#i'd fall asleep and he'd have to shake me awake because i shouldn't be falling asleep in the bathtub lol
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wanting to take a bath with levi
like just sitting in the warm water with his arms wrapped around you from behind. the back of your head is resting on his shoulder. he hasn't even bathed yet, but he is already starting to smell like the bodywash he always uses. he'd occasionally shift around to adjust the flow of the water to keep it warm, shushing the quiet whine that would come out of you upon the sudden movement
afterwards, he'd help dry you off and the two of you would tuck yourselves into bed, your limbs feeling like jelly after sitting in the bath with him for so long. he pulls you into his chest, planting a kiss on the top of your head. you fall asleep pretty quickly after that.
it seemed almost painfully bland and simple compared to everything else going on in your lives.
but for right now, life is good 💕
#he'd be so comfy#i'd fall asleep and he'd have to shake me awake because i shouldn't be falling asleep in the bathtub lol#thinking of levi#levi x reader#levi fluff#levi ackerman x reader#levi heichou x reader#captain levi x reader#levi#levi ackerman#levi heichou#captain levi#attack on titan#aot#shingeki no kyojin#shingeki no kyoujin#snk
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Turtle Doves | Joel Miller
Part Seven
Chapter Directory
Series Summary: In which two broken souls connect so deeply, that if one should perish, the other would surely die of a broken heart. (slow burn, timeline changes. After TLOU1, before TLOU2, assumed knowledge of infected, uses elements from both show and game)
Series Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, death, and sexual content.
Also cross-posted on Wattpad and AO3. Link to my masterlist for everything else I’ve posted!
"When they return, I'll be waiting for them."
The eerie silence of the night amplifies every little noise. Joel managed to fall asleep about an hour ago, and each time he moves or readjusts, fear strikes me. For some reason, my mind is convinced that more infected are in here, when I know they're not. If they were, they would have made themselves known by now.
Looking back out of the window, I readjust the way I'm sitting because my legs have gone numb. My eyes burn from forcing myself to stay awake, but each time I close my eyes I'm haunted by images of the dead children. I tap my fingertips on the floor as I keep close eye on the horizon, looking for anything to signify life. My chest rises and falls dramatically as I sigh in frustration and disappointment.
Standing from the ground, I pace around the small corner I've confined myself to for Joel's comfort. I knew that he'd never let himself be lulled to sleep if I stayed close, he seems to be well guarded and generally untrusting. So I was surprised when I glanced over and saw his eyes closed and head leaned against the wall a few hours ago. Only the muffled sound of my boots hitting the floor can be heard, and I'm sure it's not loud enough to wake him.
My mind begins working through different scenarios once more. Like what is my next move if the killers don't start a fire tonight? How am I going to determine which way to go? I can't just guess at it, that would be a massive waste of time and would put me in unnecessary danger. My eyes drift back to the large windows on the wall, wishing and hoping that I'd finally see something. Each time I look and see nothing, a small part of my strong resolve dissolves.
Yawning, I find my fingers fiddling with my necklace, trying to keep myself inspired to stay here and see this through instead of feeding into my disappointment and going back to the QZ.
"Why don't we trade off?" Joel's voice startles me. My body jumps involuntarily at the unexpected sound and I look over to him, the moonlight illuminating half of his face. Once my heartbeat has settled to a semi-regular pace, I shake my head,
"No that's okay. You get more sleep, I'll be just fine." My voice is rough from staying silent for so long. Joel looks out the window.
"You haven't slept all night. You really think you can keep goin' like this?" His voice is deep and quiet, his dark eyes meet mine through the shadows. A part of me knows he's right, I can't keep functioning at my fullest capacity with limited sleep.
"I'm gonna have to." I say, my words betraying what I know is right. For some reason, I know I would feel bad if I took him up on his offer. This isn't his fight, he shouldn't have to stay awake for my sake. He shakes his head,
"You say that 'til you're face to face with death because your judgment is impaired and you make a simple mistake." It almost sounds like he's speaking from experience. I walk closer to him so that our voices can stay quiet, just in case there is something lurking around in here that we didn't see.
"But that won't be on you. And besides, this was my idea, I can't pass off my responsibility to you. You'll need the rest for your trip." I say, tucking my necklace back underneath my shirt. He stares at me for a long while, like he's trying to figure me out.
"Who are you after?" He asks. I shrug my shoulders,
"I don't know. Well, you heard what I said back at James' place, three kids were killed. They were all assaulted and mutilated. One of them died in my arms. And I had even checked that area not fifteen minutes earlier." My voice trails off as I remember the poor girl's last breaths and her blood smearing on my arms as she grasped at them for help. My gaze finds its way down to the ground and I blink away the tears.
"Who were those kids to you?" He asks, his voice sounding softer than it was a few minutes ago. I pick my eyes back up and stare straight ahead out at the city.
"I didn't know them. But nobody deserves that end, especially not kids." I say and turn my head to look at him. He just nods.
"Sleep. I'll look for them." He says and stands from his position on the ground. I shake my head and cross my arms, prepared to stand my ground on this one. I'm not sure why I'm so concerned with this stranger's wellbeing, but I can't find it in myself to be selfish and accept his offer.
"No it's oka-"
"No. Sleep. You'll need the energy." He doesn't let me finish my sentence before he turns his back on me and goes to look out the window.
I take his spot up against the wall, and lean my head back. If he's so insistent on it, then I guess I shouldn't fight it. He knows his capabilities and it's not my job to take care of him. My eyes close and the silence welcomes me to sleep quickly, maybe I needed this more than I thought.
"Hey." A shove on my shoulder wakes me and my eyes fly open. Quickly, I look around, not recognizing my surroundings. I find Joel's face above me, he's standing right beside me and must have nudged my shoulder with his leg.
"What?" I ask, suddenly alert and aware of where I am. I stand from my spot and follow him over to the window, where he presses a finger to the glass, pointing off in the distance. I follow his finger and see what I've been looking for all night. A plume of black smoke is rising to the sky.
My jaw sets tight as I watch the smoke dissipate in the air. The rising sun is visible on the horizon, I must have been out for a few hours. My arms cross in front of my chest and I make note of where it's coming from, and what streets I need to take to get there. If I leave now, there's a good chance I'll be able to reach them before they abandon their camp.
Turning away from Joel, I grab my backpack that I had put in my corner last night. I shrug it over my shoulders and tighten the straps so that the weight is evenly distributed. My boots feel like they might be getting a touch loose, so I bend down and tighten the laces. Once I'm sure I'm ready to leave, I take a centering breath and go over to Joel and extend a hand.
"Pleasure doing business with you." I say with a small smile, appreciating his willingness to stay with me. He looks down at my hand and back out the window.
"The smoke was to the west, the way I'm headed back home." Is all he says and I awkwardly drop my hand back down to my side. My eyebrows scrunch together, not entirely understanding what he's implying.
"You could go around, might add a mile or two to your trip though." I say, glancing back at the smoke plume. Joel takes a moment to look back out at the smoke before he nods his head and holds his hand out. I take it and give him the firmest handshake I can.
The two of us turn and make our way back down to the street, the sun quickly rising in the sky. If I can pull this off well, I might even be back home before sundown. Off in the distance, I can still see the smoke. Joel and I turn to one another before we part our ways.
"Stay safe out there." I say with a small smile, hoping that his trip is uninterrupted and goes well for him. He's probably got a family waiting for him, and they deserve to have him back. He gives me a curt nod,
"Good luck." Is all he says before we embark on our separate journeys.
I begin walking towards the smoke and try to get into a fighter's mindset. It's not only the people I have to worry about out here on the streets. I push every other thought out of my mind and try to get back into the headspace I had years ago when I had to fight the infected every day on patrols. They're quick and they're strong. So, I have to be quicker and smarter if I want to live. The same goes for dealing with the killers.
My stomach twists the closer I get to the smoke. I don't like that I'm essentially going in blind, who knows how many there are. It would be in my best interest to try and pull this off stealthily. If I can find some sort of vantage point before I get too close to scope out the camp that would be best. It would be really nice if I had a rifle with me, then I could find somewhere up high to camp out and take them out like that. But unfortunately, rifles are very difficult to find nowadays, even more so now that the arms trade has slowed in Boston.
