#there's a full-length shot in this scene where you can see his belly. stretching the fabric of his shirt just above his waistband. ougghhh

[jimmyspades]

#that first gif... he is deadly #james spader #alan shore #boston legal #* #favorite #there's a full-length shot in this scene where you can see his belly. stretching the fabric of his shirt just above his waistband. ougghhh #trying to focus on how sexy this is but this episode was so. soft and suffering alan #once again everyone expects the worse from him. they ASK it of him for their own benefit #and he doesn't disappoint. he is the worst and he loses his temper and finds himself on the ledge again #when he storms out of denny's office so mad he can't even look at him. went home alone and furious and upset #drank himself to sleep for the first time in months if not years bc after a good run it feels like things are falling apart again #the way they always do. because that's what alan shore deserves #he thought it might be different this time. he thought well my parents didn't care about me. my wife died. I got fired. everyone leaves #maybe this time will be different. but now he's in the hotel room where he lives. without his best friend. about to be disbarred. stupid. #this was always going to happen because he doesn't deserve any better. they were all right about him. they were right to run away #everything is fixed the next day he and denny go on a field trip 🤠 but GD!!!!! #alaaaaannnnnnn 😭

[mlm-writer]

Rutterly Filled (Omega!Wei Wuxian x Alpha!Male!Reader)

Pairing: Omega!Wei Wuxian/Wei Ying (The Untamed ver.) x Alpha!Male Reader (NOT trans-friendly) Rating: Explicit Words: 3416 POV: Second Summary: You have not had a rut ever since you have been captures with the other Wens. Now things are going well on Burial Mounds, your body decides it is time. Unfortunately, your prolonged period of being rutless meant your next one was going to be extreme. Fortunately, the Yiling Patriarch is secretly an omega and you two have been flirting ever since you met. Notes: This is 200% self-indulgent. I saw the twink, I fell in love, I wanted to wreck him. Do I need an excuse?  Tags: Omegaverse, a/b/o dynamics, ruts, idiots in love, being in a relationship without realising it, reader is a himbo, loss of control, magical restraints, breeding, knotting, multiple orgasms, does Wei Ying have a dick and a pussy or a dick and an ass? up to you!, self-lubrication, fingering, blowjobs, facials, handjobs, gēge kink and fuck or die

There was no qi flowing anywhere. The only thing that filled your ‘internal stream’ was utter rage. “I told Wen Qing this would not work without a golden core!” You exclaimed as you got up and started stomping around. The alpha pheromones were rolling off you in waves and you were low key glad you were the only alpha present on Burial Mounds or you would have started a fight the second you caught a whiff of any other alpha.

“It was still worth a try. I do not think there is a way to stop your rut now.” You stomped around Wen Qing. You did not want to lash out at her. Were it not for her concoctions, you would have gone into rut a few days ago without a backup plan at all. Your hands clenched and unclenched at your sides. “There is one thing I have not yet told you.” You let out a grunt, indicating you were listening. “Wei Wuxian is an omega and has offered to help you through your rut.” 

You stilled for a second. The Yiling Patriarch was an omega. It only took a second for you to process. Wei Wuxian was not known to adhere to any stereotype or standard. It was not crazy to think that the Yiling Patriarch, a figure that induced fear and hate in many cultivators, was a fragile omega. He may carry himself around like a big figure, but truth to be told, he was skinny like a twig and if he was not such a good fighter, anyone could snap him in half. It all made sense, it was not a crazy thought.

“Master Wei has saved my life. I am already indebted to him. I will wait out my rut in the tent Wen Ning set up in the woods.” You were already walking to the door of Wen Qing’s humble hut, but she stood in your way. Sometimes you suspected her of being an alpha as well. One never knew, when cultivators could just simply suppress their second gender, making them all appear like betas. 

“You have not had a rut in a long while due to the poor conditions we have been under. Your first rut in a while may be much more intense than you are used to.” You clenched your fist, digging your nails into the palm on your hand. Your eye twitched. “Wei Wuxian can defend himself against you, should there be any need. He is also the only omega on the whole mountain. His only condition is that you do not mark him.” You violently shook your head before you could agree to it. The man was the prettiest boy you had ever laid eyes upon and while you two had been flirting, you had not yet confessed that every flirty word you shot his way was truthful. The thing between you two, unnamed and not yet romantic, was too good to risk. 

You walked away from the door, before you were going to physically lash out at Wen Qing. “I will not take advantage of master Wei. I owe him too much already.” 

“Your excuses are so weak, I’m starting to think that you don’t think I’m attractive.” Your whole body whipped to the door, where the omega in question had appeared with a pout on his face that made you want to kiss him. His lips were pink and glistening. They looked so full and soft. Wen Qing told him to get out, but you already caught a whiff of the omega scent you had never noticed on him before. Before you had any control of your tongue, you had agreed to spending your rut with Wei Wuxian, the Yiling Patriarch. Want bubbled up from deep within you. There was no way back now. 

You followed him and his scent like a blind puppy, as he let you between trees to a tent Wen Ning had set up earlier in case you could not suppress your rut. You saw the dark red fabric in the distance, when suddenly you were caged against a tree by Wei Wuxian. “Scent me,” he whispered into your face and he did not need to say it twice. You rubbed your nose all over his neck and down to where it met his shoulder. You took deep breaths, letting your lungs fill with the sweet and spicy scent that you from now on would know as Wei Wuxian. You didn’t know how long you were rubbing yourself on him and smelling him, but after a while, the fog of alpha hormones cleared and you had a bit more grip on what was going on and what was about to happen. “Better?” Wei Wuxian giggled as he rested against you. You held him close and slowly breathed in his scent. 

After a few slow breaths, you nodded and took his hand to drag him to the tent. It was big enough that you two could stand inside and there were supplies inside, mostly food and water, but also extra robes. You didn’t hear the sound of a lake behind the tent, as you dragged Wei Wuxian inside and pushed him down onto the straw mat on the ground. You crawled on top of him, but as your eyes met his, you were awfully aware of how you were acting. “Sorry, maybe we should talk about what I can and cannot do, before I lose all my patience.” Wei Wuxian laughed and shifted so you two were sitting on the straw mat, facing one another. His robes had fallen open a little and the sight of his chest threatened another frenzy to make itself known.

“You can do anything, but try not to claim me. It is a little early in our relationship for that.” You almost choked on your own saliva and started coughing. Wei Wuxian handed you a waterskin, but you needed a solid minute, before you had enough breath to actually attempt drinking anything. 

“I’m sorry, but… relationship?” You watched Wei Wuxian through teary eyes from your coughing fit. He seemed to turn red in an instant, his face now matching the ribbon in his beautiful silk black hair. 

“Yes? I mean I thought… we always flirt? And we drink together and you sometimes feed me at dinner? We also cuddled when we were drunk? I know we never talked about it, but we are in a relationship or something… right?” You stared at him, a little dumbfounded. He did not lie; those things happened. You just took all those things for things Wei Wuxian would do with anyone.

“I didn’t think of it that way,” you immediately regretted your words as you could see Wei Wuxian’s heart breaking all over his face, “but! But! But!” He looked at you, hopeful in a way that seemed plainly desperate. “I want it to be that way! I just didn’t realise what we were, but I want to be…” There was a flare of hormones and you shuffled forward to bury your nose against Wei Wuxian’s scent gland. “I want you, even when my rut is over, but also now. Right now.” A slight shift and you noticed you were hard between your legs. 

Wei Wuxian might have noticed it too through your robes, because he was shoving at your clothes. You stood up, ripping everything off in a hurry and grabbing Wei Wuxian by his ponytail. You pulled at it until his lips were around your hard cock. You let out a moan of relief, as he immediately started sucking on the length. He resisted when you tried to get him to swallow more of you. Wei Wuxian only took the tip, but with the way he was sucking and licking, it was enough for now. You threw your head back, grunting into the air, while Wei Wuxian sucked you off. His tongue cupped the head of your cock and played with the ridge between the head and the rest of your length. The wet sounds of his mouth seemed so loud in the small space. Before he even took more of you in his mouth, you grabbed his shoulder and squeezed. Wei Wuxian took the hint and with a wet pop he pulled his mouth off your cock. You would have protested, were it not for the hand on your hard length. 

The cultivator squeezed the knot at the base of your cock, everytime his hand was at the bottom of your length. You looked down at him, seeing him with his tongue out, a smile hinting behind that lewd expression, cheeks a beautiful rosy colour that matched his spit-glistened lips. You let out a groan and kept a firm grip on his shoulder. Ropes of cum spilled from your cock. Wei Wuxian’s face, hair and robes were painted white with your seed. When he finally let go of your cock, your face heated up at the sight of him. A mixture of embarrassment and arousal swimmed inside your belly. “I’m sorry,” you whispered out of breath, but Wei Wuxian just smiled at you and started taking his soiled robes off, wiping himself off with a sleeve. When he was mostly clean off your cum, he laid himself down on the straw mat, completely naked and stretched out like a meal for you to devour. 

“Don’t apologise, I want this too,” he confessed with flushed skin and a hard omega dick twitching between his legs. You kneeled down and hoisted his legs onto your shoulders. Your tongue automatically fell from your lips at the scent of omega slick filling your nostrils. Lapping up the slick that had escaped his wet hole and trickled down his thighs, drew a gasp from Wei Wuxian’s lips. “Don’t tease me.” 

You huffed out a laugh at the annoyance in his voice. “Or else? Will the Yiling Patriarch haunt me like a ghost and eat me?” You didn’t let Wei Wuxian reply. You held him up with one hand and pushed your tongue inside, the other hand touching his cock. The omega mewled and moaned as if he was putting on a show for you. Maybe he was. When was Wei Wuxian not making a scene? “Wei Wuxian sounds so perfect,” you growled as you licked the slick off your lips. 

“If you are going to knot me until I can’t walk, at least call me Wei Ying,” the demonic cultivator huffed, his eyes ravishing your body. You smiled as you put his legs around your waist and lined your cock up with his wet hole. 

“Wei Ying is perfect.” And with those words, you slid into his heat. Wei Ying gasped as he stretched around your thick alpha cock, the slick making the slide easier, but he was not in heat. You got halfway, before the resistance became too much. “Wei Ying needs to relax,” you grunted as you rutted inside him, micromovements trying to make further entrance possible. 

“You’re too big,” he complained, hands on your arms and squeezing your biceps. You leaned down and caught his lips in a biting kiss. Soft, pink lips turned red under your onslaught. A hand made its way to his throat and he gasped deliciously against your wet lips. Wei Ying squirmed and gasped for breath as you frantically fucked his hole open until you were slipping in deeper. “So big, too big, I’m going to tear in two!” 

You would be more concerned for him, were it nog for the thick cloud of alpha hormones clouding your judgement. Instead of sounding fearful, Wei Ying’s voice fuelled the fantasy of a helpless omega at your mercy. “Pretty omegas like you can handle this,” you growled in a voice no one woud have recognised as your own. Both hands landed on Wei Ying’s hips and you sat up, so you could thrust inside him with vigour. 

Wei Ying’s voice would have been audible from miles away as he screamed mostly in pain. Coherent thoughts had long left your mind and all that was left was ‘mark’, ‘claim’, ‘fuck’, ‘knot’ and ‘breed’. Pleasure was all on your mind as you closed your eyes to fully enjoy the stretch of Wei Ying’s walls around your cock. That was until you found yourself unable to move. “No! No! No!” You growled as Wei Ying slid off your cock. He pushed you onto your knees and sat down across from you. 

“I’m sorry, alpha, but don’t worry I will not leave you like this,” he croaked out as he struggled with sitting down comfortably. His chest rose and fell in deep, but ragged breaths. You now noticed the redness around his eyes and the wetness on his cheeks. Worry paved a little clarity in the lustful fog dominating your head. 

“Cruel bastard,” you found yourself snarling back, in spite of the seed of worry Wei Ying’s image planted deep inside you. Before even the last syllable left your lips, Wei Ying had his hand tight around your cock and stroked, drawing a guttural groan from you. “That’s not enough, I need more,” you breathed out at the torture that was the grip of Wei Ying’s hand. It felt good, but his omega hole had felt so much better.

“And I need more preparation, I am not in heat,” Wei Ying huffed back as he reached behind himself. You could hear the wet squelch of him fingering himself and it drove you into a frenzy. You demanded being released, so you could once more claim your omega, but Wei Ying did not release you. He let you cum with his hand. Once he needed a better angle to shove more fingers inside, he switched his hand for his mouth, so he could support himself with one hand while he tried to shove his whole fist inside. His mouth felt better than his hand, but you already had had a taste of paradise and this was not it. 

“You’re open enough, please, I feel like I’ll die,” you whined, shortly after you covered Wei Ying in your fourth load. No matter how often you came, it would not be enough until you knotted the omega in front of you. Wei Ying seemed to take mercy on you and he turned around. Wei Ying lowered himself onto your cock. The mercy got you moaning. You could see where you entered him as he bounced on your cock, his hole gripping your length visibly. “Yes, you feel so good omega,” you moaned as he rode your fat length. “Release me and I’ll pound you so good. I will knot you and fill you with my cum and then pound you again.” Wei Ying gasped, a hand moving to his cock to stroke it. The smell of his slick as it dripped down your cock was intoxicating. 

“Gēge, you talk so indecently when you’re in a rut.” You wanted to pin him down and fuck him so bad when he called you ‘gēge’ and Wei Ying seemed to know. The glint in his eyes as he shot you a look over his shoulder was quite telling. “But I’m afraid gēge will break me if I release him. Gēge is such a strong alpha and I’m just a frail omega,” he spoke dramatically, knowing fully well he was far from a frail omega. His words would have made you cringe were it not for the fact you were in a full-on rut. The idea, the thought, the image of him being so fragile and breakable and at your mercy suddenly got something flowing in you. The feeling was unfamiliar, as was the strength it brought. 

You had no mind to think about it, but enough instinct to use it. With this new-found energy, you broke yourself free from whatever was holding you in place and grabbed Wei Ying by the back of his neck. A hard shove and Wei Ying was face down, ass up on the ground with your cock plunging into his wet hole. “Maybe they are right, the Yiling Patriarch is cruel,” you drew a loud moan from the man below you with a hard thrust, “and evil.” 

Wei Ying did not move from where you had him. Instead, he took your punishing pace with the prettiest moans you ever had the honour of hearing. His voice filled the tent with a symphony of pleasure, which only grew louder when you pressed inside and your knot slipped in. Wei Ying screamed in pleasure and pain as you slotted the two of you together and filled him up with your hot seed. 

