#everyone has a normal reaction and he's like 'man you gotta work on your technique'
Text
God . . . I just watched a clip of Astarion getting blamed for Alfira's murder, and there would logically be an option to blame Luci as well. "We have a literal devil in our group. It's obvious who's responsible." His defense? "Hey, do you see her entrails hanging from my tent like garlands? Do you? No because they're all right there. [prods the body with his foot] Which means I didn't do it. This time. If I'd done it, I'd be crowing about it, but you don't even hear me tweedle-dee-tweeting."
This is when he starts stealing her bells.
#OOC / HOLLY.#murder tw#gore tw#ask to tag#y'know just in case#why does he want the bells? he just does#he's totally unfazed he has both seen and suffered worse in hell#god I hate him sometimes#everyone has a normal reaction and he's like 'man you gotta work on your technique'
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Enhanced Extraction Techniques
Also available at AO3
“Cas?”
Cas whirls around. If he was standing on a normal floor, his shoes would have squeaked with the abrupt turn. In the Empty, though, his feet don’t make a sound. “Dean?” he calls back, his heart soaring in his chest.
“Cas? Where are you, man?”
Cas spins in another circle, his eyes straining against the darkness. The oppressive blankness of nothing presses against his eyeballs like an almost tangible film. He tries again, “Dean?”
“Cas?”
“Dean!” Cas takes off in the direction of Dean’s voice.
“Are you there?”
Cas walks faster, anticipation quickening his heels. “I’m coming!”
“I can’t find you!”
“I’m here!” Cas calls back desperately.
“I’m running out of time here, buddy! Spell’s not gonna last forever. Where the hell are you?”
Panicked, Cas breaks out into a run. “I’m coming, Dean!”
“Are you?”
Cas stops dead. If he was back on Earth, he would have fallen flat on his face with the momentum. He turns to his right, where Dean’s voice just came.
“Cas? You there?”
Dean’s voice definitely came from his left that time.
“I need you.”
Cas swallows. Dean’s voice is coming from directly in front of him now. Icy dread creeps up his spine, but he feels hot all over.
“You make it too easy, Castiel.”
Dean never calls him by his full name, not in more than a decade. He is not talking with Dean.
“Nobody is coming for you.”
Cas doesn’t respond. Shamed beyond reason, he just stands there because there is nothing else to do. He can’t hide from the Empty. The Empty is everywhere.
Black ooze, blacker than the surrounding darkness, bubbles up from the floor. The Empty resolves into Cas’s own face, to his surprise. He’d been expecting Dean.
It shrugs, a knowing smirk playing on its lips. “What can I say? If you’re determined to keep me awake, I might as well amuse myself.”
“Your sense of humor leaves much to be desired,” Cas says as tonelessly as he can manage.
The Empty crosses its arms over its chest. “My options are limited, aren’t they?” it says snidely. “I can’t put you to sleep, so I can’t sleep. I might as well make this experience as hellish for you as it is for me.”
Cas frowns. “You could always negate our deal. Send me back to Earth.”
The Empty laughs. “That’s not how it works. That was a one-way trip.”
Cas grinds his teeth. “Then it seems like we’re at an impasse.”
“An impasse requires two forces of equal power,” the Empty tuts. “And you, my little gnat, have no power in this equation. You are my plaything. What was it that Gabriel said? A thousand channels and nothing’s on. Except you.”
Before Cas can respond, the Empty disappears, dissolving into a tarry splatter and absorbing into whatever passes as the floor in this place.
* * *
Cas wanders. He used to sleep while he was bored, but the Empty truly reigns supreme in his dreams. Cas killed Naomi’s Dean facsimile a thousand times, a million times. He watched Dean rake leaves, Crowley whispering poisoned promises into his ear. He walked away as Dean hurts and rages silently behind him in the Bunker.
So Cas stays awake. He’s an angel. It isn’t hard.
Dean’s voice occasionally calls for him.
Cas ignores it.
He wanders for what seems like miles, like hundreds of miles. Nothing ever changes in the Empty. With every step forward, he meets the same bleak blackness. The closest comparison in his long memory is the fraction of a second before the Big Bang - there was emptiness then too, but it was filled with a pregnant sense of promise. In the Empty - nothing.
Until.
Dean is running towards him.
Cas blinks a few times to make sure, even though his vision is perfect.
“Cas,” Dean breaks the silence first, “I found you.”
“Dean,” Cas breathes - any louder, and Dean will hear the trembling. “You’re here.”
“The real deal, sweetheart,” Dean says with a wink. “Now, come on. We’re getting out of here.” He takes off in the direction he came from, glancing behind him to check on Cas.
“We are?” Cas asks, following.
Dean throws him a disbelieving look. “Of course, dude. Sam and Jack are prepping the spell to get us back to the Bunker. We got Chuck by the short and curlies, but we’re one power player short. So we gotta get a move on.”
“So you need me?” Cas asks.
“Your mojo is the ticket,” Dean says with a little grin. “Chuck wiped all the angels off the Earth except Michael. And that dick isn’t answering our prayers, so you’re our next best bet.”
The joy at seeing Dean wavers. “I am?” he asks haltingly.
Dean shrugs. “We gotta work with what we have. And we just remembered you were here, out of Chuck’s reach. Our own spare angel!”
Cas barely holds back his flinch. Hunching in on himself, he mutters, “Yes, I suppose so.”
“Don’t worry,” Dean assures him, misreading his reaction completely. “We have a plan.”
Cas sighs. “Of course you do. What is it?”
“Sam found a spell,” Dean says. “It’ll rip Chuck apart, and, since Amara’s inside him - which, gross - it’ll maintain the balance when the spell takes her apart too.”
Dean stops walking.
Cas looks around, but nothing sets aside this patch of emptiness from any other. No illuminated rift, no magic symbols, no X marking the spot - nothing.
“The catch is,” Dean says as he turns to Cas, his face regretful, “the spell needs an angel’s grace.”
In a blink of an eye, an angel blade drops into Dean’s palm.
Cas blinks. No beings but angels can manifest that particular weapon.
Dean raises the blade, fingers flexing on the handle. “You know,” he says conversationally, “Now that I think about it, we don’t actually need the angel himself - just the battery.”
Cas stands his ground, his eyes darting over Dean’s face, taking in every nuance and tell.
“I told you once,” Cas says warily, a horrible foreboding coming over him, “I’m always happy to bleed for the Winchesters.”
“Happy to hear that, Cas,” Dean says, his face impassive, “because you’re gonna bleed a lot, not gonna lie.” He shoves the blade in Cas’s chest, right above his heart.
Cas staggers back from the blow, pain and shock radiating out from the bloodless wound.
Dean raises his eyebrows, his mouth curling into a mocking smile as Cas meets his smug face. “What, were you expecting to go poof? We’re in the Empty,” he throws its hands wide, “everyone’s in stasis here, including you.”
Cas yanks the blade out of his chest, but it - and Dean - turns into black goo before he can stab anything with it.
* * *
The Empty doesn’t mimic Dean next. Instead it takes Meg’s shape, Samandriel’s, Duma’s. Every one of the thousands of angels Cas killed up in heaven.
And there’s no escape. Cas can do his best not to listen, but if he retreats too far into himself, it almost counts as sleeping. With the Empty’s nudging, his thoughts will veer into his worst regrets, sooner or later.
The Empty is in the middle of lecturing him in the form of Balthazar, when it explodes in a burst of light and sound.
Dean Winchester stands in the aftermath.
“Come on,” he says roughly. He strides forward to grab Cas’s hand and tug him in the other direction. “That bomb doesn’t last forever.”
“Dean?”
“Who else?” Dean yanks him sharply to the left. “This place didn’t turn your brains to scrambled eggs, did it?”
“I don’t think so,” Cas says shakily. “Dean are you really...”
“What?”
Cas can’t help looking down at their clasped hands. A fleeting thing, barely more than a glance. Still, Dean drops Cas’s hand like it burned him. “You good to run?” he asks shortly.
Cas barely nods before Dean takes off. They hurtle through the Empty, their rapid footsteps impossibly silent. Dean’s breath comes in sharp pants, and Cas’s useless wings ache, not for the first time, to fly them to their destination.
“Dean,” Cas starts, and Dean slows. “Where are we going?”
“Where I left my stuff,” Dean says shortly. “The spell to get us out of here needs a shit-ton of crap, and I couldn’t haul it all over this goddamn place while I was trying to find you.”
“How did you know your way back?”
The corners of Dean’s mouth lift in a faint smile. He points to the floor. “M&Ms.”
Cas squints at the ground, and, sure enough, they are following a trail of tiny candies. “Ingenious,” he murmurs.
“Hey, it worked with a Wendigo,” Dean says, shrugging. He directs them in a few more twists and turns before Cas sees Dean's duffle bag in the distance, topped with a bright yellow bag of M&Ms.
As they get closer, Dean pulls out an angel blade from inside his jacket.
Cas balks.
Dean shoots him a puzzled look as he hands it to him. “It won’t kill anything here, obviously,” he says, unzipping his bag. He pulls out a copper bowl and bundles of herbs, “But having a weapon’s never a bad idea in unknown dimensions.”
“Yes, Dean.” Cas surveils their inky surroundings, already on high alert for any trespassers.
“Watch my back, okay?” Dean glances over his shoulder. Various ingredients get dropped into the bowl with outsized clangs and dribbles that seem to echo in the void around them.
Cas stays vigilant.
“This was easier than I thought it would be,” Dean mutters as the bowl’s contents start to smoke.
“Don’t jinx it,” Cas mutters out of the side of his mouth.
Dean chuckles under his breath. “I didn’t think angels believed in jinxes.”
It’s not like Cas has been especially angelic these past few years. He says shortly, “I’ve found you can never be too careful.”
Dean hums his agreement. “Need your blood for this part,” he says, shuffling over to make room. “Wait,” Dean says before Cas can press the blade againt his skin.
“Yes?”
“This is the last step,” Dean says seriously. “Once your blood goes in, it’s liftoff. So I wanted to get a couple things straight before we’re back in the Bunker.”
Cas doesn’t need to breathe, but if he did, his breath would have hitched in his chest at the closed-off look on Dean’s face. “Of course.”
