

His eye creased a bit at the mention of the orange binded books, now forever coveted for more than their content. He reached out his free hand, knowing exactly where the sage's name was engraved and grazed his fingertips over the writing.

"And before you say it, you never failed Naruto and I. You made us tough, and made us see past our judgements of each other. Or, rather my thoughts of how much an idiot he was. You made us learn to work together, as a team. So I believe the fourth, who was your sensei if I remember correctly, would be very proud of you."

Why was he talking about things? He never talked about things, he just buried it in his thoughts at the memorial. He moved away a moment. The pain resurfacing at the thought of being close with someone again, being able to experience more and more of that pain. But really, he wanted to be close with her. It should just so… Painful. Painful to let someone in, to let someone become worth enough to him to destroy him is they left or died…

What if she didn't want this? Or, nothing more than this rather? He couldn't lose her by scaring her away with his feelings... But she made it so easy to talk, to be him, she never expected anything else. She made it so easy to love her without realizing it before it was too late... Was it really worth the risk?

As he shuffled away, she watched him. He seemed closed back up, just as he usually was. Indifferent. Her hand felt cold now, where his touch had been. Something in her sank a little.

"How does your eye feel today?" She asked softly, changing the subject. She didn't want their interaction to end yet. She watched him closely, trying to read into what might be going through his mind, he almost looked scared as he backed off, but what could he have been scared of?

Kakashi turned his gaze back to her, dropping his hand from the stone. "It's felt better…" He admitted.

Her and Tsunade know of the pain he goes through daily from the sharingan, after the mission he overused it. It's gotten worse since then. It's more difficult to use it now. Tsunade had only just healed it, upon her direct order, last week. He hated hospitals. He even disliked being healed, the feeling of someone else's chakra seeming rather intimate in his opinion. He didn't feel his eye needed to be healed often, as it wasn't fixed, just relief. But Tsunade insisted that he needs to be at full capacity and that pain only wears down ninja over time. There was no arguing with the medic sannin. But whenever it was Sakura who offered the kind gesture, he never tried to argue. There was no point with arguing with her either, but he didn't mind the intimacy with her he supposed. Just one more he was slowly letting the walls down around her.

"Come on, let me heal it." Sakura urged, taking a step closer to him again.

"Let's go back to my place." He motioned around, noting the sun was fully up now, and daylight was out fully. "You know how the light causes discomfort to it…"

She nodded and they fell into step walking back to his apartment. The village went on about their daily lives, some gazing with respect at any passing ninja. It didn't take long to get to the jounin's small apartment. He shuffled for his keys and unlocked the bolt, the click being audible in the comfortable silence.

They had passed Asuma and Kurenai on the way. They watched with interest and she fought down the blush as her and Kurenai made eye contact, and the brown hair kunoichi smiled encouragingly at her. Oh no, they know… Of course they know. It wasn't like she hadn't been an open book that night! Asuma seemed to be watching Kakashi intently like he was trying to relay some sort of message, but he hadn't been looking at the dark haired man to notice. They passed on without further acknowledgement.

She'd seen his room a few times in the past. But not since a couple weeks ago, the memory causing her cheeks to flush slightly pink.

"Make yourself at home, I'll start some coffee." He strode inside with her following close behind.

She stepped inside and took in the surroundings once again. It was such a simple apartment. A kitchen and living room, only separated by the change of old worn tile or stringy red carpet on the floor. There was a faded loveseat in the middle of the living room, with a wooden coffee table placed in front of it. By the window on the far side of the living room, stood a short book shelf with his Icha-Icha novels as well as some other literature. On top of the shelf, two frames were poised, Team Minato and Team Seven. She strode over to them, taking the one of Team Seven in her hands, as she always did when she came here.

Her hair was still long here, Naruto and Sasuke on either of her with Kakashi behind them. The two boys were glaring at each other while she smiled happily. Kakashi has his signature eye crease, a hand on each of the boys' heads. She loved this picture so much, having her own copy at her house. Naruto had one too. Sometimes she wondered if Sasuke still had his somewhere. A sad smile spread across his lips.

Kakashi watched her intently. The pink haired kunoichi always went straight for that photo whenever she came to his place, the few times she had. Over the years, the way she stared at it would change.

She used to hold it so tight in her fingers, he feared the glass pane would break, and he slowly slid it from her grasp and set it back on the shelf. That was the first time he ever embraced her. She was 15. She sobbed into his shoulder. Naruto was there and he wrapped his arms around them as well. His face buried into her hair, and he could tell by the rise of the genin's shoulders, he had been crying with her. He whispered his promise to bring Sasuke back once again then. Kakashi was never the comforting type, but they seemed to just appreciate him being there. They were only supposed to be in his apartment a moment that day, he just wanted the next volume of his series. However, they stood there like that a long time in that moment.

She had looked at it haunted. When she was still in the shock of Sasuke trying to kill her, multiple times. He remembered that all too vividly, her being saved by team seven multiple times. But that had passed, and she now just held the picture with somber acceptance as she does now.

He walked over, two cups of coffee in his hands and sat on the couch, gently placing them on the coffee table. Hearing the cup land softly on the wood, she set the frame down. She moved to sit next to him on the loveseat, taking the warm cup between her fingers.

Memories, less tragic ones, slinked back to his consciousness. They were tinged with the effects of a little too much sake, and a tad of regret. Still since that night, he would still notice her even more than before. Even now, she had her long, toned legs crossed. Her medic skirt splayed about her thighs, the shorts under them tight to her skin. The curve of her lips around the rim of the coffee cup as she took a sip. The way her short hair just barely brushed her neck, which he remembered the skin there being soft and sweet tasting. Or becoming intoxicated by the scent of her jasmine perfume. He still remembers the touch of her slender fingers against his bare skin.

He hated that he noticed it, that he couldn't stop noticing it. It felt wrong, he had been her teacher just seven years ago, give or take. He was fourteen years older than her. Why didn't none of that stop him from noticing the way she licked the coffee off her lips? Or secretly love when she healed him, instead of Tsunade. He felt like a creep. Just added to the list of things he hated himself for…

"Are you ready?" She set the half empty cup of coffee down now. She had noticed his intense gaze, and it was a little unsettling.

"Hn." He shifted to face her, and slowly slid his headband off his head, exposing the sharingan that was stuck activated. He closed his blood red eye as she gently placed her hand over his eye, watching her with his charcoal one. He could sense the chakra building up in her palm, her hand started to glow with the aqua aura of her healing chakra. And the intimacy he felt as her chakra flowed into him, reminded him once again of the last time they were both on his couch, and he let it replay in his memory, chastising himself that he should have never thought about it again.

Her eyes slid closed as she concentrated on the damage she could repair. He instantly began to feel the relief, the tenseness in his shoulders relaxing somewhat. He was more than thankful for her in that moment.

As she finished her task, her mind wandered back to the way he had been gazing at her earlier. Her cheeks dusted pink once again, remembering that night. The protectiveness that it had started with, and the feel of his lips on hers that it ended with.

They never talked about it, and she had only ever told Hinata about it, until this morning when she told Naruto. Hinata was the only one who knew much of her personal things anymore, after becoming close when Naruto finally noticed the Hyuuga's affection for him. The memory was coming back to her vividly now.

That night had started out as just a night out with Ino, the blonde trying to distract herself from her broken heart, having found out that Shikamaru and Temari were together now. Ino ended up getting shit faced, and calling Choji crying. The Akimichi nin came to pick her up, holding her tightly as they left. It had made Sakura smile, thinking Ino was rather oblivious to the feelings everyone knew he had for her.

Sakura stayed at the club, sipping the warm sake. She was already here, may as well enjoy it right? She scanned for someone she might know. She didn't see anyone in eyesight, feeling too lazy to get up and check around the corner of the club, where she knew some jounin lounged there at times, she remained at the bar. She was fine, until some guy decided to pester her.

"I'm flattered, but not interested, sorry." She said dismissively.

"Oh, of course. The kunoichi always play hard to get." He wiggled his eyebrows. "I love a good game."

Sakura glared at him. "Get lost." She kept her voice a tad bit harsher than before, but she was getting nervous.

"Why? Because I'm not a shinobi? You think you're better than me?"

She straightened her shoulders. "No. I'm just simply here for a drink, and nothing else. Please, just leave me be." She stood from the bar, and began walking towards that jounin corner.

Maybe Anko or Kurenai are here tonight. They frequent here, usually with Gai, Asuma and Genma. Sometimes Kakashi is even with them.

Her heart fluttered at the thought of her former sensei. The feeling of safeness she had always felt around becoming something she needed at the moment. She picked up her pace.

"You really think I'll let you get away so easily?" His voice sounded dark now, sending a nervous shiver up her spine.

"I said leave me alone!" She hissed at him, turning that corner and making eye contact with Kurenai, giving her pleading eyes. She rushed over to them, noticing the silver hair nin who faced away from her.

"How about you come with me?" His voice still sounded dark, low with intentions she wasn't welcome to.

The silver haired nin she so dearly wanted to be near turned his head slightly at the sound of that statement, she was just getting to the end of the sofa they were sitting at, a space next to him open. The man was close behind Sakura, trying to grasp her wrist. He could feel the trepidation radiating off of his former student.

"If you lay a finger on her, you're gonna find all ten incapable." Kakashi hissed out, taking another sip of his now third careen of sake. Sakura was just in arms reach, he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her to sit in the empty space next to him, wrapping his arm around her possessively.

"Ah, so she's yours?"

None of the jounin said a word. Sakura pressed into his side, finding comfort in the protection, not caring how it was shown at this moment. She could smell the sake on his breath, just as much as she could taste it on hers.

"I told you to leave me alone." She spoke defiantly and laid her head on Kakashi's shoulder for good measure.

He scoffed and finally gave up on his pursuit.

Kakashi's arm didn't move from around her waist, nor did he shy away from their close proximity. She glanced up at him, the expression on his face unreadable.

"I'm glad you came this way, Sakura…" Kurenai said, breaking the silence.

She met the red eyed female's gaze and nodded. "I was at the bar. I came here with Ino…" She paused and moved her gaze to Asuma. "She's torn up about Shikamaru… But she drank too much and cried. Called Choji and he came right away to get her. I should have just left with them…" She took a deep breath, releasing the tension she had been holding in her body. "I came this way from the bar when he started bothering me, hoping at least one of you was here."

Genma chuckled. "Well, I'm always here, blossom." He winked, the senbon in his mouth bouncing with his flirtation.

"Oh yes, run from one creepy flirt into the arms of another! What a saviour you'd have been." Anko teased and hit Genma on the shoulder.

Sakura rolled her eyes and laughed, thankful for the other ninja.

She looked over at Kakashi once again, this time his exposed eye was on her, and she met his gaze. "Thank you, Kakashi."

He nodded, and his hand began to gently rub her hip ever so slightly. No one else seemed to notice. She didn't dare move. She suddenly realized she couldn't remember the last time she had been so… Close to someone else. She felt warm where his arm held around her form. She'd never been this close to him, being able to feel how solid his torso was or how rough his fingertips were against exposed skin. He smelled like the forest, which was kind of intoxicating. She was beginning to think maybe she also had too much to drink, despite her very sober feelings for him, she never dared to expose them.

Kakashi offered his careen, and she took just one more sip of the alcohol. She felt his gaze on her as she did so, and it made her feel hot all over.

Asuma watched them discreetly. Taking notice how they didn't move away to a more 'appropriate' distance once Sakura's assailant was gone. When was the last time Kakashi had a woman at his side? Sakura was the same age as Ino, looking just as much a woman as his beloved Kurenai now. Even he had noticed how attractive the kunoichi of the upcoming generation had become. He wondered if her former sensei did too, or if it was just the effect of the sake in his system. He chuckled to himself and looked over at Kurenai, who had a small smile playing on her lips.

"Feeling safer now, Sakura?" Genma said in a sultry voice.

Her eyes widened a moment. Of course she felt safer, what's he getting at? That's not abnormal is it, or am I just obvious... Like always.

"Well, wouldn't you feel safe in Hatake's arms? I know I would…" Anko raised an eyebrow and Sakura cheeks grew hot with a blush. Genma just smirked.

So they do notice…

"Leave the girl alone. Anyone would feel safe in the presence of their sensei." Kurenai spoke matter of factly, though Sakura could tell she almost seemed to intentionally come to her rescue from further embarrassment.

Sakura was thankful for the comment but also embarrassed by it as she turned even more red and just hoped it wasn't too repulsive to have feelings for your sensei.

"Oh come on, what is it between our age and your squads'? 13-14 years? That's not so bad in shinobi terms." Genma drawled out. Asuma laughed lightly at the remark.

Kurenai sighed but sent a reassuring look towards Sakura.

Kakashi didn't seem phased, his hand still gently rubbing her hip.

"I should probably get home soon…" Sakura mumbled to no one in particular. She stood, Kakashi's hand slipping away from her hip, and her body feeling cold from where his touch now vanished.

She took one step and stumbled, catching herself on the table between them all. She went to take another and her leg seemed to lose all its strength. Just as she realized she was falling, a strong arm wrapped around her waist tight and held her upright again.

She looked to see Kakashi, his eye was creased so he must have been smiling at her. Her heart thudded a little bit harder in her chest.

Did she really drink that much?

"How about I take you home?" Kakashi said with a deep tone she couldn't place.

"I'd appreciate that a lot…" She smiled timidly, somewhat embarrassed at her drunken state, among the fact that she was almost certain everyone knew she loved him now.

He gently picked her up, one arm around her back and the other tucked under her knees. She lazily wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. The man from earlier caught the sight and growled. "Not interested, huh?" He scoffed.

With the flick of his tongue, Genma sent his senbon in her assailant's direction, landing it right next to the man's drink on his table. His angry gaze met Genma's indifferent one.

"She wasn't interested in you. Hatake on the other hand…" He smiled widely now. "You never had a chance. And if it wouldn't have been him, it would have been me." He added snidely. Anko and the rest of the group laughed. "Kunoichi need men that are a challenge, and you're not even close to such a man. Too simple... And too creepy."

Sakura gazed up at Kakashi at Genma's words. She began to wonder what he looked like under that damned mask, wanting to know even more now than before. Her bet still ran that he was handsome under that pesky fabric. That made him a challenge from the start…

Oh what was she thinking. He's just taking her home… And he doesn't see her like that. Her cheeks turned red again, her mind wandering now. She always cared about Kakashi, appreciated him. He has been there for her and always protected her… She felt safe with him.

Her fingers slowly found their way into the hair at the back of his neck and just kept twisting her fingers in the shortish strands of silver. He kept everyone so closed out… He would never. He cared for her as his student, his comrade… She was so much younger, she knew it would never work, but it didn't stop her. She was used to unrequited feelings…

And then her heart sank, as memories came rushing through. Feeling alone all over again and cold, she focused on the places her body was in contact with Kakashi's. The warmth and closeness of it.

"Kakashi…"

She felt his throat vibrate with the noise he made in acknowledgement.

"I don't want to be alone…" Her voice trembled ever so slightly. His grip on her tightened.

"You won't be." and then he turned in the opposite direction of her house.

Those words echoed in her mind once more. She smiled. She hated being alone, which was part of the reason she always found herself in his company. Even after that night, things didn't seem to change. It went on like it didn't happen, but she thought of it often… How she wanted more than this companionship from him. Beginning to wonder if he was just too drunk like she was, or if it was real desire slipping past his guard that was fractured by alcohol, and halted by what he felt was right.

They were staring into each other's eyes now but nothing was being said. His hand slowly reached out to her, landing on her hip, but still nothing was said.

Kakashi walked purposely to his apartment and when he got there, he set her on the couch gently, and sat next to her. She was watching him and he liked it.

He shouldn't feel this way. But the way that man had been trying to harass her, woke something in him. He always cared about her, hell he was beginning to think he might love her as unacceptable as it would have been and how out of reach of an idea that Sakura of all people would look any other way than Sasuke... But the thought of someone else having her angered him in that moment. And she never shyed away from him once the moment was over. She didn't flinch away from his touch on her hip. And she looked so damn hot when she blushed. And when she said she didn't want to be alone... He couldn't stand to take her home where she would be exactly that.

She almost seemed to welcome his touch, as he thought back on the moments.

He felt the couch shift and he looked at her just as her side made contact with his again, and slid his arm around her waist, holding her tight to him, just as he had at the club. She laid her hand on his thigh, lightly, timidly.

He began to wonder what she was thinking. She was drunk, maybe it wasn't what she really wanted.h=

"Its funny; How Ino begged to go out tonight, and I went happily, always ready to help a friend…" She sighed. "But now I'm the one who's sad…" Her lower lip twitched slightly. "Choji was so...tender towards her. I swear, she's so oblivious. We all have known he's loved her since we've been 12, but she was so infatuated with Sasuke, and then Shikamaru." The mention of the Uchiha's name shook over her lips. "No one has ever looked at me the way Choji did her tonight. Or the way Naruto gazes at Hinata… Even Neji at Tenten." Her eyes stung with tears now and she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I've had too much to drink…"

She went to move away, beginning to situate a pillow to lay her head on. Just as she started to feel cold again from his touch leaving her body, his hand gripped her wrist.

"Sakura…" His voice came out soft and low. His other hand came up to gingerly touch her cheek and turned her to face him.

He wanted to kiss her… To make her feel cared for. Even loved…

Anything to send away those terrible feelings she was feeling.

She's drunk. This is wrong. He let go of her wrist. "It won't always be like this…" He tried to say something comforting.

Their eyes locked, her aqua hues staring into his single exposed one. She reached up and slid off his headband, now looking into his sharingan.

She could see something in him but she couldn't tell what it was. It seemed like he was holding something back, and she wanted to know what it was. Her wrist where his hold on her had been seemed to feel a chill as he let his grasp loose.

She brought her hand up to his face, and curled her finger tips around the edge of his mask slowly.

He tensed, just a little bit, and set his hands on her hips lightly. "You should get some sleep…" He stated flatly. He broke their gaze and looked to the side. He wouldn't take advantage of her.

She made no response to his comment. A few moments passed, and then she slowly slid the mask down his face. As it hung around his neck, her fingers gingerly traced the scar that went through his eye. He closed his eye at her gentle touch.

"If I wasn't drunk, I could make that less obvious for you…" She whispered softly.

He shook his head. "Rin tried but I want it to be there…" He spoke in a whisper. She understood, knowing how and why the scar existed.

The rest of his face was pale like the rest of his body, a slight line of color difference around the areas the mask didn't cover, as it was exposed to the sun, but it was still pale. He had clear skin and a strong jawline. His lips were thin and light in colour.

Handsome, just as she always thought.

He could feel her scrutinizing his now exposed face, the first time she's ever seen it. It made him feel a little self-conscious but he didn't let that on as he let her stare. He met her eyes once again, and this time, she came forward and kissed him.

His hands gripped her hips tighter, he didn't respond right away. The kiss was soft, her lips were soft and timid in their motion. He slowly responded to the kiss, keeping the gentleness she began with. She relaxed as soon as he tilted his head, and moved a little closer to him.

He shifted them, laying her back against the couch and hovering over her slim, but toned body. The silver haired nin slipped his hands up just barely into her red shirt, resting them on her sides. The feel of his calloused skin and the leather of his gloves made her shiver slightly. She tangled her hands in his hair and pulled him closer.

He was kissing her back, and her head was spinning. His body felt so fitting to hers as it pressed her against the couch. His tongue swiped her bottom lip and she gasped in surprise, and moaned as his tongue found hers and swirled around it.

Kakashi could feel her chest rise and fall against his chest as her breathing quickened. Her toned legs were on either side of him, he hooked his fingers under one of her knees and moved it to wrap around his waist. Her hands were in his hair and her scent filled his presence. He pressed a little more urgent into the kiss, and she moaned, the noise snapping him out of the arousal.

Instantly Kakashi's warmth vanished from all around her and she whimpered, and opened her eyes to look at him confused. "Is something…"

"You're drunk. That was wrong of me. I'm sorry, I…" He spoke fast and with sudden sobriety. "You can take the bedroom, I'll sleep on the couch."

She wanted to protest that she was perfectly okay with what had happened, that she wanted it, and wanted more. But he gently grabbed her hand and led her to the room. "If you want to change into something more comfortable, go ahead. Clothes are in the dresser."

And he left her in his bedroom to sleep on the couch.

She remembered waking up, having slipped on one of shirts, deciding that was the closest she'd probably get to his touch ever again…

She stared at him with curiosity in her expression now. He had just been looking at her, his hand resting lightly on her hips.

She's fully sober now. He still wished for her. To hold her and cherish her. To protect her. He wanted to touch her, to kiss her. He brought his other hand to rest gingerly on her cheek, and she almost immediately turned into his touch.

She still wasn't shying away from him. Her gazed seared into him with the wonder of what was happening.

He'd never open up like this, but she made things better. She was able to give him comfort no one else ever did. He couldn't bring himself to even address that night, even now. He still regretted the alcohol, letting himself kiss her, even for just a few moments, while she was intoxicated and emotionally vulnerable. But now, he just needed it, even as he hated noticing she was grown now. Hated that he was so much older than her and felt this kind of desire. Even if she was an adult now, it still seemed inappropriate. But did any of that matter if she felt it too? He had to know if she wanted it too, the same way she seemed to want him that night…

"I remember the last time we were on this couch together…" Her breath was a little shaky. "I wasn't that drunk. Drunk enough to stumble, but I still knew what I wanted. That I still want you." She stated matter of factly. Her hand reached out to his face, and she slowly, cautiously slid her finger tips into the top of his mask. He made no motion to stop her. "I understand why you stopped it… It even made me respect you even more than I already do." She smiled and began to pull the mask down. "But it still hurt a little. I wondered if it was only the alcohol that had made you want me…"

He shook his head, still holding her gaze, and his grip on her hip tightened.

"I cried to Hinata about it… But she insisted that it wasn't it." The mask was hanging around his neck. She placed her hand on the back of his neck and began to lay back on the couch. "You told me it wouldn't always be like this… I wouldn't always feel alone." Her hand moved into his hair and he moved to hover over her again, and pressed his forehead to hers.

"You haven't been alone for a long time, Sakura…" He breathed out low, his lips almost touching hers. "It just felt… wrong. For me, your former sensei, to feel the way I do…"

"Kakashi...?" He could feel her chest moving up and down with her heavy breathing again.

"I always cared about you. And I've...loved you for some time now." That word felt foreign, sounded foreign, but he knew he did. He brought his hand to the back of her neck, tangling his fingers in her hair. "It wasn't until that night that I thought you would ever want me.." He mused softly. "We were both drunk and I wanted you so much… But I didn't want to take advantage of you…" He sighed. "I feel guilt and shame for how far it did go."

"Please… Don't. I want this. I want you." Her voice shook a little as she spoke those words.

He placed his lips over hers gently, gripping her hair just a little tighter. She made a sound of contentment before moving her lips against his, pulling him closer. She needed to feel his body against hers. Her hands tugged at his hair and she turned her head, deepening the kiss, feeling the heat spread through her body just like it had that night under his intense gaze.

He pulled away and looked at her deep in the eyes. "Sakura…" He slid his hand under her shirt, this time pulling it up.

"Kakashi, please…" She whined. She pulled the zipper of his vest down and shrugged it off his shoulders.

"I know." He smiled and lifted her shirt over her head.

She'd never get over being able to see his full smile, the curve of his lips seemed so precious.

He left hot kisses down her jawline and neck and she tilted her head back to give him better access. His hair tickled her skin as he moved. Her breathing was becoming ragged. She slid her hands under his shirt, running her slender fingers across his toned abdomen, feeling the scars that rose a bit off his torso as she ran them up his body. He shivered, her touch felt like electricity surging through him.

As much as she wanted this, a small fear began to creep up on her. She needed to tell him…

"Kakashi, I've never…" She started and he slowly halted and he met her eyes, understanding what she was about to tell him.

Of course, she hadn't. The only other person she ever seemed to have eyes for was Sasuke, and obviously that never went anywhere for them…

He pecked her lips as she slid his shirt off. He stood up and lifted her off the couch into his arms, holding her tight to him, the faded black garment forgotten on the floor. He carried her to his room and laid her delicately over his shuriken covers. He kissed her, deep and slow. It made her heart melt. His tongue swiped across her lips and she parted them for him.

He was being so passionate yet so gentle at the same time.

And it was really happening. He wasn't going to stop, and leave her alone in his bed this time. Even though his foresty scent engulfing her in his covers that night had been comforting, she had wished she could have at least been in his arms that night. And now, she was going to get it all, she thought as his lips were trailing down her body again and she was panting.

Kakashi's thoughts were wild. He wasn't just going to lie with her, but he was going to be her first, and hopefully only. It only made him feel like it was wrong all over again, only for a moment. The love reflecting in those hues casting away any doubts he had about them. If she wanted this, wanted him then he wasn't ever letting her slip away from him.

He didn't care that she used to be his student, or that she had grown up before his eyes. He didn't care that he was fourteen years older. As long as it was she wanted, what would make her happy, that's what he cared about.

And there was no denying she wanted him as she panted, whispers of his name filling the air in his bedroom. Her body pressing into everything he did.

"Kakashi…" It was going to drive him crazy.

"Say it." He said in a hushed tone. He looked up at her. "Tell me this isn't just about being alone…"

It suddenly nagged at him still, even when he was enjoying this. That fear to open up, just to lose someone again. It'd kill him if he finally gave in, for her to be gone later. To never be at his side.

Understanding crossed her features. She sat up and held his face in her hands. "I love you, Kakashi Hatake. I've loved you since I realized who has been there for me since those two nearly killed each other." Tears filled her eyes. "I've loved you since you held me in your living room the first time I ever came here, and clung to that picture and cried, and you held me." Her eyes were sparkling. "I've known I loved you since you saved me from Sasuke…" She kissed him hard, her hands moving up into his hair and pulling hard. He moaned into her mouth and gripped her hips.

"I'm not going anywhere." She whispered against his lips, and it was all he needed to finally completely let the wall down to her.

His hands trailed up her form once again, finding his calloused fingers wrapped around both her breasts, before he started to tear away the wrappings, kissing the skin as it was exposed to him. She gasped and threw her head back against the mattress, her pink tresses splaying across the covers.

He took one of her now hardened buds into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the skin. His hands moved in a gentle caress to grip that pesky little skirt and the shorts underneath and slid them both off in one motion.

And now he felt her hands leaving his hair, trailing down his bare torso, leaving fire on his skin in their chasteness, and just like her slender fingers had curled around the edge of his mask, they did the same around the waistband of his pants. They were just a little hesitant now, and he gave her peck on the lips to encourage her further.

"Is the bold medic getting flustered now?" He smirked slightly at the blush that stained her cheeks deeply now, much like that night when Genma teased her.

Sakura tightened her grip before closing her eyes and jerking the fabric away from the silver haired man that she finally had him to herself. No amount of nervousness was going to ruin that. She gulped as she peeked between then, finally seeing the hardness that she had felt against her leg a couple times. She bit her lip, noting the size. Not that she had really seen and paid attention to any other, he just seemed a little bit more… Gifted.

Kakashi chuckled deep in his chest, finding the way she ground her bottom lip between her teeth upon seeing himself a little sexy and adorable all at once. "Don't worry, I'll be slow… Gentle." He kissed her softly and she reciprocated instantly.

He pulled away lightly. "You're really gonna like what's coming next if you've never been with anyone at all." His voice sounded like honey to her. He began kissing, and nipping every so often down her body and suddenly she started gathering where he was heading when he didn't stop at her chest… Or her hips. He was on his knees in front of the bed now, and lazily slung her legs over his shoulders, gripped her hips and pulled her body towards him.

"Oh my god, Kakashi!" She moaned and squirmed slightly as she felt his hot, wet tongue glide between her lips, and circle the tip expertly around her clit. He did it again, delving a little deeper, and sucking when he reached the bundle of nerves again. Her body was starting to gleam with sweat.

She'd heard how much a treat this could be from Ino, but she never could have imagined this. She squirmed and moaned low as he continued the motions, so slow and intentional.

"Kakashi… More. Please." She pleaded with him. Her legs were wrapped tight around his shoulders now, pressing him to her core, and she was thankful he didn't seem to mind at all.

He decided the only response needed was to oblige, and he trailed his fingers delicately over the pale skin of her right thigh, inching them closer and closer to her entrance. He slid in one digit slowly, testing, instantly he felt himself harden more at how soaked she was already. She was dripping with need, and it was all for him. She moaned a bit and didn't seem to feel any discomfort. He added another, still she seemed in perfect pleasure, just moaning and writhing on his bed as he still continued to use his tongue against her. He spread his fingers inside her and her back arched off the bed but it was pure ecstasy that fell from her lips. He smirked and decided to stop to raise up just a bit, enough to talk, but enough that his breath still breezed over her sensitiveness.

"It would seem you're no stranger to these feelings…" He spoke in a low, accusing tone. And there it was, that heat again on her face.

"I… " Damn him. "Sometimes I just need… Relief." She looked away, refusing to make eye contact as her cheeks burned scarlet now.

"Well, you're plenty loose enough and wet enough." He said flippantly now, and stood up from his knees, pushing her more into the bed. He crawled onto the mattress, making himself comfortable between her legs, his knees digging into the mattress, wrinkling the shuriken covers further than she had with her writhing.

Suddenly all her muscles tensed, gathering that she was about to lose her innocence to him. She wanted this, but it didn't make slight fear completely dissipate.

Hinata said she didn't feel a thing when Naruto took her. But Ino said it was agony when Choji did and it took minutes to pass. Tenten said it only stung for a moment with Neji. Temari never talked about what it had been like with Shikamaru. So many mixed reviews, how was she to know what to expect. Then she glanced back down, remembering his size. Perhaps it was silly to even question. There's no way Kakashi wouldn't hurt at least a little.

He watched her gaze, wondering what was flying through that pink little head of hers. He watched her gaze shift back down again, and her hips squirmed a bit. He gripped them gently and leaned to whisper softly in her ear.

He was trying to push away the fact he was about to strip the very innocence he lectured her so much to hide years prior.

"This is probably going to hurt… And if you want me to stop at any point." He kissed her cheek, pecked her lips. "Don't be scared to tell me to."

She nodded and brought her arms to link around his neck. He laid his forehead against hers, and slowly moved his hips forward into hers, pressing the tip of his length just against her entrance. They both moaned low.

When was the last time he had been with someone, even though they had all been one night stands. No strings attached.

It was obvious this was going to be different, it was going to feel different. It was going to be so much better.

He slid his arms up under her form so that he was hugging her close to him. She sighed happily, before he pressed on a little further, just enough to break that barrier. Her body tensed, her legs squeezed his hips and her eyes knit shut. A small whimper escaped her lips, but she moved her hips into his.

This was more straining than he expected it to be. He wanted all of her, now. But he couldn't do that, not yet. This had to be tender. He pressed a little further, half of him inside her now. Her face still looked a little pained, but she gasped and her mouth hung open now.

Sakura was taking deep breaths, bearing it. It wasn't so bad, but it was definitely there. But the more he moved, the more the pleasure came, and pain subsided. She was beyond appreciative for his sincerity in this moment, but she could feel in the tenseness of his muscles it was difficult for him to hold back.

He moved further again, and there was nothing but pure ecstasy this time.

"Oh, Kakashi…" She unlinked her fingers from each other, just to dig them into his back. She arched her back into him, and swiftly thrusts her hips upward into his, and he gasped, his full length in her now.

"Sakura…" The strain in his voice couldn't be held back anymore. He bit down on his lip hard. That one swift motion, the way his name sounded coming from her in such tones. It was becoming too much.

She looked up at him, and every bit of innocence that had been in those eyes had fled from them, and now they were dark and seductive. She flicked her tongue over her lips, wetting the chapped skin from her panting.

"Kakashi, I need you…" She leaned up and began kissing his jawline, and down his neck. She bit the crook of his shoulder that met his neck and snapped whatever restraint he had.

In one fluid motion, he pulled his hips back and slammed back into her. The nails only dug deeper into the skin of his shoulder, her moans getting louder.

"No, Sakura, I need you." His voice was low and husky against her ear, and then he slammed his hips into hers again and she was too far gone in pleasure to reply. She wrapped her legs around his waist, linking her ankles. She pulled him deeper into her.

He couldn't have ever imagined it would have ever ended up like this. She was just as needy as him, and he wondered if she would be just as aggressive as time went on.

He swiftly brought his head down and bit down on her collarbone, and sucked the pale skin, with full intention to leave red and purple with the bruise of his needs. He could feel the stinging pain of where she had bit him and it only urged him on more.

"Kakashi, I..!" She felt her whole body start to tremble, her eyes squeezed shut tight and she buried her face in his shoulder, her hands flat against the muscles of his back. Her legs shook.

"Shit!" Her lover hissed into her hair, stroking the strands lightly. He could feel her tightening around him as she was climaxing and he wasn't going to last much longer.

She felt his body tighten, his toned arm that still held her tight against his body as he let out a low groan and she felt warmth between her legs as they climaxed. She fell back, the copy nin following, collapsing on her chest, his breathing laboured.

It may as well have been his first because he vaguely remembered it had been years now, and was slightly disappointed in himself for lasting so short. But she seemed exhausted anyway.

"I love you…" He murmured, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder.

She was still reeling from her first full orgasm but the precious words rang through her reverie and she beamed with joy.

"I love you too…" And she brought her hand to his head, her fingers twirling in the strands lightly. His breathing was steadying now. She placed a kiss on the top his head.

She couldn't believe it. She was in his bed, naked in his arms after making love, after losing her virginity to him.

Everything felt right in the world. She couldn't give a damn what anyone would ever think, because she was happy. And so was he.

Kakashi hummed contently at the motions of her fingers in his hair. Nothing could have ever made him happier than this morning. Peering over at the clock on his night stand, it was 11:30am now. Just as he was deciding right here and right now in her embrace, his resting between her breasts would be the perfect time for a nap, there was a light knock on the door, and then it opened. Sakura tensed and brought the blankets up over them, but seemed more in fear of being seen naked, rather than being seen in his bed. Once she felt she was covered, her body relaxed.

Kakashi groaned at whoever it was. "Go away."

The timbre of Asuma's voice came through the doorway. "Hey old friend, we need talk, because I know your self loathing will keep you from ever dealing with it."

Kakashi's eyebrow raised at what he could be referring to. Curious, he remained silent. Sakura's face was turning a slight pink, like she knew what it was.

"That Haruno girl has eyes for y-" His figure appeared through the door, and his eyes found the sight of the famous copy nin tangled up with the hokage's apprentice.

Sakura's face was deep red now.

Kakashi smirked slightly. "Oh believe me, I know." Kakashi said in his usual flippant tone. And turned to plant a kiss on Sakura's burning cheek.

"Well, Kurenai will be pleased to hear that you didn't even need a nudge." Asuma laughed.

#kakasaku #kakashi x sakura #lemon #naruto fanfiction #kakasaku fanfiction #kayparkerwrites #kakasaku lemon #hurt/comfort #romance #friendship #trauma #sakura haruno #kakashi hatake

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mira--mira · 3 years

Note

One obvious for the ask game. The main protagonist; Naruto Uzumaki and Izuku Midoriya.

@shiryusamarkanda it’s so nice to hear from you again! <3

I totally didn’t forget to post this and had it fully finished in my drafts for days...totally.

Naruto

What I love about them:

Naruto's a bratty kid who’s not afraid to speak up and challenge something he thinks is "wrong". This, of course, is part 1 Naruto. I actually like when he's a bit insensitive without being explicitly malicious bc its very fitting for his background/how he grew up but also gives him a clear path forward as he learns how to work as a team/starts to grow. It wasn’t exactly a smart move, but I really liked how he continued to challenge Zabuza in the Wave Arc saying “he’s still my enemy” after Kakashi told him to back off. This is all good and strong characterization that, to me, was more often endearing than it wasn’t. Naruto had goals and a purpose and in early Naruto that was still clear.