Still, it was not enough. He was beautiful, had the most breedable body you ever laid eyes upon. How could it be enough to only fill his slick hole once?You only stilled for a minute inside of him, before you pulled out until the knot pulled painfully at the inside of his rim. Then, you pushed back inside, as deep as you could go. Wei Ying whined as you fucked him like that, the knot dragging against his walls and drawing out the melody of pain mixed with pleasure. He moaned and screamed about how he was stretched to the limit, but there was no urgency in his voice this time. 

Everything was a blur from there. Somewhere between rutting inside him and fucking him with your knot, Wei Ying had gone near-silent. His ass had become so open that your knot no longer served its purpose of keeping you inside as you spilled your seed. You didn’t know how many rounds you went, how often you filled the Yiling Patriarch with your load or how often the omega came himself. In one final mind-blurring explosion of pleasure, you passed out. Whether it was on top of him or if you managed to fall beside him was out of your control. 

When you woke up, however, you found Wei Ying on top of you. The smell of sex still hung heavy in the air, mixed with pheromones, both alpha and omega. A groan left your dry throat as you lifted your head to take a look at the man to whom you were indebted with your life, twice. He looked like he was not going to wake up for another 100 years. You tried to brush the hair out of his face, but your fingers got tangled in the silk black strands. Guilt filled your heart at the sight of bruises on his hips and sides. A respectful look down revealed there was still cum dripping out of his hole. 

You untangled yourself from him. It took you a good hour to get Wei Ying cleaned up and placed on a clean towel; the straw mat was completely ruined. You had him on his side, still sleeping peacefully, while you tried to comb the tangles carefully out of his hair. You were almost done when you noticed him stir. “Wei Ying?” You called out softly, hand shooting for the waterskin. You held it to his lips. “Don’t move; drink first.” To your surprise, he obeyed. He tried to sit up, but winced. You took the hint and helped him sit on your lap, the gap between your legs perfect for his ass to rest between with no pressure on it. “I’m sorry. I lost control.” 

Wei Ying blinked at you and then reached for the jar of wine in the corner. You chuckled and handed it to him, still cradling him close. He took a few gulps, before speaking up. “I thought I would die,” he pouted in a somewhat playful way that gave you conflicted emotions about his words. “Gēge, you were such a monster. Next time, I will use a stronger talisman to keep you down.”

You inhaled sharply. ‘Next time’, he had said. You licked your dry lips and nodded, agreeing with him. A signature smile painted the omegas lips, before he snuggled closer to you. “Gege is adorable when he is worried about me. I’ll be fine, I swear. Just don’t make me do anything for a few days.” You let out an empty laugh, relieved and still worried. Another nod as you put a hand on his head, holding it close to your shoulder. You twisted your head, placing a kiss upon Wei Ying’s temple. He hummed happily and closed his eyes. 

“Wei Ying! You need to eat before you go back to sleep!” 

#the untamed #wei wuxian #wei ying #wwx #wwx x reader #wwx x male reader #wei wuxian x reader #wei ying x reader #wei wuxian x male reader #wei ying x male reader #male reader #abo #omegaverse #alpha/beta/omega verse #alpha reader #omega wei wuxian #wen qing #wen ning #lemon #the untamed x reader #the untamed x male reader #mdzs #mdzs x reader #mdzs x male reader

[amorousadepti]

❈ flood in my heart (childe x reader)

another belated birthday fic, this time for dear rat boy (*￣▽￣)b honestly did not expect to fall so hard for this bastard but here we are!! he’s an absolute fave and im not ashamed. actually Would have gotten this one out at the right time but my internet decided to quit on me so :^) sorry 

summary: childe has plans for you on his birthday. you have plans of your own. the day takes a turn neither of you expect, but you’re not complaining (gn!reader, no pronouns or anatomy descriptions)

warnings: loosely-described fight scene, vague violence, childe being childe

length: 2.7k

The letter is delivered first thing in the morning, sitting on your tray of breakfast and propped against your steaming teacup.

You take your time before opening it. When your belly is pleasantly full with crab roe tofu and you're sipping from your third cup, you finally deign to lift the plain envelope from the tray, studying it intently. Though it bears no name, you already have an idea of the sender; you'd never admit it, but you've been anticipating this day for a while. 

Your suspicions are proved correct when you slit the envelope and find a letter written in Childe's familiar chicken-scratch scrawl. It no longer occurs to you to wonder how he knew where you were staying - by now, you know that if Childe wants to find you, he will. Munching idly on a crisp lotus flower, you consider the invitation. 

If you have no special plans, how about you swing by my place? 

Was it just wishful thinking, or was he—

You shake the thought from your head, taking another emphatic bite of lotus crisp. The day is still young. You have plenty of time to bathe, dress, and then make your way to Liuli Pavilion. 

(And if you spend just a little more time than usual on your appearance, making sure to spray the perfume he'd once impulsively bought you on each pulse point - well, that's no one's business but yours.)

"Comrade!" Comes the customary greeting once you finally wander into the Pavilion. Childe bounds up to you with a vibrant grin, sweeping you into an embrace that lifts you onto the tips of your boots. "I was hoping you would come!" 

You hum, leaning into his embrace and desperately fighting the instincts that tell you to bury your face in the crook of his neck and breathe deep in his familiar scent - saltwater and cold iron and the warm musk of his skin. You allow yourself to indulge only for a few seconds, then step back to a respectful distance (though Childe, disregarding the memo, follows and keeps an arm linked with yours.) 

"Happy birthday, Chi—"

"Ah, ah, ah!" He wags a finger at you, a cheeky smile playing on his lips. "It's my birthday, comrade - the least you can do is call me by my name, no?" 

"Happy birthday, Ajax." You squeeze his hand, his fingers moving to twine with yours. "And many happy returns." 

Childe beams at you, a faint glimmer in the usually dull blue of his eyes as he starts to pull you after him. "Now, I did say I have some plans for you—" 

"You don't want your gift first?" The way he whirls on his heel, clearly thrilled at the prospect of being lavished with gifts, is... endearing. You raise the bag in your free hand, wiggling it tantalizingly. "It comes in a few parts, actually."

"You spoil me, comrade," he simpers, unsubtly trying to swipe for your bundle of treasures and pouting when you withdraw. You roll your eyes in fond exasperation, pulling out the first part of your gift: a small white box that fits in your palm, bound with a delicate blue ribbon. 

"Open this first." You don't even need to tell him, really - he's quick to snatch the little box from your hand, though you notice he takes surprising care in untangling the ribbon. His expression softens when he holds your gift in his palm, rolling the little white whale between his fingers as he studies every intricately carved detail.

"It's made from a whale's tooth, too," you blurt, suddenly desperate to fill the silence. "It's from Inazuma - the merchant said she only had a few left, managed to snag them before the border closed. I thought of you when I saw it. Thought maybe it could be a good luck charm or something." 

"Coming from you, it has to be lucky," Childe says, reaching out to squeeze your shoulder. He tucks the carving into a little pocket (just over his heart) and pats the spot where it rests gently, his smile small but honest. "Thank you. I'll take good care of this." 

You clear your throat, averting your eyes as you thrust the rest of the bag at him. "These, too."  

He peers inside, and you watch his brow furrow as he studies your prizes: an array of shackles and chaos cores and a few jars of slime concentrate to boot. The fruits of many battles, compiled over the past two months. Comprehension dawns quickly, his hands clenching into fists around the rucksack as he glances up to meet your eyes. 

"That bow of yours could use an upgrade, right? Especially if you want any chance of beating me today," you say demurely, a faint smile pulling at your lips. "Once you're done, meet me at the Golden House. But don't expect me to take it easy on you just because it's your birthday." 

The smile that curls his lips is nothing short of bloodthirsty. It makes your heart flutter. "I wouldn't dream of it, Comrade!" 

The sound of his laughter follows you through the streets, spurring you onward. Sneaking past the Millelith is easy enough - this is far from your first time, after all. Honestly, you're pretty sure none of them are willing to deal with the hassle of you and your Fatui opponent. You slip through the great door with only the faintest creak, stretching to loosen up your muscles as you amble down the sloping stairs to the center of the floor. Your favorite battlefield. 

You're still stretching casually when the hair on the back of your neck prickles, carefully honed instincts suddenly crying danger! You call your sword as you stand straight, rising just in time to bat away the Hydro arrow that would have caught you in the right shoulder. Droplets of water splatter your face, a cool spray that sets your nerves ablaze with anticipation. Your blood pumps quick as Childe steps into view, Vision glowing at his hip. 

"Oh, comrade," he sighs, almost dreamily. "You really do know just what I like!" 

His voice is drowned beneath a cacophony of water as he launches himself at you, barely giving you enough time to raise your shield before he crashes into it with a splash. Your muscles strain, a fine tremble in your limbs betraying the force of his blow. Your heart pounds with excitement, a grin twisting your lips in answer to his eager smile. 

He leaps back, dodging a slash from your dagger, and knocks you off balance with a Hydro attack to your knees that sends you staggering back. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to cook you a hearty meal after I beat you." 

"Don't get cocky, now," you huff, finding your feet. You move together in a predatory circle, each waiting for the other to strike. "You haven't beaten me yet."

"True! Which will make my victory today all the more special," he chirps, bouncing a little on his heels with glee. "Do I get another gift if I win?" 

"So greedy, Ajax," you breathe, digging your heels in as you weather another rapid onslaught of arrows. "The pleasure of my company isn't enough for you?" 

"I can think of more ways to indulge in your company, dear comrade," he purrs when your blade locks with a ridge of his bow, leaning close over your crossed weapons. His tongue, hot and quick, licks a trail across your cheekbone. 

You lash out with a sloppy swing of your blade, striking only air as the Harbinger leaps back with a gleeful cackle, twisting on his feet so he can fire another shot at you. You roll nimbly out of its path, grimacing as you scrub at your cheek with the back of your hand. 

Oh, you definitely won't be making this easy for him. 

It's impossible to tell how much time passes in the Golden House; whenever you're here with him, it's like the world reduces to only you and Childe, the clash and tangle of your bodies across the hallowed floor. It could be hours or only minutes. Whatever the case, you're both panting, dripping sweat, and sore by the time you see an opening in his guard, launching yourself towards him for the decisive blow. 

Except— 

His bow clatters to the ground, discarded from limp fingers. Childe stands still and quiet, arms hanging at his sides, and the expression on his face as he watches you charge, blade-first, is like nothing you've ever seen from him before. 

You lower your sword, your boots skidding on the floor - but not fast enough to stop your collision, and you faceplant into Childe's chest with a grunt. One arm wraps around your waist, holding you close; the other finds the wrist of your sword arm, extended carefully behind you. For a moment, it feels like an embrace, just as warm and affectionate as the one you'd shared with him earlier. 

Then he twists your arm hard enough that you cry out, your sword falling to the ground with a clang, and the next thing you know, you're flat on your back, Childe's hands encircling your wrists to pin you in place. 

The puff of each exhale fans over your lips, his narrow chest heaving as the two of you catch your breath. You test his grip and find it unyielding, strong as shackles. Childe watches you writhe beneath him with a quiet intensity that both unsettles and thrills you, something about the glint in his eyes making your heart turn over in your chest. Somehow, it feels as though you've lost much more than a friendly spar. 

"My," he chuckles finally, though his grasp on your wrists remains like iron. "I have to be honest, I wasn't sure whether you would stop!" 

You toss your head, glaring up at him without much heat. "That was a dirty trick." 

"I know," he says, releasing one arm to tenderly brush the hair away from your sweat-slick forehead. You don't take advantage of the moment of weakness. He does not apologize. That's good - you think you'd be more annoyed if he said sorry without meaning it. "But it seems that it's my win, comrade." 

You sigh through your nose, exasperated but unwilling to fight. "That it is." 

He hums quietly, still studying you with that strange look - you feel oddly naked, pinned beneath his gaze. The hand that remains around your wrist squeezes gently, gloved thumb grazing your pulse point; you try to restrain a shudder, but from the way his eyes sharpen, you doubt you succeed. 

"Now, now..." He sighs in a show of exaggerated thoughtfulness. "What should my next gift be?"  

You grumble something vaguely along the lines of not having agreed to another gift. Childe ignores you steadfastly, snapping his fingers in realization. "How about a kiss?" 

You snort, prepared to brush the request off as another bit of harmless flirting, but the look in his eyes is not one of jesting. Your mouth suddenly feels dry, and you wet your lips with your tongue before you speak again. The way his cobalt eyes flicker to watch your mouth does nothing to help your focus. "Seriously?" 

"Why not?" He says, shrugging as though he hasn't just knocked your world off-kilter. Your mouth opens, but before you can speak, you feel his fingers caress your jaw, his thumb resting on the pad of your lower lip. The leather is blessedly cool; you feel feverish in comparison. He's looking at you like he could swallow you whole, and you think you would let him. "A kiss from my most beloved comrade... now that's a gift I would really treasure."

You inhale, a ragged, gasping thing that sounds more post-coital than post-battle, and lay still beneath his hand. The thought that you have yet to actually respond fails to occur to your fogged brain - until suddenly the contact is gone, the loss of his touch echoing in your chest, and something in Childe's expression wavers before he's sitting up, a smile that doesn't reach his eyes on his lips. He's shutting himself off from you. Again.

"Ah, well, it was only a jo—mmph!"

Huh. If you'd known a kiss was all it took to stop his rambling, you might've given into your desires earlier. 

His lips are a bit chapped but pleasantly warm against yours, and his breath smells surprisingly sweet - it seems you weren't the only one indulging in Liyue's traditional snacks today. He hadn't been prepared for you to pull him down, and for a breathless moment his full weight rests upon you; there's a guilty exhilaration in feeling the length of him pressed against you, his long legs tangled with yours and strands of his hair tickling your cheeks. Your fingers knot tightly in his red scarf, holding him so close you think you can feel the pounding of his heart in your own chest. When your tongue flicks against the plush of his bottom lip, he moans sweetly, a shudder wracking his lithe frame as he opens for you, a gloved hand cupping your cheek. You taste blood in his mouth and can't tell whether it's yours or his. The thought excites you, your heart hammering as your blood grows hot. 

A strand of saliva, tinted pink with blood, connects your mouths when Childe pulls away with a ragged gasp. His lips are swollen from your kiss, a deep flush coloring his cheeks to the tips of his ears, and his eyes are wide and startled. They almost—

Shine. 

"Comrade!" Childe exclaims, reeling back on his heels. You've never seen him so... off-balanced, his hands twitching helplessly in the air. You decide you like him this way. "H-How bold of you!" 

You blink, lazily propping yourself up on your elbows. "You were the one that asked for a kiss in the first place." 

He seems to fluster even more at the reminder, hiding his mouth behind his wrist. "I didn't think you'd actually do it!" 

"Aw, Ajax," you coo. Much to your delight, the blush on Childe's cheeks grows even darker, a red glow creeping down his neck. "Is the big bad Harbinger flustered all because of a little kiss? What would Scara say if he saw you like this?"

