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radiance1 · 1 year

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Sup motherfuckers, I have another barely thought up au that I would like to hand over to you.

So basically, when Danny, Sam, and Tucker were 14 years old.

The world was invaded.

It wasn't an instant invasion at all, instead it was a gradual thing. Interdimensional aliens sent a virus to infect humanities greatest minds and leaders, before slowly spreading to a larger chuck of the population.

Then when a significant portion of the human race was infected.

It activated.

Supposedly that virus was there even before the trio turned 14, which means the alien's prepared this in advance. It went unnoticed for years and when it was noticed?

It wasn't pretty.

People dropped like flies, their bodies unable to defend themselves from this virus that killed them in a few days.

The longest someone lasted was a week.

Taking advance of the massive drop in population, the aliens finally invaded, opening a large portal that sent through ships and troops that further killed of the human race.

Surprisingly, the GIW or Guys In White, proved themselves to be useful in fighting against the aliens, beating back the troops and either reclaiming lost territory or holding onto it with an iron grip.

They, along with the military managed to reclaim some semblance of order in various spot outside of Amity Park.

Amity Park was completely unaffected by the virus, the residents biology somehow prevented the virus from even lasting a few minutes within their bodies.

That doesn't mean they weren't unaffected by the invasion when it happened, the ghost shield around the town took the brunt of the damage, with the aliens trying and failing to get in to the town as easily as any other.

Phantom then appeared and beat them back.

The entire world was shaken by this seemingly out of nowhere invasion, with anywhere other than Amity Park suffering great losses.

Agent Alpha, the chief of GIW, approached the Fenton family. To various reactions from each memeber.

Blatant distrust from Danny.

Wariness from Jazz.

And politeness from the Fentons.

Agent Alpha threw away his dignity at asking non-government officials for help, not like that even really matters anymore to be honest, and asked the Fenton's to join their war effort.

Danny and Jazz immediately said no.

To which Agent Alpha wasn't surprised at, but he asked from time to explain.

Jack and Maddie agreed to hear him out.

Agent Alpha then went on to explain what life outside of Amity Park was like, telling them how humanity has been culled significantly down from they're frankly overpopulation. Cities have been destroyed, with some smaller islands and continents taken over by the alien force.

Agent Alpha doesn't want them fighting in this war physically, no. What he wants is for them to replicate what they did for Amity Park with their ghost shield, and supply them with Fenton works technology.

In return, they will offer any material they have at their disposal. And if they don't have it?

They will find it.

He again emphasized that they themselves do not have to fight in this war, they're actually far to valuable for that, but he wishes for them to supply their side with the defenses and weaponry needed to survive and hopefully win this war.

And how could the Fenton's say no such a thing?

Jack and Maddie went down into they're lab and handed them anything they thought they would need.

Such as ghost shield's, Fenton phones, Fenton bazooka's etx.

After the GIW left, they immediately started working on what was requested of them.

Danny and Jazz couldn't help but feel a bit of displeasure at the way they're parents are back in their lab and not coming out for hours on end after they finally decided to be a family again.

Even though they understand why they have to do it.

Danny himself has been rather fidgety a few weeks after Agen Alpha came by, with the alien attacks getting less and less frequent because of the GIW and Military deploying bases to fend them off from anywhere close to the Fentons.

Two months later phantom joined the war.

With intense displeasure from his family and Sam and Tucker, but Danny assured them he would be ok. Hell, some other ghosts even joined in.

Sam went off into the zone to pleas Undergrowth to help her, help her gain power to fight without the need to rely on any kind of tech or weaponry.

Perhaps Undergrowth was amused, or perhaps he simply took a liking to the girl. Regardless, he took her under his wing and taught her what humans would dub as 'magic'.

Tucker and Jazz, the great minds that they is. Helped the Fenton's develop and make ideas for new technology or to even upgrade existing ones.

With they're help, they even managed to complete the Ecto-Skeleton, and even make prototype nano-bots that enhanced healing and made the user stronger.

A year later was when Sam came back stronger than ever.

A year later was when the Fenton's and Tucker managed to complete the nano-bots and make even more of the Ecto-Skeletons.

A year later was when more ghosts joined the war.

A year later was when Sam joined the war and unleashed the might have nature upon her enemies.

A year later was when people started to gain abilities not unlike those out of comics like the elements and flight.

A year later was when the aliens found a way to kill ghosts.

Nobody knew how they managed to find a way, but they did. Adding on to even more of the stress this war has on basically everyone.

Even with all of this tech the Fenton's made for everyone, the nano-bots in their blood streams making them tougher and stronger. The war was still ongoing.

Even as a half and being far more durable than the normal human, Danny still had to take the nano-bots.

He couldn't say no to the worry and concern from basically everyone he knew.

To everyone's surprise, Jazz became a pilot for one of the alien bioships they managed to take down and rework for themselves. She was determined to not let her brother fight alone here, to which is understandable, but Jack and Maddie still asked her not to this.

Faced with her determined expression, they could only give her a hug and words to get back safe and send her on her way.

Jazz was one of the only few who were highly compatible with the alien bioship, so much so that it was a perfect assimilation.

In the middle of the year, humanity finally saw hope. Sam, Danny, Jazz and the GIW took down an enemy mothership.

To which the Fenton's greedily took and remade, and as even more compensation, Agent Alpha and the Military leaders let them keep the thing whenever they completed it.

Sam herself helped in multiple ways, one of them was fighting yes. But she also grew food and helped guide those with similar abilities along with their powers.

Tucker, Jack and Maddie finished the Mothership nearing the end of the year. Moving the most important things into it such as research and all that.

A few days into December was when something terrible and great happened.

Danny was almost killed by an alien mothership.

Another mothership was taken down.

Danny took the brunt of the damage, almost dying again just to ensure that the ship was taken down. He was incredibly weakened because of this, his body littered with cuts that were thankfully healing thanks to his powers and the nano-bots.

Jazz immediately scooped him up before he fell to the ground, not taking any type of bullshit and taking him straight home and staying by his side.

Agent Alpha gave her the go ahead, much to some of the Military leader's chagrin, mostly because she was one of the best pilots out of hundreds of people.

Agent Alpha then reminded them that she is just a child and was unwillingly to take zero shit in this regard.

Sam also pulled away from the war for a time, going back to check on her friend, which again, just like Jazz. Agent Alpha gave the go ahead for.

Although it was a reduce in their combatants, they were good enough to hold out for an extended period of time.

Though Jazz and Sam had to inevitably come back to help, Agent Alpha still gave them the leeway to go back and check on their friend whenever they felt like it. The children already joined a war they shouldn't be in, he'll gave them as much leeway as he's able and deal with the other leader's to protect what little innocence that they have left if he has to.

A few months later, and Danny still hasn't woken up. Connected to the best medical facilities they have in the Fentonship, they would have thought him dead if they didn't know any better.

Didn't help how Danny was looked like he was basically engulfed by the bed and hooked up to various machines.

Safe to say, that year ended off with a very solemn Christmas.

The beginning of next year was when Jazz and Sam left to back to the battle field.

The middle of next year was when another mothership fell and Jazz and Sam returned to Amity park.

The end of next year was when the aliens had enough.

Enemies swarmed the bases around Amity park, swarm after swarm after swarm. Taking them out and reaching Amity park.

The last mothership left focused most of its power into a single shot, leaving enough to leave it floating in the air, and shot it at the Ghost Shield.

The ghost shield broke.

And the aliens invaded.

Jack and Maddie told Jazz, Sam and Tucker to stay in the mothership. It was no request either.

It was an order.

Amity was quickly overrun, people dying left and right. Even Vlad put aside his one-sided feud with Jack to help against the hoard.

It wasn't enough.

Jack and Maddie built a giant ghost portal before this happened, big enough to fit the Fentonship ship through. They said it was to get even more ectoplasm to power the increasing demand of their tech.

Which wasn't a lie, but wasn't the whole truth.

The Fentonship had a secret command installed into it, one not even Tucker himself knew of.

When it looked like Amity Park would fall, and the combined forces of Jack, Maddie, and Vlad weren't enough. The Fenton's executed the command.

The Fentonship powered up and flew itself into the Ghost Zone. Then, sharing a nod between the three of them.

The ghost portal was broken.

Vlad made sure to deactivate and take apart every ghost portal he has himself, and so did the Fenton's. They let Vlad in on the plan and he, surprisingly, agreed to it.

The Fentonship flew into the zone, and then through another portal. Lading in an empty part of space.

Jazz was barely keeping herself together, and when a hologram video of her parents standing together and saying how "If you are seeing this, then we are already dead", and then explaining they're plan to keep them safe in case Amity Park ever fell.

Jazz couldn't keep herself together anymore.

Sam and Tucker comforted her in anyway they could, and even they themselves couldn't help but shed tears over what they've heard.

Danny is still in a coma.

Amity Park fell.

The Fenton's are most probably dead.

Earth lost a great combat force and minds.

so there they were, 4 kids flying through space with one of them in a coma and the unknown of if their home even survived.

Some time later, they don't know how long but they could tell its been a while, they came across an earth look a like.

They don't know if its actually earth, but they couldn't help but hope that they're home actually survived, and that the Fenton's aren't dead and that there's still time.

A few hours prior, the Justice League discovered and unidentified spacecraft flying to earth.

#Dp x Dc #jazz fenton #danny fenton #sam manson #tucker foley #jack fenton #maddie fenton #vlad plasmius #Agent Alpha #undergrowth #The world got invaded and probably fucking ended #hahah #I love putting people through the angst wringer lmao #Please don't try and kill me I have done nothing wrong #This wasn't supposed to be this long wtf #This was just supposed to be a stupid idea man...#Anyways #have it i guess #I should probably stop posting barely thought out aus...

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lirotation · 7 months

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I Hail From Silverymoon: The Oath

Well, we all know what this is. The scene was so powerful I was crying even when it was bugged. I was in a foul mood days after played this. There was just so little we could do for our boy.

Astarion X Amaara (my wizard Tav)

__________________________

With Cazador defeated and kneeling before them, Astarion could finally perform the ritual to ascend. His eyes pleading, and mania etched into his features. "Help me claim the power that is my right!" he implored, his voice quivering. "Don't forsake me now, not when we're so close..."

Amaara stood resolute, "If you cross this line, there is no return," she warned, her voice filled with anguish. "Seven thousand souls sacrificed…there will be no atonement."

Astarion faltered, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. But he clung stubbornly to his ambition, his voice cracking with vulnerability. "With this, I will be truly, completely free. I won't need to rely on the parasite to walk under the sun, and no one will be able to control me," he pleaded, his voice trembling with raw emotion. "I will be able to truly feel you as a man, and enjoy the taste of your favorite dish. I will have the strength to shield you from all harm, provide everything you deserve!" He grasped her hands tightly, eyes wild. " Isn't this what you want for me, for us?"

Tears welled up in Amaara's eyes, her voice breaking as she responded, "Not like this." She reached out to touch his cheek, her fingers trembling against his skin. "This will not be you, but a monster wearing your face. The Astarion I love will be lost," she whispered, her voice filled with heartbreak. "The hope of ever restoring you to life, however slim, will be gone. And I will never know the true color of your eyes."

Their gazes locked in wordless turmoil. Amaara saw the warring desperation and devastation in Astarion's eyes. A broken soul balanced on the razor edge between salvation and damnation.

"You need no dark powers. You have strength enough within. And we will walk together in the darkness if we must.” Sensing the lust for power tugging on his heart, Amaara put her fist to her heart and raised her other hand desperately, “I, Amaara Ashvale of Silverymoon, do hereby solemnly vow, before the watching gods:

I shall not rest until a means is found to restore my beloved, Astarion Ancunín’s life. No lore shall go unread, no stone left unturned, no journey unfinished, for as long as breath and magic remain in me.

Through scorching deserts, frigid peaks, lands ravaged and lands lost shall I travel, never ceasing my quest. Across realms shall my pursuit carry me - from streets of Waterdeep to the glades of Silverymoon, from the heart of the City of Doors to the top of Mount Celestia itself.

No barrier will stand before my resolve to undo this curse you bear. By my blood, my magic, my very soul do I bind myself to deliverance of your life. This vow, more steadfast than stone or steel, I make to you freely, without reservation or regret.

So hear me now in your hour of tribulation. Take my hand, set aside primal ambition, and trust in destiny and devotion - I will help you reclaim what was so cruelly stolen. This I pledge with all that I am.”

Astarion's body shook, overcome with emotion as Amaara's solemn vow washed over him. For endless nights, he had craved the power before him to reclaim control of his fate. Yet her words unlocked something deeper - a hope long buried under scars of trauma.

"No more looking back," he rasped, then he turned to Cazador, drawing his blade.

With each frenzied stab, Astarion felt centuries of twisted abuse and stolen innocence pouring out. Cazador would never dictate his unlife again. He was finally, agonizingly free.

The trauma of endless torture at his sire's hands now manifested in uncontrolled rage. Though Cazador lay inert, Astarion continued driving his blade down ferociously, as if trying to obliterate the memories themselves.

Cazador had sadistically stripped away his dignity, his autonomy, his very identity. The violations were endless, the pain unfathomable. No matter how many times his blade struck home, the wounds upon Astarion's soul could not be expunged.

Astarion's rage melted into racking sobs. He wailed at the enormity of what had been done to him, what had been taken that could never be reclaimed.

He was an empty vessel, programmed only to serve his tormentor's cruel appetites. And now that purpose had been obliterated along with Cazador himself.

So Astarion wept bitterly over the broken shards of the man he might have been. His dreams, his potential, his light - all ruthlessly squandered. This hollow shell was all that remained.

The lacerations ran deeper than could ever heal. But perhaps in time, they could scar over, if never mend fully. On this ravaged ground, he might yet rebuild, slowly and agonizingly, something resembling a life of his own making. But for now, the only balm was blood, vengeance, and tears.

Amaara's heart bled seeing Astarion collapsed in anguish beside Cazador's broken body. Every sob felt like a lash upon her own soul. She ached to ease his suffering, but hesitated to intrude upon such naked vulnerability.

Slowly, giving him space, she moved to kneel on the blood-stained floor nearby. Close enough for him to sense her supportive presence, but far enough to avoid crowding his raw grief.

Silent tears ran down Amaara's own cheeks as the enormity of Astarion's trauma truly sank in. Her fury at Cazador's cruelty blazed anew. Her hand twitched instinctively, longing to soothe him, before stopping short. The touch of another might yet feel violating when emotions ran so raw. Every fiber of her being wanted to embrace Astarion fiercely, to promise him he was forever safe now.

But she remained still, letting this catharsis run its course. A light shining softly through darkness, awaiting the moment he was ready to reconnect and begin healing. And when Astarion surfaced from the storm's eye, she would be there. She would remain steadfast, for as long as it took, until he was made whole again.

#'Cause all of me Loves all of you #bg3 fanart #astarion #astarion fanart #astarion fanfiction #baldurs gate 3 fanart #bg3 fanfiction #astarion x mc #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #I Hail From Silverymoon #my oc stuff #amaara ashvale

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agoodroughandtumble · 4 months

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Like the Stars in the Sky - Roronoa Zoro x Reader Part 8

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x Reader

Warning: 18+. Language, implied smut

Summary: A companion piece, and continuation of, A Man of Little Words

A/N: [Part 1]; [A Man of Little Words]

In hindsight, that might have been a bit of an overreaction. The cool air had managed to clear your head a little. You shivered, although whether that was down to the breeze or the lack of proximity to Zoro was unclear. You were an idiot. It wasn’t his fault that your desperation for his affections meant that anything less than that was soul crushing. And it wasn’t as if he’d lied or strung you along – his only crime was not being so utterly in love with you as you were with him.

You wrapped your arms around yourself. The embarrassment was seeping, starting in the pit of your stomach and rising to heated cheeks. How were you going to possibly face him after this? Everything was ruined because you couldn’t, or wouldn’t, keep your stupid mouth and foolish heart shut.

The sound of footsteps made your breath stop. Heavy footsteps, and the sweet smell of sake mixed with an earthy sweat that could only belong to one person. What was he doing? Did he not realise he was the last person on earth you wanted to see? Only that wasn’t true. You wanted to wrap your arms around him, bury yourself against that impossibly broad chest of his and pretend one of this had ever happened.

You waited in anticipation for him to speak, bracing yourself for the inevitable. You waited. And waited. You swallowed thickly. Half of you wanting the silence to protect you forever, the other wishing he could just put you out of your misery.

