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#Now I gotta get back to my button designs HAH
tesnuzzik · 2 years
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⭐ ✨ Stargazer ✨ ⭐
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burnedbyshoto · 4 years
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Under the Mistletoe
pairing: todoroki shouto x fem!reader
warning: smut, cursing, fluff
word count: 8,467
a/n: I didn’t want to edit this last night so lmao... sorry!!!!! anyways, this is super cute and yall should like.....read it :D
Synopsis: The mistletoe tradition is known by all, and if used correctly it can end in a sweet moment. Too bad Todoroki Shouto believes that people fuck under the mistletoe and not kiss under it.
✩✶✩❇✩✶✩
“So you’re telling me that when two people meet under a mistletoe they have to...” Shouto trails off as he looks at the green plant nestled in between his fingers. “They have to—”
“They have to fuck, yes,” Kaminari nods his head. 
His arms are crossed over his chest, his eyes closed as he nods. His words, of course, are a flat out lie, but to Todoroki Shouto it seems as if his friend is speaking the truth. “It’s why it was never put up during our Christmas celebrations at school! With some of you guys not turning eighteen until after Christmas and all. That could have turned out to be child porn or something!”
“I haven’t had sex though,” Shouto huffs as he throws the mistletoe towards the blond who yells as it hits his head. “I don’t think I want to be caught underneath it. Didn’t Mineta wear a hat with it attached to it last week though?”
“Yeah, but that’s the only way Mineta can get girls, plus didn’t you see how the girls avoided him like the plague?” Sero pipes in, a large grin on his face as he takes the mistletoe and throws it above Kaminari’s head.
Shouto, however, sees this as a substantial poof.
“Bro, are you telling me you wanna fuck?” Kaminari winks as he looks up at the mistletoe.
“No, I just don’t think you’ll ever get to smash without this either!” Sero laughs as Kaminari slaps the mistletoe from Sero’s grasp.
“Would you fucking bastards GET OFF YOUR ASSES and come fucking help out?!” Bakugou roars as he enters the living room where the three men were sitting around.
Shouto stands up first, his eyes looking at the mistletoe that lays innocently on the floor. White people were pretty weird for starting that tradition.
Of course, it wasn’t to say that Shouto didn’t want to meet anyone under the mistletoe! Had it been a tradition where he would get to kiss someone it would be different, but fucking? Having sex only because you were caught under a plant was a bit too much.
“Todoroki-kun, are you okay?” Midoriya asked as he walked while hold two tables to put up for the dinner. The boys of the since graduated class 1-A were in charge of hosting the first annual Christmas party. Of course on because Iida volunteered them all.
Shouto nodded his head as he smiled strained, “I’m going to be avoiding the mistletoe all night.”
Midoriya looked at the fallen plant as he quirked an eyebrow, “Really? I thought it could be a great idea to get— mmph?!”
Shouto’s eyes widened as he saw Kaminari, Sero, and Kirishima covering the One for All user’s mouth. They began dragging him away, their mouths at his ear as they whispered at him.
“Todoroki-kun, Kirishima-kun!” Iida yelled as he brisked over with red cloth in his hands, “I need your help in spreading snow out in front of the house! It hasn’t snowed enough yet!”
“Iida, what do you think about mistletoe?” Shouto asks as Kirishima jogs over to them.
“It’s a weird tradition,” Iida admits as he rubs the back of his neck. “But there’s too much to do, and the girls will be here within an hour!”
“Don’t worry bro,” Kirishima laughs as he slings an arm around Shouto’s shoulder. “Just avoid the mistletoe! Unless... you want us to send y/l/n-chan your way!”
Shouto couldn’t hide the flush the built on his cheeks at those words. The joyous laughter of Kirishima’s teasing didn’t help either.
✩✶✩❇✩✶✩
Shouto stared at himself in the mirror.
Iida had insisted on formal wear tonight. He believed their first Christmas celebration outside of U.A. was a cause to ditch the Santa gear. It was definitely weird celebrating Christmas with his friends and not wearing the Santa suits.
But Shouto chose a dark navy blue suit, a white button-up, and a slim black tie. His fingers buttoned one of the buttons on his jacket before putting in silver cuff links. He was ready.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Shouto placed his clothes into the designated room. It seemed, however, that he was the last one ready as everyone else was sitting at the grand table. It had been beautifully prepared by Sato and Tokoyami. The aroma of the cooking food filled the air causing Shouto to sigh, he was quite hungry.
“Bakugou, where’s the mistletoe?” Shouto asked his ash-blond friend who was walking around with his hands shoved into his pockets. Shouto watched as Bakugou groaned as he whipped around towards him.
“What makes you think I would fucking know, hah?” Bakugou grunts as he rolls his eyes. “It’s hidden for a goddamn reason, you’re not supposed to know!”
“Would you help me look for it?” Shouto asks as he rubs the back of his neck.
“HAH?! Why the hell would I look for it with YOU, half and half bastard?! Are you trying to—?” Bakugou’s mouth was then taped shut. Shouto watched on in confusion as the ash blond’s attention was stolen by Sero; who was now running away in his white tux from the storming blond.
“Why aren’t they just being bizarre!” Aoyama dramatized from Shouto’s left. Glancing over, Shouto chuckled at his friend dressed in a literal suit of armor that was blinding to the eye. “Now, are you confessing your feelings to Mademoiselle y/n? Christmas is the most romantic time to do so!”
Before Shouto could speak to the smirking blond, Iida bursts into the dining area with coats in his arms.
“The ladies have arrived!” He announced.
Shouto watched as six girls entered the room talking amongst themselves.
They all wore Christmas appropriate formal dresses, and yet his heart fell as he was quick to see that you weren’t there.
Where were you?
✩✶✩❇✩✶✩
“I know I’m very late!” You exclaim into your phone as you struggle to shove the dark red evening dress over your body.
You weren’t supposed to have stayed as late at work as you did.
Missing the bullet train back to your apartment, you had completely missed the preparation for the party. Lucky for you, your neighbor had a useful quirk that let him do makeup and hair in ten minutes. So after offering him your soul (a promised meeting from his favorite Pro Hero Froppy), he agreed to do it.
The formal wear, however, was a bit too much in your opinion.
One month ago Iida had sent out appropriate outfits to gather ideas of what to wear for today. To put it simply he wanted a full-blown ball gown for a party for twenty-one of you.
So there you sat in your room, pulling the dark red dress into place. It had a semi sweetheart neckline, the bodice was made of soft velvet, and the skirt was multiple layers of red lace. Overall it was cute and simple. Slipping on your white heels you grabbed your coat and presents for your friends. Placing your phone to your ear you raced out to where the taxi was waiting for you.
“Iida won’t let anyone eat until you’re here! And I’m positive Bakugou is going to kill Midoriya out of a hangry fit if you don’t get here quick!” Mina once again tells you as you give the taxi driver the address.
“It’s not my fault villains decided to be villains where I work! Had it been my decision I would’ve been there with you guys! Plus it’s starting to snow,” you sigh as you pinch the bridge of your nose. “Tell Iida you guys can start eating, I’m not offended!”
“Girl, I told him that one hour ago, and again right before I called. Trust me, we’re not touching the food until you’re here!”
“Wow, you didn’t even want to wait for me?” You tease as you watch as the taxi drives into familiar areas.
“You know I’m teasing, besides loverboy here won’t let anyone eat until you get here too~!” Mina giggles in her sing-song tone.
“Don’t call Shouto that!” You groan as you try to calm your flaring cheeks. “We’re friends!”
“Friends who have the sexual tension that brings god to her knees! And the romantic chemistry that makes the cutest couple tremble in jealousy!” Mina exclaims. “Don’t worry, we saved you the seat right between him and me!”
“Mina!”
“Oh, gotta go! Bakugou AND your precious Shouto~ are demanding an update, see ya soon cutie!”
“Mina—”
The line went dead as you puffed out your cheeks.
Sometimes Mina was too slippery for her own good.
The rest of the taxi drive was quiet. Your taxi driver most likely wanting to get you out as soon as possible to go home themselves. Your eyes focused down at your cellphone that was getting text messages demanding your location.
Most of which was spam from Kaminari and Uraraka who seemed to be the most starving. Sighing, you shared your location with the class’s group chat for the next twenty-four hours. So they could track you for the next few minutes it would take for you to get there.
kaminari: i dont think ive ever been this excited to see y/n in my life… ever… and im 98% sure i had a crush on her 0.0
you: omg i told you guys you could EAT stop HARASSING ME
sero: tru lets blame iida
iida: You all would have been very upset had we eaten without you! Besides, this is our family so we have to wait, it’s only polite. - Iida Tenya
mina: …
you: …
midoriya: …
kirishima: i thought someone ingrained it into iida that he doesnt have to text… like that…
momo: I believe it is okay, Iida-san! It is confusing to know who’s texting on this chat! Sincerly, Yaoyorozu Momo
bakugou: hurry the FUCK UP Y/N
you: id rather die
“We’re here,” the driver sighs as they turn around. “That’ll be 2,000 yen.”
You smile in gratefulness as you pull out two 2,000 yen. “It’s a tip for working on a holiday, thank you!”
“Happy holidays.”
“To you as well!”
You stepped out of the car and closed the door behind you. Your eyes fluttering as you watch the snow fall in front of you. A shiver runs through your spine as you pull your coat tighter around yourself. Holding the presents closer to you, you walk down to the front door. You take notice of the heaps of snow in front of the lawn and grin. Although you had no evidence, you bet Iida made Shouto and Kirishima create snow unknowing that it was going to snow this much.
Opening the grand door, warmth and the waft of cooking food invaded your senses. Removing your coat, you heard chairs scraping against the floor as a small mob of people raced to greet you.
“Merry Christmas!”
“Season greetings!”
“I’m so fucking hungry, thank Santa you’re here!”
“Move bitches I get the first hug!”
“Let me grab her coat first!”