Childe grimaces. "Don't mention him right now, please." 

You laugh, loudly, until Childe's hands clamp down on your shoulders, pinning you to the ground once again. Your breath stutters as you look up at him, finding him watching you intently; that same strange, searching look as before, but mixed with something darker. 

Hungrier. 

"You should be more careful, offering a gift like that so freely," he murmurs - a breathless purr like you've never heard before, the promise of danger in his voice making your thighs clench. One hand moves to gently nudge the band of your shirt off your shoulder, the brush of his fingers against your bared skin sending your nerves sparking. "I might want you to give me even more."

The words spill from your lips easily, without thinking. "Then take more." 

Childe stares down at you wordlessly. He's barely breathing, lashes fluttering when you reach out and catch his hand, slipping your fingers under the tight line of his glove until you can peel it off his fingers. He says your name, soft and wondering. 

"You said that this was a gift you'd treasure..." You guide him to the tie of your blouse. Unprompted, his fingers curl around the loose knot. "So make sure to take good care of me, Ajax." 

Your blouse falls open with a gentle tug, and Childe falls upon you, locking your lips in a messy kiss as his hands roam your body wildly, seeking out every scrap of bare skin he can find. You're pulled onto your knees to straddle his lap as he sits back and pulls you atop him, breaking from your mouth to trail bruising bites down the length of your throat. The force of his desire crashes down upon you like a wave, filling your lungs with only him. 

You're glad to drown. 

#genshin impact x reader #childe x reader #genshin imagines #genshin x reader #genshin scenarios #sfw #birthday fic

[toxophilitis]

Hot Daughter Peeps  cont

CHAPTER SEVEN

Tracy awoke the next morning feeling creamy-dreamy. She stretched her slender arms over her head and curled kittenishly in her bed. Her blue eyes opened slowly and she stared at the ceiling for a long time.

Horny scenes danced in her pretty head, like flashes of a fuck film. She saw Al Benson's enormous, wet cock, saw him eating her pussy, saw herself blowing his prick, saw him fucking her cunt -- and then her ass!

"Oh, wow!" she breathed. "Was that all a dream?"

She slipped her hands under the covers, down her lithe young body to her pussy. She opened her lop wide and her fingers explored her hot crotch. She touched her clit and cunt, then her asshole, and she jerked on the bed.

It wasn't a dream! she thought hotly. Golly, Mr. Benson busted my cherry! I'm not a virgin any more! Wow, how he fucked me!

Corning fully awake, a slow smile lifted the corners of her pretty mouth and she stroked her pussy and ass quietly, remembering every detail. She moaned.

Animated by her horny memories, she leaped out of bed and padded, naked, into the bathroom where she took a nice pee. Then she showered and brushed her golden hair. Back in her room, she posed nude in front of her full length mirror and smiled at herself.

She cupped her jutting tits and played with them for a moment before spreading her legs and teasing her pussy a little.

I don't look any different, she observed in the mirror. I still look like a virgin. I thought it would show.

She giggled at herself and whirled away from the mirror. She pranced into her mother's room and found Carol dead asleep. She tried to awaken her for breakfast, but Carol was out of it.

"Let me sleep a little longer, darling," Carol murmured. "Fix yourself some breakfast and get to school."

"Okay, Mom," Tracy said sweetly. She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. "Sleep tight."

She must have had a rough night, she told herself over breakfast. That man, Phil, must be really something. Mom looks like she's all fucked out. I wonder what it's like to be all fucked out.

After breakfast, Tracy returned to her room, still naked with her pussy tingling because she had played with it all through her meal. She pulled on a yellow minidress. It was a silky thing, cut low across her jutting tits and high on her curvy young thighs. She liked being naked in it.

She stepped into her sandals and got her history book from her dressing table. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, she headed out for school. Passing Mr. Benson's house, her nipples erected in her tight dress and her cunt buzzed. She couldn't wait to get home!

As far as Tracy was concerned, this was the longest day she'd ever spent at school. She thought it would never end. It was her first day as a non-virgin, and she couldn't keep her mind on the schoolwork at all. All she could think about was Al Benson's giant prick, so hard and hot and wet.

By the end of the school day, her pussy was drenched. And hot. And horny! And hungry. She left her schoolbooks behind and dashed all the way home, her cute little ass twitching as she ran. She turned a lot of male eyes, boys' and men's, and never knew it.

She was always a good girl, so she knew she should check in with her mother before she tried to figure out a way to get into Mr. Benson's house without Carol knowing it.

When she burst into the house, breathless and bubbly, she almost tripped over her own feet. The man named Phil was sitting on the sofa with her mother.

"Oh!" she said. "Sorry."

"What's the rush?" Carol wanted to know. "Nothing," Tracy said, keeping her eyes on her mother while she knew Phil's eyes were all over her.

"I want you to meet my friend," Carol said. "Phil, this is Tracy. Tracy, this is Phil Smith. He's the manager of the company your father used to work for."

Phil was on his feet and he took Tracy's hand in his and his eyes danced over her pretty face, then dropped to her half-naked young tits.

"You didn't tell me she was a little nymph," he said, and a thrill shot through Tracy's cunt.

She blushed a little and took her hand away from his. Her eyes danced over his handsome face and then glanced down at his lap. He was wearing jeans, and it looked, like he had a chunky crotch.

"Never mind the flirting," Carol said and gave Phil a push with her hand. "We've been waiting for you, Tracy. We're going to an afternoon movie, but I wanted to let you know first."

Hmmmm, Tracy thought cleverly, this is getting serious. It must mean something when a divorced mother introduces her boyfriend to her children. I wonder what it would be like to be called Tracy Smith.

"That's neat, Mom," she said to Carol to put the woman at ease about the date. "I'll be all right till you get back."

Carol turned to Phil. "Meet me out in the car, Phil. I want to talk to Tracy a minute."

When he was gone, Carol turned to her pretty daughter.

"If you're going to stay in the house, make sure the doors are locked. And stay away from Mr. Benson. We should be back around six."

"Mom," Tracy said, "what's this all about? We used to be such great friends with the Benson's. Why do I have to watch out for Mr. Benson?"

Carol heaved a sigh. "We're going to have to have a nice woman-to-woman talk one of these days. For now, just trust me when I say you don't want to go near Mr. Benson. He's not a nice man."

"But he is!" Tracy objected.

Carol was forced to speak. "Oh, Tracy," she sighed. "Mr. Benson is a dirty aid man since Jean left him. He doesn't have a woman, darling, and you're... well... growing up to be a very sexy young girl. Understand? And he watches dirty moves on his TV. Jean told me all about him."

"I have to go now. I'll tell you all about it when we have more time."

That was exactly what Mr. Benson said! He was going to tell her why Carol doesn't trust him when he had more time. What was the mystery all about?

Mr. Benson would tell her! she realized. So, the minute her mother drove off with Phil Smith, she beat a hasty path around to Mr. Benson's house. With tits heaving and pussy ready for stiff cock, she knocked on his kitchen door.

There was no answer, and Tracy knocked again, a little harder. Oh, no, she thought, knocking yet again. Oh, no. No, no, no! He wasn't home!

Her young heart sank behind her taut, horny tits, but she didn't waste too much time lamenting. Her young mind flashed on her mother's magazines and vibrator. Thank God! she thought, and dashed back to her own house.

But when she was on tip-toes in the bedroom closet, reaching for the vital shoebox, there was a knock on the front door.

"Oh, darn!" she blurted, and pranced to the door. Her blue eyes went wide and her mouth fell open.

"Can I come in?" Phil Smith asked.

"Uhhhh, well, yes, but..."

She backed up as the big man entered and closed the door. His eyes traveled up and down her curvy young body in a cute little yellow dress and Tracy felt naked in front of him.

"I told Carol I just remembered an important business engagement," he explained. "I'll pick her up at the movie around six."

Tracy was genuinely puzzled. "Why did you do that?"

"I think you know why," Phil grinned. "I saw the way you looked at me before. Carol may think you're a sweet little virgin, but I know better."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I saw you peeking at us yesterday," he said.

Tracy thought she'd die right then and there. "You did?"

"Yes. But, don't worry. I didn't tell your mother. I think you were turned on by what you saw. And I think you'd like some of the same."

"Mr. Smith!" she gasped. How did he know that?

Phil closed the space between them. He smiled disarmingly and placed his big hot hands on her shoulders. His eyes burned into hers.

"I'd like to be your friend, too," he said thickly, pressing his hard-on against her belly.

Tracy swallowed hard. "You mean, you want to fuck me like you fucked my mom?"

Phil chuckled and his prick throbbed against her. "Exactly," he laughed. "What do you say? Want it?"

Tracy thought she'd melt. This handsome hunk of man wanted to fuck her? Wow!

"Yes!" she gasped.

Phil grinned lewdly and suddenly dipped and scooped her light body up in his arms. With her pretty legs dangling over his arm, her short dress slipped way up on her thighs and he saw blonde fuzz as he carried her into her bedroom. He set her down on the bed.

"You're naked under there," he said hotly. "Mmmmm, yes," Tracy purred. "Wanna see?"

"That isn't all I want to do," he said thickly.

He plastered his mouth over hers and her lips parted for his naughty tongue. One long horny kiss like that and Tracy's pussy was on fire. Phil licked her tongue and freed her taut tits from the top of the dress. His hand danced all over her tits as he kissed her hotly.

His hand slipped down and gripped the hem of her short dress and flipped it up onto her flat, firm belly. Tracy moaned and opened her legs real wide for his hand. His thick, fingers assaulted her crotch and she wiggled hornily on the bed.

Still mouth-to-mouth and tongue-to-tongue.

Phil eased one thick finger up into her squirmy young cunt hole. He thought he'd have to get her hot first. Little did he know that Tracy had been craving a stiff cock since this morning.

Her small hand flew over to his crotch and her fingers explored the thickness and length of his massive hard-on. She moaned through the hot kiss and her fingers trembled as she unzipped his jeans.

Surprised by her eagerness, Phil reached down and opened his jeans for her. When his prick jumped out into her hand, Tracy caught her breath. He was naked, too! Moaning hotly, she gripped his burning cock and started milking it up and down.

Phil broke the horny kiss. "Jesus," he rasped. "You really do want it!"

In reply to that, Tracy simply whimpered and tugged at his prick, signaling her deep need to be fucked. Phil responded appropriately. He mounted her body, got between her quivery young thighs, and let her pull his cock to her hot, wet pussy.

She caressed his massive prick in both hands and lifted her wet cunt to his bulging cock-head. She made it kiss her pussy-mouth and slide wetly up and down there.

"It's so big," she rasped. "No wonder Mom lets you fuck her."

"Jesus," Phil groaned, pushing forward with his hips so his prick-head wedged into her tight cunt.

With her cunt-mouth filled with cock-head, Tracy was had.

"Ohhhhh, fuck me!" she cried all of her desires of the day centered in her hot, wet pussy and this new cock.

Phil was well aware of his good luck. He buried his face next to hers and licked his tongue into her cute little ear as he mashed her jutting tits under his hairy chest and fed inches of his thick cock into her waiting, hungry pussy.

Tracy's young arms circled around his broad shoulders and she moaned as she pushed back at him to make more of his cock enter her pussy. She stretched her legs wider for him and gave a little grunt of fuck-lust as his prick slid into her squishy little cunt.

She moaned as she felt her velvety-wet pussy slip over his rigid cock-pole. And when his enormous prick filled her and his hot mats burned her ass-cheeks, she choked.

"Uh. How big!"

Driven wild by his cock, she twisted her face to his and gobbled his tongue into her horny young mouth. At the same time, she wrenched her pussy on his prick and humped on it; he groaned into her wet mouth and drilled all of his prick into her wet pussy.

Her tight cunt drove him wild, too. Impelled by his fast-growing fuck-lust for this teen pussy, he fucked all of his cock in and out of her body. Grunting like an animal, he thrust a hand down under her writhing, fucking young body and his middle finger teased her squirmy asshole.

"Mmmmmm!" Tracy moaned hotly.

Encouraged by her outburst, he eased his thick finger into her ass. When Tracy didn't protest in any way, but moaned instead, he inched his finger into her ass until it was imbedded in her hot bowels. Then, ramming his rigid prick into her pussy, he finger-fucked her asshole hornily.

Tracy gave out a deep groan when he rotated his finger deep in her ass. She bit his tongue and twisted her ass and churned her cunt, panting hotly as he fucked her.

Phil felt the thin wall of hot flesh between her pussy and ass. His fingertip and his cock-head met deep in her hot body. He felt his prick running in and out of her. Then he fucked her with both finger and cock in a rhythm that drove her up the wall.

She tore her mouth from his and gasped for breath, then cried, "Ohhhh, Mr. Smith! I... I... Oh...! I'm gonna cummmm!"

She clung desperately to him as he fucked her savagely, enjoying every twist and hump of her horny young body. He gritted his teeth and screwed her pussy violently, pounding away at it as if to kill an animal with a weapon. Tracy swooned.

"Ohhhhh," she wailed, humping furiously, "I'm cummmiiinnnggg!"

Phil's cock drilled relentlessly into her writhing cunt and got her off a good one. He sweated and panted and drilled his cock into her again and again, making her cum like crazy.

"Oh-ohh-ohhhh!" Tracy squealed. "Ewwwww, what a cock! Give it to meeee! I'm cumming so much! Ewwww, more, more!"

Phil laughed lustfully into her ear and drove all of his cock into her pussy. His hot nuts glued to her ass and his cock-head exploded deep in her belly. His piss-hole opened wide and huge spurts of hot jism erupted into her.

"Ohhhhh, I'm gonna pass out!" Tracy gasped, fucking her tight cunt on his spitting cock. "I'm gonna faint! I'm gonna die!"

Phil chuckled lewdly and fucked her brains out. He wanted to do that ever since he first saw her in that sexy yellow mini. She was so young and cute and sexy. And her cunt was so tight it strangled his drilling cock. He laughed with pleasure and fucked all of his jism into her humping little cunt.

He left Tracy whimpering and gasping for breath after their combined orgasms. He climbed off the bed and admired her writhing, sensuous young body. Her eyes were closed and she was licking her lips a lot. Her pussy was wet and still twisting on the bed.

He looked at his watch. "Holy shit! I've got to pick up your mother!"

When Tracy finally managed to get her lazy eyes open, he was gone. She looked around the room with unfocusing eyes and smoothed a hand across her jutting tits and another over her purring pussy.

"Wow," she breathed, and shuddered all over.

[theheartsmistakes]

The Last Night Part XXX

Even as the day began to break along the western horizon, the sky remained dark with purple and gray clouds that seemed to swirl and spiral above them. Flashes of light flickered in the tendrils and if Cordelia watched closely enough, she thought she saw images, or rather, shapes crawling over the crevices. Perhaps it was only a trick of the light, but something intrinsic, wholly a part of her, rallied for the fight ahead.