“What you said - what you told me,” Dean starts, his voice hard, “before you got sucked to this hellscape.” He drops his gaze to the bowl cradled in his hands, “That’s not me.”
Cas presses his lips together, struggling to keep his face impassive. Once he regains control of himself he says, “I did not expect you to reciprocate when I told you about my feelings for you.”
Dean actively recoils at the mention of feelings. He gives the bowl a little toss, and a few of the contents spill onto the floor. “Just, forget it,” he says brusquely, gathering everything up again.
“Dean-”
He turns to Cas, his eyes blazing. “But - you know what? I can’t forget it.”
Cas opens his mouth, but Dean is not done.
“How could you offload all that shit on me right before you fucked off to parts unknown?” he demands, voice rising in anger and volume. “Of all the goddamn things you could have said to me - that takes the fucking cake. You were my best friend -” he breaks off, shaking his head. “Worst moment of my goddamn life.”
Cas takes a step back, a sickly horror trickling down his spine. “I didn’t think-”
But Dean’s not listening. “I had serious doubts about coming here at all,” he continues, and the last Dean had stabbed him in the chest - how is this so much worse? “But Sam gave me those goddamn puppy dog eyes, and don’t even get me started on Jack-”
“I understand,” Cas interrupts stiffly. He inhales a deep breath he doesn’t need and continues, “Once we return to the Bunker, I’ll stay out of your way.”
“Probably for the best,” Dean mutters.
Cas cuts his forearm, watching with perverse fascination as the blood wells up and drips into the bowl waiting below.
There’s a violent burst of light and sound.
In the aftermath, Cas can only make out Dean’s mocking laughter. Before Cas can say a word, it turns into Meg’s delighted giggles. And then Gabriel’s howls of mirth.
* * *
Cas sleeps after getting deceived for the third time. Anything is better than seeing the smug face of the Empty, whether it’s wearing Dean’s face, Gadreel’s, or Ruby’s.
He breaks the wall in Sam’s head.
He lets Lucifer possess him in a futile plan.
He beats Dean to a bloody mess for the Angel Tablet.
Occasionally, the Empty grants him release, and Cas gets to deliver a bad joke to Uriel in Mesopotamia or Dean calls him a baby in a trenchcoat in a diner.
Time passes. Cas has no idea how long. There’s no sun - no moon - no cycling of the heavens. Only emptiness.
He gets shaken awake.
Cas blinks up at a pair of very familiar green eyes. “Dean,” he says, more or less resigned.
“Jesus,” Dean says as he sits back on his heels, “Way to make a guy feel welcome. I’m here to save your sorry ass, in case you were wondering. A full week of tearing my hair out over how to get you outta here, and this is the thanks I get.”
Cas sits up. “My apologies,” he says tentatively as he studies Dean’s face. There’s no sign it isn’t really Dean.
Then again, none of the others showed signs either.
Cas gets to his feet, asking, “Are you alone?”
Dean glances around them warily. “Yeah, Sam and Jack are keeping the portal open in the Bunker. They wanted to come,” he says, his eyes raking over Cas’s face, drinking him in. “They’ll be over the fucking moon to see you again.”
Cas swallows. “And you?”
“I -” A dull flush comes over Dean’s cheeks. He looks away.
Cas’s face shutters. “Right,” he says as he stands in front of Dean. “Now what?”
“Hey,” Dean says, reaching out to grasp his left shoulder, a mirror of the mark Cas left on him so long ago and so recently. “I missed you too. You have to know that.”
Worst moment of my life.
Cas looks away, Dean’s own raised voice echoing in his head.
“Hey,” Dean says again, gentler this time. His green eyes bore into Cas’s face. “What’s going on in that celestial brain of yours?”
The words catch in Cas’s throat, a lump of embarrassment and fear keeping them there. Embarrassment that the Empty deceived him. Fear that the Empty was right.
“Look, I know we didn’t leave things on great terms,” Dean says awkwardly, “and maybe this isn’t the best place to talk about it, but I’m so fucking happy to see you, man.” He chuckles ruefully. “’S making me lose my goddamn mind.”
Even if it’s only a facsimile of Dean - and there’s no way to tell for certain - seeing his face not contorted in anger or mockery is like a balm on Cas’s soul. If he had one, that was.
“About what you said before you got taken-” Dean starts.
Cas’s heart sinks.
“No,” Dean says, his voice low and gentle, “listen to me. I get that happiness for you might just be in the being, but for me-”
“It’s fine, Dean,” Cas interrupts. “I meant that, truly. You don’t have to-”
“Jesus Christ,” Dean says, smiling slightly, “You’re not making this easy are you?”
Cas bites his tongue to keep from contradicting Dean again.
“As I was saying,” Dean continues pointedly, his green eyes shining, “For me, happiness isn’t in the being - whatever the hell that means. It’s in the goddamn having.”
Cas bites his tongue harder, the pain hardly registering against the burst of hope fluttering wildly in his chest. “Dean,” he forces out, “You can’t mean…”
“Cas,” Dean starts, and Cas’s heart breaks - or mends. He can’t tell. He has no idea who he is talking to, and it’s, to borrow a phrase from the real Dean, an epic mindfuck.
“Cas,” the Dean standing in front of him repeats, and Cas’s gaze automatically draws back to his face, “Good things do happen.”
Cas chuckles wetly. He has no choice but to say, “Not in my experience.”
Dean takes a step closer, far into the personal space he’d shown Cas so many years ago. Brows drawing together, he raises a hand to cup Cas’s face. “Someone told me a while ago that having faith was important. Seems you’re a little short there, buddy.”
Cas tries to duck his head, but Dean won’t let him. Eventually, he admits, “My faith has been tested recently.”
“But you didn’t give up, right?” Dean asks, leaning in close enough that Cas can feel the warmth of his breath in the air between them.
Cas shakes his head minutely. “No,” he murmurs, “not entirely.”
“Good,” Dean says, pausing just shy of Cas’s mouth. Waiting.
Cas steels himself and closes distance.
Just before their lips touch, Dean implodes in a burst of inky ooze.
* * *
Cas breaks several knuckles on the floor of the Empty. There are no walls to punch, no blade to send heads rolling. Cas works with what he has.
The real Dean would probably approve.
Dean shows up again before too long. This Dean goes so far as to tell Cas he loves him.
Cas turns his back on Dean’s heartbroken face. He refuses to engage.
He wanders instead.
* * *
Cas hears the footsteps before he sees his next Dean.
“Cas!” he pants, “Thank fuck. I thought I was never going to find you.”
Cas merely sighs.
Dean makes a face. “Way to roll out the welcome wagon,” he says, clearly offended. “I would’ve thought you were sick of this place by now.”
Cas purses his lips. “I am.”
“Shocker,” Dean says with a little smile. “Look, we don’t have a lot of time, so you gotta follow me.”
Cas doesn’t budge. He’d rather roam this place for eternity than suffer at the hands of another Dean facsimile. And he had thought he saw enough of them under Naomi’s tutelage. He’d been so naive.
Dean stares at him like Cas just stripped naked and danced the macarena. “What are you doing?”
“You’re not real,” Cas says bluntly.
Dean gapes. “Of course I’m real! Chuck’s de-powered, and Jack… well, it’s a long story. Bottom line: nobody’s pulling our strings but us.”
Cas lets out a derisive laugh.
Dean’s eyebrows rise, but he barrels on, “So it’s time to get a move on. Up and at ‘em, sunshine.” He jerks his head off to the right.
Cas stays where he is. “No.”
“What the hell?” Dean has the gall to tug on Cas’s sleeve like he’s a wayward toddler. “Come on. You’re not making any sense.”
“You’re not making any sense,” Cas retorts. It’s not his best rejoinder, but he’s been very stressed lately.
Whatever Dean was about to say dies on his tongue as he stares at Cas in confusion. “What’s wrong with you?” He shakes his head before Cas can respond, saying, “Doesn’t matter. We’ll figure it out later. But now, you’ve gotta come with me.”
Cas levels him a flat glare. This one is more stubborn than the last, more like the real Dean. “Why should I?”
“Because you don’t deserve to be stuck here?” Dean says, gesturing to the void around them. “You saved the world, Cas.” He swallows. “You saved me. Getting you out is the least we can do.”
“Because you need me to take on Chuck,” Cas says.
“No?” Dean says, his eyes narrowing. “I already told you, Chuck’s off the playing board.”
“Because you feel guilty about leaving me here.”
“No - wait, I do, but,” Dean breaks off, irritated, “you know what I mean.”
Cas doesn’t, so he continues in the same vein as before, “Because you love me.”
Dean hesitates. “I’m working on it.”
Cas snorts. At least the last Dean had the balls to say it. Many times. While crying.
“What?” Dean throws up his hands. “You just sprung it on me, dude! I didn’t even know angels could feel things like that, and it took me by surprise, okay? I’m only human, and sometimes we need time to get used to ideas. Like when we found out Snooki was a demon. Yeah, the signs were there, and it makes sense, but still - you sometimes need it spelled out for you.”
Cas pauses. None of the other Deans had referenced pop culture. “How long ago was this for you?”
“Since we summoned Snooki?”
At Cas’s icy look of disdain, Dean hedges, “A month? Give or take.” He glares. “First we had to deal with Chuck, and it took a while to find a spell to get here. Remember, we didn’t even know this was a place before you died the last time. The Men of Letters weren’t a shit ton of help, for once.”
Cas crosses his arms over his chest.
“Just… hear me out,” Dean says. “There’s a portal to get us home. Sam and Jack can’t stall the Empty forever.”
That was new. “Jack and Sam aren’t in the Bunker?”
“No,” Dean says as he takes off in the opposite direction, all but forcing Cas to follow to find out more. “They’re up in Heaven.”
“Why?”
“Because the Empty can’t get to Earth without a summoning spell, which, as far as we can tell, doesn’t exist?” Dean says, checking over his shoulder to make sure Cas is still within earshot. “But you made that fucking stupid deal in Heaven, so we knew it could at least travel there. Jack zapped Sam to the Pearly Gates, and they’re hopefully making a distraction while I get you out.”