It had been a while since you had last seen everyone. But in this moshpit of who you would consider being among your best friends, it warmed your heart. “Thank you, Iida,” you smile as he nodded in response.
“You followed the guidelines quite well, you look great!” Iida compliments as he turns to put your coat away.
“Of course she looks great, we all went out together to a dress shop!” Jirou sighs as she pulls you into a hug.
You greeted everyone, hugging them all as you went until you finally found the one person you wanted to see. His hair styled slicked back and his hands rested in his pockets as he smiled at you. Your face felt like it was heating up as you stepped closer to him.
“Merry Christmas, Shouto,” you smile as the dual-colored man smiles at you. You pull him into a hug.
“Merry Christmas, y/n,” he mumbles into your hair. “I’ll take those from you?” Shouto offers as he grabs the bag with the presents.
“Thank you,” you say letting go of the bag.
Shouto nodded as he turns on his heel to put the presents away.
“TIME TO EAT!” Kirishima and Kaminari roar as everyone starts making their way back to the dining table.
“Just to let you know, there is a mistletoe somewhere here, in case you want to make a move,” Mina whispers in your ear.
Oh, this dinner seemed like it was going to get increasingly harder to stay composed.
xxx
“It’s present opening time!” Iida exclaims as he ushers the class into the living room where the tree and presents resided. “Please have a seat, Yaomomo and I have organized the different piles for everyone! Until you have been seated will you receive your pile!”
You were talking with Tsuyu as you entered the living room. Your eyes shining as you took in a beautifully decorated living room.
“You boys did an amazing job at decorating!” You exclaim as you grin, the night had been going perfectly so far.
Dinner had been lively and hilarious. Old banter and topics bleed into the night’s conversation made your heart ache for the old days. It seemed so long ago when you spent every day for three years with these guys. You missed it.
With Mina at your left who discussed her new fighting style. Shouto at your right who talked about his life at home. His family had finally was becoming something he loved completely. While you two had late night discussions talking about it no one else knew about it. It was invigorating to see Shouto grin and laugh in conversations. His old dense self was still ingrained in him yet he’s grown so much since his fifteenth year. You were proud of him.
You watched as Tsuyu took a seat on the couch, her eyes trained on you as she spoke. You moved to sit next to her until something shoved you to the side.
“Oh, that’s my seat!” Mina exclaimed as she sat next to Tsuyu, her smile large as your eyebrow rose. “There’s more, don’t worry!”
You turned around and saw a seat near Midoriya who was near Tsuyu. It seemed you could continue your conversation about her position as a Hero Commander. Midoriya would like that conversation as well.
“That’s my spot!” Uraraka shouts as you were about to sit down. You sighed as you stood back up, your eyes raking the couches for a place to sit.
“There’s a spot by Todoroki-kun,” Midoriya said pointing at Shouto. Shouto was sitting on a seat that was a bit too large for one person, but too small for two.
“Thanks,” you smile as you walk over to Shouto. “You mind if I squeeze in next to you?”
Shouto looks at you, his eyes intense as he shakes his head, “No, go ahead and sit.”
You sat at his left with a grin. Your body pressing into his left arm as he concentrated on Iida, and with a nudge, you captured his attention. “I hope you like the gift I bought for you,” you whisper as Iida begins handing out the piles of gifts to each person. Ojiro helping as they were big.
“I don’t think I could hate anything you could give me,” Shouto whispers back as he grabs his pile from Iida.
“Random panties I find on patrol?”
“I’d be honored you thought of me.”
“That’s so gross, Shouto,” you laugh as you take your own pile from Ojiro.
“You’re the one touching random panties from the streets of Japan!” Shouto retorts as he helps you settle your pile onto the floor.
“Touche, Shouto,” you grin as you shove him with your shoulder, “touche.”
“Because it is Uraraka-kun’s birthday coming up, she should go first!” Iida suggests and everyone agrees.
“Oh, I need to tell you something,” Shouto whispers as you cheer on Uraraka who is lifting a gift over her head.
“What is it?” You ask turning your head towards him.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he whispers before focusing back in onto Uraraka. She lifts out multiple bags of strawberry mochi with a triumphant scream.
“You look handsome tonight, too.”
It doesn’t take long before presents are being opened and you’re feeling content pressed into Shouto’s side.
From Aoyama, you got a crystal mirror that sparkled in the light. The poem about the North Star engraved into the back of the mirror.
From Mina, you got workout clothes specific to a dance class you and the girls were planning on attending together. They were in your favorite color and came with a jacket with your name stitched into it.
From Tsuyu, you got a plushie. It was of your favorite animal and held lots of tiny little snacks that you could carry during a patrol.
From Iida, he presented you with a pair of exercise shoes you had been needing for a while. After all, sparring with Bakugou and Midoriya left your old ones disintegrated.
From Uraraka, she bought you a charm bracelet that had two charms on it already. One of the U.A. building and another of a small group of girls.
Ojiro gave you got a new winter coat. It was white, waterproof and insulated. Your jaw on the ground as you tried it on because it made you look like a marshmallow and you adored that.
Kaminari gave you got his mixtape. On the cassette were a bunch of Kaminari originals he had been promising you for years now, and now you had a copy. That and a gift card to your favorite restaurant.
Kirishima gave you a new ankle and wrist weights. Something to help with your manly journey to becoming the best hero!
Koda bashfully announced that you were getting an all-inclusive trip to an animal and tea shop. Something he gifted everyone in the class, and an event you girls were quick to plan.
Sato gave you a free pass to let him bake you anything you wanted. Another gift given to all the girls, and another gift you girls were excited to use.
Shoji had gifted you a massage gun. Something you had enveloped him in a hug for minutes afterward because it was something you had been meaning to buy.
Jirou’s gift was in a white envelope, two VIP tickets to your favorite band. A very discounted item because her parents knew them and the fact that she was a Pro Hero too.
Sero’s gift was something that made you laugh, it was a high-quality blanket. Soft to the touch, with the ability to keep you warm in a blizzard! It had a class picture printed on it photoshopped with Kaminari’s wheey face onto everyone’s picture.
Tokoyami gave you a picture album with the class’s best memories. It also had many more blank pages for your own pictures.
Hagakure bought you a new set of makeup and brushes. Brushes that you had been eyeing the time you two had gone shopping together too!
Bakugou bought you a new outfit. It was definitely an outfit for warmer weather, and he got annoyed when you went to hug him.
Midoriya made you a present. It was two notebooks full of analysis and suggestions that you had asked for when sparring. You wanted to continue improving and Midoriya was definitely going to help you.
Mineta bought you a gift card to use at a local lingerie store. On the one hand, it had a lot of money on it, on the other hand, you wanted to destroy it.
Momo blushed as she stood up, her grin wide as she looked at everyone. She apologized about being able to properly buy everyone an honest gift as she had been busy these past few months. Nut she promised she made up for it. She had paid off everyone’s apartment/house rent or price. Or in Iida’s and Shouto’s case their groceries for four months.
“This is for you,” Shouto whispered as he handed you a thin rectangular box. “I didn’t want it getting smashed so, I held onto it. I didn’t forget to give you a gift.”
Your eyes focused on the gift that was wrapped in red and silver wrapping paper. Your fingers gently taking it from him as you nodded. Shouto had been giving everyone else gifts with things that reminded him of them. It had some of the most hilarious items to date. But the box told you nothing, no hint, no clue. The attention of the group was on Aoyama who was modeling the new outfits that were gifted to him.
His eyes bore into you as you opened the gift, your eyes widening as you opened the box. “Shouto…” you trailed off as you looked down at the simple yet gorgeous necklace that lay in the box. It had a single diamond on it, yet you knew that it was more expensive than anything you’ve ever bought in your life. “W-What?”
Shouto remained silent as he gently pulled the necklace from the box, he asked you wordlessly to turn around so that he could place it on you. You complied as you shifted in the seat.
“I promise I looked everywhere else for you before choosing this!” Shouto admits as his warm fingers push your hair to the side. The cold chain presses into your skin as you look down at the jewel. “But no matter what I looked at, this was the only thing I liked for you. So, no, I don’t regret or worry about buying you this because I know it was meant to be yours.” His breath teased your exposed skin and it took everything within you not to melt as he fixed your hair.
Not knowing how to thank him, you pulled him into a tight hug, your arms holding him near as he returned the hug. Your lips pressed gently against his cheek, “Thank you, Shouto.”
You pull away and look back to your friends who were still focused on Aoyama who did a spin. Your fingers grazed the shiny jewel, and you lay your head against his shoulder as you consume the fashion show laid out for you.
Xxx
“You’re confessing to him, right?!” Mina hisses as the girls called an impromptu meeting seconds before you were "about to kiss Shouto" on the couch.
“Mina-san, she was about to kiss Todoroki-san right before you ripped her from his grasp!” Momo sighed as gave you an apologetic smile.
“Y/n has liked him since high school! Her first kiss with Todoroki-kun is not going to be while Bakugou is modeling his clothes!” Hagakure defended Mina as she crossed her arms.
“First off, I was not going to kiss him,” you defend yourself as you point a sweeping finger at your friends. “I was going in to get lint in his hair!”
“There wasn’t lint in his hair,” Tsuyu chimed in to which everyone agreed.
“Leave her alone!" Jirou waves her hands, to which you thank her. "She was going to take the lint out with her teeth! To show him what that mouth do!”
Jirou snorts as you shove her.
“Do you see that rock on her neck?! You know she’s not gonna show him only what that mouth do, but also what her—!” Uraraka snickers as she was interrupted by the kitchen door opening.
“Y/n?” Shouto asks, his eyes wide as he sees that you’re flustered and pointing your fingers at them all. “Um… I was wondering if we could talk?”
“Right now?” You squeak as you smooth over your dress. “Of course right now, um, yes let’s go!” You declare, glaring at your friends as you walk towards Shouto. Grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the kitchen the door closing behind you.
“They put up the mistletoe outside right?” Momo whispers as she looks at Jirou who gives a thumbs up.