I keep moving forward until I find myself close enough to the smoke where I can smell it. Taking a look around, I find an old store off to the right where I should be able to get a good angle on their camp. Swiftly and quietly, I make my way to the store with no interruptions and carefully step through the broken glass door. I'm careful to keep my footsteps level and close to the ground, so that the glass shards don't make too much noise.
The store looks like it had been ransacked years ago, and is now a mess of tipped shelves and useless products. As I make my way to the back of the store, I look at the discarded items, making sure there's nothing of use that I can grab. But it looks like all that remains are empty boxes and various electronics. Nothing that I can immediately use to my advantage. The back of the store houses the roof access point and I climb the ladder, pushing the entrance open with a small squeak.
Sunlight blinds me as I step out onto the roof and I quickly crouch down so that any wandering eyes won't be able to spot me. From my vantage point, I see a small camp. There's one tent set up and a smoldering fire in the center, billowing white smoke now that it has been put out. Squinting my eyes, I see one person standing around. But nobody else.
My blood runs cold, that has to be the killer. Or at least one of them. Maybe the other one is off patrolling the area or something. If I can go take that one out, then the other should be no problem. However, it all seems too simple, too easy. Something just doesn't feel right to me. But, maybe I'm just overthinking this and it really is going to be this simple.
I wait for a few more minutes before I leave the rooftop, just to be sure nobody else is going to show up. I don't hear anyone in the distance, so I have to guess that the coast is clear, or at least will be clear enough for me to get down there and take down the person I saw.
I stay crouched as I make my way to the camp, grabbing the curved blade out of my belt and holding it tightly in my hand. All of my focus is on staying quiet and making smart moves. My mouth goes dry as I approach the edge of the camp. Hiding behind a building, I peek out to make sure nobody else somehow showed up.
The same person is standing by their tent with their back facing me. It strikes me as odd, but maybe they got their hands on some pills and are too spaced out to know what's going on. Before I leave my cover behind the building, I close my eyes and say a silent prayer with shaky breaths.
My eyes open and I'm focused on one thing only. To kill the man that stands a few feet from me. I turn the corner and take calculated steps, avoiding debris on the ground. My breath is silent, but my heartbeat sounds incredibly loud. The man isn't turning around, he's standing oddly still and it sends a familiar panic through my body.
I freeze in my tracks as my boot steps on a rogue twig, probably meant to fuel the fire but never got used. Within the blink of an eye, the man turns around and it doesn't take me long to register that he's not alive, well, not humanly. The man's reanimated body screams out and runs toward me, hands outreached to grab me.
I dodge his swing and plunge my knife towards his head. The recently-turned man is fast, and my knife only catches a few inches of his throat. I don't have enough time to react to the missed slash before I'm tackled to the ground, the man's teeth inch closer and closer to my neck as I try to fight him off.
My panic somehow makes me more focused, and old maneuvers feel like muscle memory. I bring my knee up and hit the man, throwing off the equilibrium so I can get the upper hand. As he's thrown off balance, I use the momentum from my kick to bring my body above his, my hips straddling his torso. Without thinking, I raise my knife and bring it down into the man's head. His body goes limp and twitches as he dies once again.
Blood splatters my hands and forearms as I pull the knife from the man's skull. I use the man's green shirt to clean my blade and then I stand from the ground, looking down at the corpse. He looks recently turned, maybe a few hours old at this point. Turning around, I look for any more runners that may have been tipped off to the struggle, but find nothing except empty streets and silence.
Taking advantage of an empty camp, I start rummaging around for anything they left behind. I check the man's pockets first, finding nothing but an old cigarette. Next, I search the tent and find an old map shoved underneath the sleeping bag. Unfolding the map, I see several marks on it.
The Boston QZ is circled, and I see a few other cities with the same circle. Other places are marked with the Firefly symbol. Sprinkled throughout the country there are some areas marked with stars. One location is marked with a large 'T'. There's no indication of what these symbols mean, but I can deduce some things from common sense. I can only guess that the circles represent QZ areas and the Firefly symbol is where known Firefly outposts are; that much is fairly obvious. The T might represent where these people came from, but it's all the way out in Nebraska. As for the stars, I don't have the faintest idea.
I fold the map up and put it in my bag to study later once I'm not out in the open. The rest of the tent holds nothing of value to me and so I move out and check the fire. There are scraps of paper in there mixed with twigs. Reaching in, I grab the largest scraps I can find, and see that there's only a few legible words left on each. The one scrap says "eliminate" and the other says "immune".
Moving on and not dwelling on what those words might mean, I tear apart the rest of the camp to look for anything useful. Beside the fire there's a second sleeping bag and I reach my hand down in it, pulling out another piece of paper. These people love writing notes to one another it seems.
The words on the paper are a lot more useful than the scraps I found in the fire. I read it quickly and read it a second time, not believing what I'm seeing. The note is almost like an instruction guide. It tells whoever was here what their mission was. It looks like their mission was to hit all the QZ's in the northeastern part of the United States and kill children between the ages of thirteen and seventeen indiscriminately. It doesn't say why, but on the bottom of the paper the Firefly logo is drawn.
I put the paper in my bag along with the scraps and map. What do the Fireflies have to do with this? Going back to the man's body, I look for the telltale sign of the Fireflies, but see no pendant around the man's neck. But what I do find is the letter 'T' carved into the skin of his chest.
Making sure there's nothing else to find in the camp, I move on so that if someone does come by I'm not caught off guard. I return to the store rooftop to monitor the camp some more. If someone does come back, they'll need to be killed for their involvement as well. Nobody is going to be spared from this group if I can help it.
The sunlight begins fading, and it's becoming abundantly clear to me that nobody is coming back to this camp. Infected probably came by and they scrambled, leaving their friend to his undead fate.
Back on the move, I decide to go west. I know there's more of these people out here and if I'm right about the map, they might be going back to where they came from in Nebraska. And even if they aren't going there now, they will eventually. And when they return, I'll be waiting for them.
#joel miller#joel#joel tlou#joel miller tlou#joel miller x oc#joel miller fic#joel miller fanfic#joel miller the last of us#the last of us#tlou#pedro pascal
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"don't do this. it's not good for you."-Stella to Data
She was right, and yet here he was, still hiding behind the bookshelf of Spagyrics, with his head inside one of them no doubt. Day in and day out, covering for others, covering for himself. There were so many patients that had fluttered in within the last week that Data almost didn't get a chance to breathe.
The both of them had always found some way to keep each other company or hang out within the Crystarium despite how their schedules were. Both of them knew this, quite heavily. They could even remember what time the two of them would wake up, so they could meet each other for breakfast.
Things had changed, and maybe it was Stella that was the only one to find it out.
Data had sooner become a well-rounded Sage. He'd been working on his alchemy on the side, conveniently at the same time. With the lack of workers sometimes, falling ill from patients that they couldn't bear to part with. Data offering to take up the shifts in their stead.
Data had always managed to feel awful when they would plan to have breakfast together and Data was already at work. At first it had surprised her, but lately . . . Data realized that he hated turning her down so much, that maybe it was better if they hadn't gone out for breakfast in a long time.
She would ask him when was the last time he had a break, but he'd never answer. She would ask if he had something to eat for dinner, but no answer. Ask where he was, would quickly say he's been stuck at work.
Stuck at work.
Stuck at work.
Data had a feeling that the scariest moment was when Pauline herself had admitted Data into Spagyrics himself. It had been early in the morning, and he'd come in looking less than stellar. Dark circles under his eyes, failure to stay awake. Sometimes he'd be confused about what the medications were in the vials, to the point where someone had to yank them clean from his hands in case he mixed them from pure exhaustion. The dizziness set in before he even realized, staggering into Fae-Hann's body before anyone could get their arms around him.
Darkness met him quicker than he could gasp, quicker than he could hear others screaming for help, for his name, for anything.