Still not entirely convinced, Cas asks begrudgingly, “And where are we going?”
“A portal,” Dean says confidently. “This place is a little like Purgatory, apparently. If it senses a human here, it’ll create a portal to spit them out again.” He flashes a grin over his shoulder. “So here I am, 100% genuine human to bail your ass out.”
“Thank you?”
“Don’t mention it,” Dean says with a wink.
Cas scowls. The first Dean had winked at him too.
“Jesus, tough crowd,” Dean mutters as they head further into the Empty.
Cas scans the ground, but there are no small candies lining the way. “How do you know where to go?”
“Turns out, Sam could find a spell for that,” Dean says as he holds up his left hand - clutching his amulet. The Empty must have really hunted around in his memories for that one, even more so than the Wendigo case. He hasn’t seen the real amulet in nearly five years. “It heats up when I’m on the right track towards the exit.”
“So no M&Ms?”
Dean turns to him. “I told you about that?”
Cas stares straight ahead, willing his face to fall into an expressionless mask. The real Dean had told him about the Wendigo over dinner with Sam and Mary while she was still alive, or the Empty wouldn’t be able to use it as inspiration now.
Dean shakes his head, smiling. “Man, I haven’t thought about that case in forever.” He glances at Cas, his face sobering. “You really don’t believe this is real?”
“No.”
He can’t. Not again.
Dean sighs as he steers them slightly to the right. “Come on, I’m almost getting third degree burns from this thing. We must be close.”
Sure enough, a blue swirling portal comes into view, a pinprick of light in the distance at first, elongating into an exact replica of the Purgatory exit as they approach.
“Finally,” Dean mutters, his face impassive. He turns to Cas. “Just… don’t stay behind,” he grimaces, “again.”
This version has been the most true to Dean - less callous than the first, more caring than the second, more guarded than the third. It will hurt the most when this one falls apart. Maybe it would be better if Cas heads it off at the pass instead of letting the whole painstaking ruse play out all the way through.
If the Empty could get it over with, Cas will go back to sleep. Anything is better than this torture.
Cas takes a step back, away from the portal. “This is pointless-”
“Jesus Christ, Cas!” Dean throws his hands in the air. “I don’t get it at all. You don’t think you deserve to be saved?”
Cas gapes at him.
Dean continues heatedly, “If an ex-demon with anger management problems and rap sheet a mile long deserved to be saved, I think a legit angel should get the same.”
Cas shakes his head. “I’m hardly a prime example of an angel anymore.”
Dean raises his eyebrows. “Have I ever cared about that?”
“Well, no, but-”
“Glad we can agree on something,” Dean cuts him off. “Now, are you going to go through the portal or am I gonna have to drag you? I’ll do it,” he threatens. “Don’t test me.”
Cas wavers. Everything in him says to follow Dean. But this isn’t the real Dean - this is the Empty waiting for the glorious moment when it can yank the illusion away, leaving Cas a little more broken than before.
Dean’s eyes narrow. “Fuck you,” he spits, “You can’t trust me just a little-”
“Trust?” Cas echoes as he strides forward to grab the lapels of Dean’s jacket, his voice rising in a mixture of outrage, desperation, and heartache, “You want me to trust you? After you’ve lied to me, deceived me - after you stabbed me, after you told me I put you through the worst moment of your life the last time you saw me, after you made me think you returned my feelings only to - only to-”
Dean shakes his head slowly. “But I didn’t do any of that.”
“You did,” Cas says fervently, shaking Dean a little - or maybe that’s his trembling hands. “You did - you’ve been putting me through hell since I got here, and I’m sick of it. I’m sick of you.”
Dean’s expression hardens. “You don’t mean that.”
“Oh, I do,” Cas swears. “I’m done pretending.”
Dean his eyes flicking down to Cas’s mouth. “What do you know,” he breathes, “so am I.”
Cas freezes, waiting for Dean to dissolve into a puddle of goo in his hands.
Dean kisses him instead.
At the first touch of Dean’s lips to his, Cas jerks back in surprise and horror.
He falls straight into the portal.
The Empty vanishes in a blur of too-bright light.
* * *
Cas comes to in the middle of a field. The sun shines overhead. Noon, Cas registers distantly as he looks around. Dean’s sprawled on the prairie grasses next to him, already waking up judging by the groaning noises.
“Dean?”
Dean opens his eyes, glances at the sky, and closes them again. “Oh great, we made it.”
Cas tentatively picks his way closer to Dean’s side. He stands over him for a moment, shuffling to the side so he doesn’t block the sunlight falling on Dean’s face. “We’re on Earth.”
“Well, it’s sure as shit not Mars,” Dean grumbles, eyes still closed. “Are you watching me right now? I feel like you’re watching me right now.”
Cas stares around the field. “Not anymore,” he says, and a genuine breeze blows against his face. What a marvel.
“‘S okay,” Dean says as he wiggles a little on the grass, getting more comfortable, “’M used to it.”
Cas turns to him. “It’s really you.”
“The real deal, sweetheart,” Dean cracks his eyes open, one corner of his mouth lifting into a lopsided smile. “You believe me now?”
“This could be the most elaborate ruse yet.”
Dean lifts his head up. “Seriously? You dick, I did not haul ass all the way-”
“I don’t really believe that, however,” Cas says before Dean can work himself up too much.
“Good.” He meaningfully thumps the grass next to him. “Sit. You’re giving me serious Law & Order vibes.”
Cas’s brow furrows. “I don’t get that reference. I know about Law & Order-”
“And how does every episode of Law & Order start?” Dean interrupts, “With someone standing over a dead body in a field.”
Cas takes a seat. “Not always a field. Most episodes show corpses in urban areas, or, once, a yacht.”
“Pretty sure it was more than once. I hate procedural cop shows.”
“They are very formulaic,” Cas admits, stretching out his legs, “and lack the drama of soap operas.”
“I’m just saying, if a long lost sibling doesn’t pop out of the woodwork or if the main character isn’t killed off at least six times, is it really worth watching?”
Cas levels him a flat look. “Dean, all those things have happened to you.”
Dean snorts. “At least none of us got amnesia.”
Cas rolls his eyes. “Speak for yourself.”
Dean turns his head to stare at him, a wide grin spreading across his face as he laughs. “Oh shit, you're right. How the hell did I forget?”
“Because of supreme irony, most likely.”
It takes Dean a moment to get it, but when he does, he laughs even louder.
Cas doesn’t have anything to add, so he lets the conversation peter off into silence, listening to Dean’s even breathing and the grass rustling in the gentle wind.
“I didn’t think it would be like this,” Dean says in an undertone.
Cas turns to him. Dean’s eyes are closed again, but everything else about him radiates a quiet tension Cas might’ve missed anywhere else. But here, in this field, nothing prevents Cas from honing on Dean’s whole being with everything he has. “What do you mean?” he asks carefully.
“I dunno,” Dean says, his face scrunching up, “I thought it would be more awkward. But… it doesn’t feel any different.”
Cas blinks. “Why should it?” he asks, and though he’s not definitively sure what Dean means by ‘it’, he has a very strong suspicion.
Dean shoots him a pointed look. “Because you don’t tell someone you love them and expect everything to be OK after.”
Cas lays down next to Dean. Staring up at the wispy clouds overhead, he says, “If it changes anything, I didn’t expect to be around for the after part.” Dean’s head turns to look at him, but Cas can’t bring himself to see whatever expression is on his face. “If you’d like for us to go our separate ways after this, I understand.”
“You stupid bastard,” Dean mutters vehemently, “for the last goddamn time, I did not piss off the immortal Blob just to tell you to go fuck yourself in person.”
Cas inhales a slow breath, breathing in the dirt, wildflowers growing nearby, and Dean. “You kissed me,” he says.
“You said you loved me,” Dean shoots back.
“Did you mean it?”
“Did you?”
Cas grimaces as he turns his head to face him. “I thought it was obvious.”
Dean swallows. “No, it wasn’t,” he says quietly, “but I’ve never been good at that stuff.”
Cas squints at him. “You are the most emotionally intelligent man I’ve ever met.”
“What?”
Cas rolls his eyes. “You expertly navigate and manipulate people’s emotions to get them to talk to you, open up to you, have sex with you,” he lists. “It’s extraordinary to witness.”
Dean makes a choking noise. “Dude,” he says, which tells Cas absolutely nothing. A few more clouds pass by before Dean speaks again. “I guess the signs were there - with you. But I didn’t want to put them together.”
“Why not?”
Dean shrugs, his shoulders scraping almost inaudibly against the soil and grass stems. “Just didn’t.”
“Then that’s why I didn’t tell you. But, Dean-” Cas breaks off. This part of the conversation, despite what Dean said earlier, does not feel the same as others between them.
Dean’s eyes flick to his. “Yeah?”
“You kissed me.”
Dean inhales a sharp breath. “I did,” he says at last.
Cas waits, but Dean doesn’t elaborate. “Was it just a ploy to get me to leave the Empty?”
“No.”
Cas grimaces. Not for the first time, his life would be so much easier if Dean could communicate without speaking in riddles or hiding every third word he wanted to say. “Dean...”
“I told you I’m working on it,” Dean says defensively.
Cas closes his eyes. “What does that mean?” he asks, his voice strained.
“It means I’m working on it,” Dean says shortly. But before Cas can press him further, he lets out an explosive sigh. “It means I don’t want to hear any more goodbyes from you. It means - it means that kiss wasn’t too bad, right?”
“I thought you were a fake version of yourself created to torture me for eternity,” Cas says flatly.
Dean props himself up on his elbows. “So all I’m hearing is there’s room for improvement.”
Cas rolls his eyes as Dean scoots closer, peering down at him. “I suppose that’s one way you could look at it.”
“Would you wanna... do something like that again?” Dean asks, his expression confident while his voice is anything but.
“Only if you want to,” Cas says seriously.
Dean licks his lips. He nods once, the movement stilted.
“Should I sit up?” Cas asks, frowning, as he half-lifts his head. “Or do you want to lay back down-”
“Cas,” Dean says impatiently, “it’s kissing we’re talking about here, not Twister.”
“I have played that game before.”