“Yes, Kaminari said they convinced Todoroki to talk with y/n outside.”
“Does… does Todoroki-kun even know what to do under the mistletoe?” Uraraka asks as she realizes her sheltered friend was still learning new things to this day.
“The boys must’ve explained it to him,” Hagakure insists as she nods. “You can’t fuck up explaining that you kiss someone under the mistletoe. Besides, they want them to get together too!”
Xxx
“Fuck, it’s cold,” you shiver as you wrap your jacket around you.
“Sorry,” Shouto apologizes as he grabs your hands in his. Heat immediately spreads through your skin. He was warming you up, the cold winter air is ignorable, as you and Shouto walk towards the edge of the porch. “There wasn’t any room in there that was private enough, and I needed to talk to you about something important.”
“Oof, don’t tell me you meant to give this necklace to some other girl named y/n,” you tease as you rest your back against the snow-covered railings. “If so, I’m going to need to fight both you and her for it.”
“No, no,” Shouto chuckles as his thumb rubs smooth circles into your skin. “But it is about the necklace.”
You nod your head as you squeeze his hand reassuringly, “What about it?”
“It’s not… too forward is it?” Shouto asks as he takes his right hand to brush your hair from your face. “If you think it’s too much I can take you to return it for something else you’d like.”
The worry and concern that are heavily etched into his face make you laugh softly as you shake your head. “Even though I can’t give you something as great in return, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.”
“What do you mean? I liked your gift.”
“Shouto, it was a two paid in full all you can eat meals at that soba joint you love, of course, you were going to like it!” You tease as you think back to the hole in the wall you had introduced Shouto to a few months ago.
“Yes, I have to starve for a week to make the most of your gift,” he teases and you snort as you shove him. Your eyes roll as you focus your attention back onto him.
Wait, what was that?
Your eyes flew back up to the ceiling as you saw the powdered with snow mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. Your jaw dropped as your heart rate spiked. The hands that were in Shouto’s felt sweaty as you ripped your hands from his.
“What’s wrong?” Shouto asks as he follows your gaze up to the ceiling.
“Mistletoe,” you breathe as your eyes widen. This screamed like a setup to you, but how could the girls know the two of you would have made your way out here?!
“Oh.” Shouto’s voice nearly squeaked.
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to,” Shouto whispers, his cheeks glowing in embarrassment or from the cold, you had no idea at this point. “If you’re okay with it, um... I’ve never done this before.”
You lick your lips in anticipation and the feeling that Shouto wants to kiss you back. Your heart hammers in your ears as you smile. “It’s okay, I have,” you laugh gently.
“... you have?”
“Yeah!”
“O-oh…”
“It’s okay, it’s something I try not to remember,” you input as you shake your hands. His disappointed, flustered, and jealous aura screaming at you as you cup his cheeks. “You’re the one I wanted to meet under the mistletoe anyways.”
His hands slip through your jacket, holding your waist in his grasp as he lets out a shaky breath. Shouto’s eyes rise to lock on yours finally, and you nod at him.
“Wait you want to do this outside?” Shouto whispers as you near him.
“You’re supposed to do it under the mistletoe,” you mumble as your lips connect with his. Your lips end all arguments that he has as Shouto stills.
The kiss was slow, your eyes closed as you gently coaxed his stiff lips to move with yours. Shouto moved with you smoothly, the kiss gently growing in passion as he pulled you in closer. The kiss burns you as your lips languidly move against each other. Your hands moving from his cheeks to tangling into his gelled hair.
It was perfect, and you found yourself pulling away, ready to confess your feelings for him. But Shouto didn’t seem to be on the same page as his lips pressed against your throat. The feeling of his heated and soft lips against your colder skin made you suck in a sharp breath of air. Your head tilting backward as he peppered clumsy yet attentive kisses against your skin.
“S-Shouto,” you moaned as your fingers grabbed onto the collar of his jacket. This wasn’t what you were expecting from him. Nor was it something you believed to come from a visit under the mistletoe. Your peaked breaths soon calmed, they smoothed into soft and shaky moans as his teeth teased your sensitive skin.
Shudders flew through your body as his tongue caressed your skin. your mind was sinking into a sinking pit that is until he trailed his tongue to the cleavage of your breasts.
“Shouto!” You squeak as you shove his jaw up, his eyes locking on yours confused and drowning with lust.
“What’s wrong, love?” Shouto asks as a strand of hair falls into his eyes. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Is this how you meet everyone under the mistletoe?” You pant as your mind is racing too many thoughts a second, you can’t keep up as there is a heat building in you. A heat that begged you to get over your shyness and just let him kiss you in such a lewd way. But this wasn’t Shouto, it couldn’t be.
“I’ve never been under a mistletoe before,” Shouto mumbles as his lips press together. In this brief hesitation, it seems that he remembers something. “Who have you… met under the mistletoe…”
Your face warms as you sigh, it wasn’t a memory you much enjoyed.
“It was Bakugou, but only because the damn store owners were so insistent on it!”
This confession made Shouto still. His eyes turning a near black with emotions you hadn’t seen on his face in quite a while.
“Shouto? Are you okay--mmph?!”
His lips were back over yours immediately. His bruised lips fervently danced against yours as he held his right hand to the back of your neck and the other firmly onto the small of your back. His kiss was demanding, sultry, and overwhelming.
Your questions of his emotions out of your mind as your ass hit the porch railing. The cold snow burning through your dress made you cry out, and Shouto’s tongue presses into your mouth. Your back arches as his left-hand leaves your body. It slams against the railing and the snow melts, and the tongue in your mouth warms you as you shudder in his hold.
Not wanting to be manipulated like this, you ignore how your body feels like it’s melting in his hold. Your mouth suckles onto his tongue. Your hands fist into his hair, making him moan into your mouth as you tug on it sharply.
You can feel the falling snow hitting your cheeks, but your body temperature has spiked so high that it melts before it can make complete contact.
Ripping your mouth from his, your lips trail down his neck, nipping and sucking hickies onto his pale skin. The harsh pants that escaped his mouth and the shaking of his form further incited you as your painted lips met the collar of his shirt.
“Should we go back to my place?” You ask as you pull away, your hands fisting around his tie as you look into his lust-fueled eyes.
“I thought you said we had to do it under the mistletoe?” Shouto questions, his upper lip in almost a sneer as he uses your hands to loosen his tie. Your eyes widened as he stripped off his jacket. He placed it onto the railing that was turning the snow into steam whenever it made contact. “Did you take Bakugou home after finding yourself under the mistletoe with him?”
The words were a near snarl, his eyes angry, his face jealous.
Some part of you wanted to utilize this. You wanted to use this surplus of emotion Shouto was emitting to get him to fuck you against this railing. Another part of you, a louder part of you, demanded to know what was wrong.
“Why would I bring Bakugou home?” You ask as you take Shouto’s flushed cheeks in your hands. “It’s mistletoe, not a porno.”
Shouto blinks once, twice, thrice.
“W-What?”
“Mistletoe, not porno,” you repeat confused. “Shouto, you’re supposed to kiss under the mistletoe.”
It’s then that Shouto’s body freezes. His eyes widening as he stares at you.
His face flushed, lips were swollen from kissing, and hair messy.
“You’re… you’re not supposed to fuck?” He asks, his voice barely above a whisper as he shakes his head.
The small sentence causes your heart to beat wildly as you stare at him, your hands moving from his cheeks to your mouth. “NO!” You squeak as Shouto takes a step back from you, his head dropping.
Coldness envelopes you as Shouto nods his head, “I’m sorry for forcing myself on you, y/n. I… I should go.”
You watch as Shouto turns on his heel, his back stiff as he walks towards the door.
Everything in you screams at you to make him stop, pleading that you pull him back and say you’ll still fuck him. The kissing itself had ignited a fire within you. And there was nothing else you wanted but Shouto to subside the need and desire that had built within you.
“I like you,” you reel as you find yourself taking several steps forward as Shouto’s hand touches the door handle. “I have feelings for you, and when I found out that I could kiss you tonight I took the chance! I know you might be feeling a whole bunch of different emotions that I can’t list. But I want to let you know that I wasn’t letting you do that because of the mistletoe, Shouto! I genuinely really like you and I was going to let you fuck me against the porch railing I was that ready.”
Shouto is frozen at the door, his back tense as his hand drops. You watch in what feels like slow motion as he turns around, his eyes locking on yours. It clicks, his confession is silent as he walks back towards you.
The world has gone silent as Shouto cuts the distance between the two of you before you could react. His mouth pressing against yours as you’re sent walking backward. Your hands grasping his biceps as you’re pressed against a familiar railing.
“I like you,” Shouto gasps against your lips. “Fuck, y/n, I like you so much.”
You don’t answer him as you instead sink your teeth into his lower lip, a groan leaving his mouth as you pull away. His eyes flash dangerously, something new stirring within him as your lips come crashing together again. In a tangle of lips and tongue, his hands leave your waist and grab your ass through the fabric of the dress. The cold is ignorable and the jacket around you is making you sweat as you moan into the kiss.
The melodious sound escaping your mouth stirs Shouto on and his leg slips between your thighs as you arch into him. His leg presses indescribably into your crotch, so you do what you must and grind your hips against his leg.
The grip on your ass tightens as Shouto begins to guide your hips into wide circles against his leg. The grinding pleasures you. The slowly building pressure overwhelming you as you whine against his mouth. His name escapes your mouth like a prayer, soft and hopeful as your mouth suckles against his tongue.
“It’s too hot,” you whimper as you pull away, Shouto trying to follow you with his mouth as you tilt your head. His wandering lips press against your neck and you sigh as you shift to take off the jacket.
“You’re going to get sick,” Shouto warns. His hands leave your rotating ass as he tries to slip the coat back over your shoulders.
Taking his hands and instead press them onto your breasts. As his eyes shifted to your breasts, you dropped your coat to the floor and you stare at him with a growing smirk. “Then you better fuck the cold away.”