What I hate about them:

Part 2 (Shippuden) Naruto. There’s a lot that goes into this but the core deviation is getting away from the underdog story. In Shippuden Naruto is the son of the 4th, the Child of Prophecy, a reincarnation of the Sage of Six Path’s kid, makes friends with Kurama, and has the most OP power of the them all: Talk no Jutsu. What makes all of this even worse is Naruto went from a loveable bratty kid to an insufferable messiah figure. To be “perfect” his natural personality is shorn down until he’s only allowed occasional “stupid” mistakes rather than mistakes that emerge from his characterization. This also makes his ideological “wins” with villains...completely meaningless. Shippuden Naruto doesn’t really...have beliefs. He wants to be hokage and bring Sasuke back to the village. “Being hokage” was fine as a kid but I expected the progression into shippuden to be “what kind of hokage do I want to be?” This seemed natural bc we get in the Wave arc Naruto pushing against “what a shinobi is supposed to be: a tool” from Haku and declaring he’d make his own ninja way. Flashforward to the chunin arcs: hates Orochimaru for messing with Sasuke (esp when he eventually leaves to join him) and Neji for treating Hinata the way he did until he learned more about the Hyuga before declaring it wasn’t fair and you had to fight against fate and destiny. Tsunade’s arc was more about reemphasizing the village was something worth protecting and the Sasuke retrieval arc, while focused on Sasuke, at least kept up this theme. But these moments of growth are only alluded to in shippuden and by the time the war arc and ending come around...nothing changes. Naruto didn’t upset the status quo, he only maintained it. And once that ending was established it was a lot easier to go back and pick out exactly when his characterization started to fall through and the weird messiah figure took over instead. Part of this, imo, is the focus of his ultimate goal being “bring Sasuke back to the village” rather than understand what Sasuke is doing/why he’s doing it and then deciding to help him or stop him.

Favorite Moment/Quote:

“You’re cute when you’re chubby” [in reference to the frog purse]

I really love the quiet moments Naruto has and watching him live out his daily life. The frog purse is absolutely adorable and I love seeing it crop up time and time again. A close second is when Gai kicks Jiraiya in the face and, a short time later, offers Naruto the green tracksuit which he’s appreciative of.

What I would like to see more focus on:

In Part 2 Naruto having a long-term goal alongside bringing Sasuke back to the village or trying to seriously think about why Sasuke does what he does and how that would potentially affect the plot. If I could go back to the very start, keeping the actual heart and intent of an underdog ninja story rather than everything turning into superpowered mecha/kaiju battles and aliens from space this is the big point that I’d want to address. In general, I really like fics that focus on training and give him a range of jutsu besides spamming shadow clones and rasengan variants. I’ve said this before, but if Naruto really wants to keep the “number 1 unpredictable ninja” moniker, learning a variety of small, diverse jutsu and using them in interesting/creative ways would be the way to go rather than spamming the aforementioned two. I also really like fics that buckle down and just go ham and create their own variety of jutsu, especially if it’s small practical jutsu rather than the latest and greatest OP Power #839281 kind of jutsu.

What I would like to see less focus on:

The messiah figure. Talk no Jutsu. The obsession with having a morally pure hero in a world that routinely employed child soldiers and put them in war. I understand Naruto was a shonen manga first and foremost but like...this was the setting/world Kishimoto decided on having. However, I will say some fics take it to far on the other extreme for my taste, creating a edgy nihilistic Naruto that hates everyone and everything.

Favorite pairing with:

Uhh...I don’t actually have a strong feeling for this one LOL. The most I’ve read has been SasuNaru (Sasuke x Naruto) because I’ve found really interesting set-ups. I like the ship and it does have a decent amount of backing in canon but it’s the little moments (or my ability to see possible little moments) that really make or break a ship for me. SasuNaru is all Big Declarations and I struggle to see how they’d actually settle down post Shippuden time into something sustainable. My favorite iterations of the ship is focused when they’re genin age and have a better relationship...but then I recognize that this is getting closer and closer to Hashimada. The other big things I run into with shipping Naruto with Sasuke is 1. Sasuke needs a shit ton of therapy/willingness to process his family related trauma and 2. Naruto needs a good support network/family outside of a romantic partner because it personally makes me uncomfortable to read ‘you’re my one and only’ (here being: I have no other friends, family, loved ones outside of you). It’s a ship that can work but it’s not my personal OTP.

Favorite friendship:

Canon/OoT - Naruto & Sakura

I do have a softspot for fics where Naruto realizes his crush on Sakura is actually a desire to have friends/someone to care about him and then they do become close. In canon Sasuke was clearly the favorite of Kakashi (if chunin arc is kept the same/similar and he takes him away for the month to train) I really like Naruto and Sakura sticking together and trying to help each other. They’re both loud and can wind each other up but Naruto can help Sakura relax a bit from her rigid view of herself and she can help keep him on track/encourage him.

NOTP:

Again, no real strong opinions here. Probably harems? I remember seeing a lot of those a couple years ago and I fundamentally dislike the harem so it will never be ‘done well’ to my personal taste.

Favorite headcanon:

Naruto is smart, he just needs things to be explained in a way he can understand.

I’m not a fan of ‘he’s the smartest person in the entire world’ trope but Naruto is creative, he created the oiroke jutsu before he graduated to genin and has a lot of stubborn determination. He’s just really bad at typical ‘book learning’ and traditional testing and he’s not a genius/prodigy like Sasuke or Neji.

Read line for BNHA manga spoilers

Izuku

What I love about them:

He’s such a smart kid and while he’s unsure/insecure about himself he still does his best. Honestly the premise of BNHA is amazing and I was so excited to watch this little quirky (heh) boy do his best and outthink heroes, utilizing his intelligence and knowledge of quirks. I really love early Izuku and how he has to approach situations from a different angle bc he grew up quirkless/can’t properly handle OFA. The sports festival arc remains one of my personal favorites and really showed his ingenuity. I also really love that Izuku is openly emotional, he cries, he gets super happy about things, he’s angry, he’s sad, etc.

What I hate about them:

Why do stories insist on calling themselves “underdogs” when for a majority of the time, they’re not? Or not as much as they would be from the original premise? Look, TDP came about exactly bc BNHA was billed as ‘quirkless boy becomes number 1 hero’ it changed rapidly into ‘Izuku gets the strongest quirk but can’t control it’ and while I was...disappointed with that, it happened so quickly I wasn’t really upset. Fast forward to apparently OFA has...what seven(?) quirks inside it and I just...it’s frustrating. Even more the longer we go the more Izuku strays away from a character that is forced to use his intelligence and creatively outthink his opponents and instead becomes...I just have to hit him harder! The Muscular fight already inched towards this but the Overhaul fight just felt like Super Shonen Smack-down 728329. Which, isn’t an inherent problem, it just doesn’t match up to the expectations I had about BNHA I had at the start and how I hoped the series would go. For a character trait that I hate: Izuku is stupidly self-sacrificing. It makes sense with his character but he shoots beyond what is safe and reasonable and I wish there would be more internal emphasis on the question “is it better to save one person today if it meant I couldn’t save ten people tomorrow?” I think he’d choose the former or forsake the question altogether (we touched briefly on this during the overhaul arc with Eri) but I think it’s a serious question needs to be touched on (or I just need to go back and rewatch things again LOL)

Favorite Moment/Quote:

See entire sports festival arc. I don’t really have a favorite moment because I love the entire arc and we get so much out of it.

What I would like to see more focus on:

Quirkless Izuku. There’s already a lot of fics, but I really do love them. It deviates a bit, but I do like the creativity of giving Izuku his own unique quirk and then exploring what he can do with that/how it changes canon. Really I want Izuku to keep his original characterization and not trade his smarts for more punching power or deus ex machinas for quirks hidden inside of OFA. If OFA!Izuku is kept, I like story ideas where he still has to rely on means outside of his quirk. Preferably this is isn’t because he injuries himself so much, but I like toying with the idea that Izuku never gets OFA to All Might’s level so he really does have to make the quirk his own and still rely heavily on his intelligence and quirk journals to become the number 1.

What I would like to see less focus on:

Quirks hidden inside OFA. Strength should have been enough, it was already billed as the most powerful quirk of all. I know this is a common theme for shonen stories, and I don’t mean to harp specifically on Izuku, but again the premise of BNHA was an underdog story.

Favorite pairing with:

Tododeku (Todoroki Shouto x Midoriya Izuku)

Friends to lover and battle couples lads, I am weak to them. I like the contrast between their personalities as well as origins (Shouto being the number 2′s (now 1) kid and Izuku from a quiet civilian background). At the end of the sports festival arc both of them are extremely well characterized and it’s easy for me to imagine how their relationship progresses from there and how they can support each other and help each other grow. It’s a very sweet and wholesome ship the way I write and read it and it’s v cute.

Favorite friendship:

Canon- Midoriya Izuku & Uraraka Ochaco & Iida Tenya

I really like the core trio and think their interactions are really sweet. They balance each other out well and their friendship was immediately believable to me. I also like later when Tsuyu and Shouto start to get included in the group and out of the “main” core friends I’m endlessly entertained whenever Izuku and Tokoyami interact with one another. (This is also because I love my bird son, but you know.)

TDP - Midoriya Izuku & Ashido Mina or Midoriya Izuku & Hatsume Mei

Really, I love all of TDP’s kiddos interactions. Their chemistry is one of my favorite things about the fic and all the villain school kiddos meshed really well and had hilarious interactions. Mina and Mei are my faves but just barely. Mina came out of left field for the fic but she plays a similar role that Ochaco does in canon as a usual source of positivity (but unlike Ochaco with additional chaos). She’s Izuku’s first real friend even before starting HIVVE and wouldn’t hesitate to call Izuku her cousin as she views him as family. In return, Mina’s someone Izuku can completely count and depend on if necessary. Mei is...Mei. Izuku is her best “useful customer” and it’s actually terrifying how similar their thoughts are, just Mei has an (un)healthy dose of Hazmat’s insanity and her own business acumen added into the mix. They have slightly different fields of interest but are intellectual equals that work well together and that’s something new to both of them.

NOTP:

Bakudeku (Bakugo Katsuki x Midoriya Izuku)

It’s unhealthy. Unless it’s an AU that changes what the start of their relationship is like, Bakugo and Izuku will always have a toxic friendship to me and I can’t ever see them in a healthy relationship. Both of them have a lot to learn and I am of the opinion that Bakugo should get the opportunity to grow and become a good person and leave behind his past as a bully. However, I’m also of the opinion that no matter how good of a person a bully becomes their victim is never required to absolve them of past wrongdoings. Izuku and Bakugo were friends once, their relationship turned toxic, and now it’s in the interest of both of them to grow apart from one another. I even hesitate to really say they’ll be friends again because the early characterization of their relationship was so imbalanced to me, but for the right author and the right work I may see them being on good terms. It’s still a romantic relationship that I dislike.

Favorite headcanon:

Crack headcanon? Izuku does have a natural quirk, the force of his tears is clearly superpowered 😂 Regular headcanon, (that is canon in TDP and kindaaa in regular canon(?)) when Izuku gets really engrossed in a super stressful fight he focuses on what will work rather than what is moral. It has...mixed results.

For the ask game.

#shiryusamarkanda #naruto #bnha #mha #naruto uzumaki #izuku midoriya #my fics #the diverging path #out of time #spoliers #bnha manga spoliers #asks

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arethereanyoriginalusernames · 3 years

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Quick Guide to My Characters

The main cast part six divided by three.

I’d advise checking the previous one of these posts in case you’re wondering why I’m making this. The purpose of the post is pretty self explanatory. Anyway, onto the other side of the main cast!

Ifrit Dawnsview

- Phoenix’s little brother, plus youngest out of the entire main cast (16 years old)

- former prince of Dawnsview, currently trying to help overthrow the kingdom’s corrupt government

- a bookworm and a scientific prodigy (and a wannabe mad scientist)

- intelligent, but also terribly naive. He will sometimes ignore things if they risk disproving him, and he has a “everyone is good deep down” sort of mentality

- has the power of being a heat conductor, and said power tends to make him ill. Before you ask, yes, it’s as useless as it sounds

- has injury/big ol’ scratch over left eye that is usually bandaged to prevent infection, later gets swapped out for magic eye bc why not?

- not good in fights that aren’t 1 on 1 (and isn’t the greatest fighter in general). He does kinda know how to weild a sword, but is mostly good with a crossbow

- “I’m not gay!” (You sure about that?)

- gets possessed plus gains powers from the god of trickery, and since he and the god aren’t compatible, he kinda starts to loose it, but let’s... not continue that running gag from last post

Wasp / “Harpy”

- Former military medic and current medic for the rebels. Also he’s a fairy

- is kinda sus to the rest of the gang (save for Ifrit), since he comes out of nowhere and tends to disappear for long periods of time

- he’s currently dealing with this situation where he’s forced to serve the kingdom of Dawnsview while presenting himself as a girl. After being captured, it was the only way he was allowed to keep his life

- the whole “you must present yourself as female” thing comes from the fact that Wasp is actually trans, and happens to come from a culture that has a different view of gender in general. Basically, the people in charge took him identifying as male as being “dishonest” and “loyal to another kingdom”. So hence why Wasp is also known as “Harpy”, for when he’s serving the crown

- as luck would have it, as “Harpy”, wasp actually ended up kinda raising/looking after Phoenix and Ifrit, and helped them escape the kingdom. He’s still very protective of Ifrit

- Has the ability to create illusions strong enough to be interacted with physically

- can duel weild swords and has physical combat skills.

- actually had his wings torn off when he was captured. The ones he has are just illusions

- unsurprisingly he has ptsd

- is good friends with the grim reaper, who covers for him when he has to help out Ifrit and the others.

Syrellis Cul

- a nightingale shapeshifter (he can turn into a giant bird)

- a former pickpocket who’s estranged from his (large) adoptive family of crow shifters, the Cul Murder / Cul family

- fights with wires (yes), a switchblade, has close combat skills, and will use anything to hand

- is a massive sweetheart, and still has “older brother instincts” (he has quite a few younger siblings and cousins). He’s often empathetic to a fault, and can sometimes be considered “too nice for his own good”

- is almost instinctively distrustful of those who are wealthy and/or have a certain amount of political/social power, due to past experiences of his

- has a massive inferiority complex and is self sacrificial to a fault

- is obvious team mom

- comes into conflict with Nymph a lot, and he will often end up playing devil’s advocate for those Nymph deems as “criminals”, “undeserving of help”, etc

- has an outwardly chill and mostly laid back attitude, although he can be socially awkward

- becomes sort of a pseudo older brother figure to Ifrit

Nymph

- elf (little over 3 feet tall )

- tracker / hunter with a pack of wolves as buddies. Becomes leader in rebel group going against Dawnsview

- was cast out of her tribe and left to die after being charged for a crime she didn’t commit. Said crime was the murder of her 11 brothers, who, alongside Nymph, was attacked. Nymph survived, but her vocal cords were severed. She was unable to defend herself at her own trial

- Mute (obviously). Has several ways of communicating, such as sign language, writing, and using Morse code

- has a strong sense of justice, and will be quick to punish wrong doers. On the other hand, she’s also hesitant to feel any sympathy for even petty criminals. It’s because of this that she’s incredibly distrustful of Chess and Syrellis

- is also distrustful of Wasp for reasons stated in his section. She only really trusts Ifrit, but not that much. She even sees him as dead weight a lot of the time due to his frequent inability to defend himself in combat

- has a “do whatever it takes to survive” mentality which often clashes with that strong sense of justice

- acts super aggressive, and will gladly yeet anyone across a field if they mention her height. In one of her better moods, she’s mostly sarcastic and passive aggressive

- has acrobat skills for days, impressive stamina, can go head to head with wolves in wrestling matches, and you bet she can use that spear of hers. She also has several small knives on her, and is an expert on setting up traps. She can also apparently talk to wolves

- mainly acts as aggressive as she does because, more than anything, she fears being in a situation where she was as helpless as she was after losing her voice.

Chess Shire

- former mercenary, former queen of thieves. She was once the most notorious jewel thief in the world, but abandoned that life after it became boring to her.

- former team mate to Chronos (and possible ex lover). They both totally don’t still have feelings for each other

- fights like a ninja or an assassin. Will sneak up behind people to kill them, or pull some James Bond shit to deal with them. She has a fancy looking antique gun, but she will use anything she can get her hands on.

- has the power of omnipresence. Within a five metre radius all around her, chess can be in multiple places at once. You could be standing in front of her, looking at her, while at the same time, unbeknownst to you, she also has her hands in your jacket pocket, robbing you blind

- she’s actually qualified to be a therapist. She studied psychology extensively to help her in her thieving persuits, and she can still freak people out by being able to predict someone’s next move accurately, and also being able to get someone to unload their personal baggage to her

- has a theatrical flair and enjoys communicating in half truths and riddles for the hell of it

- is an adrenaline junkie who will gladly take up your offer to go bungee jumping off the top of a mountain. Most of what she does is motivated by her thinking that it’ll be fun

- is one of those people that will wear revealing clothing to distract people. Not that she needs to, but she still enjoys doing it bc hey it’s fun to watch people get flustered

- is secretly lonely and her seemingly untouchable outward attitude hides a heart of glass. Chess has never been in a relationship or even a friendship where she felt that she could be honest with someone, or not feel as through she had to put on this big act because of who she was. Well, not since Chronos anyways.....

- Chess is in reality much more patient and empathetic than she lets on. She does care deeply for those around her, and will gladly aid someone in achieving their goals. She’s also not afraid to be the realistic one who calls someone out when their plans or views are not as correct as they think. She’ll also be the first to pull someone aside to talk if they need help, and will be quick to advocate for them if need be.

Hope this helps you guys. And feel free to tell me what characters here seem interesting, or if you have questions about them. Hell, tell me if you dislike them! Feedback helps a lot:)

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jakozz · 4 years

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Naruto: The Very Last (Fanfic) - Chapter 2

- characters: Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuuga, Hanabi Hyuuga, Konoha 11, Sasuke Uchiha, Hiashi Hyuuga - pairing: Naruto x Hinata - genre: romance, humor, friendship - rating: T

summary: This is a follow-up story to the Naruto movie 'The Last' - Naruto has finally declared his love to Hinata. But what happened next? Because Naruto obviously isn't the perfect womanizer. After all, he just began to differentiate between the love for Ramen and the love for Hinata in his head and heart. So he has to learn by force how to behave as a partner and caring boyfriend. As a result, he is often pursued by misfortune. Trouble, drama, fun and action are sure to follow.

Join Naruto und Hinata on the various aberrations of love, and experience the development of a relationship between two people destined for each other by fate from birth. Even if they have some difficulties to express their feelings properly now and then. Follow the couple on their path to true happiness.

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external links (english version):

ff.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13595659/1/Naruto-The-Very-Last

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24369799/

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external links (german version):

ff.de: https://www.fanfiktion.de/s/582d28cc0000682122f79b2b/1/Naruto-The-Very-Last

animexx: https://www.animexx.de/fanfiction/autor/656680/371771/

wattpad : https://www.wattpad.com/story/90373948-naruto-the-very-last

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Naruto: The Very Last

Chapter Two: Dreaming

"You let me down!"

A young man with long brown hair stood before Naruto, who was frozen in terror. Shaking all over, the blond man looked at his counterpart with eyes wide open. Slowly Naruto's mouth opened:

"Neji! What are you doing here?"

The other person didn't react. Instead, he slowly raised his right arm. Then he stretched out his index finger and pointed directly at Naruto.

" Because of you, I'm dead!"

In panic, the former hero of nations turned and tried to run away.

There was a loud bang. He had hit something very hard. A painful impact followed. Naruto shook his head in irritation, then his eyes widened again in shock.

"Jiraya-sensei!"

His old teacher looked down on him. Darkness surrounded the white-haired man and his voice sounded almost contemptuous.

"It's your fault, Naruto! How could we ever trust you?"

The blond boy didn't move. His body felt numb. What happened here? He couldn't find an explanation. He just wanted to leave. Away from them. Away. Far away...

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!"

Naruto suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream and sprinted off. Other people showed up. Hundreds of them. They were all blurry. Faceless expressions of a distant time. They were chasing him. On and on...

…

"NARUTO!!!"

Suddenly the fox boy sat upright in his bed. Sweat was pouring down his forehead and back. What had happened?

At once, his gaze wandered across the room. Everything seemed normal. Someone was next to his bed. It was Sakura. She had wrinkled her brow deeply and bent over him worried. Apparently, she had been the one who woke him up.

Still slightly dazed, Naruto wiped the sweat from his nose.

"What are you doing here so early in the morning, Sakura?"

She ignored the question and slowly straightened up. She still looked at him suspiciously.

"You were talking in your sleep. What were you dreaming?"

Without even looking at her, he jumped out of bed and started to dress. Finally he answered:

"Nothing. All is well."

But Sakura didn't give up that easily. She went around the bed and confronted Naruto with sharp undertone:

"You called out certain names. Neji! Jiraya-sensei! It's still those nightmares, isn't it?"

Naruto paused briefly as he tried to put his shirt on. For a long moment, they both looked at each other silently. The blond boy's uncertain face. The worried expression of the Kunoichi.

All of a sudden, Naruto grinned and shook his head.

"It's really nothing! You don't need to worry."

Sakura wanted to contradict again, but before she could do so, Naruto had already opened the window wide with a cheerful laugh.

"WUUHUAAAA! What a beautiful morning."

The azure eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Although the winter time had actually begun, a pleasant warmth flowed through him. The inhabitants of Konohagakure, who were already on the streets, looked at him at first in shock. But when they realized that the loud call came from Naruto, their hero himself, they all started laughing and waved at him. Joyfully, he also raised his hand.

Finally, he turned to Sakura.

"So you still haven't told me why you're here?"

Though the pink-haired woman hadn't yet put the matter aside, she gave in for the moment. After a short sigh, she walked to the door and finally turned on her heel.

"The Hokage wants to see you. He has sent me to you."

Naruto looked at her in wonder.

"Kakashi-sensei?! What does he want?"

Sakura stepped through the door. She looked hurt.

"How should I know? Ask him yourself."

She slammed the door shut. Naruto put his head to one side and looked confused at the spot where Sakura was standing a few seconds ago.

"What was that? Women are strange."

But he didn't give it another thought. He quickly got ready to visit his former teacher. With deft fingers, he tied the Konoha headband around his head. Then he tapped his fist firmly against his chest and grinned.

"Yes, sir! Now I am ready!"

Completely in a hurry, he jumped out of the window of his little apartment in a tremendous leap. As if in slow motion, he took a last look at his nightstand, where a single red piece of cloth was lying. The remains of a scarf. This sight also made him feel a comforting warmth. He did not know where it came from. But suddenly he felt light and elated.

Finally, he swung out far, made a big leap forward and landed on the ledge of the nearest house. Without hesitation, he jumped from one roof to the next, doing somersaults in the air.

His exuberant mood also carried over to the people watching him. They cheered him, greeted him and were happy. They could not be blamed. After all, this blond boy had saved the world several times before. He was considered the symbol of freedom. And he was one of them.

Naruto arrived at the Hokage House in no time. From afar, he shouted with enthusiasm:

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The young man had plunged through the open window of the Hokage and crashed directly into a brute pile of documents, which immediately collapsed and buried the chaos ninja.

"Ah, Naruto. There you are at last."

As quickly as possible, the addressed person freed himself from his 'grave' and looked at the tall man with the tousled, grey hair, who was behind the large desk. His old master, Kakashi. The sixth Hokage.

"Excuse me, Kakashi-sensei!"

Embarrassed, Naruto scratched the back of his head as he realized the mess he had made. Suddenly, a voice resounded at the door.

"Why can't you just take the main entrance like a normal person?"

Shikamaru had entered the room annoyed. His gaze stared at Naruto lying on the floor. The fox boy grinned.

"It's much more fun that way, isn't it?"

Kakashi looked at him with a smile. Although only his eyes were visible, because the rest of his face was covered by a mask, it was easy to tell what mood he was in.

"Well, we must admit that Naruto contradicts the principles of a 'normal person' one way or another."

Shikamaru uttered a sigh and then smiled:

"You're right, Hokage."

All three began to laugh. Finally, Naruto stood up and joined Shikamaru. Kakashi looked at them and began to speak:

"The mission two days ago is considered an absolute success among the allied superpowers. You have done really well. I'm glad you all returned safely."

Naruto and Shikamaru both smiled with satisfaction. Suddenly, Kakashi took things a little more seriously.

"Still, there was a feeling of insecurity within our ranks. Kumogakure has exhibited a new and unknown weapon with far too much destructive power. Besides...", he hesitated briefly. His gaze fell on Naruto, who swallowed heavily.

"Besides, they would have razed you and the moon to the ground. This unscrupulousness must be considered. All Kage meet to discuss the given situation in a proper setting."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed to slits. Then he addressed Kakashi directly:

"What is your personal opinion, Hokage?"

He didn't answer immediately. Instead he stood up and silently looked out the window for a brief moment. Suddenly, he spoke in a low voice:

"We must preserve the peace we fought so hard for two years ago. Caution is called for now! If we judge hastily, it could end fatally."

Naruto opened his mouth but said nothing. Sweat dripped from his forehead once more. Fragments of memories from the war shot through his head. Neji. Jiraya-sensei...

All of a sudden he felt sick with fear. His mind was spinning. Hinata. Hinata... Hinata...

He quickly tried to pull himself together and shook his head intensely.

Kakashi and Shikamaru were already having a lively discussion. They hadn't noticed anything about his absence. The strategist had just taken the floor:

"I will accompany you and clarify my facts of the matter. We must make Kumogakure understand that they can rely on us in the future and that they do not need to resort to such methods."

Kakashi nodded to him.

"Thank you, Shikamaru. That was all I wanted to discuss with you. You both are dismissed."

Shikamaru turned to the door and was about to leave when he noticed that something was wrong with Naruto. Kakashi also looked at the blond ninja forcefully.

Naruto looked absent-mindedly at the floor. The man with the braid put the hand on his shoulder and shook him with gentle force.

"Hey, Naruto! Are you all right?"

Once more, the fox boy gulped heavily. Then he smiled weakly at his comrade.

"Y-Yes... I'm fine!"

Shikamaru smiled, too.

"Good. Because you should be happy," the longtime friend winked at him mischievously, "Because there's a very special person waiting for you outside. So next time, I recommend that you take my advice and use the main entrance."

Naruto looked at him confused and surprised at the same time. Kakashi also listened.

"A special person awaits Naruto?"

Shikamaru laughed and turned at the door one last time.

"I think, Hokage, you'II find out soon enough. Right, Naruto?"

A furious wind came up. Shikamaru was pushed lightly against the wall with a sudden jolt as a shadow scurried straight past him.

"Hey, hey, hey! Naruto!"

The blond boy had reacted immediately to what Shikamaru had said and stormed out of the house. Passing a surprised Shizune. Opening every door in the house. Down all the stairs. Right to the exit. Bright daylight.

That's when he saw it. The dark blue hair. Immediately, a big smile spread across Naruto's face and he jumped the last meters.

"HINATAAA!!!!!"

The named girl had waited patiently in front of the Hokage House. She was not sure how to behave when she arrived. But now that she saw him, she felt even more happy, and her beautiful smile appeared on her face as well.

"Naruto!"

Everything seemed so incredible. His hands reached out to her. People watched the spectacle with wonder. A dream that had come true. It was like a scene from the theater where the prince could finally embrace his beloved. Like a fairy tale which...

DONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Naruto had rushed forward so furiously that his head crashed directly into Hinata's head. They both collapsed painfully.

Kakashi and Shikamaru had been watching the spectacle from the top window of the Hokage House. The strategist facepalmed while the former teacher laughed amusedly.

"It seems that I am not up to date since the last mission."

Naruto lay over Hinata and grinned. He tried to apologize instantly. He rubbed the painful spot on his head.

Hinata also held her head. At first, her eyes were filled with tears but then she laughed. A good sign.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and relaxed.

"Yes, a lot has happened. But I believe everything will be fine from now on."

They watched the couple as the sun slowly climbed higher in the sky. There was not a cloud in sight.

Terrible things were yet to overtake the shinobi world. Peace never seemed to last forever. But for the moment there was no reason to worry about it. Because, just now, the young love existed. And it took all the attention for itself.

Before the shadow would rise again...

...

#naruhina #naruto x hinata #naruto hinata #naruhina2020 #hinata uzumaki #naruto #naruto fanfiction #naruto uzumaki #hinata hyuga #hinata naruto #hinanaru #hinata hyuuga #fanfic #fanfiction #naruhina fanfiction

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mobius-prime · 4 years

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161. Sonic the Hedgehog #93

Crime 'N Punishment

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: FRY Colors: Frank Gagliardo

Sonic races back to Knothole after his fight with Ken, wracked with guilt both over the king's injuries from the previous day, and from losing the sword today. That said, he's still not ready to face the consequences of his actions, as he's completely outraged when he exits the Great Oak Slide straight into a net waiting to catch him.

That's one hell of a way to try to put someone under arrest, Geoffrey. Imagine if real life cops just slung a net over anyone they wanted to arrest. Sonic angrily insists he doesn't have to answer to Geoffrey, but then Elias shows up, saying he does have to answer to someone after all…

Within Robotropolis, Eggman welcomes the crowd of Overlanders into his city, though the little girl, Hope, finds herself feeling uneasy. As Eggman invites the members of his immediate family into the palace to offer them a "luxury suite," beneath the city streets, Kodos continues to celebrate his acquisition of the Sword of Acorns.

Might wanna be careful of what you say when you've got a sneaky ninja spider hanging around you, buddy boy. In Knothole, Sonic tries to insist to Elias that he wants to speak to Sally before anyone else, but Elias says that whatever he has to say to her can be said to him instead, since he's the acting ruler. Sonic thus imagines himself apologizing tenderly to Sally while holding her close, and, deciding that that is definitely not something he wants to do with Elias, races off, which angers Geoffrey, though Elias says to let him go for now. Sonic is caught up in his depressed thoughts as he runs, until Mina happily races toward him, shouting that she's glad he's not in jail. However, she finds herself unable to control her speed as she runs, and crashes straight into Sonic.

IS THIS A LOVE TRIANGLE I SMELL? Man, I'm sorry Mina, I love you, but I cannot stand love triangles. Y'all already know this. Apparently Mina was actually originally introduced to the comic with the intent to make her a romantic rival for Sonic's affections against Sally, and so for a little while, we're gonna be dealing with that, until Mina is able to get her own characterization apart from being a love interest. Anyway, at that moment Antoine and Bunnie show up, having just returned from their trip to Mercia with the High Sheriff in tow, bound in ropes, because damn, if high quality mechanical restraints designed by the most advanced race on the planet aren't enough to keep a violent and powerful Robian in check, surely some plain old cordage from Home Depot will do! They say they have to speak to the king at once concerning their new prisoner, but Nate arrives as well, explaining to them that the king is paralyzed and Elias is acting ruler for now. Sonic becomes guilt-ridden once again, and to his everlasting credit, Antoine immediately, without first finding out the story behind Sonic's mood, says that he doesn't believe any of this can be Sonic's fault. With the strong, almost hateful-at-times rivalry that these two were depicted having in the original SatAM cartoon, I absolutely love the respect and friendship between Sonic and Antoine in the comics. Antoine in particular is just a much more well-treated character by the writers, who give him proper character development and depth every chance they get, instead of just having him be the Cowardly Frenchman. (Don't get me wrong, Antoine in the show was hilarious, but he really gets the proper love he deserves in the comics.) Anyway, Sonic explains both the king's injuries and the loss of the sword to everyone present, and when Nate tries to reassure him that the king shouldn't have even gone into battle anyway, Sonic suddenly stands and races off, saying he's going to do what he should have done from the start. Meanwhile, back underneath Robotropolis…

You may have messed up big time, Kodos. Elias and Geoffrey approach the queen and Sally to inform them of what Sonic has done, and Sally is shocked to hear the news. She starts to ask what she should do to rectify the situation before catching herself and asking instead what Elias plans to do. Her mother tells her not to worry, and leads her away, while Geoffrey gets his chance to address Elias alone.

I've never agreed so much with such an asshole before. He's basically said exactly what I've been saying this entire time - Sally is the one who has the necessary leadership experience. She ran a whole freakin' rebellion on her own when she was a kid, for crying out loud. However, I draw the line at Geoffrey's plan to basically install himself as a shadow ruler from behind the scenes. Geoffrey is known to be far too harsh in situations which don't call for harshness, and though he has leadership experience of his own, leading the Rebel Underground during Robotnik's reign, he's far less qualified to handle the running of an entire kingdom than he is at leading a small squad of covert operatives.

Back in Robotropolis, Eggman welcomes Colin, Lady Agnes (the woman Sonic saved last issue), and Hope into his palace. Colin explains who the other two are, but it's a bit confusing so I'll give my own spin on things. Colin is Snively's father. We don’t yet know who the mother was, but she isn't in the picture as of now. While in space, he remarried to another woman which made Hope his step-daughter, but that wife died before they reached their home planet once more. Lady Agnes, Hope's grandmother, is his mother-in-law as a result of the marriage. And in all of this, remember that Eggman/Robotnik is Colin's brother, which would essentially make Hope his step-niece. Enough about their weird-ass family history, though - in Knothole, Sonic races back to Elias and admits his guilt in stealing the sword, presenting himself for arrest. Elias, however, instead of arresting him, strips him of his knighthood and tells him that from now on he's confined to Knothole as a minor, all while Geoffrey smirks in the background. Come on, Geoffrey, you were actually acting chill there for a while back when Sonic was actually knighted, why are you going back to your old asshole ways? Sigh…

Bagging the Big One

Writer/Pencils/Colors: Ken Penders

I think this is the first time we've ever had a story where all the work was done by one individual. Unfortunately, that individual happens to be Penders, who has decided to take the laziest approach to his work possible. Seriously - the backgrounds for the majority of the panels are photos of real world landscapes, onto which the comic characters are awkwardly superimposed, making them look incredibly out of place. It's all just… really, really bad. I went ahead and chose some choice panels that demonstrate just how bad it is so y'all can see for yourselves!

Anyway, remember Charmy the Bee? You might not, since he's been ignored by the comic for so long by now, but he still exists, I can assure you! You might also not remember that he's a freaking prince engaged to another bee called Saffron, because Ken Penders is insane. Charmy and Saffron are lounging in a photograph of a field talking about their future children (YES, REALLY) when a flash of light interrupts them and Green Knuckles approaches them. They're surprised at his color swap, and as Charmy introduces him to Saffron, we see the three of them through a set of crosshairs from afar. Yes, that's right, Nack and Nic have tracked Knuckles to this spot with the information the Albion council provided them. Nic wants to take Knuckles down immediately, but Nack admonishes her for not playing dirty enough, and leaves her to her sniper's perch as he approaches the trio. Knuckles, meanwhile, is explaining his new look, as well as the disappearance of the Floating Island.

This next part drives me nuts, because Nack concocts some story about his aircraft breaking down and needing help repairing it, and Knuckles does not suspect a thing, even though he first saw (and punched) him all the way back during the Sonic Triple Trouble special! Granted, it's not like he ever exchanged direct words with him, and I guess you could say it's been years and he's forgotten or something, but you'd think someone who's supposedly as smart as Knuckles would recognize the face of someone he punched off his island previously. Anyway, Knuckles tries to brush Nack off, saying he doesn't have time to help, and in response Nack makes the very smart decision to throw a knife into the grass at Knuckles' feet where he could easily grab it if he wants to. Knuckles does just that, but then listens as Nack informs him that his partner has Charmy and Saffron in her sights and that Knuckles will come with him if he wants his friends to live. Knuckles reluctantly does so, and as they walk over to Nic, Nack reveals that he knows that Knuckles is the Guardian. This shocks Knuckles, who wonders how he even knows about that in the first place, and then we come to perhaps one of my least favorite pages in the entire comic, for a variety of reasons.