“I know you’re there.” Your voice cracked slightly. The silence and your agony continued. Just say something. Anything. Your pleading was to no avail. You turned around, fingers fidgeting against each other, mind searching for something to say. Something casual. Something to try to reclaim the last shreds of your dignity. And still nothing.

Anger was starting to rise inside you but you managed, somehow – and with multiple long breaths – to push it down. That was the last thing that should happen. Fuck. Just fucking talk to me. You’re the one who approached me. Arsehole.

A deep sigh allowed you to compose yourself before speaking again. “You’re quiet.” Your eyes glanced at him. So please talk to me. Please tell me everything I want to hear and more. Please, please, please fucking love me back. God, you were pathetic. Of course he wasn’t saying anything – he was barely even looking at you. And yet you still craved his every atom. Still hung on his every word. You closed your eyes, trying to focus on your fingers fidgeting together, the gentle sway of the ship, slight sounds of the calm waves. The silence, the awkwardness, the desire to reach out to him – it was all collapsing around you. You had to stop it. Had to break free. Just get away from this fucking black hole.

You cleared your throat – eyes fixed intently out at the sea. “Do you want breakfast?”

it was a stupid question. An awful question. But a question that hopefully even Zoro couldn’t run away from. Besides, you hadn’t asked if he wanted breakfast with you specifically – or at least that was how you justified the ridiculousness of the situation. You heard him shift forward but maintained your determination to look forward.

And then of course he said it. Because he’s an arsehole. And because none of this matters to him. “Is that really what you wanted to ask?”

#opla #one piece #roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro x reader #zoro x reader

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mybiasisexo · 7 months

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Entangled - Part 8

Pairing: Chanyeol x f.Reader Chapter Warnings: Language Word Count: 5k Author Notes: okay, I feel like this is lowkey a filler chapter 😭. but I like it so idk lmao. so much has happened since I last updated. I quit my old job, got a new one (that's kicking my ass. pray for me) had my bday and saw Beyonce 3 times!! but yeah as always sorry for the delay, hope you like the chapter and feel free to lmk what you thought!!! I loooove feedback and y'alls commentary!!! makes my damn day!! have fuuuuuun~!

You come to the following morning from what is possibly the best sleep you’ve gotten in years. A yawn escapes you as you stretch your tender body.

The action has you aware of something not moving around you, and you glance down to see a heavy arm thrown over your waist. As if the owner of the limb can sense your attention, it constricts, pulling you closer to a heat behind you.

Startled, you tense up, not even daring to breathe as you carefully roll onto your back and then turn your head the rest of the way until you’re knocking your nose gently against Chanyeol’s.

He’s in a deep slumber. Gentle snores leave his slightly parted lips, and his features are relaxed. He looks so peaceful, so serene, so…content. It melts your heart. You can’t help but stare at him, noticing the way his silky tawny hair falls across his pillow and the stubble poking out of his chin that grew in from the night before.

The night before….

Your eyes widen at the reminder and you’re sitting straight up, causing Chanyeol’s arm to fall limply on your lap.

Oh, you’ve really done it now.

Chanyeol stirs, and you think you’ve woken him, but he just rolls onto his other side, revealing his naked back to you.

Harsh rows of red raised skin catch your attention–the proof of how good a lover he is. Even though you know to some men, Chanyeol included, the scratches are a badge of honor, you only feel remorse from causing him pain.

His lack of clothing has you aware of your current state of undress and you quickly pull the thin sheet over your chest. It’s a silly action. Chanyeol’s sleeping, but even if he was awake, he’s seen your breasts plenty of times, had them in his goddamn mouth last night for christ’s sake.

Still, you must at least try to preserve some dignity.

You dare another glance at the man beside you, as if he’s a figment of your imagination that will vanish once you’re in your right mind. He doesn’t go away, so you must be really out of it.

Groaning, you drop your head, hitting your forehead repeatedly with the palm of your hand.

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

Fucking your ex fiance was the last thing you had planned to do on this trip. Getting closure? Sure. Making peace? The least you could have done. Now? Things have become even more complicated. Which is pretty impressive given everything that has transpired over the last couple days. And Yerim…. God, Yerim. She hasn’t even been gone twenty-four hours and you’ve already jumped her man’s bones. Sure, he was yours first, but it’s the principle of the thing.

Shit, maybe you are the problem.

As if you aren’t already about to dive in a pool of panic, a memory from the night before decides to reveal itself. The knowledge has you gasping, staring unseeingly ahead of you in terror.

Did you tell Chanyeol you loved him?

Oh, god. Oh, fuck.

Yeah, you gotta get out of here.

Feeling nauseous, you stumble out of the bed, crumbling to the ground the minute you put weight on your legs. Your bambi legs are a byproduct of Chanyeol’s pleasurable menstrations, having you literally weak in the knees. You shake your head and push through the slight throbbing of your core, standing carefully on shaky legs. Chanyeol chooses this moment to toss back around so that he’s facing you again. The arm that was around you earlier flops forward to reclaim its position, but lands on egyptian cotton instead. His eyebrows scrunch together as his hand idly runs over the empty space–searching for you. Feeling bad, you pull down a pillow. His fingers find it and yank it towards him, curling into it like a toddler with his favorite teddy bear. Your name leaves his mouth in a content breath, and all the turmoil in you dissipates for a moment. Maybe you’re overreacting? Yerim won’t be too mad, right? And Chanyeol still wants you, right? Last night meant something to him?

Did it mean something to you?

You can’t even think about that right now. Truth is you have no idea where you stand, and are even more confused than before the wedding. You’ve blurred the lines and anything can mean anything.

What you do know is that you need to leave, and you need to do it before Chanyeol wakes up. You can’t face him right now, not before you understand your emotions and actions.

“Focus,” you order yourself. You scan the floor that is now a mess of discarded garments, and a shimmer of gold catches your eye. You snatch it up, only to find it’s Chanyeol’s tie. You stare at it, remembering the way he demanded you to undress him, and drop it like it shocked you, shivering from the memory. That is definitely not what you’re looking for.

There. A little further you find your dress and underwear. You slide them on quickly, not bothering to zip up your dress. You’re only going a few doors down, so you only hold it against your chest.

Despite telling yourself to focus, you can’t stop thinking about your confession. Obviously it was the lust speaking, the nostalgia. Yeah, that’s all that was.

Chanyeol never said it back.

The epiphany straightens your back, and you startle as you lock eyes with yourself in the floor length mirror directly in front of you. The woman before you is tragic, her hair poofy and stiff, eyes rimmed black, face puffy and nose still red from crying. You look like the clown you are.

You shudder, truly haunted, and head out. You pause by the door to slip into your shoes and grab your purse. Your heels have a buckle, but you can’t risk wasting any more time, so you don’t bother securing them.

You open the door and a choir of angels begin to sing.

Their joyous voices die with a record scratch at the sight of Byun Baekhyun standing on the opposite end, fist up as though he’s about to knock.

You can’t catch a break.

He takes you in, visibly shocked. He says your name in a dramatic loaded question and you wince at his volume, bouncing off the walls. Damn, this is not good.

“What are you doing here?” He asks accusingly.

You quickly peek over your shoulder, checking to see if your new visitor is loud enough to wake Chanyeol. He doesn’t stir, and you can’t fight the pride that blooms in you. You wore that man out!

Shaking the emotion off, you turn back to Mr. Loud Mouth in front of you.

“Hush,” you hiss, shoving him back with the arm not currently holding both your dress, and what little you have left of your sanity, together. You make sure the door closes with a gentle ‘click’ before grabbing Baekhyun’s arm, dragging him the couple doors down to your suite. He yelps and asks where you’re ‘kidnapping’ him. It’s easy to ignore his helpless cries with the obnoxious sound of your heels slapping against your feet.

Once in front of your door, you dig through your purse for your key, forgetting you didn’t secure your dress. The top half flutters down, titties basking in the breeze.

You freeze, eyes closing tightly as you bite your bottom lip so hard you think you’re going to bite it off. Your only saving grace is that Baekhyun is behind you, obscuring his view of your private bits.

You hear him huff in annoyance before he’s brushing your hair out of the way, gathering your dress, zipping it up as far as it can go with your arms not in the sleeves.

“Thank you,” you whisper, face burning in shame. Dejectedly, you find the key and get you both in. You kick your clacky shoes off, not wanting to draw unwanted attention, and lead Baekhyun to your room. You rest your forehead against the door as you close it, giving yourself a moment to just breathe.

Once you’ve deluded yourself into thinking you’re good, you turn around and face your friend. He’s taken residence in your vanity chair, searching your frazzled figure with worry. You can only imagine what you must look like from his point of view.

Finally, he musters the courage to speak. “You look….”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

“Okay…. Would you care to explain why you were running out of Chanyeol’s room like you robbed him? In your wedding clothes, no less, first thing this morning?”

You rub your eyes. To be honest, no, you didn’t want to have this conversation. Especially with Baekhyun. No offense to the guy, you adore him, but he’s not really known for taking things seriously. Except… right now it does appear he’s taking this situation very seriously. Although there is a hint of playfulness in his tone, you can’t see any of it on his face, only genuine concern.

Defeated, you sigh and march to your bed, plopping down onto the edge to bury your face in your hands.

“We had sex.”

“Really? I couldn’t tell,” he answers sarcastically. You glare at him through your fingers. He grins in reply, but it’s soft, reassuring, letting you know that everything will be okay.

It slips from his face as a thought occurs to him. “You weren’t drunk, were you?”

You shake your head and he lets out a relieved breath.

“Quite the opposite. It was probably the most sober decision I’ve made this whole trip.”

“So, what went wrong?”

“I just….” You recall your confession and wince, stomach flipping with embarrassment. “We ended up running into each other in the elevator and went to his room. We were only supposed to talk. But, I don’t know. You know the wedding was a lot for us both. And this trip has been very stressful and tense and we haven’t been alone since we got here and maybe that was for good reason because obviously we couldn’t handle that if–”

“You’re rambling,” he interrupts.

You take a deep breath.

“I told him I loved him,” you push out before you can regret admitting it. It sounds even worse spoken out loud.

“And?” He asks, skeptically.

You blink in surprise at his reply. “And he, well, he didn’t say it back.”

You avoid his gaze and bring your knees to your chest and nibble on your thumbnail anxiously, waiting for Baekhyun’s response to the new detail. You must have rendered him speechless, because he remains silent. Either that, or he’s trying to figure out the best way to let you down on Chanyeol’s behalf. That makes you stiffen your shoulders, bracing yourself for the cold dose of reality. It never comes, and his lack of response drags until you think you’re going to explode.

Finally, you whip your head up to him exasperatedly just to see him looking at you like you’re the dumbest bitch he’s ever seen.

“What?” You snap, hating how condescending his expression is.

He rolls his eyes at your tone and lets out a laugh coated in disbelief, rubbing his forehead. “I love you, but you’re stupid.”

“I know,” you sulk, pouting as you rest your chin on your knees. “I wasn’t thinking straight, obviously. I got too caught up in the moment. Being with him like that, it brought me back to the good ol’ days, when we were falling in love. But, we’re not in college anymore. We’re not the same people we were when we were together.”

You furrow your brows, really trying to untangle your thoughts. It’s a lot easier to do with someone to look at.

“That’s what it is. I mean, how can I still love a man I don’t know? I can still have lingering feelings for the man I used to know, though. Maybe having sex was a good thing? All that leftover tension between us can finally rest. Yeah, that’s what last night was–left over tension. Now that we’ve done the deed, we should be good now. Sure, we still need to have a talk, there’s still some things we need to address to fully move on, but I think the hardest part has passed.”

You search your friend’s face for the right answer. “Right?”

His lips thin and then he’s sighing. “Do you want to know what I think?”

You nod miserably, thoughts too chaotic to decipher any logic.

Baekhyun stands up and walks over to you, reaching out to rub your arms comfortingly. In a gentle murmur he says, “I think you need some breakfast.”

A surprised chuckle leaves you as you lean forward, resting your forehead against his stomach. “You’re probably right.”

You relax under his touch, and you both stay like that. His hands go from your shoulders to your back, rubbing soothing circles onto your skin. The repetitive trail makes you drowsy.

The door swings open.

“I thought I heard you co–OH MY GOD!”

Seulgi stands dumbfounded at the door, the hand not frozen on your door knob covers her hanging jaw. Shock coloring her face as she takes in the compromising sight before her.

Baekhyun stumbles quickly away from you, tripping over his feet in his haste.

“It's not what it looks like!” You defend. That’s literally the worst line you can possibly say to her.

“What the hell!” She squeaks. “What the fuck is happening right now!?”

“We were just about to get something to eat!” Baekhyun says, as if that explains anything.

“HUH?!” Seulgi starts fanning her reddening face. She turns to you, not even going to humor him. “Look, I know this weekend has been rough for you. I understand you wanting to distract yourself by getting underneath someone. But, to sleep with Baekhyun of all people–”

“Hey!” The man in question barks. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Seulgi, please,” you beg. Crawling off the bed, you stumble over to her. “That’s not what happened at all!”

Your words go through one ear and out the other as she glares at Baekhyun, who’s shivering in his metaphorical boots under her judging stare. “I can’t believe you would do this! Chanyeol is your best friend! Do you not care how this will affect him when he finds out?”

“We didn’t do anything,” you plead.

“Then explain what I just walked into! Explain why you look a damn mess! And are those–are those hickeys?”

“I HAD SEX WITH CHANYEOL!” You yell in her face.

“I–wait, what?” You can see the internal conversation she’s having with herself as she tries to comprehend what you just confessed to her. When your words have meaning, a look of sheer horror contorts her lovely features.

“You didn’t.” Her voice is low, threateningly so.

You gnaw at your bottom lip, even more anxious than when Baekhyun was questioning you.

Your silence is an admission and she yells your name accusingly.

“I know!” You agree. “Please, I know!”

“I don’t understand. How? Why? I thought you were over him, or at least trying to be. I–”

“Hey,” Baekhyun cuts her off, joining your little party. He rests a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s let her take a shower and get into some clothes that don’t have cum stains on them. Then we can get breakfast. She can explain everything then.”

“There’s no cum on my dress,” you mumble with a frown.

“I know Chanyeol’s kinks,” Baekhyun says. You huff in defeat.

Seulgi’s cat shaped eyes bounce back and forth between you both skeptically. You can see all the questions she has running through her pretty head.

“Alright,” she reluctantly agrees. “Hurry and get ready. I’m starving.”

You have a feeling it’s not food she’s hungry for.

Baekhyun leads her out of your room, throwing you an apologetic look, and you wonder how many more times he’s going to look at you like that.

Nearly an hour later, you find yourself in a little unassuming mom and pop restaurant. Baekhyun’s grandmother lives on the island, so he knows all the local hot spots. The ajumma serving you is absolutely thrilled to see him, promising to put a bit more love in your food, which you can definitely taste upon your first bite. It is exactly what you need after the active night you’ve had.

“Yerim made it home safely,” Seulgi informs, not glancing up from her plate as she does.

Your lips thin at the mention of her sister, knowing she’s bringing her up on purpose.

You didn’t need her reminder. Yerim has been on your mind all morning.

“Yeah?” You finally answer. “Glad to hear. I’m sure she’ll hate me for good once she finds out what I did right after she left.”

“She’ll get over it,” Baekhyun is quick to dismiss.

“She’ll forgive you,” Seulgi allows. “But she’ll never forget.”

Leaning back, she finally gives you a sharp look. “What happened last night anyway?”

Luckily, you just so happen to scoop some food into your mouth when she asks that, so you take advantage and slow down your chewing. Aiming to enjoy every last bit, because you know it’s going to be the last time you’ll be able to. You swallow it down with some water, for good measure, taking your time chugging it empty.

Seulgi watches in amusement, knowing what game you’re playing.

“Well,” you start, scratching behind your ear. “As you both already know, Chanyeol and I hooked up last night.”

“Hooked up?” Seulgi clarifies incredulously. It’s an interesting choice of words to describe what the two of you did.

Beside her, Baekhyun shakes his head, but keeps his opinions to himself, allowing you the floor.

“Yeah. And I want to say, for the record, that it was spontaneous. We just so happened to bump into each other when I was on my way back to the room. He asked me if I wanted to go to his room instead and I said yes–innocently! We were planning on just talking. And I mean, we did talk a bit?”

“Did you talk about Yerim?” Seulgi asks.

“No….” You avoid her stare and sink into your chair.

“Did you talk about your breakup?”

“No….”

Her eyes narrow. “So, what did you talk about?”

“About the wedding,” you answer like it’s obvious.

“And now it all makes sense.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You pout.