“Yeah, I remember now,” Dean says, a tentative smirk hiding in the corners of his mouth. “You ever do it naked?”
Cas frowns. “There was a strict policy against nudity in the psychiatric ward.”
Dean ducks his head, laughing silently. His forehead lands on Cas’s sternum, his breath warming Cas’s chest from the outside in.
“You were trying to say something arousing,” Cas says, a beat too late.
Dean shakes his head, grinning. “Something like that.”
“I would like to play naked Twister with you.”
Dean’s eyes sparkle with amusement. “Glad to hear it,” he says as he leans over Cas. Cas goes a bit cross-eyed to keep him in view until Dean murmurs, “Relax. ‘S just me.”
In the instant before their lips meet, Cas half-expects the whole world around him to splatter apart in a tidal wave of black, otherworldly goo. But Dean is gloriously solid, gloriously human, as he cradles Cas’s half-raised head, his fingers tangling in his hair.
The midday sun shines; the grass whispers in the wind; and Cas is saved.
#destiel#fanfic#destiel fanfic#15x18 au#15x20 au#fix-it#canon divergence#canon au#profoundnet#rae writes fic#psychological torture#angst
408 notes
·
View notes
Text
Fundraiser Commission #8
Thank you for donating $20!
Prompt: “For the commission, I would like PitViperOfDoom to write a followup to their one shot Helping Hands. After Bakugo is expelled some members of Class 1-A (probably the Bakusquad) decide to talk to the boy whose abuse led to his expulsion. Only, it doesn't turn out to be just them helping him. He seems to have incredible insights into how they can improve how they use their quirks.”
This one gave me some trouble, but I’m happy with how it came out!
---
Lunch Rush’s katsudon is the only katsudon that Izuku can honestly, though not without some guilt, describe as better than Mom’s. Of course, unlike Lunch Rush, Mom’s quirk doesn’t help her cook beyond bringing the ingredients within reach. In Izuku’s wholly unbiased opinion, that concession puts his mother’s cooking back up on top.
Fortune smiles on him when the school cook puts out a fresh lunch tray out just in time for him to claim it. It makes up for how his day has been going so far. No one’s been mean, of course, but the rumors about yesterday have already started spreading, and there’s only so much of his classmates’ whispering that he can stand before he starts screaming from the stress.
Izuku turns away, debating whether to sit with his classmates or hide in the classroom to eat, only to find himself flanked on both sides by hero students.
Very familiar hero students, at that.
“Come sit with us, Midoriya!” Ashido Mina chirps near his ear.
“Unless you got somewhere else to be.” Kirishima is on his other side, holding a tray loaded with pretty much every meat available in the cafeteria. “It’s cool if you’ve got somewhere else to be, but we’d love for you to join us.”
Izuku’s head swivels back and forth, gaping at both of them in turn. “Um…” On instinct he shoots a glance at the table where a lot of his 1-C classmates usually sit. Shinsou and Ichioka stare back at him incredulously. Mochizuku grins and gives him a thumbs-up.
“Okay,” he says. “If you’re sure… lead the way.”
Ashido whoops and takes the lead, while Kirishima and a boy whose name Izuku doesn’t know hang back to walk with him.
“Hi, Midoriya!” the unknown boy says. “I just realized neither of them said that yet.”
“Hi,” Izuku says nervously. “Um, sorry, I don’t think we’ve been introduced?” His memory supplies him with the image of the boy slapping a length of tape over Kacchan’s mouth.
“I’m Sero Hanta!” The three of them reach the table where Ashido is sitting, along with two other girls and a boy with bright yellow hair. They introduce themselves as Uraraka, Asui (“Call me Tsuyu-chan!”), and Kaminari, and Izuku mumbles something incoherent as he slides into the seat by Kirishima. They’re all friendly enough, but out of all of them, Kirishima makes him the least nervous.
For a moment, Izuku sits frozen and speechless among students he doesn’t know. What is he supposed to say? The last time any of them saw him, he was crying after getting beaten up in front of them; what do they expect out of him?
“Oh!” he blurts out, then winces when Kaminari drops his chopsticks. “Thank you.”
In an instant, everyone is staring at him. He’s made a terrible mistake.
“Sheesh, Midoriya, you scared me there,” Kaminari laughed.
“Sorry,” Izuku says sheepishly. “But I mean it. Thank you, for yesterday. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Of course we did!” Ashido says, shocked.
“You’re in hero school, buddy,” Sero adds. “If there was ever a place where we ‘have’ to do that kind of stuff, it’s here.”
Izuku blushes. “Not everybody would have.”
“Yeah, well, not everybody is in UA’s hero course,” Kirishima points out.
“Including Bakugou,” Asui says dryly. Uraraka snorts beside her, then sobers.
“I probably shouldn’t laugh,” she says, wrinkling her nose to keep from doing so. “But I mean… Aizawa-sensei told us on the first day that he’d have us kicked out if he didn’t think we could make the cut. He literally told us that, and booted Mineta on day one, and Bakugou still pulled that. I mean, what did he think was going to happen? He’s lucky he just got transferred to Gen Ed!”
In spite of himself, Izuku gives a snort of his own. “Kacchan’s used to the rules not applying to him,” he mutters.
Kaminari barks out a laugh. “Sorry, I just… Kacchan? Seriously? How’s a guy like that end up with a cutesy nickname like Kacchan?”
Izuku shrugs, suddenly self-conscious. It’s a weird feeling, seeing people laugh at Kacchan instead of him. “Our moms were in the same pregnant yoga class. Technically our first playdates happened before we were born. We were really close when we were four. I don’t remember us not being friends.” He hesitates, poking at the egg in his katsudon. “Then his quirk came in, and mine didn’t, and… everything was different after that.”
Worried that he’s brought down the mood, he glances around at the others to gauge their reactions. Kaminari’s face is scrunched up like he smells something bad. Uraraka and Sero look indignant, Asui looks grave, and Kirishima looks like he’s about to cry.
“Sounds like a lousy friend,” Ashido says blithely.
“Ashido!” Sero elbows her, which, considering his elbows, must pack a punch.
“What? He is!”
“No, you’re right,” Izuku says. It’s taken a while to admit it, but he’s had some help with it. Kacchan was a bad friend. He acted the way he did because he chose to, not because Izuku deserved it. “He’s always been… competitive. Even when we were in daycare together, he was obsessed with being better than everyone. Every time I talked about the things I liked or the things I was good at, he’d remind me that he was better at them than I was.”
“That’s gotta be exhausting,” Kirishima says.
Izuku shrugs. “He was my first friend. I didn’t know being friends wasn’t supposed to be like that. I know better now, of course!” he adds quickly. “But back then, I thought it was normal.”
“What kind of stuff do you like to do?” Uraraka asks. “I mean, you already know we’re all on the hero track, but what about you?”
Izuku fidgets, suddenly nervous. “Oh! Um… well, I still really like heroics. Learning about… about heroes, and their statistics and stuff.”
“Like… business course stuff?” Kaminari asks.
“No, not really.” Izuku shakes his head. “Not the, um, marketing. I’m no good at that. I mean more like… the mechanics of their quirks and equipment, and their battle strategies and combat techniques. That kind of thing. See—” He falters for a moment. “When I was little, I wanted to be a hero. And even after I found out I was quirkless, I still looked for ways that I could become one. So… I watched them, and studied how they work. I still do. I know it probably sounds strange, but…”
“Lots of people make hero analysis a career,” Asui says, tapping her lips. “I’ve heard the Public Safety Commission have people for that.”
“Hey, yeah,” Sero says. “Even if you can’t be a hero, you can still work in heroics.”
“Yeah, I know…” Izuku says. It’s a good consolation prize. He thinks he could even be happy doing it.
“Nah,” Kirishima says.
Izuku turns to him, startled. “What?”
“Nah,” Kirishima repeats. “I think you could still do it. Become a hero.”
Izuku gapes at him.
“Dude, you grew up with an ultra-competitive jerk who tried to make you feel bad about yourself, you found out you didn’t have a quirk, and you still didn’t give up! You kept looking for ways to make it happen! You got that… that determination, y’know? That manly spirit. I think as long as you have that, quirks don’t matter. You could totally be a hero.”
For a moment, Izuku can only stare. “Well…” he stammers out when he finds his voice again. “You’ll be the first kid my age who thinks that.”
Ashido’s hand shoots up. “Second!”
“Third!” Uraraka and Kaminari say in unison.
“It only makes sense,” Asui says serenely, smiling at Izuku’s shocked face. “Just look at Aizawa-sensei. His quirk levels the playing field, but other than that, he fights without any special power.”
Izuku blushes fiercely under all the encouragement. “There’s never been a quirkless hero before,” he mumbles. “It’s unheard of.”
“Well, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible!” Ashido says. “It just means nobody’s done it yet.”
It’s a wonderful moment, which Izuku swiftly ruins by bursting into tears.
---
“Well, Midoriya,” Shinsou says dryly, clapping him on the shoulder so hard it almost hurts. “Don’t forget about us now that you’re famous enough to hang with the hero kids.”
“It’s not like that!
Mochizuku slaps his other shoulder. “Don’t get too comfortable!” she chirps cheerfully. “That open spot in Class 1-A is mine.”
“There are two,” Izuku points out.
“And three of us,” she says cheerily. “Watch your backs, boys!”
---
Ashido Mina
Quirk: Acid. Allows user to secrete corrosive liquid through her skin. Acid can be generated in high quantities from any area of skin. Can be manipulated by user?
Kirishima Eijirou
Quirk: Hardening. Allows user to harden any part of his body. Protects from physical threats by absorbing blunt force and preventing cutting damage.
Asui Tsuyu
Quirk: Frog form. Gives user features and abilities of a frog, including leg strength, wall climbing, extending tongue (more? Ask her?)
“Whatcha doin’?” Kaminari asks, almost dropping his tray on Izuku’s lunch table. With a yelp, Izuku shuts his notebook and shoves it in his bag with practiced speed.
“Nothing! Just notes for class!”
“Okay, man, chill,” Kaminari says. Around them, the others are taking seats as well. “You do you. Good for you for getting in on brains and stuff.”