First of all - stop with the photo backgrounds, Penders, they look horribly out of place and incredibly ugly. Second of all, the actual art is awkward-looking as hell - for one, Knuckles just looks like he's amiably offering up his wrists for the handcuffs instead of seeming shocked. Third of all, Gala-Na, instead of being reasonable about the whole thing, has again shown herself to be a horrible person. Again, if she just took the time to try to reason with Knuckles, talk to him, offer him advice and help him with his newfound powers, he would probably listen, because he's confused and scared and in want of guidance from people who know more about this stuff than he does! But no, instead she's decided to lock him into a Chaos Syphon against his will, acting like it's some difficult decision for her to make when she's not the one who has to deal with the consequences on her very life and being.

And finally, we come to Yanar. To the image of Yanar, whom Athair once considered so close as to be his own son, whom Knuckles trusted and helped to reach his final destination after generations of wandering without a purpose, who has acted as an ally and even a friend before this moment - Yanar, handing over payment to Nic and Nack the Weasels, in exchange for helping them capture Knuckles to drain him of his power for Gala-Na's own peace of mind. Handing over the payment and ignoring the shocked and betrayed Knuckles behind him, turning his back quite literally on the one person who helped him and all of his people find their home after so long. He's decided that he likes his new home so much that he'll even betray the one who helped him get there. This was the exact moment I realized I hated Yanar. Even more than Gala-Na, I hate him. At least Gala-Na has the excuse of not being attached to Knuckles personally. If you ask me, Knuckles doesn’t show nearly enough anger, hurt, and betrayal from this event. Way to follow in the footsteps of your adoptive father Athair, asshole. You know, the one who actually cares about his family even though so many of them have turned their backs on him? What a complete piece of garbage. Sorry, I know this isn't actually even commentary on the quality of the comic and it's just me personally being all salty at the actions of one character, but I feel really strongly about this one. Just… screw you, Yanar.

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 93 #writer: karl bollers #writer: ken penders #pencils: james fry #pencils: ken penders #colors: frank gagliardo #colors: ken penders

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psychonarutoenthusiast-blog · 5 years

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SASUSAKU ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT (PART 1\?)

Sasusaku is probably one of the most discussed topics in the Naruto fanbase and I think it’s common to find posts like this one on Tumblr. My blog will mainly focus on writing stuff, but still … I’d like to give you all my opinion about this ship trying to analyze the relationship between Sasuke and Sakura from the very beginning. Lots of people tend to say that it’s abusive and underdeveloped. That’s actually one of the things that come to mind first just observing the interactions they share throughout the whole plot. But I personally think that this bond is quite more complicated than that, both in negative and in positive ways.

This is probably going to be really long so … brace yourselves!

So … the first thing we get the chance to see when introduced to both manga and anime is this annoying little girl with pink hair who’s literally obsessed with the coolest guy around. Basic, isn’t it? Actually … Sakura’s first impression is not positive at all, mostly according to the male audience. She looks arrogant, she’s mean and cocky towards Naruto and everyone who’s not “Sasuke-kun”. But why? Is it just a personality issue? Nope, it’s actually way more complicated than that.

Sakura was indeed bullied from a very young age and she grew up being really insecure about her physical appearance and her abilities in general. Developing a bond with Ino … who was - on the opposite - really confident, intelligent and pretty … didn’t necessarily make things better, in my opinion. Hoping to overcome the inferiority complex she felt towards her and basically everyone, Sakura started to imitate her and slowly decided to leave her true self behind in hopes to become cool. It was the only thing she wanted as a kid. Being recognized as a pretty girl and talking with the popular guys may look like a pretty stupid wish, but that’s not what a naive and bullied kid would think. The only reason why Sakura chose to develop an interest towards Sasuke resided in the fact that - by getting with the coolest guy arund, the guy everyone (mostly Ino) wanted to be with and look like - would have proven to others and to herself that she was cool too, and that she deserved to be praised and desired like he was.

“Would being mean to Naruto make me cool? Everybody treats him wrong, so that must be reasonable”, “would my long hair make me more beautiful and draw Sasuke’s attention on me? Probably!”. Such thoughts led Sakura to completely repress her true self, reducing her identity to an angry and despised ghost that used to appear quite often in the show, so that we could know what she was really thinking about: Inner Sakura. And those same thoughts justify her terrible behaviour in the first part of the anime and the manga.

When I first saw the flashback about Ino and Sakura’s friendship I was completely shocked by the way she acted towards Ino. She returned a precious gift and she basically threw away the confidence and the affection Ino had given her for a boy who acted like a total jerk. I was like “she’s a bitch, to be honest”. Ino herself looked so hurt by her words it made me hurt too. But … analyzing the scene and the panels knowing more about Sakura’s character development, I understood why she did that. Returning the ribbon meant returning the shy and insecure part of herself who needed Ino as an example and as a shield from others. Fighting for Sasuke was not meant as a real “love rivalry”. None of them really cared about his true personality. They considered him as a prize for the coolest one around. They didn’t know shit about him and this is soon proved ... in Sakura’s case.

The panels pretty much speak for themselves. How could she possibly love someone as damaged as Sasuke without knowing a thing about his past or the extreme sadness he was experiencing at such a young age? Obviously she didn’t. The only thing Sakura cared about was his handsomeness. This is one of the first canon interactions Sakura and Sasuke share (both in the anime and manga) and not a soul on the planet would think that a romance could actually blossom between them, given the assumptions.

This is what Sasuke reasonably tells her after hearing Sakura’s inappropriate words about Naruto and parents in general. And most importantly … this is what Sasuke really thinks about her during the first stages of this relationship. He barely knows her and she doesn’t possess particular abilities that could waken his interest either. She’s just an annoying little girl with a weird hair color who keeps drooling after him with no apparent reason. His expression in the panel says it all. Romances are the last things Sasuke could think about and he seriously couldn’t care less about someone who doesn’t have a clue about what suffering looks like. Sakura’s reaction to his harsh words actually surprised me a lot when I first watched the scene. I was convinced she would burst out crying, but she didn’t. She immediately started to process what Sasuke had told her about loneliness and she decided that she would try to empathise with Naruto and his situation. Being the naive fangirl she was, I really didn’t expect her to act with such maturity. This detail is actually more important than it looks like, because it tells us that the real Sakura is still there.

Shortly after that conversation, Team 7 is formed. The creation of this group is unique and the bonds each one of the members develops with the other three (Kakashi is included) are almost curative in their own way. The team brings out the best part of its components, it gives them love and it gives them a purpose. I actually don’t know how much it passes between the group’s formation and the mission in the Land of Waves, but I suppose it’s a couple of months. During these months, Sasuke … Sakura and Naruto come to learn what teamwork is about and - most importantly - they start to consider each other as friends. Spending so much time with the boy she was physically attracted to, Sakura begins to know more about him as a person. She becomes familiar to his cold behaviour and she lets her interest deepen into something a little more important than fangirling. She trusts him deeply. Sasuke - on the other hand - starts to see Sakura as a real comrade. He now finds Sakura and Naruto’s presence in his life really comforting. Thanks to Naruto’s enthusiasm and Sakura’s sweet attentions he can try to overcome the sadness that embraces him. Yet it’s still too early for things to change in Sasuke’s point of view, probably because he knows that if he opened up to these weird people he could call “friends” … he would distract himself from his true aims.

The Land of Waves Arc is actually more important than it seems, talking about Sasusaku. Especially for Sakura! The reason is simple. During this Arc, not only we can openly see that she never overcame the inferiority complex she had, but it becomes clear as the sky (to us and to her) that what she felt towards Sasuke was not just a crush, and surely it was not all about his cool appearance.

A lot of Sasusaku shippers insist on the fact that Sasuke saving Sakura from one of the Mist ninjas has to be considered as an important moment for the ship, but I don’t really agree on that. He would have done the same for Naruto, and he was basically just proving his abilities against an opponent he knew was way stronger than him. That’s the reason why he acted all mighty and cocky with the poor Naruto afterwards.

THIS is the most important moment, obviously. Sasuke risks his life to protect Naruto and basically everyone thinks he’s dead. Sakura’s reaction is just priceless. I cried like I was dying myself as I read it. The speech she gives us - between tears - about the rule according to which a ninja should never express his true feelings was so beautifully written it made my heart ache. I personally find it amazing how Kishimoto succeeded in putting those deep words on the lips of such a young girl making them sound like the realest thing she could have said in that situation. This is the moment in which Sakura realizes just how much Sasuke really meant to her and how terryifing the perspective of living without him really was. She doesn’t have the maturity to interpret the deep nature of her feelings yet and to react as a consequence, so she just lets them out. She is going to let them out openly for a long time … but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Talking about Sasuke’s reaction instead … I’m forced to admit that the anime did not the best job it could have done to show us how he really felt in that moment. He really didn’t know what to say or how to act for this girl who was screaming because she wasn’t prepared to face a future without him. He probably didn’t even expect it. He didn’t think he really was that important to her. Just look at his expression in the panel. He’s almost relieved she’s there.

We then get to the Chūnin Exams Arc, which is the most important arc for both their characters’ development and their relationship’s one. It is now clear that Sasuke considers Sakura as a real friend. She’s not just a companion anymore, she’s someone he’s willing to protect. A lot of people tend to deny this, just because Sasuke doesn’ say so explicitly. Aren’t they forgetting about the fact that Sasuke rarely expresses his feelings openly? Probably.

Before they sign up for the exams, Sakura is feeling extremely insecure about her abilities, and she’s convinced she shouldn’t even take part to the test. Both Naruto and Sasuke proved to be incredible during the Land of Waves Arc. They managed to defeat Zabuza and Haku without Kakashi’s help, unleashing great powers and supporting each other just as it should happen in every team. But … what had she done? She couldn’t even prevent Sasuke from risking his life, fearing for her comrades’ state. Clearly she’s afraid to mess up during the exams and she’s worrying about the fact that she could drag both Naruto and Sasuke in her distress. As I was saying earlier, Sakura never overcame her inferiority complex. As she brings herself to the Academy, Sasuke is the only one who notices her anxiety. He describes her attitude as “weird”, whereas Naruto - who likes her so much - doesn’t even notice. Sasuke later cheers her up - as we see in the panels - and reminds her about the qualities she’s so insecure about. He actually smiles to her, and he appreciates the fact that his words let her regain confidence in herself. If that’s not what a friend would do ...

#sasuke uchiha #sakura haruno #sasusaku #naruto #naruto ship #naruto discussion #sasuke #sakura #naruto anime #naruto manga #naruto uzumaki #kakashi hatake #team 7

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Snake Eyes: How Larry Hama Gave Creative License Beyond the G.I. Joe Comics

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Throughout the annals of story-driven toy properties, there has rarely been a rivalry relationship as complex as the one between G.I. Joe characters Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. Yet, adapting said relationship is a task that upcoming reboot movie Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins will boldly attempt to tackle, albeit with some contextually-necessary alterations to the classic comic book story famously crafted by writer Larry Hama. While such changes tend to be abhorred by longtime fans, they will manifest with the blessing of Hama himself.

A revelatory new trailer and featurette for Snake Eyes has arrived, further pulling back the story curtain than this past May’s teaser trailer. While it was always apparent that the film—a prequel serving to launch a completely new iteration of the Hasbro Toys film franchise—was going to put a contemporary spin on Hama’s defining origin story, the specifics have been revealed about how Snake Eyes (Henry Golding) and Storm Shadow (Andrew Koji) will forge a friendship that will inevitably take Cobra-shaped twists and turns with ninja-imbued action against the backdrop of global terror. While said spin—from director Robert Schwentke and writers Evan Spiliotopoulos, Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse—is a radical departure from Hama’s story, the parallels still seem poignant.

“Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow are the brother loyalty story,” summarizes Hama in the featurette, which reveals his role as a consultant for the film. Indeed, the trailer divulges an initial dynamic between the two, with Snake Eyes—clearly at a wayward point in life—stuck gutting fish in a warehouse seemingly owned by ruthless Yakuza-esque gangsters, when a suit-sporting Tommy Arashikage (otherwise known as Storm Shadow,) enters the room and mockingly addresses him as “fish boy.” However, Storm Shadow’s dismissive haughtiness would not last long, and he quickly finds himself branded as a traitor, even offered up for Snake Eyes to execute. Fatefully, rather than embracing a quick, vengeance-satisfying act for Storm Shadow’s earlier mockery, Snake Eyes puts himself on the line to save his life, leading the two to fight their way to freedom. Of course, Snake Eyes’s act of bravery would not go unrewarded, since Storm Shadow’s family happens to be the center of the powerful Arashikage clan back in Japan.

This, however, is a major divergence from Hama’s original comic rendition of the origin story from the 1984-published G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #26, a key issue in the Hasbro property’s classic Marvel Comics run that added dimensions to the mysterious rivals. Having spent months battling it out in the comics—starting with the iconic dialogue-deprived issue #21—the two were, up to that point, essentially just known as 3 ¾” action figures to its young marketed demographic. Yet, Hama’s version of the tale was set in during the Vietnam War, during which Snake Eyes was serving with Tommy/Storm Shadow and eventual G.I. Joe teammate Stalker. The inciting incident would see an enemy attack leave Snake Eyes missing and presumed dead, leading Tommy to risk his own life on a daring rescue that ends up saving his life. Consequently, unlike the Snake Eyes movie, it is Storm Shadow, not Snake Eyes, who made the initial act of bravery that seals the duo’s friendship. While that is a major reversal of Hama’s story, it’s one that was made with his full support.

“It was so important for us to get that relationship right in this movie,” explains star Henry Golding. “Larry gave us creative license to be able tell a story beyond the comics, and launch this brand-new universe for G.I. Joe.” Of course, Snake Eyes is hardly the first time we’ve seen spins on this story, seeing as the toy property’s first live-action film iteration had its own version, as seen in 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and 2013’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation, with the latter film having played out a resolution to the storyline that even somewhat resembled Hama’s. Yet, despite the new film’s obvious changes to the story, its fundamental theme of an eventually-embattled quasi-paternal relationship between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow remains quite apparent.

Movies

Snake Eyes Trailer Teases an Origins Movie That’s Also Storm Shadow’s Story

By Joseph Baxter

G.I. Joe Lady Jaye Series to Expand Hasbro Universe on Amazon

By Joseph Baxter

This idea is especially the prevalent in the new Snake Eyes trailer, which spends more time on the ominous presence of evil organization Cobra, as represented by Úrsula Corberó’s role as the classic spectacle-sporting femme-fatale, The Baroness, who’s offset here by the presence of Samara Weaving’s eventual G.I. Joe stalwart, Scarlett. Yet, Baroness seems to be insidiously recruiting from the Arashikage clan’s ranks on Cobra’s behalf. Moreover, expository dialogue from Haruka Abe’s Akiko identifies Cobra as “a shadow organization devoted to global revolution,” effectively foreshadowing a wider threat that will (as Paramount and Hasbro clearly hope,) justify further movie-universe designs.

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Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins will attempt to once again make knowing half the battle on the big screen when it hits theaters on Friday, July 23.

The post Snake Eyes: How Larry Hama Gave Creative License Beyond the G.I. Joe Comics appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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secretagentspydetectiveninja · 6 years

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Queen Cobra

I have been wanting to write a snake miraculous holder Alix fic for a long, long time now, and I finally gave in, so here’s the first chapter of what’s gonna be a wild ride of friendship, danger, rich kid bonding, sneks, and memes

Also on AO3 as always

Being a superhero was fairly fun most of the time, getting to save people from danger and zooming around the Parisian rooftops without anyone telling you off or yelling at you to slow down. And plus, having superpowers? That was awesome.

Being a pretty blatant third wheel to Ladybug and Rena Rouge, on the other hand, was a heck of a lot less fun. It was always the two of them fighting the akuma, saving the day, actually having non-lethal special powers and getting to use them without worrying that they were going to kill someone off or whatever. And then they’d fist-bump each other, only remembering Queen Cobra as an afterthought.

“Oh – Queen Cobra! You go keep an eye on the civilians! Make sure they’re safe!”

It was always that. Making sure the civilians were safe. Going after normal, “muggle” bad guys, like robbers or muggers or murderers, and not the magical supervillains in dorky costumes that plagued Paris on a daily basis. No, those were Ladybug and Rena’s job to deal with. Half the time it didn’t even feel like Queen Cobra was part of their team.

But now? Things were different. Recent events had shaken up Paris so badly, probably even cool-headed Ladybug wouldn’t know what to do with herself. Was her job at an end, now that there were no more akumas? Would she and Rena have to retire? Or would they finally have to start doing the lowly, unglamorous job that Queen Cobra was already used to, cleaning up the city of criminals who did bad things on their own accord?

Well, maybe she wouldn’t know for a while until she saw them again. And until then, there were more pressing matters on her mind. Far more pressing matters.

Like the fact that a certain someone now knew her secret identity. Someone who was definitely not supposed to.

“Yo ninja turtle, what is UP my dude?”

Alix Kubdel burst through the door into Master Fu’s room, throwing her schoolbag on the floor and sitting down in front of him, exhausted. Today had been such a weird day.

“I really should be asking you that question,” Fu said, not even raising his eyes from the book he was reading. “I hear quite a lot of interesting things happened today.”

“Yeah, it was crazy. You must have heard that Ladybug and Rena caught Hawk Moth, right? Oh yeah, and they apparently don’t know you so they asked me to give you this.”

She took a tiny little butterfly brooch out of her pocket and put it on the table in front of her.

“It was a bit of a job persuading them that I actually know the Great Guardian of the Miraculouses in real life, or whatever fancy title you call yourself,” she continued. “Do they really not know you? How did you even give them their Miraculouses if you never met them?”

“I simply left the box containing their Miraculouses in their possession,” Fu said, before taking a sip of the tea that was on the table. “The less they know about me, the better. The Ladybug and Fox Miraculouses are considered more powerful and valuable than yours, so it would be safer for them not to know too much. I left it to their kwamis to explain everything to them.”

Alix pouted for a few seconds – more powerful and valuable, honestly! Did Ladybug or Rena have frickin’ rollerskates on their super suit? Um, no, they did not.

“I guess it’s a good thing you didn’t do that with me,” she said finally. “Scoot wouldn’t have bothered to explain anything to me anyway.”

The little green kwami in question jumped out of her pocket indignantly. “That is blatantly untrue! I would certainly have explained your powers to you if Master Fu did not, I would never have just left you to fend for yourself–”

“Yeah you would, noodle boy.” She gave Scoot a little poke in the side. “Anyway, catching Hawk Moth and putting him in jail was not the only thing that happened today. Uh, something else did too. Something less good.”

“You discovered the true identity of Hawk Moth and did not like the result, is that it?” Fu asked. By this time Wayzz had hopped off the phonograph and onto Fu’s shoulder, listening intently. Gee, why couldn’t Scoot be that polite all the time?

“Sorta,” she replied. “I mean yeah, turns out Hawk Moth is Gabriel Agreste, famous fashion designer and whatever, the dad of one of the kids in my class. But um… there’s something else too… I sorta screwed up…”

“That’s an understatement,” Scoot added, rather unhelpfully.

“No it isn’t,” Alix said. “It’s just that someone may have found out my secret identity.”

“They definitely did.”

“And then I ran straight over here to tell you so I have no idea what their reaction is.”

“A disaster, probably.”

“Would you be quiet?!”

“How did this happen?” Fu asked. His expression hadn’t changed at all.

“I de-transformed and didn’t realize this person was standing right behind me,” Alix said. “Lame, I know. And I know we’re not supposed to tell people our identities, so like, am I in danger or something? What am I meant to do now?”

“That depends entirely on who this person is. After all, I know your secret identity, as do Wayzz and Scoot, and your brother too. It isn’t always a bad thing.”

Yeah, well Jalil only knew for practical reasons. Scoot refused to eat anything that wasn’t dead mice, and owning an actual pet snake was the only non-suspicious way to get hold of that, so of course she had to tell Jalil. He was an adult, he could buy one, even if it did freak their dad out a lot. And she trusted him to keep her secret.

“So who is this person?” Fu asked.

“Well…”

The worst person possible, really. Not only was it someone she saw almost every single day, but also someone who was probably in a complete breakdown over other things in their life right now and definitely did not need to have knowing a superhero’s secret identity added to their list of things to flip out over.

“It’s Hawk Moth’s son,” Scoot said for her, crossing his little kwami arms and rolling his eyes.

“Yeah. Adrien Agreste.” Alix took a quick glance at the smartwatch on her wrist – Adrien had her number from various school projects, but he hadn’t tried to call her or anything. Maybe he was still too busy freaking out over his dad being a supervillain to bother with his classmate turning out to be the least famous member of Paris’s resident supergirl trio.

“That’s not too bad then,” Fu said, shrugging and pouring himself some more tea. “He seems like a nice person from what you’ve told me before, I’m sure he won’t tell anyone. And with the threat of Hawk Moth gone, it is much less dangerous for everyone whether they know your identity or not.”

“But that was emotionally stable Adrien I’ve always told you about,” Alix said, trying to figure out a way to get across what she was worrying about. “Right now he’s literally just found out his dad is Hawk Moth, who’s been put in jail, and his mother’s been missing for like a year. He’s gotta stay in custody of Gabriel Agreste’s assistant now. He basically has no parents. And from what I saw of him when I was keeping him safe while Ladybug and Rena were busting in and whatever, he’s uh… not taking it that well.”

“Then I suggest you go speak to him.”

“Um… what?”

Fu seemed weirdly unperturbed. “Go have a chat. Remind him not to tell anyone your secret identity. Make sure he’s alright.”

“Bruh, I’m not a therapist. I am very bad at dealing with people who are flipping out.”

“It’s true,” Scoot said.

“Shut up, Scoot, you’re wrong. I changed my mind. I’m good at dealing with people, and I will definitely go talk to Adrien.”

Fu just smiled. “Excellent. Let me know how it goes.”

“Oh, and by the way…” Alix fiddled with the laces on her Heelys absent-mindedly. “Now that Hawk Moth’s gone, what’s the Super Squad gonna do? I mean, as Queen Cobra I can still go be Batman, but Ladybug and Rena never did any of that stuff. They only fought akumas. Are they still gonna keep their Miraculouses?”

“That is up to them. I believe it would be good for the city’s morale to have their superheroes continue to be around, wouldn’t it? But if they have nothing that they want to do then let me know, and I will get their Miraculouses back.”

“How?”

He tapped the edge of his nose. “That’s a secret.”

“Are you gonna break into their houses and steal their jewellery while they’re asleep or something? Dude, that’s creepy.”

Wayzz, usually content to be silent and just listen in, burst into laughter. “Who says he’s the one who’s doing the breaking in?”

“You, really?! Wow, criminals…”

Scoot tugged on one of her loose strands of hair. “Come on, the sooner we talk to the Agreste boy, the better.”

Agreste boy? Pfffff, he had a name. But Scoot was right. It was better to just get this over with before Adrien had a total meltdown, which was probably going to happen at some point. That kid had always been a ticking time bomb.

She stood up and picked up her bag. “I guess I’ll see you guys some other time then.”

“Perhaps stick around for tea next time?” Fu asked, holding up the tea pot.

“Meh, I think I’ll stick with Red Bull, thanks. Bye for now.”

She waved and walked out of the door, Scoot whizzing back into her pocket along the way.

Right… now to find Adrien. Would he still be in that protective alleyway where she had left him? Or would he have gone back home? Of course, it was always possible he might have been picked up by the police or something, they’d want to know what was going on. Not that they’d get anything out of Adrien, of course, there was no way that boy knew anything about his father’s villainous activities, he was definitely innocent–

Oh, drat. He was standing right there. Outside Fu’s shop.

“Uh… hey Adrien!” Alix said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

“Oh… hi…”

He really, really did not look good. Red eyes, tear-stained face, clothes still half covered in debris from his father’s evil lair sending off missiles everywhere when Ladybug and Rena had broken in. His voice sounded like he was trying to hold back tears, though mostly failing.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. Maybe this was all just some weird, crazy coincidence. There was a small likelihood that Adrien hadn’t recognized her when she de-transformed, or maybe he had somehow forgotten (amnesia could be a side-effect of trauma, right?), or maybe he hadn’t even noticed and she just thought he did, and maybe he just happened to be coming to Fu’s shop to get a back massage or something. Yeah.

“I followed you.” He was shuffling nervously on his feet. “I saw you earlier, and… you’re… Queen Cobra…”

“Pffffff, no I’m not, that’s ridiculous.”

“You are! I saw you de-transform right in front of my eyes!”

Alright, so he did know. Seriously though, how had he managed to follow her here? She was very quick on her Heelys, he must have been outright sprinting to keep her within sight.

Which of course meant that he wanted to talk to her about all this…

Ugh. She didn’t really like talking to people much.

“Yeah, fine, it’s me,” she said, taking a quick glance round to make sure no one else was nearby to eavesdrop. “But you can’t tell anyone.”

He shook his head. “I won’t.”

“Good.”

There was an awkward silence for what seemed to stretch into hours, though was probably more like a few seconds. Yeah, this was why she didn’t like talking to people. No one ever knew what to say to her.

“Thank you for saving me,” he said quietly, at long last. “When the missiles were going off and the akuma army were attacking. I probably would have died if you didn’t get me out of there.”

Oh Adrien, always so polite, remembering his pleases and thank yous even while probably internally falling apart. It could not have been pleasant for him to know that his own father, as well as being the city’s most hated supervillain, was okay with endangering his own son just to have a chance to escape.

“Hey, it’s no problem,” she said.

Now another long, awkward silence. Yikes. This was the worst conversation ever, and she’d had a lot of bad conversations before.

Eventually Scoot just flew right out of her pocket muttering, “Oh for goodness’ sake, you can’t do anything right, can you!” He zoomed right up in front of Adrien’s face and said, “Hello Adrien, I am Scoot, if you have any questions about being a superhero then just ask me because this trainwreck of a classmate of yours is certainly not doing a good job of telling you anything.”

Adrien stumbled backwards slightly, a look of shock on his face. “What…”

“Yes, I’m real. No, you’re not dreaming.”

“Um…” Adrien recovered quickly, to his credit. “Nice to meet you… Scoot. But… who are you?”

“I am a kwami, a magical creature. I give Alix her powers when she transforms into Queen Cobra. I also attempt to give her advice in her daily life, which she refuses to pay attention to.”

“That’s ‘cause your advice is boring,” Alix said. “Anyway Adrien, got any questions? I may as well answer them.”

He just stared for a few seconds, seemingly still taking everything in. Then he said, “Who are Ladybug and Rena Rouge then?”

“I have no idea. They’re probably a lot better at keeping their identities hidden than I am. But then again, it’s their Miraculouses that Hawk Moth wanted, not mine…”

She trailed off, realizing that mentioning Hawk Moth around Adrien Agreste might just be a bad idea. Sure enough, at the mention of his father, a flicker of pain flashed across his eyes. Yeah okay, she was definitely going to have to start thinking before speaking around this kid.

“So I don’t know who they are,” she continued quickly. “I guess I might never find out now.”

“Are the heroes not ever coming back then?”

“No idea. I probably will, I mean, someone’s gotta stop the bank robberies and criminal gangs, right? But I don’t know if Ladybug and Rena will be back or not.”

“Oh… okay…” He thought for another few seconds. “How do you act so different?”

“Uh, what do you mean?”

“Queen Cobra’s so majestic and aloof, and you’re… um… well…”

Indescribable, sure. She got that a lot.

“I do that on purpose,” she said. “Otherwise how stupidly easy is it gonna be to recognize me? I have pink hair, dude. Pink hair. And I skate a lot. And I’m tiny. As big as Paris is, there really aren’t that many people like me around.”

Anime protagonist was the phrase coming to mind. But the truth was, if there was a “protagonist”, it was either Ladybug or Rena. No one in their right mind would pick Queen Cobra as the number one hero of Paris, whether she looked like it as a civilian or not.

Adrien was still just staring, looking very much like he was about to cry. That was not good.

“You should probably go home and get some rest,” she suggested.

“I don’t want to go home.”

His fists were clenched now. Even more not good.

“Maybe call up Nino and talk to him?”

“Nino left for the airport several hours ago.”

Already? Jeez, the summer holidays had only just started today. In any case, Adrien’s fists were even more clenched now, and he was looking at the ground, furiously blinking tears away from his eyes. Poor boy… that ticking time bomb was probably seconds away from exploding.

“You need a cup of tea,” Alix said, stepping forwards and grabbing his arm. “Come on.”

“Where–”

“Shush. Just follow me.”

Without waiting for a reply, she pulled him right back into Fu’s shop with her. Fu didn’t even look surprised to see them – well, she had always suspected he was either really wise or secretly psychic, maybe both.

“Can we get this dude a cup of tea please?” she asked him. “He’s had a rough day.”

“Certainly,” Fu said, immediately pouring out another cup that he already seemed to have ready. Okay, he must be psychic. “Take a seat, Adrien.”

Adrien did not seem surprised that Fu already knew who he was. Then again, that might just have been because everyone knew Paris’s most famous fashion model, he was already used to being a celebrity. Bewildered, he did indeed sit down on the floor and silently took the cup of tea Fu handed to him.

“You gonna be alright now?” Alix asked.

Adrien just nodded politely, taking a small sip from the tea cup.

“Cool. I guess I’ll be heading off now. If you’ve got any other questions you can always ask me later.”

“Are you seriously leaving right now?” Scoot screeched, giving her a punch in the arm. “The Agreste child is on the verge of having a nervous breakdown thanks to today’s events, and you would just leave him here in the company of a stranger–”

“Be quiet!” She grabbed Scoot in her hands and tried to stop him talking. “If I don’t get back soon dad’s gonna be so mad, he’ll ground me again…”

“Excuses!”

“Shush!”

Adrien was looking up at them, seeming nervous. “It’s okay, you can leave, I… I’m sure I’m fine…”

He was certainly not fine. But what else was Alix meant to do? Just stay here and endure more of those awkward silences? Adrien was nice and all, but having to comfort him in such dramatic circumstances was well beyond her capabilities. The emotional, supportive side of being a superhero was never something she could get the hang of.

“Master Fu here will take care of you, he’s a cool bean,” she said quickly. “I really gotta go now. Call me if you need anything!”

She didn’t really mean that last bit. Calling her, on a phone, expecting her to answer and actually speak to someone, well that was the quickest way of getting on her nerves. But it was probably the kind of nonsensical reassuring thing he needed to hear right now, so she had just said it without thinking. Grabbing Scoot again and stuffing him in her pocket, she left for good this time.

All the way along the journey back home she had to deal with Scoot making snide remarks from inside her pocket, as usual, earning her weird looks from passers-by – though the weird looks may have been a combination of that, and also the fact that she was Heelying down the street in an area that had definitely banned Heelys. (It wasn’t like anyone cared, it was fine.)

Arriving back home was no fun either, her father immediately interrogating her on where she had been, had she been part of Hawk Moth’s final akuma army, all of that stuff. His faith in her had really nosedived since her birthday several months ago. Obviously she was not going to tell him what she had really been up to, and had to invent an excuse like always.

“I was just hanging out with my friends,” she said, shrugging.

(“Pffff, what friends?” Scoot muttered from inside her pocket.)

“The panther friend didn’t challenge you to another cornflake-eating contest again, did he?” her father asked, rather sternly. She had to hold back a laugh – panther friend, really? Was Kim such a hard name to remember?

“He’s not my friend, and no. I wasn’t doing anything bad, I swear.”

It was true, she technically hadn’t done anything bad. Saving Paris from a supervillain was one of the least bad things anyone could ever do, really.

“So who were you with?”

She picked two random classmates. “I was with Marinette and Alya, okay? Does this really matter?”

“I just want to be sure that you were safe.”

“Well clearly, I am perfectly safe and sound. Trust me dad, I’m not that irresponsible.” It was hard to be irresponsible when a whole city was counting on you to protect them – though to be fair, Ladybug and Rena were probably a whole lot more responsible that she was.

Her father sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Fine. But you need to stop running off all the time without letting me know where you’re going. Alright?”

“Yeah, fine.”

She carried on upstairs to where she found her brother, who was working on some nerdy history translation thing like he always was. As soon as he saw her he rushed over and wrapped her in a hug.

“I’m so proud of you!” Jalil screeched, much louder than he should have. “You and Ladybug and Rena saved the day and brought Hawk Moth to justice and–”

“Sure, just say it so loud that all of Paris can hear,” she muttered, though she grinned and hugged him back all the same. Thank goodness this was a large house. The chances that her father had overheard were low.

“Sorry, it was just so cool!” He finally let go and looked at her, pride shining in his eyes. “You’re okay, right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Oh good. Let me know if you need anything. Want some more food for Scoot? Should I make something nice for dinner? Should we watch The Mummy, in celebration? Should–”

“It’s okay, I don’t want anything!” She pushed Scoot back into her pocket, where she could feel him starting to come out at the mention of food. He’d already eaten recently, and anyway, she hated anyone interrupting when she was speaking to her brother. Jalil was one of the only people in the world who she actually got along with easily.

“You don’t look that happy,” he said, his smile disappearing. “What’s wrong?”

“Adrien Agreste knows my secret identity.”

The smile was back within a few seconds. “Oh, well that’s not so bad! You said Adrien is the nicest kid in your class, right?”

“Nah, that’s Rose. But Adrien’s already freaking out about his dad being a supervillain, so…”

“Wait, Hawk Moth is his dad?!... Agreste… Oh yes, I see, I just hadn’t realized…”

“And he probably is going totally nuts right now and has no one to turn to,” she continued. “I kinda just left him at Fu’s place and then came back here.”

Scoot had been fighting against her fingers and finally managed to fly out. “Yes, because you’re a selfish stubborn no-good who refuses to comfort someone in need!”

“Chill out, snekki,” she said, about to give him a jab in the side but quickly pulled her fingers back when she saw him baring his fangs. “I tried. But I’m no good at that stuff, I would have just made it worse. I’m not gentle enough. I always… y’know… break stuff.”

Jalil put a hand on her shoulder. “Alix, a person and a pocket watch are not the same. I’m sure whatever little you did must have helped him, in whatever small way.”

“If you say so…”

“Anyway, do you want to tell me all about today’s superhero adventure now? I can’t wait to hear the details!”

Yeah, that would be better. Recounting the dramatic break into the Agreste mansion would be entertaining enough, even if the whole story would be up on the Ladyblog pretty soon anyway. Jalil always liked to hear the adventures from Alix herself. It was nice really, having someone to chat to about it. And even nicer to know that one of her relatives, at least, didn’t care if she was “irresponsible” or getting into danger or trouble. Jalil would always be there for her.

#miraculous ladybug #alix kubdel #adrien agreste #master fu #no one else important yet #random stuff #aish writes #snek #queen cobra

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recentanimenews · 5 years

Text

THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH Has Come To An End!

Welcome back to the final edition of THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH. I'm your host this week, Daniel Dockery, and after 200+ of episodes of high stakes ninja battles, low stakes ninja filler, and medium stakes ninja fart jokes, we've come to the end of Naruto. Every week since the beginning of the year, we've watched seven episodes of the show and every week, we've come together to discuss our feelings on them. Whether we were basking in the wonderful glow of Rock Lee or begging to be done with another filler escort mission, we did it together. We're like a family that gathers on a weekly holiday to complain about Sasuke. That's truly a family that we should all aspire to have.

But it is now over, which means that it's time for reflection. It's time to look at the series as a whole and see what we liked most, what we got out of the whole experience, and what we want in the future. If this was a movie, "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)" by Green Day would be playing as the school year ends. We'd all give each other hugs and cry a little bit and then Joe Luster (played by Miles Teller, probably) would say something like "Same time next week?" and we'd chuckle, because it's only kind of a joke. We'll be starting a few new series soon before we jump into Shippuden, and you'll just have to wait to find out what they are.