' Don't do this. It's not good for you. '
Stella was right there the moment he woke up, her hand looped tightly into his as though he'd been a goner longer than he had been asleep. He could see the fury but the relief burning in her eyes, and the red rings around her eyes.
Data's mouth dropped, upon realizing that she had possibly been in tears before he was awake. His fingers squeezed hers, and before he could state anything, her arms had gone around him, pulling him closer with a surprised gasp.
His fingers curled into her clothing even as he felt the dip in the bed springs from her sitting beside him. "Stella . . . I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have - they needed me and -"
Ah . . . he had to stop with those words right there. He really had to. They didn't need him, they needed help in general, and Data was the one who stepped forward. Shifting slightly, he could see that some of those who were originally on leave had returned. Perhaps not due to him, but because they could or had to return.
Spagyrics looked more fully staffed than it had within the last week, it felt. When they pulled away, Data reached up and thumbed away her tears that rested at the corners of her eyes, as if she had begun to cry again. Their foreheads rested together, smiles radiating across their faces.
' Pauline says you need to rest, and get outta here, ' she laughed, looking down at the other as he laid back down.
"Probably a good idea, I'd . . . like to get out of here." Then he laughed, shaking his head, waving his hand. "After I sleep of course."
#WARRIOR OF LIGHT // ♦︎ — › asks.#:: oathofpromises ::#:: queue ::#crying at them because she was worried about him and he's right there holding her ;;;;#baby boy needed rest
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Your Heart on Your Sleeve & A Knife in Your Back
Shindou Yo x Reader
Words: 7,229
Summary: When the two of you were young, you made a promise to each other that the two of you would be the greatest hero duo the world had ever seen. You would be the Pro Heroes Heat Wave and Grand, the best partners in the industry! And you weren’t going to let something as simple as going to different hero schools get in the way of your promise to your best friend. Before one can become a Pro Hero, however, they must receive their Provisional License. And really, since you’re so eager to talk to him about your classmates, can you blame him for using that information to his advantage? The answer, of course, is yes.
A/N: This was written as a Secret Santa present for a friend! It’s sort of a Christmas fic but since I don’t think I mentioned Christmas anywhere take it as a late generic holiday fic! Enjoy!
“I got in!” you shouted into the phone, prompting your dad to shout for you to lower your voice from downstairs. You called out an apology, gently setting down the hologram disc that came with your acceptance letter. The video had been paused near the end, and the smile on All Might’s frozen face paled in comparison to the beaming grin etched onto yours.
Instead of the excited encouragement you expected in response, you were met with silence. You waited, before hesitantly asking, “Shindou? You there?”
“...Yeah. Um, you got in where, exactly?” Shindou asked.
“Oh, yeah. I got into UA! They said I'm in class 1-A!” you exclaimed. You giggled excitedly, doing a small little dance. If Shindou were in the room with you he'd no doubt comment about how silly you looked, but you wouldn't care a bit. This was everything you dreamed of, and you felt like you were on top of the world right now.
“That's great, Y/N,” Shindou said, very clearly not as excited as you were. “So I guess that means you're not coming to Ketsubutsu, huh?”
You let out a sigh. “Yeah, guess not. I mean, I really would love to go to school with you, but Ketsubutsu is so far, and—“
“UA is your dream school, I get it! You don't have to make any excuses; if I were in your situation I'd choose UA too,” Shindou laughed. “Just don't get it in your head that this makes you better than me, alright? I may not be your senpai anymore, but I still have a year of experience on you.”
“If you say so,” you giggled. “Just get ready, I'll catch up with you before you know it. We gotta be on the same level when we team up, you know?”
Shindou chuckled. “True, true. I'll put in a good word for you with Yoroi Musha then. We’ll be able to get used to working together if he extends an internship offer to you.”
“Pfft, you won't need to! He'll be so blown away when he sees me at the Sports Festival this year, he’ll be begging to have me join,” you claim. Sure, you may have been exaggerating a bit there. After all, having the Number 8 Pro Hero as a mentor would be a very big deal. But you were confident in your skills, and Shindou made it sound so wonderful whenever he told you of his experiences working with the hero. You remember celebrating the night Shindou told you he'd been offered an internship at his agency, and you were still proud of him. He wasn't at the agency anymore, but was extended an offer to return once he'd gotten his provisional license.
“There you go again,” Shindou jokingly chided. “And they wonder why I worry about their ego...”
“Oh, because you're one to talk, right?” you joked back. You heard your dad call for you, and stopped laughing to let out a sigh. “Listen, I gotta go. I’ll call back soon, alright?”
“Yeah, talk to you later then. Bye.”
“Bye!” you said, quickly hanging up. You pocketed your phone and moved to exit your room when you caught sight of your acceptance letter. You squealed in excitement. You were gonna be a hero!
You entered Shindou’s apartment, giving a brief bow to Shindou’s mother on your way in. “Thank you for having me over on such short notice!” you thanked her.
She waved it off with a smile. “It's no problem, Y/N,” she said. “You're always welcome here! Besides, after what your class just went through we would've invited you over anyway!” Her eyes narrowed mischievously, and she leaned in and lowered her voice before continuing, “I know he's bad at showing how he really feels, but Yo’s been worried sick ever since the news broke. So I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see you here.”
You flushed at this, nodding in response and laughing nervously. “Haha, well, I guess I'll go see him now then!” You waved goodbye before rushing off in the direction of Shindou’s room. Once outside, you knocked a few times before placing your hand on the doorknob. “Shindou? It's me, Y/N. Can I come in?” you asked. You were met with complete silence. Your furrowed your eyebrows. “Shindou?” You placed your ear to the door, trying to listen for any movement on the other side. Nothing. Concern bubbled within you, and worst-case scenarios ran through your mind. Was your school the only one targeted today? Maybe someone had attacked Shindou without his family noticing. Trying not to panic, you called him once more. When no response came, you announced, “I’m coming in,” before twisting the doorknob and opening the door.
Quickly surveying the room for anything wrong, you sighed in relief at the sight of Shindou asleep in his bed, headphones covering his ears. Once the concern left you, you rolled your eyes in amusement. “Worried sick, huh?” you muttered, shaking your head and making your way over to stand at the side of his bed. Without warning, you flopped onto the bed next to him, throwing your weight into your fall. The mattress springs squeaked in resistance and Shindou was sent a few inches into the air, startling him awake. He ripped his headphones off and raised his hands into fists, seemingly ready for a fight before his eyes landed on you, casually lying in his bed with a devious smirk on your face.
His wide eyes blinked in confusion, and he reached up to rub at them before asking, “Y/N?”
You finally laughed at the confused look on his face. “Hey, Shindou. How was school today?”
At the mention of school, he was wide awake. The look on his face turned serious, and he gave you a slight glare. “I should be the one asking you that! A villain attack?!” He looked you up and down, concern etched into his features. “Are you hurt?”
Your smile turned soft, and you placed your hands on his shoulders. “Look, I’m fine! See? Not a scratch on me!” Except for the one on my back, you thought, but he didn't need to know about that. “As if I’d let some lowlife villain get the best of me!” you scoffed. “Besides, they really didn't know what they were doing with the whole attack. They basically made it easier for us all to fight back.”
Shindou raised an eyebrow, intrigued, yet still concerned. “They did? How?”
You giggled, finding humor in the convenience of the situation. “Okay, I probably shouldn't be laughing because I got really lucky they messed up the way they did, but it's just so perfect! We were at a training facility specifically for rescue training, so there were different zones for different types of disasters. And when the villains first showed up, they had their warper villain separate us into the different zones so they could pick us off individually, and—“
“So they were trying to kill you guys?!” Shindou asked, alarmed.
You sighed, frustrated at the interruption. “Yeah, they were. Anyway,” you continued, ignoring the growing concern in Shindou’s face, “we were all sent to the different disaster zones randomly. And, get this,” you giggled, pausing for dramatic effect, “they sent me to the fire zone.”
Shindou blinked, processing your statement before a bemused grin formed. “They didn't!”
“They did!” you cackled. The two of you laughed together for a few moments, with you hugging your sides. You wiped a tear from your eye, proceeding with your explanation of the day’s events. “Yeah, Ojiro and I took care of those assholes in no time.”