When she imagined Belial emerging from his realm, she always supposed that it would be from underneath the ground. He’d crawl up from the sewers like a rat in the night. But as the storm continued to turn and the thunder rumbled over their head, she realized that he’d used the sky as a portal every time before. He always did prefer an entrance.

She kept a firm hold around Alastair’s waist as they raced through the cobblestone streets. Cortana hit her back with each rock of the horse’s powerful legs, but she did not mind it. The sensation acted as a reminder of all the ways she planned on burying her sword to the hilt of Belial’s body. This time she would end him for good.

A flash of lightning hit a lamp post to their left, prompting the young horse to rear and bolt to the right. Cordelia lost her hold on Alastair and slid gracelessly off. She rolled once, twice, but then pushed herself to her feet. Her runes left her with nothing but a dull ache that throbbed in her elbow. It was sure to bruise later, but she hardly noticed as she secured a fallen strand of hair behind her ear.

She could hear her name called behind her, but her focus centered on the massive hole opening up in the sky, just over the bridge. Sleet began to rain down, pelting her in the forehead, shoulder, and when she caught one in her hand she found that it was black as coal.

From the centre she could see a figure floating down towards the earth.

“Cordelia!” Alastair came beside her. “It's not safe out in the open! We need to find cover!”

Cordelia stepped out of her brother’s grasp. “I want him to see me.”

Alastair shouted something again, but she stalked forward against the powerful wind that was a mixture of hot and cold air against her exposed skin.

Carriages and single ridden horses started to arrive behind her. She could see across the bridge where more Shadowhunters had gathered. A flash of red hair had her clenching her jaw as Charles raised a loaded crossbow on his shoulder and aimed it at the sky.

A car backfired behind her, drawing her attention away for a moment as Matthew, Anna, Christopher, and Thomas emerged from the Algernon in a flash of black and silver gear and weapons. Her heart thundered loud in her throat as a black horse skid to a stop beside the car and James dropped down releasing the reins so the horse could bolt away.

He gave her a nod, a silent reassurance of his support, before he turned to talk to the others.

“What's the plan?” Alastair called over the sound of the wind.

Before she could respond a demon with the body and head of a snake, and wings that could bridge the Thames flew from the hole in the sky, followed by six others. Flashes of lightning danced around them hitting the ground and billowing smoke into the air.

Cordelia didn’t shutter. She planted her feet on the ground and drew Cortana from its hilt and held it in both hands in front of her. The blade so thin it barely created a line in her vision as a Drothki Demon flew straight towards her. Open mouth with teeth dripping venom as it screamed in its descent.

It landed on its belly a few feet away from Cordelia before coiling backward as a cobra would before it strikes and let out an ear rupturing scream.

Cordelia raised Cortana. “Where is your master?”

“Coming,” it hissed, in an ancient, cruel voice that was both female and male. “We have come to prepare a path for master. It can begin with you.”

Cordelia leveled her shoulders and tightened her grip around the golden hilt of her blade.

More demons flooded from the sky and up from the grey waters of the Thames. Demons she recognized and some that she didn’t; from every circle of hell, began to crawl or slide their way towards them.

The Drothki demon reared back, opened its massive jaws, and arched forward her like an oversized Jack-in-the-box towards where Cordelia was standing. She waiting until it was almost above her before arching her blade and tucking into a summersault away. She felt the warm, burn of ichor as it dripped onto her gloved hands, but luckily it couldn’t reach her skin.

She spun around on her feet and saw the slash at the right corner of the demon’s mouth. It shook its head irritably and hissed as it tried to find her again, but she’d started running and before it could strike a second time, she drove Cortana into the anchor of its right-wing and with a great effort, she pulled up and managed to sever the wing completely.

The beast roared and tried to reach her as she ran along the length of its body and slid off the base of its tail.

The weight of its left wing forced it to lean to the left as dark ichor seeped from its wounds. A moment later, it vanished in a puff of black smoke. Alastair had driven his glowing seraph blade into the beast’s core. His hair had fallen in his face and there was ichor slashed across his cheekbones. With his teeth clenched, he ordered her to go.

She spun around, her braid nearly whipping her in the face, and she launched herself towards the bridge; towards the opening where Belial as Lucie was still making his descent. She had to be there before Charles could take his shot-- before he could kill her. Before Cordelia even had a chance to save her friend.

A translucent spider-like demon the size of a small automobile jumped into her path and reached for her with two giant front pincers. Cordelia dodged the right one, but the left one managed to clip her on the shoulder as she moved away. The razor edges sliced through the fabric of her shirt and bit into her skin. With a yell, she stumbled backward and landed on her side in the road. Clutching her shoulder, she felt the heat of her blood through her glove as it dripped down her chest and her back. The demon spun on its eight translucent legs towards her. It snapped its two fangs that dripped venom onto the ground and left sizzling marks in the stones. It raised its pincer again and struck for her, but she rolled, screaming when she landed on her shoulder for a moment and then pushed up back to her feet.

She raised her blade again, ready to remove the claws from the beast, when it suddenly reared backward, its front legs curling in towards its center the way a bug does when it dies and evaporated in a mist.

James dropped to the ground in a crouch in front of her. A long slash stood out against his pale skin along his neck and dripped blood onto his collar. Behind him, the fighting commenced between demons and her friends. Christopher and Anna were working on a Hydra demon with its middle head dead and dragging on the ground, while the other two heads attacked Christopher and Anna.

Matthew taunted a Dahak demon. The combination of lizard and alien with eight slimy octopus-like legs reached for him but he dodged and slid around it until he had a clear mark on its ginormous head. As soon as the blade slid it, it disappeared back to its home realm. He had a momentary reprieve before a Behemoth demon emerged behind him.

Thomas and Alastair battled another Drothki demon, this one a blackish-red that used its tail as a whip.

Demons, more demons than she’d ever seen in her life, started to swarm them. The other side of the bridge was no different.

James stepped towards her. “Are you all right?”

She nodded and turned to look at the hole still in the sky. “Help them!”

“What are you going to do?”

She turned around as the figure in the sky was near to the ground now; right in the centre of the bridge.

Cordelia didn’t wait to answer, she broke into a run again, ignoring the pain in her injured shoulder.

A swarm of Imp demons started towards her. She grabbed her seraph blade from her belt and whispered its name. It blazed with angelic light that had the Imp demons scattered away from her back towards the darkness.

Lucie was nearly on the ground now. Cordelia could make out the hollow features of her face that used to be full and pink, were not gray and sallow. Her mousy hair floated around her in the wind, unbound and limp. Her eyes, which used to be a stormy blue, were now black and expressionless as they scanned the scene around her.

Cordelia wanted to cry out. Any sign of her dear friend was gone behind the mask Belial had subtle slid over her. For a moment, fear crept over her and she allowed the thoughts to enter her head: what if they were too late? What if Lucie was really, truly gone? What if there was no other way?

Movement caught her eye on the opposite side of the bridge. A flash of red. Charles had just destroyed a Mantid demon and was free to aim his crossbow at Lucie.

No! She wasn’t sure if she said it aloud, but it screamed in her mind as Cordelia threw herself forward. Ignoring the Imp demons that scurried behind her as she ran with the light towards her friend.

Cordelia watched as the arrow left Charles’s crossbow and a Behemoth demon emerged from behind him wrapping its jaws around his shoulder and dragging him back as the arrow spiraled through the air towards Lucie.

If she were to blink, she would have missed it.

Lucie’s hand stretched out and caught the arrow in her barehand before it could hit its target. It evaporated into a dark mist in her fist. As Lucie turned to see where the attack had come from, it gave Cordelia the opportunity she needed. She sheathed Cortana and the seraph blade as her feet pounded soundlessly into the ground with each step she took. The sound of her breathing and the wind rushing through her ears were the only things she could hear.

I don’t have very many friends.

I’ll be your friend.

And one day we can become Parabatai! Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

It would… more than anything it would.

The collision nearly knocked the two of them to the ground as Cordelia wrapped her arms around her small friend’s neck the way they’d done when they were girls after not seeing each other for a long while. The hug was not reciprocated, although she wasn’t being shoved away either. No knife or weapon entered her body, though if it had she wasn’t sure she would be able to tell with the power that thrummed through her veins just being beside Lucie now.

“Lucie,” she called. “Please, Lucie, if you can hear me. I’m here. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

“Foolish—“ crackled a deep voice in her ear.

Cordelia only hugged her tighter. She felt a rumble of energy between them and with a burst of light her arms were pulled from around Lucie, and she was pushed through the air. She landed hard on her back, skidding a couple of inches along the ground before she stopped.

Lucie stalked towards her, her focus black and unforgiving.

“What did you think would happen?” It was her voice, but not. It rumbled with something dark and ancient. “She would hear you and come back? She is gone.”

“No,” Cordelia sobbed. “No, I don’t believe you!”

“It does not matter whether you believe it or not,” said Belial. “It is true. She gave herself to me willingly, allowed me to possess her, to control her.” Her eyes that were not her own slithered along with Cordelia. “Do not worry, Cordelia. I promise to make your death quick.”

He lifted Lucie's hands as lightning crackled above her.

With nowhere to dive or hide, Cordelia braced herself for the end. At least if she had to go, they would go together, the way they’d always planned since they were little girls lying in fields of wild daisies. It’s what she’d screamed at Lucie when she’d nearly fallen off the cliff and wanted Cordelia to let go, to save herself.

But she wouldn’t let go, no matter how tired her arm was or how she felt herself slip. Lucie would not go alone.

As thunder rumbled over her head, Cordelia felt the earth shake underneath her palms. The sound of a painful sob mixed with it.

Cordelia opened her eyes to see Lucie, her hands in tight fists at her sides, grimacing at the sky.

“Lucie!” Cordelia pushed herself to her feet and reached for her friend again. “Lucie, it’s me. I’m here!”

“You must go!” cried Lucie. “I can’t fight him. You have to kill me.”

“No!” Cordelia held her tighter. “No, I won’t. And I won’t allow anyone else to either. You can separate yourself. You must!”

“I can’t.” Lucie shuttered. “He’s— too strong.”

“Try!” Cordelia begged. “Try. He is the father of lies and deceit. You need only not believe him. Try. Try, Lucie, and I’ll help you.”

There was a split second of silence. Then there was a rumble, as though the particles in the air were all vibrating.

The sound struck her like a wall, and her bones vibrated. A flash of lighting zipped down the center of a building. The air shattered in a deafening explosion. The blast seemed to rip through the air sending Cordelia away from Lucie again and off of her feet. Her head struck the ground, pain caused her consciousness to waver. The dazed, drugged sensation seeping into her lucidity as she tried to push herself back to her feet again. She shook her head, blinking and trying to clear her mind. There was a sharp, painful ringing in her ears that muted all other sounds. She glanced at the building that had been destroyed before her eyes found Lucie again.

She froze with despair as Lucie trembled and fought in a losing battle.

Cordelia stumbled and faltered.

Her body is still very much human, she remembered Magnus tell them.

She dropped Cortana and tried to stand again. She couldn’t kill her friend. She wouldn’t.

But she wouldn’t die either.

She’d promised James. He was waiting for her. A lifetime of happiness, everything she’d ever wanted and waited for.

She stumbled forward again.

The sky rumbled again above her and she could feel the energy beneath her skin.

She managed to pick up speed, enough that when she hit Lucie, they collided hard enough that their bodies hit the rope railing to the bridge and they plummeted towards the water together.

Her whole body ached with cold, as though there was frost spreading from her core outwards. It sucked the air out of her lungs as she sank deeper into the water. Her grip loosened on Lucie for a moment as the freezing water took over her, but when Lucie tried to kick towards the surface, Cordelia dragged her back down again.

Underwater, Belial’s power faltered when Lucie’s did as she struggled for air.

Water continued to swallow Cordelia, filling her eyes and ears. She was surrounded by it, a blackness that opened up around her like a pit. She could see the pale light of the sky above them, receding into the distance as the weight of their garments and her weapons dragged them down. She had to fight against her instincts not to kick herself to the surface.

Hopelessly, she clung to Lucie. The light from the ever-receding sky lit the area around them, but she could see nothing but darkness. The water near the surface was a pale grey, the color of storm clouds, but everywhere else it was black as nightmares.

Her lungs began to ache.

Lucie kicked against her, but with her strengthening rune, her grip held firm.

It wouldn’t be long. She only needed to last longer than Lucie and then she could rise to the surface and breathe again. She reminded herself of such as her lungs burned and felt as if they were on the edge of exploding. She fought against every urge to take a breath.

Lucie’s muffled screams bubbled around her, silent.

Just go still, she pleaded.

It wasn’t Lucie fighting though. It was Belial, holding onto the last hope of his resurrection.

Haunting images moved around them.

Demons, she quickly realized.

They were all around her. Waving tentacles lined with suctions that each had their own row of massive teeth reached towards them. Cordelia reached for her seraph in her belt and thought its name.

The blade blazed to life in her hand, illuminating the scarlet, snake-like thing as it shot through the water towards her. She swung the blade and severed a limb that had been reaching for her leg. Black oil began to ooze around them in a dark cloud.

Just a little longer.

Lucie began to shudder in her grasp.

The lack of oxygen pounded against Cordelia's head. Her chest began to spasm and every part of her wanted to panic, to thrash, to take a breath. Her lungs felt as though they would collapse at any moment in her chest. When she felt as if she could not possibly hold her breath any longer, Lucie finally went limp and unconscious.

Now!

The cold water stirred underneath her feet as she swam up, up, up. She had to hurry for there was little time left.

At the surface, she could see the sun breaking through the clouds.

Author’s Notes: 

Just a couple of things: I made up a few of these demons. There is no such thing as a Drothki demon, but it sounded cool, so I went with it. 

I did not intend to end this chapter on such a cliffhanger, but I didn’t have enough time to finish it, which means there will be two more parts after this: a last chapter and an epilogue. 

As always, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave me comments letting me know what you think, hit the like button, and reblog if you feel so inclined. 

Next part comes at you on Feb 15. 

#The Last Night #the last hours #chain of gold fanfic #the shadowhunter chronicles #jordelia fanfiction #james and Cordelia #james x cordelia #Cordelia Carstairs #james herondale #lucie herondale #Matthew Fairchild #belial

[segenassefa]

6: Brand Focus: Los Angeles Apparel

September – the season of changing leaves, pumpkin spice lattes (those are nasty but if I speak…), and – usually – back to school shopping.

However, now that life has transitioned online, there is no reason to wear anything that is uncomfortable or at least two sizes oversized on a day-to-day basis. But – and don’t fight me on this - there is nothing more satifying than new and quality loungewear.

This is where Los Angeles Apparel comes in.