We're gonna START this week with the HIGHS and LOWS from the last few episodes:

Joseph: The high point for me was seeing this series of corny battles wrap up and finally, FINALLY send us packing toward Shippuden. The low point was... I just can't believe this filler story was the finale.

Kara: The high was the very end... seeing how far Naruto and everyone else have come both in their own skills and their estimations of each other. I think I mentioned before, but it's wild to realize we've gone from "tie Naruto to a post and make him skip lunch because he failed that hard" to his peers talking completely unsarcastically about trying to measure up to him. Low point was the fact that I couldn't focus when I realized this series was going out on a story where Naruto tries to teach Japanese Merlin the power of friendship or whatever.

Kevin: High - I actually kind of liked the last scene or two, where everyone realizes that Naruto's about to leave with Jiraiya, and Naruto stops for a ramen lunch with Iruka before heading out. It's a nice bit of counterpoint to the beginning of the series, showing how Naruto's succeeded in getting people to recognize and accept him.

Low - Gaara's basically out of chakra to the point that the enemy doesn't think he can even fight. Clearly that means he has just enough power left for three major attacks, the likes of which we've either never seen or would almost certainly exhaust him if he were at full strength. I guess this arc really is taking ideas from Shippuden, because willpower is apparently more of a factor in battle than actual physical limitations.

Dishonorable mention - Admittedly, I don't think anyone ever explicitly stated how Gaara's sand works, but I was always under the impression that Shukaku was in control, or at least powering it, rather that Gaara using his own chakra. Also, when I heard that the armor absorbed chakra, my first thought was that Lee was a great match, because Taijutsu doesn't use chakra. I guess I was wrong. Either that, or the people writing this last arc were making some assumptions about how Naruto works.

Carolyn: I would have to agree; watching everyone actually care about Naruto leaving was very sweet. He's spent so much time caring for his friends and feeling like an outcast and now he's found a family. That's a definite high point. My low point would be the fact that the final episodes weren't really about Naruto at all. They were about Gaara. Which, while I like Gaara, seems like a weird choice.

Jared: That last bit with Naruto leaving was real good. Seeing how everyone was reacting to him heading off with Jiraiya, although it's kind of funny that Jiraiya gives him the whole spiel about training and it takes him 80+ episodes for him to actually do it. There was also a small scene where I liked how Neji was basically trying to wingman for Hinata by having them stop training so she could see Naruto off. Low point would be just how bland the final villains were for this last arc.

Noelle: I'm with everyone else, Naruto leaving was definitely my high point. After all, this is his home, and he's leaving all he's familiar with in a bet to possibly get stronger. It isn't just hollow either, because he has people who will miss him and come see him off. It's very touching, especially considering how Naruto has always been framed as being alone. Low point... this last arc felt so dull? Surprising, considering I adore Gaara but I really wasn't feeling it.

Paul: My high point is the realization that Sakura's Medical Ninja training consists of using her Chakra to revive progressively larger and more expensive fish. My low point is related: Sakura and Ino have now both been relegated into roles as healers. I think Kara previously brought this up many, many episodes ago: that sort of power, while crucial, is a fundamentally reactive power rather than a pro-active power. I worry that going into Shippuden, the girls will still be playing second fiddle to the boys.

Danni: The high point for me was the final few scenes. Seeing Naruto say his goodbyes to the Leaf Village while everyone else vows to get stronger as well got me real excited for the impending timeskip. I really can't wait to see how much they've grown when Shippuden begins. The low point for me was how underwhelming the villains turned out to be. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish this arc had been longer so there could be more time to flesh out the Artisan Village and the Four Celestials. The inexplicably magical Voltron armor gets an honorary mention.

David: My low point is similar to last week: despite liking everyone involved in this arc, all the best parts mostly felt like the show nudging my shoulder and asking if I remember this cool stuff from forever ago. High point seems to be echoing most everyone else: finally saying goodbye before we come back to see how everyone has changed.

Welp, that's it, y'all. How are you feeling? Relieved that it's over? Ready for a break? Eager for Shippuden? Frantically writing Sasuke fan fiction?

Joseph: I'm somewhere in the middle. I'd say I'm eager for a little bit of a break, but I also desperately want to wash this taste out of my mouth with some sweet, sweet, main storyline action in Shippuden. I wanna watch Naruto get good again!

Kara: It's about the same for me. As excited as I am about Shippuden, that was a lot of filler and I need a few minutes.

Kevin: Honestly, I'm ready to go to start Shippuden. Throughout this rewatch, I kept remembering just how much changes between the two series. Naruto starts with actual ninja techniques and ends up with Naruto being accepted by the other genin and a selection of higher ups. Shippuden starts with Naruto trying to save a world leader, and (without spoiling too much) ends with fights to save the planet and a war that takes over 200 episodes.

Carolyn: I'm very happy to have a break in between Naruto episodes.

Jared: It's going to be real weird not having Naruto in my weekly schedule, but I think a break is going to be good. I'm pretty excited to get back to non-filler writing though.

Noelle: I have been in filler jail for so long, I'll take that break.

Paul: I'm ready to move on to Shippuden, and I've even added it to my queue. When I was in college, among my social circle, Naruto was held in low regard. People treated it as a series for babies, and being a Naruto fan was synonymous with having questionable (or at least very "basic") taste. I never thought I'd pick it up so many years later, or that I'd enjoy it as much as I have.

Danni: I'm not gonna lie, as soon as I finished episode 220, I considered secretly starting Shippuden right away anyway. It's been the light at the end of the filler tunnel for me for so long that I'm actually bummed I can't dive right into it just yet. I just bought my first Naruto t-shirt from the Crunchyroll Store, and now I have to wait to break it in until [redacted].

David: Despite the last few months of disappointing filler, the actual show up until the retrieval arc turned out to be some of the most fun I've had watching anime every week, so count me in with those who kind of wish we were just going straight into Shippuden.

What is one character that you desperately wish had been given more to do?

Joseph: I would have liked more Kakashi in these filler storylines. The fact that it was a shocker when he occasionally showed up speaks volumes. Instead it felt like we were getting the same or very similar teams on each mission.

Kara: Hinata. She got to do some awesome stuff, granted, but I'm so tired of her one line being "Naruto-kun..." I mean I know how they end up, and it's kind of a gateway spoiler for even knowing what Boruto is about. But considering her capabilities, it's a little annoying to see her constantly fall into the role of Girl Who Likes Naruto instead of that being, you know, just one of her things. Because it's okay to have a crush on a boy. It's okay to have an embarrassing crush on a boy. It happens. But I'd love that to be an aspect instead of a good chunk of her identity.

Kevin: Tenten, absolutely. She's a bit of an obvious choice, since most people know the joke about how little screen time she gets, but her abilities are legitimately interesting and could be extremely versatile, she's just not given any time to show off her prowess.

Carolyn: S A K U R A

Jared: Basically any of the girls. I don't know if the last bit with Ino was an actual tie-in to what happens in Shippuden, but to have her just do the same thing as Sakura really feels like a "hey we have no clue what to do with you" type moment.

Noelle: We all know that Kishimoto is really not good at writing women, but it just stands out so, so much with Sakura. She has a couple of moments and that's it, versus Naruto and Sasuke who are consistent all throughout. Give her something to do, it's not that hard. Please.

Paul: My first instinct is to say Kakashi, but I'll echo the others and say Sakura, and I'll add a little Hinata into the mix. I'd like to see them given a chance to shine, too. Sakura and Hinata have had a few iconic moments, but not to the same degree as Neji, Choji, and Kiba, who not only got dramatic death scenes but also got to survive their heroic sacrifices by pure plot fiat.

Danni: As much as I missed Kakashi in all this filler, I'm gonna have to go with Sakura as well. Despite being one of the three main characters, she's done next to nothing at all. Her main roles have been victim and healer, which are some really disappointing tropes to fall into when writing a female character.

David: It feels weird to say this since everyone including me loves him, but Rock Lee actually? After his big moment he gets relegated to a hospital bed with no discernible improvements made until suddenly he's ok now, I guess. I wish that were handled a little more gracefully.

Have any favorite moments from the series? Favorite fight scenes? Favorite quotes? What sticks out to you as the curtain (momentarily) closes on Naruto and His Amazing Friends?

Joseph: I miss the tournament arcs during exams. Those were really fun, and it was always exciting to see who would emerge victorious and how the animators would handle it. For sheer animated splendor, though, I have to go with the battles during the whole attack on Konohagakure village.

Kara: As messed up as their individual stories can be (especially Jiraiya), I really love the older generation. I like the feeling - not just the feeling, the fact - that the story didn't just magically begin with Naruto, and that there are several levels of information we're still unpacking. My favorite moments tended to touch on those multigenerational elements in some way.

Kevin: If I had to pick a single high point in the series, something that would be an exemplar of how good Naruto can be when it isn't bogged down by endless filler, I would probably go with Naruto's Rasengan training into the Kabuto fight. It shows off Naruto's dedication, ingenuity, and willingness to put himself in harm's way in a fight to save those he cares about, and also opens up the world more by revealing some of the history of the Leaf. It's not quite as emotional as some of the character deaths, like Zabuza and Haku or the Third Hokage, but it showcases some of the best aspects of the show in quick succession.

Carolyn: I think I'll always be partial to Rock Lee training outside the hospital. He's such a good boy.

Jared: I came into this knowing relatively little about the series and leave knowing that Rock Lee is the best boy. That fight against Gaara is just something else, even if that was one of things things I actually knew coming in. When this show is good, it's amazing, which is kinda hard to remember when you're locked in filler jail.

Noelle: I think overall, my impressions stayed fairly consistent from when I first watched it to now. I think I definitely enjoyed the Chunin arc more, since I thought it dragged when I was young, and I really appreciate Rock Lee. I can't believe I used to think Rock Lee was annoying, this kid rules.

Paul: My favorite moment is still the scene where, while training with Sakura and Sasuke under Kakashi, Naruto gets caught in a rope trap, escapes from it, then immediately gets caught in another rope trap. Another scene that really stuck with me was when Naruto and Sasuke teamed up against Zabuza and together they hide Naruto (disguised as a shuriken) in the shadow of another shuriken. Finally, a phrase that stuck with me is: "A ninja is one who endures." That phrase is the thesis statement for what defines heroes and villains in the world of Naruto.

Danni: The battle between Naruto and Sasuke in the Final Valley, for sure. Their relationship is the backbone of the entire show in my opinion, and that fight was an incredible turning point and moment of understanding between them. It also just looked really freaking cool.

David: The scene where Sakura tries one last time to stop Sasuke from leaving. It's sort of understated but there is a lot of emotional complexity going on there, down to her 'confession' hail mary that is completely ineffective. The show isn't usually great at writing women, or even emotions in general that aren't loud and clear, but that's definitely a place it got things right and sticks out to me even now.

I want you to sum up your experience with Naruto in three words.

Joseph: Always Craving Ramen.

Kara: My Queen Tsunade.

Kevin: Ninja wizard president.

Carolyn: I like Naruto?

Jared: So much ramen.

Noelle: Power of friendship.

Paul: Not Kid's Stuff.

Danni: Only just beginning.

David: Please less filler.

What advice would you give to someone that hasn't watched Naruto but plans to try?

Joseph: Don't be stubborn. Listen to what longtime fans say about the filler and don't bother with it. Don't feel the need to absorb every bad episode and just follow the main story through both this and Shippuden. Failing that, read the manga.

Kara: I know the main advice is "seriously, skip the filler," but my friend circles are made up of a lot of completionists and telling them to skip it would just make them watch it harder. So whatever. Honestly, even without the filler, Naruto has highs and lows. So I guess I'd say don't expect all 220 episodes to be fried gold, but enjoy it as a chill watch and just appreciate when those really solid stories come along.

Kevin: If they already want to start, my advice would be to binge the first season to get to the Zabuza arc. The earliest stuff is important, but not necessarily the most interesting. If I need to show them something to convince them to watch, then I'd probably recommend the Chunin Exams. Some of the details might be confusing, but it's some of the best self-contained storytelling in the show.

My general advice is honestly to go back and keep pace with the Rewatch if you want to watch the entire show. There are over 200 episodes, around half being filler, so you're not going to watch the entire show over a weekend. The Rewatch keeps a brisk pace that gets through all of the less interesting bits without going so quickly that you accidentally skip the emotional resonance of the better arcs. If they just want to watch those better arcs and skip the likes of Filler Jail, then watch from around the Genin Exam or Land of Waves arc to episode 130 or so (it'll be obvious when the filler starts).

Carolyn: Yeah, skip the filler. Watch until Sasuke leaves and call it a day.

Jared: You don't have to watch all of the filler. There's certainly a few arcs that if you wanted to check out as a buffer for Shippuden that would be fine, but going through it all isn't necessary. Although if you're liking things and get to the filler and want to keep going, who am I to stop you? I'm not your dad.

Noelle: It's a lot less compact compared to more modern shonen, but it's still got plenty of substance. Naruto, at the end of the day, is a good kid that's worth rooting for. Also, skip the filler, you won't miss anything.

Paul: When you're going through Filler Hell, keep going. A ninja is one who endures.

Danni: Just skip the filler. I'm saying this as someone who endured all of Dragon Ball without giving in to everyone telling me to skip certain batches of episodes. Skip the filler.

David: Don't watch too much at once! This show doesn't exactly have a reputation for solid emotional or thematic setpieces but I think that's because there is so much content people lose the details, so watch a little at a time and let it sit with you.

And before we depart from our journey, we have a question from a reader:

"What were some of your favorite Opening and Ending Theme Songs (or intros and outros, respectively)? Are there any bands/groups/artists you are now a fan of, but weren't previously, because their work was featured in Naruto?"

Kara: "GO!!!" by FLOW is absolutely my favorite opening. I envy everyone who gets to see them live at Crunchyroll Expo this year! As for endings, "Yellow Moon" by Akeboshi really hits me. I also liked "Wind," but this is the one that sent me looking for more music by him. "Parade" by CHABA is a close second, but that's mostly because it sounds like it's by The Killers.

Joe: I'm gonna go classic with Far Away as my favorite OP, and Wind as my favorite ED.

Noelle: Far Away is probably my top fave op because of how absolutely rad it is, but I'll be lying if GO!!! isn't the first thing I think of when I think of Naruto openings (fighting dreamers!). I'm also feeling Wind for my favorite ed, because it's very touching, but it's also so radically different compared to the rest of the endings? A top fave.

Jared: "GO!!!" and "Wind" are definitely top tier when it comes to openings and endings. I also actually went and purchased "Far Away" and "Pinocchio" so those would be up there too.

Kevin: Interesting that someone asked this actually. Since we're nearing Shippuden, I've been occasionally listening to all of the Shippuden themes together, and it is quite an experience to go through 500 episodes of content in a half an hour via song.

To the actual question, for openings my favorites are probable Far Away and GO!!!. Between the two, I'd probably have to go with Far Away as my favorite, because while I didn't know the artist when I first heard the song as a kid, it technically introduced me to Asian Kung-Fu Generation, and I don't think I've heard a song of theirs yet that I don't like.

For endings, to be honest I had to go back and relisten to literally all of the Naruto endings, because I seriously don't remember any of them. As a result, I guess the first ending, Wind, wins by default since it is the only one that I've actively sought out and listened to outside of the show. That being said, I actually found that I liked Mountain-A-Go Go-Two and Speed much more than I thought I would.

David: I really couldn't believe how good Wind is as it had somehow left my mind but now it's my favorite ED in original Naruto by far. GO!! is unsurprisingly my choice for OP both because it is very good and how much it represents the feeling of watching Naruto in general.

COUNTERS:

Week Ramen: 2 bowls Hokage: 0 Clones: 0

Total Ramen: 210 bowls, 20 cups Hokage: 62 Clones: 940

And that's all for the GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH. Once again, thank you for joining us and we hope you'll accompany our merry team on our next adventure!

CATCH UP ON THE REWATCH!

Episodes 211-217: Nearing The Finish Line

Episodes 204-210: Escort Mission Time

Episodes 197-203: Solving a Mystery

Episodes 190-196: Matchmaking Gone Wrong

Episodes 183-189: No Laughter Allowed!

Episodes 176-182: Reach for the Stars!

Episodes 169-175: Anko’s Backstory At Sea

Episodes 162-168: The Tale of the Phantom Samurai

Episodes 155-161: Quickfire Curry

Episodes 148-154: The Forest is Abuzz With Ninjas

Episodes 141-147: Mizuki Strikes Back!

Episodes 134-140: The Climactic Clash

Episodes 127-133: Naruto vs Sasuke

Episodes 120-126: The Sand Siblings Return

Episodes 113-119: Operation Rescue Sasuke

Episodes 106-112: Sasuke Goes Rogue

Episodes 99-105: Trouble in the Land of Tea

Episodes 92-98: Clash of the Sannin

Episodes 85-91: A Life-Changing Decision

Episodes 78-84: The Fall of a Legend

Episodes 71-77: Sands of Sorrow

Episodes 64-70: Crashing the Chunin Exam

Episodes 57-63: Family Feud

Episodes 50-56: Rock Lee Rally

Episodes 43-49: The Gate

Episodes 36-42: Through the Woods

Episodes 29-35: Sakura Unleashed

Episodes 22-28: Chunin Exams Kickoff

Episodes 15-21: Leaving the Land of Waves

Episodes 8-14: Beginners' Battle

Episodes 1-7: I'm Gonna Be the Hokage!

Have anything to say about our thoughts on Episodes 218-220? Let us know in the comments!

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

Daniel Dockery is a writer and editor for Crunchyroll. You should follow him on Twitter!

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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renaroo · 7 years

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Wednesday Roundup 28.6.2017

First off, I’m going to pump myself up some because I just read an incredible number of comics within one day or so in order to get this review out on time and for once I actually managed it so hoora for me. Second off, holy crap a lot of my comics came out this week and I was kinda slammed and didn’t really realize it until it was happening and suddenly it was a whole lot of “uh oh” but that’s just me, my ridiculousness, and talking about sheer volume.

The real question here is, how did everything shape up this week? And if everything was good what was the best? And at this point do you all even trust my judgment to say what best is anymore lol

Guess there’s one way to find out!

DC’s Batman Beyond, Image’s Black Magick, DC’s Detective Comics, IDW’s Ghostbusters 101, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, DC’s New Super-Man, Kodansha’s Princess Jellyfish, Image’s Saga, IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, IDW’s Transformers: Lost Light, DC’s Wonder Woman

DC’s Batman Beyond (2016-present) #9 Dan Jurgens, Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo

*long sobbing sighs are heard from the south of Alabama*

Okay, look. I have always prided myself on the fact that I’m not one of those comic fans that will buy just anything because my favorite characters showed up for three seconds one time in a splash page. I never consider myself someone who reads comics the way people read newspapers — just casually interested in the newest updates on this fictional world I follow at a distance. I come for the story and the characterizations and if they’re not there I won’t waste time and money. I mean there’s a lot of Dick Grayson comics I’ve flat-out ignored over the years and he’s one of my favorite fictional characters. Period!

But there’s… exceptions I can’t stop myself from.

Cassandra Cain, obviously. I make a point of owning everything with Cass in it. But the other is… I can’t avoid Batman Beyond. There is no part of me that can give up on Terry McGinnis, there’s a child in me who will always think of him first as Batman, who will always owe that cartoon for getting me even remotely interested in comics outside of Spider-Man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I am a sucker for Terry McGinnis and I can’t help it.

which makes it suck that much more that he’s had basically no good comics featuring him since… 2008? 2009ish? And what’s decent ends up irritating me or making me have to turn against it because of the shit treatment other characters I like get.

Before it was Dick and Barbara I was up in arms for.

Now it’s Damian.

The more they try to retroactively shove the main DCU continuity into the DCAU Batman Beyond universe, the less sense it all makes and the more they have to warp characters we love. This Damian might as well have walked right off the pages of Batman and Son because he apparently has lacked all growth and humanity that Damian has achieved — has earned — in the last several years of comics, preboot and DEFINITELY post-New52 and Rebirth.

So that bears the question of what’s the point.

My “what ifs” from last issue of wondering if Damian is somehow controlled by his spinal implants again, that maybe Ra’s al Ghul took over his body the way DCAU Ra’s had Talia — those that I was fearful of now seem more respectful of his character than what seems to be the answer we have instead.

I have a feeling this conclusion is going to get me raging.

But because I am a sucker, because I am a ridiculous fangirl, I’m going to keep buying the things that hurt me. gdi Batman Beyond, can you be good again

Image’s Black Magick (2015-present) #6 Greg Rucka, Nicola Scott

Okay but like…

Goddamn there’s no comic like a Greg Rucka comic oh my god.

Alright so I’ve always been a fan of Rucka’s creator owned works and I think they’re easily some of his best works which, as a fan, is really saying something on my part, but I have been utterly amazed by how good Black Magick has been and how Rucka just has this incredibly unique way of making every issue feel complete even while it’s part of a longer storyline. Every issue counts and I feel that in this issue almost as pure as I’ve ever felt it before.

Greg Rucka: he just gets comics.

In all seriousness, this interesting take on how magick works and how Rowan’s life specifically has been affected by her introduction to her long lineage’s powers — especially in light of what we know about present day Rowan Black and how she has not lived up to her potential as a witch just yet — comes together so well here. And I say that as someone who doesn’t really like flashbacks all that much in storytelling.

That being said, I’m so glad that this storyline is all in flashback and doesn’t have us whipping back and forth across timelines because I’ve gotten a lot of flashback fatigue from comics and movies lately. This is a nice, solid ground to stand on if we’re going into backstory territory.

DC’s Detective Comics (2016-present) #959 James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martinez, Raul Fernandez, Brad Anderson

Alright, so I’m beginning to question about how the continuity of the various Bat titles are lining up anymore because, as we just went over a week? Two weeks ago? Bruce had just proposed to Selina. But now we’re getting some heavy flirtations with Zatanna here. Now, I’m all for threesomes and I actually multiship Bruce quite a bit and that includes shipping him with both Selina and with Zatanna, but this is kinda… stepping on the toes of whatever King’s doing. Which fine whatever. I’ll be honest, I’ve had a soft spot for longtime friendship and childhood crosshairs between Bruce and Zatanna thanks to how much I still just adore Paul Dini’s run on Detective Comics (1938-2011). So this pleases me almost despite myself.

That being said, there’s still a lot of unevenness in this story at the moment. Even with the cast diminishing through deaths and quitting and whatever, we have a lot of characters factoring in and out of the storylines from one to the next. It feels like we very barely have time to establish what everyone’s relationships are before we start hinting at even more shakeups. Are Jean Paul and Luke’s friendship going to be busted up after only a few issues of contact between them? Is Clayface considering taking up the doctor’s idea of a cure so soon after I still haven’t figured out why he’s even here? Is Tim’s not-death ever going to be brought up again before Bruce does something truly stupid?

And then there’s just that… looming threat of the summer event I just know is going to come up at some point.

There’s a lot of good in this issue, and I don’t want to knock it, it’s actually one of the more decent mid-story issues that Tynion’s produced so far. And I’ve been harping on him for that from the beginning so that’s saying something from me. And I thought the art this issue was actually very consistent and well done overall, even if I have to wonder how many times has everyone in the Batfamily stood in a perfect pose with a Batfan on them for the computer to scan and give a perfectly COOL holographic image of themselves. But that’s me being silly and questioning superhero world logic. A truly terrible road to go down.

A very interesting issue and I’m curious to see how the storyline with Bruce ties into the storyline about Jean Paul’s struggles with his religion and how his past has warped it. Not that… as a Catholic those… struggles ring true… or anything.

Anyway, seal of approval and waiting for the story to continue on!

DC’s Ghostbusters 101 (2017-present) #4 Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening, Luis Antonio Delgado

Alright, so IDW is just kicking ass with their properties this week and I honestly think that there’s nothing better to combat the absolute bile and grossness that was the internet fanboys of the Ghostbusters circles more than seeing just how amazing and interesting Burnham and Schoening have made this team up with all generations of Ghostbusters at once.

Erin and Holtzy definitely take the cake this issue and there’s a lot of fun, especially with how the Ghostbusters of different universes compare equipment, ghosts, and methodologies as they address one thing about the 2016 movie that actually did bother me quite a bit which was that the ladies just kept… dispersing ghosts and not capturing them where all incarnations before had made a point of the “conservation of ghost matter” or whatever before — establishing that ghosts would just reappear en masse if not absorbed and captured. The explanation was actually rather witty and made perfect sense with the narrative of the 2016 movie, actually.

One of my favorite aspects, though, has to be how many in-jokes they manage. Erin’s neuroses and figuring out how the various cameos in their universe fits into the original’s universe, the joke about Caddy Shack, and just so much more.

It was a really fun issue and I hope people are picking this up and giving it a chance, especially if you enjoyed the 2016 movie, and especially especially if you didn’t but are willing to see the potential that team had all along.

Marvel’s Moon Girls and Devil Dinosaurs (2015-present) #20 Brandon Montclare, Natacha Bustos, Tamra Bonvillian

It’s amazing that Marvel is ruining properties by turning them into evil Nazi stand-ins and warping everything good to come out of Marvel’s initial inception while, in the meantime, they have such good and pure creators making a story like Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur who give us fantastic all-age stories with beautiful art, a lovable and flawed main heroine, and an honestly rather mature and disquieting storyline.

A kids comic where she learns she can’t save everyone. And it’s still poignant and beautiful. It’s still powerful and speaks on a child’s level.

But it sets up for the first time that Lunella, wonderful and smart and brave as she might be, is imperfect. She can’t save the world (or, in this case, the moon) by herself and she can’t always appreciate people’s feelings and their deserving of her empathy until she works on it. She’s been trying so hard to prove herself and show how good she is at everything, she’s allowed herself to stop thinking of everyone as her equal.

So much so that her replacement with an unfeeling robot only gets mild suspicions from her friends at school.

who hilariously know about Lunella’s super identity and her powers because fourth graders can’t keep secrets and i love that.

It’s just such a good story and it’s remarkable that we live in a time where Lunella Lafayette gets to be kids’ introduction to comic books.

DC’s New Super-Man (2016-present) Vol. 1: Made in China Gene Luen Yang, Viktor Bogdanovic, Richard Friend

Kong Kenan is the New Super-Man of China and he could not be more of a change from the status quo of the American superhero archetype of Superman if he tried! Now, that’s not completely fair, obviously there’s quite a bit of convention bending to the genre in this story right from the start, but honestly it felt from the start like a very honest look at just what superheroes would mean for the world outside of America once the Justice League appeared and changed everything. And why wouldn’t other countries be scrambling to make sure that they could compete with not just the rising threat of super villains, but with the potential firepower that would be superheroes representing and being beholden to other countries.

DC and Marvel both have made varying attempts to answer those questions themselves over the years, and Kenan doesn’t serve as the first Chinese superhero in the DCU, but this is definitely the first time I as a reader felt like I was reading an experience and perspective outside of my own. Usually there’s a lens or veneer to these attempts to expand superheroes outside of the US that’s pretty transparent — they’re either very rarely seen or explored and so lend themselves to vague understandings of other cultures (such as The Great Ten in the preboot) or they’re Americanized in some way, usually by having them join a team of characters that are from the American perspective (Bushido from Super Friends) or having them come to move to America and have the whole experience of being an immigrant or student work visa (Ryan Choi’s The Atom).

For me, it felt like New Super-Man is taking the very notable effort of examining a purely Chinese character and setting from that perspective and building off of the uniqueness inherently built in that, but also showing how Chinese people’s views of the West and of American superheroes would reflect in their own attempts to make a superhero for themselves. And why Kenan, while initially seeming to be unfit to be a Super-Man given a history of being rather haphazard and a bully, could actually bridge that gap and provide a really interesting story of learning what being a superhero means for a culture so different from America’s own.

At least, that’s my take on it. While I’m happy to boast about the fact that I’m from a family of immigrants in America myself, I’m still a product of the West and Europe, and I’m reading the New Super-Man with that perspective, and assumedly a lot of other readers are, too. So it’s hard for me to tell how accurate my takeaway is here.

I’m only fleetingly familiar with previous works by Gene Luen Yang, but I have to give him major props here. I’m more familiar with his work with the Avatar: The Last Airbender comics than I am with his more acclaimed work (American Born Chinese and Boxers & Saints) which I desperately need to fix, but I have no doubt in his abilities to portray characters which are good but fundamentally flawed. That was a trademark of his works that I have read, and he really brings that to life in New Super-Man with Kenan. He is a very flawed, very human character that relates to readers based on personality before the differences between America and China can even be brought up in the narrative. And that’s what really made this a fantastic read by the end.

I’m very interested to see where this story continues with Vol. 2 and hope that the reader base for this story grows along with Kenan’s character.

After all, right now the world could use a Flawed But Good Super-Man almost as much as it could use a Chinese Super-Man.

Kodansha’s Princess Jellyfish (2008-present) Chapter 82 Akiko Higashimura

I believe that it’s pretty obvious, the further we go along with my comics reading and these reviews, that I had a pretty large variety of comic tastes. And really that just has to be indicative of my feelings about narratives in general. There’s a lot of things I appreciate about media’s ability to tell stories, and good stories and good characters, for me, almost always trump genres at the end of the day.

And I have loved Princess Jellyfish since the 12 episode anime adaptation of the first arc aired back when I was in college and @red-dye-number-five and I squealingly watched it as it came out.

The series is very soothing for me to read and this chapter was no different in that way. I have no interest in fashion, but the story of this found-family of adult women blundering their way through the world of fashion to save their community and home speaks to me. I really hate love triangles, but the complexities of the relationships between Tuskimi, Shu, and Kuronosuke has made for some of the most interesting and fascinating dynamics I’ve seen in a romance drama. And while I don’t usually go for coming-out stories anymore, the difficulties and self doubt and guilt we see with Kuronosuke over and over again as he tries to find his personal comfort with his gender and sexuality is honestly heart wrenching and I’m fully invested with.

I enjoy this series so much and as usual we have another chapter that fully delivers on its continued promises. This isn’t a perfect series, but for me it is a bit of chicken soup in the middle of the difficulties of life.

Image’s Saga (2011-present) #44 Brian K. Vaughan, Fiona Staples

I think in twenty, thirty years, we’re going to look back and find that the generation of comics that have come about in the 2010s have changed the medium to a diverse haven of storytelling that comics hasn’t honestly enjoyed since the Comics Code and so on. And thank god for it because we get to read Saga as it’s being published and experience it as the true game changer that it is.

We are experiencing a storyline, from the perspective of a woman, who has to undergo a medical abortion, is being sent on a trial of Jobe for it because of the regressive tendencies and behaviors of her own people, and getting to see how much that burden is adding onto her own torment. We rarely get stories about abortion let alone ones where it’s from the woman’s prospective, is pro-abortion but also honest about its difficulties, and clearly shows avid anti-abortion rhetoric and laws as being crippling and more hurtful to those going through the ordeal than helpful.

It is… unfortunately very relevant to our times.

As is all of Saga’s storytelling. People see the nudity and violence and sex and gore every issue and what I love about Saga is that those things are so average, so unremarkable, that the actual mature content like addiction, prejudice, racism, homophobia, transphobia, infidelity, parenthood, and everything else in between is given the gravitas and exceptionalism it deserves outside of the seedy details that too often help the important points get lost in other lotted “mature” content.

In other words, there’s so much peeing on beds that we don’t lose track of the intrigue of money laundering and collusion as the real stories.

IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011-present) #71 Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Dave Wachter, Ronda Pattison

There’s not a whole lot to say about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles usually because, as with the best comics with the most consistent quality, they just are great and just should be read and there’s hardly much else I can say about why if you haven’t been sold on it already. It’s like me trying to explain to people why they should read Usagi Yojimbo. If you’re not reading it already I don’t know what I can say to make it understandable how much you need to read it.

That being said, this is a slow issue compared to TMNT’s usual action packed fare. And I think that’s for good reason. We need buffer time between stories, this is part one of a two-parter which provides just that, and it spends its entire time building on the lore and mythology of the world of TMNT as it has been realized by IDW. And it’s fascinating and complex and meaningful.

And of course as a mythology junkie I adored every second of it — learning about the Pantheon and the gods of this universe was fascinating and knowing how various previous canons of TMNT are being incorporated to provide it is amazing (I especially love Jagwar’s new self I’m in love). It was fascinating, as has been the amount of love Eastman and Waltz have shown TMNT overall.

It’s a good comic, a slow comic, but good. And I really enjoyed the read. Definitely something different added to today’s pretty sizable pot.

IDW’s Transformers: Lost Light (2016-present) #7 James Roberts, John Wycough, Jack Lawrence, Joana Lafuente

You know that vin diagram that’s things that are okay and then this over waaaaayyyyyy on the outside? Okay. Good. Because that’s what this issue is for me. Holy shit. My emotions have been played like a fiddle and I am sick and engrossed and devastated and uplifted and there are things that I cannot say or do or what. WHAT.

Okay so I wasn’t entirely sold on this recent storyline opening up the Lost Light, if I’m completely honest. I share a lot of the concerns I’ve seen other fans show with regards to just how much retconning of a pretty unforgivable past Megatron has been shown to have in canon prior to 2011 and how he’s being handled now. And this storyline in a lot of ways was both a redirection to what Transformers should always be about — the fighting of fascism — but also felt like we were going a step too far into the department of “see! Megatron wasn’t the REAL evil fascist, here’s what cartoonishly evil fascists REALLY look like” so as much as I enjoyed this story and as much as I really admire James Roberts’ writing in general, I was on the fence about what to feel about everything that had gone down.

Which made the fact that he took the time to dedicate an entire issue to the aftermath, gauging all the different reactions to the plots that had emerged, giving me a new lesbian couple and bypassing the gross route of having one remember and the other not, and then hammering in the Cygate romance to a conclusion I ABSOLUTELY DID NOT WANT OR NEED BUT AM TOTALLY INVESTED IN…. it’s not just cathartic. For the first time I genuinely feel like the sharpness, wit, depth of character, and real solid execution is back to the standards of what I still consider to be my favorite work of JRo’s which was MTMTE Season 1.

This was just… so much to take in, and so fast, and I swear not an inch of panel was wasted. I’m hoping that this means the pace is picked back up, the course is put back on track, and we return to what was making the characters so fantastic and loving and… oh yeah

TOTAL FRIDGE HORROR FOR THOSE OF US WITH CLAUSTROPHOBIA

I really liked this issue. It’s definitely my favorite of Lost Light so far and has me looking super forward to what happens next. Which is something I desperately needed since I learned Till All Are One, which has honestly been my favorite TF comic for the past year, is ending soon.

DC’s Wonder Woman (2016-present) #25 Greg Rucka, Bilquis Evely, Liam Sharp, Romulo Fajardo Jr.

I have been curious since the announcement of Rucka’s departure from the title just how he was going to pull together his past and present storylines, how things were going to end up. And I have been met with the answers which are large, satisfying, and a bit saddening in knowing that we’re quickly approaching the end.

The idea that, without the lasso, something is simply missing from Diana and her life feels like a great commentary on Wonder Woman herself, and what not only embracing her history and iconography means for the character but what it means for her personality itself. Without the lasso, without her faith, without the support of the Amazons at her back, Diana is shorter with her temper, more quick to anger, more brutal. And it’s not her, it the her that people have tried for decades to turn her into to suit their interpretation of what a Wonder Woman should be. And it’s concerning to the people who love her — here exemplified in Steve, Etta, Bruce, and Clark — and unhelpful to the enemies who require her sense of compassion and understanding, which is what nearly all of Diana’s enemies have been constructed to show — here Cheetah and Veronica Cale.

She’s simply not Wonder Woman without those things, and it’s such a relief to have a modern writer with the caliber of Greg Rucka portraying that in a deft and almost poetic way as it has been in this title and especially in this wrap up issue. It makes me happy to have the character of Wonder Woman brought back to herself on the terms of someone who has as much love and respect for her as Rucka does.