“The two of you have been tiptoeing around each other all weekend. I thought it was just the awkwardness of seeing an ex–in your case, an ex dating your friend. But I misread it. Now it’s pretty obvious that if it weren’t for Yerim, you would’ve probably slept with him sooner. It wasn’t awkwardness I felt, it was tension…the sexual kind.”

Your frown deepens. Were you seriously that weak? You thought you did a pretty damn good job resisting Chanyeol, but it only took three days to fall into his sheets. That wasn’t very strong of you at all. Seulgi is right. Yerim was the main reason for you keeping your distance, not your pride or your past. She had only been gone a few hours before you gave into him.

“Does that make me a terrible person?” You quietly ask.

“I don’t think so,” Baekhyun answers simply, shrugging when you lock eyes.

“It doesn’t,” Seulgi agrees, although she lets out a tired sigh right after. “But I still don’t understand why? It’s been years, girl, and you’ve never mentioned him once in that time. It’s been a while since you got laid, and even longer since it was with Chanyeol. Old habits die hard, and you didn’t get the closure you wanted, but sleeping with your ex seems so out of character for you.”

“He’s not just some ex, Seulgi,” Baekhyun intervenes. “He’s her ex fiance, and they didn’t break up on bad terms, necessarily. There’s still love there.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” you interject, shifting in your seat uncomfortably.

“So, it was just an old attraction? Old habits and all that?” Seulgi asks.

“I think so,” you say and she seems to melt in relief. “I think it was just left over sexual tension, and now that we’ve got it out of our system, we can be normal. We can move on.”

Baekhyun doesn’t seem convinced. “And you’re sure Chanyeol will agree with you?”

You shrug. “I don’t see why not. It was just sex.”

“It’s never ‘just sex’ with Chanyeol, and you know that. Especially when it comes to you.”

“You’d be surprised,” you mutter, mood dampening at the memory.

He doesn’t hear you. “And I know you’re lying. Didn’t you tell him you loved him last night?”

You glare at Baekhyun and he answers it with a smug smile, knowing he just set you up.

“You did what now?” Seulgi asks deadpan.

Internally you wince. “I might have told him I loved him while in the throes of passion.”

She says your name disapprovingly.

“And you know what? He didn’t say it back. So, you see? It was nothing more than physical for him as well.”

Seulgi looks as though she has some words for you, but Baekhyun beats her to the punch.

“You both drive me insane,” he groans. “It’s obvious you both still care about each other, what’s the point of trying to talk yourself out of it? It’s never too late to try again, and trust me when I say Chanyeol wants to more than anything. He’s already asked you for a second chance. He wants this! He wants you!”

“He said all that when he was drunk off his mind, Baekhyun.”

“Doesn’t make it any less true!”

You groan and lean your head back against your chair, feeling the pressure of the world falling onto your shoulders. It hits you then, the weight of Chanyeol’s affection, and for a moment you’re back on that sidewalk, drowning in it. You remember why you left, remember the moment your love for him twisted into something dark. Chanyeol said you told him you hate him. Truth is, you had. With him back in your life, you forgot about that, forgot that there was another reason why you were trying to avoid him. Again, everything is even more confusing, and you find yourself at a total loss of what to do next.

“It’s okay to feel overwhelmed by that,” Seulgi reassures. She knows you way more than you give her credit far. “Everything is happening so fast. You don’t have to make a decision right now, and honestly, I don’t think it’s wise for you to.”

You lift your head back up and take in your concerned friends. With the way they’re both sitting on either side of each other before you, it’s almost like they’re the angel and devil on your shoulders. One speaks for your heart, while the other speaks for your mind. Holding onto each of your hands and yanking you back and forth like a rope in tug-o-war.

“I don’t know the right answer,” you whisper, feeling your eyes water in frustration.

“Whatever’s going to make you happy,” Baekhyun answers simply.

You cough a laugh and a tear escapes, but you’re quick to wipe it away.

“I think,” Seulgi begins, reaching over and grabbing your hand. “You should give each other space, and wait until you’re back in Seoul. It’s only a couple days, and it’ll give both of you time to figure out what exactly it is you want from each other. Do you have an idea of what that is? Is it a relationship? Closure? Or just physical connection?”

“I’m not sure,” you admit.

She tilts her head and raises her eyebrows. You understand. She’s right.

“That’s probably the best idea,” you relent.

Baekhyun grunts in disgust. “Doesn’t Chanyeol deserve a say in this?”

“Of course he does,” you say.

“But that’s a conversation for later,” Seulgi intrudes. “Preferably with others around.”

You lift your hands up in defeat.

Now that your problem has been solved for now, you all go back to eating in a comfortable silence. Everything still tastes amazing, thank fuck.

Suddenly, Baekhyun straightens and turns to Seulgi. “What did you mean earlier anyways? When you said me of all people?”

She scoffs. “Besides the fact that you’re a weirdo? You’re Chanyeol’s best friend. If you had slept together, it would be the deepest betrayal to him. But, if she had slept with any of you, my reaction would be the same. The only other person I could possibly see her with is Sehun, and even then….”

“Ew,” you both finish.

“I love all of you,” you say. “But not like that.”

“It’s the same for me too!” Baekhyun admits. “I would never do that to Chanyeol, because I would never do that, period. Don’t ever put that disgusting idea in anyone’s head again!”

“No problem!” Seulgi says, resolute.

You finish breakfast soon after that and leave for the hotel. Today is the first day of your little reunion tour. Sehun figured that everyone would be too hungover to do anything that required movement, so you’re all just going to hang out at the beach and watch the sunset. Sounds like the perfect Sunday to you.

You all left your phones in the car, so the first thing you do once buckled up is check your notifications, reading the texts in the groupchat confirming some of the others were heading out to the beach and the location they chose. Baekhyun winces as he scans his device, catching your attention. When you lock eyes, he gives you that pitiful smile, almost like a warning, before turning his screen for you to read. It’s filled with texts and missed calls from Chanyeol.

“Oh boy,” is all you can muster, trying not to linger too much on the only message you can read: ‘please. I’m begging’.

“What’s up?” Seulgi asks from the backseat. Baekhyun proceeds to show her his phone and she shakes her head in dismay.

“Should I call him?” He asks.

“No,” you’re quick to reply. Avoiding his gaze, you settle into your seat, staring blindly out the windshield. You feel him watching you for a moment before sighing and starting the car, pulling out to drive you back to the hotel.

The elevator ride is long. You wonder if Chanyeol will be in the hallway when it opens. Baekhyun leans against the wall, rapidly firing off texts the whole way up. It takes everything in you not to ask him what he’s telling Chanyeol to calm him down.

The doors open, and you’re both relieved and crushed to enter an empty hall. Baekhyun walks you both to your room, which is polite, but you all know is a front. His room isn’t on this floor, and you don’t need him to walk you back.

“Where are you going?” You can’t help but to ask.

He grins guiltily and nudges his head towards Chanyeol’s room. “I’m going to check on him. That’s why I came up here in the first place.”

“Right….”

He pats your shoulder. “Get ready and head down to the beach. I’m sure you got Jongdae’s text in the groupchat. Both him and Jongin are already setting up camp.”

“Don’t take too long,” Seulgi says in farewell before pulling you into the suite.

As soon as the door closes, she’s holding you by the shoulders, staring deep into your eyes. “You can’t go back on your word now.”

“I’m not,” you say, cringing as the way it sounds like a lie.

Her grip on you tightens. “It’s all going to work out. Don’t get all sulky.”

“I’m not.”

She smiles. “You’re such a terrible liar. It’s kind of cute.”

“Stop flirting with me,” you sigh, grabbing her hands to hold them instead. “I’m going to take your advice. We need space.”

“Space,” she repeats approvingly, rubbing your knuckles with her thumbs.

Banging on your door causes you both to jump.

“Yeol, stop it! I already told you they’re not there!”

“I need to know for sure.”

You swallow thickly at the sound of Chanyeol’s voice.

You hear Baekhyun sigh and then Chanyeol call your name, which jerks you closer to the door. Seulgi grips your hands harder, holding you back. You lock eyes. She shakes her head in warning.

“Are you in there?” He pauses briefly, waiting for you to reply. You hold your breath, afraid in the silence he can hear your heart’s rapid beating. “Please, open the door, Mel. I just… I just need to see you.”

His voice is calm, but alarmed, as if he’s trying not to sound as desperate as he feels. He knocks again, the reps urgent, giving away the worry he’s trying to disguise.

“I just need you to tell me everything’s okay.” Now his voice cracks.

Fuck it. You can’t avoid him forever. You go to open the door, but Seulgi’s hold is surprisingly strong and you can’t break it.

“Space, remember?” She whispers.

You didn’t know that started now.

Reluctantly, you relax, leaning your head on Seulgi’s shoulder. She wraps her arms around you, rubbing your back as you wait for Baekhyun to do his job in getting Chanyeol away.

“I can’t do this again, man,” Chanyeol’s broken voice comes through the door. “I can’t lose her again. Not like this.”

“I know, Dude.” Baekhyun sounds just as helpless, and a wave of guilt washes over you from putting him in this position. “But, she’s not in there. Let’s go to my room so I can change. It won’t take long, so don’t even think of ditching me!”

A silence drags on for so long you’re sure they’ve left.

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun urges.

“I–okay. Let’s go.”

You hear them retreat and let out a breath.

Seulgi whistles. “Quite the mess you’ve made.”

You swallow the lump in your throat. “You can say that again.”

“Hey,” She rubs your arm. “He’s going to be fine. Let’s change. I’m sure you’re now very eager to get down there.”

You let her lead you to your room. The whole time you can’t get over the pain in Chanyeol’s voice, a pain that you caused.

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Text

Shouto’s Sizzling Night of Rebellion

‣ Pairing: None (some minor unserious hints at various ships if you squint), *EraserMic* (extended content at the end -optional read)

‣ Summary: Shouto Todoroki has had enough of his father interfering with his life. Tonight is his night, and nobody, especially Endeavor, is going to stand in the way of him having a good time.

‣ Genre: crack/comedy

‣ Warnings: alcohol/marijuana use, Shouto using his hot side to cook bacon.

‣ Word Count: 7,008 (8,048 -including extra EraserMic content at the end)

‣ A/N: This is genuinely the most chaotic and ridiculous thing I’ve ever written. I was inspired by this video by MorphyVA. Between listening to this video and writing this fic, I found myself laughing harder than I have in a very long time. Hopefully it can at least make you laugh half as much as I did while making it. Now buckle up and get ready for a slow burn into full-blown chaos and absurdity!

─────────────── ･｡ﾟ🔥: *.🥓 .* :🔥˚.･ ────────────────

"Shouto! Your shorts are too short!”

"Shouto! Answer my calls!"

"Shouto! Don’t go to parties!”

"Shouto! Stop ignoring me!"

The grating voice of his father rang in Shouto’s mind. After all these years of Endeavor being so distant and treating him as anything but a son, he suddenly decided to compete for the “father of the year” award. He certainly wouldn’t win; Shouto knew that for a fact. All his attempts up to this point had been pathetic and useless, especially considering he had hardly built an honest relationship with Shouto to begin with.

What pieces were there left to patch up, anyway?

Ever since Endeavor decided to be more of a present figure in Shouto’s life, his daily existence had truly become the definition of “hell”. He couldn’t seem to escape him. Even if he managed to run away and hide somewhere else, he’d be plagued by near-constant calls and texts from his father. He couldn’t even escape his father’s voice, that seemed to have something to say about everything he did.

In many ways, Shouto much preferred life before Endeavor suddenly grew a conscience. At least he had become comfortable with the distant and abusive nature of his father before his recent change of character. It was much more predictable, and this made things a lot easier for Shouto to handle, especially in moments when he was forced to be around him. He was used to it. But this? This was a whole new level of torture. And Shouto’s sanity was steadily slipping by the day. He needed a break from his father’s constant badgering and pitiful attempts at “bonding” with him. He needed to let loose and reclaim the autonomy that his father was trying so hard to strip away from him under the guise of “fatherhood.” He’d had enough.

Tonight would be the night that Shouto truly broke free from his father’s chains…

Loud music and the sounds of people talking and singing filled the common room of the Class 1-A dorms, bodies buzzing past Shouto as he stood as a quiet observer in the middle of the room. He was wearing his shortest pair of black gym shorts and a white t-shirt that he had cut into a crop top, showing off his toned midriff. In his right hand was a red plastic cup filled with a mysterious liquid. Mina had offered it to him not long after he walked into the room. She said it was punch, but Shouto was pretty sure it was spiked with alcohol, based on the bitter aftertaste. He had no problem with this. In fact, it made him smirk a little while he drank it. His father would never approve of this, and that only made him want to do it even more.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He sighed as he pulled it out and saw the text from Endeavor.

“Don’t forget our family dinner tomorrow at 5pm.”

Shouto growled in frustration, typing out a sarcastic response in return.

“How could I forget? You won’t seem to let me, no matter how hard I try!”

His phone continued to vibrate as messages from his father came through, one of them telling him to come to the dinner “dressed with dignity," clearly referencing the shorts Endeavor saw him wearing the other day. The same ones he was wearing now, just to spite him. Shouto barely scanned the rest of the messages before rolling his eyes and powering off his phone, which continued to vibrate until the screen finally went black. He shoved his phone back into his pocket, now feeling even more irritated than he was before.

He downed the rest of his drink and headed towards the punch bowl to refill his cup, stopping in his tracks along the way when he heard his name being shouted over the music. Turning his head towards the direction of the familiar voices, he spotted Izuku, Uraraka, Mina, Tokoyami, and Tsuyu smiling and waving at him. He offered them a small smile and joined their circle.

“Todoroki! How are you liking the party so far?” Izuku asked.

“It’s good. Are parties usually this loud?” Shouto answered, trying to speak up over the music.

“I think so!” Uraraka said.

Tsuyu held a small cup of punch in her hands as her eyes scanned the room. “Where’s Iida?”

"We sent him away. Convinced him he should visit his brother for the weekend." Mina confessed on behalf of the rest of the group.

Izuku scratched the back of his neck, a guilty smile on his face. "Yeah, I kinda feel bad about it…"

Uraraka placed a reassuring hand on Izuku’s shoulder. "It's for the best, Deku. You know he couldn't handle something like this.”

Mina nodded in agreement, bringing her cup to her lips and taking a sip before she spoke. “He’d definitely get us all busted.”

"I guess you're right. I thought I wouldn't like parties, but this one is fun!" Izuku smiled.

Tokoyami looked around at everyone else having fun at the party as he spoke. "Mm. I agree."

"Me too!" Uraraka chimed in.

"The punch is good."

The others chuckled at Shouto’s random comment, agreeing with him as they drank from their own cups. Shouto looked down at the empty one in his hands.

"You want a refill on that, buddy?"

Shouto looked up to find Denki by his side, smiling at him with a half-full pitcher of punch in his left hand and a stack of empty cups in the other.

"Oh, yes. Thank you, Kaminari."

Denki bowed dramatically after filling Shouto’s cup with more punch. "My pleasure! As the host of this party, it's the least I could do!"

"What?! Who put Dunce-Face in charge?!"

Unlike everyone else, it wasn’t hard to hear whatever the explosive blond had to say. His booming voice easily surpassed the volume of the music. Denki turned around to face Bakugou, who was glaring at him intimidatingly. Kirishima moved to stand beside him, nudging him with his elbow.

"Be nice, Bakugou! He's done a great job so far!" Kirishima said, attempting to tame the wild beast that threatened to be unleashed upon Denki and the rest of the innocent partygoers in the room.

Denki flashed a proud smile at the two of them.

"Thanks, man! And before you ask, Bakugou, I took care of the surveillance problem before the party even started! Called in a favor from an old friend. He managed to loop the live camera feed seamlessly! It'll last until morning! I also talked to the other dorms, and they said they’d keep quiet about it, so long as we return the favor for them in the future!"

Bakugou scowled. "If that's the case, then you extras better make sure everything is cleaned up before then! I don't wanna deal with the consequences of your stupid actions!"

"Nothing's going to happen, don't worry! Come on, Bakugou! Have some fun!"

Denki held out a cup of punch towards Bakugou, who was quick to push his hand away. Denki stumbled a little as he tried not to spill the liquid onto the floor.

"No! I'm going to bed! Last thing I’m gonna do is be an idiot with a hangover during tomorrow's training.” Bakugou muttered before turning his focus to Kirishima. He pointed a threatening finger at him as he spoke. “You better go easy on the drinking, Shitty Hair! You're going to train tomorrow, whether you like it or not!"