His eyes take you in and he slowly nods, his hands groping your breasts as he growls in response, “Don’t think I won’t.”
“Big words for a virgin,” you moan as warmth spreads throughout your body.
“Those are fighting words for someone who’s at my mercy,” Shouto snaps as he pinches your side.
A pained moan escapes your lips as Shouto’s teeth sink back onto your neck. His tongue then lashing out to smooth the wound that was left in its place. He continues to mark your neck as your gasping praises and grinding hips gives him the confidence to continue. His touch is intoxicating and you find yourself whining for more, begging that he do more. Finally, with a deep chuckle, Shouto pulls away from your neck, his lips red and raw.
His eyes trace your body as his hand’s trail from your breasts back onto your ass. Your eyes widen as he picks you up as if you weigh nothing, his hands massaging your flesh as he places you onto the rail. A low sigh escapes your lips at the feeling of the warm wood underneath you.
Your chest heaves with your quickening breathing as you see that this position gives Shouto the perfect entrance to fuck you out here.
There wasn’t much you could do outside. With snow blanketing the world, your friends indoor, and both you and Shouto craving the other there was only so much you could do. Fully expecting Shouto to start unbuckling his pants, your eyes shot open as he lifted the skirt of your dress. His heated fingers trailing up your cool flesh.
Trembling you watched as his fingers reached your panties. His finger stroking your folds as your hands held tightly onto his shoulder. Your pussy aches for more. Your panties soaked from the thigh riding and the being so overwhelmed with emotions for Shouto.
You can do nothing as you feel your panties being peeled from your skin. The soft fabric trailing down your legs and you watch as Shouto looks at them before pocketing them. A smirk overcomes his facial features as you watch him. He takes your wrists in his right hand and moves them behind your back. Your eyes widen as a familiar sound hits your ears.
“I might be a virgin, but I’m not a prude,” he whispers into your ear as cold ice encloses your wrists. “You have only a few minutes to get yourself to cum against my fingers, or else… well, I don’t want to find out.”
Unintentionally, you whimper in both pleasure and pain as the coldness seeps through your skin and your pussy throbs at the threat. Should you heed his command or make him recant. As you contemplate that, you rub your legs together. The slickness of your essence much more noticeable without the fabric in place, and you moan.
Shouto smirks as he looks at your moving legs, and he takes his left hand to trace your inner thigh, teasingly, barely touching your skin. Your eyes flutter as they brush against your slit right before he plunges two fingers into your wet heat. Cursing his name, your walls tremble against him as you press your forehead onto his shoulder. His fingers are warm, but your heat is even warmer.
“Is something wrong?” He feigns innocence as his fingers curl against your wall. They circle within your cunt as you whimper lewdly.
“N-No!” You stammer. The freezing sensation of the ice is almost ignorable with his fingers beginning to push within you. He nods as he begins to move his fingers slowly. Your body squirms in his hold as he increases his speed. Soon his fingers pump within you at unimaginable speeds, your head throwing backward at the pleasure. Your hips find themselves bucking against his fingers as you mewl.
The ice begins to burn as his thumb brushes against your clit.
Your eyes clench close as you surge forward. Your lips pressing against his as you attempt to stop your loud moans. Shouto swallows your moans as he continues to pound his fingers in you. A third one soon entering as his thumb flicks against your clit.
So close, you’re so fucking close.
You can feel the pressure building in you, the coil tightening as you cry out his name, pleading for him to make you cum. Shouto muses at your desperation but does not relieve you of your desires as his fingers leave your cunt. You cry at the expulsion, your pussy craving for him to reenter your needy cunt.
Instead, your wrists are set free from their icy cage. Your skin feels like its burning as Shouto places his fingers into his mouth. He's licking your essence off his skin and you whine at the visual.
“I decided that I want you to come around my cock instead,” Shouto chuckles as you glare at him.
“You’re a dick,” you whine as you watch as Shouto loosens his tie after removing his jacket.
“You’re the greedy one who wanted to fuck right here,” Shouto hums as he unbuckles his belt. You stare at him feeling your pussy throb at the impending sex.
Your eyes fall onto his cock as his pants bunch at his knees, and your mouth dries at the sight of him. Eight inches and thick, his hand fists against his length, low grunts escaping his mouth as he steps near to you.
“Are you okay with this?” Shouto asks as the head of his cock brushes against your wet folds.
You nod your head as you shudder at the sensations that run through your veins, “Yes, are you?”
He nods too as he grunts softly. He begins to grind his cock against your folds. The increased pressure than what he was doing before makes you moan as he coats himself with your juices. Your hands hold onto his biceps as he continues to move his cock between your folds. teasing your clit instead of penetrating you and you whine in protest. The stimulation of your clit appreciated but you wanted him to fill you up.
“Will you just fuck me already?!” You rasp as you pathetically circle your hips against his length.
Shouto chuckles as he locks eyes with you, “Maybe.”
Your mouth opens to argue, but you’re cut off by him pushing himself into your needy pussy without warning. His length barely fits entirely within you, and his girth causes your head to spin as he stretches you out. “FUCK!” You hiss as your head presses into his collarbone.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Shouto shudders as your walls spasm against him, overloading him with sensations as he tries to calm himself. “Y-You’re so fucking tight.”
“Move, Shouto,” you beg eagerly needing more friction from him. “Please fucking move.”
With a grunt of confirmation, Shouto rolls his hips. You curse as his hips move outward before bottoming back into you. Your hips move in time with his, and intermingled moans resonate within your now joined mouths. His thrusting picks up speed the more comfortable he gets. His moving hips slamming against yours as you cry into his mouth. His hand grips your waist as he pulls you from the railing, one of your legs hooked around his waist as the other shakily stands. He slides his other hand down your back so that he can cup the bottom your ass. It’s a stretch and it adds to his vigorous thrusts into your cunt.
The feel of Shouto’s pelvis slapping against yours is your remedy — you’re craving him even more and he is well aware of that fact.
You’re swelling with euphoria and lust when he decides to amp up your pleasure by bringing his right hand to your clit. His fingers circle against your clit with his ice-cold touch, it shocks you as your heated body jerks under the new temperature. With the added temperature play, it feels as if your body is breaking under his will. Your pussy clenching at sensations he’s giving you. Your hips rolling against his pounding hips, and he moans in return to how your walls clench against him.
Your head lolls to the side as you’re overwhelmed by the blazing heat in your core. The pressure of your cunt heavily evident throughout your entire body. You needed to keep it together, you wanted to keep going. The head of his cock finally comes to press against your sweet spot as he shifts your hips and you shriek.
“Fuck! Please, right there!” You beg as Shouto shakily nods, his hips coming to snap into that same spot over and over. Your eyes roll to the back of your head as you’re no longer able to speak. You’re completely overpowered by his snapping hips.
“Will you come for me,” he groans out, his voice a pleading hope.
Your head nods frantically as you're unable to trust your voice. The action satisfies Shouto as he hisses lowly. Faster and harder, his fingers switch from pressing small circles to large figure-eights on your clit, while his hips slamming faster into you. You can’t handle the pleasure any more, and you feel your high coming.
“Shouto,” you gasp as he presses a kiss against your mouth again. His hands moving to lift you up, you can only cry in pleasure as he slams your back against a pole. His hips continuing to snap into you at insane speeds. You’re not able to keep up as sparks ignite in your veins as he slams into you over and over.
Your orgasm hits your body and it’s as if you’re falling away into ecstasy. Your mind spinning and dazed from the continuous world-altering sensations. You cry out his name as he still continues at his unmerciful pace. That is until he suddenly pulls out and drops you onto your shaking legs.
Whining at the loss of his cock, and the fact that you’re now on your feet, you open your shut eyes and stare at him unable to speak.
“Turn around,” he growls. You can’t believe he wants you to go for his own orgasm with you in a whole new position. Was he really a virgin you question as he fists his cock as you reposition yourself onto the railing. Your chest presses weirdly onto the wood as your knees buckle, and you look over your shoulder to see Shouto raising the skirt of your dress.
Shouto doesn’t ask to insert himself in you again. Your fingers grip the railing as he slams back in and you let out a sharp cry as you seize forward.
He starts up a brutal pace with his hips slapping against your ass with each and every thrust. Your hands move to your mouth as you cry as you rock forward with every thrust. His hips remain steady as his pace accelerates. You watch on a dazed high as snow falls onto your moving hair. Your fingers shoved into your mouth like a gag as he grips your hips. You use all of your willpower to push your hips back against his to meet him thrust by thrust.
Slowly, he starts to vocalize more and more. His lips moaning your name and crying out. He keeps one gripping hand on your hips while the other slips to your clit. Your mind snaps as he begins rubbing meticulous shapes onto your puffy nerves.
You can tell he’s close.
He’s chanting your name against your spine like some mindless prayer to you. His hot breath fanning onto your exposed skin. The hand on your hip grips you tighter, definitely bruising your skin. So you grip the railing with one hand and the other remains in your mouth.
“Are you ready?” Shouto growls while nipping at your skin. “Ready to take my cum?”
“Yes! Please, Shouto!” You choke out from your fingers, the pleasure and overstimulation reaching their tipping point once again.
“Then fucking come.”
Your toes curl as you let out a sob of pleasure. Your arm is unable to support yourself anymore as you let your torso slam against the railing. The circles on your clit finally stop and your abused cunt clenches around Shouto’s cock. Your body reaches its second orgasm of the night, and Shouto arrives with you.
He cries out a “Fuck!” and your name as his speed spills within you. It’s the loudest he’s been all night, which makes you whine at the sound of your name being said so vulgarly from his mouth. As your cries become breathless pants, you press your hands against the railings. The saliva on your fingers turning cold as the two of you stand still for what feels like some time. You feel him slide both of his hands on top of yours to intertwine with yours as cum spurts out of his cock, filling you up.
He rubs circles on top of your hands with his thumbs as he slides himself out. The feeling of him gone makes the both of you whimper at the loss of each other’s fill. You feel some of his cum seep out, and you shudder at the emptiness your cunt now feels.