“Ojiro?” Shindou asked.
“Oh yeah, I haven't told you about any of my classmates yet. Ojiro’s got this really cool tail Quirk, and he's insane at martial arts!” You mimed some of the moves you’d seen your classmate perform earlier in the day, a large grin on your face. “With me practically giving them heatstroke and him kicking them into the concrete, they hardly stood a chance against us!” You smiled and leaned back in the bed, hands behind your head as you smiled at the ceiling. “I wasn't the only one who got a convenient placement, either. One of my classmates, Tsuyu, has a frog mutation Quirk. One of the many, many things she can do with her Quirk is swim fast.”
“Oh, let me guess,” Shindou cut in. “Flood zone?”
“Close,” you responded. “Shipwreck.”
Shindou snapped his fingers, muttering, “Damn.” He turned to face you, a small smile on his face. “You really did get lucky today, huh? You're sure you're alright?”
You nodded, returning his smile. “I promise, I'm perfectly fine. Other than this one kid with a really self-destructive Quirk and two of our teachers, nobody got seriously hurt. And those three are gonna be just fine, last I heard.” You let out a dreamy sigh. “Aside from, you know, the threat of death and all, it was cool seeing everyone’s Quirks in action. My classmates are all really cool.”
If you hadn't been staring at the ceiling, you might've noticed a certain glint in Shindou’s eyes. Having known him all your life, you would've immediately recognized the look as one he gets when scheming to himself. However, as you were looking away, he was met with no confrontation as a sly grin formed on his face. “Yeah,” he said. “They do sound pretty cool. Why don't you tell me more about them?”
You laid face down in your bed, unable to face the shame of meeting your friend’s gaze. Such a defeat had been humiliating, broadcast for the whole nation to see your failure. I can never go outside again, you thought. My entire career, down the drain. It was fun while it lasted. You'd survived an attack by villains, but this? This was your downfall.
“Y/N,” groaned Shindou, tired of your dramatics. “You got third place. That's good. What are you so embarrassed about?”
You lifted your head off your pillow to sent him a scathing glare. He rolled his eyes, not at all intimidated. “It wasn't good enough! I only got to the tournament round because Ojiro dropped out, and then I couldn't even last a minute against Todoroki! Me! Losing to the kid with the ice quirk!” You flopped your head back down, heaving another loud sigh into the pillow. “Who’d want to take me on as an intern after that mess I made out there...?” Your voice, muffled by the pillow, barely reached Shindou.
“Well, Yoroi Musha, for one,” Shindou muttered, rolling his eyes before letting out a laugh at the way your head jerked up in surprise.
“Wait, for real?!”
Shindou nodded. “You haven't gotten the offers yet, but he said he was impressed by your performance and thinks you'd be a good fit at the agency. Because, you know, you got third place and did a really good job, Y/N.” He watched as you processed those, waiting for the excited laughter that normally came when you received good news. This was a big deal, after all, and a great opportunity for your career. The laughter never came, however, as he saw you blink in confusion, your eyebrows furrowing. He sighed, realizing the issue. You still weren't satisfied with your performance, and you didn't understand why a high-ranking hero was impressed. Shaking his head, he moved to sit next to you on your bed, forcing you to roll into your back to make room for him. Lightly nudging your shoulder, he got your attention, asking, “Look, let's talk about what happened today. Maybe it'll get you to understand how well you actually did. Forget the second round and start with the first tournament match. Who were you up against?”
You sighed, grabbing your pillow and covering your face with it. “You watched the whole thing, you already know—“
“We’re talking each other through it,” he cut you off, ripping your pillow away. “Now, who did you fight?”
You let out a frustrated groan. “Fine. Kaminari Denki. My classmate.”
Shindou nodded. “Quirk?”
“Electricity.”
“And how did you beat him?”
“Kept my distance, since he’s better at short-range combat. Used my Quirk to make the air around us hotter, exhausting him faster and increasing the air’s resistance to electric current, making his attacks slower. I just waited for him to short out at that point,” you recited. You sighed once you finished. “Okay yeah, I did okay in that fight, but what about—?”
“Patience,” Shindou gently said, ruffling your hair as he cut you off yet again. Ignoring your pointed glare and avoiding your hand swatting his away, he nodded. “Next round. Who’d you fight?”
“Iida Tenya. Engine Quirk. I caused his engines to overheat,” you said, covering the questions you knew he'd ask before he got to them. “Harder to target him because he moved too fast, and he nearly got me out of the ring at one point.”
Shindou nodded. “Good, good.” He smiled down at me. “Now, the last round.”
You sighed, turning on your side away from him as your face flushed in embarrassment. “Do we really need to go over this one? It was embarrassing enough living through it.”
Shindou gripped your shoulder, rolling you back and laughing when he saw the pout on your face. “Yes, we do. It's important to understand your failures and learn from them. Can't be a good hero if you don't do that.”
You folded your arms over your chest. “...Fine. Todoroki Shouto. Half-hot, half-cold. I've only ever seen him use his fire against Midoriya, though.” You paused, frown deepening on your face.
Shindou poked your cheek at the corner of your frown, a smirk on his face. “Go on,” he teased.
“When the round started he sent ice to capture me like he did for everyone else. I used my Quirk to melt the ice, but I didn't evaporate it because the steam would have blocked my vision.”
“So the water was still on the floor of the ring?” Shindou asked.
“Yeah. I tried to get closer to him, since he seems like he prefers long-range attacks. Plus if he used his fire, I could've turned that against him. He didn't. And he kept avoiding me while I tried to close the distance until we basically circled the stage.”
“And,” Shindou added, “while this was happening you weren't focused on where you were standing.”
You shook your head. “Nope, just focused on getting closer to him.”
“So when you circled the stage—“
“I ended up back where I started,” you ground out between clenched teeth, “right where the puddle was from the ice I melted.”
“And the puddle?”
“Frozen over.”
“So,” Shindou continued, covering his mouth to try and stifle a laugh. “When you stepped on the ice?”
You sighed, sending him a pointed glare at his poor attempt to hide his laughter. “I fell on my ass, and Todoroki knocked me off the stage with more ice.”
Shindou snorted at the memory. He took in a breath, trying not to laugh too much when you were still embarrassed over the whole situation. “Now, if you had to do something different during that fight, what would you have done?”
You thought for a moment, your eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “Well,” you started, “I’d definitely get rid of that puddle, for one.” You continued to think, nodding to yourself. “I could try to do what Midoriya did and wait for him to overuse his ice, instead of chasing him around like I did. He'd either wear himself out from the cold or he'd use his fire, which I could turn against him.” You smiled, proud of yourself for your plan, before the smile dropped and you slammed your face into the pillow again. “Ugh, why didn't I just do that?!”
Shindou rubbed your back soothingly, a slight smirk on his face. “It's alright Y/N,” he said. “Now you know better, and you can probably beat him next time you go against him.”
You lifted your head, and his smirk vanished and was replaced with a smile. You sent him a soft smile, saying, “Thank you, Shindou. This was actually helpful. Think we can do this more often?”
He reached up to ruffle your hair, briefly blocking your view of his face as the smirk returned. “Of course! If you ever wanna go over a training exercise or something else you guys did in class, feel free to reach out.”
You sat up fully and leaned over to pull Shindou into a hug. You buried your face into his shoulder. Shindou blinked in surprise, his smirk dropping, but immediately returned the hug. For a brief moment, he felt a twinge of guilt, and considered telling you his real intentions. He shook his head, dismissing the thought and pulling you closer. They’ll understand eventually, he reasoned to himself.
Over the next couple of months, you'd taken Shindou up on his offer multiple times. After eventful Heroics classes, sparring sessions, or days where you just trained your Quirk, you'd call Shindou or visit his place to talk yourself through the experience. You'd go over the matches you'd win, detailing what strategies you'd used so you could understand which worked and which didn't. You extensively covered the matches you'd lost, analyzing together what your opponents did that got the best of you. Shindou would occasionally interject with his own ideas of how you could have utilized your Quirk, but for the most part he guided you to talk on your own.