"Alright, alright!" Kirishima put his hands up in defense, one of them holding a full cup of punch.

Denki rolled his eyes as Bakugou took a step past him. "Fine! Go to bed, gramps! It's clearly way past your bedtime, anyway!"

Bakugou’s jaw clenched as he turned back towards Denki. "You better watch your mouth or I'll put you to sleep right now, Dunce Face!"

"Ooh, I'm scared!" Denki smirked, half laughing as he spoke.

Watching Bakugou fall into Denki’s trap caused Kirishima to let out an amused sigh and step in between the two of them. "Alright, both of you settle down! Katsuki, you can go to bed now. We'll be fine down here."

Begrudgingly pulling his crimson daggers away from Denki to glance at Kirishima, Bakugou rolled his eyes with a huff and turned to walk away. He made it a few steps away from the crowd when Shouto spoke.

"Goodnight, bestie."

Everyone tried to hold in their laughs, Denki snorting and Kirishima covering his mouth to suppress his own laughter as Bakugou visibly tensed and clenched his fists, his speed increasing as he stomped towards the elevator in the back of the room.

“Man, he is such a party pooper!” Mina spoke once he was out of sight, an amused smile on her face as she shook her head. Everyone else tried to recover from their laughing fits.

“I know! It’s like he’s allergic to fun!” Denki said, still chuckling a bit.

A party pooper? Shouto had never heard this saying before, but it reminded him of his father. His dad was not fun, by any means, and he always found a way to ruin anything Shouto considered to be a good time. But tonight was different. So far, he was having a decent time, but not yet a good time. He needed to do more fun things that his father wouldn't approve of. After once again pushing away his father's nagging voice in his head, Shouto set out to do the next thing his father wouldn't approve of...dancing.

He took a large gulp of his drink and turned to face the other end of the room, walking towards where everyone else seemed to be dancing to the music.

“Todoroki! Where are you going?” Izuku called out to him.

Shouto looked over his shoulder. “Dance.”

“Ooh! I’ll join you! Come on, Uraraka!” Mina chimed in excitedly.

“Okay! Deku, let’s go!” Uraraka grabbed Izuku’s hand and pulled him towards an empty space on the dance floor.

“B-But! I’m not really good at dancing!” Izuku said, his face blushing a deep red.

Shouto stood in the middle of the dance floor, looking around at everyone curiously. He’d never danced before, and he’d never really paid any close attention to how others danced before either. He saw Tokoyami leaned up against the wall across from him, bobbing his head to the beat of the music, so he started with that.

“Do you need help? With dancing, I mean.”

Shouto nodded at Momo. “I don’t know how.”

She giggled. “I could tell. Let’s start with something simple, then! See how Kirishima is moving his shoulders? Start with that!”

Shouto observed Kirishima and tried his hardest to replicate this move. He was a little out of time with the beat of the music, but he began to get better after a couple of minutes.

“You got it! Great job!” Momo clapped and danced alongside him.

A small smile tugged at his lips. This was more fun than he thought it’d be. It felt…good. And very scandalous. His father would never approve of this. He took another big sip of his drink while continuing to dance.

･｡ﾟ🔥: *.🥓 .* :🔥˚.･

After a while of dancing his heart out, Shouto had learned a couple more moves from Kirishima and Denki. Aoyama had attempted to show him some moves too, but they were too advanced and flashy for him. By now, Shouto was feeling really good, and it wasn’t just because of the dancing. He had nearly finished his third cup of punch when Kirishima stepped in, noticing him stumbling around on the dance floor a little too much.

“Hey, man! I think that’s enough dancing for now, don’t you think?”

Kirishima slung his arm over Shouto’s shoulders to steady him. Shouto glanced up at him, still bobbing in time with the music.

“I’m having fun.”

“Well, I think we should have fun together over here! We can dance more later!” Kirishima pointed towards the lounge area.

“Okay.” Shouto tilted his head back as he gulped down the rest of his drink, leaning his weight against Kirishima slightly as he did so.

“I think we should also take a break from drinking. What do ya say, buddy?” Kirishima suggested, eyeing his friend with slight concern in his eyes.

It was strange for Kirishima, seeing Shouto drunk and acting differently than usual. He wasn’t sure what to think of it. He tried to take the cup from Shouto’s hand, only for him to pull it away from his grasp.

“No! I like it!” Shouto argued, his voice raising slightly above his usual neutral tone.

Kirishima raised a brow at this, a small, amused smirk tugging at his lips. He held his hand up in playful surrender.

“Alright, man! No worries! I’ll refill your cup for you! Let’s just get you situated over here, okay? Then we can hang and have fun together!”

Shouto nodded and allowed Kirishima to guide him to the lounge area nearby. The moment Shouto spotted a bean bag someone had placed in the room, he insisted that he sat in it, grumbling something about how his father never let him have a bean bag growing up and he’d never approve of him sitting in one. Kirishima didn’t question him and helped him sit in the bean bag, before leaving to fill Shouto’s empty cup with water, almost positive he’d be too drunk to notice.

He was right. After 2 more cups of plain water, Shouto decided he’d had enough. By this point, Sero had joined the two of them in the lounge area, and Shouto had started a drunken rant about his father. Kirishima and Sero listened intently as they took small puffs of the joint Sero had brought along with him to the party.

"I can't even wear my favorite shorts without my dad getting onto me about it! Ughh! I hate him!" Shouto let out a frustrated sigh, his fists clenching at the thought of his father.

Sero took a puff of the joint pinched between his forefinger and thumb, his face scrunched up in opposition to what he was hearing.

"Well, that's stupid. You look good in your shorts! They, uh…accentuate your features nicely, if you don't mind me saying."

Shouto could feel his internal temperature growing warmer, and he wasn’t sure if it was simply because he was angry or if there was something else to it. Too drunk to think any harder about it, he shook his head.

"I don't mind. That's also why I like to wear them. I feel confident in them. And they're good for playing volleyball."

Sero passed the joint to Kirishima, who took another hit of it. "Then you should keep wearing them! Fuck what your dad has to say about it!"

Kirishima let out a large puff of smoke before speaking.

"Yeah! He's right! It's your life and you can live it however you want!"

Shouto smiled at the two of them. "Thanks, guys. I feel very heard and supported right now. You're the best."

"Good! We got your back, man! Whatever you wanna do, we support you!" Kirishima smiled, giving him a thumbs up from his reclined position on the couch.

"I want to get high,” Shouto confessed.

Sero chuckled and leaned forward on the couch, the joint held in his outstretched hand towards Shouto. "Hell yeah, my dude! You clearly need it more than either of us."

Shouto took the joint from Sero and listened closely as he explained to him how to take a proper hit of it. Shouto nodded in understanding, staring at it between his pale fingers.

"My dad would never approve of this.”

"Are you really gonna let that stop you?" Sero challenged, a smirk growing on his face as Shouto shook his head and spoke his next words.

"Fuck no.”

He took a small drag of the joint, coughing a few times, but quickly recovering from it. Kirishima and Sero proudly clapped and cheered on their friend. Shouto took one more hit before passing it back to Sero.

“There you go! How ya feelin’?” Sero asked.

Shouto sat awkwardly in the bean bag chair, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think. “I feel the same.”

Kirishima chuckled. “Just give it a minute, buddy. You’ll feel it.”

･｡ﾟ🔥: *.🥓 .* :🔥˚.･

By the time an hour had passed, Shouto was sprawled out in his bean bag chair, neck tilted back as he stared at the party lights dancing along the ceiling. Denki joined the group shortly after Shouto got caught up in this mesmerizing trance and helped Sero and Kirishima finish off the joint. It wasn’t long after this that the party ended and everyone else had retired to their rooms for the night, leaving the four of them alone in the common room. The three boys on the couch were chatting and giggling about things Shouto couldn’t make out. He was completely lost in his own little world. That was, until they started talking about food. This seemed to reach Shouto’s ears and his stomach, which responded with a loud growl.

"Dude, you know what sounds so good right now?" Kirishima said, looking over at Denki and Sero to his right.

"What?" Sero responded curiously.

"Bacon!"

Denki gasped. "OH MY GOD, YES!"

"Do we have any?" Sero asked.

"I think I saw some in the fridge the other day. But the stoves are still broken. Maintenance hasn't fixed them yet,” Kirishima explained with a sigh.

"We could microwave it?" Denki suggested.

Sero scrunched his nose in disgust. "I'll pass on that, thanks."

Kirishima pouted. "Man, I really want bacon…"

"I can cook it," Shouto announced, sitting up in the bean bag too fast and causing his head to spin a little.

Denki jumped at the sound of Shouto’s voice, whipping his head around to look at him. "Woah, dude. How long have you been there?"

Sero rolled his eyes, unfazed. "He's been there the whole time. You're just an unobservant blob."

"I am not an unobservant blob!"

“Guys, shut it! Todoroki, that's nice and all, but like we were saying before, the stoves are still broken, remember?" Kirishima said.

Shouto shook his head. "I don't need that."

"Huh?" A look of confusion spread over Kirishima’s face.

Denki seemed to be the first one to catch on. "Ohhh, you mean you'll use your hot side to cook it?!"

Shouto gave a nod of confirmation. The three boys looked at him curiously as he started to ramble, smirking at the uncharacteristic nature of Shouto’s current behavior, which only appeared more animated now that he was drunk and high.

"I haven't done it in a while, though. My stupid dad won't let me. He's always like ‘SHOUTO! DON'T COOK BACON ON YOUR HOT SIDE! USE A FRYING PAN!’” He lowered his voice and put on his best angry face to fit the impression of his father, slurring over his words and causing the boys to giggle.

“Last time I was caught, I was grounded for a week for ‘behaving dishonorably’. I just don’t get it. What’s so wrong about using what we have been blessed with?”

“A-freakin’-men! Dude, that's so cool! We gotta do it!" Denki said excitedly.

Kirishima looked between everyone, a slight look of hesitation in his eyes that was quickly overtaken by his own curiosity. "Fine. But we gotta be quiet! If we get busted while using a flammable quirk inside the dorms, we'll be in deep shit."

“Chill out, man! It’ll be fine! I’ll check to see if there is any bacon left.” Sero stood from where he was once seated and walked over to the kitchen on the far end of the room behind them.

A couple minutes later, Sero called the three of them over, waving the pack of bacon in the air excitedly. Denki quickly jumped to his feet, followed by Kirishima. Shouto struggled to get out of the bean bag chair. Denki and Kirishima each grabbed one of his arms and hoisted him up, helping him to remain on his feet as he stumbled towards the kitchen. Upon seeing how unsteady Shouto was, they collectively decided it would be best if he wasn’t standing during this experience.

“Kaminari, help me move this stuff off the island. Sero, hold onto Todoroki while we do this,” Kirishima said, letting go of Shouto to grab the plates, cups, and food trays that sat on the island and move them out of the way.

Denki followed suit, grabbing a few leftover cups of punch and turning around to make his way towards the nearby sink. But as he spun around and took a step forward, he found himself nearly colliding into Kirishima, who was headed his way with a large bowl of punch in his arms. Denki’s eyes went wide as the punch splashed back onto Kirishima’s chest before the glass bowl went crashing to the floor, shattering to pieces. The four boys stood there in shock, staring at the floor with mouths hung open.

Sero was the first to break the silence. “So much for being quiet, huh? Do you think anyone heard?”

Denki took a breath to steady his racing heart before speaking. “I don’t know…I mean, it wasn’t that loud, right? Nobody is gonna hear that from their rooms.”

“I don’t know, man. Leave it to Katsuki to hear that shit all the way from the fourth floor. He’s such a light sleeper,” Kirishima remarked. He looked down at his punch-soaked shirt, sighing at the sight.

“Nah, I doubt it. Also, I’m so sorry, dude. I’ll buy you a new shirt sometime to make up for it!” Denki said, looking at Kirishima with guilt in his eyes. Unlike him, he had only a few drops of punch on his clothes from the incident. Kirishima’s white shirt would certainly not recover from the red dye in the punch that had now soaked through the fabric.

Kirishima waved him off. “It’s fine, man. Accidents happen! I didn’t care that much for this shirt, anyway.” He smiled reassuringly at Denki before removing his shirt. “Well, we should probably clean this up now, huh?”

“Sure…But maybe after a little snack? I’m starving!” Denki whined.

The sound of a stomach growling caused the boys’ heads to turn towards Shouto.

Denki chuckled. “Seems like I’m not the only one.”

“Alright. Help me get him up here,” Sero said as he helped Shouto over to the island.

The boys came over to his side, glass crunching beneath their shoes. Together, they managed to get Shouto up onto the island, giggling as they did so. Sero took off his shirt and placed it under Shouto’s head as a pillow. Turning to grab the pack of bacon, he found Denki trying to open it with a chef knife, sticking his tongue out in concentration as he did so. Sero shrugged before looking back at Shouto.

"Dude, take your shirt off. We need to maximize the cooking area."

Shouto complied, and with great struggle, managed to remove his shirt. He tossed it onto the punch-covered floor and flopped back down onto the countertop.

"Uh, is this table flammable?" Denki asked, handing Sero the now opened pack of bacon.

"No, doofus! It's granite! Wait…which is his hot side again?" Kirishima tilted his head as he stared at Shouto.

“Red hair side.” Denki pointed.

“Ohhh, right!”

Sero ignored the other two and decided to strike up a conversation with Shouto as he began placing some of the raw slices on his left arm.

"So, your dad really disapproves of this? What a shame. I think it’s cool you can do this!"

"I know! He won't let me do anything fun! He sucks! I wish I was adopted…" Shouto pouted angrily.

"Man, I feel you. My parents are strict too. They would kill me if they found out I got high on the regular."

"Dude, they totally know,” Kirishima butted into the conversation, an amused smirk on his face.

"What? No they don't!" Sero argued.

Denki laughed. "Yes, they do! You reek of weed all the time! No amount of cologne and incense will cover that up!"

Sero scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever! They haven't said anything, so maybe they haven't noticed."

Denki leaned in towards Kirishima to pretend to whisper to him, but his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear. "Or maybe they just think he naturally smells like a skunk's ass."

Kirishima burst into laughter, along with Denki and even Shouto, who giggled where he laid on the cold countertop.

"Quiet down! Help me finish this up, will you?” Sero tossed the pack of bacon at Kirishima, who nearly dropped it before pulling out a few slices and handing them to Denki.

Their excitement grew along with their giggles as they finished covering most of Shouto’s left side with bacon. All laughter and joy soon came to a halt, though, when a familiar voice sounded through the room, sending chills down all their spines.

"What the hell are you-...The fuck?"

Each one of them froze in place as they whipped their heads towards the owner of the voice, who stood about 5 feet away from them with the most stunned and perplexed look they’d ever seen on him.

"Katsuki, it's not what it looks like!" Kirishima blurted.

"What the fuck do you mean?! I think it's exactly what it looks like!"

"And what's that?" Sero asked with an amused smirk tugging at his lips, not quite convinced Bakugou really knew what they were doing at all, based purely on the look on his face.

This question seemed to throw Bakugou off even more than he already was. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally attempted to give an answer.

"You're…You're…"

Bakugou took a closer look at the scene before him. All four boys were shirtless. Shouto sprawled out on the kitchen island, raw bacon strips laid across half of his chest and left arm. A large knife in Denki’s hand. The floor covered in red liquid, shattered glass, and the boys’ shirts.

It looked like a goddamn crime scene. What kind of crime? He had no idea. For a rare moment in his life, he was rendered completely speechless. It took him another solid minute to muster up the ability to speak again.

"I...What the fuck are you doing to Icy-Hot?! And why are you all shirtless?!"

"He spilt punch on me." Kirishima pointed to Denki like a child tattling on their sibling.

Sero shrugged. "I was hot."

"I didn't wanna feel left out,” Denki confessed, looking away feeling slightly embarrassed.

Bakugou pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath, trying to ground himself amongst the group of intoxicated idiots.

"You still haven't told me what exactly you're doing to Icy-Hot…" He spoke in an exasperated voice through gritted teeth.

Denki answered his question simply. "We're just cooking bacon on his hot side! No biggie!"

"Yeah, don't worry, bestie. I'm fine…" Shouto lifted his head up slightly to lock eyes with Bakugou, who seemed quite the opposite of relieved upon hearing his words.

Bakugou growled angrily, any semblance of control over his temper now out the window. "How many times do I have to tell you to STOP calling me that?! And you! Stop waving that knife around! Give it to me!"

He stepped towards Denki and snatched the knife out of his hand, setting it on the counter opposite of the Island Shouto was lying on.