It was a good issue, and while I will be the first to say that this run hasn’t been perfect and that Rucka’s shown some genuine problems in his writing through it, I am sad to see it all coming toward its end.

So if I had to sum up this week’s comics as a whole I would just say that I was smacked with a whole lot of emotions all across the spectrum. But as I consider it tonight and really think about what has stuck with me the most in the aftermath of getting through them all, I really can’t understate how much Transformers: Lost Light threw me through about twenty different loops -- I mean the subplot of Cyclonus and Tailgate’s romance alone would earn that spot of just WOW but literally every character, every development, every scene blew me away this week and it really uplifted me to enjoy the read as much as I did again.

But that’s just my opinion. What are your thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Think I missed something this week I should’ve picked up? I’d love to hear from you on it.

Until then, here’s to another Wednesday full of comics!

#Rena Roundups #SPOILERS #Wednesday Spoilers #Princess Jellyfish #New Superman (2016 )#Wonder Woman (2016 )#Detective Comics (2016 )#Batman Beyond (2016 )#Transformers: Lost Light #Ghostbusters 101 #Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2015 )#Black Magick #Saga

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notdeadjack · 7 years

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annual freaking rec list: 2016 edition

(aka the rise of voltron)

Fandoms represented in this list:

Naruto - 25 fics Haikyuu!! - 33 fics Borderlands - 1 fic Yuri!!! on Ice - 6 fics Zootopia - 2 fics Marvel - 8 fics Star Trek - 2 fics The Hobbit - 5 fics Teen Wolf - 4 fics Harry Potter - 6 fics Fantastic Beasts - 4 fics Game of Thrones - 2 fics Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - 1 fic Free!! - 1 fic Boku no Hero Academia - 21 fics Voltron - 133 fics One Punch Man - 11 fics

265 fics under the cut!

To quickly get to the fandom you’re interested in: Hit [Ctrl + F] or [cmd + F] and type in the fandom name in the little box that appears in one of the corners, and it’ll jump you to the right place. Or you might have to click the down arrow in the box a couple of time. Either way, it’ll get you were you want to go eventually. Faster and more accurate than scrolling anyway.

(This also works on the mobile version of Chrome: Open the drop down menu, click “Find in page” and type in the desired word. There should be a bar with yellow marks appearing on the side that you can tap for instant relocation.)

There will be stories that deal with mentions of suicide, self-harm, incest, dub-con, non-con, drug use, abuse and such. I’ve done my best to add proper warnings but please make sure to read the authors tags first! I’m also willing to trigger check a fic for you if the warnings are fuzzy. Just message me which fic and what to look out for and I’ll get back to you asap.

Oh, and pay no heed to whomever is put before the “/” or behind it, as it doesn’t necessarily denote which one tops.

If you find any dead links, incorrect/missing information or if you’re the author of a fic and want me to remove the link from this list, please contact me and I’ll take care of it :D

Naruto

yep. still naruto trash apparently

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7569102 It Started Over Coffee by Rasengan22 89k, AU, Naruto/Sasuke, romance, fluff,

Naruto's polite gesture wins him a new friend. A very witty, charming one at that.

this is just a pleasant read and honestly you can read it without any prior knowledge of the fandom and not miss anything.

http://cywscross.tumblr.com/post/137996998075/shikanaru-if-it-catches-your-muse-or-uraichi by cywscross 1k, Shikamaru/Naruto, drabbles,

onesingledreamer asked: ShikaNaru, if it catches your muse, or UraIchi ;) I have a weakness for rare pairs and your characterizations are always badass yet on point. :))

http://archiveofourown.org/works/62512 Stepping Stones by tuesday 10k, Lee/Gaara, Various,

A generation stumbles to adulthood; a tentative truce turns into a lasting friendship; a war passes; and through it all, people try to find their way together, and Lee tries to figure out his relationship with Gaara.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/3380381 Through The Spines Unfurling (Five Things You Should Know About Cacti) by mstigergun 12k, Lee/Gaara, kid fic,

Lee accompanies a trade delegation to Suna for the change in scenery and to enrich his son's education. He learns a great deal about cacti.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/502185 Rose Tinted by PhePhePhe 3k, Kakashi/Sakura, injury,

"Stay," he half-groaned. Sakura paused, tempted. "You have no idea what you're saying." "I may be an old man, but I'm not senile yet."

http://archiveofourown.org/works/502183 Placebo by PhePhePhe 2k, Kakashi/Sakura, pining, side SasuSaku,

Sometimes fantasy is enough.

Written well pre-ending, but works very well with canon. Which means: Ouch.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/956948 Lens of Truth by kanames_harisen 25k, Kakashi/Sakura, injury, canon character death, minor gore,

Her short nails, jagged from battle, dug painfully into her palms as her mind raced to catch a fleeting thought. There was something - something terribly important - that they were missing. Something obvious.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/724003 Red Rag Top by rabid_behemoth 2k, AU, Kakashi/Sakura, bittersweet, nostalgia, regret,

He scanned the parking lot for the familiar red glint of his car, but his eyes were drawn to pink instead. Her short hair fluttered in the breeze, and maybe that was what attracted his attention. Or maybe it was the fact that she was scrawling 'WASH ME' in the dust on his back windshield.

. http://archiveofourown.org/works/702846 Duet (Elegant Bindings) by kanames_harisen 5k, Kakashi/Sakura, voyeurism, angst, minor character death, protective stalking,

And he prayed for someone to stop up that gaping hole and reapply the dye. Sakura was never meant to be monochrome.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4849811 I Might Need You More Than I Think I Do by YamatoMyTomato (KinoKahn) 35k, Yamato/Kakashi, getting together, awkward sexual situations,

A mission goes badly, and everything starts to fall apart (or maybe it's falling into place). Tenzou isn't sure where he stands anymore, but he is sure that Kakashi's skin is the warmest thing he's ever touched.

http://rilina-fic.livejournal.com/7702.html Four Weeks of Rain by rilina 1k, gen,

Rainy season comes to Konoha.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4525815 An Invincible Summer by ShanaStoryteller 133k, canon-AU, gen, Naruto/Sasuke, genderfluid character,

When Naruto is five, he's gutted by a drunken civilian and presumed dead.

Six months later a girl with ash pale hair and dark blue eyes enters the Academy.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5256338 As Is the Sea Marvelous by blackkat 58k, Tobirama/Madara, fix-it,

Tobirama is willing to give absolutely anything for Hashirama and his dream.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6840838 Dreamcatcher by Airyo 71k, canon-AU, Itachi/Hinata, non-massacre, branch Hinata,

Nothing about Itachi, she realized uncomfortably, was ever by accident... Nothing about Hinata, he realized with exasperation, could ever be considered normal.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6798397 open season by sazzafraz 7k, Naruto/Sasuke/Sakura,

The way Sasuke comes home is less myth and more devastatingly embarrassing happenstance.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6437860 Castling by svana_vrika 19k, Shikaku/Asuma, power dynamics, shadow bondage, rough sex,

To protect the king, you need to develop the rook

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6064288 Unto The Breach by LasySwitch 1k, Naruto/Various, time loop, angst, character death,

The first time he saw the world rolled out in plains of red and grey he was not so suddenly surprised. When he opened his eyes to a white ceiling and lumpy mattress, lungs clear of blood, eyes clear of ash; he was. The seventh time, he was not.

love this. a more “realistic” take on the time loop trope.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5944584 For Warmth by aintitnifty 3k, Team 7, h/c, waff,

“Don’t panic, Naruto tells himself. It’s the first thing that pops into his mind, and the voice in his head sounds suspiciously like Kakashi: Just don’t panic.”

Kakashi is down for the count, and it's up to the kids to save the day.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6452965 A Consequence of Loyalty by leathansparrow 52k, canon-AU, Itachi/Shisui/Kisame, non-massacre,

On a mission into Rain country, Itachi encounters a very large man in a red and black cloak who tells him: “I’ve only ever seen one person use crows as you do.”

He cannot take the man’s further advice: “turn back now, if you value your life.”

Everything changes.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/625517 An Unexpected Homecoming by Chrononautical 130k, canon-AU, Minato/Kakashi,

The Reaper dies and those who were sealed alive are released.

http://archiveofourown.org/series/308052 Brilliant, Nervous Glory ‘verse by Chancy_Lurking 36k, Shino/Kiba/Hinata, side Neji/Tenten,

The war is over, the truth is out, and Team 8 is doing the best they can to adjust.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/3746824 Documenting Acceptable Levels of Insanity for the Shinobi Lifestyle by Aishuu 11k, Naruto/Sasuke, outsider pov, psychiatry, Saki-verse,

When rumors of Sasuke dressing in drag reach Konoha's higher-ups, Team Seven is required to report to the village's "shinobi evaluator" to determine if Sasuke is too crazy to remain in service. Pity the evaluator.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4017499 Complications by thefairyprincev (QueenOfThePolarBears) 52k, canon-AU, Hashirama/Madara, gender changes, trans character, misogyny, misgendering, accidental pregnancy,

In which Madara is a girl. And so is Hashirama. "But... Hashirama is a boy's name..." "It- It's complicated." And it is, it really is. And then it just gets worse.

A story about the lives of female Madara and transgirl Hashirama told in six parts.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/1540754 The Second by Makkoska 10k, Tobirama/Hashirama, Hashirama/Madara, incest, angst, unrequited love, canon character death,

There are certain things given, like his love for Hashirama or his brother’s love for Madara, and as hard as he tries, Tobirama is never able to change them.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11458228 Better Man by Kakashisgf 179k, Kakashi/Sakura, post-canon, infidelity,

Sakura and Sasuke have been married for over a decade, but things are far from perfect, and Sakura's beginning to realize that maybe she deserves better.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8187845 Muddy Water by DimiGex 13k, Genma/Sakura,

Sakura has spent her whole life trying to measure up and when a difficult mission comes up, she leaps at the chance to prove herself. Disobeying orders might get her killed, or it might lead her to realize she doesn't need anyone else's approval but her own.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6161044 Soulmates by moor 49k, canon-AU, Kakashi/Sakura, minor Itachi/Sakura, age-swap, mentioned rape, violence,

Age-swap AU. A series of interconnected one-shots.

Haikyuu!!

since this is the gay volleyball anime, the majority of the fics have implied or featured side ships and i can't be bothered to tag them cause y'all already know which ones it is.

Everything and anything written by buu http://archiveofourown.org/users/buu/pseuds/buu

i pretty much spent a couple of days reading through the majority of their archive and it's all golden (not to mention the delightfully varied collection of kink fics). some favourites includes: confession http://archiveofourown.org/works/2620328 (confession) untitled http://archiveofourown.org/works/3288854 (casual touches + ) hands v2 http://archiveofourown.org/works/2559677 (hand kink) praise http://archiveofourown.org/works/2525891 (praise kink) am i gay? please help http://archiveofourown.org/works/2546768 (37k, firsts)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5103569 More by someonestolemyshoes 3k, Kageyama/Hinata, kissing, frottage,

Hinata isn’t sure when friendship with Kageyama escalated quite this far, but he doesn’t really mind it. In fact, he’d maybe go so far as to say he enjoys it; he likes holding hands on the walk home, and he likes that Kageyama buys him meat buns after practice and he likes that they get to sit just a little closer together when they’re watching movies or playing video games or even just doing homework.

He likes a lot of things, but his most favorite part is the kissing.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5028493 operation: find out if hinata has a hot bod by day 1k, gen, humour,

Kiyoko compliments Hinata's body. It turns into a chaotic mess where the team (aka Tanaka and Nishinoya) tries everything in their power to get a glimpse of Hinata shirtless.

Hinata is oblivious and Kageyama is stressed out.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/2007114 If They'd Stop Dancing Around Their Fucking Feelings... by PrussianBluu 5k, Kageyama/Hinata, minor sexual harassment,

Kageyama is emotionally incompetent. Or just really stupid. Or maybe a bit of both. Nonetheless, he doesn't know what the hell his feelings toward Hinata are doing anymore. He pisses him off, yeah, but why?

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4591029 Shoreline by Latios 53k, AU, Kageyama/Hinata, mermaids,

Hinata Shouyou and his sister are sent to their grandfather's for the summer, and he's absolutely sure he's going to be bored for a majority of it, Alone with only a beach to keep him company.

He's terribly mistaken.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/1656539 SLAMMING the setter lmao sports by swiftonthedownside 10k, Kageyama/Hinata,

*beatboxing* chapter fic

they're going somewhere to do some kind of practice match who cares

freaking love this.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/2378366 Skinemax by animehead 1k, Kageyama/Hinata, pwp,

With what they’re watching, it was bound to happen.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/3683922 Crowchildren by crypsis 58k, AU, Kageyama/Hinata, various, death, character death, bittersweet,

Kageyama is a crowchild, tasked with carrying the souls of the dead to their final resting place. The first time he meets Hinata is when the boy is on his deathbed. It seems like an ordinary encounter, though Hinata proves that he is anything but, sending them both on a journey of life, death, friendship, and love.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/3811387 silver lining climbing on my desire by drunkonwriting 5k, Kageyama/Hinata, crossdressing, smut,

“There's a girl sitting at Hinata's desk, for some reason. He marches up, intent on demanding what she's doing there and what happened to Hinata when she looks up at him with wide eyes and a red face and—

Holy shit, she’s Hinata.

Hinata with carefully styled hair that looks softer and wilder than his usual raggedy mop, Hinata with glossed lips and eyeliner, Hinata in the short skirt and blazer of the girl’s uniform. He’s wearing—he’s wearing stockings.”

tsukishima dares hinata to go the entire day dressed as a girl. tobio has unexpected kinks.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/2140482 Two suns in one sky by Triana 17k,gen, minor Kageyama/Hinata, Natsu & the Team, fluff, protectiveness, injury,

Hinata has to bring Natsu to Karasuno Volleyball Club. The girl charms everyone and easily blends in, but Kageyama Tobio isn't that easy to give up. Although, due to some unforeseen events and an unlucky weather forecast, he might want to change his mind in order to prevent something truly horrible from happening...

http://archiveofourown.org/works/2816054 something old and something new by kittebasu 17k, Kageyama/Hinata, bed sharing,

And Kageyama could pretend like he didn’t care one way or the other all he wanted, Shouyou wasn’t going to let him pout his way through winter holidays with that grim-reaper look on his face.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6374221 Point of View by LoudLucy 1k, Ennoshita/Tanaka, pining,

Chikara spends a lot of time looking at Tanaka.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5794009 reading between the lines by murakamism 4k, Kageyama/Hinata, fluff, pining,

Kageyama is selfish.

This is what he thinks when he lets Hinata sit so close to him that their sides press together. Hinata’s babbling, lunchbox empty on his lap. Kageyama chews carefully for once. He tries to concentrate on the food instead of the warmth at his side, practically cocooned into his ribcage.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6361276 Absolutely, Yes by garbagecannot 3k, Ennoshita/Tanaka,

Send help ASAP, because Tanaka Ryuunosuke has the biggest, stupidest crush and he just doesn't know what to do.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6378142 tobio by cornbreadkent 8k, Kageyama/Hinata,

“Tobio doesn't suit you at all,” Hinata says, and Kageyama is caught off guard enough to forget his intentions for a moment. “You're too awkward and scary for such a cute name.”

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6076395 Written in the Stars by nicolet 34k, Tsukishima/Yamaguchi, pining, misunderstandings, jfc just talk to each other,

This is Kei's and Tadashi's journey together through the years, as they discover what it really means to fall in love with your best friend.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/3346724 In Transit by Mysecretfanmoments 4k, Kageyama/Hinata, physical proximity,

Hinata finds that he likes standing close to Kageyama on buses and trains. It doesn't mean anything--probably. Maybe.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4213860 wanna turn off all the lights by Authoress 3k, Hinata/Kageyama, masturbation, voyeurism, D/s undertones,

The next whimper is louder, longer, and accompanied with a breathy gasp and the twitch of Kageyama’s sneakers on the tile floor. Realization hits Hinata like a freight train, and he whips back around the corner, leaning against the wall himself, covering his mouth with his hand, eyes wide.

yesssssss

http://archiveofourown.org/works/2507660 Up In My Head I'm Your Girlfriend by dirtbag 4k, Asahi/Nishinoya, rule 63,

When you’re as scary-looking and emotionally fragile as Asahi, a crush can only end in heartbreak. Especially a crush on another girl, and especially a crush on Nishinoya.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7304422 Pink Polka Dots by Esselle 10k, Kageyama/Hinata, clothing kink, frottage,

‘They have made it through less than one week of living together and here's Tobio, standing in the doorway of their cramped bedroom, the question on his lips about going out to grab dinner dying a violent death as he catches sight of Hinata standing in the middle of the room and twisting his lower half in place to survey how he looks in a skirt.

A skirt. Hinata is wearing a skirt.'

Whatever Tobio thought he was signing himself up for, when he agreed to room with Hinata in college, it wasn't this.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6103802 Twitch by CheekyBrunette 72k, Kageyama/Hinata, bullying, panic attacks, tourette’s,

"He was aware of the itch he’d feel before he shook his head or scrunched his nose. He recognized the impulse to move, but he didn’t realize how compulsive the behaviors had become. He had to shake his head. He had to scrunch his nose. He had to shrug his shoulders over, and over, and over.

It wasn’t until he was nine-years-old that Shouyou realized he couldn’t control his movements like other kids could."

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7457695 Pretty by someonestolemyshoes 3k, Kageyama/Hinata, fluff,

"Kageyama is pretty. It’s just a fact, something Hinata has grown accustomed, like how Tsukishima is tall and Suga is nice and Tanaka is loud; Kageyama is pretty. He’s never really questioned it, either, because lots of things are pretty - flowers, and sunsets, and his mum when she wears her hair all sleek and straight and lines her lips in red and the point is, pretty isn’t weird at all.

But what is weird, very weird and very not normal and probably very not okay, is the fact that Kageyama is really, really pretty and it makes Hinata want to do things."

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6640387 Surviving His Skin (Kageyama x Hinata) by ThatGinjahNinja 13k, Kageyama/Hinata,

"Both looking up at the same time, Kageyama realized where he was and what he had just done and exactly who he had just done it with. It was irresistible, and his hands flew up to cradle Hinata’s flushed cheeks, as he pulled him in powerfully for their first kiss."

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6513565 Hold On To Me, Just For A Little While by petmunchkin 5k, canon-AU, Kageyama/Hinata, established relationship,character death, disability, bittersweet,

A terrible accident robs Kageyama of his eyesight.

That same accident robs Hinata of his life.

It doesn’t mean they can’t still be together. For a little while, at least...

http://archiveofourown.org/series/460189 Speed Demons series by Esselle 22k, AU, Kageyama/Hinata, street racing, car sex,

' “Starting tonight. You—” Daichi says, pointing at Kageyama, “—will be giving him—” he points at Hinata, “—racing lessons.”

Kageyama looks like he has swallowed ten lemons. Hinata, on the other hand, is just baffled.

“Wait a minute,” he asks. “Why is he giving me racing lessons?”

“Because I am absolutely, without a doubt, a hundred percent, better at racing than you are,” the mechanic replies bluntly. “And even if you race every day for the next decade, and I go blind, you still wouldn’t be a better driver than me.” '

All Hinata has wanted his entire life is a racetrack under the wheels of his car and a crew at his back. When he's offered a spot with the crew of Karasuno Auto Shop, he could have it all. There's only one thing blocking his path to the starting line: an absolute(ly smoking hot) asshole of an auto mechanic by the name of Kageyama Tobio.

(i’ve clearly spent to much time in the weird parts of the internet because i felt the urge to clarify that with the “car sex” tag, i meant that they have sex inside of a car, not with a car)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6400633 Learning Us by Tsucchi 42k, Ennoshita/Tanaka, slow burn, implied homophobia,

Tanaka Ryuunosuke had a lot to learn - about himself, about Ennoshita Chikara, and that "happily ever after" is rarely a direct path.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7955074 Dreamless by Esselle 15k, AU, Kageyama/Hinata, smut, incubi,

'Kageyama is relatively sure that the creature in his bed isn't human, but he doesn't know what it is, either. But this is not why he suspects he's dreaming.

He thinks he must be dreaming because the thing, whatever it is, is impossibly, breathtakingly beautiful. The little arched eyebrows and upturned nose and small, pouty smile on its face have his breath coming short; and the way it'slooking at him, like it's thinking about devouring him whole, makes him want to run and hide, or drift closer and let it happen, he isn't sure which.

Even without any previous experience, Kageyama knows what it wants. But no one has ever, ever wanted that from him before.'

A boy and a demon may know very little about each other, upon first meeting. But what they can't say in words, they make up for with sound and light and touch; and maybe, they learn by taking each other apart, before they piece one another back together again.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5873884 Shut Up by surveycorpsjean 3k, Tsukishima/Yamaguchi,

"I want one day for Yamaguchi to turn to Tsukki and say “shut up Tsukki” and watch as Tsukki’s world crumples around him." - stressedanime @ tumblr

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7228768 Lock and Key by surveycorpsjean 8k, Tanaka/Tsukishima, possesive behaviour,

Together, they're two cogs that meld, the odds and ends meeting that never met before.

Despite what the world says, they were meant to be together.

Strings and all.

Borderlands

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5405723 Not Jack by vickjawn 297k, Timothy/Axton, h/c, alcohol abuse, mental health issues, torture, abuse, injury, off-screen non-con, violence, sex work, non-consensual body modification, mind control, suicidal thoughts, healing, happy ending,

When Axton and Gaige bring a scarred, Eridium-addicted Timothy Lawrence back to Sanctuary, he agrees to tell his story, from the moment Athena left him in Jack's hands on Helios to the very last thing he remembered before waking up in the Crimson Raiders HQ. After that, it's a matter of healing and coming to terms with what happened to him at the hands of Hyperion, but that's a long, dangerous road to trek down, both mentally and physically. Friends new and old are there to help him, but they can't hold his hand forever. With the threat of a war looming on the horizon and Hyperion gaining wind of Timothy's location, it's only a matter of time before things take a turn for the worse.

legit one of the best fics i’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, i kid you not. it is long, plotty with beautiful characterisation and character growth. it deals with some seriously dark topics, but it focuses strongly on the healing aspect. also, one of the very few times flashbacks are handled so damn well you barely notice them.

Yuri!!! on Ice

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8242556 Praise Please by surveycorpsjean 5k, Yuuri/Victor, praise kink

Viktor is a good coach. Strict, talented.

But Viktor is kind. He gives praise like a waterfall, overflowing and loud and it makes Yuuri drown.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8579203 hair by buu 4k, Yuuri/Victor, hair kink,

It's Victor, of course. He looks the same as always, but something about that long hair framing his face, strands dipping over one eye makes him look softer. Yuri feels a little dizzy watching, like he's stepped through some time portal, like he's small again and watching awestruck as Victor spins on TV. Except this time, Victor is looking back at him, tilting his head so the hair folds over his shoulder.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8643673 hungry, but i'll hunger on by incode 6k, Yuuri/Victor, praise kink, body worship,

Yuuri has been learning to reach out for what he wants.

(Yuuri is not used to having power, being strong. He’s used to feeling weak. He is used to being told what to do and doing it, and Victor has unlocked something vital and feral inside him; he’s made Yuuri into something new, or maybe Yuuri has created it himself with his inspiration. In any case, he’s not interested in unraveling now into the sweet, pliant thing Victor is used to, the shy doll, whimpering and soft, from their previous times together. Suddenly, Yuuri doesn’t want to be coached, doesn’t want to be patronized. He lets his body make a decision, for perhaps the first time in his life.)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8640379 Celebration by MemeKonYOI (MemeKonYA) 2k, Yuuri/Victor,

“You seduced everyone out on the rink today,” Victor whispers, lips still brushing against the back of his hand. “Everyone was enthralled. You were amazing. Stunning.”

“And you?” Yuuri asks, not because he holds any kind of doubts about how Victor felt about his short program —he can still feel the searing heat of Victor’s lips on his, like a brand, invisible on him, burning in the best ways, reminding him of how Victor will always meet him where he stands, even if he has to run for it, work for it, grow for it— but because he loves knowing Victor is amazed by his skating, by him, and he’s greedy about the feeling he gets from that knowledge.

(Or: Yuuri and Victor celebrate after the Cup of China.)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8644615 When He’s Not Even Trying by qwartooty 2k, Yuuri/Victor,

“Do you have any kinks?”

Viktor looked down at Phichit, surprised. “Excuse me?”

“Fetishes. Turn-ons. Things that make you go, ‘Oooh! Wow! Yeah!’”

“I know what a kink is. Why are you asking me that kind of question?”

“Don’t look so scandalized. It’s for my psychology project. Which I just told you about, but you were too busy drooling over Yuuri to listen,” Phichit said.

(post episode 7 - In which Viktor is enlightened, Phichit is a little shit, and Yuuri frantically searches for ways to keep surprising Viktor)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8420320 Touch and Go by Ashida 3k, Yuuri/Victor,

Victor couldn’t figure out whether Yuuri Katsuki was utterly dense, truly not interested, or if he was in fact the biggest tease to ever skate the ice.

Zootopia

yeah

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6017023 Fear by Ragamuffins 2k, minor Judy/Nick,

It was almost hilariously ironic, that this one, tiny bunny scared him more than anyone else within Zootopia.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6261835 the plunge by brodayhey 10k, Judy/Nick, pining,

Judy's life is nothing like a romance novel.

Marvel

(all the franchise)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/2578418 In Wade We Trust (We Are So Screwed) by dentalfloss 44k, Wade & Clint friendship, side Clint/Phil, minor torture, violence, humour,

“Wade Wilson dropped by last night,” Clint explained, like it was any other Friday. “Brought pizza and beer.” There was a thoughtful silence through the phone and then: “You had a pizza party with Deadpool.” Phil said and Clint slid down the couch onto his back. Yeah, that pretty much summed up the situation.

Or: the one where Clint does something nice for Wade, and Wade decides to never let him go.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/1373596 Wiping Off The Dust by dentalfloss 72k, gen, de.aging, implied child abuse, trust issues, violence, h/c,

Teenaged Clint, it turns out, is a little shit.

Naturally this makes him Tony’s new favourite person.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/278395 Safeword by melannen 5k, Steve/Tony, JARVIS, BDSM, bad BDSM,

Tony Stark doesn't need to be safe, sane, and consensual. He has JARVIS instead. (Then he gets Steve.)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/3889561 Clint Barton's Super Secret Snipers' Club by sara_holmes 67k, Clint/Bucky, PTSD, deaf!Clint,

Clint Barton's Super Secret Snipers' Club. (Invitation and pending mental health evaluation required.)

"When Steve brings Bucky back to the tower for the first time, Clint’s first thought is that Tony Stark’s pride and joy is quickly becoming a less of a very tall and expensive ‘fuck you’ in the faces of investors who don’t believe in self-sustaining energy, and more of a superhero rehabilitation center."

Boyfriends, compromises and learning to like oneself.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/1581335 i was found and now i don't roam these streets by hipsterchrist 15k, Steve/Bucky, PTSD, hospitals, child sickness, healing,

They’ve decided to start producing Bucky Bears again, now that he’s all shiny and redeemed and fighting for good on this big Avengers misfits team. "He has a little shiny gray arm," Bucky says, wiggling the stuffed arm in question, one of the tweaks made in the new model. It takes Steve a second to realize that Bucky’s got a small smile on his face, actually looks a little bit proud around the eyes.

Or, Bucky relearns himself and how to be on a team, the rest of the Avengers try to get answers, and everyone watches too much Criminal Minds.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/504186 baby, i’d victoria your secret anytime by ghostsoldier 4k, Wade/Peter, crossdressing,

Peter’s known Wade for a while now, so he can maybe see how this makes sense -- like, maybe Wade has a thing about going commando and just happened to have an old girlfriend’s panties lying around, one thing led to another…but…

“And the bra?” Peter croaks.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/399351 And I'd Buy A Big House Where We Both Could Live by shinkonokokoro 59k, AU, Steve/Tony, amnesia,

Missing: Tony Stark, billionaire businessman, heir to Stark Industries, reward: none

Only Steve didn't know that when he picked up the waterlogged unconscious man from the bank of a river.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/3509063 the Steve Rogers problem by relenafanel 36k, AU, Steve/Bucky, fandom,

Bucky doesn't consider his Steve Rogers problem as a problem so much as the solution he hadn't realized he was hoping for to help him through the transition from the Bucky Barnes he'd been before his accident to the new, shiny version of himself.

No, the problem isn't with Captain America and The Howling Commandos fandom.

The problem is the amount of porn Bucky managed to write and draw about Captain America before finding out that he's less than one degree of separation away from Steve Rogers. 'Less than' as in he's sitting across the table from him.

Star Trek

(TOS and AOS/XI)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/17969 Graduate Vulcan for Fun and Profit by lazulisong 15k, gen, Kirk.centric, secretly genius,

It really does take a village to raise a Jim.

The members of the Kelvin's crew watch over Jim as much as he lets them.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/462930 We Two Alone by shoreleave 101k, gen, injury, drama, slavery, starvation, survival,

Academy fic. Dr. Leonard McCoy thinks he has nothing in common with command-track cadet Jim Kirk, until a series of events forces them together. When a simple training mission is derailed into a seemingly hopeless situation, both have to learn to trust one another, and they’ll need all their wits and survival skills to stay alive.

The Hobbit

(aaand some lotr)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/786339 Princes under the Mountain by Carcy 10k, Fíli/Kíli, 5+1,

Fili and Kili are heirs and Princes Under the Mountain. They like being princes - they like the respect and the fancy clothes and sense of being needed. Sometimes though, they forget that they're princes. They've always been taught how to act royal so they never embarrass Thorin too much or make it awkward for him politically... But they grew up as exiled princes, they grew up learning trades and working for money and rolling up their sleeves ect. Sometimes they forget that they're not in the little village they grew up in.

Some of the servants, who have always worked for royals, don't know what to make of the sweet and charming young princes who seem to earnestly want to help and don't see why they shouldn't.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/641409 those who wait by sospes 4k Fíli/Kíli, pining,

Fili knows that his brother is the one he was meant to love. It takes Kili a little bit longer to work it out for himself.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/921402 Signs by orphan_account 59k, AU, Thorin/Bilbo, various, domestic, deaf!Kíli,

Thorin was certain he had a problem. After all, the man looked like a bloody grocer- like some curly haired, bright eyed, bushy tailed cherub: totally vanilla and not sexy in any way at all. At least, that was what Thorin was trying to tell himself.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/690469 Parallel by dothraki_shieldmaiden 116k, canon-AU, Fili/Kili, incest, slow burn, dub/non-con, violence,

When tragedy strikes the Line of Durin, Thorin decides to separate his infant nephews in order to keep them safe. Sixty-five years later Fili is the bored, dutiful heir in Ered Luin while elsewhere Kili is simply trying to stay alive between alleyway brawls.

Everything changes when they meet and a connection is formed which seems nigh unbreakable.

At least until the truth of the past and their heritage is revealed.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8420206 The Other Things We Never Knew About Frodo's Soulmate by Tozette 7k, Frodo/Sauron, soulmates,

Primula was red-faced and exhausted by the end of the birth, and if she made a rude gesture at her husband and turned away sleepily, well, the midwife had seen worse.

So Drogo was left holding the baby in bemused confusion. As new parents are wont to do, he counted all the toes and fingers, marvelled at the child’s eyes, and then set out looking to see if there was yet a soul mark on his son’s skin.

There was.

The script was all long tails and swoops that ended in jagged flicks with characters that seemed more made of unpronounceable accents than actual letter, but the hand that wrote it was smooth and practised, almost mechanical in its precision.

"Curious," said Drogo, peering at the mark upon his thigh. "I've never seen anything like it."

The midwife seemed baffled by it, too, and when Primula woke he showed her and then they were three for three.

Teen Wolf

http://archiveofourown.org/works/1186243 Divided Loyalties by LennaNightrunner 154k, Stiles/Jackson, D/s,

Jackson returns home after a month spent in London trying (and failing) to start the next phase of his life there. Knowing now from experience that he’d be a fool to try to make it as a werewolf on his own, he asks Derek to take him in as a beta. Derek agrees on the condition that Jackson will do as he’s told. Jackson hopes that, despite the mess left in the wake of the Kanima, he might be able to repair his life in Beacon Hills. Of course, things haven’t really been going the way Jackson has hoped lately...

This is exactly the stackson fic i’ve always wanted to read. (you’ll def need knowledge of the happenings in s03a to follow the plot, since the author chose not to repeat the information)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8105281 I'll Dissolve When The Rain Pours In, When The Nightmares Take Me by clotpolesonly 38k, Stiles/Jackson, soulmates, dissociation, depersonalization, bed sharing,

When Stiles finally managed to contort himself the right way without causing injury, he stared at the words on his inner thigh. And then he stared some more, long enough for the water to grow cold around him, wondering if this was part of the dream. Finally he decided that it had to be real only because his subconscious was not creative enough to come up with this.

There, in freckle-brown letters stark against pale skin, was the name Jackson Whittemore.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/2311607 let me keep you safe (let me just keep you) by tryslora 30k, Stiles/Jackson, fake relationship, possessive behaviour, scent marking,

When Stiles shows up unexpectedly on Jackson’s doorstep in London, Jackson has to protect him from his pack and blurts out the first thing he thinks of: that Stiles is his ex-boyfriend. When Stiles explains why he’s there, the two find themselves embroiled in a plot to save each other’s lives, and in the process of making it through alive, maybe they’ll find out they aren’t lying about how involved they actually are.

http://archiveofourown.org/series/290306 I Hope You Die (I Hope We Both Die) series by taylorpotato 5k, Stiles/Jackson, hate sex, alcohol,

This is what regret looks like: fucking in a bathroom, with the door locked, at some stupid party, because neither of you are supposed to want it.

Harry Potter

http://archiveofourown.org/works/1113588 Business by esama 12k, canon-AU, gen, dark!Harry,

The Dursleys didn't raise Harry Potter to be a very good boy.

Mildest of fusions with Sherlock Holmes

http://archiveofourown.org/works/838184 Hit The Ground Running by Tozette 112k, canon-AU, slytherin!Harry, child abuse,

The Horcrux in Harry's head wakes up and begins talking to Harry long before he's ever heard the name Voldemort.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7548181 Slithering by astolat 27k, Harry/Draco, post-war,

Draco found the nest down in the Manor’s cellars, while he was clearing them out.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6177703 House Proud by astolat 23k, Harry/Draco, post-war,

His house liked Draco Malfoy more than him.

i love this kind of magic.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4536005 Oh God Not Again! by Sarah1281 162k, Harry-centric, time-travel, humour,

So maybe everything didn't work out perfectly for Harry. Still, most of his friends survived, he'd gotten married, and was about to become a father. If only he'd have stayed away from the Veil, he wouldn't have had to go back and do everything AGAIN.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/825875 All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl 114k, Harry/Draco, slow burn,

Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

tbh i don’t think i really have to tag these as emotional manipulation, dub-con and abuse since there’s nothing pure, innocent, happy, or healthy about the (canon) gredence ship or credence’s character in general but, yeah...

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8619118 I Felt Your Shape by th_esaurus 3k, Credence/Graves, dub con, emotional manipulation, abuse, body horror,

Graves gets to his knees. His palms slide down Credence's shoulders, to his chest, and Graves rests his head against the boy's thin belly, one ear to his stomach.

"There is nothing dangerous in you," he says. "Nothing at all."

He sounds—disappointed.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8713267 such as is common to man by imochan 7k, Credence/Graves, fix-it, emotional manipulation,

Arriving in London, Credence finds a familiar face.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8635411 The Lord's Work by betts 15k, AU, Credence/Graves, abuse, religious guilt, h/c, dissasociation,

When Credence met the man’s eyes, he felt a strong jolt in his gut, a profound instinct of sameness about him, in some way he couldn’t fully conceive. The dark thing residing inside Credence was maybe the dark thing in this man, too.