When the time came to do your internship, you'd decided to join Yoroi Musha, who—just as Shindou had told you—extended you an offer to join him at his agency. Unfortunately, Shindou’s internship would occur in a different week, so the two of you did not get the chance to work together. Regardless, he continued to encourage you via text when you were free. Your regular analysis was put on a temporary halt, as you were getting plenty of feedback on your performance from your new mentor. Shindou, interestingly enough, did not reach out and offer to begin the conversation as much during this week, even though he was normally very enthusiastic in doing so. You shrugged this off, not seeing this as very unusual. After all, end of term exams had been approaching, and he was probably busy studying. This was a relatively new arrangement, after all.
When your end of term exams passed, however, his enthusiasm returned full force. He insisted you analyze the practical portion of the exam with very close attention to detail.
“After all,” he suggested, “it's not every day you get to fight against a Pro Hero.”
Finding no fault in his logic, you agreed. Interestingly enough, the direction he took when guiding your analysis wasn't what you expected. Rather than focus on the strategies you used against Midnight, Shindou had you focus on how well you worked with your teammate, and how you utilized both of your Quirks to your advantage. It all made sense why, however, after hearing him explain that in the field you'd likely find yourself having to improvise with a partner you haven't worked with before.
“But aren't we going to be partners?” you interjected, eyebrow raised as you teased him.
“Yeah, of course,” he nonchalantly responded. “But there might be times when we get separated for whatever reasons. You gotta learn to work with other people, you know?”
And after detailing how you were able to work together with Sero to win the match, that was the last analysis discussion the two of you would have. You told him about how your class would be going on a forest lodge trip during the summer, so you wouldn't be able to visit until you got back. He pouted when you told him, making you promise you'd visit as soon as you got back.
You giggled, pulling him in for a hug. “Of course!” You leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek, laughing as he blushed. “I know you'll get lonely without me, so I promise not to leave you alone for too long!” Shindou shook his head, muttering under his breath about you being embarrassing, but returned the hug. So you left, with the promise of a swift return and the sharing of any cool stories that happened over the summer.
And then the training camp was attacked. And your classmate was kidnapped. And you, without hesitation, joined your classmates in the rescue attempt. And though your rescue was successful, and you escaped without serious injury, and the villain that leveled the ward, leaving little behind was defeated—
It was all too much. You needed to get away, even if only briefly.
While the teachers made their rounds informing parents of the new dorms on campus, you made your way to Shindou’s apartment. Giving his mother the usual polite greeting, you were startled at her suddenly pulling you into a hug.
“We were so happy,” she said, voice wavering as she held back tears, “to hear that you were safe, Y/N.” She pulled away and wiped at her eyes, a soft smile on her face. “Yo is in his room. I know you came here to see him and not deal with me crying, so go on ahead.” She shooed you off in the direction of Shindou’s room, so you left her alone. You made your way to his room to see the door cracked open. You were about to announce your presence and walk in, when you heard another voice in the room.
“Wow, you got all that from one person?” The voice was male and was clearly coming from a phone speaker. You stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt his phone call, so you stood outside the door and waited for his to finish.
“Yeah, I have a friend in class 1-A over there, and they’ve told me a bunch about their classmates and their Quirks,” you heard Shindou say. “Strengths, weaknesses, fighting styles. All of it.”
“Wow! For real?” exclaimed the voice on the other end. “Are they trying to set up their class to fail or something?”
Shindou laughed in response. “Nah, I don't think they know that the license exam is a competition yet. We've been having these conversations so they can ‘improve their strategy’ when fighting. Which, to be fair,” he said, oh so casually like he wasn't breaking your trust and heart with every word, “we technically are. That's just...not the whole reason, is all.”
A moment of silence from the person on the other end, and you swear you could heart your heart pounding in your ears as the weight of how you'd been betrayed settled on you. The license exam? That’s why he'd been helping you? While you thought you were bonding with someone you'd known your whole life, he was gathering info to use against your class in an exam. To become a hero.
“...Huh. Your friend sounds kinda gullible,” the person on the other end, who you could only guess was one of Shindou’s classmates, finally responded. You scoffed quietly, shaking your head. Gullible. Because it was so wrong to trust that kind of info with someone you shared everything with? With someone who promised you to always be at your side and support you?
At Shindou’s laugh and the response of, “Maybe,” you'd decided you'd heard enough. You stood in front of the door, taking in a deep breath. You wiped at the tears in your eyes, swallowed down the burning pain in your throat, and hesitantly knocked at the door. Silence on the other side. “...Hey, I'll call you back later, okay?” you heard Shindou say into the phone. He must have turned off the speaker, as you heard no response before footsteps made their way to the door, which slowly opened to reveal Shindou on the other side.
Once he saw you, his eyes widened and he immediately pulled you into a tight hug. “Y/N,” he muttered, bringing his hand up to rest on the back of your head. “You’re okay...” Feeling the burning pain in your throat return, you resisted the urge to shove him away and yell at him over everything you'd overheard. Instead, you hesitantly raised your arms and returned the hug, embracing the warm feeling and trying to gain some sense of comfort in it. You didn't find much.
He eventually pulled away, frowning down at you as he placed his hands on your shoulders. “We were already worried enough when we heard your camp got attacked, but you had to go off and pull some stupid stunt that nearly got yourself killed again?” At your confused look, Shindou’s gaze narrowed on you. “Your dad called my mom. We know about how you and some classmates of yours rescued that Bakugou kid.” He let out a shaky sigh, his grip on your shoulders tightening. He closed his eyes tightly. “Just...don't do something that reckless again.” His eyes opened, and he gave you a small smile. “I can't be part of the best hero duo if my partner goes and gets themself killed, right?”
Still hurt over both his betrayal and how he had the nerve to act concerned about you after just bragging about how he tricked you, it took a bit of effort to put on a convincing smile. You knew, with how long the two of you had known each other, that it wouldn't be enough to convince him, so you pulled him into another hug so he wouldn't have to see it. “I’m fine. I promise I won't do anything like that again. You don't need to worry...”
He pulled away, giving a quick ruffle to your hair before he reached down to grab a bag on the floor, slinging it over his shoulder. “Good. Listen, as much as I’d love to stay, you kinda caught me at a bad time. I have to get back to the agency—my internship actually starts today!” He leaned forward to press a kiss to your forehead, and you did your best not to let the fluttering feeling in your chest make you forget what he did to you. “I’ll see ya soon, Y/N!” He waved and jogged over to leave his apartment after saying goodbye to his mother.
You let out a shaky breath once he was gone, the tension of holding in your emotion almost overwhelming. You wanted nothing more at that moment than to go home and have a nice cry session in your room, curtains drawn, with your favorite music playing at full volume. Before you could make your way to the exit, however, you were stopped by a call from Shindou’s mother.
“Oh wait, Y/N, before you go!” She stood in front of you, a DVD case in her hand. “I just found out the other day that Yo never let you see what happened in his school’s Sports Festival!”
Your eyes zeroed in on the blank DVD case, wide in surprise. “Huh. He never even told me that they had one....” Which, now that you thought about it, seemed silly. Every school had a Sports Festival. Especially every hero school. And while most weren't broadcasted, like UA’s and Shiketsu’s were, they would certainly record events for parents to view, right?
Shindou’s mother rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Honestly, I can't imagine why not. He did excellently this year! Sure, there were a few moments he was embarrassed about, but we all watched your performance!” She handed you the DVD case. “Here, we had a spare copy, so I think you should have this one. Enjoy!” She hugged you before sending you on your way, making sure to call out a “Stay safe!” before you closed the door.
Standing outside the apartment, you stared down at the DVD case in your hands. On the disc, you'd be able to watch Shindou and his classmates’ Quirks in action. See how they fight, how they strategize, how they act. Every bit of information Shindou coerced from you, you would be able to watch. And his mother had handed it over with a smile on her face.
A grin developed, and you snickered to yourself. This? This would even the odds. You pulled out your phone, pressing on Midoriya’s contact before typing out a text. ‘Hey, you like analyzing Quirks, right? I have something you might be interested in watching...’