Kirishima held his finger up to his lips. "Shhhh! You're gonna wake everyone up within a mile radius and get us all in trouble!"

Bakugou scoffed. "Not me! I had nothing to do with this!"

"You're a witness! And you just touched the knife that was used for this act, which also makes you an accomplice," Sero said, pointing at the knife.

"What?! That's not how-"

"Yeah, what he said! You're just as guilty as us! So you better keep that big mouth shut!" Denki said, immediately regretting the words that came out of his mouth when he saw a vision of his own death flash through Bakugou’s eyes.

"Tell me what to do one more time and I'll-”

Shouto groaned, interrupting Bakugou with his next words. "Guys, stop fighting! Bakugou, you sound just like my dad. You're better than him. Stop this.” A couple of bacon strips fell off of him as he sat up to address Bakugou with a serious look in his eyes.

"Yeah, come on, man! Let us do this! You don't have to do anything! Just go to bed and pretend you never saw this!" Kirishima said.

Bakugou looked at Kirishima like he’d gone insane. "No! You guys obviously can't be trusted alone right now! You'll burn the dorms down or something!"

Shouto pointed a finger at him with a frown on his face. "Hey! Don't poop at our party!"

"What?" Bakugou stared at Shouto, completely dumbfounded.

"Uh…I think he means ‘don't be a party pooper’. Pretty sure he just learned that earlier today," Kirishima explained.

"My dad is a party pooper! He poops on everything! He's a life pooper! Don't be like him, bestie!" Shouto implored. Bakugou simply blinked at him, once again rendered speechless by the ridiculousness he had been subjected to thus far.

"Yeah! Come on! Live a little, Bakugou! Don't you wanna see Todoroki cook this bacon on his hot side?" Denki asked, pointing to the bacon on Shouto’s chest.

"No! Because I'm not a freak like the rest of you!" Bakugou barked.

Denki nodded casually, placing a hand on Shouto and slowly pushing him back down onto the countertop as he kept eye contact with Bakugou. "Sure, sure. Well, it's happening whether you like it or not. Todoroki, now!"

Shouto tensed at these sudden orders, but obeyed nonetheless, a strained look on his face as he quickly activated his quirk. The surrounding boys jumped back as large flames extended towards them.

"Dude! Tone it down! It's too much!" Kirishima said, raising his voice slightly.

The flames went out as Shouto deactivated his quirk. He let out a sigh.

"Sorry...It's harder to control right now, for some reason…"

"Hmph, I wonder why." Bakugou rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “This is exactly why you idiots shouldn’t be doing this!”

The boys ignored Bakugou as Sero inspected the bacon on Shouto’s body. "Thankfully, most of the pieces are okay. Let's try again."

"Whenever you're ready, Todoroki!" Denki gave him a thumbs up and Shouto gave him one in return.

Shouto closed his eyes and focused on his quirk. Everyone waited in silent anticipation for a solid minute, until finally, the sizzling began.

Denki gasped. "Oh my god! He's doing it!"

Sero smiled widely at the sight. "Yes! You got this, dude! Keep it steady, now..."

"Fucking hell, this feels like a goddamn fever dream…” Bakugou muttered to himself as he stared at the scene before him.

"You can leave, Katsuki. We promise we won't burn the place down. I'll keep an eye on things,” Kirishima reassured him, but his attempt seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"Pfft! As if I can even trust you right now! I'll keep an eye on things."

While it was true that Bakugou was sticking around to keep an eye on them and make sure they didn’t do anything too stupid, he would be lying if he claimed curiosity hadn’t gotten the best of him too. He hated himself for it, but he couldn’t help but feel somewhat fascinated by the way the bacon was cooking on Shouto’s skin.

After another minute or so, the bacon was finally cooked. Denki, Sero, and Kirishima immediately took a piece of their own to try. Shouto smiled as he grabbed a piece from his chest and ate it, his stomach finally happy now that it was being fed.

“Here you go!” Kirishima offered Bakugou a piece, only to have him flinch away from it in disgust.

“I’m not eating that shit! It’s unsanitary!”

Kirishima shrugged with a smile, an amused chuckle escaping his lips. “Whatever. More for us!”

Denki, Sero, Kirishima, and Shouto touched their pieces of bacon together like some sort of “cheers” to what they had accomplished together before eating them. Denki, Sero, and Kirishima’s faces morphed into an expression of pure rapture as they eagerly consumed their treat.

“Dude! This is the best bacon I’ve ever had!” Kirishima exclaimed, talking with his mouth full as he chomped down on another piece.

Denki nodded aggressively. “Me too!”

“It must be something about the way his quirk cooks it that makes it taste better!” Sero said, eyes shining with pure joy and amazement.

Bakugou scoffed. "Yeah, right! It’s just regular bacon. Nothing about the way it was cooked is going to change the flavor that much! You drunk and high bastards would think dirt tastes good right now!"

Bakugou instantly regretted bringing this up as he watched a lightbulb go off in all of their heads before they turned to one another with serious looks on their faces, talking in slightly hushed voices with mouths full of bacon.

"Should we try it?" Denki asked, a daring smirk tugging at his lips as he casually swiped another piece of bacon off of Shouto’s chest without looking and took a bite from it. Shouto laid on the counter in happy silence as he crunched on his own.

Kirishima looked between Sero and Denki with hesitation in his eyes. "I don't know, guys…"

"Come on! Aren’t we doing the whole ‘yes, and’ thing tonight? I've always been curious to try it!" Denki pouted.

"Why haven't you?” Sero asked.

"I was scared."

Sero and Kirishima’s chewing stopped as a look of bewilderment spread across their faces. They both responded in unison. "Scared?"

"There might be bugs in it!" Denki said, voice raising above a hushed tone.

Bakugou growled. "Oh my god, shut up! You're not gonna eat dirt!"

The boys once again turned their heads toward Bakugou. Kirishima put his hand up.

"For the record, I wasn't going to do it."

"Coward,” Denki muttered, shooting him a glare.

Kirishima gasped, snapping his head to Denki with his mouth slightly agape.

"I wanna eat dirt!" Shouto yelled, trying to sit up on the kitchen island.

Sero jumped into action, placing a hand onto Shouto’s shoulder to stop him. "Wait, hold on! One more round! Please?"

“No! You idiots a-”

Bakugou’s protests were interrupted and ignored as the other boys focused their attention on Shouto once more.

"Yeah, please? I wanna see it again!" Denki pleaded, giving Shouto his best puppy dog eyes.

Shouto sighed. "Okay…"

He flopped back down onto the island and the boys immediately got back to work, placing more raw bacon strips on the left side of his body while Shouto giggled about how cold it felt against his hot skin. Bakugou cringed uncomfortably at the sight, yet he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away. He had never been so painfully aware of how sober he was than he did in this moment.

Sero stepped back with his hands in the air as if he was stepping away from a delicate masterpiece he had just finished creating. “Okay! Ready!”

They all went silent again to allow Shouto to concentrate as they watched him closely. Since Shouto was warmed up from before, it didn’t take as long for the sizzling to begin. Denki, Sero, and Kirishima looked as excited as kids on Christmas morning as they watched the bacon cook before their very eyes. Bakugou, while not nearly as excited as them, was still watching with some level of intrigue as he stood there with his arms crossed. All of them were so focused on this that they didn’t even notice someone had walked through the front door.

The sizzling stopped.

“Wait, don’t stop! The bacon’s not done yet!” Denki said.

“Did you get tired?” Sero asked.

Shouto shook his head, eyes furrowed in confusion as he tried to activate his quirk again, to no avail.

“Uh…guys?” Kirishima’s voice was quiet and unsteady. Sero, Denki, and Bakugou followed his gaze until their eyes landed on what exactly had him so shaken.

The chill down their spines that they felt when Bakugou entered the room was no match against the one they felt when they saw their homeroom teacher staring at them, menacing eyes glowing red and hair floating around him as he stared at Shouto. Even though he wasn’t looking directly at the rest of them, they could feel him viewing them in his peripherals, and that was enough to make their stomachs drop to the floor.

Aizawa stopped his quirk, tearing his eyes away from Shouto in order to take in the full scene before him. His face remained relatively neutral, as usual, but his eyes flashed with various emotions, most predominantly confusion, as he scanned the room and the people in it. He looked entirely confounded, rendered completely speechless. Bakugou knew the feeling…

None of the boys dared to speak a word, and instead simply stared back at him, frozen like deer in headlights. After a minute or so—which felt like a millennium to the poor boys facing the scrutinous gaze of their teacher—Aizawa finally spoke.

“What exactly am I looking at here?”

Everyone began talking at once, including Shouto, who rambled on nonsense about his dad in the middle of the other boys trying desperately to explain themselves. Bakugou shook his head and ran a frustrated hand over his face.

“Silence!” Aizawa ordered. The room immediately went quiet. Aizawa moved his attention to the only other fully clothed person in the room, standing the furthest away from the scene.

“Bakugou. What happened?”

Bakugou glanced at the boys, who looked away in defeat, as they knew they were beyond screwed at this point. He sighed and begrudgingly told Aizawa the truth of everything that happened that night.

Aizawa stared at Bakugou as he processed this information, before looking between all of them with disappointment written on his face.

“You know the rules. And yet, you’ve broken multiple in just one night alone. What kind of heroes do you stand to become if you can’t follow simple rules?” he scolded. The boys averted their eyes in shame. Aizawa’s icy gaze did not let up as he continued speaking.

“We’ll discuss your consequences tomorrow with the rest of the class. For now, you need to go to your rooms.”

“But, uh…Mr. Aizawa? What about the mess?” Kirishima asked nervously.

Aizawa glanced around the room once more and let out an exasperated sigh. “Tomorrow.”

Sero helped Shouto stand up from the table, bacon falling off his chest and shoulder and dropping to the floor as he steadied him. Bakugou, Kirishima, and Denki shuffled out of the common room towards the elevator as Aizawa placed a hand on Sero’s shoulder.

“I got him. Go to your room.”

Sero nodded and quickly scurried out of Aizawa’s sight.

Aizawa scrunched up his nose slightly in disgust as he reached out and peeled a stray piece of bacon off of Shouto’s chest and tossed it to the floor with the rest of them. Shouto slowly looked up at Aizawa and smiled.

“Are you okay?” Aizawa asked, a look of concern on his face as he watched Shouto wobble unsteadily where he stood.

Shouto nodded. “I had fun today.”

Trying to hold back the tiny smirk that tugged at his lips, Aizawa asked him another question. “Can you walk on your own?”

Shouto paused, deep in thought for a moment. “The floor is moving.”

Aizawa sighed, taking that as an obvious “no”, and bent down slightly to put Shouto’s arm around his neck. After an arduous journey to the elevator and onto the correct floor, he managed to get Shouto to his room. He almost left him there in front of his room, but after walking a few feet away and not hearing the door opening and closing, he turned to find Shouto staring at the door and tugging at the handle, like he had forgotten how to open it.

It was at this moment that Aizawa really wondered how he had gotten to this point. Since when did being a teacher turn into a full-time babysitting job? After helping Shouto into his room, he got him a glass of water before trying to get him to go to bed. To which, Shouto was having none of it.

“No! I’m not tired! I can do what I want!”

Aizawa knew Shouto was going through some kind of rebellious phase the moment he walked into homeroom last week without his uniform tie on, nor his uniform ironed. Shouto was always put together perfectly every day, so while not very concerning to those who didn’t know him, to Aizawa and the rest of his students, it was pretty alarming. That day, Aizawa casually watched in his peripherals as Bakugou accused him of stealing his style. Shouto merely responded with a scoff and a roll of his eyes before opening his notebook and scribbling drawings inside of it. Aizawa later managed to get a peek at those drawings when Shouto wasn’t looking. They were all scribbles and doodles about his dad.

Aizawa immediately recognized this as a cry for help. But what was he to do? He was just his teacher, after all. Even so, that didn’t mean his paternal instincts didn’t wish to help the poor kid however he could.

After bribing Shouto with a bedtime story if he got into bed and closed his eyes, he finally managed to get him to cooperate. Shouto yawned as Aizawa started to tell the story. Before he could even finish saying “once upon a time,” Shouto was fast asleep, soft snores passing through his open mouth.

Aizawa stood quietly, trying not to stir Shouto awake as he carefully made his way towards the door. He froze after only a couple of steps at the sound of Shouto’s voice, mumbling something in his sleep.

“Fuck you, dad…”

─────────────── ･｡ﾟ🔥: *.🥓 .* :🔥˚.･ ────────────────

*Later That Night...*

Aizawa stepped through the front door of his home with bleary eyes and hunched shoulders, dropping his keys on the table by the door and taking his shoes off. The sound of his husband’s voice echoed through the house as he was sliding his feet into his slippers.

“Honey, is that you?”

“Yes, I’m home,” Aizawa muttered tiredly as he walked towards the bedroom. There he found Hizashi in bed, wearing his pajamas and his hair in a messy bun, his back leaned against the headboard and a book rested on his lap. He looked up at Aizawa above the reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

“Damn, you look rough. What kind of mess did those kids get into this time? Was it really a party like the mysterious snitch said?” Hizashi asked, eyebrows raised and a slightly amused smirk on his face. Behind all of this was a soft look of concern in his eyes as he took in the sight of his exhausted partner.

Aizawa had been working all day, grading papers and filing paperwork, when he suddenly got a late night call from an unknown number, informing him of some sort of disturbance happening at the dorm of Class 1-A. Aizawa knew for a fact who it was, despite the caller trying to mask their voice. It was Monoma from Class 1-B. How he got Aizawa’s personal number, he had no idea. But that seemed to be the least of his worries at the time.

After checking the camera footage for the dorm, he found that everything seemed to be just fine. But something in his gut told him to check up on things anyway, so he followed his instincts and left to do just that.

Part of Aizawa wishes he’d never stepped foot in that dorm at all. He was dreading the paperwork he’d inevitably have to fill out for this incident.

“So? What happened?” Hizashi asked again as he set his book aside and placed his hand over Aizawa’s, softly tracing his fingers.

Aizawa looked around, confused at how he was now sitting in bed when he was just standing moments ago. He sighed. He was so tired that he was starting to black out. He felt just like Shouto, except he was simply drunk from exhaustion alone. On top of that, he was still trying to process what he had witnessed earlier. Never in his life had he seen anything like what he’d walked in on earlier. Somehow, he was left feeling embarrassed for having interrupted whatever it was that they were doing. He still had so many questions and so few answers.

“Cooking bacon on his hot side…” Aizawa mumbled, eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment as he stared off at the wall ahead of him.

“Say what now?”

Aizawa turned his head to Hizashi. “They were using Todoroki’s quirk to cook bacon on his hot side.”

Hizashi stared blankly at Aizawa for long enough that Aizawa jumped when he suddenly burst into a fit of laughter.

“What in the world are you talking about? You mean the hot and cold kid?” Hizashi asked after his laughter had settled a bit.

Aizawa nodded, sending Hizashi into a further fit of laughter. The perplexed look on Aizawa’s face was only egging his laughter on even more.

“Tell me everything. PLEASE!”

Aizawa sighed and told him the whole story, including the details of what Bakugou explained to him. By the end of it, Hizashi was on the floor, clutching his stomach as laughter echoed throughout the room. Aizawa couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight, and as things began to finally settle within him, he began to join Hizashi in his laughter, until suddenly he too was on the floor, laughing uncontrollably beside him.

“What…” Hizashi began laughing again as he tried to sit up against the side of the bed beside Aizawa. “What are you gonna do with them?”

Aizawa chuckled. “I have no fucking clue. I have to figure something out before tomorrow morning, though.”

Hizashi’s smile turned mischievous as he looked at Aizawa, wiggling his eyebrows. “I have some ideas…”

“No.”

“Come on! You know I can give them the punishment of a lifetime! They’ll never even think about breaking the rules ever again!”

Aizawa paused in thought for a moment. “Maybe.”

“YES!” Hizashi pumped his fist in the air.

If Aizawa wasn’t so exhausted, he’d roll his eyes. “I said ‘maybe’. Don’t get your hopes up.”

Hizashi smiled, letting out a wistful sigh as he leaned his head against Aizawa’s shoulder. “Remember when we were their age? The parties, the fun? Getting caught and being punished by our superiors? Good times…”

“I wouldn’t say the punishments were ‘good’, by any means. I only ever got in trouble because of you. I didn’t even wish to attend most of those parties,” Aizawa muttered, yawning as he rested his head against Hizashi’s.

“Still…looking back, I miss it all. It’s kind of sweet seeing these kids doing the same stupid things we did.”