The brand formerly known as American Apparel rebranded as Los Angeles Apparel – the same basics brand, full of heavyweight cotton, styles ranging from classic to contemporary, and a wide range of colours, everything from neutrals to neon colours.

After bankrupting twice, American Apparel was purchased by Canadian manufacturer, Gildan, in 2017. Gildan went on to rebrand and remove the more notable points of the company’s marketing strategy – namely, the borderline pornographic advertising and sinfully high price range (some AA products can now be purchased on websites such as Wordans and Amazon).

Founder and Montreal native Dov Charney (who has his own demons, including accusations of sexual harassment and mismanagement of funds when he ran American Apparel in 2014*) then decided to take his ideas elsewhere, introducing Los Angeles Apparel.

Now operating out of a south Los Angeles warehouse, LAA poses itself as an ethical, basics, brand, paying workers between $15-$20 USD, as well as overtime pay and benefits, and varies from other fashion retailers in the amount of transparency to behind the scenes of their warehouse and in the production process – many of the brand’s Instagram stories include shots of models, posing outside and throughout the warehouse, and well as videos of various garment and production workers at their daily dyeing, stitching, and cutting tasks. Another plus of this brand is the composition of the garments, specifically their sweatshirts and sweatpants, tops, and bodysuits. Most places do not manufacture goods with 100% cotton - traditional brands either use a 50/50 blend of cotton and polyester, or an 80/20 blend for goods in the heavyweight category. Using 100% cotton leads to a garment that looks even better with wear and tear, as well as prevents pilling, worn out elastic cuffs and hems, as well as less discolouration. Lastly, LAA is mostly devoid of branding – their clothing has no flashy logos or tags, no awkward stitching or excessive distressing, product styles, and unsavoury colour combinations – likely stemming from their roots as a wholesale blanks company. There is a bit of 90’s flavour to the styles shown on the website, included oversized sweats and t-shirts, lots and lots of pleats (pants, skirts, shorts, everything), as well as having more fresh-faced models, both men and women.

I’ve never personally been a huge American Apparel shopper – the original brand was not the most inclusive in terms of sizing as most of their items run on the smaller size (even to this day – their 2XL fits more like a very roomy XL) or were the dreaded “slim fit” (the ugliest cut of clothing to touch down on this face of the Earth, please don’t argue with me). However, since rebranding, Charney and the rest of the LAA team began to embrace more true-to-size and oversized fits. After rebuilding my wardrobe with quality basics, I can say about 80% of my wardrobe is from LAA – the pieces are good quality, minimal, and tasteful. Also, as a person who tries to be as ethical with my spending practices as possible and invest in quality clothing, I feel a bit better knowing the $40 t-shirt won’t be falling apart in the wash or after a few wears. For anyone who has considered dipping their toe into LAA or has been looking for other basics to add to their collection, here is a listed review of my favourite items from Los Angeles Apparel**.

HF09GD Unisex - Garment Dye 14oz. Heavy Fleece Hooded Pullover Sweatshirt

If I had the power to get rid of all of the hoodies in the world and replace them with only one, this would be it. This hoodie is thick as hell to the point where sometimes it feels like canvas, but not in an uncomfortable way. The colours are also super rich – my favourite one is Chocolate (one day we will talk about how brown is the supreme neutral for its ability to be and blend with both warm and cool tone colours, but I digress). Another interesting thing about these hoodies is that they don’t hold smell the way I’ve found polyester blends do and when washed, literally smell like an entirely new garment. This is also one of the products that I found is actually more of an oversized fit, and as with most cotton goods – stretch (but not unreasonably) with wear. It comes in a huge selection of colours as well and the sizing is fairly unisex, as both me and my boyfriend have worn this hoodie and have marveled at the quality. While it is an investment ($100 CAD per hoodie, about double that for the whole set), it is truly the hooded sweatshirt I’ve ever owned.

Size: XL, Colour: Chocolate, Price: $100 CAD

3380GD - Heavy 2x1 Rib Crop Tank

As our beautiful friend who was floating around Twitter not too long ago said, “Get into eeeeet!”. And she was absolutely right. This tank top is made for the people who want to get into the w*fe-beater/undershirt-as-a-shirt trend but don’t particularly enjoy the length or thinness of those traditional tops. This cropped tank is a racerback, but not to the point where it is completely unwearable without a bra, provided you have a convertible bra. This top is also 5% elastane as opposed to polyester (for those who are curious, elastane is a member of the Lycra and Spandex family, so the stretch in this top will also provide some shaping benefits). While it does only come in two colours for the time being, I’m one of those people who owns everything in my closet in both black and white, so this was perfect for me. Another thing to note, all my BBWs, this top does not roll up or require too much adjusting throughout the day, and sits just above the belly button for a cropped look without making you look like Roger the Alien (you know what I’m talking about….). This tank top is relatively affordable, considering the wearability, and the ribbing isn’t too noticeable so if you wanted a nice cropped but semi conservative top, this just might be it.

Size: L, Colour: Black, Price: $30 CAD

1215GD - Heavy Jersey Garment Dye Casual Pants

Ok, you know when you want to wear sweatpants, but you also realize that maybe the occasion is not appropriate, or you just need a little bit of pizzazz without all of the frump? This is these pants. When I first read the reviews, I was skeptical, but after realizing all I own are jeans and sweatpants, I copped a pair. I wore these in 75-degree weather, walked a good three or four miles, and was comfortable all day. Plus, unlike most traditional womenswear pants, these pockets are DEEP. Like Mariana Trench deep, which I love because one thing about me – I’m going to use a damn pocket. I would say to avoid these if you aren’t into the straight leg look because with a t-shirt, they do give very public-school art teacher vibes, but they also come in a huge range of colours. A lot of people complain about the elastic band for a lot of their products (too tight), but personally I prefer that – it provides a longer wear time before you have to wash (since it takes longer for the garment to stretch out) and keeps everything cute and covered. These pants are also a nice alternative to jeans, and even come in the couple shades of blue to mimic the idea of dark/light wash. The price is a little obscene for some casual pants, but I think you’re someone who usually wears pants from Urban Planet, H&M, or even Zara, these will be a nice upgrade, sure to last a very, very long time.

Size: L, Colour: Black, Price: $52 CAD

1406GD - Long Sleeve Garment Dye Mockneck T-Shirt

Another one of my favourite things about LAA is the fact that a lot of their products are unisex (while not explicitly labelled as such, you will see a lot of the same items in both the men and women tabs on their website). I love a good long sleeve shirt, but my proportions were never too forgiving to pull it off without looking like a 1960’s ghost, or like I had gotten dressed in the tent section of Home Depot. This top is more of a boxy fit, but the bottom is cropped enough to make it hit just above the thighs for a nice, slouchy look. The colours in these are also super nice, veering more towards neutrals and pastels. This shirt looks good with bike shorts and tucked into jeans, and (the best part) the white is not see-through at all, which was one of my biggest complaints when buying shirts from brands like Hanes, Gildan, Fruit of the Loom, and Keya. The neckline is a lot higher than most traditional crew necks, but I’m a fan. Plus, I feel like it looks a lot better when you layer jewelry over it. If you’re springing to get a basic colour, I’d say it’s totally worth it, at $41 a pop, considering that it’ll last damn near forever.

Size: XL, Colour: White, Price: $52 CAD

B128CF - Long Sleeve Crossfront Bodysuit

The bodysuit that started it all. Y’all. The number of compliments I get whenever I wear this top is insane, not to mention of all the bodysuits I have purchased from this brand, this one is the most flattering, the most versatile, and the most forgiving, in terms of sizing. The cross-front bodysuit is a happy medium for people who want to get into the criss-cross top look without the hassle of strings and shit like that. Not to mention, many bodysuits in this style tend to be ribbed – and not the good kind of ribbing either *retches*. I own this bodysuit in both a medium and a large, and my advice would be to size down, especially if you’re planning on wearing it without a bra (not much of a choice considering this bodysuit has a deep, deep, V neck) and will definitely add to the effortless look of the whole ensemble. This bodysuit can be dressed up and dressed down, but my favourite way to wear this is with some slouchy ass sweatpants, white sneakers (preferably a little beat up) and a small shoulder bag – ad square or transparent sunglasses for some big 90s energy, like you just left a Bikram yoga class or something. The colours on this could be better – aside from the white, black, and flesh toned colour, I really don’t see a purpose for the coral or blue shade, but I may be biased considering I do avoid bright colours like that. Now, it may seem a little overpriced for what it is, but I promise you – in my years of bodysuit research, the only brand that’s coming close to this, especially for larger chested laydeez, is Capezio, and that’s literally dancewear. Like, industrial ass dancewear. Regardless, this bodysuit is top 2 and it’s not 2.

Size: M, Colour: White, Price: $49 CAD

BD12 - Bull Denim Oversized Bag

If I had to give a name to my aesthetic – particularly when it comes to accessories – I’d say I’m somewhere in between “Bag Lady” by Erykah Badu and first year art student in the Midwest working part time at a dusty bookstore. This bag is more of the latter. For reference on size, it’s about as big, laid flat, as my large Telfar, but when on, doesn’t have the same structure, thus keeping it from looking like a burlap sack (or keeping you from looking like Santa on December 24th). The material is bull denim, which is similar in texture and style to regular denim, however, dyed to give it a rich and uniform colour. Also this bag comes in literally all of the ROYGBIV colours, plus black and white, and in a variety of styles and closures (they have one with a zipper for people who are diligent about things like that, as well as a more standard tote size and shape). This bag is perfect for literally everything – I like it when I go grocery shopping, or even getting from A to B when I have to carry a million things. Another bonus is the construction of the strap is thick without being comical, meaning that you won’t have those nasty lines in your shoulder after a long day, and you won’t have to worry about a strap busting and embarrazzzzing you (Nella Rose voice) when you’re out. In terms of pricing, you could get a little pleather number from H&M for the same price, but if you don’t take yourself seriously, then just say that (kidding!). as someone who loves the look of a good canvas tote, without wanting to look too much like a crunchy granola kinda person, this bag is lowkey one of my favourites (sorry, Mr. Clemens!).

Size: OS, Colour: Navy, Price: $58

Notes:

*= We do not condone predatory behaviour from anyone, but it is important to highlight that just because you love something doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Part of being a responsible consumer is also knowing about who you purchase from, not just what and how things are made. I am aware of this and am taking accountability for not knowing this information sooner.

**= All of these opinions are my own and not sponsored. Product codes will be listed in the title, and sizing, colour purchased, as well as CAD pricing will be listed at the end of each review.

#cms cashmoneysegs #blog post 5 #los angeles apparel #laa #aa #american apparel #brand

[airquietworks]

Hearts vs. Heroics or: How Uravity Surpassed the World’s Greatest Hero (IzuOcha) (Epilogue)

Previous parts: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7 Her desperately gasping lungs and the heat pooling at her forehead could do little to quell the fire roaring deep in her belly.

Ochako's gaze was fixed on her two feet in front of her, continually pushing against the leg press, straining to lift all the weight loaded onto the device. She had to push her left leg a little harder than her right, the muscles there unbalanced by weeks of limited use. But she kept lifting her legs upwards, heedless of the straining protest of her limbs.

"Eleven…" she muttered under her breath, her legs practically screaming at this point, as she let them fly back down along the machine. She grit her teeth and lifted once more, faltering once but managing to complete the last repetition. "Twelve."

She did her best to gently disengage her legs from the machine, pushing them off and working to catch her breath. She tried to press down on her left foot, but the leg shook under even a minimal amount of pressure. She frowned, knowing she would have to call it in for that day, unable to do her usual fourth set.

Ochako sighed, letting her vision move up to the bright lights on the ceiling of the U.A. training gym. They were a familiar comfort as she worked to get a hold of her breathing. The low thrum of the air conditioning and the distant sounds of metal clangs were peaceful to her now, in their own way.

A buzz sounded from her nearby phone, disrupting the tranquillity of the moment. Ochako scrunched her forehead and instinctively reached out for it, glad she had the forethought to keep it next to her this time. With a few tired swipes of her thumbs, she read the message she had been expecting — and dreading.

"We're ready here. You coming? :D"

Mina's text was less bothersome than usual but still caused Ochako to take a bracing breath. She still wondered how Mina had gotten her to agree with this. Shaking her head, she tapped her fingers quickly on her phone screen to reply.

"Be there in a half hour."

Her workout was cut short with Deku being busy with some kind of super-secret training with All Might. Without her familiar sparring buddy, Ochako resigned herself to hitting the showers early and walking into her scheduled torment.

But she would need her legs for that, which were still a little shaky. She grabbed a water bottle near her and took a healthy chug, letting the water's coolness course through her system.

This was her breaking point.

Ochako collapsed onto the crumbling tile of the arena, legs giving out, quirk no longer able to lift her. She puked, spilling her guts out, unable to rein in the reflex. This position was all too familiar, and she pounded her fist into the ground at that fact. She tried desperately to find another second wind, using her arms to lift her up. Deku, her parents and all her friends were out there rooting for her. She had to find a way to keep fighting. "You're done." She looked up to see Bakugo there, staring coldly down at her. Other than a large mark on his cheek from where she had successfully landed a fist — but had been blown away the instant before she could have tapped him with her thumb and sent him flying — he looked little worse for wear. Ochako desperately wanted to prove him wrong. To stand up and kick his butt out of the ring. But her legs refused to budge. Her stomach churned and tugged in a way that told her she would be heaving out the remnants of her stomach if she tried to use her Quirk again. It was frustrating. She knew — or at least told herself she did — that she could win if she was closer to 100 percent. But her fight with Deku had taken too much out of her. She was not as agile as she needed to be to keep out of reach of Bakugo's explosions. "You never stood a chance," Bakugo stated, nothing but disdain in his voice. "It would have been better if you lost last round." It made her blood boil. She shook as she sent a defiant glare his way. As unconsciousness started to creep across her mind, she managed one last sentence. "I will...surpass you."

Ochako's eyes flew open as the aggravating scene played in her mind once again. It had haunted her dreams, both day and night, for weeks. Every bedridden moment had thus infuriated her, eager as she was to throw herself back into training to start making up for that humiliating defeat.

Unfortunately, her injuries forced her to pace herself. She stood up, grimacing at the pain that shot through her legs. But they managed to hold her weight. Her arms dangled loosely at her sides, worn from an early section of her workout. With little energy to go on, Ochako shambled over to the facility's locker rooms.

As she walked through the quiet facility, Ochako found her mind turning once more to the Summer Sports Festival and her failure to reach the top. Todoroki had gone on to defeat Bakugo in the finals, but that had done little to assuage her grief when she heard about it afterwards.