A manic grin was on your face as you dodged a ball thrown by a Ketsubutsu student. Your plan was working perfectly. Your classmates had been thoroughly informed of the Quirks and fighting styles of Ketsubutsu’s class 2-2. While you'd all been caught slightly off guard at how most of the examinees immediately targeted your class, you very quickly recovered and fought back.
You had to suppress a cackle when you saw Tokoyami strike at Nakagame, who quickly collapsed her torso into herself using her Quirk to dodge, only to be struck by Ojiro while her vision was obscured. Midoriya was spot on with his analysis, and your classmates had clearly paid close attention. For every strike they made, your class countered with peak efficiency. Even as Shindou’s Quirk scattered the class, they had prepared beforehand for this scenario and were not too shaken by the attack.
You hit the third target on a Ketsubutsu student, laughing all the while. “One down, one to go!” you cheered, quickly scanning the area to see if any other examinees were nearby. Upon spotting a familiar mess of brown hair out of the corner of your eye, you quickly spun to face Shindou, who was looking at you from a distance away. You got in a stance, ready to fight against him if he attacked. Shindou’s eyes narrowed, glancing between you and his classmate who you'd just defeated. His mouth settled into a frown, and he turned and ran to another area of the stadium.
You'd wanted to smirk at him, taunt him for being outsmarted by your class, but you instead found yourself mirroring his expression and his silence. You'd gotten him back after he tricked you; you should have been happy, right? Proud of yourself? Despite reasoning this to yourself, however, a growing weight filled the void your pride left.
You shook your head, breaking yourself from your thoughts. You didn't have time to think about how seeing Shindou had made you feel. You had one more student to eliminate. You could focus on him later.
Your name was there. On the list, plain as day for all to read. You'd gotten your license, and all your hard work, all the late-night analysis with Midoriya, all the heartache you'd felt over Shindou’s betrayal was worth it.
Your eyes drifted slightly, and you spotted “Shindou Yo” somewhere else on the list. You supposed all of Shindou’s preparation paid off for him, too.
After obtaining your license, you followed the rest of your class to the bus to return to the dorms. Before boarding, you caught sight of Shindou again. He was speaking to Nakagame, you noticed you and gave an awkward smile and wave. Shindou turned to see who she was waving at, and his eyes widened when he saw you. You two stared each other down for a brief moment, before you broke the tension by turning to board the bus.
The weight in your chest felt heavier now.
The weight of the many presents you carried in your arms was only slightly heavier than the dread settling in your gut. Unwilling to admit to the tensions between you and Shindou, you couldn't come up with a plausible excuse to break the tradition your families had held for many years. Based on the warm greeting Shindou’s parents gave you when they finally answered the door, you assumed that Shindou hadn't told his parents either. You stepped inside and let the warm air rush over you, bringing feeling back into your numb fingertips and increasing the unnerving feeling in you.
“Shindou, don't be rude! Help Y/N out with those presents! Poor thing looks like they’re about to drop them,” Shindou’s mom scolded him, drawing your attention to where he'd been standing in the far corner of the room, partially obscured by the Christmas tree. You saw his mouth settle into a firm line; not quite a frown, but definitely showing discomfort. He pushed off the wall he'd been leaning against and made his way over to you. As he held out his hands to you, you stared at him dumbfoundedly. Here he was, standing in front of you after months of not speaking to each other, and he doesn't even say hello.
You were broken out of your thoughts by him clearing his throat. “You gonna hand them over, or...?” he trailed off, raising an eyebrow. You startled a bit, nearly dropping a present or two with how quickly you shoved the pile into his arms. As you saw him struggle to keep the pile balanced, you flushed in embarrassment and walked away, moving over to where your parents were engaged in a jovial conversation with Shindou’s.
Shindou’s mom saw you and smiled, holding out two steaming mugs of hot chocolate to you. “Just in time! I made these just the way you two like them. Oh, careful!” she warned, handing them over to you. “They're still pretty hot. Well, not that that would be an issue for you, but still...Anyway, why don't the two of you catch up on your own? We haven't seen you in a while, so I'm sure you have a lot to talk about!”
The cheer in her smile was something you couldn't help but smile and nod in return at, taking the mugs from her with a soft “Thanks,” and making your way over to the couch by the tree, where Shindou was sitting.
His eyes followed you the whole way over, not looking away as you approached. You, on the other hand, struggled to meet his eyes as you handed his mug to him. He accepted it, giving you a small nod before taking a sip. You stood where you were, bringing the cup to your lips to take a sip when you noticed his raised eyebrow. You returned it, asking, “What?” He tilted his head to the side, gesturing to the empty seat on the couch next to him. You blinked. An “oh” left your lips, and you slowly moved to sit in the small space next to him on the couch.
As you settled into your spot, you tried leaving a small amount of space between you two, though your knee still brushed against his. You spared a glance over at Shindou, only to see him staring intently at the mug in his hands. A small sigh left your lips, and you raised your mug to take a sip. The scalding feeling on your tongue, while not capable of actually hurting you, was a comfortable distraction from the awkward situation you found yourself in. For a few moments, the two of you sat in silence, with the only sounds heard being the distant chatter of your parents and the low hum of the heater. It was awkward, yes, but neither of you had mentioned the obvious source of tension yet. Maybe, you thought, today wouldn't be too unbearable.
“So, Y/N...” Shindou began, breaking the silence and shattering all your hopes of the evening being salvaged. “I think we both know exactly how my classmates got their info on yours...”
You snorted, lifting the mug to your lips. “Yeah, I know.” You took a long sip, hoping the burning feeling traveling down your throat might push down the angry words that wanted to come out. “Something about a ‘gullible friend in 1-A who doesn't realize this is all a competition’, right?” It didn't help much.
For a moment you thought you saw him cringe, and you heard a mutter along the lines of “...didn’t think you’d hear that...” before seeing him shake his head. “Anyway, I wanted to know how your class seemed so ready for the exam. You all were so coordinated with your attacks, like you knew our Quirks and strategies beforehand.”
You hummed, before raising an eyebrow and shooting him a smirk. “You know, I don't really think I owe you an explanation after what you did.”
Shindou visibly deflated, letting out a sigh and nodding. “Yeah, that's fair.”
You nodded with him. “But!” you began, a grin forming when you saw him perk up. “You probably know better than anyone how much I love bragging whenever I beat you at your own game.” Shindou pulled a face somewhere between a grimace and a smile, seemingly happy he'd get his answer yet embarrassed at the reminder of how thoroughly his plan failed. “Remember that day I dropped by after the Kamino Ward attack, and you headed off to your internship?” At his nod, your grin turned devious. “Well, your mother oh so graciously offered to let me watch the footage from your school’s Sports Festival this year. She gave me a spare DVD.”
His eyes widened comically, glancing over to where his parents were, causing you to cackle. “Seriously?” he asked. “That's all it took? We couldn't even get that much info from your Sports Festival, that's why we came up with that whole scheme in the first place!”
You nodded. “True, but I guess you all don't have a strategist like Midoriya in your class.”
Shindou raised an eyebrow. “The bone-breaking kid?”
You waved a hand. “He doesn't do that anymore. At least, not that often...but that's beside the point. I texted him about the DVD, let him borrow it, and he came up with plans to counter your classmates in the exam.”
Shindou blinked, processing your words. “Wow,” he started. He blinked a few more times before taking a sip from his mug. “That was pretty smart, I guess. He even planned for Makabe and Tokegi’s joint attack, and they've been working on that since the first year!”
You gave a confused hum, not quite sure who he was referring to before it hit you. “Oh! The ones with the boomerang and hardening Quirks, right?” At his nod, you grinned at the opportunity to ramble about strategy. “Well, the boomerang Quirk is kinda similar to Snipe-sensei’s, and we’ve had experience dodging his Quirk before. Also, while the hardening Quirk isn't exactly like my classmate Kirishima’s, it seemed like the hardness was similar enough. And since Ashido accidentally burned Kirishima once in a training accident even though he was using his Quirk, we figured if her acid was corrosive enough it could get past your classmate’s Quirk easily enough.” You paused your take a breath, devious grin widening further. “You all didn't take the corrosiveness into account because she kept it pretty low for the Sports Festival, and when you fished information from me about her I didn't know how corrosive it could be. We were pretty lucky on that part, but I still think we could've done just as well even if you had known.”