Aizawa scoffed. “We certainly were not doing whatever I walked into tonight.”

“Maybe nothing that weird, but our class definitely did some strange shit too. Remember that time with-“

“Don’t remind me.”

Hizashi chuckled. “Ah! So, you do remember then, huh? I thought you said you forgot because you were so drunk. Liarrr…” He ended his sentence in a drawn out, singsong voice.

“Oh, I remember. Too clearly,” Aizawa grumbled.

Hizashi laughed and continued to ramble on until he eventually heard the sound of his husband’s soft snores, paired with the weight of his head growing heavier atop his. He glanced up at him, a fond smile tugging at his lips. With little struggle, he managed to get Aizawa into bed without waking him completely. Hizashi was used to having to drag or carry Aizawa to bed most nights; it almost felt like routine at this point.

He couldn’t help but smile at his sleeping form. Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to his forehead before turning off the lights and snuggling up beside him. The last thing he did was giggle quietly to himself before whispering into his ear.

“Sleep well, honey. You’re gonna need it.”

─────────────── ･｡ﾟ🔥: *.🥓 .* :🔥˚.･ ────────────────

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#mha fic #bnha fic #mha crack #bnha crack #shouto todoroki #todoroki shouto #todoroki shouto imagine #bakugou katsuki #eijirou kirishima #izuku midoriya #erasermic #denki kaminari #sero hanta #shouta aizawa #mha #bnha #my hero acedamia #kalistawrites

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abybweisse · 6 months

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Everything I know about Ciel is against my will. You see, I hadn’t read the manga all the way yet and any knowledge I do have of future events come from blogs I follow (I know about the twins and Agni’s death, that sort of stuff). Against my better judgement, I decided to read further ahead because I wanted some context (I’m currently on the circus arc) and I am truly devastated upon reading ch 135. It made me so upset and I know what I came here for, Kuro is not exactly a bright and upbeat story, but having the kinds of things done to him spelled out instead of being inferred or implied is heartbreaking. I tried to continue reading where I was at in the story but couldn’t stop looking at Ciel and being sad for him. I’m kind of avoiding continuing reading because of that and although I’m 6 years late to the “ch.135 is sad” party, I needed to get my feelings out. Sorry if it’s not the place but no one I know is into Kuro and would be able to understand.

That being said, is it possible that what happened to him within the cult effected the way he interacts with/ sees/ treats any adults regardless of who they are or whether they’re “safe” or not? I always saw him as someone who is trying to escape from his childhood while at the same time attempting to reclaim it. I haven’t read all the way through so I may be missing more information. It’s a question I had swimming in my mind after being totally crushed.

Post traumatic stress

Since you are currently in the circus arc, it's hard for me to say too much without spoiling things even more.

Everything about our earl's (our Ciel's) position as Earl Phantomhive, the queen's watchdog, must be a near constant struggle for him. He suffered greatly before he had ever returned to the manor, and yet he chooses to fill this role. Every time he has to deal with some creep -- even Vanel within the first few chapters -- he must feel repulsed by what they say, let alone anything they might do. Sebastian sometimes reinforces those feelings of disgust, even when he's not necessarily trying to do so.

This kid definitely sees adults differently now than before the attack and even more differently now than before the cult got hold of him and his older twin. Before the attack, the worst he had to deal with were bouts of asthma, feelings of inferiority, and wondering what he would do to make a living when he got older. Those are hard enough. After the initial incident, he's lost not just his family but his entire world, small as it was. After the cult, he's lost most of his innocence and temporarily lost his dignity. He's even lost the brother he'd been reunited with for about a month.

Since returning to the manor, people have sometimes been inappropriate with him, in words and/or in deeds. Vanel says he'd sell the kid off and thinks it's considerate to say he'd drug him enough that he wouldn't know or care what was happening to him -- not having a clue this kid's already been through that and worse. Druitt tries to auction him off while thinking he's a girl; oddly, though, that means Druitt didn't personally examine the kid. Doll places his hands on her chest to show she's a girl and offers to let him see what's further down. In a later arc, Sieglinde does and says several highly inappropriate things.

There's been a big delay in typing up the rest of my response, so I have no idea how far along you are now, if you are still reading the series. Perhaps you've hit the green witch arc and know what Sieglinde does and says....

It seems to me that Sebastian enjoys watching his young master suffer from reminders of what he'd experienced from the cultists. You can see some of that when he saves the kid from Vanel. A little bit in getting ready for Druitt's party and the escape from it. And even more when he doesn't kill the circus doctor until his master can finally get the words out to order him to do so. I'm assuming you've finished the circus arc by now, at least. He lets the kid suffer a bit more than necessary later on, in other scenarios, and sometimes just plain makes the kid feel uncomfortable. Though, oddly, he doesn't say anything about how he got information out of Beast; he could have told the kid just to see the revulsion on his face, but he doesn't. But there are other times where he "shields" the kid from viewing mature content, but I think that has more to do with being a proper butler to a child, when the other servants are around. Like it's an act for their benefit, not his master's benefit.

For the most part, our earl doesn't automatically treat adults (or other minors) like they might harm him, but whenever anyone talks about anything sexual or exposes parts that would be considered inappropriate for the era -- or even touches him in an unexpected manner -- you can tell he's a bit on edge, sometimes plain grossed out by it.

#black butler #kuroshitsuji #earl phantomhive #our earl #our ciel #trauma #tw: csa #ptsd #anon asks #i answer #answered asks #nov 14 2023 #sorry for the delay #i hope it's still relevant #long post #long reads

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o-uncle-newt · 5 months

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Cabin Pressure Advent Day 19: St Petersburg

I fucking love everything about this episode. When someone asked me for a top 5 a while back, after a great deal of VERY difficult determination this came up at the top and has been unassailable there ever since.

The only flaw in it, and it's one that JF says was left out for time, is that we never find out what Douglas means by saying that Gordon tricked Carolyn into letting him book the office in her name. But that's so minor that it really doesn't count.

Everything else from here on down (and there will be a LOT) is going to be unmitigated gushing, so get ready:

The thing that makes this episode really great is the stakes. Stakes that have been unspoken until now- or at least, since Douz, to which this episode is a fantastic mirror- are explicit, but they're also bumped up a level.

The stakes, of course, are the continued existence of MJN Air. This is something that was first established in Douz, when Carolyn tells Douglas that she runs the airline on a deficit, they're always one bad day away from folding, and she's basically holding on to preserve her dignity and self-image. At that point, we see Douglas realizing that his job is on the line, and he becomes the "Douglas saves the day" guy. This recurs over the course of the show, with things like needing to pass the training in Ipswich and needing to get the contract from Mr Alyakhin, among many others, implicitly important because without them the airdot will fold. Douglas needs to either a) get over his massive ego or b) come up with a clever plot, as the case may be, to help out.

As I noted in my Douz post, Douglas realizing that he will be unemployed if he can't solve the problem is not just him getting his act together, it's him deciding that saving the day is more important than fucking with Martin. And, in the end, it's also him (even if only incidentally) taking Carolyn's feelings and dignity into account. And while we still definitely see him taking selfish moments to get back at others, especially Martin (see Qik, though he does kind of tone things down when Carolyn asks him to, in his own deeply weird way), the well-being of the airline is more important most of the time, if they're in a real fix.

Martin, interestingly, is getting there also, but in a very different way, and he's not QUITE there yet. He is very crucially NOT privy to the conversation between Carolyn and Douglas in Douz, and he's also not aware that Gordon keeps trying to buy Gerti, even though WE know that from Fitton (and Douglas presumably knows that from years prior). But he doesn't need to know any of this, because his motivation is to be a captain, and he knows that nobody but Carolyn will let him do it. He just tries to make things work each time because it's in his interest. But the way that he's grown over the course of the show, he's mellowing out a bit, trying to reclaim his dignity and control over his finances, etc... he's about to hit the point where it's natural for him to want to leave the nest even if it means he's no longer a captain, as shown in Newcastle, where we see him looking for a job opportunity elsewhere for the first time since Boston. So he's, in theory, going to get less invested in staying with MJN, and that's a good thing... except that like Douglas, he's been learning to value these other people who he works with and the airline that they are holding together "with gaffer tape and string." That way, in S4, when Martin hears about Swiss Airways going international he is concerned about the fate of MJN if he leaves- something that never crossed his mind in Boston or Newcastle.

In other words, Douglas grows because he is forced to care about the well-being of the airline, and Martin grows away from the way that he started off caring about the airline. But they still both grow in the same direction, which is their mutual care for the airline, Carolyn, and Arthur.

Because that's how we get to the genius of this episode, which is Gordon Shappey.

Arthur is someone who has taken a lot of shit from basically everyone else at MJN basically forever; it's why I don't find Ottery St Mary to be too much, and it's why I find the ending of Ottery St Mary to be so satisfying. We know they care about him, but they're not always great about showing it. But faced with Gordon Shappey, saving MJN isn't just about the airline, Douglas's job, or Martin's (still-important to him) captaincy- it's about defeating Gordon. He's a proper mustache-twirling villain, partly because of how he treats Carolyn but mostly because of how he treats Arthur. THEY can be mean to Arthur, but not HIM, not like THAT...

That's another way that this episode is a great mirror to Douz. There are a surprising number, actually- the hot desert vs the freezing Russian winter, a hairy landing with Martin landing rather than Douglas (which has such DELICIOUS parallels of its own)... and of course the existence of an unmitigated bad guy who they must foil. The other episodes actually mostly don't have that- they have situations with people who may be annoying, but ultimately they have to please or mollify or just plain deal with. Yves Jutteau and Gordon Shappey they can just defeat.

The thing is, with Jutteau they defeat him in order to save MJN. Those are the stakes. He's held them hostage and they manage to escape. In St Petersburg, they've already basically confronted the fact that MJN is over, and that they'll have to sell Gerti for parts. It's when Gordon sneers at Arthur, and they see why Arthur is so freaked out about him, that he becomes the enemy. (He also smears Martin and Douglas, and they're clearly none too pleased. But do we really think that's the motivation?) When Douglas saves the day, he does it for Arthur.

And I think that happens in two ways. The first is that when they're in that flight deck with Gordon, the (beautifully, BEAUTIFULLY laid out and Chekhov's-Gunned) plan circles around Arthur- they manage to make their point about how they've seen the way he treats someone they love, and they are taking revenge. But in a more metaphysical way, Douglas has clearly, even after he sees no way forward, put some thought into how he can solve this. He knows that Arthur is relying on him, and thinks that he can do it- and we'll see in Zurich that this will continue to be a motivator for both Arthur and Douglas, that Arthur believes Douglas can do anything and that Douglas (a bit in loco parentis) therefore has to do it and take responsibility.

Martin is along for the ride, but his growth doesn't come from the scheme against Gordon- his is manifested in the landing. He's panicking but he's technically sound, he takes control and Douglas accepts it, and he manages to land competently in dangerous circumstances. He's grown so much! He's been pushing his captain-ness because it makes up for all the ways he's not the pilot he dreamed he'd be (a paid one, a cool one, a skilled one...) but this is proof that he's gotten so much closer than he's been. And I love how at the end he manages to not just get a point in the rhyming journeys game, he rhymes MULTIPLE cities and they're so proud of him- this isn't him being helped out (as in Gdansk) or winning and then being undercut (as in Limerick), it's him just being able to be competent at something, even if it takes a while and he's not as good as Douglas. He's just allowed to be happy about that and that's beautiful. Overall- this episode, he is able to just be GOOD, and not to feel like he needs to be the best (and fail). That's going to be vital next season.

You'll notice that I haven't brought up Carolyn and Arthur here. Arthur, well, the main thing here is that this situates his happiness at MJN- and what he'll lose when it's gone- as a contrast with the way others in his life treat him. Arthur may be teased at work, and his mother works him hard, but we've known since Fitton that this is where he wants to be. His fear of Gordon, and the contempt we see Gordon show him, show us another one of the stakes that we need to bear in mind moving forward.

With Carolyn, though, I think it's a bit of a moment of learning. She knows that Douglas, and to a lesser extent Martin, are there and helping her because they want to be and they're invested, not because she's the alpha dog or because she scares them into it or because she's bribing them (mostly Douglas). They're doing it because they care about her, her son, and her business- and their places in it. She already had to show vulnerability in Douz to Douglas by revealing why she keeps MJN running, but there's another layer of vulnerability in realizing that people care about you and accepting it,. It's the same vulnerability she'll have to learn to express in Zurich to Herc.

By the way, if you notice that a lot of these are similar to- in the sense of being prior versions of- what JF wrote in his magnificent Zurich post as what the characters need for sitcom graduation... you can believe me or not but I promise I didn't realize until I was doing Carolyn's. It's just a sign of how seamless and strong his character work and forward planning are, that's all I can say.

And on that note, actually- I'm really curious to know at what point JF decided on the actual ending of the show, as in what the mechanics would be. There are three years between when S3 came out and when Zurich came out, so presumably about the same amount of time between the writing of each, and I really want to know when he made the decision about the mechanics of the ending. Because I found the moment when Gordon corrects himself about why he wants Gerti back to be FASCINATING, because we know why he does, and that it has nothing to do with getting back at Carolyn, but the dialogue still makes it seem totally natural that he corrects himself. Did JF have in mind the gold-lined airplane, or just some more general plot?

(Incidentally, and I was going to wait for this til Zurich but may as well do it here because it fits... I also want to know because the S5 finale of Community came out in April 2014, about eight months before Zurich, and it also included a plotline with a machine made with gold wiring. I've been dying for years to know whether JF had the idea first or not- he uses it very differently regardless, but still something I've been so curious about. If he HAD already planned this out years in advance, to the extent of planning the mechanism... I can imagine he'd be very annoyed to see it on screen months earlier lol, though I don't know whether Community was really popular in the UK and if he'd have known.)

Anyway... obviously, besides for all of the above, the episode is perfectly written, amazingly plotted, hilariously funny (and the COLD OPEN IS BACK!), and just all around amazing.

#cabin pressure #cabin pressure advent 2023 #cabin pressure advent #john finnemore #st petersburg #incidentally #i should add that i love how this episode created a sherlock meme #that to this day people still think was ACTUALLY in sherlock #it's just really funny

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minetteskvareninova · 8 months

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Oo what's the drama with Colin Falconer

I only ever read one book of his, but God was that more than enough. It was about Hürrem sultan... Well, mostly, there's this subplot about this chick named Giulia and guy named Abbas, anyway hon if you ever had trouble with low blood pressure, 10/10 would recommend, otherwise it's not a book for you, in fact I cannot imagine a book less for you if I made it up Goncharov-style. It's basically like Magnificent Century, if it was very much written by a western author and A BILLION TIMES WORSE

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century was a little unfair to Hürrem? In Harem, she's the most evil harlot to have ever been spat onto the face of the Earth by the hell itself. Seriously. Think of any redeeming quality she could have, quick. This Hürrem very pointedly and explicitly does not have it. Her love for Süleyman? Hah! She's been pretending this whole time to make Süleyman her slave! Love for her children? Nope nopity nope! This Hürrem actually lies to Süleyman at her deathbed that Bayezit may not be his son, just so he would kill him, because she wants Selim to take over. Not because she prefers Selim, but because she knows he would be a terrible sultan and destroy the empire she hates so much. Oh, so she's a broken, traumatized kidnapping victim lashing out against her oppressors? Well, I guess, but Falconer downplays this aspect of her character as much as possible, basically only mentioning her feeling "trapped" at the start of the book, just making her seem angry and not at all like she's, you know. Traumatized. So she at least has some empathy towards her fellow slaves? Or anyone else in the entire world??? No! This Hürrem is an absolute evil incarnate, like she does not do a single good thing for anyone else ever, even by accident.

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century didn't quite do the justice to Süleyman the Magnificent? In Harem, he's but a pawn in the hands of eeevil Hürrem, who catches every bait, is fooled by every trick and unwittingly helps her fulfill every evil plan of hers. To Falconer's miniscule credit, he does make an effort to kinda, sorta make reader see what Süleyman sees in Hürrem, and at times he's almost an interesting character, but one of the greatest statesmen of the Ottoman history he is not.