“Man, seriously!” Ashido agrees. “I’m no good at that stuff. I’ve had on-off tutoring since I started middle school. People who can just sit down and study and get A’s on their own are incredible.”
“There’s nothing wrong with needing help sometimes!” Kirishima points out.
“Oh yeah, I know!” Ashido grins and fist-pumps. “Besides, I got in with my awesome skills! I can figure out everything else as I go!”
Izuku tries not to stare as she swings between complimenting him and complimenting herself. Ashido Mina is one of the most incredible people that he has ever met. It’s not just her wild coloring, either; nonstandard skin and hair colors are fairly common in the world of quirks. Even Izuku’s colors would have been improbable at best, if not impossible before quirks came into being.
But no, what stands out in Midoriya’s eyes is how smoothly Ashido’s effortless confidence meshes with her kindness. She thinks highly of herself, for good reason. She’s pretty, she’s athletic, and she has a fantastic quirk and a magnetic personality. But unlike the other good-looking, athletic, charismatic people with fantastic quirks that Izuku has met before, she doesn’t seem to feel the need to prove it to anyone. She just is, and that’s enough for her.
Bashfully, Izuku tells her as much, stumbling over his words as he struggles to make himself understood without offending her by accident. She listens, frowning thoughtfully as he manages to articulate his thoughts.
“That’s a weird thing to think about,” she remarks when he finishes babbling.
“Sorry,” Izuku mumbles.
“No no, I don’t mean it like that!” Ashido assures him. “It’s just… if somebody’s really confident but feels like they have to prove how good they are all the time… then they can’t really be that confident, can they?”
Izuku stares, openmouthed, before his jaw slowly shuts again. He hadn’t thought of it that way.
“Maybe that was Bakugou’s problem,” Kaminari muses. “You know? ‘Cause I’ve never met anybody as desperate as he was to prove how great they were.”
“Kacchan’s the most confident person I know,” Izuku points out. “That was his whole problem. Everybody praised his quirk, and how strong and smart he is, and that’s…” That’s why he got away with everything.
“Yeah, but he has a garbage personality,” Kaminari says bluntly. Ashido barks out a laugh, Uraraka and Sero snicker, and Kirishima purses his lips like he’s trying not to follow suit. “What? He does! Maybe that’s why he’s so obsessed with being better than everybody, so he can make up for the fact that nobody’s gonna like him otherwise.”
Izuku shoves in a mouthful of rice so he won’t have to answer, reddening when he catches Asui’s attention.
Rather than calling him on it, she turns to Ashido. “Ashido-chan, you pulled some cool moves in class yesterday. You’re really good at aiming your acid.”
“Thanks! I work super hard on that!”
“How do you train with your quirk without destroying stuff?” Sero asks, latching on to the new topic.
“My quirk’s not that bad,” Ashido says, huffing a little. “I mean, it used to be, but that was just when I was a little kid. You know, before quirk counseling.”
Izuku listens carefully. He’s always been interested in quirk counseling; it was something he was left out of, obviously, and there was only so much that he could observe from afar before his teacher told him to go back to his word searches.
“It till melts through concrete,” Asui points out. “How do you practice with it?”
“I can change how strong the acid is,” Ashido explains. “If I’m really pulling punches I can get it to the same level as like, lemon juice. So it’d suck to get it in your eyes or in a paper cut, but I’m not gonna melt any walls. It’s good for target practice! Which is still really hard, because it’s liquid.”
“Can you change anything else about your acid?” Izuku asks, now leaning forward with interest.
“Yep! I can change the, uh, what’s the word.” Ashido gestures vaguely. “I can make it thicker instead of just liquid.”
“You can control the viscosity?”
“That’s the one!” Ashido points to him. “My favorite trick is to make it super weak and, uh, viscous, so I can slide around on it! I asked for a good boot design that would help me keep control, too.”
“Could you make it solid?” Izuku asks. “Like gelatin? That might make precision easier, with less of a risk of sending out droplets when you throw it.”
Ashido’s dark eyes widen. Her lips part in surprise, before a wide, delighted grin spreads over her face. “Jelly bombs,” she whispers. “Midoriya, you’re a genius!”
Izuku flushes deeply. For the first time, he thinks that maybe his new… friends? Are they friends? They’re certainly treating him like one, he thinks.
Well. Maybe, for once…
“Hey, uh, guys?” he says, voice cracking with leftover nervousness. Before he can chicken out, he reaches down to retrieve his notebook. “Want to see something I’ve been working on?”
It’s the most fun he’s ever had in the lunchroom before.
176 notes
·
View notes
Text
BnHA Chapter 247: Todoroki Angst
Previously on BnHA: Ujiko started some kind of procedure on Tomura to make him even more powerful, because that’s what we were all asking for at the end of the last arc, isn’t it? “Horikoshi can you go ahead and make the homicidal nihilist even stronger please and thank you.” Well not to worry, because he’s got our backs! Meanwhile Hawks poked around the villain HQ trying to find out more details about That End Of The World Thing That’s Happening In 4 Months, and came up with squat. But he did successfully pass on his secret message to Endeavor about how “THE CHILDREN ARE OUR ONLY HOPE,” so Endeavor shrugged and was like “fine, HEY CHILDREN, LET’S GO FIGHT CRIME.” Anyways, so I was thinking, do you suppose they all just figured out they’re actually in a shounen manga? Because that would explain a lot.
Today on BnHA: Endeavor gathers the kids together and is all “so tell me about yourselves.” Deku is all “I have two quirks shut up it’s not weird” and says he wants to get better at harnessing his power so that he can use it without it being destructive. Kacchan is all “I’m already strong but I want to become better as a person” and I appreciate how the other characters are able to hold themselves back from exclaiming, “THIS KID’S REDEMPTION ARC... IT’S TOO POWERFUL...!” because I sure the fuck would have if I was there. And then Shouto is all “hey dad, friendly reminder that I’m here because I want to get stronger to reach my own goals, but you’re still a shitty dad and I hate your guts.” Endeavor, to his credit, reacts very appropriately to all three kids (including a resigned “got it” to Shouto, which was in fact the only appropriate response, so props to him for that), and dives right on in to mentoring the shit out of them. He then delivers a challenge -- defeat at least one villain without him beating them to the punch. So that should be fun, and I mean that with complete sincerity. Bring it!
(All comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity afterward, and added a few ETAs in the process, but aside from that there are no changes.)
oooooh shit we’re starting right on a continuation of the Fuyumi panel from last week. TODOROKI DRAMA ARC INCOMING. THIS IS IT BOYS. THE BIG ONE
omg omg omg
friendly reminder that chapter 242, in which this internship was first announced, came out on September 6. that is six whole weeks that we’ve been waiting for this internship to actually get started for real. I WAS PROMISED CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND UNUSUAL INTERACTIONS AND UNLIKELY BONDS BEING FORMED. and I have been patient, because In Horikoshi We Trust, but is it finally that time now? I just need them to stop hinting at it and finally get to it before I lose my mind okay
so Endeavor is asking Baku and Deku for their character profiles
Deku: “I used to break bones on demand, now I shoot wind from my fists along with the occasional Venom Symbiote”
Bakugou: “I blow shit up and I also have your character development arc, but fast-tracked so that it kicked in before I could fully become a massive prick like you”
meanwhile Shouto just sits there pouting because as we know from the Babysitter’s Club arc (and also from the Sports Festival arc, during which he dragged Deku into a hallway and was all “time to tell you about my tragic past” completely unprompted), he actually has his own character profile on standby ready to go at a moment’s notice, but everyone just keeps it benched all the time. poor Shouto
(ETA: he will not be silenced!!)
so Endeavor is phrasing this in the weirdest way possible, asking them to state “their current ‘assignments’” lol what. at least the second part of this is clearer, with him asking what they want to gain from this internship
okay so Deku says he wants to control his power so that he can “move at max performance.” yes that’s a very good goal for you, World’s Last Hope
lmaoooo
“weren’t you the kid who broke every bone in his arms several times in succession while attempting to KO my youngest child.” way to make an impression Deku
so Deku patiently explains that, yes, but we’re WELL BEYOND the whole bone-breaking stage now and currently at the “trying to master my new SECRET POWER which is still under wraps” stage. get with the times, Endeavor
hahaha here we go. this is so painfully awkward
“yeah so I kind of have a second quirk now. you know. as one does. please ignore how the only other known person to ever have multiple quirks just so happens to be the greatest villain of all time who is currently incarcerated in Tartarus following his last stand during which the number one hero lost all his power. that’s not relevant. anyways so yeah, two quirks, it’s totally normal and not a big deal at all”
what the actual fuck is he going to do once quirks # 3, 4, 5, etc. come along? this is such a disaster it’s not even funny. and by the way, this whole time I’ve been ignoring the elephant in the room that is Katsuki’s face while Deku nearly spills the beans about his so-called secret. but let’s all just acknowledge that it’s amazing and it belongs in a museum
thankfully Endeavor has had more than enough of exercising his brain today after all of that codebreaking, and isn’t even bothering to ask any questions. instead he’s just like, “show me.” probably the right call; easier to just see wth he’s going on about rather than keep listening to this strange and incredibly suspicious explanation
here we go guys time for some BLOOP
that’s because you’re still scared of it! boy if you’re not going to listen to Katsuki then I hope Endeavor can knock some sense into you at least!
you know, Endeav may be scowling so hard his face is gonna get stuck that way, but so far he’s not half bad at this mentoring/coaching thing
really appreciate how he jumps straight into asking pertinent questions about what Deku wants to do with this new quirk, rather than being all “how the fuck do you go from breaking all of your bones to THAT”
so now Deku’s explaining how it works and says he’s been applying the same principles that he uses with Air Force
LMAOOOOO
this right here is the most accurate introduction to Deku that Endeavor could ever have possibly received. THAT’S IT, THAT’S THE CHARACTER
and it also neatly sums up his whole problem with Blackwhip as well, which is just that he’s way overthinking it. no fucking wonder he can’t do anything with it yet! he’s trying to run NASA-level calculations in his head in real time while using it, like wtf. just let loose boi
also can we stop and appreciate how both Bakugou and Shouto are just fucking done. like, Bakugou is one thing, but just look at Todoroki fucking Shouto, Deku’s #1 fan and admirer, being all “wtf I hate Deku now”
LMAO AGAIN
Burnin’ is quickly rising through my favorite character ranks. meanwhile Shouto has gleaned, quite correctly, that those were in fact words coming from Deku’s mouth. what kind of words is a mystery, but at least it’s something
omfg Endeavor can speak Deku
(ETA: one of the things I’m noticing on a reread is how Endeavor is approximately twice the size of the kids. and it’s not like they’re small or anything. but they look like toddlers next to him. he’s only 6′4″ how is he towering over them to this degree.)