You slowly stretch back up, your body hurting and now quickly turning cold with the lack of his heat.
Shouto is two steps ahead of you as he grabs your tossed coat from the floor and wraps you tightly within its fabric. “There,” he smiles as he pulls up his own pants, his face still flushed for different reasons.
You giggle as you shake your head, “Did I really get dicked down because of mistletoe?”
A snort escapes Shouto’s lips as he nods, “You did.”
“Well, I do like you, Shouto,” you whisper as he finishes dressing. “It’s not just because of the mistletoe.”
“I know,” Shouto whispers as he takes your cheeks in his hands. “And now this is me asking you on a date and if you’d like to be my girlfriend.”
Joy fills your heart as you laugh softly. “I’d love to be,” you say as your lips meet his in a gentle kiss right under the mistletoe.
✩✶✩❇✩✶✩
taglist (message to be added):
@flayvus @antigenius @mariahschoices @cherry-pie-shay @the-secret-thief @vampire-dumbass @monst
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durrzerker · 4 years
Text
Taskmaster: The Line. Chapter 6: Wrecked
Standing in the safe room of Zemo's old Masters of Evil headquarters, Taskmaster stared down the barrel of a loaded pistol. Held in the hands of a nine-year-old girl with tears in her eyes, a gun had never been so threatening as it was now; not because of how he feared she might use it, but because he didn't know how far he was willing to go to stop her.
"Put the gun down, kid. I get yer pissed off -- but that's the last time to be holding one o'those."
"What? Afraid I dinnae remember how ta use it? Ya oughta have more faith, considerin' ya taught me." She snarled out those last three words like a slur, but what she was said was obviously true. Compensating for her small size and the weapon's kick, she was holding the pistol exactly right - wide stance, both hands in place, the sights aligned perfectly with her eyes - which were shockingly intense, black as beetle shells and just as hard.
"That so?" He replied coolly, trying not to let her see the anxiety that was coursing through him. If this theory was right - if these kids had the same photographic reflexes as Tony himself - then she'd be able to read his body language as easily as he read everyone else's; he couldn't lie to her or hide his feelings without doing so absolutely perfectly. "Yeah, I'll be honest...I don't even recognize you." Within every good deception was a hint of truth, so he started with that. It was important - because what he wanted to hide was that he overheard the whole conversation between Black Ant and Wolverine. "...What made you realize I don't remember you, then?"
Eyeing him suspiciously for a long moment, only lowering the pistol slightly, the girl took a deep breath. "That idiot partner o'yers dinnae when to shut up. Can't believe this. Been so angry at you...and ya dun ken what ye even did." Still, she didn't drop the gun entirely yet; there was more to this. "...I'm Cassandra. I was - am? - a student of yers. Before ya --"
Before she could finish, however, the entire building shook -- a massive crack splitting the air as the mercenary was nearly thrown off his feet.
For her part, Cassandra recovered remarkably well. Though she fell back against the wall of the armory hard, she didn't relinquish the pistol, planting one foot and grabbing the wall in a nimble move Taskmaster recognized as one of the Winter Soldier's. Either the Red Room had a lot to answer for, or she really had been taught by him. Neither possibility appealed to him, but the quake had more of his attention. "The hell was that?" Hastily grabbing a large syringe out of his first aid kit, he tapped it once and drove it into his arm. Inside was an experimental serum designed by Albino, Taskmaster's on-staff scientist who specialized in helping him close the gap between himself and the superhumans he often had to face. While he typically preferred to keep things purely skill-based, some jobs just demanded you bring out the heavy guns. These particular serums were created as an improvement of the Regenix that was meant to copy Wolverine's healing factor. While not nearly as fast as that, it was also a lot more stable than Regenix, which had a nasty habit of organ failure in its subject.
Already, the pain was starting to fade - it'd be a few hours before he was back to true fighting shape, though.
"Dinnae," Cassandra replied bluntly. "One o'yer many mistakes?"
"Har har. Let's go check on the others."
Leading the snappy little redhead out towards the living room of the mansion, Tony just barely ducked in time to avoid an enormous wrecking ball aimed directly for his face. "What the hell?"
Unsurprisingly, it was being held by a member of the Wrecking Crew themselves, who were currently in heated combat with Wolverine and Black Ant. "Tasky!" Eric shouted. "They're here for the kids! They're the ones who got hired to bring them back!"
"Hired by who?" Taskmaster snapped, lifting his shield just in time to intercept an oncoming crowbar from Wrecker. Even with the vibranium of his shield, he was nearly thrown off his feet, throwing his arm up high to dissipate some of the force. "Damn...zeroed in on me real fast, huh?"
"None of your business who hired us. All you gotta know is you're priority target, traitor! Eight figures on that ugly mask of yours!" Wrecker barked. Despite his great bulk, he was quick on his feet; no sooner had Taskmaster deflected that blow than another one rained down onto his head. Ducking to the side, pirouetting in a Captain America classic afterwards, Tony snarled and drew his sword, sweeping it across the man's back in a single stroke. It was only because he could feel the blade barely break the skin that he reacted in time to avoid the counter-swing from Wrecker's crowbar, anticipating it when he realized he wasn't really hurting the man. Damn tough idiots, he thought to himself.
Wolverine and Black Ant were similarly occupied. Demolisher, her enormous steel ball gleaming even in the dim light of the living room's chandelier, relentlessly swung after Black Ant, who shrank and dove between her legs before growing back to his normal size and kicking her in the back. "Hey! Why didn't you go after Wolverine? This could have been prime girl on girl action!"
"You're disgusting," Laura snarled, leaping over Piledriver as the blonde man attempted to crush her with a superhuman punch, she deftly swiped her claws across Bulldozer's face. His helmet, empowered much like the rest of the group by the Asgardian magic that gave them their powers, mostly absorbed the strike -- but the sparks that it created blinded him, causing him to crash into Piledriver in a running tackle. "They might be strong and tough, but the Wrecking Crew are morons to a man - or woman. As long as we don't let them surround us, we can hold them off!"
"We're already surrounded; they outnumber us," Black Ant complained, narrowly shrinking in time to avoid a thrown chair.
"No we're not," Taskmaster replied coolly. With his focus on Wrecker, he could easily avoid his attacks; while the man was strong and nearly indestructible, he had nowhere near the skill or agility to lay a hand on Tony as the skull-masked mercenary alternated between Spider-Man and Daredevil's moves, pirouetting and ducking as he slapped a button hidden on his belt under his cloak. "You boys are messing up my new -house-. I don't think the housekeeper's gonna care for that too much."
"The hell are you on about, Taskmaster?" Wolverine asked, but he didn't need to answer her; she found out herself a moment later.
Thirty thousand pounds of adamantium came CRASHING through the ceiling; called by the signal on Taskmaster's belt, the gargantuan robot landed with a ground-shaking quake. Twenty feet tall at full height, the otherwise dark-grey automaton was dressed in a giant-sized french maid costume, swinging a massive dusting brush hard enough to send Piledriver flying back and into the wall, unconscious.
"Cleaning time, you roid-raging D-listers!" Tony cheered.
"What the..." Laura trailed off, looking somewhere between exasperated and amused. Black Ant, for his part, nearly got his head taken off by a backhand from Demolisher because he had burst into laughter hard enough to nearly fall over. Still, despite the silly costume, no one could doubt TESS-one's effectiveness; pulling back from Taskmaster out of frustration that he couldn't hit him, Wrecker went after the robot instead. "Just a machine! WRECK IT!" He roared, hauling off with a swing that could knock Thor for a loop. The pure adamantium plating of Tess's armor didn't so much as dent, and before he could wipe the surprise off his face, Wrecker was spiked into the ground by an enormous overhand swat.
"Damn thing's indestructible!" Piledriver exclaimed. "We gotta fall back! Between this and Wolverine, we're outmatched!"
"And Black Ant!" Eric insisted, shouting with both hands cupped over his helmet as the Wrecking Crew started to retreat.
"Nope!" Demolisher called out before disappearing through the same hole she'd made in the wall of the mansion. Still trying to fend off a viciously angry Laura slicing and kicking at their heels, the rest of the group followed after her. "This ain't over!" Wrecker shouted. "You got no idea what world of shit you got yourself into stealing those brats, Taskmaster!"
Placing his hands on his thighs, exhaling from behind his mask, Tony considered that. "Kids are all okay?"
Laura nodded matter-of-factly. "Black Ant's gone to get them," she said, nodding to the other mercenary who was making his way towards the stairs. "I heard the Wrecking Crew approaching in time to get them all to a safe room on the second floor -- except Cassandra. I didn't want to interrupt you, and..." She trailed off, looking annoyed at nothing in particular.
For a moment, Taskmaster couldn't figure out why; then he suddenly laughed out loud. "Hah! You trusted ME to protect her! Admit it!"
"...Your dedication to this mission so far has been -acceptable-," she stubbornly conceded. "Why is your robot dressed like a maid? It's not a sex thing, is it? Please don't let it be a sex thing."
"Of course not. Tessie's too pure for all that. She's saving herself for marriage." Tony made his way over to the idling automaton, patting it on the side. "Aincha, girl?"
"Hilarious," came a new voice. "If you two are done discussing fetishization of Taskmaster's pet robot, you should know that you aren't out of danger yet." Wolverine and Taskmaster both immediately set themselves into defensive positions as a masked woman in a skintight blue costumed stepped silently through the hole in the wall, a hooded black coat with yellow trim adding a severity to her otherwise sleek look.
"Who the hell are you?" Tony snapped, lifting his sword warily.
"...I'm the new Spymaster," she replied coolly, placing a hand on her hip. As her coat shifted back a little, Taskmaster could see a futuristic-looking pistol on her belt; some kind of energy weapon. "The Hub sent me. I'm supposed to help you extract a bunch of kids? If that's true, we need to hurry."