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century can be a little bleak? Well, In Harem, Colin Falconer has made it his life's mission to prove that he's the edgiest little edgelord, to only be beaten by Tara Gillespie. This book is an excellent example of wannabe gritty realism that ends up saying nothing about real world and not feeling real for a fucking second. Like, just focusing on the harem itself, the life there is presented as miserable, which, fine, we are trying to sympathize with these women... I would say if I didn't have a sneaking suspicion that Falconer lowkey hates, or at least does not particullarly care for the other gender. So what you end up with is an endless parade of suffering women that the narrative doesn't give any dignity, agency or empathy. The only exception is Giulia, whose life of repression and meagre attempts at reclaiming agency would be kinda interesting, if they went literally anywhere, but they don't, because Falconer kinda hates women, but readers even moreso. And don't get me started on the sexualization, because if Minette says you enjoy describing the titties too much you, you definitely enjoy describing the titties too much. Which together with the endless abuse of women just makes this book feel all the more gross.

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century has a problem with not being critical enough of the empire? Well, Harem tries that, but then Hürrem is presented as irredeemably evil for trying to ruin the empire and tricking Süleyman into fighting less, which she does not do out of political consideration, even though her arguments make sense and it's probably what IRL Süleyman realized on his own, also saint Mustafa is still there and still as much of a brave soldier destroyed by the evil Hürrem as ever... Basically any effort at critique is demolished as thoroughly as possible by the sheer force of author's hatred for Hürrem.

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century has unfortunately left out or underserved some interesting female personalities of the era, like Süleyman's granddaughters or the female buddies of Selim II.? In Harem, Ayşe Hafsa is... Well, there for a portion of the book, basically twiddling her thumbs, which is nice, because at least they can't ruin her. Mahidevran is yet another female victim without agency, just a bit more prominent than the others. Mihrimah is there for one scene, just to establish she hates her husband, have her exposited on by Rüstem and ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE. Yeah. Like, fuck, this book almost makes me want to appologize to the Magnificent Century Mihrimah, she's a pretty unlikeable character, but at least she is a character. And Nurbanu? Nurbanu who? We don't know 'dem, and we certainly don't have 'dem over here!

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century was unfair to Selim II.? In Harem, he's a monstrous child rapist in addition to a drunken glutton. Also, no Nurbanu, because fuck you, reader, at this point of the book you really shouldn't have expected anything.

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century plays fast and loose with history? Harem can't even get the order of Hürrem's children right. Seriously. For example, Selim is the firstborn in this. Because why pass an opportunity to be pointlessly stupid?

Have you ever thought Magnificent Century is a bit lacking when it comes to medical knowledge? In Harem, an important plot point, by which I mean Selim's conception, hinges on a castrated man conceiving two children with two different women. Like a character in the book explicitly notes that unlike harem eunuchs, guards don't have the entire package chopped off, only balls WELL WHERE DO YOU THINK GAMETES COME FROM, AND YES THEY CAN SOMETIMES STILL HAVE SEX, EVER HEARD OF SHOOTING BLANKS YOU FUCKING GENIUS???

And just in case the things weren't bad enough, there's one final fuck you on the road with the epilogue, which mightily strives to be the stupidest fucking thing I've ever read - for me, a veteran of braindead straight women-oriented porn. Because no BDSM loving billionaire with a sixpack and big schlong can ever top this.

Basically, Falconer is trying to make his wildly historically inaccurate book seem like it's remotely plausible, which, cute, not the first time I've seen a historical novel do that. But at least they weren't trying to justify a man without testicles siring a child... And they didn't do it by claiming that every sultan before Süleyman was this mighty steppe warrior and statesman (after he portrayed Süleyman himself as a dupe completely ensnared by one woman's wicked wiles, again, adorable) and every sultan after him was this lazy, decadent tyrant, often also crazy (because sure, Mahmut II. isn't even in this book, but why the fuck not insult also him for good measure?!), so his argument is that "the line must've been broken". Because the great Süleyman the Magnificent (who again I cannot stress enough how not Magnificent he is in this book) couldn't have possibly sired a failson, his mighty sperm isn't capable of such a feat, it must've been someone else, like A FUCKING EUNUCH.

Now if you excuse me, I've gotten the long-requested review of this heinous book out of my system, please let me either drink myself to death, or detox by watching Good Omens, whichever comes more easily. Thank you and good night.

#magnificent century #hürrem sultan #random history #minette complains #colin falconer

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sailorsharky · 1 year

Text

On Hogwarts Legacy and allyship.

TW/CW: J.K Rowling, Hogwarts Legacy, Transphobia, Antisemitism mentioned. Right. CW out of the way, let me preface this by saying that this may turn out to be a long ramble, but I feel the need to voice my grievances in some way as a non-binary person. First of all, let's set some boundaries. Arguments in bad faith and trolling shall be ignored and/or reported/blocked. Lately, with all this hassle going on about Hogwarts Legacy, I felt the need to air my frustrations. We have all seen many different arguments from across both sides, but I will try to keep this as short as I can.

This game has been talked about well before launch, and many trans and enby folks, as well as Jewish people have asked for people to show solidarity by not buying the game. As an ally, it's important to note that it's not a lifetime pass. Many think that being an ally just means saying you support something or be generally neutral and not saying slurs. That is not the case. To be an ally you have to listen to what marginalized groups are saying. The release of this game and the widescale purchase of it by people only talking the talk and not walking the walk has shown many of us under the Trans umbrella (as well as our Jewish comrades) that we cannot trust those we called allies.

I am not saying that playing this game automatically makes you a bigoted person. Some folks I know got it and one admitted that the last JKR controversy he recalled was the whole "Dumbledore is now gay" debacle. (Pretty solid rock you've been under. Room for one more? /j) My ire is not pointed towards people that were genuinely ignorant of the situation, though my disappointment still stands and my trust in them as allies is gone. What mostly draws my ire is the knee-jerk reaction of supposed "allies" when pointing out that they have crossed the picket line and attempt to rationalize their purchase with arguments such as "I'm only supporting the devs", "I'm seperating the art from the artist", "What will 60-70 bucks change?" and "It's okay though because I donated as much/more to a Trans charity!" and so on. Let's go through them one by one. I'd like to keep this as short as possible however as many others have pointed out why these fall flat. 1. "I'm only supporting the devs". If you ONLY support the devs (of which the lead dev and a voice actor share JKR's horrific viewpoints), why aren't you buying EVERY single game on every storefront you make use of? This is a non-argument. If you buy games ONLY to support the devs, then by all means, bankrupt yourself to do just that. But you don't. You wanted to buy this game for nostalgia's sake. 2. "I'm separating the art from the artist" As a fan of HP Lovecraft's work, I understand the want to separate the art from the artist. But 1) Lovecraft is rotting in the ground as we speak. JKR is very much alive. 2) It's hard to seperate the art from the artist when said art is used as a cudgel to infringe upon human rights and dignity. Every act of consumption of her IP she sees as a vote of confidence in her brand of hatred. You may not personally see it that way, but she does, and she relishes in it. "But you just said you like Lovecraft's work! He was VERY racist and xenophobic!" Yes, absolutely! Let's HAVE that conversation, but not on this post. I agree that Lovecraft's art needs to be talked about in a critical light and the setting needs to be reclaimed and distanced from his fear and hatred of all things Not-From-New-England.

For now, moving on to... 3. "What will 60-70 bucks change?" In the grand scheme of things? Nothing. But this was never about trying to ruin JKR's pocket book. This was a litmus test for allies. Stand side by side or cross the picket line and play a mid-tier magic game filled with propaganda and caricatures of Jewish people (among other things). No, I will not entertain statements such as "But I don't see that! If anything, you seeing Jewish caricatures means you are the antisemite!" No buddy, no no no, that's not how propaganda works. There are other posts that delve into this. But in short; recognizing when something is a racist caricature does not make you a racist. Nor does not recognizing it immediately make you a racist, it simply means that you do not recognize propagandic imagery and it's important to listen to people who do know about it, specifically people that have been so unfavourably depicted in the past and present. Moving on. 4. "It's okay though because I donated as much/more to a Trans charity!" Martin Luther would like to have a strong conversation with you. Specifically 95 Theses long. Karma is not a linear scale. Buying something that ends up directly harming people and then turning around to pledge the same amount of money (or more) to a charity is not going to fix the broken trust, nor will it actually help at that point. What might help mend the fence is recognizing what the issue is and listening to the voices of those affected. Granted, many of us feel that they can no longer trust former allies because of this. Once broken, trust is hard to repair. It's important to keep that in mind and not get upset when we point it out. Personally, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but with that said, I won't be so trusting of people calling themselves allies when they choose to spend 60-70 bucks on a game that directly benefits Queen TERF (Royalty cheques are a thing, remember? You ARE directly financing her hate) rather than saving the money or putting it to a different game or charity. In short, my advice for folks that call themselves allies is this; If you want to call yourself an ally, actually listen to what is being said and learn from it. We all make mistakes, but launching into a kneejerk reaction is simply degrading what little trust remained. Don't just virtue signal, but stand beside the voices of the marginalized in solidarity.

That is all I can spare at the moment. Please keep the responses civil among one another. Asking for clarification is a-okay. Repeating above mentioned "arguments" and more like them is not. P.S: Do forgive me if I forgot some key points, I've been running on very little sleep at the moment and I needed to air my frustrations in a constructive way.

#tw antisemitism #antisemitism #tw transphobia #transphobia #tw jk rowling #anti jkr #anti harry potter #anti hogwarts legacy #rant #long rant #vent post #venting #trans #nonbinary #anti radfem #terfs not welcome

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ivygorgon · 1 year

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Ode to Trans Femmes

The first in a set of gender based playlists I made. It is meant to be listened to in order and on repeat. Some song choices may warrant explanation, analysis under the cut.

Ode to Trans Femmes song choice analysis

Man! I Feel Like A Woman!

Song by Shania Twain

To start positive; celebrates vital femininity.

Woman Up

Song by Meghan Trainor

Still celebrating vital femininity

Shea Diamond – American Pie

Frustration Arc

We take a step back to have frustrations about social barriers we face. This song is angry and desperate for the safe Americana enjoyed around it.

The Village

Song by Wrabel

Frustration Arc

This song validates those frustrations and says it isn't our fault. The system was built this way and we can grieve our lost place.

Twisted Transistor

Song by Korn

Frustration Arc

This song pulls from the same frustrations as American Pie and encourages us to celebrate the ways in which we cope, giving the example of music. (Huh, meta.)

Nine Days – Absolutely (Story of a Girl)

We just finished airing out a lot of feminine frustrations and highlighted rather bleak experiences. Here we're bringing them back up, complimenting their smiles and comforting them while they cry.

Steam Powered Giraffe - Transform

Transform pontificates on acceptance and peace but settles at being allowed to exist. (existential)

Alive

Song by Pearl Jam

Authentic Arc

Alive marks the beginning of the authentic arc. The song is about the invisible curse we might find we carry. The subject distances themself from the room they grew up in as "a young man's room" and goes on to describe an encounter with a woman that leaves them dissociated. I interpreted this as the earliest hints of self discovery.

IDK If I'm a Boy

Song by Blue Foster

Authentic Arc

This singer is describing how they relate their given masc identity to their innate feminine nature. They are trying on titles like shoes and grappling with not having femme passing privilege. They sound disoriented and directionless, but convinced that they've taken steps in their right direction.

The Middle

Song by Jimmy Eat World

Authentic Arc

This song replies to IDK if I'm a Boy's uncertainty for the future and tells the subject "not to write themselves of just yet" because the story is still being written. It also invalidates the opinions of the nay-sayers as bitter hearted.

GIRLI - Dysmorphia

Authentic Arc

Dysmorphia replies to The Middle's "disregard the haters, love your self harder" message with "Even if I do, I still have to come home to myself, and she isn't as nice as you."

Let Me Love You

Song by Kobra and the Lotus

Authentic Arc

The song Let Me Love You sees Dysmorphia's plea to acknowledge our inner pain, validate it, and, most of all, accept it, and replies with the unconditional love and support asked for. This song concludes the authentic arc saying: You're loved even still. You are worth protecting and you will never be alone.

This ends the structured part of the playlist

Just a Girl

Song by No Doubt

This song says, so what if I'm just a girl, I still have human rights. It expresses frustration with sexism and reclaims girl power

I love myself today Bif Naked

This song reads as a type of "break up" from yourself, your old definition of self that held you back. You're breaking up from the person whose shoes you are wearing, whose noose you're taking off.

Bad Reputation by Avril Lavigne

A conclusion to the playlist that is meant to impart the beauty, pride, and dignity being found in our messy experiences. Yeah, everything might be a mess right now, but you're YOU, and YOU'RE ALIVE, and you know what to do.

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peoplegettingreallymadatfurries · 7 months

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You know, here *takes you and sits you on my knee like an ol granpappy* once you give up trying to define yourself in labels for others, then you truly find identity in happiness. I've done my research in queer identities and seen historically how little it mattered someone what flavor of queer you were. All you had been in the past was someone who was not part of the big heteronormative culture and so you didn't deserve love, respect, dignity, rights, or even life. I don't need microlabels to make me happy? I can use them to discuss my experience, sure, but I don't use them to mark who I am at all points in my life.

You don't need to know or scrutinize every portion of my life to know my whole identity. Fuck it, I can't even remember the last time I even thought of a friend's identity beyond the pronouns they wanted to use for themselves. I'm not asking friends "do you still identify as a transmasc demiboy who is alloromantic and pansexual?" because that shit's their personal existence and not my business despite being my friend.

Being loose with labels is definitely something my circle is no stranger to. My friends are all reclaiming slurs and so am I, because what's it to you that I use your approved language if you deem me just as bad as the bigots do for not conforming to your style? My personal experience leads me to never have had a normal life, so why should I want your norms in my daily practice? I could go further into why I'm writing this on my furry blog, what I'm identifying as, but none of it matters. Over 1300 of you follow this shit and I think maybe 5 of you actually know my name, or even my pronouns without looking in my bio. You need to sort out less of what kind of queer you are, and more what kind of person (or not even that) you really want to be

#lgbtqia #queer #furry #identity politics

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 7 months

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Mike Luckovich

* * * * *

Biden’s speech and call with Netanyahu

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

OCT 11, 2023

President Biden and Vice President Harris spoke for an hour with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on Tuesday, after which Biden delivered an emotional speech describing the atrocities committed by Hamas and pledged US support for Israel. The speech is important; you can (and should) watch the speech in its entirety here (beginning at the 1’ 29” mark).

President Biden described in detail some of the atrocities. I cannot bring myself to repeat them; they are too painful, too horrible. But Biden was right to describe the atrocities in detail. The full text of President Biden’s speech is here.

President Biden described the US response to the attack in the following passages:

The brutality of Hamas — this bloodthirstiness — brings to mind the worst rampages of ISIS.

This is terrorism.

But sadly, for the Jewish people, it’s not new.

This attack has brought to the surface painful memories and the scars left by a millennium of antisemitism and genocide of the Jewish people.

So, in this moment, we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel. And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack.

There is no justification for terrorism. There is no excuse.

Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination. Its stated purpose is the annihilation of the State of Israel and the murder of Jewish people.

[Hamas] uses Palestinian civilians as human shields.

As Israeli soldiers reclaim areas temporarily under the control of Hamas after its surprise attack, the full scale of the atrocities committed by Hamas is coming into focus. This article by NYTimes provides a detailed account, but contains explicit photos and descriptions of violence: Village by Village, Scale of Atrocities Becomes Clear. (This article is accessible to all.)

President Biden stated that fourteen American citizens were killed in the Hamas terrorist attack. Twenty American citizens are missing and may be hostages.

President Biden went out of his way to distinguish between the terrorist group Hamas and the Palestinian people’s “right to dignity and self-determination.” On the other hand, Donald Trump sought to blame all people in a dozen Muslim countries, pledging “to reimpose the travel ban on terror-afflicted countries.”

If Trump could reimpose his original travel ban, the list would include Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Myanmar, Sudan, and Tanzania.

As the crisis became more urgent by the day, House Republicans could not organize themselves to select a Speaker on Tuesday. The GOP caucus is set to meet again on Wednesday, but there is no indication that Republicans have settled on a candidate. Despite floating his name for nomination on Monday, Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday that he has asked his allies not to nominate him. And one member of the GOP caucus put the chances of electing a Speaker on Wednesday at “two-percent.”

As Joe Biden leads, Trump sows anti-Muslim hate, and House Republicans can’t get out of their own way.

Reliable sources of information about the war.

Finding reliable sources of information about the war in Israel is challenging in an environment that is being manipulated by disinformation. Here are a few sources that I consult and a few recommended by Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo.

Institute for the Study of War (understandingwar.org) provides detailed descriptions of battlefield movement and military developments. The level of detail may be more than most people need or want, but if you are trying to understand the situation on the ground as it affects family and friends in Israel, ISW is a good source. Detailed battlefield maps are included. Developments in Israel are currently covered under the “Critical Threats / Iran Update” section.