His hands began to tremble as they did when he was scared, but this didn’t feel like fear so much as a heady thrill he didn’t understand. “Hello, my name is Credence. I am calling on you and your neighbors with an interesting article.” He handed over a copy of The Watchtower. “I am wondering if you would be interested in reading this.”

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8677570 Show Me by callay 2k, Credence/Graves, possessiveness, public masturbation,

“Tell me,” continues Graves, his voice even lower now. “Does this always happen when I heal you?”

“Always. When you – when you touch me.”

Graves takes a breath. Credence can hear it; Graves has drawn even closer, not so close that they touch but close enough that Credence can feel every scant inch of space between them. His voice is a low murmur. “And what do you do, Credence, when this happens to you?”

Game of Thrones

http://archiveofourown.org/works/813223 The Covering Sky by Rellie 136k, canon-divergent, Jamie/Brienne, slow build,

AU, from the end of 3x07 in which the timeline is changed slightly and Brienne ends up as the reluctant guest of the Lannisters in King's Landing.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/1241512 The Seven Bind Their Fate by RoseHeart 191k, Canon-AU, Jamie/Brienne, slow build, UST,

What if Jaime became a prisoner of Renly Baratheon, instead of Robb Stark, and he met Brienne earlier? This story delves into the changing nature of Jaime and Brienne's relationship in a time of war and shifting alliances and then explores how their journey, and the land, is changed by this small twist of fate.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

(no ship because turtle penises are scary)

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3624149 Underdark by Nekotsuki 43k, gen, Mikey-centric, injury, 1-pov,

He’s hanging upside down in the middle of the great underdark, weighed down by a half hysterical turtle in the middle of a bunch of pipes and water and rock that are conspiring to kill us both off, and Leo still manages to sound like he Has A Plan.

an excellent example of “we’re injured and in deep shit and i’ve gotta get us out of here” fic that i adore. Also, Mikey really get to shine here, which is fab. Seriously, don’t let the 1-pov scare you off.

Free!

http://archiveofourown.org/works/1856572 Catch A Falling Star by hoshruba 14k, AU, Haruka/Makoto, loss, pining,

“Oh, darling, do you remember… what was his name? Makoto, was it?” Haru freezes in place, his breath catches in his windpipe like cloth on brambles. He feels Makoto stifle a gasp and try to shrink into himself.

“I asked if you ever saw him again.”

Boku no Hero Academia

(i did not end up with the otp i expected, but i’m so not complaining)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6961186 how they got detention for a week by eggstasy 5k, Bakugou/Kirishima, outsider pov,

This is getting serious. Kaminari likes Bakugou well enough, as another individual in his class who is generally more capable than most of them and hasn’t yet tried to murder him personally, but that’s about where his good will ends. Especially where his best dudefriend is concerned (aside from Sero, but Sero isn’t a common sense deviant like Kirishima tends to be. Kirishima needs the supervision).

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6693406 How to Make Bakugou Katsuki a Decent Human Being by keptein 6k, Bakugou/Kirishima,

A how-to by Kirishima Eijirou.

(Kirishima decides to make Bakugou the guy Kirishima knows he can be. Everything else snowballs from there.)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7192085 The Hard Easy by dirtbag 5k, Bakugou/Kirishima, kissing, biting,

"So," Kirishima says. "Kissing lessons."

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6895168 Bigmouth Strikes Again by dirtbag 1k, Bakugou/Kirishima, kissing, finger sucking, oral kink,

"Do you remember that one time at lunch you were looking at my teeth and you had your fingers in my mouth?” Kirishima asks, all in one breath. "Can we do that again?"

works very well read after The Hard Easy, recced above.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6946963 Pop Rocks by dynapunk (tyelperin) 3k, Bakugou/Kirishima,

As if friendship wasn't being hard enough, he had to go and catch feelings.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/3793852 Dulcet by Ringi 4k, Bakugou/Kirishima,

He’s angry, and too embarrassed to specify at whom. There isn’t even any real need to be, and if he were smooth enough, he could have dished out some bullshit yet still acceptable reply. But instead, he chokes--stammers:

“What the fuck?”

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6835363 safe & sound by Authoress 4k, Bakugou/Kirishima, mentioned character death,

“I don’t need a friendly face,” Bakugou says, purposefully sitting in the seat furthest from Kirishima.

“Okay, maybe not,” Kirishima says. He smiles. “But I made tea.”

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4250985 Love Bites by Sleeves 1k, Bakugou/Kirishima, kissing, biting,

‘ "You liked that," Kirishima says, not even bothering to hide the amusement in his voice. ‘

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7229989 A Little Love Never Hurts (Until It's No Longer a Little) by furihatachlookie 4k, Midoriya/Todoroki, pining,

It all started at the Sports Festival, and it all goes downhill from there. For Todoroki, at least.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4469489 Heavy petting by ImmaEatUrYaoi 7k, Bakugou/Kirishima, frottage,

Kiripie and Bakagou does the sex at each other. Shameless, pointless, baseless smut.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4333185 That's not a quirk, you dumbass. by ImmaEatUrYaoi 6k, Kirishima/Bakugou, fluff,

Kacchan is being thirsty as fuk for Kirishima (but honestly who wouldn't be)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7142792 ragtag by SportsAnimeRuinedMyLife (KnightOfRage) 67k, Kirishima/Bakugou, violence, post-graduation,

Kirishima Eijirou had enough to deal with before almost every pro hero went missing. But after an unthinkable disaster throws society into chaos, Class 1-A reunites and tries to figure out what went wrong and what exactly they're supposed to do next.

Or...Deku is missing, the pro heroes are gone, but Kirishima is trying his best.

very plotty, with excellent characterization and lots of love for the minor characters.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7618783 Present Mic’s Awesome Mixtape 2.0 by KuriKuri 10k, Eraserhead/Present Mic, pre-series,

Hizashi is going to make Aizawa Shōta his friend if it kills him.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7829011 i feel your warmth, and it feels like home by trshchld 4k, Midoriya/Todoroki, pining,

The five times where Shouto remembers that Midoriya is more buff than he lets on.

(alternatively titled the-one-where-shouto-internally-nosebleeds-and-tries-to-act-casual)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7826632 Tribute To by SugarMagic 5k, Shinsou/Midoriya, masturbation, fantasizing, praise kink,

Shinsou makes use of an unconventional treatment for insomnia, and has someone on his mind.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7785463 take the path that moonbeams make by plantegg 8k, AU, Bakugou/Kirishima,

"What could possibly be better than Disney World?" "Death. Or literally anything else." Or, a Disney World au where Bakugou is a grumpy janitor and Kirishima plays the park's Peter Pan.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8101432 waterlogged (red blue, green) by lein 8k, Midoriya/Todoroki, soulmates, pining,

Izuku has never been one to curse but the only way to describe himself as his mother hugs him goodbye that morning, is royally fucked.

He’s really, truly glad no one in their class has a mind-reading quirk because from the minute his feet touched warm sand, his mind has been screaming in tune to the same famous classical overtures Tenya listens to when they study together. Occasionally, the music pauses just long enough for his brain to point out observations about Shouto that make Izuku want to stick his head under the waves and just breathe in.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8068954 you and I might just be the best thing by Poteto 13k, AU, Bakugou/Kirishima,

Kirishima has the bad habit of falling in love with assholes - and then he meets Bakugou.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6713596 Fight club by xShieru 7k, Midoriya/Todoroki, frottage,

In his defense, Izuku would mention the fact that they are fifteen and that sparring with an extremely attractive male – it‘s just the adrenaline rush, really - is bound to result in this. Social media had taught him that much, at least.

It‘s just his rotten luck that his 'handsome sparring partner' happens to be his friend Todoroki Shouto. Which is entirely unfair and really bad for Izuku‘s poor rabbit-heart.

(alternatively: Midoriya fights his sexuality, his inferiority complex, his feelings, and his crush)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8269168 marketable by eggstasy 6k, Kirishima/Bakugou,

Jealous Inner Kirishima has a better vocabulary than Actual Life Kirishima, who just has to open his mouth to make stupid words fall out in the wrong order. Bakugou throws a laundered sweat towel at his face and says, “Quit leaving your shit downstairs,” and Kirishima answers him with, “Thanks for my towel washing it,” which leads to him sinking down in his chair and trying not to die.

People notice.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4250985 Love Bites by Sleeves 1k, Kirishima/Bakugou, biting, sloppy makeouts,

Bakugou doesn't pay attention to stupid shit like the color of someone's eyes or the shape of their lips or the way they walk, but for whatever reason he has instant recall of Kirishima's infuriatingly bright smile and every spike of his shitty ridiculous hair and the way he flicks his eyes in Bakugou's direction when he knows Bakugou is looking and every other excruciating detail of his existence like they're burned into his skull.

It doesn't help that Kirishima has him up against a wall right now, shoving all those little details right up in Bakugou's face.

Voltron: Legendary Defender

(i just ship them all, ok?)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7298179 bench press me by eggboi 1k, Keith/Lance,

“The hell are you doing?” Keith grumbles out, body mid-push up. There’s a snicker behind him, too close to his ears, though Keith can’t really understand what would be so amusing about this. Then again, he’s not really sure why Lance is lying on him while he’s doing push ups either. Other than to be, of course, annoying.

“Nothing.” Lance finally says. Keith hears the grin in his voice, which only proves to irritate him a little more. ‘Nothing’ his ass. “Continue with what you’re doing, Mr. ‘I’m-Too-Good-For-Socialization’.”

(Lance, as always, tries to annoy Keith by making his exercise harder. It doesn’t work. At all.)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7214380 Kiss Me If You Want Me by Barkour 3k, Keith/Lance, sex pollen, sex comedy,

Lance has an epiphany and Keith makes a confession. Also, they fuck.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7444777 kiss me (on the mouth) by ashinan 3k, Keith/Lance, frottage, hand jobs,

The training room was the only place Keith felt fully in control. Until Lance walked in. Then - well, everything tended to get a bit heated when they were together.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7352212 we'll make it, you and me by asexualrey 6k, Keith/Lance, injury,

"Keith, if we make it out of this alive, I'm going to kiss you."

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7387033 Stormchasing by sinelanguage 18k, Keith/Lance, adventure, forced proximity, injury,

This isn’t how Lance intended to spend his vacation, chasing after Keith’s premonitions. But here he is, and he’s one hundred percent blaming Keith for all the trouble they’re about to get into. Keith makes bad decision, Lance makes mistakes, and both of them are stuck together on a space pirate adventure neither of them asked for.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7381330 Your Grace Is Wasted by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) 12k, gen, 5+1,

Five times that no one was thinking of Shiro as a dad.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7537744 Acceptable Behavior by eso (cazzy) 3k, Keith/Lance, frottage, biting,

Keith's chest heaves with the exertion of dueling a killer robot while simultaneously managing to open the air lock door in order to save his fellow paladin's life, and Lance thinks, Oh, fuck.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7332526 the whole town's sleeping by astrainclinant 17k, Shiro/Keith, slow burn, pining,

Of inevitability and stars.

Alternatively, how Keith and Shiro come together.

http://archiveofourown.org/series/502696 After The Fire series by WineBoxConfessions 54k, Pidge/Shiro, alien marriage, trans character, memory loss, PTSD,

He refused to let anyone know about the heavy arm draped over his chest. The firm hand on his shoulder designed to send a message to anyone nearby. Pidge didn’t expect things to stay the same. People do strange and extraordinary things when they’re under extreme duress…He hadn’t expected to lose his best friend completely.

such a good

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7452358 the electric synthesized pop ballad of why keith can’t have nice things by kay_cricketed 10k, Keith/Lance, a/b/o elements,

Keith can't have nice things. That's it. That's the story.

(Or, in which Keith slowly learns that sometimes the best family is the one you make, Pidge has strong feelings about peanuts, Lance has a secret but would've spoken up sooner if he'd known it would break Keith's brain, Hunk is the actual best, and Shiro is just relieved he didn't have to give anyone the Talk.)

yes this is fantastic,. i love the take on the a/b/o trope.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7631584 what are you willing to do? by aknightley 3k, Lance/Keith, pwp, bareback,

They fuck in the Red Lion.

"This is such a bad idea," Lance says, running his hands down Keith's sides and jerking his shirt out of his pants.’

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7374097 What a Healing Pod Can't Repair by Remember_Me 36k, Keith/Lance, angst, h/c,

The compromised wormhole was ripping apart at the seams, sending everyone spiraling away in completely different directions. Lance could feel himself being pulled and bent in ways he was definitely not supposed to be. -- Stitching the team back together after everyone is separated is difficult, and for one Paladin rescue wouldn't be coming for a very long time.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7690066 pepsicola by stalemateBecks 10k, Keith/Lance, pining,

It starts like this: Lance looking up at the scoreboard only a few days into his Garrison training and muttering to himself, “What the hell kind of a name is Keith?”

-- Or, Keith and Lance fall in love. Eventually.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7777147 blow me up by zxrysky 4k, Keiith/Lance, power bottom!Keith,

Keith has no idea how this starts, whatever this is. All he knows is that Lance is hot, objectively, incredibly attractive with slim hips and tan skin and legs that go on forever, and yeah, Keith is attracted to that. Lance, for all his smart talk and irrational flirting with every girl he sees, is something that, weirdly enough, makes Keith like him.

Maybe it’s how unattainable he seems. Maybe it’s how fucking straight he seems, but after every mission he gives Keith this look, running his eyes up and down Keith’s body and giving him a tired, happy smile that makes Keith’s abdomen flip up and over inside.

-=-

Keith has a thing for Lance. He acts on it.

http://archiveofourown.org/series/520738 Make me come (again) series by MatrixCube 13k, Hunk/Lance, pwp, slight d/s, voyeurism, breath play, strength kink, rough sex,

At the Garrison, Lance hooks up with people and enjoys life - if it weren't for a certain 'problem'. One night, he confesses to his roomie Hunk that he can't come from simply having sex with someone; he needs a bit more than that.

Good for him that Hunk is willing to help him out.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7739998 Take It from Me by onestrangenovelist 9k, Keith/Lance, kissing,

“Well,” Keith says. “Are you going to kiss me back, or are you just that awful at kissing?”

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7579015 No Phone Service in Space by lemoninagin 6k, Keith/Lance, UST, awkward boners, accidental bondage, forced proximity,

“Oh man, you’re actually kinda sexy when you’re being all cocky, oh no. What have you done to me?” Lance lamented, turning his head to the sky and doing a cross motion, hand skipping from his forehead, down to his chest, then across each shoulder in silent, dramatic prayer.

Keith couldn’t believe it. He almost threw Lance in the weird river nearby. “What have I done to you? Are you fucking kidding--”

Lance clapped a hand on each of Keith’s shoulders, his face set into rigid determination. “Keith, real talk. Can I kiss you?”

my absolute favourite trope is awkward boners ok? especially combined with forced proximity,it’s the actual best fucking fight me

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7452727 like the north star itself by raewrites 2k, Hunk/Lance, pwp,

“You got plans, big guy?” Lance asks, grinning crookedly as he lifts his legs and hooks them around Hunk’s back, pulling him forward. Hunk stifles a laugh, opting to comment on the sharp boniness of Lance’s ankles instead, earning a half-hearted kick and a declaration to fight in return. “I’d win in a fight against you.” Hunk says, leaning over Lance to press the words against the flushed skin and fluttery pulse of the other’s neck, “I’d toss you over my shoulder like a sack of spare parts.”

Lance makes a low noise in the back of his throat like he wouldn’t particularly mind this.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7553101 A Regular Thing by cattchi 2k, Hunk/Lance, kissing,

Lance has never been kissed and Hunk is a really, really, REALLY good friend

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7762459 Ocean Frogs by surveycorpsjean 5k, Shiro/Shiro, smut, hella filthy,

He's boiling.

http://archiveofourown.org/series/522925 Real Lions AU series by Titans_R_Us ~8k, gen, fluff, lions,

“Should I be closing my eyes? I feel like this is something I should be closing my eyes to.” Pidge says.

yesssss, this pleases me. so much <3

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7558720 You Smell Like Trash by BoxWineConfessions 29k, Canon-AU, Keith/Pidge, slow burn,

“Garrison,” Keith hisses he turns his head in every direction trying to identify something, but can’t. “You’re a lot of trouble you know that.” He takes his knife from his belt and holds it in one hand. “Just follow my lead. You were kidnapped. You know, vulnerable smart shrimp.”

She feels the knife at her throat. Yeah. Like that explains it.

Or: Pidge meets a badly dressed smelly guy out in the desert. When he's not trying to get her killed, they actually make an okay team.

http://archiveofourown.org/series/500086 Ventures in Viridian series by The Qing ~35k, Lance/Pidge, slow burn, bickering, pranks,

On the hunt for their lost comrades, Pidge and Lance trade barbs, boasts, and battle scars in the boundless void.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7499001 Shadows of Our Dreams by KUG 10k, gen, h/c, fluff, cuddles, bed sharing,

-There comes a time and place where you don’t stand so tall-

The Paladins of Voltron have been reunited and are now resting and trying to heal, but nightmares tend to stick around longer than physical injuries. Time for a good ol' fashioned sleepover with the team.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7748638 bruises by Chaosandthecalm 3k, Keith/Lance, love/hate,

"Show me how much you hate me.”

Keith wants to know what Lance's problem is. The answer might surprise him.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7502169 My Youth Is Yours by MilkTeaMiku 29k, Keith/Lance, fluff, kid fic, de-aging,

An unforseen blast in the middle of a battle de-ages Lance into a child for a week.

Keith does not understand babies.

too cute

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7843912 Shiro is a Smitten Kitten by memoriesofrain 921 words, Shiro/Lance, pining,

He didn't know how it happened, but Shiro found himself faced with an inevitable truth: he was head over heels for Lance.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7844677 Let The Water Lead Us Home by LynnLarsh 12k, Keith/Lance,

He’d just wanted a glimpse. It was stupid and childish and selfish, but he’d just wanted one more look out on the ocean, one more peek in the window of his family home, just in case they never made it back to Earth. Just in case he never got another chance.

But this wasn’t the Holo-Deck from Star Trek. And this broken simulator tube wasn’t going to be able to do any of that for him, now was it?

A.K.A - Lance finds himself stuck in a simulation and Keith is determined to get him out.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7890214 The Game is up by WHUMPBBY 2k, Nyma/Lance, dub-con/non-con, bondage, alien sex,

There was this prompt on Voltron kinkmeme about Nyma fucking Lance once he's tied to a tree that caught my fancy. This is what we're getting here, folks;] *********

He stepped to her first, with a curious tilt to his mouth that she suspected was supposed to look flirtatious. She hooked him in with just a look and a spark of interest, encouraging his silly antics with a smile and a nod. It was supposed to be a quick con, but she genuinely liked the boy from the first look - he seemed young, inexperienced and gagging for it.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7738513 Trembling Lips by nonna 17k, gen, 5+1, angst, whump,

Lance is an emotional person who cries easily (and does the trembly-lip thing a lot) but tries to stay strong in front of the team.

Five times Lance stopped himself from crying in front of his teammates, and the one time he couldn't hold it back.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7883014 thread our way through a string of stars by steelthighsvoideyes 22k, AU, Keith/Lance,

Lance is a humble astrophysics student trying to conduct research, which turns out to be a bit difficult to do when he finds a strange guy sitting in his customary research spot. A strange guy looking for aliens, no less.

Lance isn't going to stand for this.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7835008 Standing in the Eye of the Storm by erisgregory 1k, Keith/Lance, pwp, angry sex, frottage,

shameless pwp set in the training room after a fight.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7834108 i'd get lost in space with you by TimmyJaybird 30k, Keith/Shiro, trans character, dysphoria, pre-series, pining, angst,

Keith never expected to fall so hard for someone as he did Shiro. He never expected to find support in someone they way he did in Shiro.

He never expected to lose someone like he lost Shiro.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7939960 A Romantic Guy by MatrixCube 3k, Hunk/Keith, pwp, bruises, biting, intercrural,

“You like that?”

Keith nods eagerly, looking down on Hunk’s hands wandering to the inside of his legs. The skin is more tender there, more sensitive, and wow, Hunk’s complexion is a nice contrast to his own skin—

I want him to grab me so hard that it’ll leave bruises. The sudden thought goes straight to his cock. He really, really wants that. “More,” he breathes, and can see Hunk smiling at him.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7918087 Another Love Of Mine by maxsaystowrite 13k, Alfor/Coran, pre-series,

They were King and Advisor. They were Paladins. They were friends. Coran always knew he would be loyal to his king, he never thought he would fall in love with him, raise his daughter, be the last of his subjects. Loyalty and promises never fade. And love strikes more than once for some.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7344679 Boom Crash the Sound of My Ship by maychorian 40k, gen, action, h/c, sick!fic, PTSD, cuddling, (bed sharing, bonding)

After a Galra attack splits Voltron, the blue lion is damaged and falls toward the jungle planet below. Shiro follows, and now he and Lance are stranded in hostile territory, fighting to survive. Lance is injured, Shiro is having flashbacks, and help is far away. And the Galra just...keep coming.

A fantastic read. The entire series, called Boom Crash, is magnificent. It handles trauma and the after effects, and how to deal with it in a very skilled manner. I love the interactions between the paladins, the bond between them and the one between Lance and blue is a delight to read. Also, as a bonus, Coran great role in this.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7851415 Dirty by Rambutans 5k, Keith/Lance, domestic nudity, fluff,

Keith is a nasty dirty boy and Lance decides its his responsibility to clean him up.

(This is a gross domestic fluff fic about Keith's poor hygiene skills don't let the description fool you.)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7892755 sedated by Chaosandthecalm 3k, Keith/Lance, pwp, rimming, sex buddies,

Sometimes Lance needs some help falling asleep.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7984711 adrenaline by Chaosandthecalm 2k, Keith/Lance, pwp, first time,

Sometimes Keith just needs Lance.

the continuation of sedated, recced above

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7975522 Isn't There a White Knight by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) 7k, gen,

Kink Meme FIll: "In the first episode, Lance says that Shiro is his hero. But Shiro is still just a guy in his mid twenties, and we've seen him join in on silly stuff ("Blam blam blam!").

So what I want is five times Lance sees Shiro do dorky, ridiculous things, and one time he realizes he'd still follow this dork to Hell and back."

C'mon, as if I could pass that up.

it’s important to me that Shiro gets to be a dorky twenty something and not just the responsible adult. also, i kept the tab open on my phone for about a week and whenever i saw the title i got that damn song stuck in my head.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7898674 Three Is Not A Crowd by HK44 8k, Hunk/Lance/Pidge, threesome, polyamory,

He felt his face heat up, pressed his hand to the back of his head and gazed studiously at the wall. “Do you, Pidge, want to. Bang. With me. And- and Hunk.”

Her eyes flickered and she gazed studiously at the ground. “Um, sure. Sounds good.”

Whoever said three was a crowd, was a fucking idiot.

Edit: There is now a third part which also features Keith \o/

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7971835 breathless by zxrysky 6k, AU, Keith/Lance, mermaids,

"You shouldn't go out to the sea at night," their grandmother says. She's in a rocking chair, old and creaky, her withered body settled with a shawl around her shoulders, wrinkled fingers gripping the edges of the arm rest. "Don't risk it."

"Risk what?" Shiro asks, eyes wide. He's fourteen, just a young boy, on the cusp of maturity, arms wrapped around his younger brother as they sit before their grandmother.

His grandmother pauses for a while. "There is danger in the sea."

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7559206 A Song of Me Song in Need by vagrantBreath 9k, Lance/Shiro, depression, torture,

Everything is okay. Got it? Lance is fine. Everything is fine. No one needs to worry about him.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7480611 Releasing Control by batbooty 1k, Lance/Shiro, fantasising, masturbation,

Spicy bara titties thinking about your favorite blue paladin, at night (AT NIGHT).

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7888423 Massage by Minter_W 3k, Lance/Shiro, massage, fluff,

Lance is so stressed out that it's causing his back to hurt; a lot. After Lance misses a training session, Shiro comes to check up on him. He ends up giving Lance a massage.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7938886 your hands in the holes of my sweater by ladyfnick 7k, Shiro/Keith/Lance, 5+1, polyamory, cuddling, bed sharing,

So it turns out that space is hella cold, so it's only natural that Lance ends up platonically cuddling with the other paladins. Well mostly platonically. Lance blames space for the mostly part.

(idk why but i really love that title??)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7924666 Intergalactic Space Lothario by NeedMoreCyanInk 4k, Keith/Lance, kissing, wrestling,

“What the hell are you doing?” “I panicked.” Keith sighs deeply. He feels funny all over, all jumbled up and lightheaded. His face is so hot. “For once can you not think with your damn libido?”

Cabin fever is driving everyone nuts. Keith and Lance wrestle.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7957831 i can't help but want by aknightley 16k, Keith/Lance, slow burn,

Lance deals with the aftermath of being sucked into a black hole and stranded on an alien planet.

When Lance wakes up, all he can see is blue.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7978024 For Science by kali_asleep 13k, Shiro/Pidge, slow burn,

It didn't take five years of hurtling through space with a ragtag group of galactic defenders for Shiro to figure out which fires to put out, and which fires to ignore.

But when Pidge and Hunk's zany experiments - "for science" - start hitting close to home, Shiro starts to wonder if maybe there are some fires that are better left to burn.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7906597 A Shove Towards Love by General_Button 30k, Keith/Lance, alien rituals, soul mates, minor forced proximity,

A simple rescue mission turns into chaos when the species on the planet Novaria take an interest in the lives of two of its paladins.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7520926 Let me be your Fairy God Bro, Cinderella by RebornFromSeas 807 words, gen, fluff, trans character,

Lance is left with more questions than answers after Pidge's announcement, and wants to make sure she's okay.

supportive!Lance is my favourite

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7813126 Nightmares by Trashness 14k, Keith/Lance, fluff, bed sharing,

Lance's nightmares are getting out of control. It's effecting his and the team's performance, but he's at a loss for how to fix this.

Apparently sleeping next to a warm body helps.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7406107 Short Hair by ElfGrove 6k, Shiro/Pidge, pining, PTSD, fluff,

Just some quick, self-indulgent fluff themed around the changing hairdos of the two characters.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7801666 gabriel done came to me (and kissed me in my sleep) by ilgaksu 1k, Keith/Lance, backstory, Texan!Keith,

“Dude,” Lance says, almost reverent if it wasn’t for the glee in his eyes, “How are you even real?”

this is beautifully written.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7794772 We Don't Fear Those Sleepless by NightsGears 13k, gen, implied relationships, PTSD, fluff, h/c, bed sharing,

It’s difficult to tell how long after, especially when there’s no clock and the only others who could really tell what time it is don’t use the same system, but days, cycles, hours, ticks, or whatever later, the dynamics between the paladins shift from communal to familial.

Or, the team has sleepovers and work through their issues together as a family.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7811833 Last One Home by nawsies 6k, Lance-centric, minor keith/lance, isolation,

After being flung through space Lance ends up alone at the far reaches of the galaxy waiting for a pick-up. It'll be a long time coming, but hey, at least the atmosphere wasn't 10% heroin.

"Sometimes Lance would sleep in Blue, her quiet whirring similar enough to the sound of the castle he could lie to himself, say he was back on board the ship and he’d wake up to Hunk’s cooking and Pidge’s latest invention...Lance enjoyed people, he enjoyed making other people happy and his own company was never as good as another person’s laugh at his joke, or even at his expense. The Paladins were the best people he’d ever met, family excluded, and he missed them more than he cared to admit. He’d been away from Earth for a long time now but it was only since landing on this planet that he really felt like he was away from home."

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7465554 Deprivation Clarity by milky (milky_teacup) 6k, Lance/Shiro, rough sex, wall sex,

When Shiro's Galra prosthetic malfunctions, it takes patience and good leadership skills to wait out for assistance.

holy hell

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7617793 Just Static by Jessadilla (wobblyarms) 84k, Keith/Lance, slow burn, h/c, pining, injury,

--Static---- -iro, Hunk, Kei---, nybody? I’m---- -static-- --I’m sorry guys. This is all my-- --static--cc-- ---I found my coordinates. They’re-- -stttcc- -guys. I hear something--- --scccc- -end transmission-

Alone on a hostile planet, transmissions aren't getting through. How did it come to this?

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7727824 Feel the Bonds by amycoolz, SylviaW1991 53k, Keith/Lance, smut,

Being a paladin of Voltron is honestly the coolest thing that ever could've happened to Lance, but the people who should know probably never will. What could his family possibly think of him being gone for so long? But he can't think about them. He can't. He has to defend the universe and apologize to Keith for being a dick to him. Again. And, holy crow, is Keith checking him out? Please?

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8031721 like honey by manamune 4k, Keith/Lance, dom/sub,

Keith wants to lose control.

Lance has always liked helping people.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7991536 got got got it bad by kairiolette 10k, Keith/Lance, pining, 5+1,

"He leans in to hook his arm around Keith’s shoulders in full. It’s right in Keith ear, when he speaks. “I have a crush on someone new, like, every week.”

“No—it's not someone.” Keith brings his head up, and it feels as heavy on his neck as if it were his center of gravity, and he meets Lance’s eyes with his own. Keith doesn’t mean to communicate something through their silence, he just kind of gets caught up in staring at Lance’s face, which tends to happen lately. Sharp features, cheekbones and chin. Impossible eyes and a loud mouth as expressive as his eyebrows. But Lance seems to come to some understanding on his own. He sits back in a rare, rare moment of speechlessness, that mouth of his slightly pursed and twitching in its search for words in what can only be, though Keith doesn’t know much about body language, immense confusion on the brink of realization."

Or: Keith acknowledges his feelings for Lance and promptly goes through the five stages of grief.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7991188 The Love of a Hero by quartetship 3k, Shiro/Lance, fluff,

That guy's my hero.

Lance had always idolized Shiro, but never had he dared to believe they would grow to be as close as they had become...

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7644025 Being an Idiot (the story of Lance) by Holle_wood 11k, Hunk/Keith/Pidge/Shiro/Lance, polydins, langst,

He’ll fake it till he makes it.

Lance is the dumb one (just not dumb enough).

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8073454 Eyeliner 101 by TinyShinyUnique 4k, Shiro/Pidge, fluff,

Pidge is still struggling to get the feminine parts of her personality right. She has Allura for compassion, she has Lance for tips, but when it truly counts, her go-to-person is Shiro. Her little crush on him sometimes gets in the way though.

Or: Shiro teaches Pidge how to apply eyeliner.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8100694 blame it on the space booze by bishounen_curious 13k, Keith/Lance, aphrodisiacs, smut,

Lance was too much of an ass, Keith far too impulsive, and Shiro just wanted to have a good time. And, well, why exactly would they drink all that space booze when they had no idea what it actually was?

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8109046 That's Rough Buddy by JoyouslyNeonLeon 2k, Lance/Shiro,

“Oh uh…okay...” Lance says, “what's his problem?” Pidge shrugs, grinning from ear to ear, “no idea man.” ------ In which Shiro has a crush, Lance is (mostly) oblivious, Pidge is planning something, Keith and Hunk are buds and I get my much desired beach fic.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7879444 Good Boys by Jennypen 18k, AU, Keith/Lance/Shiro, Lance/Shiro, voyeurism, exhibitionism, porn,

Keith searches the wrong thing on pornhub and gets a whole lot more than what he bargained for.

This is so good you guys *cries a bit* Was reading this while commuting to school and had to quit at a vital point and then i spent the entire lesson thinking about what would happen next. i didn’t absorb a word the teacher said.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7569946 ghost of a king by ashinan 27k, Keith/Lance, h/c, injury,

During a routine recon mission turned ambush, Lance and Blue must take drastic measures to ensure their survival. The aftermath leaves Lance lost and dreaming, and the team helpless to the possibility that, without a guide, he won't make it back.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8130655 need to believe you could hold me down by pageleaf 2k, Allura/Shiro, strength kink, slight dom/sub,

"Oh," Allura says sheepishly. "Oh no, that was just me."

Shiro's eyes widen. "It...wasn't the shapeshifting?"

"No," Allura says. "Just my normal level of strength."

"Oh," Shiro says blankly. "Oh. Okay."

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8144162 Tidal by noero 1k, Keith/Lance, bed sharing,

Although Keith may not consider himself a theorist, he figures the impulse that fuels his own inertia is the only force that can stop Lance’s aimless velocity. They just fit. Far be it from him question the laws of nature.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7679188 Under His Care by BoxWineConfessions 52k, AU, Shiro/Keith, slow burn, injury,

Keith is living his childhood dream of co-owning the city's most famous motorcycle customization and repair shop. He spends a lot of time with Lance, Hunk, and his best girl Peaches (A 1972 Yamaha DS7). Life is pretty decent, even when he makes the mistake of answering the phone and Lance's mom is on the line chiding him about something he's pretty sure Lance is responsible for anyway.

Until the accident.

Apparently having a stupidly hot physical therapist is a pretty good pain killer.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8118802 Foundations by needchocolatenow 13k, AU, Keith/Lance,

When Keith met Lance, it was over a briny sea.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8166058 Garden of Beginnings by needchocolatenow 5k, Keith/Lance, fluff,

Hunk gets a criminal record, Pidge might have blackmail on Keith, and Shiro's wondering what happened to his shirt.

Keith and Lance fall into each other's orbit and keeps falling.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8157218 An Idiots Guide to Interpersonal Relationships.by Wishunew 5k, Lance/Shiro, pre-slash,

Life is complicated, no one ever makes all the right choices for all the good reasons. Lance usually just gets by on luck. He's running out.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8224040 This Moment Alone by GlitchTheRoboticShadow 1k, AU, Keith/Lance, kissing,

Lance wants to practice kissing with Keith. And Keith thinks that's utterly ridiculous. But what's even more ridiculous? He actually does it.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8137538 They Can Never Know by excadet, grosspaladin 6k, Hunk/Lance/Keith, masturbation, fantasizing, pining, guilt

They're in love.

All three of them in love with one another. None of them can know, they can't ruin their friendship so now it's their own dirty secret. What better way than to take it out by dirtying your sheets and fantasizing about the boys you can never have?

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7966024 Old Sick Boys by leporicide 15k, AU, Hunk/Lance, violence,

Hunk has a violence in him that comes out in the ring. He's barely contained, body vibrating with unused energy. There's nothing more amazing than winning, than fractured jaws and broken noses, split lips and bruised eyes.

That is, until Lance.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8142797 equations for a falling body by csoru 25k, Keith/Lance, non-consensual drug use, dub-con,

“So, good news,” says Lance, voice a little strangled. “I seriously doubt that’s a killer neurotoxin. Or knockout gas.”

Keith, Lance, an alien drug and an enclosed space, and what happens after.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7870165 Like Devo by surveycorpsjean 8k, AU, Keith/Lance, blood, bruises, injury, public sex,

As rival jammers, they're rough, skating around the rink, giving bruises, bloody noses, broken ribs and snapped fingers-

But when the cops show up, Keith grabs his hand and yanks Lance into the storm drain.

And thats how they start dating.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8272118 All In by cheshireree 7k, Keith/Lance, 5+1,

As far as Lance's teenage heart was concerned, apparently everything started and ended with him cradled in Keith's arms. Or something equally as embarrassing that Lance didn't really want to think about.

or, 5 times Keith carries Lance and one time Lance carries Keith.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8279633 own little, pack light by lein 12k, Keith/Lance, trans character,

His name sounds nicer now, echoed in the metal walls of the castle, warmer and more natural, like it isn’t a cruel joke he’s force-feeding the world. Keith likes it more, sounds it out in his bedroom, wraps his mouth around it like it’s important.

He’s Keith, the red paladin, a defender of the universe. Shiro’s beside him and so is Lance. So are Pidge and Hunk, Allura and Coran. This, he thinks, toes curling in his boots, this is a family.

This is more of a family than he’s ever really had.