Despite the pain and the tears shed over the loss, Ochako chose to use it as motivation. She redoubled herself into her hero training, working her arms with dumbbells Deku had snuck in for her while she was bedridden. As soon as she could walk steadily again, she had gotten back into the swing of hero classes and working out at the gym.

It had taken a lot of time to work down that frustration. Her victory over Deku had still gotten her a fair bit of notoriety. But she wanted to prove she could do more. To open up even more doors. She used her defeat as fuel to rededicate herself to training.

Deku was much the same, and was often enough lifting weights right alongside her. Fortunately, the romantic edge to their relationship had only made training slightly more awkward. Sparring had even gone smoothly, once the opening jitters were out of the way. Her heart panged a little at missing him today — both for training and beyond. But she was somewhat reassured by the meeting she would have with him tomorrow.

There was not a lot of certainty to her life these days beyond her drive to train and get better. She was happy — ecstatic, even — to be with Deku. But he was a big part of that uncertainty, the two of them struggling to navigate the first steps of their new relationship together. Nevertheless, she found herself regularly seeking his company.

Ochako closed her eyes for a moment as she stood on the threshold to the locker rooms. The dull throbbing of her muscles cried out for the relief of a hot shower and a soft bed. It hurt, but it was a good, satisfying kind of hurt.

As she had learned, love had not quelled her thirst for self-improvement.

That was perhaps one fear she need not worry about. But there were new terrors that had taken its place.

After a shower and a quick change of clothes, Ochako walked slowly back towards the U.A. dorms. She was in no particular rush. She stretched the distance, taking time to appreciate the pleasant warmth of the midsummer evening.

Ochako tried to use the glorious hues of the summertime sunset to find a measure of peace. Her lungs relished in the fresh air, delighting in the brief reprieve from more strenuous activities. It would be nice if she could just sit out here for a while.

But she knew she had no choice but to keep walking toward her doom.

As she finally arrived into the dorms and entered the class 3-A building, she found herself ambushed by hands. She could not keep track of how many as they grabbed hold of her tightly, preventing any hope she had of escape. Before she knew what was happening, she was getting yanked along deeper into the facility.

"Took you long enough!" Mina exclaimed, unable to contain the enthusiasm bursting in her voice. "Come on, we're all waiting for you!

Ochako groaned, wanting to protest, but let herself get pulled along limply. She looked up and realized the other hands dragging her along helplessly belonged to Tooru — who was waving her free arm rather excitedly — and Tsuyu, who sent a little apologetic smile her way.

They passed by a few of their male classmates along the way, their quick gait raising more than a few eyebrows and earning a passing scolding from Iida. But soon enough — too soon for Ochako's liking — they found their way to her room. She was pulled in unceremoniously by her friends for the "fun" to begin.

The image before her was perhaps less horrific than Ochako might have originally imagined. Momo and Kyoka were rifling through her dresser, a few of her outfits placed on her nearby desk for consideration. There were also more extravagant clothing choices in the pile that definitely did not come from her wardrobe.

Her eyes were next drawn towards the teetering piles of girly fashion magazines strewn about her bed. Tooru hands quickly disengaged from Ochako to start rifling through them. The invisible girl held a couple of choices up in her hands, the magazines appearing to float quickly from side to side. Ochako imagined Tooru was probably grinning widely at the prospect of subjecting her to the contents within.

Finally, she saw plenty of snacks gathered around her small table, from Pocky to sponge cakes to chocolate. Ochako's eyes were immediately glued to the snack food she tended to spurn for budgetary reasons, and her stomach growled at the prospect of digging in.

Mina perceptively grabbed a box of Pocky and shoved it in Ochako's hands, before pushing towards Momo and the clothing piled up on her desk.

"You can eat while we work on your outfit," Mina suggested with a beaming grin. "Let Operation: Date Preparation commence!"

With that, Ochako quickly tried to scarf down a couple of Pocky sticks while Momo pulled her in front of a full-length mirror — undoubtedly brought in from Momo's room — and started holding outfits in front of Ochako's chest.

"You don't really have a lot of clothes," Momo observed, holding up a white blouse from Ochako's wardrobe. "Do you have anything else in another suitcase somewhere?"

"Spoken like a rich kid," Tsuyu teased from Ochako's bed, sending a blush running into Momo's cheeks.

"I'm just asking, that's all!" Momo protested.

Ochako cracked a smile, but shook her head at Momo's question while chewing on her Pocky. The theatrics of this was too much for her personal taste, but she knew her friends were coming from the right place. In fairness, she had no idea how she was supposed to approach her first-ever date.

Just the thought of it made Ochako's cheeks a little rosy as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her reddening face did not go unnoticed.

"Well, we'll find something nice for you to wear for tomorrow," Mina stated matter-of-factly, creeping up behind Ochako and holding a tiny little red shirt that was definitely not something she'd ever have in her own wardrobe. "Something that will make Midoriya's jaw drop."

"I am not wearing something like that!" Ochako exclaimed between bites, shaking her head and reaching a hand out to push the shirt away. Mina responded by yanking it out of her grasp, like a matador battling with a raging bull.

"I just want something...something simple," Ochako continued after swallowing her mouthful of Pocky. She eyed the white blouse that had been discarded into what she guessed was a "no" pile and pulled it back in front of her. "What's wrong with this?"

"Well, it's kind of something you'd usually wear, isn't it?" Tsuyu observed, putting an elongated finger to her cheek. "Isn't this supposed to be something special, ribbit?"

"It's your first date! Live a little!" Tooru piped in, piling on the peer pressure.

"I would suggest trying to wear something a little different. It's a good idea, from what I've read anyway," Momo noted, giving a gentle smile as she pulled the blouse out of Ochako's suddenly weak grip. "Don't worry, I'm not going to try to get you in anything you're not comfortable with," she assured, sending a threatening glance Mina's way.

"This stuff is way too complicated," Kyoka muttered, leaning against the desk while idly flipping through one of Tooru's magazines, eyes wandering around the room.

"You're telling me," Ochako said, frowning as she looked at herself in the mirror. She had never been particularly self-conscious about her appearance — she had much bigger problems to worry about than that. But the world of dating brought with it a whole host of unexpected little pressures she was struggling to come to grips with.

Being involved with Deku romantically had been mostly wonderful. Their interactions usually started a little on-edge with the romantic dimension added onto their relationship. But it would normally not last long, and they would fall back into the easygoing camaraderie they both treasured. Only now, Ochako could actually act on her occasional urges to touch and lean against him. It had been a lot of fun seeing him react and be so flustered as she gently poked at the first steps into a physical side to their relationship.

The emotional side of things had also been slow and tentative. They were already close confidants, but there was plenty neither was forthcoming to share with the other. Ochako had tried to be a little bit more open about her frustrations, venting frequently about her loss against Bakugo. It had felt better than she would have thought. Deku was a wonderful listener.

Despite the progress, the two had put off the date to allow for her leg to heal. When that excuse was out of the way, Ochako had found herself suddenly scrambling to ready herself for a promised day out. The nerves had gotten the best of her, and before she knew it, Mina had roped her into a girls' night to prepare, which Ochako had very quickly regretted agreeing to.

"Come on, this should be fun!" Mina retorted. "You're going to be going on a date with your lover! Isn't that exciting?"

Ochako felt her cheeks heat up at Deku being referred to as her "lover."

"Not really…" she replied, touching a hand to a pinkish cheek. "I'm just...is that how I should feel about this?"

"That's up to you," Tsuyu stated in her usual monotone, sitting by the snack table with a bag of chips in hand. "None of us would even know what that's like, except for Tooru."

"Well, I know I was excited!" Tooru exclaimed, the sleeves of her pink shirt pumping upwards. "I practically couldn't sleep the night before my first date!"

"Yeah, but you've been planning your first date since you were seven," Kyoka noted dryly, wearing a smile while rolling her eyes. "Not all of us are into this kind of thing."

"Well, Ochako has to be at least a little into this, considering she said yes to Midoriya," Momo observed while holding a yellow sundress over Ochako's chest. "This could work, couldn't it? Want to try it on?"

"Sure, I guess," Ochako said, hesitantly taking ahold of the dress she imagined was more expensive than anything in her wardrobe. "I guess I'm glad to be going on a date with him. But I'm more nervous than anything else. Am I supposed to act any differently? And all this preparation...do I really need this?"

"Yes!" Mina and Tooru shouted in unison, causing Ochako to jump slightly in place.

"People do tend to get a little dressed up on dates, after all," Momo added, nodding in agreement with their group's hyperactive pair. "But it doesn't have to be stressful. We're here to help, as girlfriends do!"

"Tell 'ya what. How about you say why you wanted to go on this date with him?" Mina suggested. Ochako noticed how all the girls leaned forward a little at the question, even Kyoka.

Ochako bit her lip at being suddenly put on the spot. "Well, I just...we had just confessed to each other and I just felt really...happy in the moment. And when he tried to ask me out, he was so nervous and stuttering and it was just really...really cute."

"Awww…" Tooru sighed, flopping her back down onto the bed while clutching a pillow.

"And it was actually pretty easy to say yes," Ochako recalled, a smile blooming onto her face as she remembered. "It was just...a really good moment."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Mina shouted, clapping her hands together. The pink girl popped in front of Ochako and grabbed her shoulders. "That's why you're doing this! Just hold on to that feeling and have fun with it!"

"If you're glad about going out with Midoriya, then getting ready should be happy too, shouldn't it?" Tsuyu added, affixing Ochako with a rare smile.

Ochako eyed herself in the mirror, appreciating the wide smile on her face. A happy moment. Right. That's why she had said she'd put herself through this romance in the first place, wasn't it? To pursue her own form of selfish happiness for a change.

Mina winked in the mirror from behind her, as if reading her thoughts. The pink girl leaned in again, placing her head right next to Ochako's right ear.

"It'll be great," Mina said, her voice surprisingly soft, but her smile no less exuberant. Ochako got a little tingle down her spine from the proximity of Mina's voice. "I promise."

Ochako scanned the room and the grinning faces of all her friends. As grating as their peer pressure could be sometimes, she was happy they were there for her as she prepared for this uneasy foray into romance.

The pursuit of happiness was one best walked with friends by your side, after all.

Was her heart supposed to be ready to start running out of her chest?

Ochako asked herself a variation of that question for the third time in five minutes as she awaited her... .boyfriend (her thoughts still paused to dwell on it every time she considered Deku that way).

The simple yellow sundress she and her friends had agreed on suddenly felt tight on her skin as she sweat under the hot summer sun and her own nerves. The anticipation of an imminent date brought all of her anxieties to the forefront.

What if this goes wrong? Is this a good idea? How am I supposed to act? Was this the right outfit? What should I say first?

The advice of her friends got lost within the questions spiralling out of control in her mind. She looked up at the windows of the U.A. dorm building. She idly wondered if her friends were there, watching from above as she awaited her first date.

She quickly stomped the question out of her mind. Of course they were.

Ochako idly pulled out her cell phone and looked at the clock yet again. 11:01 a.m. She blinked at the display. She frowned at the numbers, idly tapping her foot as she considered them. She had never seen Deku be late for anything before. She did not really mind if he was late now — not yet anyway — but she could not help but wonder what his tardiness might mean.

As if on cue, she heard the quick patter of footsteps as Deku burst from the entrance door to the dorms. He was sprinting with his quirk, causing him to rush past her at first. It took him a moment to realize before he suddenly stopped himself and turned to run back towards her. His quirk-enhanced speed sent a strong gust flying Ochako's way, causing her to close her eyes and dig her feet in a little in reflex.

"Sorry! I...I lost track of the time and I'm sorry!" Deku blurted out in a panic between panting breaths, bent over slightly to grab his knees. Ochako opened her eyes to consider her date. He wasn't wearing anything flashy — a simple black shirt with shorts and his trademark red shoes. His green hair and freckled face were just the same as ever, too. The average, every day, plain-looking Deku.

She tried to think like that to keep herself calm, but her racing pulse and dry throat betrayed her. Love did funny things.

"It's alright, Deku!" she replied brightly after letting him catch his breath for a moment. "You were hardly late at all. But did something keep you?"

"Well I...um...well...you know…" his stare was wide upon her, and his mouth went slack between his multiple false starts at answering. She regarded him with a smile, which sent a heavy flush to his face, much to her delight. Her friends had assured her he would probably be more of a nervous wreck than she would be during this. She was counting on it to help keep her grounded and remind herself they were taking these first steps together, each as clueless as the other.

"Know what?" Ochako asked, leaning in just a little closer. She had to admit, it was fun getting Deku to react like this, now that she was actually looking for it.

"Just...getting ready!" Deku managed with a little too much volume, before reaching out suddenly and holding his hand in front of her. "Would you like to take my hand?!"

Ochako stared down at the offered, scarred appendage. She slowly glanced up to see Deku, sweating profusely, mouth stuck in a hard line. She looked back down to see his hand start to shake in place.

Try as she might, she could not help it. She burst out laughing.

"Sorry, it's just….you're so serious!" Ochako said between chuckles, trying to assuage his evident distress. "You're too cute, Deku! Did Iida suggest that?"

Deku averted his eyes at the question, reeling in his hand and putting it back to his side. "...Maybe."

"So…" Ochako replied, shaking her head. "I take it you were dragged into some preparation too?"

Izuku sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well...kind of. It was mostly just a lot of arguing. Not a lot of guys in class actually have a lot of experience with this kind of thing. How'd it go for you?"

"A little better, I think," Ochako said with sincerity. "They actually helped me out a lot."

"That's good." He smiled at her, but it ran quickly from his face as he looked at her again. He put his eyes downward and scratched at his blushing, freckled cheek. "Um...you look really nice, Ochako."

The compliment was simple. But she still found herself sucking in a breath, rendered speechless. The heat on her brow felt just a little bit more intense.

"Ochako?" His soothing voice penetrated the silence as she tried to gather herself.

"Oh...um….thanks, Deku," Ochako replied. She took a deep breath and tried to collect herself.

What should she say here? She should try to respond in kind, right? That's what Tooru's magazines said, anyway.

"You look...good too…?" It was true, but Ochako's voice had no certainty in it. It almost came out like a question. Fortunately, the remark nonetheless sent Deku sputtering.

"I don't...well...thank you," Deku replied simply, eyes glued to the ground, his mouth furrowed inward as if to prevent himself from saying something more.

An awkward silence struck between them, neither of the two willing to look at the other. Ochako frowned as she tried to think of what she should say next. A part of her desperately wanted interacting with him to be as easy as when they were just friends.

She idly roamed her eyes forward to his right hand, offered to her earlier. She seized upon an impulse, wanting to push things forward.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, after all.

When her hand met his, the touch was electric. Far too much so. Deku jumped slightly as if he was shocked, eyes bulging comically as he realized her sudden proximity.

"Well...I would be happy to take your hand!" Ochako gave him the best smile she could muster, trying to mask her nerves. In spite of his flushed cheeks, Deku gave her a shaky smile in kind.