The Times of Israel, founded in 2012, by Israeli journalist David Horovitz and American investor Seth Klarman, who supports pro-democracy causes and candidates in the US.

Haaretz, the English language version of an Israeli based newspaper (recommended by Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo).

And this list of sources of experts and media sources on Twitter, also recommended by Josh Marshall.

Josh Marshall’s “Editor’s Blog” in Talking Points Memo is also an excellent source of analysis (behind a paywall).

I also consult Foreign Policy and The Economist for general analysis, but those sources are behind paywalls.

[...]

Concluding Thoughts.

The unfolding events in Israel threaten regional destabilization. President Biden has moved decisively to signal to other countries to stand down by deploying one (and possibly two) carrier strike groups to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Biden’s speech regarding the war in Israel was as strong a statement as any president has ever made in support of Israel. But mid-speech, Biden said the following:

I just got off the phone with — the third call with Prime Minister Netanyahu. And I told him if the United States experienced what Israel is experiencing, our response would be swift, decisive, and overwhelming. We also discussed how democracies like Israel and the United States are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law. Terrorists purposefully target civilians, kill them. We uphold the laws of war. It matters. There’s a difference.

Biden went out of his way to mention that he and Netanyahu discussed “the laws of war,” which require “protection of civilian populations and civilian objects” and impose the limitations of “proportionality” and “military necessity” in responding to aggression. See Department of Defense Law of War Manual (Updated July 2023).

Reading between the lines, it is reasonable to assume that it was Biden who broached the subject of “the law of war” and the obligation to avoid “targeting civilians.”

Biden’s statement is significant because Hamas has violated the most fundamental precepts of the law of war (i.e., targeting and killing civilians). Moreover, Hamas is not a party to any treaty imposing the law of war. In the absence of “reciprocity,” the law of war might not be binding against only one party. And yet, Biden clearly discussed his expectation that Israel would abide by the law of war notwithstanding the absence of reciprocity.

In other words, the hour-long conversation between Biden and Netanyahu was supportive but nuanced and (probably) tense at times. Given the circumstances, the US and the world are fortunate that Biden was representing the interests of the US and NATO in that complicated conversation.

[Robert B. Hubbell]

#Robert B. Hubbell #Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter #war in Israel #Middle East #mike Luckovich

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incorrectfanfics · 1 year

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Zutara: Just Tell Him

Summary: The Fire Lord visits the Southern Water Tribe for the Glacier Spirits Festival. But his true objective is to find a way to tell the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe that he's in a relationship with the Southern Water Tribe Ambassador: his daughter, Katara.

CW: Some references to sex and alcohol.

I asked @the-badger-mole about Zuko/Hakoda interactions and then I remembered I'm not so bad at the whole keyboard typing thing myself so I'm pulling a Thanos and "do[ing] it myself."

Enjoy.

Black soot fell on the Southern Water Tribe. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough for the Hakoda, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe to take notice. He called for his top advisors and and a squad of soldiers. They raced towards the docks and waited. They watched as the large metal ship sailed into their waters. The intimidating vessel towered over the horizon. It looked like a warship with a red palace on top. Hakoda knew it could only belong to one man, the Fire Lord.

The ship docked. The ramp came down. Soldiers in red spiked armor marched down and made way for the man himself. He stood tall with a scowl on his face. His long hair pulled back to show the scar that marked almost half his face. The two leaders stood face to face, looking each other in the eyes.

"Chief Hakoda," Zuko said, giving a quick little bow.

"Zuko, my boy! How are you?" Hakoda pulled Zuko in a big polar bear hug so tight he lifted him off the ground. Hakoda let go and let Zuko drop to his feet. Before the Fire Lord could regain his composer, Hakoda gave him a big slap on the back so hard that Zuko almost fell over.

"You look thin. What? Do they not have meat in the Fire Nation?" Hakoda laughed. Zuko could hear snickering coming from his royal guard, but he paid them no mind.

"No, no, we do. It's just...I've been busy," Zuko said, trying to reclaim some dignity. "As a sign of good will, I'm here to attend the Glacier Spirits Festival."

"Then you're early. The festival isn't until this weekend. Where's Aang? I thought the avatar was coming with you," Hakoda asked. Zuko fidgeted uncomfortablly.

"Avatar Aang will not be joining us. He's...on a spiritual retreat," Zuko said.

"Makes sense. He is the avatar. But hey, I've got work to do and I won't keep you long. I know who you're really here to see."

Zuko's head perked up with a blush.

"Really? I didn't-" Zuko was interrupted by a tackle hug from behind, that again almost knocked him off his feet.

"Zuko! Hey, buddy," said Sokka. Sokka wrapped his arms around Zuko's neck pulling him down into a headlock that Zuko playfully tried to get out of.

"Sokka?" Zuko said.

"Hey, it's been it a bit. Where's Aang? He didn't come with you?" Sokka asked.

"He's on a spiritual retreat," Hakoda answered.

"That makes sense. He is the avatar and all," Sokka nodded. "We should catch up. Who's up for lunch on the Fire Lord's tab?"

"Sounds great, son," said Hakoda. "But I've still got some business to take care off. I'll see you all for dinner at the palace. Sound good?"

"See you there, dad," cheered Sokka. He turned with Zuko still under his arm. "Come on, Zuko."

"Sokka, seriously, let me go. It's not funny."

Katara worked at her desk and sighed. After traveling the world and defeating the world's strongest benders, looking over legislation seemed really boring in comparison. Her head perked up when she heard a commotion outside her office. Only one person could be this loud in the palace. Sure enough, the door was kicked open without even a knock.

"And then my dad shot her," said Sokka.

"That story gets weirder every time you tell it," said Zuko.

"Hey, Katara, look who's here," said Sokka.

"Zuko!" Katara rushed out from behind her desk and pulled Zuko in for a tight hug. She pulled back as the two locked eyes.

"It's been so long," she said.

"Yes," Zuko nodded.

"No, it hasn't," Sokka interrupted. "She just got back three months ago. And weren't you in the Fire Nation for, like, a year?"

"It's been a long three months, Sokka," said Katara, shooting her brother a quick scowl.

"We were gonna catch up over lunch. Wanna come?" Sokka asked.

Katara cleared her throat and tilted her head at Sokka for a second. Luckily, Zuko got the signal that Sokka missed.

"Yes, I brought gifts actually," said Zuko, "They're still on my ship but I brought some spiced wine for the festival as well as some fire lilies."

"Great," Sokka sarcastically replied, "Because nothing says eternal peace like a flower that's probably gonna die in three days."

"Sokka!" Katara scolded. "That's very sweet, Zuko. Sokka, please make sure the gifts are unloaded safely."

"What? Me? Why do I have to do it?" Sokka asked.

"Because I don't want to and it's you're job," answered Katara, "Mister-in-charge-of-domestic-affairs."

"Well the gifts are from the Fire Nation," Sokka shot back, "Miss ambassador."

"On our shores," Katara said flatly.

"Fine. Whatever." Sokka hung his head in defeat. "Thanks for the booze. I'll meet you at the restaurant, Zuko."

"Sure," Zuko nodded.

Katara waited until she could no longer hear Sokka's grumbling or his footsteps. She locked the door and turned to meet her lover in a tight embrace. Their lips met. The couple kissing as they ran their fingers through each other's hair, reluctantly breaking off to catch their breaths.

"I missed you," whispered Zuko. A tear falling from his eye.

"I missed you too," Katara said. "But you're here earlier than I thought you'd be."

"Your last letter gave me...ideas," Zuko said, blushing.

"Did it now?" laughed Katara. The couple kissed a few more times before taking a seat in the small couch in her office.

"How are things in the Fire Nation?" Katara asked.

"Going well," Zuko answered. "Jee loved the retirement gift you sent him."

"I was his favorite captain after all," Katara boasted.

"So he keeps telling me. Repeatedly," said Zuko. "To be honest, a got a little nervous coming in. I thought your father had found out about us."

"He still doesn't know," Katara said.

"You haven't told him?" Zuko asked. "Why?"

"I don't know. Nerves, I guess," Katara explained. "After the way Aang reacted when he caught us together, I didn't know if anyone else would feel the same way. What did you tell Sokka about Aang?"

"I told him Aang was on a spiritual retreat," Zuko answered.

"That makes sense," Katara nodded. "He is the avatar."

"Katara, what happened with Aang was not your fault."

"I know," she replied. "It was yours."

"What!?"

"I told you to lock the door," she said.

"That's not what I meant," said Zuko.

"I know, but still," Katara sighed. "I don't want to be put in that kind of situation again. Maybe you could tell him. My dad likes you."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Katara cupped Zuko's face in her hands and kissed him.

"Please," she said. "For me?"

"Okay," Zuko relented. Katara pinched Zuko cheeks and shook them a little.

"So pouty," she teased.

"Please stop." Katara let go and giggled.

"So, I hope Sokka takes his time unloading those gifts. What will we do until then?" Katara asked, leaning back against her couch. She raised her arms and put her hands behind her head. Zuko leaned forward over her.

"I remember your last letter. Something about it getting hot in the south pole."

Katara giggled as Zuko leaned in for a kiss. His arms propping himself up on the couch. Katara's hands finding their way down the to sash of his royal garb and then his belt, undoing them the way she had done a dozen times before.

The dinner table was a long, fancy layout fit for any palace. Still, the chief's family sat close together at one end of the table. Their food laid out between them with the Fire Lord sitting close by.

"So Zuko," Hakoda asked, "How do you like Water Tribe food?"

"It's different," he answered politely. "Good, but different."

"I'm glad you like it. I didn't know if our humble cuisine would be fit for his lordship," Hakoda chuckled.

"Dad, he's not like that," Katara said. "Here, Zuko, have some more noodles."

"Hey, those are my noodles!" Sokka whined.

"You already had three bowls!"

"Kids," Hakoda interjected. "Not in front of our guest."

Hakoda sighed and shook his head with a smile.

"Some things never change, heh? Sorry about that." Hakoda said to Zuko.

"No," Zuko replied. "It's nice. This is nice. My meals aren't usually this...lively."

"Speaking of meals, sorry I had to miss lunch. But I'm glad you two were able to catch up with the Fire Lord," Hakoda said.

"Actually, it was just me and Zuko," Sokka corrected. "I had to make sure Zuko's gifts for the festival were unloaded from his ship. When I went back to Katara's office she was asleep on her couch, so it was just me and Zuko at the restaurant."

"Really?" Hakoda arched a brow at Katara who blushed.

"I was tired from...work," Katara said.

Hakoda turned to Zuko who looked down at his food as soon as their eyes met.

"Huh," Hakoda mused. "Interesting."

"What? What's happening?" Sokka asked.

"Nothing." Hakoda cleared his throat. "You know, Lord Zuko, it is customary to bring a fresh kill for the village before the festival. Perhaps you'd like to join me tomorrow for a hunt."

"But dad, we already have enough food," Sokka said.

"I know, but it's tradition." Hakoda smiled at Zuko while Katara nervously looked on. "How about it? You'd get to experience a little bit our culture before the festival. As a sign of good will, of course."

Zuko looked around the room before looking for a sign from Katara. She gave a quick albeit nervous nod.

"Of course," Zuko stammered. "I'd be honored to, Chief Hakoda."

"Good man." The tension lifted from the room for a moment. "Now how about some of that spiced wine the Fire Lord brought?"

"Put some fire in your belly, as they say in the Fire Nation. Right, Zuko?" Sokka chuckled.

"Yup," Katara muttered. "That is what they say."

The next day, Zuko was tying the knots on his armguards. He'd never been hunting before. Or at least, not successfully. But he was earnest in the attempt. Katara approached him with a fur coat under her arms.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" she asked.

"I'll be fine. Unlike my father, your dad is an honorable man," he replied. "I'm sure he won't try to do anything to me while we're out hunting. Alone. In the middle of a frozen tundra while I try to tell him that I'm sleeping with his daughter."

"Well aren't we confident?" Katara threw the fur over Zuko's shoulders and patted it down, making sure it fit. "This should help keep you warm."

"Thank you," Zuko said. Zuko leaned in, letting his forehead rest on hers.

"No matter what happens," Katara started, "I love you."

"I know." Zuko kissed Katara's forehead. "I love you."

Katara watched as Zuko left the hut out into the bright day of the Southern Water Tribe. The heat from the indoors replace by a cold gust of wind. As his eyes adjusted, Zuko could see Sokka and Hakoda.

"Hey," Sokka greeted as they approached. "Isn't that Katara's hut?"

"Uh..." was all Zuko could say, trying to think of a good answer.

"Never mind that. We're burning daylight," said Hakoda. "Let's go, Lord Zuko."

"Him? What about me?" Sokka asked.

"Sorry, Sokka, but I'm gonna need you to watch over things while I'm gone." Hakoda put his hand on Sokka's shoulder. "It's just for today. A cultural experience for the Fire Lord."

"Fine. I guess," said Sokka. "But I'm going to the next one."

It was quite the walk for the two men. First reaching the limits of the city. Then going out far enough to find wild arctic caribou.

Hakoda taught Zuko the basics. How to track, how to stalk your prey without them noticing, and how to pick your target. Zuko attentively listened and absorbed all of Hakoda's instruction. After a few hours, the two men found a small cave.

"Let's take a break here," Hakoda suggested. The two sat inside the cave. Hakoda reached into his pack and pulled out some firewood and arranged it between them.

"Do you mind?" he asked, gesturing at the wood. Zuko nodded and with a quick punch set the wood on fire. Zuko watched the wood crackle and enjoyed its warmth. Hakoda pulled out a small piece of meat from his pack and offered a piece to Zuko who politely declined.

"We'll be able to see the caribou from here. When the come back around to graze, that's when we'll make our move." Hakoda looked out into the distance. Zuko simply nodded. It was a few more moments before either man said anything. Hakoda was the first, feeling it was the right time.

"Lord Zuko," he spoke up, "I wanted to start by saying thank you for taking care of my daughter while she was staying at the Fire Nation."

"Yes, I mean, yes sir. It was no problem at all," Zuko awkwardly stammered.

"I would hope not. You being the Fire Lord," Hakoda said. Zuko, not knowing how to answer, just coughed.

"So were you supposed to tell me or was Katara going to?" Hakoda asked.

"What?"

"About the two of you." Hakoda crossed his arms and looked right into Zuko's eyes. Zuko, after failing to find the right words, hung his head.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"It wasn't too hard to figure out," Hakoda answered. "Katara is my daughter, but she's also become a beautiful young woman. You're a young man. She lives in the Fire Nation for a year and her letters back home become less and less frequent. Then when she gets home, all she can talk about is you."

"Wow," was all Zuko can say.

"My question is, why did you all try to keep it a secret?" Hakoda asked.

"When Katara was in the Fire Nation," Zuko sighed in the middle of his sentence. "Aang saw us...together. He didn't react well."

"Which would explain why he's not coming to the Glacier Spirit Festival, even though he's the avatar."

Zuko nodded.

"Apparently, he had feelings for Katara but she didn't feel the same."

"I figured as much," Hakoda shook his head. "I thought it would have been better not to say anything at the time."

"Aang was one of our closest friends or at least that's what we thought. So I guess she...we were afraid that if he was so against us being together maybe everyone else would-"

"The Avatar has his own feelings that he has to work through. It has nothing to do with you two," Hakoda interrupted. "What matters is you make each other happy. You make my daughter happy. That's what's important."

"Thank you, sir," said Zuko.

"Besides if you hurt my daughter, you'll have me to deal with," Hakoda warned.

"If I hurt your daughter, I don't think you'll get the chance. Katara can probably take me out herself."

Hakoda laughed so hard he almost fell backwards.

"She does have her mother's temper."

"Yeah," Zuko agreed. "She's pretty amazing."

The two men sat in the cave watching the arctic caribou slowly return from the horizon.

"We should probably take something back," said Hakoda.

"Thank you for talking with me, sir," said Zuko.

"Don't worry about it, son. You've done more than enough right by me. Sokka, on the other hand, good luck."

Katara paced back and forth.

"They should have been back by now. I should go look for them."

"Relax," said Sokka. "See?"

Sokka pointed out to two small figures in the distance. It was Hakoda and Zuko, dragging a caribou behind them.

"Wow, I can't believe they actually did it," Sokka said. "I thought dad was gonna catch Zuko with his pants down or something. Ew, now there's a sight."

"I've already seen Zuko with his pants down," Katara smirked.

Sokka blinked.

"Wh-what?"

#zutara #zuko #katara #hakoda #atla #avatar the last airbender #incorrect fan fic

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