"We've been hurrying all night," Wolverine assured her. "You, however, took your sweet time getting here. Are you sure we can trust her, Taskmaster? I can't get a read on her at all - her smell's blocked, voice modulated...even more than yours."
Tony considered that, but ultimately nodded. "If she's here from The Hub, she's trustworthy. Besides, there's no one that the three of us can't take down together if she -does- try some bullshit."
"Finally, I'm being included!" Eric interjected as he descended the steps, the children in tow. Cassandra had joined them some time during the battle, wisely seeking out her fellow Scions instead of trying to get involved.
"...Yeah!" Tony replied, opting not to tell him that he was referring to TESS-one.
"Hey, who's she?" Eric asked of the newcomer.
Hub's agent. Black Ant, this is Spymistress--"
"Spymaster," she quickly corrected.
"...Spymaster, which is confusing but hey, it's a brave new world. She's gonna see to our extraction. Wolverine's got a point. What took you so long?" Taskmaster couldn't help but nurse a feeling of familiarity, despite having definitely never met this new Spymaster in his life. He'd trained the last one, sure - but that guy had died years ago. "...And do I know you? Did I train ya?"
"In a sense," she replied. "Hub warned me your brain was a bit soft, though she put it nicer. Let it suffice that I know how to handle myself, and you're to blame." Her wry tone, with the help of her voice modulator, almost held a hint of sincere irritation at the question, but Tony didn't miss that little detail. Not entirely. "As for the delay, The Hub decided it would be pragmatic for me to investigate this matter to make use of how to successfully extract the children. I've been following the Wrecking Crew for hours; I've got a cloaked quinjet on the roof, but you need to know something first. I placed a tracker on Piledriver. They're going to leave Bagalia, try to get in contact with their employer. You have to intercept them."
Exchanging a look with Taskmaster, Laura was the first to ask, "...And do you know who their employer is?"
Lifting her phone, Spymaster turned it around and used a hidden device on the back to project a holographic image, tossing the chip she extracted from the phone on the ground. The image was impressively high-resolution; so much so that Tony could count the strands on the moustache of the face displayed.
"You gotta be kidding me," he growled, barely above a whisper.
"I'm deadly serious," Spymaster assured them all, looking between Taskmaster, Wolverine, and Black Ant. "These children are considered property of the United States government, and the Wrecking Crew was just the first wave. I managed to jam their comms, but if they manage to get too far out of the city, you're going to have hell brought down on your heads. Now get the kids ready and let's go. Clock's ticking."
She turned to the children, who warily ducked behind Black Ant with surprising speed. Her body language softened immediately, her professional demeanor disappearing even with her mask on.
Taskmaster didn't see it. He was still staring at the projected hologram of General Thunderbolt Ross.
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rough-n-randy-rando · 5 years
Text
Edd and Flow, Day One
For a town that neither shrank nor grew noticeably, any business that had opened within the last five years was considered new. Java Hut was one of those businesses. About the size of two shipping containers stacked on top of each other and crammed between The Candy Store and Toomey's Tattoos, it was usually a busy place. The very first weekend of summer, with everyone having taken off like they were on the lam, it was almost completely empty.
There were only three people keeping the place warm: Eddward Vincent, known locally as Double-Dee; Barb; just Barb; and a trucker just passing through. Barb, Just Barb, 65-year-old owner of Toomey's, was taking her break and enjoying another romance novel she'd saved from the Goodwill. The Trucker was deeply contemplating the selection of doughnuts to pair with his pitch-black coffee. Eddward Vincent was behind the counter, offering helpful dietary and nutritional advice on each item in an attempt to help him make up his mind.
"I'm not a fancy guy, just something sweet, but not too sweet, gotta watch my weight." The trucker slapped his belly, which thumped like a drum, and laughed. "Ah, hell, gimme the Maple Bar, I'm treatin' myself."
"Excellent choice, sir, one moment." Double-Dee pressed a button and enjoyed the impressed look on the man's face as the doughnut was cycled on a conveyor belt and slid into a waiting paper bag, then lifted to the counter by a spatula/elevator device riveted to the display case.
"Now that's nifty, this from Japan or somethin'?"
"No Sir, it's a design of my own!"
"Well waddya know, we still make 'em smart here in the States after all." The man handed over a five and waved off the change. "Put it to college and remember me when ya win the Nobel or somethin'."
"Thank you, have a wonderful day."
After the trucker left, Barb whistled at Double-Dee and pointed to her lipstick-stained coffee mug. "Mind topping me off, Sugar, story's getting good and I'm remembering how old I am, need a jolt." As Double-Dee obliged her, she set her book down and looked him over. "You know, this town's dead as Tombstone and yet here you are slaving over an empty store." She took out a small compact and checked that her hair, grey with dyed black streaks, was still tied back and nothing was out of place. "Handsome, hardworking boy like you should be out making trouble, breaking girl's hearts; don't you have some doe-eyed cheerleader fawning after you somewhere?"
Double-Dee blushed and replaced the pot of coffee. "Yes, well, I'm set to graduate soon, and degrees sadly don't pay for themselves, Mrs. Sebastopol."
"Baby Doll, it's Barb, Just Barb."
"Mother told me to always refer to adults with respectful titles."
"Well I'm not your mother and I'm not royalty so just call me Barb."
Double-Dee sat at a stool near the end of the counter closest to Barb and smiled. "Alright, 'Barb'."
"See, wasn't so hard, not like your momma's gonna come through the door over there and start beating you with a wooden spoon or nothing."
"A very colorful scenario, 'Barb'."
Barbara pushed her winged-frame glasses up her nose, "You still didn't answer my question."
Again Double-Dee blushed and he gave a nervous laugh in response. "W-well, ah, I suppose I haven't… found the… right person."
"Gotta take time for romance, Darling. That's how I met my James." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her heavily tattooed arms. "Met him while he was on Liberty in San Francisco, Fleet Week, I was working at a diner called Pinecrest. He was with some of his buddies and at the border of drunk, saying he was the 'responsible one.' He was five-six, barely came to my chin, but he was all muscle, with hands like baseball mitts and a face like Gene Kelly. And that uniform, woof. Asked me out as he was carrying one of his buddies to the Cab."
The shop's door rung as it opened, ripping Double-Dee away from San Francisco, Pinecrest Diner, and the diminutive but immensely attractive Mr. Sebastopol. Kevin, dressed in a mechanic's coverall and his signature cap, halted a few steps in and seemed as though he suddenly wanted to leave. He'd come with the specific coal of 'casually' running into the dork, making as much small talk as possible with the dork, and being as close as possible to the dork. And now, he felt the urge to sprint home, and get as far away as possible from the dork.
"Oh hello, Kevin, forgive me I was hearing the most wonderful story."
Barb stood and drained her coffee in one big swig, inhaling sharply through her teeth afterwards, "Stuff's cold. My own damn fault." She pinched Double-Dee's cheek and gathered her things. "Should be getting back to work, stop bothering you with my memories." When she saw the disappointment on his face she checked her watch. "It's a slow day anyways, maybe I'll close up the shop and come bore you with the rest in an hour or so, how's that?"
"Please, 'Barb', I do not wish you to inconvenience yourself just for the sake of my curiosity."
"I own the damn place, nothing inconvenient about it." With that she took her leave, stopping at Kevin to give him a friendly punch in the arm. "And you, when are you coming back to finish up your work, eh?"
Kevin was glad it was the summer, that he was in a thick coverall, and that he'd just walked a half mile on a whim, because his new nervous sweat was easily masked by all the exertion. "Yeah, hah, great to see you too, Barb."
Barb gave him a quizzical look, then licked her thumb and wiped away a smudge of grease on his cheek. "Take a shower at some point today, Red."
And with that, Barb, Just Barb, made her exit, leaving the two with only open air and a cabinet full of doughnuts between them.
"Coffee!" Kevin blurted out, aware he sounded like he was trying to talk over someone. It was possibly his own thoughts both encouraging and dissuading him to do something, damnit.
Double-Dee jumped at the near-order and crossed to the machines, fretting and fumbling over the cups. "What size, wh-what kind?"
"Coffee?" His brain was screaming at him.
"Yes, Kevin, what kind, what size?"
"Hot… Hot Coffee. Sm... Medium."
Double-Dee calmed slightly, recovering from the surprise. "Is house blend fine?"
"House. Fine, finefinefine." His brain had stopped screaming because it was dead.
Double-Dee went about pouring a medium house coffee utilizing a set of hydraulic arms and claws that quickly, safely, and efficiently delivered the steaming-hot drink straight to Kevin, an accordion-style arm presenting it. "That'll be two dollars and fifty cents, please."
Kevin fumbled one-handed with his wallet and deftly dropped it to the floor as he pulled out a five. He stood there, coffee in one hand, bill in the other. Double-Dee cautiously walked around the counter and stooped to get Kevin's wallet. Kevin's body finally made some kind of connection to his mind and he stooped after as well, his chin meeting the back of the ravenette's head.
"Ouch!"
"Sorry, dude!"
Kevin instinctively brought his hands down to pull Double-Dee up, and accomplished slapping the other teen in the face with a five-dollar bill and spilling half of his piping-hot coffee on him as well. Double-Dee stood up abruptly and this time it was his head in the role of attacker, slamming Kevin's mouth shut with a loud CLACK as his teeth became reacquainted. Kevin was knocked off balance and fell backwards, causing him to grab at the air with his now empty hand, snagging Double-Dee's beanie. Double-Dee, with lightning reflexes, grabbed onto his hat and held for dear life, being pulled along, then down, with Kevin.
The two came to rest a coffee, grease and sweat-stained pile. Double-Dee's head was resting on Kevin's chest, and Kevin was holding onto the other boy like they'd just finished making love.
"You, uhm… you okay, Double Dweeb?" 'Yes, good, save face insult him AND ask after his well-being' his inner voice hissed.
"This has been a rather…" Double-Dee rose slightly and shifted into a sitting position, straddling Kevin, his hair disheveled and emerging from under his now wet hat, "… Interesting encounter."