I feel like Endeavor’s intelligence levels fluctuate from week to week. or even from panel to panel. enigma
so blah blah blah he’s thinking to himself “his raw power rivals All Might’s” and then -- ! LOOK AT THIS SHIT
SOFT ENDEAVOR ADOPTING DEKU WTAF. holy shit. if anyone says they saw this coming, I’m calling you out as a fucking liar. BUT I’M HERE FOR IT OMG
AND NOW THIS ONE’S TURN!
(ETA: Kacchan is 5′7″. pretty sure Endeavor is actually 8 feet tall.)
lmao Deku’s face. trying to work out what this means and whether it’s good or bad
meanwhile, after the multiple pages of extensive rambling from Deku, Endeavor is about to get an introduction from Bakugou which will likely just consist of “I WANT TO BECOME THE NUMBER ONE” with absolutely no introspection whatsoever. basically the polar opposite of Deku. gotta love it
HERE WE GO
ooh, unexpected! though still brusque. but to be fair, he’s gifted when it comes to saying a lot in few words
(ETA: out of the three, Kacchan definitely took up the least amount of time with his introspection. not bad for a kid who used to think the entire fucking world revolved around him. growth!)
now he’s bitching at Burnin’ for not having anything better to do than stand around heckling them lmao
SHE’S HERE TO PROVIDE COMMENTARY KATSUKI SHHH. in other news, today I learned that Burnin’ is actually me. huh
OH MY GOD KATSUKI IS METAING -- !! [ELBOWS MY WAY INTO THE FRONT ROW] EVERYONE FUCKING SHUT YOUR MOUTHS AND LISTEN!!!!
OH MY GOD
y’all Katsuki really just fessed up and admitted to needing to work on his growth as a person rather than his physical ability. along with a NEW ADORABLE CHILDHOOD FLASHBACK, EXCUSE ME WHILE I ORDER PRINTS OF THIS TO PUT IN MY WALLET
AND HERE WE GO NOW, THE WHOLE “I WANT TO SURPASS THE NUMBER ONE” PART. BUT IT WAS SO MUCH DEEPER THAN I EXPECTED, KATSUKI YOU CONTINUE TO MAKE ME PROUD! LOOK HOW DETERMINED HE IS TO BE A BETTER PERSON
PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, IF YOU’RE NOT ROOTING FOR BAKUGOU KATSUKI THEN WHY ARE YOU EVEN READING THIS MANGA HONESTLY
OMG ENDEAVOR
“this kid...” REMINDS YOU OF SOMEONE, DOESN’T HE! OH MY GOD I NEED TO SIT AND CALM DOWN AND DRINK SOME WATER
anyway so do you love him. YOU BETTER SAY YES!!
LMAO SHOUTO COULDN’T HOLD IT IN ANY LONGER
LET’S HEAR IT THEN, FIVE PEEPEE MAN!!
Endeavor is whipping back around on him all “I THOUGHT YOU CAME HERE TO MASTER YOUR NEW TECHNIQUE” with this look of borderline panic on his face that implies to me that it’s one thing to take on two new kids with no familiar baggage, and quite another to have to deal with his own son’s personal angst which is directly related to his own worst personal shortcomings and sins! but that’s just too bad, Endeavor! also, fuck you!
OH MY GOD TODOROKI SHOUTO HAS THE SOFTEST SADDEST EXPRESSION AND THIS SPEECH IS GOING TO MAKE ME CRY WHAT THE HELL
even Kacchan has gone soft. meanwhile, is somebody cutting onions in here or
(ETA: also, Kacchan really has been promoted to best friend status, hasn’t he? or co-best friend at least. Shouto really does value their time training together, huh. “spending time with these guys.” anyways so this officially is the TodoBakuDeku arc, sorry everyone I don’t make the rules.
also! I really love how Shouto’s character development has been all about him finally figuring out what it is that he wants. one way or the other, Endeavor has been the focus of his life since childhood. everything he did was centered around him, even when it was centered around defying him. it was still always him, and never Shouto. because he’d been raised as his father’s tool, he struggled with feeling like anything he achieved was just giving his father exactly what he wanted. so he never really had the freedom to strive toward his own goals until Deku finally broke him free of that mindset. it wasn’t until he was surrounded by others who shared the same dream he’d once had that he was able to move past the toxic part of that resentment. not to say that it wasn’t justified, because it was! and is, still. but all the same, it was hurting him at least as much as it ever hurt Endeavor, if not much more so.
so I really like the message his arc sends here, which is that forgiveness is not so much for the benefit of the one who hurt you as it is for yourself. and that’s obviously not the right word for it, by the way -- “forgiveness” -- but it’s just a placeholder for lack of a better one. because obviously as we can see, he hasn’t forgiven him, but what he has done is put that part of his past behind him. for his own sake, for his own peace, which he deserves. anyways guys Shouto is so fucking strong and I love him so damn much. shit.)
“y’all didn’t think I was gonna put the Terrible Trio together with Endeavor and not follow through on it with piles and piles of Todoroki angst,” Horikoshi says, casually filing his nails with one eyebrow raised. “c’mon”
here it comes y’all
ain’t no force on this earth more dramatic than a Todoroki. did he somehow get a wind blowing in from somewhere. aren’t they indoors
loool Endeavor getting DRAGGED LIKE AN UNTIED SHOELACE in front of these kids he just met two seconds ago, oof. “don’t forget dad, just because I’ve mellowed out a bit and accepted that I need to learn how to use my fire side doesn’t mean I don’t still hate your guts because BOY DO I.” oh damn
so your kid is justifiably pissed at you for your decade and a half of abuse, not to mention annoyed that you’re just putting it all behind you now and acting like it never happened. but it’s not like it’d make things any better if he just went back to acting like a jerk with these new kids! so here we all are, with no easy answers for this situation. what’s a 45-year-old man trying to make up for his past sins to do
(ETA: boy I just took a stroll around the ol’ fandom and a lot of people have really strong feelings about this huh. the most common sentiment seems to be “YAASSSS SHOUTO”, which I can 100% get behind. but it seems like a lot of people are also angry that Shouto is in this situation to begin with. specifically, we have the usual faction of people who are upset that Endeavor is getting any kind of redemption arc at all, and would prefer if he remained eminently hatable and shunned and detested for the rest of his days.
and look, I get it. humans are hardwired to want things to be fair. we want karma. kindness should beget kindness, and cruelty should net you the same treatment in return. reap what you sow. and while some crimes occasionally fall into a grey area, it hardly gets more black and white than Endeavor’s case. not only is there the child and spousal abuse, there’s also the incredibly dubious consent issues that arise in the case of an arranged marriage. like, there’s really no question that what he’s done is bad. so to see behavior like that “rewarded” by his becoming the number one hero, and to see people actually admiring him, and to watch him taking steps to turn his life around even as his wife and children struggle to gather the shattered pieces of their own lives -- yeah, that’s gonna trigger something in a lot of people. because it’s not fair. he hurt good people who didn’t deserve it, and all of this makes it seem like he’s getting away with it.
but here’s the thing -- there are different types of penance. there’s punishment, but there is also atonement. and Endeavor is getting his just desserts in some ways -- by being forever denied the chance to reach the goal that he worked his whole life toward, and by finally developing a conscience, the better to fully experience the remorse of knowing the pain he brought about to his family. but what’s arguably more important than that is that he also has the opportunity to try and atone for some of the terrible things he’s done, by doing good in the world now. he is a hero. his job is to help people. every day he is making the world a little better by doing that. and that, to me, is such a fascinating idea: a terrible person doing good things. and it’s something that feels almost counterintuitive, and that’s part of why a lot of people have so much trouble accepting it, I think. but it’s a fact of life, isn’t it? if good people can do bad things, then it stands to reason that the reverse is true as well.
and I’ll just come right out and say it -- for me, if it comes down to a choice of having someone be punished, or having them be forced to do good things to atone, I’m gonna go with the latter just about every time. because while it may not feel quite as viscerally satisfying, it’s the option that produces the greatest net benefit for the world. without Endeavor, the world would have one less person out there battling evil. and as I suspect we’re going to continue to see in this arc, there are other, subtler ways that he can still do good as well.
so yeah. it’s a tricky thing. but to be honest, the ability to explore this type of complexity is one of the things I respect the most about Horikoshi’s storytelling. he’s not taking the easy way out here. he’s not giving us easy answers one way or the other. no matter what kind of resolution we get to this character arc, it’s not going to be something that will satisfy everyone. but that’s just how it is. anyways, apologies for the rant.)
hmmm Endeavor
yeah you really read that one wrong. anyway I guess it’s your turn to make a speech now
...
classic Endeavor
(ETA: actually truth be told, that was quite eloquent, and pretty much the only thing he could have said in response to all that. it’s not like he can even begin to justify all of his actions, and pretty much anything else that came out of his mouth would have come off like an attempt to dismiss his son’s feelings, or him trying to weasel out of taking responsibility. there is pretty much nothing else he can say here except for “I understand. that’s valid, and I fucked up.” which this is pretty much acknowledging. anyways this whole chapter is basically the sequel/continuation to 192 and I’m loving it omg.)