He likes it.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8341663 Damsel in Distress by birdzilla 6k, gen, humour,

Somehow Lance always finds himself in trouble. Fortunately, his friends are always there to get him out of it.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8296028 Monster Lead Me Home by ColorWheel 7k, Hunk/Pidge,

Pidge feels exhausted trying to fathom out the excuses anyone would have for acting like that. “I don’t want to hash out all of the reasons he’s not in love with me, today. It’s my birthday, let me have at least twenty four more hours to pretend that everything’s alright? I’m even going to let Allura do my hair today.” She flips her ponytail around haphazardly and even Keith can’t deny her that.

Pidge turns twenty one on a Tuesday, but she decides she won’t sort out this heavy weight in her life until Wednesday.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8302577 Like Forgetting The Words by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) 12k, gen, Shiro-centric, PTSD, 5+1,

5 times Shiro forgot about his metal arm, and one time he was comfortable remembering.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7841764 call me, beep me by safra 85k, AU, Keith/Lance, fluff, waff, horrible pet naming habits,

(00:31) Do you think she gave me the wrong number on purpose? (00:31) Or was it a genuine mistake? (00:32) Like maybe she writes funny and I misread it? (00:32) Some of the numbers do look a little dodgy... (00:33) Cause, you know, her threes could very easily be poorly formed eights? And maybe she writes her sevens like her ones?

(00:45) What (00:46) The (00:46) Fuck??? (00:47) Oh good, you are awake!

where lance messages the wrong number and things kind of snowball from there

One of the few fics that ever managed to make ME feel nervous and giddy about them meeting. Can easily be read without prior knowledge of the series.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8319058 Earthbound by GemmaRose 6k, polydins, OT5, mental link, emotional h/c, cuddling, galra!keith,

Returned to Earth after several years in space, the Paladins must deal with the shock of being separated from their Lions.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8328523 A Ladder Most Handsome by wynnebat 757 words, Shiro/Pidge, pining, ust,

The trend of Pidge climbing Shiro like a tree continues, but not quite in the way Pidge would like.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8140553 never saw you coming by dimpleforyourthoughts 47k, Keith/Lance, slow burn, pining, h/c, africa by toto,

Three months in space on his own would have been fine. Three months in space with Lance McClain is a whole other fucking story.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8417293 what i have is right here by epiproctan 6k, Keith/Lance/Shiro, polyamory, getting together,

ometimes it makes him think of their Garrison days. When Keith was a distant white-hot shooting star he chased because he didn’t know what else to do with him. When Shiro was something even farther, something brighter, the center of a galaxy that he never even hoped to enter. But all masses have gravitational pull. Everything in the universe attracts everything else.

Lance is grateful that theirs was strong enough to tug each other in.

or, a treatise on waiting

http://archiveofourown.org/series/575692 punctum series by sublimation 6k, Shiro/Allura, praise kink, soft dom!allura,

“You like that?” she couldn’t resist asking with a smile.

“Yes, Princess,” he answered without hesitation, with the same urgency as when she asked him tactical questions in the command room.

(Allura asks Shiro for a sparring lesson she didn't need)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8413471 Into the Skid by proleptic_fancy 23k, Keith/Pidge+Shiro, h/c, unresolved ot3 feelings,

Stranded in dead space while the Castle undergoes repairs, everyone is starting to go a little stir crazy. A training accident drives a wedge between Shiro and the rest of the team, and things get complicated fast when Keith tries to bridge the gap.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8413474 The Finest Flower by mbaline 4k, Shiro, tentacles,

After a bad crash leaves his Lion badly damaged and his supplies depleted, Shiro is forced to venture out into the thick jungle of this dark, quiet world in search of water.

He soon discovers that looks can be deceiving: this alien planet isn't quite as uninhabited as he first thought.

the most consensual tentacle porn i’ve ever read, even if it’s still pretty dubious.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7425328 your claws in me by burlesquecomposer 49k, Keith/Lance, mind control, h/c, angst, happy ending,

“Oh trust me. When I’m done with you, I won’t be able to stop laughing,” Lance says lowly, and his lips curl farther, and there’s something wild in his stare, and it hits Keith suddenly.

This isn’t Lance.”

Lance falls under the control of Zarkon's Druids, and although his friends manage to get him back, nothing is quite the same. Maybe the Galra succeeded after all. Maybe the Galra merely wanted to tear Team Voltron apart from the inside.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8373805 Your Love Has Shown Me Proof by freshia 13k, Keith/Lance, kid fic, future reationship, fluff,

“This situation is a bit more complicated than we initially realized.”

Lance raises an eyebrow, but Pidge is the one to question that. “Define complicated.”

Allura takes no more time beating around the bush, “Well, I received a transmission. Keith and Lance--from the future, that is--would like to have their daughter back."

or: Lance and Keith deal with a walking spoiler, in the form of a little girl who just wants to get back to her own home.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8391862 Give Them Shelter by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) 3k, gen, fluff, team feels,

Have some freakin' gen fluff, you goddamn animals.

In response to Day 15 of legendarydesvender's Inktober.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8387245 the currents you create by theoddoodisnude 18k, Keith/Lance, h/c, seasonal affective disorder,

Some days, he woke up even more tired than he’d been when he’d gone to sleep, and willing his body to go through the motions was just—tough. Like wading through thigh-high water or running on soft sand that gave under the soles of his feet.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8400094 Voyager, there are no bridges (one builds them as one walks) by dawnstruck 4k, AU, Shiro/Keith, prince!keith, galra!keith, dark!Shiro, rough sex, humiliation,

He wants to fight this human. He wants to fuck him. No, he reconsiders, his thoughts oddly distanced from his physical being. He wants to be fucked, to be held down and taken.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8300251 Routine Maintenance by VelkynKarma 50k, gen, Shiro-centric, PTSD, injury, mild gore, 5+1,

Being an amputee with a prosthetic limb is difficult enough. Having a solid metal alien prosthetic forced on you by another species entirely is even worse.

OR:

Five times Shiro’s Galra arm caused him trouble in some way and another member of the team helped him out with it, and the one time the same arm is the only reason any of them survive.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7454385 Dirty Laundry by Gibslythe 85k, AU, Keith/Lance, slow burn, fake dating, homo/biphobia, pining,

"Two whole months of free laundry in exchange for two weeks of being my fake boyfriend. Deal?” Keith hesitated for a moment. Was this really worth it? Hardly. Lance was an asshole, and he wasn’t sure what fake dating would entail. But, free laundry was free laundry, right? “Alright, it’s a deal.”

Or: Lance makes the mistake of telling his Mom he has a boyfriend coming home with him for Christmas. Keith makes the mistake of agreeing to be Lance's 'fake boyfriend'.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7780750 This love won't ever be convenient by Lynn1998 78k, AU, Keith/Lance, high-school, trans character, slow burn, trans/homophobia, angst, fluff,

*Complicated by Avril Lavigne plays in the distance*

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8539195 a truth so loud you can't ignore by KaijuDork 9k, Lance/Shiro, pining, ptsd, fluff,

Lance decides to start leaving anonymous notes for Shiro to cheer him up, and can't quite stop himself from expressing his age-old crush through them. He doesn't plan on actually confessing to the other paladin, though, because there's no way it could be mutual.

Besides, he never gets caught leaving them, so Shiro won't know that they're from him... right?

this is so damn cute i had to put my phone down in the middle of the paragraph in some scenes.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8481565 Out of the Cold by birdzilla 4k, gen, injury, hypothermia, sharing body heat,

When Hunk and Shiro crash-land on a wintery planet, it's up to Hunk to keep Shiro alive and warm.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8465545 all we have to do aknightley 19k, Keith/Lance, pining, h/c,

Keith gets hurt during a mission, and Lance is not sure how to handle that.

“Lance wakes up on the floor outside of the medical bay, jerking wildly, body a mess of aches and twinges.”

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8460238 I Have and I Always Will by HomebodyNobody 3k, Keith/Lance,

Keith can't sleep and goes a-wandering. Right into the living room. Where Lance is. With his guitar.

http://archiveofourown.org/series/549544 Connections series by Washipuppy ~36k, wip, team, self confidence issues, h/c, cuddling,

The mind is a tenacious thing. Once it grabs hold of a thought, a memory, or a problem, it can be hard to convince it to let go. Pidge has her drive to find her family, though right now she has these communication codes that could help her do that. Shiro has his past, though right now he has his a lion asking him for help and teammates who won't tell him what's going on in their heads. Lance has his doubts. And Keith... Well, he's convinced that Hunk is some kind of Sex God who has slept with both Shiro and Lance.

Now, how to prove that?

Meanwhile, Hunk is just doing his best to look out for everyone. It's like herding cats.

Hunk is great. I love Hunk.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8197430 Broken Cage by AshaCrone 35k, Thance/Shiro, a/b/o, body dysphoria, pregnancy, injury, suicidal thought, dub-con,

Many things were lost to Shiro in the year he was a Galra captive. He escaped with a metal arm, a memory full of holes, and his body changed into an Omega that had recently given birth. All he can recall is someone there with him, holding each other's sanity together with their bare hands. He wants to remember... but he's afraid of what he might find.

Thace had never expected to meet the Champion. He had never expected to find something to care about after being cast out of the military. Together, they struggle to deal with being pawns in a bigger game.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8467450 Carrying the Team by maychorian 5k, gen, h/c, fluff,

Everyone needs a piggyback ride sometimes. Hunk is (almost) always happy to provide.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8371768 Gifts of Rain by needchocolatenow 6k, AU, Lance/Shiro, human and animal sacrifice, gods, smut,

Lance is the human sacrifice to Shiro, the wind god.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8505238 supermassive black hole by epiproctan 7k, Keith/Lance, friends with benefits, pining,

“Keith has always known that he wasn’t going to get what he truly wants out of the arrangement, but he also hadn’t ever imagined that it would just…end.”

aka that classic fic where lance wants to stop hooking up but keith wants something else entirely

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8515021 "Platonic" Antagonism, or, the Unfortunate Versatility of the English Language by obstinateRixatrix 6k, Keith/Lance,

“Maybe you guys got off on the wrong foot, but there’s really no point in pretending you don’t like Lance.” “That’s not it, I’m not pretending I don’t.” Sure, Keith’s not the easiest person to read, but he didn't think he was this bad. At least he caught wind of this frustrating miscommunication before it got any worse. Hunk really did have terrible taste in friends. “Of course I like Lance.”

His admission is punctuated by an almighty clatter as Lance, standing at the door, drops the box of metal he’s holding. “I knew it!” He yells, before anyone can say a word. “I knew you had a crush on me!” “What,” Keith says, out of lack of any coherent alternative. “My space-junk,” Hunk says, looking despairingly at the pile of odds and ends now scattered across the floor.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8520619 uh huh, honey by Reminscees 7k, AU, Keith/Lance, friends with benefits, pining,

Keith knows he’s doomed the moment Lance rests his arm on the wall behind him, leans a little closer and asks what such a pretty face is doing in a place like this: a fraternity house neither of them even go to. Keith stares up into pretty blue eyes and a bright smile that promises a whole world of fun and tells him, “Waiting for you to get me a drink.”

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8546818 The Passenger by keir 7k, AU, Lance/Shiro,

Shiro is rolling on another long haul, only a couple days left till he reaches the drop-off point. His semi purrs along the winding highways under the hot Texan sun with nothing but fields as far as the eye can see.

He does a double take when he sees someone walking on the side of the road, almost unable to believe that a person is hiking along the shoulder of the highway out in the middle of nowhere. His good conscience makes him pull over, the semi rolling to a rumbling halt fifteen feet or so behind the stranger.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8449300 Triple Entendre by QuillFeathers 4k, Keith/Lance, fluff,

Keith knows the phrase. But the meaning of a string of words is more than just the paper definition.

Alternatively: Three situations Lance tells Keith "let's dance".

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8589091 You Can Hear it in the Silence by Luddleston 4k, Lance/Shiro, h/c, panic attack, first time, cuddling,

“Lance had never seen Shiro like this. Half-curled in on himself, hand tight in the fabric of his shirt, breath coming in harsh, unwieldy gasps, eyes unfocused. Scared. He was practically hiding on a corner of his bed, refusing to look at Lance, and that. That was not reassuring at all.”

Shiro has a panic attack, Lance has no idea what to do, but things seem a little better in the morning.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7607410 The Coxcomb by surveycorpsjean 68k,AU, Shiro/Keith/Lance, strippers, polyamory, threesome, fluff

Lance takes the job for the money.

Love is apparently a package deal.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8559784 I Need a Hero by Jennypen 2k, canon-AU, Lance/Shiro, age swap, role reversal, pining,

Garrison freshman Shiro has it bad for senior Lance.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7892101 The Expiation Expedition by IntelligentAirhead, obstinateRixatrix 40k, Keith/Lance, fake relationship,

Lance is well aware that miscommunications can result in horrific, preferably avoidable mishaps, which is why he tries to circumvent them whenever possible.

It just figures that the state of an entire planet's fragile political climate rests on him running straight into one.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8626207 nothing's quite as sweet by dimpleforyourthoughts, thebrotherswinchester 50k, AU, Keith/Lance, pining, slow burn,

Keith is a barista who hates his job. Lance works at the cat shelter across the street.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8609821 Twitterpated by warschach 23k, AU, Keith/Lance/Shiro, domestic, polyamory, threesome, pining,

Keith had a problem.

All right, fine; it was more of a dilemma.

He liked his roommates, like A LOT, but here was the issue they're in a relationship with other each.

Shit.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8620729 So Beautiful, Yet So Unaware by SouthernBird 2k, Lance/Shiro, pining, fluff,

In which Shiro is a pining sap and picks flowers on an alien planet.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8581786 you had me at merlot by DJalien 17k, AU, Keith/Lance, alcohol,

“Oh my God,” Lance says as he covers his face. Keith’s tinny voice blares from his laptop speakers: “What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta.” See, this joke might have been funny if someone charismatic and charming had said it, but Keith’s flat voice and even flatter expression effectively kidnaps, tortures, and then decapitates any chance of it being remotely humorous.

Keith accidentally starts a YouTube channel. Lance, of course, refuses to be left out. It goes about as well as you'd expect. (Ft. copious amounts of wine and a truly shameless number of references to MyDrunkKitchen, DailyGrace, and general pop culture)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8678704 Guillotine by quartetship 3k, Keith/Lance,

Whatever they are, they're frightening, but he likes them all the same.

Keith figures out his feelings and lets Lance know, little by little.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8465548 Smoke Signals by tango1_1 50k, Lance/Shiro, slow burn, pining, PTSD, adventure,

When they say that life flashes before your eyes when you die, they’re lying.

Lance and Shiro get lost. And then, perhaps, they get found?

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7940305 We'll Make It I Swear by Shipperbitch 31k, Keith/Lance, slow burn, gore, amputation, panic attacks, pining,

Lance loses his leg during a mission and it takes a toll on the team, especially Keith. Except Keith begins to develop feelings for Lance during his time alone thinking. And when Lance is healed up, he too has some emotional issues that surface. Eventually they work it out, despite the harsh ups and downs.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8693962 Expecting the Unexpected by Anonymous 6k, Pidge-centric, oviposition, egg laying, pregnancy, giving birth,

Team Voltron come across a peaceful, non-humanoid alien. Sadly, it's dying, and it has one last wish: it wants to lay its eggs in someone's uterus so its unborn children won't die with it. That's how they always reproduce, by laying their fertilized eggs in a willing host. Pidge agrees to go through with it.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8384884 Crossing Lines by Methoxyethane 12k, Keith/Lance, a/b/o, omega!keith, beta!lance, UST, slowburn,

Okay so in retrospect, sitting outside of Keith’s door while he was in heat was not Lance’s best and brightest idea ever. But Shiro was the damned alpha round here and if HE refused to do anything when Keith was suffering so much… Well Lance just couldn’t leave him alone. It wouldn't have been right.

hooooly fuck this is right up my alley and i am a dumpster. UST perfection.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8262017 Magic Me Some Love by KaSaPe 143k, AU, Keith/Lance, galra!keith, panic attacks, violence,

When Shiro's arm gets cut off while he is trying to protect Keith, Keith doesn't see any way to save his life but to break into the Galra's castle and steal some of their magical medicine. But nothing goes as planned and when he exits the castle empty handed he is cursed to look like a Galra until he accepts his halfbreed status. He is convinced that he has condemned Shiro to death - and then he learns of a magician that might be able to help just in time.

Meanwhile Lance didn't expect a Galra to turn up at his door, demanding him to save his half dead (human?!) friend. And he certainly didn't expect to fall in love with him either.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8836030 of friendship & accidental dick pics by kagshina 6k, AU, Keith/Lance, high school, sexting,

Lance shakes his head, “You send a guy one dick pic and suddenly you’re best friends,” he mutters.

(Or, to Lance’s misfortune, there’s not a guidebook on how to act around your new friend who used to be your rival and totally still is even though now you kind of definitely want to kiss him.)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8772118 Induced by GemmaRose 4k, Keith/Lance, a/b/o, alpha/alpha, sex pollen,

Alien substances can have unexpected effects on humans, sometimes pleasant, sometimes not. Luckily for Lance, Keith is more than willing to help him through his reaction to the strange plants of this planet.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8896312 Phantoms and Friends by Emerald_Ashes 2k, Lance/Shiro, h/c,

After an accident during a training session, Shiro is left without his right arm for the night.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8897761 The Demon Haunted by slivered 5k, AU, Keith/Lance/Shiro, incubi, public sex, threesome,

"Well, what sort of self-respecting incubus rocks a mullet, huh?"

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8756821 Heat of the Moment by GreyscaleCourtier 2k, Hunk/Lance, sex pollen,

Lance gets stung by a venomous creature on an alien planet. The symptoms are... unusual, to say the least.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8780950 i see the sky is on the ground by epiproctan 4k, Keith/Lance, Lance/Blue, masturbation, fantasising, pining,

Lance is pretty frustrated, but the Blue Lion is definitely willing to help her Paladin out.

One-Punch Man

because cyborg porn is exciting

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5396942 Repairs by shaunhastings2012 1k, Genos/Saitama, unintentional orgasm, wire play,

Genos needs to fix some of his wiring after a battle. It should've been a simple repair, but it wasn't going quite the way he'd expected. However, Genos didn't exactly mind what happened.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5739763 Distance Removed by General_Button 44k, Genos/Saitama, forced proximity, soul bond,

Pain along his wrist fizzled into existence and then, like a switch, exploded. Saitama stumbled back, fighting the urge to shout, and waited for it to fade.

“What—sensei, are you all right?!” Genos was staring at him incredulously, his mouth agape.

“It’s like I said,” Saitama said, rubbing his wrist lightly. “Something’s happening to me."

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5678506 After-School Karate Lessons by batneko 19k, AU, Genos/Saitama, masturbation, disability,

Saitama has taught a lot of kids, is it his fault he can't remember this one?

http://archiveofourown.org/works/5485139 Phantom Limb by batneko 4k, Genos/Saitama, accidental orgasm, hand kink, scent kink,

Genos doesn't have a penis, but accidentally discovers his brain can make do.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6492796 The Apron by Bloodsbane 18k, Genos/Saitama, pining, UST, clothing kink, domestic kink,

Shit.

The word buzzed around Saitama’s skull like a mosquito, one he truly had no chance of squashing between his fingers.Shit, he thought, observing his disciple/roommate/best friend as he scrubbed furiously at a spot on the floor with a rag. He was on his knees, bent forward slightly, putting all his weight into removing an ugly soy sauce stain.

The straps of the apron fell as if to purposefully frame his ass.

Fucking shit.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6184306 You Know The Fic by Akumeoi 28k, canon-AU, Genos/Saitama, slow burn, sex robots,

Saitama rescues a robot who turns out to be a pirated sex-robot. Then it falls in love with him. This is not what he needed in his life. (Or maybe it was.) Disclaimer: This is not your average smut fic. Come for the smut, get hooked by the comedy, stay for the feels. Trust me.

contains no actual pirates

http://archiveofourown.org/works/6353875 Cleaning Up by Guardian 3k, Genos/Saitama, somnophilia, dub-con, bathing, masturbation,

All Saitama can feel is Genos's bare skin against his own, their bodies pressed together from head to toe. And it feels overwhelmingly good. Warm. Perfect.

It's the most awful thing that's ever happened to him.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7702978 Blood on the Ice by toastycyborg 73k, AU, Genos/Saitama, slow burn, mild gore, violence,

Dragons have returned to Skyrim, but the hero of legend is nowhere to be found. There were stories, three years ago, of his emergence and incredible strength - until, one day, he disappeared. The dragons remain, and now there are only rumours - rumours that the Dragonborn hides from his destiny, that he became a nomad to live in peace and anonymity. There are also rumours of a traveller, a powerful fire mage and conjurer who came to Skyrim in search of revenge.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7568863 Outdated Technology by Hyenabutter (Koryos) 13k, Saitama/Genos, masturbation,

Genos attempts to masturbate for the first time in four years. Saitama is there.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/8055745 No Hard Feelings, Right? by Hot_Stuff, OldBeginningNewEnding 7k, Saitama/Genos, erectile dysfunction, fingering, first time, smut,

“Well— I just….” Another deep breath. “...I just can’t…do it.”

“Date a man?” Genos’s heart deflated at the prospect, hoping his sensei would make this rejection quick and painless. “…A cyborg, none the less?”

“Wha— NO! I mean…Oh fuck, listen, Genos. I’m just going to say this once. I like you— a lot actually…but I just.” His sensei took a last deep breath calming his nerves while Genos’s core stood still.

“I just can’t get it up, okay?”

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7515340 Extra Ordinary by choked_cherry 14k, Saitama/Genos, body worship, masturbation, frottage, minor voyeurism,

Saitama and Genos have been living together for a year, and have discovered an easy, comfortable dynamic between the two of them until Saitama catches Genos doing something out of the ordinary.

Need more? Check out the other editions!

#notdead recs #rec list

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thenerdytomboynewb96 · 6 years

Text

Samantha Allan Park Ch. #16

Any references to TMNT or anything from popular media and culture is NOT MINE. I only own my OC's.

Chapter #16

*The next night, Friday June 13th*

“Whoa! What was that?!” Mikey shouted. “I don’t know, it looks like a metal tiger, but man that thing is creepy” Sam said as she looked up at the t.v. screen for a few seconds before looking back down at her notepad. The two were sitting on the couch together. While Mikey was breaking in his new copy of Wolfenstein the New Order, Sam was sketching and jotting down notes and ideas about a new device that she wanted to work on. “According to Fergus it’s called a Hell Beast. Why aren’t you playing again?” he asked while still facing the screen, absorbed in the game. “Because I’m distracted.” “Aren’t video games supposed to be the distraction?” “Usually yes, but my mind is already wrapped up in something else, and once I reach a certain level of progress, then I can play. It’s like my own mental homework” she said with a smile. “So what’s the assignment teach?” “To find a way to be as strong as you guys without actually being as strong as you guys.”

“Can you explain that in English?” “I’ll try” she said with a laugh. “Obviously I can never actually be as physically strong as you and your brothers. Even if I became one of those super female body builders, there’s certain things that you guys both as mutants and as turtles can withstand that I as a regular human being cannot. Exhibit A. being what happened the other night.” “You mean when Donnie totally saved your ass?” he teased. “Psh, of course everyone saw him save me, but no one was around when I saved him. But yes I’m talking about that situation.” “How are your knees?” he asked, actually peeling his face away from the screen to show his concern. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing more than some cuts and bruises” she reassured. Mikey smiled and went back to playing his game. “Anyway,” Sam continued, “the point is, there’s nothing that I alone as a human being can do to obtain the same skills that you guys have, but if I’m successful in building this device, then maybe I can be a little more helpful than before.” “But you’re already helpful” he said with sincerity, and out of the corner of his eye he could see a smile creeping up on his friend’s face. “Thanks, but there’s always room for improvement.” “So what exactly is this new device?” “Pause the game and I’ll show you.” Mikey paused the game and leaned over to look at his friend’s notepad. “A glove? That’s it?” “Not just any type of glove” Sam said as she rolled her eyes, “it would be electronic. If I can create a perfect design and can find the right materials, I can use a tube within the glove to produce huge gusts of wind that could deflect or even move objects.” “Dude, that sounds awesome! But how would that even work?” Mikey asked in excitement. “Well, I would need some strong metal to form the sleeve, and I’d have to find a way to make it powerful enough to work. I might be able to program something more so with the wiring that if I throw a punch the battery then intensifies how much wind is pushed forward. I’d have to play around with different concepts to see what would and wouldn’t work.” “I guess you’ll be really busy then…” Mikey pouted. “Yeah and so will you” she responded, her face back in her notebook. “What?” he asked as he faced her, shock exposed in his expression. “Well I’m already working with you on fixing up our underground spaces, and I’m helping Donnie with the med wing and with the truck AND he’s helping me with the other vehicle that we don’t name out loud so the secret isn’t exposed. Basically I have a ton of projects that I’m already working on, so I’m going to need my best friend to help me out so that I can get this job done quicker” she said as she put her fist out for a fist bump. Mikey returned the gesture with a huge smile forming on his face. He loved that no matter what Sam did, she always found a way to include him IF he was interested, which the majority of the time he was since everything Sam did was usually either super cool or super fun. It was more so the things she did with his other brothers, like working out with Raph or meditating with Leo, where they went their separate ways for a bit and then eventually met back up to hangout again later. He really enjoyed the friendship they had formed over the past few months and not once did he ever regret meeting back up with her the night that they first hung out back in April.

The two stayed the way they were on the couch for a while longer before Raph and Leo came over and joined them on the couch. “Alright Mikey, save your game now or I’m pulling the plug” Raph stated. “Aww c’mon bro! It’s up to me whether Fergus or Wyatt dies right now!” “5 minutes!” “Okay, okay, okay!” Sam chuckled and looked up at Raph. “Why the rush?” “The Knicks game is gonna be on t.v. soon and I’m not missing it. We missed the last game because there was a call on the police scanner about a robbery and we had to go take care of the huge group of idiots who decided to rob stores in the mall.” Sam gave him a confused look. “Wait, so you guys watch the game here?” Raph and Leo gave each other a funny look. “Yeah…why?” Leo asked. “I just assumed you guys watched from a cooler spot, you know, being ninjas in the shadows and all” she teased. Leo narrowed his eyes at her. “Please, enlighten us as to where a much cooler spot would be.” “Ohhhh the super totally awesome cool spot? You’re talking about THAT spot, right?” Mikey asked. “That one” she replied as she snapped and pointed her fingers at him. Mikey had finished saving his spot in the game and stood up once he got everything settled. “Leo we should totally go to Sam’s spot! It’s way better than watching the game on the couch I swear!” Leo looked back at Raph. The two shrugged at each other and looked back at Mikey. “Eh, why not” said Leo. “Seriously?” Sam asked in surprise. “Well, we do kind of owe you a thanks for saving our younger brother yesterday” Leo said. “Heh, but you can go have the fun of breaking him away from his nerd lab” Raph teased. “Psh, that’s easy.” Sam walked over towards Donnie’s lab and within thirty seconds he was walking through the door and over towards his brothers. “Hey guys, where we going?” The eldest two brothers both threw their hands up. “Aw come on!” Raph shouted. “How’d you do that?” Leo asked loudly. “I got connections to modern technology thanks to my brother and his nerd friends” Sam said as she gave the boy’s two thumbs up. “Figures” they both mumbled under their breath. “Guys the game starts soon so let’s gooooooooo!” Mikey shouted halfway down the hallway through the lair exit nearest to the t.v. “Um, we’re going to the Knick’s game?” Donnie asked in confusion. “Apparently Sam knows of this ‘super totally awesome cool’ spot” Raph said, mocking how his youngest brother made it sound. Mikey heard all of this of course, even though he was standing so far away. “You can mock me all you want but you’re going to flip when you see it!” “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

The group then followed Sam as they left through the exit of the lair that was closest to the t.v. and the rest of the living room area. While they all talked and joked around as they walked throughout different pathways of the sewers, Donnie was curious as to where Sam was leading all of them, so he used a small handheld GPS system to track where they were as they all walked and talked. Once they arrived at their destination, Donnie decided it was time to speak up. “Okay, I’m not heading any further until I get an explanation.” Sam turned towards him and gave him a fake smile. “What’s the problem now?” “Do you realize where we are?” “Yeah.” “Where are we?” “Close to Madison Square Garden’s Arena” she said with an innocent smile. “Yay!” Mikey cheered. “No not yay,” Leo cut in, “you know we can’t go the actual arena.” “Dude, where else can you get a better view of the game than from the actual arena?” Mikey asked. “I assumed maybe there was a place where they broadcasted the game on a larger screen, like near a park or something where we could still hide.” “If you would trust me then you’d know that you can still hide at the spot that I’m taking you to” Sam stated as she rolled her eyes. “I’m not stupid, I wouldn’t bring you guys here if you wouldn’t be able to hide and stay unseen.” Raph sighed. “We’re trusting you on this one kid, so don’t screw it up” he said as he flicked her forehead. She stood there and pursed her lips together. “Gee Raph, I’ve never heard words of encouragement quite like yours.” “Let’s go!” he shouted. “Okay, so here are the ground rules. When you reach the surface, move quickly and whoeverreachesthetopfirstwins!!!” she shouted with one breath as she swiftly pulled her board out, Mikey doing the same with his board, and the two rocketed off towards the surface. Mikey pushed open the manhole cover and within seconds the two were out of sight. “*sigh* why did we agree to go with them again?” Raph asked. “Because we’re proving we trust her…and we owe her for helping save Donnie” Leo muttered under his breath as he started climbing up the ladder to the surface. “Ahh, so this is all Donnie’s fault. You just needed to be saved, didn’t you?” Raph teased as he followed his brother up to the surface. “HE GRABBED ME BY THE FACE! So yes I needed saving!” Donnie called out as he then climbed up. When the three got to the surface, they realized they were in an alley behind a tall apartment building. They each quickly swung themselves up higher and higher along the railways along the side of the building. Sam and Mikey were standing there, pretending to look bored. “Took you long enough” Mikey mocked as Sam nodded beside him. Leo looked around and saw that they were on top of an apartment building that was a bit taller and wasn’t that far away in distance from the top of the arena. He then paused as he realized that the distance didn’t seem that far away FOR HIM to run and leap onto the arena’s roof, but there’s no way that Sam could have made that jump, even for her. “Don’t worry Fearless, I only recently started sneaking in this way” she said. “Wait, how did you know-” “There’s this thing called facial expressions, and yours are extremely obvious and totally give away what you’re thinking” she smirked. “So what was your old method?” “Fake I.D.’s that said I was backstage staff.” “Backstage?” Raph asked. “Isn’t that term used for concerts?” “Yeah, why else would I come here?” She asked. “To watch the basketball game, you know, the reason we’re here now.” Sam stopped and stared at him. “Oh hey, funny thing, I don’t know shit about basketball.” “WHAT?!” the three oldest brothers shouted. “Why are you even here then?” Raph asked. Sam then pulled on Mikey’ arm so that he was now standing in a tilted stance and leaning towards her. He smiled while Sam gave Raph a look that said ‘duh.’ “We’re moving!” Donnie shouted. Leo and Donnie ran across the rooftop and leaped and rolled onto the rooftop of the arena. Raph soon followed with Mikey and Sam running and then leaping onto their boards which they used to travel down onto the rooftop. Mikey then lead the way as he ran over and opened up a curved vent. “Come on guys! We’re going to miss the beginning of the game!” Sam took the lead as she ran forward and leaped into the opening with Mikey right behind her, and then the rest of the brothers behind him. Leo, Raph, and Donnie looked around at the room they were in. They were surrounded by metal beams above them, and tons of different grated walkways below them. They looked forward to see Sam and Mikey racing forward along the walkways until the two jumped and as they traveled downwards, the two vanished. The three brothers then ran after them and stopped when they reached the hole that the other two had jumped through. As they looked down the hole with fear and concern their expressions soon switched from these feelings to confusion. All they could see was the game getting set up down below. It wasn’t until the saw Mikey waving his hands that they knew all was alright. They each carefully jumped down and their jaws dropped when they realized where they were. “Whoaaa!” Donnie shouted. “No way!” Leo exclaimed with a smile. “The jumbo tron?!” Raph shouted.” How did you find out about this?” “Sam said she would sneak up here for different concerts, so when I said that I would love to see a basketball game in person, we worked together to figure out how to get us both in here. That’s when we found that building we were just at and coordinated how to get from there to here and vice versa.” “I have to admit, this is pretty incredible” Leo said as he smiled at the duo. “THE GAME’S STARTING!” Donnie shouted.

Sam thought it was interesting that all four of the brothers were so absorbed in the game and fans of the sport. She was more so shocked that they were all fans of the exact same sport. She could easily see Raph and Mikey being fans of basketball, but she was a tiny bit surprised that Leo was so engaged as well. He seemed to like working out and at times he would playfully get rough with his brothers, but overall he usually seemed to prefer activities that were much calmer where he was alone, so it was a bit surprising to Sam when Leo was cheering just as loud as his crazy younger two brothers. She was even more shocked to hear Donnie cheering and act more energetic then any of them. Sam knew better than to judge a book by its cover, but Donnie never talked about sports, unless he did so when she just wasn’t around. He was always working on a project or jotting things down wherever he could, (there were a few times she caught him writing on the walls because something came to his mind and he had nothing to write on) or playing videogames like the techy nerd that he was, so she found this new behavior of his at the arena both shocking and amusing. She enjoyed seeing all four of the brothers let loose and have fun, especially since she was so used to seeing them act super serious because they were either training or preparing to go on patrol. She was so used to seeing them act so serious and quiet, so she loved seeing them now act so crazy and loud.

Sam looked back to the game and saw one of the players from the Knicks team run up to the 3 point line, dribble and dodge around the opposing player, and shoot the ball. The crowd went wild when the ball swished straight through the net. “Sam who’s that?” Mikey asked, quizzing the girl. She paused for a few seconds before shrugging her shoulders. “Ughhh Sam! His last name is Smith. Based on where he threw the ball, which Smith is he? And don’t tell me you forgot there’s two!” “Ummmmm, let’s see. He took a shot near the 3 point line which means he’s probably a shooting guard, so he’s…J.R. Smith!” she said, raising her eye brows in hope that she was right. “Before I can congratulate you…who’s the other Smith and what does he play?” Mikey asked as he crossed him arms. Sam closed her eyes as she tried to think of the player she was asked about. “Jason Smith…and he plays on the 5 spot on the diagram… so he plays center.” “Aye!!!” the four said, congratulating her. “That’s my girl!” Mikey said as he pat her on the back. “I knew you could do it.” Sam laughed. “I never said I couldn’t do it, I just said that I have a ton of stuff I’m working on so forgive me if it takes longer than usual for me to pick up facts and stats on the sport.” “So what kept you away from basketball?” Leo asked. “Nothing kept me away, I just never got into it. My parents always watched soccer, so my siblings and I started watching soccer, and then when I was in 5th grade I started playing for the first time and I got hooked and I started taking it seriously.” “Well, welcome to the club” Raph said with a smile as he playfully nudged her.

The group of five continued to watch and cheer as the game went on. None of them would ever admit it, but something as simple as watching the game slowly began bringing the group even closer together. This combined with the mix of how Sam had all of their backs the night previous and vice versa really strengthened the trusting bond that each of them was slowly building with Sam. This didn’t mean that the oldest three trusted the girl 110% just yet though. In fact, there were still a few things that they wanted to know about her that they had yet to learn about. But because their youngest brother seemed to be learning a lot more about her, specifically her past, much quicker than the rest of them were, they decided to continue using the more peaceful approach and hoped that she would start opening up to them as they also slowly began opening up to her, even though they would never admit it.