"Thanks. But...um...Ochako?"

"Hm?"

"I'm kind of floating."

"Floating?"

Ochako's eyes widened in alarm as she realized Deku's feet were no longer touching the ground.

"Oh, shoot, sorry!" Ochako said, immediately letting go of her hold on his hand to touch her fingertips together.

Deku plopped back down on the ground, maintaining his balance. Ochako smiled sheepishly at him, letting her hands fall slackly down to her sides. She wanted to crawl under a rock. How had she messed up something so simple?

But she found the steel within herself and reached out again, slowly and more carefully. Deku actually met her halfway, intertwining his fingers with hers. The slower speed allowed her to better appreciate the feeling of his scarred flesh on her fingertips. His hand was coarse, uneven, and calloused, not unlike her own. But his hand was gentle and pleasant to clasp nonetheless.

"Third time's the charm, right?" Ochako suggested. Her spirits were lifted slightly by his humoured snort and his accompanying smile. His face had not gotten any less red, but at least he was no longer shaking.

"Right," Deku agreed. "Who knew holding someone's hand could be this difficult?"

"Not us," Ochako replied in good humour while shaking her head. "But...I guess we'll figure things out."

"Together." There was a surety in his voice, a familiar one that stabilized her own resolve.

"Shall we go, then?" Ochako suggested, stepping forward and pulling his arm along.

"Lead the way."

The trek to their designated cafe, where they agreed to have a light dinner, was fairly uneventful. They filled the space between them with idle chatter, each trying to give a degree of normalcy to the situation. It was not as difficult as Ochako had imagined it would be.

But a degree of romantic tension remained. Their hands remained clasped, to the point where it had gotten a little awkward walking through a crowd to get to their destination. But whenever they broke apart, they tried to join their hands once again. It had become a strange, unspoken physical connection between them, one neither of them was willing to break.

The cafe was a little crowded, but not enough for things to be cumbersome. As they took their seats, hands finally disengaging, Ochako busied herself with the menu in front of her. She looked a little mournfully at the pricier options, wishing she could splurge but settling for something more in line with her budget. The two had been here enough times with friends to at least know there were options for two broke high school students.

With orders made and drinks served (they both settled for water), there was nothing left to distract themselves except occasional sips from their respective glasses. The silence between them started to stretch, but despite that, Ochako did not feel uncomfortable. It was similar to any other day out with Deku. There were just fewer people they knew around them. People that she knew of, anyway.

"So...uh...how has your internship been going lately?" Deku asked suddenly, trying to spur conversation between them. His delivery was a little awkward, but Ochako did not mind.

"Pretty well, actually," she replied cheerily, smiling as the memories surfaced within her. "Ryukyu and I busted a jewelry store robbery while on patrol yesterday."

"That's great!" Deku spoke with such a genuine enthusiasm, one that naturally burst out of him whenever the conversation turned to heroics. It was one of his more endearing qualities. "I didn't see anything about it online though. Did Ryukyu not use her quirk then?"

"Just enough for a claw. It's a little weird to look at, but effective."

"I bet."

There was a beat of silence as Ochako started to fidget a bit in her seat. She wanted to say something more, but she was worried about how Deku might take.

But today was a day of firsts. If she could have enough courage to hold Izuku's hand, she could summon the gumption to get the good news off her chest.

"She offered me a job. For after I graduate." Ochako's eyes rolled down to the table, and she tried to control the smile widening on her face. Thinking about it still made her giddy, but she figured she should try to control it around Deku. He might still be sore over his lost opportunities, after all.

"THAT'S AMAZING!" Deku shouted, face beaming. His volume drew a few eyeballs in their direction, prompting him to fly a hand to his mouth. He waited until the attention was off them before continuing. "I'm so happy! You earned it! What kind of deal did she offer?"

Ochako was a little caught off guard by his unbridled enthusiasm, but she rolled with it. His delight was infectious, and she was glad to release her own joy at the news.

"More than I expected. Five million yen annual salary to start off," Ochako said. She rested her head in her hand, her head heavy at the prospect of it all. "And she thinks I can get a sponsorship deal within a few months to add to that."

"Holy…" Deku's eyes widened at the figure, his mouth going a little slack. "That's way above average for something just out of high school. That's incredible!"

"She said she wanted to make sure to put a good offer so no other agency would steal me away," Ochako recalled. It was still hard for her to believe — that she would actually be fought over by hero agencies. It was not something she would have dared to dream of even a few months ago.

"What did your parents think?"

Ochako sighed wistfully as the quick phone conversation came to mind. "They wouldn't stop crying about it. Or saying how proud they were of me. It was nice."

"Your hard work is paying off," Deku observed, his voice softening. "So...did you accept it?"

"Well, I was really tempted, but I'm going to wait and weigh my options. Maybe something better comes along," Ochako said. She looked up and sent a confident smile Deku's way, raising a fist upward in front of her. "I've got to make sure I get the best deal and make the most money possible. I'm not going to commit to anything until I'm sure I have it!"

"Wow, Uraraka. That's...that's really cool." Awe rang through every decibel of his voice. The wonder with which he looked at her was peculiar, but touching. She wondered if that was what she looked like sometimes when she was watching him in action.

"So...how have things been with your training?" Ochako did not specify, but she hoped he would divulge a little about what he was working on with All Might. The duo had gotten rid of a lot of the pretense of their one-on-one training over the years, but there was still a mystique about what exactly the two's training entailed.

"It's going well!" He spoke with a smile on his face, but he did not sound quite as enthusiastic as he did when speaking about her career. "It's gotten pretty tough lately. But it's all starting to come together. Although perhaps it is taking longer than I wanted…"

His eyes went out of focus. He was once again looking at something beyond her. She put a smile on her face, but was not sure how to feel about the secrecy.

"Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're way too smart not to."

"Oh!" Deku said a little loudly, startled out of his distant thoughts. "Uh, sorry about zoning out. And...thanks."

"Don't worry about it," she assured him. She was tempted to reach a hand out to emphasize her point, but decided it might be a little forward. Or maybe it wasn't, but she would rather not take that chance.

A brief lull in their conversation allowed a line from the distant drone of a nearby television set within the cafe to capture their attention.

"In hero news, we have an exclusive for you today. We've acquired footage of Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods kissing after a mission. Hero enthusiasts have long speculated about their relationship, and now we are happy to be able to confirm it! Let's roll that footage now."

Ochako watched bemusedly as Deku clambered out of his seat to stand and get a better view of the news report. She still followed him though, quite curious about it herself.

Lo and behold, the hero world's most famous couple were indeed caught in the act. The shot was pretty distant and fuzzy, but the two were unmistakable and definitely executing a mouth-to-mouth in an alleyway. It looked a little strange to see Kamui Woods with the bottom half of his mask off and their extended passion was a little embarrassing to look at. 

"I knew it!" Deku exclaimed, raising a fist in front of him in excitement. No bit of hero news escaped his attention — even romantic news, apparently. But his smile quickly faded and he pinched at his chin in thought.

"I wonder what's going to happen to them now. They're probably going to have a lot of attention on them for a few weeks."

Ochako frowned a little at the thought. There were very few publicly known hero couples out there. Most known romantic partners of heroes tended to be people outside the profession. She imagined it was hard enough having one person in a relationship dealing with the strains of heroics, let alone two.

As a result, speculation on the "Mt. Woods" pairing had garnered a lot of media attention. Even she had caught wind of it, despite not really following hero gossip. It would be a top story for at least a few days.

Ochako glanced sidelong at Deku, who seemed to be lost in thought. He was mumbling, but it was low enough that she could not make out what he was saying. As if by automation, he turned to clamber back into his seat. She followed his lead.

"It must be really hard to be in a position like that…" Deku stated with more volume, eyes locked downward, gazing into nothingness. "Not being able to just be with the person you like without the paparazzi going after you."

"Yeah, for sure." Their profession had its drawbacks. Villainy was restless, and so too was heroism. It was hard to find privacy if you reached the top. The world would constantly scrutinize them.

Though they walked it together, their fledgling love was an uncertain road. Those were the storm clouds on the distant horizon.

They both understood that.

"...You know, before we...talked. After the fight, I mean. All Might came over to talk with me first."

Ochako looked up at him quickly, snapping out of thoughts. That was not something he had mentioned before.

"About what?"

"Well, a lot of things. How I fought, how I lost, and…" Deku finally looked up at her again, eyes bright and mouth suddenly turning upward. "And about how to handle what you told me."

"Oh…" she responded sheepishly. How else could she react? There was no way his mentor could have been happy about how she won that fight. "What did he say?"

"Well, I guess he was quiet for a while. And he asked me how I felt about you. I said...well…" his cheeks immediately reddened and he stopped his tongue. Ochako smiled at the adorable reaction. "I was honest with him."

"And how did he react?"

Deku straightened his posture and puffed his chest out a bit, evidently trying to mimic his idol.

"If you feel that way, then tell her," Deku dropped his voice an octave, managing a surprisingly passable impersonation of his hero. "Don't worry about what anyone else has to say. Don't worry about what might happen tomorrow. You're young. You should live."

Ochako did not have time to respond before Deku was suddenly reaching across the table to grab her outstretched hand, squeezing it.

"I don't want to worry too much about the future right now." He spoke with his heroic conviction, his blazing eyes sending her heart into a hammering pace. "I just want to live. With you."

Her heart started running fast as a freight train. Ochako gulped and tried to stomp down hard on her flightier reactions. She felt torn between urges to either jump for joy or crawl underneath a bed to hide her blushing face.

But she wanted to control her feelings — in a positive manner. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and squeezed his hand back.

"I want to stay with you too, Deku." She tried to match his conviction, flashing him with a sunny smile. "Whatever may come. I'm ready to face it."

Their ferocity for themselves and each other momentarily cast aside their nerves. The sweet sincerity of the moment, of their determination to continue on this winding path into the unknown, warmed Ochako to her core.

But the moment could not last forever.

"Um…I mean live with you. Like we are now. Not necessarily in a domestic sense. Probably a little early for that." Deku slowly retracted his hand as he spoke, quickly burying his face into his palm as he tried to address a meaning not taken.

"Oh, right! I didn't take it that way, don't worry!" Ochako tried to reassure him through her own fire raging across her face. She scratched the back of her head and hoped they could both learn how to make romantic proclamations without wanting to cower in fear.

Fortunately, the arrival of their orders helped break the tension and made for an easy pivot into small talk.

They silently agreed to try and settle back into a more easy-going conversation. They chatted about homework, training regimens, the latest antics of Class 3-A, and even some shared mirth about their respective date preparation sessions. It was like any other conversation she might have had with Deku before their mutual pinings made it all so much more complicated. But she was relieved to still be able to talk with him like this — even on something as nebulous as a first date.

With their bellies full, they walked out into the busy streets, bathed under the light of an orange sky. They did not hold hands this time, quietly electing for a reprieve from that particular gesture. But their spirits remained high as they walked side-by-side back towards the dorms.

"This has been a wonderful time, Deku." She spoke honestly, hovering close enough to him to be audible over the bustle of the street. "I'm glad we did this."

"Yeah!" He nodded with vigour, an open-mouthed smile upon his face. "There's one more thing I wanted to do, though. We'll have to wait until it's dark. Is that okay with you?"

Ochako blinked at the question. They had not discussed anything beyond going out to grab a bite. The idea that Deku had something else planned, something that could only be done under the cover of darkness, was intimidating.

But their shared meal had made her spirits soar. And she wanted to see what the next leap of faith might have in store for her.

"Sure!" Ochako replied, not missing a beat. "I haven't got anything planned, so why not?"

"Great!" Deku replied, his smile growing a little wider. "I can't wait to show you."

"Show me…?" Ochako asked, but Deku shook his head at the question.

"Just wait. You'll see."

Curiosity piqued, Ochako tried to start guessing what he was up to. But Deku was unshakable in his secrecy, quickly causing her to run out of steam.

When the two finally arrived at the U.A. dorms, Ochako was surprised when Deku gestured them off the beaten path. She quietly followed behind as he took them along the grassy landscape, around the side of the facility.

"This should be decently out of the way," Deku stated as he looked up one of the towering corners of the main building. Ochako followed his gaze, looking up at the endless windows stretched above them.

"I did get permission to set something up. We could take the stairs but…" Deku turned his gaze back to her as he pointed towards the sky. "It's a little high up."

"On the roof?" Ochako guessed. Deku answered with an eager nod.

"I think I can probably leap up there with some care, but it'd be a lot easier with the help of your quirk. Mind giving us a lift?

Ochako glanced up again, the dorm building's height a little imposing from this far below. She looked back down to Deku, his eager smile unwavering on his face.

She boldly reached out and grabbed his hand, grinning back at him. "Not at all."

With that, Deku channelled his quirk into his legs and leapt up high, pulling Ochako along with him. The initial rush of air around her ears startled her, and she instinctively clung to his arm, not wanting to end up falling below him. But the speed slowed quickly and left them hanging gently in the air, the grass and trees below them blending together as they soared into the sky.

When they reached the peak of their arc, well above the dorm facility itself, Ochako shifted her gaze in front of them. The central, flat part of the roof — the only place they could logically land — did not appear to have anything on it from this height. But she trusted whatever Deku was planning would be more visible once they got their feet atop it.

She finally chanced a glance toward him. His eyes were intently focused on sticking their landing, surprisingly unphased by how tightly she clung to his arm. The wind danced the hair across his forehead, and his focused expression was captivating. Be still, my beating heart, she thought to herself as she loosened her hold around his arm slightly.

The two landed smoothly, Ochako disengaging her quirk a little above the roof to ensure they both stood on their feet. She quickly let go of his arm, glancing sidelong to see his reddened cheeks, as if he just realizing she had been holding onto him tightly.

"So...what have you got planned?" Ochako asked again, keeping her attention focused on him. She watched Deku shake his head a bit as if shaking off unruly thoughts. He turned to smile at her before pointing over to the edge of the roof, near the back of the building.

It was a little hard to make out, but Ochako could tell what it was. Small, cylindrical, and directed upward toward the darkening sky, the telescope looked puny atop the massive rooftop. There was a thick-looking book beneath it, undoubtedly filled with information on astronomy.

"I remember you mentioning something about going out to see the stars with your parents last summer…" Deku murmured, scratching at his head. "You seemed really excited about it. I just figured we could maybe try to watch some stars here."

His voice wavered as his explanation went on as if fearing his idea was not going to work out.

Ochako did not have much experience, but she knew this was certainly a weird choice for a date. Most people would stick with something like a movie or an amusement park — the wholesome activities media tended to associate with dating. Night sky viewing on an empty rooftop was certainly a unique, and rather nerdy, choice.

But she loved it.