so he says he’ll watch over the three of them as a hero, and lead them in hero stuff
oh, I wasn’t going to post this panel, but now Endeavor’s saying “those are the three fundamental skills sought after from a hero” so I guess I should, huh
ooh he says that generally heroes will choose to specialize in either rescue or battle, but his policy is to kick ass at all three. well that’s one similarity between him and All Might, at least. if you’re not here to both win and rescue then what are you even doing with your life am I right
damn there really is a reason why this guy is the number one huh
okay, like. not to knock like 99% of the other heroes out there, but is anyone else sitting there thinking “wow, finally someone competent” or is it just me. like, I really do get a sense of “he’s got it all under control” from him which is lacking with pretty much all of the other heroes. no wonder society is on the verge of being in shambles. what we really need is for all heroes to be this capable, and not just All Might or Endeavor or whoever happens to be the current number one
okay, Endeavor is really out here being a genuinely good mentor, I’m speechless
holy shit
-- WHAT, NO! ARE WE ALREADY DONE?? WHY
okay but I do love that, though. it’s a perfect goal for them. difficult, but not impossible at the rate they’re growing. and it also just so happens to be something that they need to be able to do if they really are going to be the shoulders that society is resting all of its hopes upon. and last but not least, it’s something that all three of them will be able to set their minds too gladly. kick this old man’s ass, kids
anyways. ladies and gentlepeople this chapter was only thirteen pages. shortest chapter we’ve had in a minute. but at least it was densely packed! even if Shouto took up like half of it with his Daddy Issues Speech. that’s okay Shouto we always welcome your daddy angst
all in all I am satisfied. character development, and finally a clear goal for the arc. though part of me would also love it if they manage to achieve this in like the very next chapter. you never know with these wunderkinds lol
#bnha#boku no hero academia#bnha 247#endeavor#todoroki shouto#bakugou katsuki#midoriya izuku#bnha spoilers#mha spoilers#bnha meta#makeste reads bnha#well here I am back from six flags at 1:30 a.m. and ready to rant about bnha in the middle of the night#I guess technically speaking it's not *that* late#in tumblr time anyway#anyway my bad sorry guys!
129 notes
·
View notes
Text
Excerpt from Done with Love Ch 2
Scene: Dinner with Team 10
Just sharing some of my favorite scenes from my In-Progress fic! Hope you guys enjoy!
Done With Love - Ch 2 [FF | AO3]
Ships: Hints of Shikasaku, one-sided ChojiIno, InoSai
Scene summary: Sakura agrees to finish some work with Shikamaru over dinner, but the unexpected addition of his teammates complicates things.
Shikamaru had agreed to meet and finalize her plan over dinner. Tsunade wanted it in by tomorrow, and Shikamaru had made her promise to treat him to dinner for having to work on it in the evening.
She's walking into a BBQ restaurant she knows Team 10 visits quite frequently, but that she's never been to. In the back, she finds Shikamaru is lounging in a booth but as she approaches, she notices he's not alone.
Choji is across from him, already grilling meat on the table grill.
"If you think I'm paying for him too, you're insane." Sakura says, sliding into the bench next to Shikamaru. He huffs, but moves aside to let her in.
"It was an accident. I told him where I was going tonight, and he insisted on coming along." Shikamaru explains.
Sakura groans internally, and while she has nothing against Choji, this situation was embarrassing enough without an audience.
"I'm right here, you know." Choji interjects between bites, then to says to Shikamaru, "I did ask if it was a date, didn't I? You could have just told me the truth if you didn't want me here."
Shikamaru and Sakura blush bright red and say together, "It's not a date!"
Choji looks even more skeptical after the swift denial, but then says "Shikamaru filled me in about your training, Sakura, and I gotta say, you are so lucky to have him helping you out. He's the smartest guy I know. You'll be back in the game in no time." Choji gushes.
Sakura blanches at the 'back in the game' comment, but she thanks him quietly. Then she shoots a glare at Shikamaru for oversharing and Sakura sees a bashful look on his face telling her he's not comfortable with praise.
"Hey, don't go making promises I can't keep." Shikamaru says, averting his eyes from Sakura's gaze.
Recognizing an opening, Sakura pulls out some pages from her bag. "I brought those changes with me. I met with everyone today, and they're all on board."
Shikamaru scans the top page, arms crossed and not bothering to take them from her hands.
They'd agreed on getting a genjutsu mentor and someone to help with speed training. The general strategy focused on enhancing her current skill set. The base defense and evasion techniques she'd learned from Tsunade were solid but could be rounded out with the additional speed training. When Sakura did have to go on the offense, Shikamaru had explained, she needed more options than just punching her way out. That's where genjutsu came into play.
They'd selected Kurenai for genjutsu and, after a lot of back and forth, Rock Lee for speed training. When she'd gone to meet Lee to ask for his help, he'd been training with Team Gai. Much to her utter mortification, one word to Gai and she was suddenly worked into their training schedule. Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 6 am. Oh joy. That left Tuesdays and Thursdays for her training with Kurenai.
To top it off, she'd get strategic lessons from Shikamaru in the afternoons. She'd been surprised when he had volunteered to meet daily but didn't argue. He didn't give details on the training no matter how much she pressed, but she had a feeling this was just an elaborate ruse to give him several hours a day to watch clouds while she worked her ass off. After having to join Gai's team, an afternoon of cloud watching sounded just fine to her. If she played her cards right, Shikamaru might not even notice if she snuck a nap in too.
"Looks fine," Shikamaru says a little too quickly for Sakura to believe he had actually read a single word.
"Did you even read it?" Sakura presses.
"Ah," he lies, leaning back.
"Shikamaru can speed read. He's like a super genius." Choji defends before waving down the waitress, "Another order of beef ribs, please!"
"Geeze, why did I even bother coming if you were just going to okay everything without reading it anyway?" She mumbles to herself, shoving the papers back in her bag. "If that's all, I'm just going to get going then." She pulls her wallet out to pay him for his meal. A promise was a promise.
"You're already here. Might as well stay and grab a bite," Shikamaru says casually. He's still not looking her in the eye. She doesn't miss the curious glance Choji shoots Shikamaru. It's gone in a moment, as the waitress brings Choji's order of Beef Ribs.
"Yeah, Sakura! You have to stay. They have the best Beef Ribs in the village." Choji insists.
She looks at Shikamaru one more time, trying to gauge a reaction but his face is carefully blank. Well, she might as well enjoy the meal she's paying for. And it did smell heavenly.
"Okay fine," She assents, and Shikamaru's posture softens slightly. The waitress takes her order, and as Shikamaru hands her the menus, his shoulder brushes against Sakura's. The booths are small, and the grill added to the heat. She slides a little farther to the edge of the booth feeling crowded.
There's a terrifying moment of silence. Despite popular opinion, Sakura was no good at small talk. She was scrambling for something to say when she hears in a sing-song tone, "Oh, Forehead!"
Ino is waving and headed over to the table. Great. Shikamaru is grumbling something under his breath too. The sentiment is shared it seems.
"Ino, over here!" Choji waves her over. He's about to move over for her to sit, but she slings and arm around him and leans into his shoulder.
"Hey, Choji. Didn't see you there," She says breezily. Choji preens under the attention. Interesting. She glances at Shikamaru looking for confirmation that the fondness she was seeing from Choji was correct. His eyes are narrowed on Ino, and his expression is just sour enough. He crosses his arms and the action has his arm pressing against hers again in the small booth.
"Don't you guys look chummy," Ino says to a little too sweetly to Sakura, "You're not trying to steal my team away are you?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that question, Ino-pig?" Sakura returns, referring to Ino joining the last Team 7 mission. Ino just giggles.
"Shikamaru's mentoring her. They came to figure out the details," Choji explains, and Sakura wishes he hadn't.
"Over dinner? That doesn't seem like you, Shikamaru" Ino questions.
Just when she thinks this can't get any more humiliating, Choji responds, "They already said it wasn't a date. That's why I'm here."
Ino's glancing between them, eyes lingering on their arms pressed together. Sakura's bright red again, leaning away as far as she can in the small booth.
Ino belts out a laugh, "Of course not! Can you imagine? Shikamaru would never go for a girl like Sakura."
Even though she has no interest in him, Sakura's still put off by the blatant refusal. What did she mean 'a girl like Sakura' anyway? She was about to ask but stops herself, afraid that it would be misconstrued as genuine interest in Shikamaru.
Surprisingly its Choji that comes to the rescue, "What's wrong with Sakura? She's nice and almost as smart as Shikamaru."
Normally Ino wasn't cruel for the sake of it, and they had come quite a way from fighting over Sasuke. So, what was her problem? Sakura glanced between the three teammates, trying to gauge the strange dynamic.
"I guess so," Ino say, "But Shikamaru likes blondes, remember?" She twists a lock of her platinum blonde hair as she says it, and Sakura doesn't miss the gesture. Maybe she was jealous. Maybe Ino and Shikamaru had some history she didn't know about.
"Plus Sakura only has eyes for Sasuke." Ino reminds them.
"I'm over him, Ino." The words are out of Sakura's mouth be fore she can stop them. There's a tense moment of silence.
"Really?" Choji asks, eyebrows high and sitting up a little in his seat.
"Since when?" Ino challenges.
"For a while now, not that it's any of your business" Sakura grumbles, shrinking under the scrutiny of all three of them.
"Well, then, maybe there is a chance." Ino says glancing between Sakura and Shikamaru before saying, "They would have the smartest babies ever, wouldn't they Choji?" Sakura doesn't think Ino notices, but as Ino leans in, her breasts press into Choji's shoulder and he goes bright red.
"Enough Ino, we get it." Shikamaru says, finally speaking up. He only looks slightly annoyed, but his clenched fist under the table gives away that he's suppressing stronger emotions to Sakura.
"Alright then," Ino's smile drops to a pout and she pulls away from Choji, "I can tell when I'm not wanted," Ino says, vying for sympathy. Choji bites right away.
"He didn't mean it like that," Choji insists, "Eat dinner with us. We're just getting started."
Ino continues to look put off, but her mouth twitches up under the reassurance. "Thanks, but I'm actually here with Sai."
Choji deflates, "You're here on a date?"
Ino brushes off the comment. "I'm not really into labels," she lies, probably meaning he hasn't said one way or another. Knowing Sai and how socially ignorant he was, Sakura doubted he even knew Ino was hitting on him at all. "But we'll see where it ends up afterward." Ino finishes suggestively winking at Sakura before flitting away.