*Wednesday June 18th, nighttime in the sewers*

*Sam POV*

She couldn’t believe it. It had been a little over two weeks but the motorcycle was almost complete. Luckily Donnie had been a huge help, and Mikey had actually been much more helpful than she expected. Mikey enjoyed scavenging for parts that she needed as much as Donnie enjoyed helping put the pieces where they belonged. Now that all the hard work was done, Sam just needed to finish putting a fresh coat of paint on the vehicle so that no one could ever tell that it had been purchased so cheaply and full of dents. She was so busy at work that she didn’t realize that the other brothers had left the lair until she went to and ask Mikey and Donnie for their opinions on the paint job. When she had walked back from their hiding spot in one of the smaller open areas throughout the sewer and had arrived back at the lair, she was confused when she didn’t see anyone but Splinter meditating on the raised circular piece near the living room.

“Hey Sensei, where did everybody go?” she asked as she walked over towards him. “Ah Samantha, I didn’t realize you were here” he said with a smile on his face. “Yeah, I was working on something in another space in the sewer, so technically I was and wasn’t here, hehe.” “I see. You and the boys have all been busy lately. I appreciate you looking after them in ways that only you can.” She tilted her head to the side. “Huh?” He chuckled. “You’ve been teaching Leonardo to cook, and now even Raphael has been showing interest in the activity. You’ve given Donatello a lending hand in projects that no one else knows how to help him with. You’re able to keep up with the duration of Raphael’s workout routines whereas everyone else gets bored of doing the same thing day in and day out, and when the others are occupied or even just want some relaxing time, you enjoy participating in the same activities as Michelangelo.” Sam rubbed the back of her head. She was embarrassed, but in a good way. “Gee Sensei, I hadn’t really noticed any of that.” He shook his head at her. “Sam, do you really think you can lie like that to a wise old rat?” She responded while rocking back and forth on her feet. “Leeeeeetttt’s just keep it to ourselves that I’ve noticed the same things you have, okay? Okay!” she said as she gave him two thumbs up, leading the rat to laugh at her goofiness. “Anyway, did you happen to see where they all went?” “Ah, right! There was an alert on the police scanner saying that a gang was robbing an electronics store downtown, so the boys went on their way.” “WITHOUT ME?!” she shouted. “I’m sorry my child, but they didn’t know where you were. Well Michelangelo did, but Donatello said that there wasn’t time to reach you and that they needed to move quickly in order to catch the robbers.” “Hmph, well lucky for me I have a new set of wheels” she said as she rubbed her hands together. “Should I be concerned?” Splinter asked as he gave the girl a serious look. “Don’t worry Sensei, it’s nothing to worry about. I just have a surprise for Raph that he’ll be receiving sooner than expected.”

And with that she ran back towards where she was working on the motorcycle, threw on a helmet and elbow and knee pads, and rode away down the alley ways of the sewers.

*Turtles POV*

He felt bad about having to leave her behind, but if it meant possibly saving a life or putting a criminal behind bars, then they needed to move fast. Donnie knew where Sam was, and he knew that his younger brother was upset that they couldn’t go chase after her, but time was of the essence and they needed to leave now. The four brothers quickly gathered whatever they thought they might need and they jumped into the somewhat empty truck that Donnie was still working on and they sped away out of the sewers.

“So what’s the situation?” Raph asked as he walked around the back of the van. “An electronics store was robbed downtown” Donnie replied. “So this shouldn’t be too tough then, right?” “I’m not sure, since this gang didn’t just rob any ordinary electronics store.” “I don’t get it” Mikey chimed in while he sat on a couch against a wall in the van. “It’s not like this is just an Apple store where it’s filled with phones and computers. This building is also used for building and testing new technological devices that can be used for a variety of different situations. They’re currently working on a new hand held heart rate monitor, and I’m sure that’s what the thieves are aiming to take.” “Why would they want a heart rate monitor?” Leo asked from the passenger’s seat. “Devices like that are used by a variety of people. Not only can they help protect athletes from over working themselves, but they can also help weight loss patients maintain regular exercise and a sustainable dietary regimen, and they can also help injury rehabilitation patients recovering from an injury or an illness, or a cardiac incident, ensure that their gradual return to full strength and endurance proceeds safely and steadily. Basically, it can help many people that seriously need to monitor their heart rate by allowing them to constantly check it and make sure that they’re alright, and these gang members probably know how expensive they are, especially since this is the latest prototype.”

Just as those final words left his lips, they turned down a corner and saw a few cars start speeding away from the electronics store. Donnie put his foot on the gas and tried to catch up to them, trying his best to watch out for any other traffic nearby. Luckily, this store happened to be on a street with more local shops which meant that by this time of night, most were all closed and the streets around this area were empty. “Is it only these two cars?” Raph asked as he walked up and now stood behind the space between the driver and passenger seat. “It looks like it” Donnie replied. “Alright Leo, let’s take these two out” Raph said as he turned his head towards his older brother. Leo smiled and nodded as he stood up. “You take care of the car closest to us. Mikey will help me with the one that’s further ahead.” Raph nodded as Leo turned towards Mikey. “Alright Mikey, you’ve been practicing with that dart device, right?” “You know it bro! My aim has improved a lot!” “I’m going to go get it set up on top the van, so make sure that you’re ready to fire, got it?” “Let’s do this!” “That device is in a box on the bottom shelf in the back” Donnie cut in as he nodded his head towards the back of the van. “You’re good to go Raph, keep your phone on you so we can communicate” Leo said. “Don’t worry, I got this. Be back soon.” Raph said as he made sure his shell cell was safely fastened in the pouch on his chest strap. He then walked towards the back of the van, threw open the doors, and swung himself onto the top of the van. Once he was able to maintain his balance, he ran across the top of the van and leaped off of it and onto the car in front of him. His weight caused the roof of the car to cave in some and made the car swerve a bit. Raph waited another minute or so until the car was close to an alley. He then shoved his arm through the roof and grabbed ahold of the steering wheel, turning the car into the alley where it crashed into a dumpster.

Meanwhile, Leo and Mikey were getting ready for their chance to attack as well. Leo was starting up a device that was about the height of a 29 inch flat screen television, but it was thicker like a microwave. At the front of the device was a nozzle that could be moved with a controller as to where to aim the darts that were inside the device. Donnie had made the device in case they would ever need to attack an enemy from a far off distance (he had been working on it ever since he was a kid, but he could only find so many materials). Leo would get the device in position, and Mikey had been practicing how to use the controller to set up the nozzle in the perfect direction to shoot the darts. “You ready?” Leo asked as he turned towards Mikey. “Let’s do this bro!” Mikey cheered. And with that, Leo swung himself up onto the roof of the car the same way Raph recently had. Once he was able to maintain his balance, he called down to Mikey, who then helped swing and toss the device up to Leo on the roof. Leo crouched down and laid on his chest as he slowly crawled forward on the top of the truck, trying to get as close as he could to the front of the vehicle so that the nozzle would have a clear shot when it needed to be fired. “Alright Mikey, whenever you’re ready” Leo said into his shell cell which was fastened to a holder on his chest strap. “Just a few more seconds…” Mikey said as he looked down at the controller. On the controller were a few joy sticks that controlled the direction and things of that such for the nozzle’s aim, and also a screen that was connected to a camera on the device that allowed Mikey to see what direction and also what object he would be shooting at. He tried his best to get a clear and solid aim and then *schwoop.* Mikey pressed the button and a dart came flying out from the nozzle and pierced its way into the enemy cars tire. The car swerved some and then crashed into a wall.

Donnie slowed the truck down as they creeped up to where the car had crashed. “We need to start picking up the pace guys. I’m sure that someone will have called the cops by now. Let’s start tying them up Mikey” Leo said after he had returned to the inside of the car and was now putting the device and its controller back where he had found them. “Wait!” Donnie called out. “There’s movement behind us!” “Wait, what? We took out both cars!” Mikey called as he and Leo both looked out the open back doors. “Raph, where are you?” Leo said as he spoke into his shell cell. “I’m up on a rooftop about a street away from where you are. I see some guys getting onto motorcycles!” “They must have hid back while we chased their men in the cars, I’m sure those guys are hiding whatever they went to steal” Leo said with a serious and intense tone. “Wait…whoa no way!” “Raph what’s wrong?” “Where the hell did she get that?!” “No way…” Donnie mumbled. “She’s not riding it…” “WHAT?!” Leo hollered. Before anyone could answer him, he heard the revving of the motorcycles from way down the other end of the street. There were three motorcycles driving away from them, but there was one coming down the street that was heading in their direction. He couldn’t see the face of the person who was heading in their direction because they had a helmet on, but he knew that body size and the slim yet muscular figure that was riding the bike, that and he had seen the same navy blue form fitting track pants and navy blue and maroon sweatshirt earlier that day. “How did Sam get that?” Leo groaned. “No time to talk! Hold on tight!” Donnie called out as he hit the gas and made a U-turn as quickly as he could. As they sped down the roadway, they saw Sam on her motorcycle as she sped towards the robbers. She grabbed what looked like one of her tonfa from the pocket on the side of the backpack she was wearing and swung in out to hit the driver of the opposing motorcycle head on. One of the other two motorcycles (the driver seemed to have a small suitcase tucked in front of him) turned around and sped down a separate roadway, but the other one still drove towards Sam. This time she would be attacking with her left arm, but in this position it was a bit difficult, especially since she had never driven a motorcycle before and barely knew how to maintain control of the vehicle alone. She knew she wouldn’t be able to land a solid hit, so instead she tilted the bike back as both she and it slid forward. She was able to angle the vehicle so that it would slide diagonally some and then collide with the oncoming motorcycle, and as it did, she continued to slide forward. She smiled under her helmet as she mentally thanked herself for wearing the gloves, knee pads, and elbow pads that she was wearing. She didn’t care what teasing might come from the others later, right now these protections were really helping her out, even though the slide was still very uncomfortable and put an incredible amount of pressure on her knees and arms.

Once she had come to a complete stop, she heard a thud come from behind her and she quickly turned over, but it was just Raph who had climbed down and leaped off at the midway point of the building behind her. “Slick, very slick” he teased as he held his hand out to her. “Yeah whatever, I did what I had to…plus that’s also all I could really do” she said as she was pulled off the ground. “Regardless, it worked” Raph said with a smile as he turned away. Sam looked in the same direction that Raph had and to her surprise Leo and Mikey had somehow run past her and were already tying and piling up the robbers they had just stopped. “Where’s Donnie?” she asked. “Chasing the last guy, hopefully the last” Leo responded. “Heh, did you have a nice trip?” Mikey asked as he walked back over. Sam squinted her eyes at him. “I didn’t trip…I thought the ground needed a hug...” “And how did that go?” “Not well, our relationship is really rocky” she replied as the two laughed at how stupid their jokes were. “Guys,” Leo cut in, “Donnie said the guy is circling around, so he’ll be passing by soon.” “I’m using the new ride” Raph said as he walked the motorcycle over to where they were standing. “Fine. Mikey, Sam, let’s go.” Sam shrugged her shoulders. “Lead the way fearless leader.” Raph walked the vehicle back some so that it was hiding in the shadows along the side of the building. This way, if he needed to move quickly, the other biker wouldn’t see him coming. Leo led the way up the building by grabbing onto the beams of the metal stairways along the outside of the building and swinging himself up to the next set above until within a few seconds he reached the roof of the building. He sensed movement behind him and assumed that it was Mikey who was trailing behind, and he also assumed that Sam was probably on his back and holding onto his shoulders, but it was both of them that had moved up the side of the building the same way that he had. He was a bit shocked and wondered if there was anything that Sam couldn’t do. She continued to prove that she could do pretty much anything when she ran over to the opposite ledge and said “I see the truck, let’s go!” and then ran along the ledge of the roof, dived forward, and tucked and rolled onto the top of the truck. Mikey wasn’t far behind her since he wanted to make sure he was close by in case something were to go wrong. Then, Leo followed behind the other two, and once he safely landed on the top of the truck, he crawled over to pull open the doors. He then made sure that everyone was safely inside before slamming them shut behind him. “Leo!” Donnie called out, “while chasing this guy I was able to connect to whatever station he’s using with whatever device he has up there to communicate with an outside source. A helicopter will be here any minute to pick him up. He has a suitcase with the latest prototypes of the new heart rate monitors. We need to act quickly.” Leo paused as he tried to come up with a quick plan. “Mikey, you think you can take another shot?” “What if he drops them?” Sam asked. “Some people might really need those devices to monitor whatever heart condition they may have…” “What are you thinking?” Leo asked. “I’ve seen you guys practice with that device back there, you aim and Mikey shoots. That means you need someone to run up and catch that suitcase. Once that dart kicks in, and depending on which type of darts Donnie supplied, those chemicals will knock that guy out fast.” “What do you have to say about that Raph?” Leo asked as he looked down at his shell cell on his chest strap. “Whatever you do, I got your back down here Sam.” Everyone else in the truck nodded towards one another, and they quickly worked together to form a plan. Minutes later, Leo pushed open the back doors and helped Sam get settled on the roof of the vehicle, and then he also climbed up with the device tucked under his arm. He turned his head to confirm that the revving he heard behind him was Raph. Once he saw that it was his brother who was trailing behind them, he then crawled forward and started to get the device set up in place. He then turned to make sure that Sam was still alright. He saw that her platform was still suctioned cupped to the roof and that the thick lanyard was connected by the snap hooks to both her nylon webbing chest harness and the suction cupped platform. As Leo continued to get the device set up, he heard a helicopter get closer and closer to where they were driving. The next thing he knew, it was over top of the biker, and a harness was being lowered by a thick lanyard cable. The motorcyclist carefully stood up on his bike and jumped, hooking his right arm through one of the two loops of the harness, and he clung on to this lanyard cable as best as he could as he was slowly lifted off the ground, the suitcase tucked under his left arm. “Mikey, you have one shot! Raph, get ready on the side!” Leo called out. Within a couple seconds, a dart was shot from the device, and it pierced the shoulder of the man in the air. Just like Sam predicted, the suitcase slowly started to slip out from under the man’s arm. Sam stood up and took a few steps back. Once she saw that Raph was beside the truck, she then ran forward (making sure to unhook her harness of course) and leaped as far forward as she could. Donnie slammed on the breaks so that the sudden motion would send Sam flying even further forward. This plan worked, and Sam was able to grab onto the falling suitcase. As she then fell back down to the earth, Raph sped up as fast as he could so that he could try to catch her. This sort of worked, but Sam only had one arm available to try and grab onto Raph, so she slipped a bit and fell to his right some. Luckily she was wearing her knee pads and used them to skid across the concrete for a few seconds, her left arm around Raph and her right clinging onto the suitcase. Raph was able to grab onto her and quickly pulled her back up. As she was pulled up, she swung her left leg around so that she was now sitting behind Raph.

The helicopter flew off with the man still dangling in the air, and everyone could finally catch their breath. Raph turned the motorcycle around and rode back towards where the truck had stopped. He parked the vehicle and helped Sam off. “You both okay?” Leo asked as he walked around from the back of the truck. “Ugh, that put butterflies in my stomach” Mikey complained. “You been eating caterpillars?” Sam teased. Mikey playfully shoved her shoulder. “Jerk, don’t make fun of me for being worried.” “What were you worried about? Raph had my back!” she said as she faced Raph with a huge smile. He gave her a more serious look in return. “I’d agree, if you knew how to fall correctly.” “I’m sorry, but what bullshit is this?” she asked. “You fell to the side, how do you fall to the side? How did you not fall straight down?” “I did fall straight down! I only had one free arm! So I couldn’t hold on very well and then slid to the slide!” “Then you need to learn how to grab onto people better” he mocked as Sam rolled her eyes in return. “So,” he began, “how much longer until you were going to let me see this?” he asked as he looked back at the motorcycle behind him. “A few more days. I was painting it today…and of course I let it slide across the ground…” “How long have you had it?” “I dunno, hey Donnie! When did I first show this to you?” Donnie walked past the front of the truck after exiting from the driver’s seat. “Umm, it’s been a little more than a couple of weeks I believe.” “Wait, you did this?” Leo asked as he looked at Sam. “Well, I mean Donnie and Mikey-” “NOPE!” Mikey said as he wrapped his arm around Sam’s shoulder and covered her mouth with his hand. “She’ll never admit it, but this was all her idea and she did 99% of the work!” Donnie nodded with a smile. “He’s right, she helped find a lot of the parts and she’s been working hard on it. I was just an aide on this one.” Raph nodded and raised his eyebrows in surprise, while Leo shook his head and smiled. “Is there anything you can’t do? Anything you’re afraid of?” Leo asked. Sam finally was able to rip Mikey’s hand from her mouth. “NOTHING-” “Heights, bugs, the dark-” “I’m not afraid of the dark!...I get nervous when I hear creepy noises when it’s pitch black…or if the lights go out and I don’t know why…” “So you’re afraid of heights?” Donnie asked in a mocking tone. “Only when it’s a straight drop down, as in there’s nothing ANYWHERE to land on or grab onto. Whatever I’m walking on or hanging from also determines how scared I am.” “Ahh, got it. And bugs?” “AS LONG AS THEY’RE NOWHERE NEAR ME THEN I’M GOOD! I’LL BE CALM!” “Secrets out! We know how to mess with Sam now” Raph said as he nudged Leo’s shoulder. The two brother’s laughed as they walked towards the motorcycle and towards the passenger’s seat of the truck. “Wait, what do you mean?” Sam asked, failing to stay calm as she feared of what those two might do now that they knew what freaked her out more than anything. “Tell me what that means!” she shouted as she climbed up the side and hung onto the door handle on the outside of the passenger door. “Nothing Sam, nothing at all” Leo replied as he locked the door and Donnie slowly began to pull away. Sam heard the motorcycle start up and as she jumped down from the side door she stood and turned toward Raph. “What does that mean?!” “Nothing Sam” Raph replied as he rode past her and ahead of the truck. The truck then followed behind the motorcycle, and Mikey threw open the back doors and held his hand out. “Come on Sam!” Sam quickly jogged over and grabbed his hand as he pulled her into the back of the truck. After he closed the doors, Mikey pulled Sam back and whispered in her ear. She hoped to hear something like ‘don’t worry, they would never do anything like that to you,’ but it made her even happier when he whispered “don’t worry, do you think I’d ever let them do something like that to you?” Sam turned towards him and put her fist out. “Cowabunga” she whispered. He returned the gesture and whispered “Booyakasha.”

*Friday June 20th, Later in the Evening*

“We got here earlier than expected” Donnie said as he led the way across the walkways hidden within the ceiling. “She said that depending on how many or if any stoppages occur that it can change the starting time of their games, so I wanted to make sure we got here a few minutes earlier in case the game started sooner than expected” Leo said as he followed behind. “You see her team yet Mikey?” “I’m looking, but I don’t see anyone that matches the team pictures.”

All day Sam had been practicing with her soccer team for a club tournament game that they would be playing that night. It was a smaller tournament that only included local club teams, which meant that the location was much closer to home than most of the teams tournaments. Tonight was the last night for this tournament, (the tournament had gone on for a few weekends rather than having multiple games in one day) and knowing this, the guys decided that they would surprise her by watching her play. The night before Mikey had asked about where the game was being played, but Sam never would have guessed that they’d come and watch her. Once he had the info he needed, Mikey talked to Donnie who then coordinated the best underground route that would allow them to sneak into the arena. Though the tournament was small, the indoor arena was not. There were tons and tons of rooms that could be used for games and practices for multiple different sports, so it was difficult for the guys to figure out which field Sam was playing on.

“Hey, I see some teams over here, any of them look familiar?” Raph asked as he looked down at a field where two female teams were about to play each other. Mikey took a quick glance and snickered. “Nope, not them” he said as he quickly turned away. “Dude you didn’t even look!” Raph snapped. “Trust me I know.” Mikey walked further down the walkway they were on when finally he spotted Sam. “Found her!” The other three brother’s walked over towards Mikey and looked at the field below. “Mikey, these are boy’s teams! Why would Sam be down there?” Raph barked. “Because I have the coolest best friend ever” Mikey replied with a cunning smile. “He’s right, there she is Raph!” Donnie said as he pointed to a person in the bottom right corner of the field. Raph was astonished, but also curious as he stared at the girl in her new look. Her hair was pulled back in a pony-tail and her bangs were pushed back with a headband as she wore her black and red uniform, a zig zag going down the entire outfit so that one entire half of the outfit was red and the other black.

Just then, a whistle tweeted, and the game began. Sam slowly started moving forward towards the yellow and blue bearing players on the opposing team. Even though she was on defense she was constantly moving around to different parts of the field. A few minutes after the game started, one of her teammates dropped the ball back down the field to the halfway line on her side of the field. Sam ran to the ball and slowly but steadily started to dribble the ball, looking for any open teammates. She saw that no one was open, but with one quick chop she could run down the middle. She ran up to the opposing player, quickly chopped the ball, and dribbled down towards the goal. Within seconds there was someone running right next to her, so she quickly pulled the ball back and passed to some open space near the right wing. As soon as the ball left her foot, her teammate darted towards the open space and took a shot. The ball was shot just a little too high and it bounced off the top of the board. “Ahhh, just a little lower and she would have had another assist!” Mikey cried. Just then the goalie threw the ball back down the field and Sam sprinted to get back. There was already someone covering her position, but Sam went to aide him. She helped corner in the opposing player until he lost his footing on the ball. The red and black bearing player quickly passed the ball to Sam ran back a few steps, and when Sam got the ball she quickly bounced it off the wall around the opposing player and back to her teammate who ran the ball back up field. “She’s fast, I’m surprised she’s a defender” Leo said. “There’s a few reasons,” Mikey replied, “one of the original reasons was that no one ever wanted to play defense because that’s not the scoring position, so she got tons of playing time in the position that no one wanted. The other reason is because of something her coach told her.” “And that something would be?” “He said that scouts don’t always look for the players that score the goals, but rather they look for the players who are able to set up the people who do score. They look for people who can get the ball to that perfect spot so that the forwards can get their goals. He told her that you truly look your best when you’re making someone else look good.” “Heh, so she’s looking for the best strategy even when it comes to sports” Donnie chuckled.

At the 20 minute mark, the opposing team scored a goal, and at the 40 minute mark, Sam’s team scored a goal. By half time the game was still tied at 1-1. The fast pace of the game continued as soon as the second half started. Sam kept pushing up more and more. There were multiple times where she had to sprint back in order to mark her opposing player and prevent them from scoring, but she always made it back just in time to block their shot, or to stick with them long enough to make them drop the ball back down to the other half of the field. Around the 25 minute mark of the second half, Sam blocked a shot taken from an opposing player, sending the ball into the air above the two of them. They both crouched down, but Sam was able to jumper higher than the boy, and she won the head ball and was able to send it to one of her teammates nearby. “Dang, she sure can keep up with these guys” Raph said in amazement. “She has to, she’s not allowed to play on the girls team” Mikey responded. “Wait, what?” “Yeah, apparently she started getting to rough when playing other girls, and she showed me video clips of other club teams around the country. Girls teams can have some tough and rude players, but she was going overboard even with them, so they recommended her play for a boys team.”

Just then, Sam was moving around from open space to open space on the field. She waited for her teammate to take a shot on goal, and continued to run forward even after he did so. The shot was just a hair to high, but after the ball had quickly bounced off the top board of the goal, Sam was already sprinting towards the goal. She quickly ran up and kicked the ball towards the bottom left corner of the goal while the goalie was still in the air from trying to block that last shot. The buzzard sounded from her scoring the goal and people cheered from the stands. “THAT’S MY BEST FRIEND!” Mikey shouted. “Geez she’s fast!” Donnie exclaimed with a smile on his face. The game continued on, and the boys were constantly amazed at how Sam was able to hold her all. She was able to sprint to the ball and catch up with anyone on the field, and not only that, but she had incredible speed when it came to her footwork with the ball as well. She was great at improvising in the moment and just moving the ball around in whatever way she needed to. She was also very aggressive and anytime a boy pushed her, she would push back twice as hard. She wasn’t perfect of course and there were times where she was beat to the ball or when the opposing person was able to cut around her, but the majority of the time the plays were in her favor. By the 40 minute mark the other team had scored once again and the score was tied 2-2. By this point in the game, Sam was playing the sweeper position rather than a defensive wing like she had been the rest of the game. “Why are they keeping her so far back? She should be up by the other goal!” Raph complained. “I agree, she’s fast enough to dribble around these guys, and she’s been making great short and quick passes when enclosed in crowded spaces like the opposing team’s penalty box is right now” Leo added. “Yeah but you have to remember, her mindset is to do whatever it takes to make sure that the ball is staying down at the other end of the field. So while her other 4 teammates are up at the other half of the field, if the ball gets pushed back to her, she can quickly just get it back up to the other half of the field. They constantly practice scenarios like this, especially her and that guy up their named Thomas” Mikey replied as he pointed to a tall boy with brown eyes and short brown hair. “He’s usually the main forward who always stays on the upper half of the field unless a penalty kick is being taken against his team.” Right after Mikey said this, an opposing player had cut around the upper defender who was much further up the field and was quickly dribbling towards the goal. Sam ran at an angle so that it would be harder for him to cut around her. As he kept trying to move the ball in a different direction, Sam was bouncing on her feet and moving quickly so that every time he went to move to the side or diagonally, she was always there to block the shot. She did this long enough for the second defender to come over and aide her in the same way that she had earlier, except this time she was about two steps ahead and closer towards the other goal. She carefully made a short pass off the wall to her assisting defender, who then made another short diagonal pass to some open space beside her. She quickly got the ball, made one quick cut around the offender who had raced back to her spot, and then kicked the ball high into the air. It soared all the way down to the other end of the field to where Thomas was standing. It bounced once and Thomas took a shot. The kick was hard and solid and the ball moved so quickly that those watching could barely even see it. Within that split second, the ball slammed against the wall and the third and final goal was made. The stands roared with applause at the incredible goal that was scored, but the players on both teams were quickly getting back in position. Just as quickly as the goal was scored, the blue and yellow team were sprinting down towards the red and black bearing team’s goal. All 5 players from both teams were right on top of each other in the small space. Sam was marking the player who currently had the ball, and it was obvious that he was not happy that his team was losing. Full of anger and frustration, he got his elbow and jabbed Sam in the stomach. She took a step back and held her stomach, but quickly tried to get back in position after realizing what this one step had just done. The boy took a shot, but luckily the ball went flying into the net above. People were booing since the ref hadn’t blown his whistle, but Sam was able to get her revenge. As soon as that same player got the ball seconds later, she tailed him. She nodded to her other teammates and they understood what she was doing with that simple gesture. One of the offensive players began playing more defensively, and Sam continued to tail the opposing player. Even when he didn’t have the ball, she continued to mark him all over the field. Every time one of his teammates went to pass to him, she was right there to block his shots or to kick the ball away from him. With 30 seconds left, she intercepted another pass sent to him and began to dribble the ball towards the opposing goal. Once again, the male player attacked her, only this time he obviously pushed her down. Sam slid across the turf and once again there were tons of boo’s coming from the stands. “OH COME ON!” Leo shouted! “GEEZ REF! DO YOUR JOB!” Raph exclaimed. “Mikey, is this happening because of why I think it is?” Donnie asked. “If it’s a gender thing then yes. She told me that this happens at least once a game, since the refs know they’ll get criticized if they constantly give her pk’s because people will assume it’s because she’s a girl. So even if guys purposefully push her or trip her, the ref’s won’t do a thing about it. She said that one time, there was this guy who looked at the ref to make sure he wasn’t looking, and then he elbowed her in the nose.” “SERIOUSLY?!” Raph shouted. He paused afterward, realizing how defensive he sounded and realizing how concerned he had grown for the girl’s safety and well-being.

Just then the final buzzard sounded and the game was over. Player’s wearing black and red ran over to Sam and started circling around her. They patted her on the back and her gave daps, treating her like she was one of the guys. “THAT’S MY SISTER! WOO!” shouted a voice from the stands. The turtles looked over at the Asian man standing and cheering from the stands. “Who’s that?” Leo asked. “Jay, Sam’s older adopted brother” Mikey replied. Jay exited the stands and waited for Sam to walk over. He was standing with some other young teens as he waited for his sister to arrive from the other side of the building. “Are they siblings?” Raph asked in confusion. “Yes, but not Sam’s. They’re all related to other players on the team. They’re with Jay because they’re all the younger siblings of people who have older siblings that Jay is also friends with.” “She sure does tell you everything, doesn’t she Mikey?” Donnie asked with a laugh. “Well duh, that’s why we’re best friend’s bruh! I know almost all the main details of her home life.” “Almost? Why Michelangelo, I thought you would know everything by now. You know, since you’re her BEST FRIEND and all,” Leo mocked as he smiled at his younger brother. Mikey smiled back at his brother, but his expression had softened. “She tells me a lot, and I do the same to her, but I can tell that there are still some serious details she hasn’t told me yet.” “Like how she only talks about Jay in the present tense?” Donnie asked. “What?” “You haven’t noticed that? Whenever she talks about her parents or her other siblings, she always uses the past tense, but she uses the present tense when talking about Jay.” The other three brother’s took a moment to stop and think about what Donnie had just said, and the more they thought about it, the more they realized he was right. “Regardless, I don’t want her to feel like she has to explain herself. I want her to talk about her personal life when she’s ready” Mikey said with a sincere smile. “Awww, well aren’t you the perfect gentleman?” Raph said as he threw an arm around Mikey’s shoulder. The youngest rolled his eyes as all four of them laughed. “Hey, what’s April doing here?” Leo asked. Off in the distance, Sam and some of the other boys had caught up to Jay and the other teens, and next to them was April who was chatting away with the group. “Huh, I wonder if there’s going to be a news segment about the soccer team” Donnie added. “Either way, I’m taking a picture and sending it to Sam!” Mikey said. He took the picture, sent the message, and waited. A few seconds later, he saw Sam’s shocked face as she turned towards where they were hiding. Mikey crouched down and quickly waved his hand in a spot where it would momentarily be seen. A large smile grew on his face when he saw that Sam had the exact same expression on her face after seeing that he was there. Her smile then grew even larger when she saw three more hands quickly wave to her, letting her know that all four of the brother’s had come and watched her play. “Alright, let’s go. Until Donnie finishes fixing the small police scanner, we don’t know if the city needs us or not” Leo stated. The brother’s began to head out, wondering what it was that Sam and April were talking about, but knowing that they would eventually know once the two joined back up with them the next day.

*Sam POV after the Game*

“I told you all those practice plays would be worth it!” Thomas exclaimed as he walked next to Sam. The two walked with their group as the team dispersed and walked around the field and over towards where their family members were waiting for them. “Oh I knew they would! You’re telling this to the wrong person, Kyle is the one wanted to keep ending our practices early!” she said as she playfully glared at the boy she was accusing. “HEY! I only wanted to end practices early when I knew we could get free food! I swear every time there was a restaurant with some type of free give away, you two wanted to extend our practice time.” “God all you think about is food” Ken chuckled as he threw his arm around his friends shoulder, playfully wrestling with him as they walked. “Well, now you should be happy that we didn’t stop to eat” she said as she shot the two dorks a huge smile. “See, what we should really be talking about is how amazing my first goal was, which lead to our increase in stamina” Ryan said. Ryan was mixed and had light brown skin with a short haircut and brown eyes. “Oh my god, I’ve never met someone as cocky as you” Nathan said as he rolled his eyes. Nathan had short brown hair and brown eyes. He had some light facial hair and had visible muscles even through his uniform. “It’s called confidence! And I need it if I want scouts to look at me!” “Then in that case, I’ve never met someone as confident as you” Aaron said with a smirk. He was the cousin to Nathan and had similar physical features. “Are you kidding me? We just won another tournament! We’re going to have scouts all over us!” Key said with a huge smile. “Psh, easy for you to say that. If you don’t get scouted for this sport then you have a million other sports you can be scouted for” Ryan said, rolling his eyes. “Dude, I only play a few” Key said. “Let’s count,” Sam cut in, “there’s soccer, basketball, lacrosse, football, and baseball.” “Don’t forget wrestling!” Kris added. “Oh right, and wrestling” she said as she gave Key a mocking smile. “Okay, okay. But you guys know soccer is my favorite out of all of them. So I want to impress the soccer scouts as much as you guys.” “Don’t worry. As long as we all play the way we did tonight, then we’re all going to be living the dream as professional athletes” Kris ey, what’s April said.

By then, they had made their way over to where Jay was standing. “Hey Jay, I totally didn’t know you were here and screaming the whole time” Sam teased as she gave her older brother a hug. “Does anything hurt? Are you alright?” “Yes Jay, I’m not crying and I’m walking on my own. I’m perfectly fine.” “Once again you were incredible out their Sam, way to show that girls can keep up with the guys” said Grace. “That’s why you should join the track team. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge” said Clay. Thomas, Clay, and Grace were triplets and born in that order. Each of them had the same short brown colored haircut, but Thomas and Grace both had brown eyes while Clay had blue. “Oh hush up! How about you do something besides just run!” Thomas teased. “I do more than run…I also do long jump” Clay said, followed by his brother playfully hitting him. “So, did my stupid brother steal your spotlight again?” Angel asked. “I said it was confidence! Stop making me sound like a bad person!” Ryan exclaimed. Angel was the year younger sister to Ryan, meaning she was the same age as Sam. Angel had the same light brown skin as Ryan, and also had black and brown hair with brown eyes.

“Excuse me,” a voice cut in, “but you guys are players from the winning team right?” “April! What’s up?” Sam said with a smile. “You know her?” Jay asked. “Oh yeah. I don’t know if you two have met, but she works with Irma. Not too long ago Kris and I walked to their work building and April was kind enough to give me a ride to a friend’s house. They were actually friends of hers as well.” “Oh…really?” Jay asked. At that time, Sam had gotten a text message, so she didn’t notice the worry in her brother’s voice, or that her friends were all faking their calm and collected expressions at hearing that Sam was friends with friends of April’s. Jay lent his hand out to April. “Jay Allan Park, nice to meet you” he said, fixing his expression so that April didn’t sense his distrust in her. “April O’Neil, news reporter for Channel 6 News. It’s nice to meet you.” “Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to act so clueless. I’ve seen you on t.v. before. I’m surprised to see you here though, since you’re usually covering the latest and most serious news stories.” “Well I do that, and I’m doing that now. I don’t know if any of you know this, but tons of people are talking about this team and are excited to see you in the tournament coming up this summer to see if you’ll be the team to represent New York in the states cup.” “We know” Sam cut in. “And we’re hoping to impress tons of scouts when we fight for our state spot” she said with a huge smile. April gave her a funny look. “You’re much cheerier than you were a second ago.” “Haha, it’s nothing. I just found out that our friends were here tonight” Sam said, a huge smile still on her face. “Really? Were they in the stands?” Jay asked, masking his concern. “Yeah, but they had to leave quickly, so I didn’t get a chance to see where they were sitting. Anyway, is there any way we can help you out April?” “Yes! If you guys are okay, would you mind if I interviewed any or possibly all of you? I’d love to ask you some questions about both this game and the summer tournament.” Sam turned towards the group standing behind her. Each of them smiled and nodded, resulting in a very happy April. “Thank you so much to all of you! Please just give me one minute to get my cameraman and we’ll start getting everything set up!” April walked off, and her and another man (Sam recognized that the man was Vern) began setting up a camera.

Throughout the entire interview, Sam was never able to detect that Jay and their friends were fighting to keep their cool in front of April. They were all shocked to hear that Sam was friends with people that April knew, and they really wanted to ask Sam questions about this friendship. After the interview, they all walked with Jay to the nearest bus stop, thoughts circling through their minds about who exactly it was that Sam was friends with all this time. By now, through word of mouth from different friends and siblings, they knew that Sam was starting to go back to how she used to be and that this was because she had made a new friend. Now it had come out that she had made new friends, which was news to everyone, and they so badly wanted to ask her who these friends were and how she met them. However, they knew there would be consequences if they tried to dive deeper into the subject, especially if she was friends with who they feared she might be, so for now they all stayed calm and collected and acted like they all normally would, hopping that word of this wouldn’t reach ‘him.’

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