Shindou nodded. “You're right, then. You really did beat me at my own game.” He smiled at you and lightly nudged you with his elbow. “Not bad, Y/N.”
You smiled back, before the burning feeling in your chest returned with full force. Your smile dropped, and you turned away from him again. “Yeah, well, me outsmarting you after you tricked me doesn't exactly mean what you did was okay.” You clenched the mug tightly in your grip, bringing it close to your chest. The hot chocolate had gone cold during your conversation, and you stared down into it while trying to ignore the stinging tears in your eyes. “You said we’d be heroes together. Partners. What kind of hero sabotages their partner?”
Shindou’s eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled for what to say. “Y/N, I didn't...I mean, I wasn't trying to—“ he stammered, before you cut him off.
“But you did,” you cut him off. The mug trembled in your hands as you accidentally used your quirk, and steam began rising from it again. “You took my trust and used it against me and my classmates. And for what? There were so many other schools there you could've gone after. Hell, we could've teamed up and gone after them together! But it was more convenient to just use me, I guess.”
Shindou’s frown deepened. He reached out and placed his hand on your shoulder, only to quickly retract with a hiss at the heat you were giving off. Startled, you quickly stopped using your Quirk and gave him an apologetic frown. “Sorry,” you muttered. You sighed deeply, leaning your head back against the couch. “I guess I'm no better, huh? Your parents were being nice and I took advantage of that...”
Silence hung in the air. Both of your parents had left the room a while ago, and the droning of the heater settled into the background unnoticed. Shindou’s hand found its way to your shoulder again, more hesitant this time. When you didn't respond or shrug him off, he slowly pulled you closer to him, hand moving to your head and gently resting it on his shoulder. You frowned, feeling the tears well up in your eyes again, but didn't resist.
“I'm sorry,” Shindou said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. You snuggled closer to him in response, staying quiet. He lightly ran his fingers through your hair. When he was sure you weren't going to say anything in response, he continued, “Not that it means much to say this now, but congratulations on getting your license.” You snorted at the statement, many months too late. He lightly chuckled, saying, “Yeah, I know. But even though we haven't exactly been working together, it's been nice having you at the agency. Nakagame won't shut up about her ‘cute new sidekick’, even though we’re all sidekicks.”
You snickered. “Looks like I'm stealing your friend. Maybe she'll be my hero partner when we graduate...”
Shindou rolled his eyes. “If anything, she's trying to steal you from me. Not like that’s gonna happen. You're my partner, got that?”
You lifted your head slightly from his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at him. “Oh, am I now?”
Shindou nodded. “I promised you, didn't I? I know I've been a major idiot lately,” he started, ignoring your muttered comment of “Yeah, no kidding...” and continuing, “but if the two of us work together we’re gonna top the charts in no time.”
You smiled at him, leaning back on his shoulder. “Well, I'm looking forward to that!” You closed your eyes and let out a breath, feeling the tension wash away from you. Shindou’s head tilted, resting atop yours. Things weren't perfect, and you would probably need to have a more in-depth conversation later, but for now, things were better.
“Oh, Shindou?”
“Hm?”
“I gotta say, your performance at the Sports Festival could've been better. We have a lot of work to do if we're gonna top the charts.”
“...Shut up...”
#bnha#boku no hero academia#mha#my hero academia#shindou yo#shindou yo x reader#shindou you#shindou you x reader#bnha x reader#bnha reader insert
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The sweater part 2
(Josh x reader)
Trigger warning: domestic abuse!
Josh ended up texting you later that night, or technically , the next morning around 3 am. He just wanted to make sure you made it home ok, which you thought was very sweet of him. It had been a few days since you met him at the bar, the two of you had been texting ever since, he even sneaks in a phone call one night when his girlfriend was asleep and your boyfriend was out with his friends. Hearing his voice again was so nice and it took you right back to the night you met him. Conversation flowed easily with you and Josh, day by day you were learning more and more about each other. He told you he was in a band with his two brothers and friend, and promised he'd take you to a show one day.
Tonight was different, you grab your phone in a shaken frenzy. You click on Josh’s number as you get in your car. Tears running down your face, you wait as the phone rings. You hoped he would answer and that he wasn't around his girlfriend. You felt bad calling him out of the blue , but, there was no one else you could go to.
“Hello?” Josh answers.
Thank god.
You sniffle, happy to hear his voice.
“Josh can- can I come over?” you ask trying your hardest not to focus on the pain.
“Are you alright?” Josh asks immediately, he could tell something was very wrong, he could hear that you were crying and he was instantly worried.
“No I'm not ok, I need you , I need to come over.. Can I?” you reply hurriedly. Hopefully he would say yes because you were already in your car driving nowhere in particular.
“Uhm my girlfriend is here… could I meet you somewhere?” Josh replies, annoyed that you couldn't just come right to his house like he wanted you to.
“Do you know where sheehan park is? Can you meet me there?” you ask a block away from said park.
“Yes of course, ill be there in five minutes ok?” he replied, you could hear him grabbing his keys in the background and shuffling to put his shoes on.
“Ok thank you” you say pulling into the park's parking lot. You hang up and tip your head back resting on the headrest. The blood that was coming out of your nose or maybe your mouth pooled on your face.
Your boyfriend found your phone and seen you had been texting Josh for the past few days, flirting even. He was so angry , so angry. His face was red and looked like he was about to explode, and he did. For the first time in your relationship with him , he got physical with you. He punched you multiple times in the face, one of your eyes was swollen shut and your lips felt like they were on fire, you almost couldn't drive your car but you had to get away from him. It felt good to finally relax, knowing help was coming, knowing Josh was coming. You worried about how he would react to the whole situation. You're Not his responsibility after all what was he really supposed to do?
You heard the crunching of gravel as a car pulled up next to yours, your vision was blurry, and you felt tired, struggling to keep your eye open.
You hear your car door rip open in a hurry.
“Y\n! Y\n! What happened? What happened to you?!” Josh asked hectically. He grabbed you , wrapping his arm around your shoulder and his other arm looped under your legs as he scooped you gently from your car.
“he .. seen my phone” you whisper , falling out of consciousness.
“Hey hey you gotta stay awake, don't fall asleep” Josh urges as he sets you in his back seat. He knew you most likely had a concussion and that falling asleep could cause lots of issues.
You tried your hardest to keep yourself awake.
“That FUCKERRRR!!!!!!!” Josh screamed as he slammed his door shut and sent his fist into his steering wheel causing his horn to go off.
He was pissed, how could that fucking asshole put his hands on you. He would pay for this. Soon the car was moving, trees and buildings past your window, which Josh had rolled down hoping the cold air would help keep you awake.
Minutes later he pulls into a driveway and runs up to the front door, you watch as another man steps out. Josh begins frantically talking to him and then both of them run to you.
“Y\n this is my brother Jake, we’re gonna take you inside ok?” Josh explains. You simply nod, the blood on your face was clotted now and stopped other blood from coming out.
“Jesus Christ” you hear Jake say sympathetically. They carried you through the front door and laid you lightly on the couch. Josh dropped to your side examining your wounds.
“Jakey get me a wash cloth and warm water” Josh speaks.
‘Hey hey hey we gotta call the cops” Jake responds urgently .
“No don't” you protest softly.
“What do you mean DON'T? He hit you y\n, he could have killed you ! he needs to be in jail” Josh replies. He grabs his phone and begins to report the incident to the police. Josh knew there was something off about your boyfriend and now he was cursing himself, he felt like what happened to you was his fault, he shouldn't have texted you.
Jake comes to you and gently washes your face, the warm water felt so good against your painful bruises and cuts. You wince a little as he goes over your swollen eye.
“I'm so sorry , but we have to get this cleaned so it doesn't get infected ok? My name's Jake, what's yours?” he says, hoping conversation will keep you awake.