Kevin felt blood rushing back to the brain in his head, as well as his other brain just below the waist. He heard the bell on the door ring and craned his head to see who had entered to witness his shame.
"You know it's against company policy to bang in the store on the clock, right?" Lee Kanker stepped over Kevin and made her way to the rear of the store, calling over her shoulder, "Double-Dee, clean that up will ya, I'm going to change."
Double-Dee looked at his watch, then at his coffee-stained clothes, and the coffee-stained floor, and the coffee-stained redhead he was mounted on. "Messy, messy, messy, these stains will be aggravating to remove." He stood and cautiously leaned over the counter to press a button, summoning a robot that looked like a filing cabinet crossed with a mop bucket that set about cleaning the ground, letting out an annoyed beep each time it found the way obstructed by a still prostrate Kevin. "Please get off the floor, Kevin, it's very dirty, then again I suppose you're rather messy yourself." He extended his hand.
Whatever mix of bravado, sheepishness, and utter stupidity had previously been rattling around inside him was gone, and now Kevin, neutral and defeated, took the offered hand and rose.
"Thanks for the Coffee." Kevin turned on his heel like the failed JROTC cadet he was and strode out, breaking into a dead sprint the minute his foot hit the sidewalk.
Lee came back and took a seat behind the counter, flipping through a Playgirl magazine and putting in headphones. "He had a hard-on."
Double-Dee spun around, his face turning crimson. "Excuse me!?"
Lee ripped out one of the pages and stuffed it in her bra, "Kevin, rock hard."
Double-Dee was speechless. He attempted some kind of response, smoothed out his soaked apron, tucked his loose, wet hair back under his hat, composed himself, and strode towards the rear of the store.
"Be proud, it's a compliment" she called after him, tearing another photo of a near-nude man out and putting him with his compatriot.
Meanwhile, Kevin, winded and his heart thudding in his ears, was about to turn back into the cul de sac when he tripped and gorilla-rolled across the sidewalk, coming to rest on his back. He laid there, staring up into the sun, wishing for it to burn him to a crisp, when a familiar face came into view.
"Kevin, why are you splayed like a fresh pelt on a tanning board, and why do you smell of a Peruvian/Chilean blend?"
"Rolf, bro, I couldn't tell you to save my life." He was pained at the truth in that. He was barely able to contemplate or come to terms with his own feelings, let alone begin to try and play out other people's reactions to them. "I just… I got it bad for someone."
"It? Bad? What, Worms? Rolf has cure for this pestilential malady! Come, we'll ferment some of Victor's milk and pickle a dozen of Gertrude's eggs, you'll be purged and fit enough to harvest an entire field in no time!" Rolf lifted Kevin up bodily and placed him on his feet. "You do not seem as though you are bothered by things which creep and crawl on your insides, tell Rolf your worry so that he may tailor a solution."
"I like someone, dude." It might have been the need to tell someone something, even if it wasn't everything; it might have been the dizziness from getting hit in and falling onto his head consecutively in the span of a few minutes; or it might have been the loneliness that went hand in hand with his recent thoughts, but he let fly. "I don't know why, or, I think I know why, but I don't know what to do, how to do it, you know what I mean?"
"No, Rolf does not understand this."
Kevin let out a sigh. "Forget it, man."
"Rolf does not understand this 'not knowing', this 'why.' If you feel the rustlings of the undergrowth of your heart you do not turn and run like some child without hair on their chest; you declare yourself to your desired, you build a home for them, and plant many a fertile seed so as to leave no doubt of your prowess and virility."
Kevin felt a second wind in him, his friend's words echoing in his head. "I don't know about the planting seeds and whatever but yeah, YEAH, that's what I'm gonna do."
"Ensuring a bountiful harvest is important to courtship, flat-end-of-bread Kevin, now you are saying things that Rolf cannot approve of."
Kevin embraced his friend and took off running back towards Java Hut.
"If you do have worms tell Rolf, he already has the milk and eggs!"
Back at the shop, Barb was engaged in commentary of the men in the magazine with Lee, Double-Dee emerging from the back clean and dry.
"There you are, I thought you'd changed your mind and taken off to avoid my story."
Double-Dee chuckled, feeling refreshed after he'd utilized his patented solo-shower kit. "I wouldn't miss the conclusion of your story for anything, 'Barb'"
"Oooh, juicy gossip?" Lee leaned towards Barb expectantly, Double-Dee sitting beside her at a respectful distance.
"Just talking about my James."
"I remember him, short guy, like my Eddy."
Barb sighed and nodded, reached into her purse and pulled out a much-loved photograph in a cloudy, plastic sleeve. She pulled the photo out and held it so they could see. Barb was young, thin, and naked, a yellow sundress thrown over her shoulder. Double-Dee blushed, Lee whistled. Besides her was a stocky, muscular man with his arms crossed and wearing only a smile, his impressive equipment on proud display. Double-Dee giggled nervously, and Lee nodded in approval. While Barb's skin was an empty canvas, James was a mosaic of Marine iconography, Catholic imagery and more than a couple Japanese geishas in demure and lewd poses.
"He gave me my first ink, our second date." She lifted her arm so they could see her armpit, a wide-hipped hula girl winking back at them. It had clearly gotten a few touch ups over the years, the most well-cared for tattoo out of her many. "The photo's from our first date, Baker Beach. He left for Vietnam a few days later and swore he'd kill anyone and anything to get back to me, even 'the poor bastard who makes the mistake of marrying you before me.' He was a romantic."
"Marriage, after a couple of dates?" Double-Dee was amazed.
"Did you not see what he was packing? I'd have married him on the spot." Lee let out a lecherous laugh and high-fived Barb.
Barb wiped away a tear, smiling at her photograph and other fond memories. "You just know. It's corny, it's old fashioned, but, we did, and so I think anyone can. Plus, he came back in one piece, so I knew he'd be tougher than anything that came our way."
"What happened to Mr. Sebasto… James?" Double-Dee winced as Lee smacked his shoulder.
"Cancer. Had to be something that mean to take my James down. The only thing he couldn't beat with his bare hands." Barb laughed and wiped her eyes again. "No I don't dwell on that. I had him, he was mine, not everyone gets that chance, that blessing."
The door to the shop didn't open so much as it exploded inward, the bell snapping loose as it rung. Kevin stumbled in, soaked to the waist in sweat, coffee stains still on him. Everyone in the shop stared at Kevin, but he only had eyes for, and on, Double-Dee.
"Kevin, you're in even shoddier a state than when you left, what happened!?" Double-Dee sprung from his seat and moved to Kevin, putting his hands on his shoulders and meeting his gaze, assessing him for heat injuries.
"Plant… fffffertile… seeeehhuuuuh." He didn't fall into Double-Dee's arms so much as collapsed into them, then onto him.
"Oh dear, not again." There was no helping it, the pair fell to the ground. "Some assistance, please?"
READ FULL STORY IN SEQUENCE HERE
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deadlyswarm · 6 years
Text
Family is more than blood Ch 5
After having fun around Snowden, Sans helped Frisk prepare for her first day of school. Alphys provided a small phone that only had his and Papyrus’ number. Papyrus made sure to find out and obtain everything Frisk would need for a perfect first day, including a new home made winter coat that looked like a pink and blue version of Sans’ coat, and a matching scarf. The school was a little ways off from Snowden town, but that was no problem for Sans. Once he and his child arrived at the school,Sans held Frisk’s hand as they walked to the classroom. Sans playfully ruffled her hair.
“alright kiddo, here’s your stop.” He said as he knelt down to Frisk’s level and gave her a hug.
“Love you daddy!”
“love you too babybones, now go show those teachers what you got.” and with that Frisk grinned and entered the room. Now that Frisk was in school, Sans went about his time lazing about whilst Papyrus prepared Frisk’s new bedroom after a long time of trying to keep her away from the area.
Frisk walked up to a desk and sat down, answered roll call, all in all the day went well. That is until a few older monster children walked up to Frisk during recess.
“Hey Freak!” a snowdrake had yelled  Frisk turned around
“Why would you call me that? That's...not very nice.”  the snowdrake laughed.
“Duh that's the point.” an icecap stepped forward.
“Yeah! You’re not a monster, you’re one of those humans! You don't belong here!” The child then spit at Frisk, causing her to back up , face wrinkling with disgust.
“Ew what the heck? What did I do?”  The snowdrake pulled his mouth into a snarl
“Everyone knows that humans are evil! They kill monsters just for fun! I bet you’re just biiiiding your time.” Frisk was near tears.
“I am not evil.”
“Oh what are you gonna cry now? Hah, hey Snowdrake let's teach this human a lesson” Icecap jeered.
“Yeah, let's!” The monsters shot ice magic, hitting frisk and taking some of thier hp. It hurt. Frisk backed away crying.
“S-Stop it! That really hurt!”
“Oh yeah? There's more where that came from you evil human!” Snowdrake said as he and icecap made a small volley of magic bullets. Frisk booked it, the kids chased after her all the way across the Snowden area. They continued to chase Frisk as she moved past the puzzles and past her dad’s guard station, she was close to the door! She could hear the kids yelling and cackling, continuing the chase as they knew this path was a dead end. Frisk continued to run towards the door, dodging stray bullets that flew past her , shot from afar. Frisk began to bang on the door as hard as she could.
“Door lady! Door lady! I need help, let me in, please!” She hoped that the door lady was actually there, and was relieved when she heard a gasp.
“Frisk? You are supposed to be at school, why are you all the way out here?” The sounds of the bullies got closer.
“S-Some kids, they started attacking me! They keep calling me an evil human and they want to hurt me!” Frisk needed to utter no more words as the door opened and she was pulled inside by a warm, fur covered hand. The door shut behind her as Frisk beheld the sight of the door lady. She was a tall goat like monster, like king Asgore. Toriel knelt to Frisk’s level.
“Are you hurt my child?”