The atmosphere is heavy in her absence. Choji is picking at the food on his plate, sighing heavily, and Shikamaru watches with a frown.
"Hey," Shikamaru says to Choji, "Let's get another round."
Sakura get's the feeling this is the best way to cheer Choji up, but is surprised when he says, "I'm not that hungry anymore."
Shikamaru's fist clenches harder under the table.
"Come on, my treat. Whatever you want." Shikamaru insists. The waitress arrives with Sakura's order just then.
"Really?" Choji perks up, "Even the deluxe meal?"
"I'd be offended if you got anything less," Shikamaru jokes.
"You heard the man!" Choji shouts to the waitress, "One deluxe meal on him!"
As the waitress backs away with a strained smile, Sakura studies Shikamaru from the corner of her eye. He relaxes at his friend's spirits returning. He was a good friend, and Sakura felt a wave of respect for him.
Shikamaru must feel her gaze. His eyes slide to hers and although her first reaction is to quickly look away, she doesn't back down, silently asking a thousand questions. Shikamaru lets out a huff that seems to say, 'don't ask'.
"Hey, Sakura, are you gonna eat that?" Choji interrupts the moment and Sakura is shooing him from her plate.
She'd corner him later. They did have plenty of time after all.
#WIP#fanfiction#fanfic#illwork4anime#shikasaku#team 10#naruto#naruto fanfiction#ino yamanaka#ino#shikamaru nara#shikamaru#sakura#sakura haruno
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Duke Roufus discusses CM Punk’s enchancment, court docket case and being a lot much less nervous for UFC 225
CM Punk will make that stroll to the Octagon for the second time Saturday in his hometown of Chicago.
Earlier than UFC 225 at United Heart, MMA Preventing caught up with Punk’s coach Duke Roufus of Roufusport in Milwaukee, one of many prime head coaches in blended martial arts, to debate all the pieces from Punk’s enhancements, the technique towards Mike Jackson, Punk being in court docket all final week and nerves going into his debut two years in the past.
(This interview was edited for brevity.)
Marc Raimondi: Are you glad that you just’re lastly going to cease listening to, ‘CM Punk doesn’t need to be on the primary card?’ How sick are you of all this? Joe Rogan has introduced it up and different folks.
Duke Roufus: It doesn’t trouble me in any respect. My dad was a struggle promoter, so I perceive the truth. If you happen to don’t have folks that drive income, none of us have jobs. There’s no press, there’s no UFC employees, there’s no Bellator employees. Our lives are within the steadiness of men like Punk, actually. And Conor and . I’ve been within the UFC frequently since ’05 now and I’ve seen everybody prosper due to the big-name guys.
I perceive the fighters have pleasure they usually need to be on the primary card. Everyone needs to be in a fundamental sport, however on the finish of the day it’s the golden rule — he holds the gold makes all the principles. I attempt to not get caught up within the different issues that go on within the sport, besides the issues that I've management over. The one issues we now have management over as coaches serving to the athletes is our preparation. I focus solely on that a part of my job.
MR: Talking of preparation, Mike Jackson is a man who's a little bit of an unknown amount. He has some expertise in kickboxing and in boxing. He’s solely 0-1 in MMA, within the UFC. Is the main target simply on getting Punk pretty much as good as he could be, or is there a component of, ‘Right here’s what we’re going to do towards this specific man?’
DR: Each. As a result of Mike has had a while since his struggle to enhance, as effectively. If you happen to paint an image — particularly to a more moderen athlete — of that is the best way it’s gonna be and we go in there and , ‘Hey, he didn’t struggle the best way you informed me he would, Coach — what’s occurring?’ We’ve gotta be ready for probably the most underestimated issues. It’s been a complete preparation, as a result of there's so little on Mike.
We see it usually, fighters who're strikes who take it to the mat and vice versa. Something occurs in MMA. The chaos is what makes it enjoyable.
MR: How significantly better is CM Punk now in comparison with how he was a few years in the past at UFC 203?
DR: Extremely. The primary struggle, I’m not gonna lie, all of us rolled the cube. It was like this loopy science undertaking. I haven’t been that nervous earlier than a struggle earlier than, actually. And we’re actually good pals. Ariel Helwani and myself and Chael Sonnen in Chicago in January 2013, all of us sat along with Punk and watched Ben Askren beat Karl Amoussou when Thursday evening Bellator was on. We hit it off very effectively from that time. We turned pals. I personally look after the man very a lot. He’s a strong particular person. It was nerve-wracking.
That being stated, I don’t have these nerves coming into this one, as a result of we had a session with coach and with coach Wanderley with Punk and all the pieces simply appeared simply all collectively. Not that he was struggling, however he simply peaked out. It’s like he perceive the sixth sense of combating. It took him some time to get that. That’s the factor. Everybody is aware of the Xs and Os of these items and we educate you the Xs and Os, the theories. However there’s intuition. And the intuition if there — the reactions, the seeing issues earlier than they occur. Having that sixth sense and he had it. I’m very comfortable about that. Generally fighters by no means get that.
MR: You’ve seen just about there's to see in fight sports activities. You’ve been a champion, you’ve coached champions. You’ve additionally coached guys on the lowest degree, on the newbie degree. It is a state of affairs the place it’s like you may have a celeb are available — in some methods — and you must construct that individual from scratch. However it’s not like another person from scratch. There are expectations, there are vibrant lights. What has this expertise been like for you?
DR: It’s taught me rather a lot about myself. It’s made me a greater coach, a greater mentor. To be shot into the cannon of public opinion, to cope with all of the setbacks alongside the best way. Now we have to do plenty of simulation of situations. I’m really utilizing that with a few of our different older athletes, too, to reinvigorate their fireplace. As a result of generally a few of these guys have been within the Octagon for thus lengthy, it turns into regular. Preventing and regular ought to by no means be in the identical — it’s not regular. You need to preserve your, excuse the time period, Spidey Sense at all times tingling. You’ve gotta have that buzz, that fireside.
Some workout routines and a few coaching we’ve finished to assist Punk cope with the excitement of the Octagon we’re additionally doing to assist guys reinvigorate their struggle careers and get that buzz again. Nearly kid-like, if you'll.
It’s at all times been a constructive expertise. It’s been superb. I can’t say sufficient about how many individuals who come as much as me who had been wrestling followers or CM Punk followers who help our sport now. One, after which two simply what number of normal folks within the public that Punk has touched their eye or their coronary heart. He's virtually a Rudy or a Rocky kind of man, actually. So many individuals commend him for, after taking a beating within the first struggle it takes plenty of guts to get again in there. The admiration that folks have for him is simply superb. Win, lose or draw, it’s going to go down as one of many extra attention-grabbing, legendary tales within the struggle recreation.
MR: Final week, there was a singular prevalence the place CM Punk is in a court docket room all week. He’s being sued by the WWE physician for defamation (Editor’s be aware: He gained the case Tuesday.). I’m certain a lot of the exhausting coaching is over, however how does that have an effect on him mentally going into this week’s struggle?
DR: That’s why I put all of it collectively . Generally when these fighters are alone and away from us, two issues occur. They both neglect all the small print and coaching they did they usually simply shelve it they usually don’t course of it. Punk, that’s all he considered. Among the particulars that we’ve been engaged on for 2 years all culminated in our exercise .
You'll be able to’t write these items, it’s loopy. Him simply engaged on the little particulars by himself as a result of he’s coping with this court docket case ended up being the most important blessing in disguise. And the opposite factor, I feel it’s really lit an additional fireplace underneath his ass and put some grit in him. Not that he doesn’t have the grit, however I feel that is some further motivation coming into the struggle Saturday. The stress of being within the court docket room round attorneys, I feel he’s gonna need to put it on somebody this weekend.
MR: May it have an effect on his weight reduce in any respect?
DR: One factor we did as a result of he was an older man for the game is he doesn’t reduce plenty of weight. Quite a lot of the fighters I’m working with, I’ve actually jumped in and brought management of the state of affairs. I’m attempting to coach them extra like we did in hanging. I’m not into huge weight chopping. I’m simply not a giant fan of it, as a result of the sport is altering. Particularly a couple of years again, you’d be the larger man and wrestle and lay on folks, use your dimension. You’re seeing much less wrestling than ever, much less jiu-jitsu than ever. Principally, you’ve gotta be in form to struggle both three, five-minute rounds or 5 five-minute rounds of hanging. So that you’ve gotta change the best way you put together the athletes.
You'll be able to’t lose that a lot weight and anticipate an awesome efficiency within the hanging. That’s one thing I’ve actually gotten forward of. Sergio Pettis (who fights Joseph Benavidez at UFC 225) is inside 10 kilos of his weight already.
With Punk, we didn’t need to take him down that rabbit gap of pondering, how am I gonna carry out with a weight reduce, not to mention how am I gonna struggle and beat this man? There’s already an excessive amount of for him to consider that he’s within the UFC in his second professional struggle, now let’s go down the rabbit gap of a loopy weight reduce? No, not even. I feel you do fairly effectively when you may have vitality.
MR: Has CM Punk indicated to you what the longer term holds after this struggle? Some folks have speculated that if he loses, he gained’t be again within the UFC. I do know he has stated he nonetheless needs to proceed his MMA journey, even when it’s not within the UFC.
DR: He’s gonna proceed. He’s acquired an excessive amount of vested on this. He actually loves the martial arts way of life. He’s very into the tradition of this. When he was arising as a wrestler, he wrestled in Japan, within the Japanese skilled wrestling tradition may be very martial-arts based mostly. Quite a lot of issues that I did after I educated within the Okay-1 dojo in Thailand are plenty of the identical issues he did in Japanese wrestling. That’s type of our connection within the gymnasium. He mops the mat each day. There’s a time period in wrestling in Japan, it’s referred to as the ‘younger boys.’ These are the younger guys.
After I stayed my first of many instances in Thailand, I needed to mop, I needed to sweep the gymnasium. I needed to do dishes, laundry with the younger fighters if I used to be gonna be accepted as a part of the camp. That’s one thing that he’s finished very effectively. He mops the mat each day when he trains. It’s spectacular to see a man together with his success preserve that humility and grounding.
Read the full article
0 notes
Last Seen Blogs