“I'm y\n” you reply, trying to ignore the sting of the peroxide Jake put on your face.
“It's nice to meet you y\n, unfortunate circumstances, but don't worry the cops are gonna get that bastard, you're safe now with me and josh”
Josh walks back in the room and for the first time you were able to actually get a good look at him now that Jake cleared the blood from your eyes. He was all dressed up, he looked nice.
“Why are you dressed up?” you ask , Josh looks down at himself and waves it off.
“I had a date with my girlfriend tonight but” he replies and shakes his head.
“Oh I’m sorry Josh, I didn't know you had a date .. I should go” you say trying to get up.
“No no no” Josh says lightly pressing you down by your shoulders.
“Stay here tonight, Jake , Sam and Danny will take care of you” he says.
“Josh I can't impose like that” you reply.
“I wasn't asking you y\n , you're staying here, I'd let you stay at my house but my girlfriend is there” he implores with a soft tone. He was worried about you and knew you didn't have anywhere else to go that was safe.
“I'll go on my date, i'll make it a short night and get back here as soon as I can” he speaks.
“No Josh , take your time, enjoy your night, I'll be ok” you replied, you didn't want his evening to be ruined because of you.
“Call me if you need anything, anything at all ok?” he asks looking down at you, you simply nod, he offers you a sad smile before saying goodbye. He walks out the door and leaves you with Jake and your thoughts.
“Danny!” Jake calls as he turns on the TV.
A man with lovely dark hair jogs down the stairs, his face falling with worry and confusion when he sees you.
“Hey…whats up?” he asks as his eyes move from you to Jake.
“This is y\n she's staying with us for a while, her car is at sheehan park, I need you to come with me to get it for her” Jake explains with a sigh. He was stressed, he'd never seen a girl beat up by a man. He felt bad, his heart broke for you.
Danny knew what had happened to you just by the look in Jake's eyes.
“Did Josh go after him?” Danny asks, noticing Josh’s absence.
“No he has a date with Audrey” Jake answers, grabbing his keys off the table.
“Where are your keys, love?” he asks looking at you now.
“They're on the table” you reply nodding in the general direction.
“Ok we're going to go get your car, if you need anything Sam is just upstairs just yell for him ok? Well be back in a few minutes” Jake says before him and Danny walk out the door.
The second the door shuts all you want to do is sleep, you were warm, comfortable and safe. You were even happy, despite the hell you'd just been through, you were closer to josh now which made you feel so much better.
You couldn't stay at Jake's house forever though, you'd need to figure something out, tomorrow though… Tonight , you rest.
#the sweater#greta van fleet#gretavanfleet#josh kiszka#josh gvf#josh kiszka x reader#jake kiszka#sam kiszka#danny wagner
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Oop sorry really long post, but I can't do the "show more" thing:(
The way my dad changed from a generally okay guy, to this hateful, disgusting person he is now has always scared me. It genuinely shakes me to the core when I think, what if I turn into him? Every behaviour, no matter how harmless, that he had, makes me fall apart when I notice myself doing it. A slight stutter one in a while. My eyes looking so much like his when I first wake up. Using a phrase he used to use. When in the back of my mind, I have a mean, even cruel, thought. When I notice my voice crack the way his did, if I speak any louder than usual. How I'm less tolerant of those who don't share my beliefs - even though in my case, it's literally not anything bad, but rather- "all humans deserve dignity, respect, safety, and we shouldn't be restricting people's rights on things they can't change". It's silly, because surely, in order to become this person, he must have always thought and felt that way. He must have always felt entitled to more, and better than others, deep down.
And I never had those thoughts. But because of the OCD and CPTSD, I have obsessive, repetitive thoughts of all the evil things he says. They horrify me, and I absolutely hate them. It triggers me. Then my brain goes in circles repeating dumb things or questioning if I'm like him, to check for my reaction to it, to make sure I actually am disgusted. But them repeating obviously distresses me more, which yeah, should be a comfort because "hey I'm disgusted by this, means I'm not turning into him!!", but unfortunately I can't convince myself of that in that moment, because the thoughts just keep on going and upsetting me further. It's a vicious cycle.
It's so weird thinking about my first few years with my dad, after mum and i started visiting him in England. He had left Poland when I was 1, and he came to the UK illegally so i didn't see him until I was 3 and a half, when we visited for the first time, once he had settled and got his papers sorted.
He was nice to me. He was nice to most people. In the best way he could be, I suppose. He had a black flatmate. He was racist still, but not openly so. And he didn't hold the absolutely terrifying views he does now. He was friends with loads of different people. Him and my mum were a really terrible match so they argued often, but they liked spending time together.
When we first lived in that flat, we shared my dad's room, and his flatmate had a room down the hall. When he moved out, that became my room. I remember we used to go on adventures - to the park, to theme parks, into central, to the safari. My dad and I used to have cuddles every night before bed, if he didn't get home after my bedtime. I'd run to meet him when I saw him pull up outside. Sometimes, I'd wake up after he came home to the smell of the dinner my mum had made him - I remember this one particular time when it was minced pork cutlets, mashed potatoes, and mizeria. That was a typical meal, but for some reason I remember it so well. I went out even though I knew mum would tell me off for being awake. But my dad just laughed, and encouraged my mum to give me some food. I fell off my bed in my sleep a couple of times, and he'd always come in and pick me up and put me back to bed, laughing and smiling (I only knew because I woke up when being picked up), because he would always come to my room to just check in, even if I was already asleep, because he hadn't seen me all day.
My favourite memory - however blurry - was right after it rained one day, he took me outside with a few clean plastic pots. We collected snails, named them, he taught me random things about them, and I so desperately wanted to take them inside. My dad said no, and explained that they are where they feel comfortable, and we shouldn't take them from their home - what if they can't find their families again?
Remembering this is so confusing, because he was so tender - he was a completely different person.
When I was ill, he would make a massive fuss out of me, and take care of me. I remember waking up, feeling really unwell one night. He boiled beer with raspberry juice, lemon juice, and honey, because that's the folk remedy that was always used back home.
One time, I was in the car with him and he was listening to music really loudly. I covered my ears and shouted (it didn't sound that loud because of the music, and I wasn't shouting out of anger, but rather to be heard over it.) for him to turn it down. He told me to never shout at him again.
All of this is so wild to me, really. It's like watching someone else's life. He wasn't like that anymore by the time we moved to our first rented house. He began drinking more, arguing more. He was still the same man, but less patient. But by the time my brother turned 2, he was so different. He yelled so much, he hit my brother, and me. He drank loads, and was out until all hours with his mates. His dad came to stay with us - he was a terrible man, worse than my dad. He drank all day, and was so aggressive. During the day, my parents were both at work, and my auntie (who my mum had brought over to England to help with us) took care of us and the house. So it was really scary when it was just us, and my grandad. One day, he had smashed a bottle of something that he uad been drinking and was yelling, god knows at what. Maybe the TV? Who knows. My auntie had seen him scary drunk, and he had tried to hit her previously. My auntie had been abused really badly as a kid herself so naturally, this triggered her. She grabbed me and my brother and we literally ran out of the house and down the road, and we only slowed down when we were two roads away. She took us to my friend's house, because she had befriended her mum through my mum. We stayed there all day, until both our parents got home.
But that's besides the point, I guess my granddad's behaviour always did set my dad's off.
I just can't believe how by the time we moved into the next house, I was scared of my dad, and by the time they bought a house and we moved into the fourth and final place, it was hell. He was hell on earth to me. How does someone go that way within just shy of five years? Because that's all it was. How did he go from being the way he was, to hitting me for no reason, to yelling at me over every tiny thing - breathing too loudly, getting a sum on my homework wrong, my appearance, my hair, my nails, and often, nothing at all? Just abusing me for existing? It's not that I was a difficult child. Everyone always said what a good, easy child I was. He never thought that. He thought I was evil incarnate. Funny, considering he was the person to spend the least time with me, and tbh he never experienced any "bad" behaviours I may have expressed, like occasionally talking back to my mum.
Idk. How does a person change that drastically?
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