“T-Th ey hit me with magic attacks….it really hurt…”
“I see, I can make you feel a little better.” as she said this, green magic surrounded her hands, and Frisk felt the pain subside.
“Wooooah, what ,magic was that?”
“Green magic my child, now let us go upstairs, I have some left over pie that i simply could not eat by myself! Tell me, do you prefer cinnamon or butterscotch?” Frisk thought for a minute
“Hmmmmm, butterscotch, but cinnamon is nice too!”
“I see, then you may enjoy this little snack.” Toriel led Frisk up the stairs and into the living room, inviting them to have a seat. Frisk nodded and crawled into Toriel’s reading chair, it was comfy and a little bouncy. It took some restraint to stop from bouncing herself up and down on it. Toriel came out with a warm slice of pie and a fork.
“Here you are my child.”
“Thank you.” Frisk took a bite and suddenly warmth and comfort flooded her senses. It was like being wrapped in her safety blanket at home.
“Wow, your food is different from uncle Pappy’s or Daddy’s.”
“How so?” Toriel inquired
“Well, uncle Pappy’s food always wakes me up, but for some reason whenever Daddy makes food, even if it's the same thing Pappy made, it felt different. I started to get sleepy and relaxed. Yours is like….a warm hug?” Toriel smiled
“Ah yes. When monsters make food, some of their magic goes into it. Your father is indeed very relaxed so when he makes food, some of that rubs off on the food as well.”
“Oh, thats neat! Um ,so what’s your name? It's not actually door lady is it?” Toriel let out a soft laugh.
“Oh my, how rude of me! My name is Toriel, though you can call me Tori if you wish.” Frisk had immediately thought of a joke.
“Hmmm, i guess that made your Identity a miss-tori!” Toriel held her stomach as she laughed, this child truly had a gift.
“That was a beautiful joke my child! Im sure your father would be proud!”
“Hehehe thank you!”
“And speaking of your father do you perhaps have his number? I am certain the school has called about you disappearing and may be worried.” Frisk nodded and pulled out her phone. The way Alphys designed it, all she had to do was hit one button, and it called Sans. After a couple of rings, he picked up.
“kiddo? Whats goin on? The teachers said you disappeared from school, where are you?” Frisk really did not like the worry that was in her dad’s voice.
:”Some mean monster kids attacked me, calling me an evil human...they used magic and it really hurt. I-I just wanted to get away from them but they kept chasing me! So I went over to the Ruins and the lady here let me in! Oh! And her name is Toriel!”
Sans was reeling from what Frisk told him, however he recovered and teleported to the door and spoke again.
“alright kiddo, im outside the door, could uh, toriel let me in?” Toriel did in fact hear this and went to bring him inside. As the two walked through the hall they began to chat.
“heh, well this is certainly a way to meet face to face, the name’s sans by the way.” The goat monster smiled
“It is indeed quite a start, your child is certainly well mannered! They even made their own pun!” Sans’ eyes turned into stars, and Toriel had to hold back her reaction to the site. It was simply wonderful to see.
“wait what? Oh man i gotta hear this, heh, looks like it's time to catch a flight, eh tori?” he wasn’t too sure why he said that, but either she would correct him or he could roll with it.
“It would seem so!” she replied with a small chuckle “ We really should take the flight STEP by STEP, yes?”
“pffffff nice one.” Sans and Toriel Reached the top of the stairs and made their way into the living room. Upon seeing her dad, Frisk put down the plate and ran to him, hugging him tightly.
“Daddy!” Sans wrapped his arms around her
“hey there kiddo, you still hurt?”
“No, Tori healed me with green magic! It was really cool, and then she let me have some pie while I called you.”
“well that ways very ‘sweet’ of her eh?” Frisk giggled.
“she also tells me you came up with a pun all by yourself, what was it?” Sans said looking at his child with his grin a little wider. Frisk’s eyes widened as she remembered her joke.
“Oh! Well miss Toriel said that it was okay to call her Tori, so I said that her identity must have been a miss-tori!” Sans’ eyes turned into stars as he laughed.
“k-kid, that was amazing oh my god. i’m so proud!” Frisk laughed  along with her father and Toriel had wished she still had a camera. Once they were done laughing, Sans spoke
“a’ight, i think now’s a good time to head home. gonna be sure to pay the school and the kids parents a visit too.” As he said this he had turned from Frisk to Toriel’s direction, she noticed that the lights in his eyes were gone as he mentioned that. The eye lights blinked back into existence as he looked back to Toriel.
“oh and uh, would it be cool to stop by and visit? since we kinda wound up meeting face to face anyway?” Toriel smiled.
“Well, you and Frisk are certainly welcome here, though I doubt I will be heading outside of the Ruins any time soon. Oh! And should you need to, I would not mind babysitting them now and then! There are a few good places for children to play here as well, and none of the monsters will be of any threat to the child.”
Sans shrugged “ sounds good to me, whaddya think kiddo?”
Frisk huffed “That sounds fun, but im not a baby!” Toriel laughed once more as Sans ruffled Frisk’s hair with a grin.
“well you’re always gonna be my lil babybones kid, that's just how it is.” Frisk performed her best, most  Papyrus-ish sigh with a smile, and bid goodbye to Toriel, wondering when they might start seeing more of the ruins.
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thisgirlhastales · 7 years
Text
Keith unintentionally spies on Lance in the training room  … (Part Four)
… where the Blue Paladin is kicking ass. And Keith’s kind of mesmerized by it. Then he’s more than mesmerized — he’s freaking out because he’s actually kinda sorta into this brutally efficient soldier version of Lance.
(Part One Here) (Part Two Here) (Part Three Here)
Lance doesn’t reply to Keith’s question, walking past him, making to leave the room, but Keith grabs his arm before he’s too far out of reach.
This immediately feels like an extremely bad idea, (even with the flight suit acting as a barrier, the warmth of the taller boy’s skin radiates into Keith’s palm, and holy crap, since when did Lance have such firm biceps?), but it’s too late now — the Blue Paladin turns back to look at him, and, for once, Keith can’t read his expression.
Lance doesn’t attempt to break Keith’s grip. Instead, he sighs and says, “Forget it, man, it’s fine, I’m just ... frustrated because we had a close call —”
“You mean since I had a close call?” Keith is pretty sure he’s hitting the nail on the head — Lance flinches, though his face remains inscrutable. Keith’s hand slides down to loosely grasp Lance’s wrist, to hold him in place as he finally gives in and explains.
“Fine, yeah, because you got stabbed in the back, because I wasn’t fast enough. I can’t afford to be that slow, and not just for you, but for Hunk and Pidge and Shiro ... I can’t let you guys down.”
And this is something Keith understands. This is largely the reason why Keith spends hours in this very room, working until his muscles beg for mercy; he has to do better, he has to ensure that he’s prepared for any eventuality.
In this, he and Lance are alike.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Keith says quietly, and he knows it won’t help, but it needs to be said. “Things happen in battle, we can’t be everywhere at once —”
“But I was there, Keith. I was there, and I raised my rifle, but too late, and I just, I can’t do that again.” Lance swallows and then tries for a smile. “Besides, so worth it just to kick your ass in this. Four whole minutes, huh?”
“Actually more like three and a half,” Keith corrects him, though he smiles back easily. “But fair enough. In this, you did actually kick my ass.”
Lance gapes at him. “You know, I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to this new, nicer Keith. Did getting in touch with your Galra heritage provide you with some zen? What’s the deal?”
“First off, I’ve always been nice, you’re just a jackass that likes to push my buttons,” Keith argues, and somehow he’s still smiling at Lance ... and still holding his wrist. “And secondly, there’s no deal — we’re part of the same team, I can’t actually hate you. It’s bad for morale or something. Bad for forming Voltron, at least.”
“Ah hah!” Lance actually drops the pieces of his armour to point. Keith can’t help but notice that the Blue Paladin could have used the hand Keith was currently grasping by the wrist, but he didn’t. “We could form Voltron before you started being nice to me, so that means you liked me then too!”
“Um, yes? It was you that decided to make me your rival, I had nothing to do with that!” Keith is somehow in Lance’s personal space — when the hell had that happened? Also, he should really let go of his wrist now. “I couldn’t hate you — I didn’t even remember you.”
Lance rolls his eyes. “Yeah, you did, just not right then while we were rescuing Shiro. And it’s not like you didn’t take the chance to try and beat me every single time since then, dude. Maybe I was the one that kicked off the rivalry, but you sure as hell took it and ran with it — made a race out of it, even.”
The Blue Paladin had shuffled forward a few steps. Keith blinks, staring straight into blue eyes that are far closer than they had been a few seconds ago. He feels sweat forming along his cooled skin again. Especially on the hand that ... is sliding down Lance’s wrist and oh no, is he trying to hold his hand now?! Abort. End mission. Failsafe, emergency exit, push the eject button ...
Lance’s fingers shake slightly as they wrap around Keith’s.
And quite suddenly, they are both silent, awkwardly so, but neither of them are stepping away. Neither of them are letting go of the other’s hand.
When Keith can’t bear the silence any longer, he opens his mouth to say something (he has no idea what), but Lance beats him to it — in spades.
“Keith, if you’re going to hold my hand, I gotta tell you that I’m the kind of person that takes that kind of thing as a signal. And that you’re doing the signaling is sort of weird, since you’re you, but if you are giving me a sign, lemme say that you are actually one of the coolest people I know and if I could, like, earn the honour of holding your hand on a daily basis that would be pretty freaking fantastic, and I’m sorry I only realized this after you nearly died, but damn it, I’m sort of head over heels for your emo mullet.”
Lance sounds more out of breath by the end of that tirade than he did after running one of the hardest battle simulations Keith had designed.
And, much like with a battle sim, Keith follows his instincts on what to do next.
Author’s note: Well, that’s another part down. Man, not planning this ahead of time means I actually have no clue what they’re gonna say or do ... 
And here is the Fifth and Final Part. 
Hope you enjoy, and thank you so much for reading  :)
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