One of the things she disliked most about moving into the city was how hard it was to see the stars under all the light pollution. She tried to find places that might give her a fleeting glimpse of the night skies she treasured at her rural home, but it was no use. She had enough on her schedule without trying to squeeze time in for astronomical whims.

But now Deku was serving it up for her on a platter. She was eager to dig in.

Without letting Deku ramble on, Ochako grabbed his hand again and pulled him over to the telescope.

"Let's see what we can find!" Ochako shouted, unleashing her enthusiasm in a show of unbridled passion.

Ochako immediately plunged her face toward the eyehole of the telescope, fiddling with its alignment to see what she could see. With dusk still hanging around, the sky was not quite dark enough for stars. But there were a few bright spots starting to appear in the sky. A crescent moon was also in view, and Ochako peeked around the telescope to try to adjust it toward that direction.

She could hear Deku move around the other side, leaning down to pick up the book on the ground.

"It's too bad we can't see much with the city lights, but we can at least see a few bright spots," Deku said encouragingly as he flipped through the pages of the book. "I heard that Venus is going to be really bright tonight. Let me just see where it's supposed to be…"

Ochako focused in on the moon, admiring the beauty of it up close, the shadow clearly visible with the help of the telescope.

"That's so cool…" Ochako sighed breathily, letting herself get loose into the wonder of it all. "You should come check out the moon, Deku!"

"Oh, sure," he replied quickly, shuffling the book under his arm and stepping forward to take a peek. He accidentally grazed her hand as she let him have some room. The fleeting touch was pleasant, but Ochako determinedly did not allow it to phase her.

"Thank you for this, by the way. It was really thoughtful."

"Oh…you're welcome," Deku replied, suddenly thrusting his eye into the telescope with a little more vigour. "I wasn't too sure, but I'm glad you like it."

"It's been too long since I just looked up at the stars like this." There were only a couple of bright spots in the sky, but they were enough to put a smile on her face. "I've always felt…peaceful, watching the stars with someone I care about. You know what I mean?"

"I can't say I've really done much stargazing." He pulled his head away to look at her, flashing her a smile. "But I think I get it."

The two took turns glimpsing up at the night sky, slowly pushing their telescope to look at every corner they could. There were only a few bright spots to see, such as Venus and Sirius. But they were still able to enjoy each other's company, flipping through pages in the astronomy book, making excuses for fleeting contact and teasing plans to watch a real starry night sky together in the countryside some day.

Ochako was idly fiddling with the telescope's calibration when she saw it, flashing across the sky. A streak of light flashed across her vision, brighter than she would have expected through the lens of the telescope.

"Woah!" she naturally exclaimed, pulling Deku's attention.

"What is it?"

"Shooting star!" Ochako replied excitedly, her hands pointing to the sky as she looked back up at her date.

"Oh, really? That's awesome! I'm sorry I missed it." He directed his naked eyes toward the night sky, hoping another star might fall. "How big was it? Was it only one?"

"Pretty small. Just the one." A warm feeling overcame her as she thought about it. "Still cool, though. I've never seen one in the city before."

"That's pretty lucky," Deku noted, taking his eyes off of the sky to give her a knowing look. "So, are you going to make a wish?"

Ochako almost balked at the idea. She had not made a wish on a shooting star since she was a little girl. The magic of the idea was lost when her childhood wishes for her parents' financial well-being were never granted.

But tonight felt different. Tonight felt like maybe there was a little more magic than usual in the air, silly as it sounded in her head.

"Maybe..." Ochako's soft voice was non-committal. She took a step away from the telescope, trying to focus on the question Deku posed. "I'm not even sure what I would wish for."

"Me neither," Deku responded while stroking at his chin. "I mean, you already gave me the only thing I would have wished for lately. There's always world peace, but that's not going to—"

"What was that?" Ochako asked, blinking and straining to make sure she was hearing him correctly. She was his only wish?

Deku stopped his rambling, his eyes widening and face flushing as he realized what he accidentally let out.

"Uh…well, I didn't mean it like that! Well, I did mean it, but not in a weird way. Is that weird?"

He looked pleadingly toward her, lips trembling in search of a lifeline.

Ochako let out a giggle at his awkward fumbling through what could have been a good romantic line. Deku would never be able to maintain much in the way of suaveness, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

"It's fine. A part of me had wished for this for a long time too, after all," Ochako said honestly, waving a hand at him reassuringly.

Deku breathed a sigh of relief, smiling in thanks at her. She smiled back as familiar, warm butterflies flew about in her gut.

He really had helped her fulfill so many of her hopes and dreams. She still had a long way to go to accomplish her goals of becoming a pro and helping her parents, but Deku had undoubtedly helped set her on the right course for that. Her self-doubts were slowly fading as she trained every day and built upon the resolve she found facing off against him.

There was not much she could realistically wish for because she knew it was not enough to wish. You had to take reaching your dreams — and your happiness — into your own hands.

There were a lot of things she wished for. But there was one thing in front of her she could grasp now.

"I think I know what I'd like to wish for, actually." She approached him with a mirthful tone, sliding up before he realized what was happening.

His throat bobbed as she rose up to meet him face-to-face. She could count the freckles on his cheeks again. But she was much more drawn to his widened eyes, mysterious new embers buried deep within those green depths.

"What would…that be?"

For just a moment, she was sure she was amongst the stars.

AN: And that is a wrap!

Thank you to everyone who read, edited and supported this story! It means so much to me that this got the kind of attention it did and it helped spur me on for my largest fiction writing project in years. You all rock. ^_^

Apologies that this took so long to get out there. Real life and writer's blocks got in the way. But I hope it was worth the wait.

Special thanks to the amazing kate7h, who completed an incredible commissioned comic of the climactic finish to Deku and Ochako's fight. Please, check it out here: https://kate7h.tumblr.com/post/178346038567/of-hearts-and-heroics-heres-a-work-turned

As for what's next, I cannot make any guarantees, but I have a few ideas floating around. I hope it will not be long before you hear from me again and you will join me for my next endeavour.

Please, leave a kudos and a comment if you enjoyed this story!

Until next time, I bid you farewell. =)

#IzuOcha #Fanfiction #shipping #my hero academia #midoriya izuku #uraraka ochako #boko no hero academia #First date #fluff #so much fluff

[gremlinsxglaciers]

sideways twice

“Sideways twice” - Working title of this comic book Between chapters, random meaningful images. Like a person being strained through filter into smaller compartmentaized versions of themselves in their different milieus that look inhuman, like a suit, a mother figure, etc, instead of a whole human being "The walls of the maze turned to glass." :A close shot of someone with drowsy half opened eyes semi rolled back, vertical against the ground: :Them half awake yawning on the ground, stretching from a prone position: :close shot of them opening their eyes: :Them furrowing their brows looking at their surroundings with a cocked eyebrow side eye: :them up brushing the dirt off their clothes: :them walking around around one corner::them with a hand against the wall: :them walking around another corner::them making little mounds in the ground where they go::them coming across another mound in front of them with their hand on the wall, with their eyes bugged out: :person freaking out, breaking down on the ground: :finds a solitary mushroom growing in the ground beneath them: :touches it, and the walls fade a bit: :looks up and withdraws hand freaking out: :touches it again while looking up, walls go full transparent, like outlined glass::holds clump of earth with mushroom in it gingerly with both hands: :looks around at full field of maze with glass walls and a beautiful starry sky above: :zooms in on door, over shoulder shot of them looking surprised: :finds trail leading to door: :find trail leading to door: :finds trail leading to door fading: :person looking down at mushroom in hand fading as background walls are transparent in some places and not in others: :mushroom disappears completely and walls come back solid: :person shocked and freaking out a bit::person takes a deep inhale into their belly: :closes their eyes: :sees with their mind's eye the path::sets out again at arun with a smile on their face, calm and collected: Hey watch out for that dip! :kid biking enjoying themselves without a helmet up a hill: :someone on the side of the road covered in thorns and brambles and dirt has a text bubble that has a crack in the street in it, kid looking at them::kid gives them incredulous face: :kid goes back to enjoy themselves on the bike::kid hits a crack in the street::kid flies off bike::kid lands in bush, rolling::kid rolls down hill::kid ends up next to road, covered in thorns, brambles, and dirt looking shocked::kid sees himself riding up the hill: :copy of frame 2: The narrative broke down :hero in shiny armor with crest of a dead dragon head, walking down road in forest::walks past a hut with an eye on it (specify eye symbol, shane) : door opens behind him into darkness: :hero stops mid stride with mild concern on their face: :hero turns around looking thoughtfully: :hero entering hut: :crone in witch garb, sitting over cauldron, looking into it::crone looks up smiling and beckons hero over to seat which we can see on other side of cauldron: :bubbling green cauldron seen from top down: :cauldron reveals the world as seen from space: :paths of the dragon, princess and knight passing in the form of heads on colored lines (green, blue, pink): :the princess caring for a faun's broken leg: :the princess filling a bird feeder in a beautiful garden::the dragon swooping in on the princess with its talons open, her screaming and running: :the hero having an angry face, lit partially by the cauldron, the witch looking at him intensely, almost looking through him: :the dragon shown carrying her to its lair in its talons: :the hero shown, as in a dream, leaving the cottage::Path of the dragon ending in a bloody red X: :a black line with the prince and princess circling one another in a helix, getting farther and farther apart: :the hero showing up at the mouth of the dragon's cave: :the hero heroically slaying the dragon, to the chagrin of the princess: :the princess being carried over his shoulder: :both the knight and the princess older in a homestead, him fat and old, her still looking young and beautiful, but both looking miserable at the dinner table::both looking miserable in bed, facing away from one another, awake with the light of the moon illuminating the space between them in their dark bedroom: :them together in public, looking miserable as they walk together but apart from one another, the castle symbolically standing between them: :hero looking despondently at the cauldron, slightly darker than before: :Path of the dragon ending in a bloody red X: :The cave with the dragon's corpse oozing blood and organs::a close up of the dragon's belly reveals eggs, smashed under its body::Path of the dragon ending in a bloody red X showing overlapping red lines, all ending at that x::path of the dragon showing many other green lines also ending in x's to blue lines that continue on::the princess next tot he dragon rolled on its side, listening to one of the eggs and smiling: :the princess scowling at him, older, at the dinner table, eating a boiled egg from over his shoulder: :the knight with the blood drained from his face, the witch smiling::the knight leaving the cottage (same front shot from earlier) but in clothes, not armor, looking to the left::the knight going the opposite way on the path, smiling: :The witch now in fairy god-mother garb smiling in a rocking chair, smoking a pipe, next to a pile of armor, and weapons, next to a giant scale with one purple side and one grey side, her witchy clothes hanging on a peg on a nearby wall: a journey of a thousand miles to return where you came from boy meets an older man on the road going in the opposite direction, explains that he came from a ife of farming and wants to know what's down the road, the boy left to find women, treasure, and prestige (women, gold, people cheering him in a parade). The monk smiles and points down the road, saying that there are women, gold and people cheering him in a parade. The boy goes on the journey, finds all of those but finds their dark side. The women set him up to be sold into slavery, he sees gold as he is enslaved working to smelt it for his owner, he kills his captors and the prestige is from the other slaves but then they all leave him and he's alone. He finds peace after they've all left. Peace in simply being alive and free. Then returns down the road. The story begins again from the start. “Don't ever take a fence down until you know the reason it was put up.” :person sitting down on a hill side with a solitary white tree that has no leaves, holding a staff, wearing a robe, overlooking grazing sheep::sheep comes up the hill to him::he smiles at the sheep and pets it::wolves shown lurking at the edge of the field::wolves running in in a pack formation: :person gets up holding his staff with both hands in a defensive position: :they get to the bottom of the hill and the wolves are running off::all but 4 of the sheep are dead, an entire herd bloodied and laying lifeless on the ground::falls to his knees crying, but also clearly angry: :sheep comfort shepard by nuzzling against them::shepard wipes their eyes and smiles sadly at the nuzzling sheep::shepard building a fence::shepard has a complete fence::shepard sees wolves from top of hill again::shepard rushes to get up::wolves stalk hungrily around the fence while one attempts to jump up (side view::wolf scrabbles down, looking scare (top-down view)::wolves run away::shepard, still only half up, looks at the wolves retreating smiling: :shepard relaxing on the hill with their eyes closed::horse riding person galloping across the field, shepard still relaxing: :horse winnying at the fence::rider dismounted, hands on hips looking at fence with an annoyed look on their face: :rider straining to pull one part of the fence up from the ground: :shepard runs up with both hands up, palm forward in “stop” gesture, speaking, speech bubble has wolves in it::rider waves them away and pulls the plank up::wolves running across the hill::wolves taking the horse down::rider looks horrified::shepard fights them back using staff::rider devastated on ground::shepard, sweaty, with a little blood on them, puts a hand on the rider's shoulder: :rider looks up at them, through teary eyes::rider putting board back in::rider painting the length of the fence with a picture of wolves scratching at the side of a fence: where one ray might fall person sees the art of other people and sees that they are all talking around a subject. Draws the subject, showing how putting their work together leaves a hole, after drawing the artists together. They're all amazed. They praise them for the effort and their creation as brilliance. Another person like them shown in the last frame constructing their own image from the hole :person on the steps of a big institution, like the post office, with different groups of people talking, as shown from behind them: when you've done things right, it will be as though you've done nothing at all :someone relaxing under the shade of a tree::opens one eye: :a kid climbing a banana tree::kid falls down::kid looks up at banana bundles angrily::person getting up::person using stick on bundles of bananas::one bundle downward lines, impact symbol on ground::person goes back to sitting: :kid comes back to find bananas on the ground: :person sitting smiles: :kid walks off without looking up: :person looks agape with arms wide in “what the heck?” gesture: :person gets a flat face on indignation::older person standing nearby, leaning on walking stick with head tilted, looking at person::person looks up with a cocked eyebrow::older person nods at tree they're sitting under::show full scene with tree whose trunks has been shaped to provide maximum shade to that place::person looking puzzled::older person with speech bubble with a younger version of them tying the tree when it was a sappling::older person with speech bubble with the younger tree growing into that shape::older person with the speech bubble showing younger main character sitting under tree::older person with speech bubble showing themselves with same “what the heck gesture?”: :older person patting the person on the head as they have a look of understanding on their face, like they're saying “Oh”: “Asking whether our species is naturally peaceful or warlike, generous or possessive, free-loving or jealous, is like asking whether H2O is naturally a solid, liquid or gas. The only meaningful answer to such a question is: It depends.” :the ocean: :person at a computer programming: :person dancing with someone else at a party in the dark with disco lighting: :person meditating: :an iceberg: :person in a tandem skydive: :steam coming out of a locamotive: :person doing a heavy bench press: :person planting a flower: from Gmail via IFTTT

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