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pinkpastelcalesti · 5 months

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LANDSCAPING LOVE || Bakugou Katsuki x Reader || Chapter II.

SUMMARY -> Tired of bouncing back and forth between the U.S. and Japan after graduating college, you’ve finally secured the career of your dreams: You’re Japan’s first heroics cartographer, a title bestowed upon you due to your quirk and specialty, that creates geographic maps for hero agencies across the country. While your work is highly respected and sought after, you’re known for a more niche reason among your coworkers at the Dynamight Agency: the food you make is fucking amazing. When Dynamight himself inevitably gets word that you’re coming for his cooking title on his own turf, chaos ensues and you find yourself competing against your boss for not only best chef, but also to win over his heart.

CONTENT/WARNINGS -> Pro hero AU, agency reader, reader with a quirk, fem/AFAB reader, reader is originally from America, reader is bilingual (English and Japanese), strangers (more like coworkers that don’t get a chance to speak much) to friends to lovers, fluff & chaos, minimal angst, suggestive humor.

LENGTH -> 6.4K

MASTERLIST

You wanted to crawl into a sewer hole and never come out of it. Just… live in isolation for the rest of your career. The mortification is too much.

After Dynamight’s parting words to you, you had immediately ran to your workshop and nearly tackled Naomi before shrieking at her about letting your drunken rant slip out to your coworkers. In her “defense,” she claimed that she hadn’t expected for the story to reach his ears.

It really didn’t help her case much. After explaining what the fuck had happened in his office, your coworkers quickly calmed you down and told you he probably would leave it alone. Surely he wasn’t going to take it seriously, right? He had to know no one was stupid enough to try and challenge him like that.

Right?

Wrong.

It took one week before you received the news from the PR manager that Dynamight Agency was hosting its annual beginning-of-the-year potluck to kick off good vibes and bring in positive camaraderie among fellow coworkers, your own boss himself even planning to attend.

That last bit of information was absolutely not helping you in the current moment either. You had discovered the poster and subsequent email sitting in your inbox yesterday, and while you were still somewhat excited to go, you were still on edge after the commentary Dynamight had left you with a week prior.

You absolutely would not allow for his snarky remark to hinder you from going to town on free food and drinks. You needed to knock it out of the park and make new connections at the agency as well.

Understanding this, you began brainstorming recipes at night after your work shifts ended, thinking of endless foods that were not only easy to cook and transport, but that were able to bend to everyone’s taste. You decided you’d make two dishes for the potluck, one being vegetarian-friendly for your coworkers that couldn’t eat meat for personal or religious reasons.

Your first recipe of choice was Sopa de Albóndigas, a meatball soup recipe that was for sure going to be a hit with those that liked warm soups during the winter months, as it was still freezing out. You’d learned the recipe from your suitemate in your dorm your freshman year of college, her incredible cooking skills being well-known among all the floors of your residence hall. She was more than happy to teach you the recipe among others from her home country of Mexico.

Your second recipe would be a vegetable pot pie, essentially the same as a chicken pot pie, just without the meat. You figured that it would be a great introductory southern food for everyone. It was your personal favorite to make as well, with the flaky crust you make never failing to bring you to damn near tears at its incredibleness.

You could go for spicy foods to one-up your boss and piss him off some more, but you figure that making it too spicy will turn off most people from actually eating it. You’d much rather have people savor it than fanning their mouths and screaming for milk.

It was nearing the end of January quickly, which meant you only had a little less than two weeks to prepare yourself, since the potluck happened the second week of February.

You steeled your resolve, noting that you were absolutely gonna wipe the floor with your recipes and make it known that Dynamight’s doubt in your cooking skills was unwarranted.

You also craved the reaction from him when he inevitably realized that your drunken words weren’t empty threats. You fully believed you could probably compete with him if you really wanted to.

So, with this newfound sense of motivation, you hurriedly worked to finish up Pro Hero Deku’s patrol map decor, Pinky’s request for a sketch-up of her and Uravity’s shared agency building, and an interactive, digitized, graduated symbols map for Dynamight that related back to the crime rates he was still working with.

If you were going to complete your side quest, you needed all your projects to be completed or close to it in order to lessen up stress.

ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ-

Three days before the potluck, you were asked by Leo if you were going to bring anything to the event.

You were walking back from a meeting with the technology department about questions you had on a certain coding error you kept running into on multiple different geographic software systems you used regularly. Leo had seen you before you saw him, and called out your name as you had just reached the elevator to go back up to your department’s floor.

“Yo, (L/N)! Got a second?” You threw a glance to him and agreed, stepping away from the buttons to let others waiting go in front of you. “What’s up?” You inquired, straightening your posture. “You excited for the potluck? Heard that it’s gonna be pretty exciting this year,” Leo spoke in an excited tone. “Apparently they’re allowing wine and champagne as long as we promised not to go too crazy. No hard liquor though.”

You hummed in acknowledgement. You definitely were more hyped now that Leo had told you the drink menu was expanding beyond soda and juice. “I am very much excited,” you said with a lopsided grin. “I can’t wait to see what it’s like for the whole agency to get together for once. I’ve heard some of the interactions between departments can get pretty interesting during the white elephant game.”

You weren’t lying; Carl had told you a couple days ago that white elephant got pretty heated since everyone participating pulled out all the stops to bring either the best gifts known to man or gifts that were sure to send you reeling in embarrassment.

Even though it was considered a Christmas holiday tradition, the agency played the game regardless to make the night more entertaining, following up with other games like cards against humanity or uno extreme. You found it silly, hearing about games that you’d often frequently played during high school and college still being utilized in the adult world at a social event. You weren’t complaining, however. You could go pretty rabid during uno, especially the extreme version. It was truly a timeless classic.

“Oh yeah, that game is definitely not one you wanna miss. Are you going to bring anything food or drink-wise to the event?” Ah, there it is, you thought smugly. You knew what Leo was trying to do; it’s not hard to pick up on him now that you’ve interacted enough times. You could read this man’s intentions like no tomorrow. He was trying to sniff you out and see if you might try anything to compete with your boss.

You decided to bite the bait, just slightly.

“Oh yeah, definitely! I’m bringing two dishes and a dessert,” you placed your hands on your hips. “Figured that I should go all out since it’s my first potluck here.” Leo’s eyes lit up in what you could only imagine was pure mischievous joy. “I heard Dynamight’s bringing food as well. You think you’ll be able to compete?”

You pretended to think on it for a second before flashing him a determined smile. “You bet your ass I do.”

ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ-

The day of the potluck had the whole agency abuzz. People were way more bubbly and willing to work together to get tasks done, looking forward to 6 p.m., when the party would begin. You were all assigned a half day, ending your own shift at 2 p.m., which left plenty of time to cook and take a shower to dress yourself up. You’d been proactive and shopped the previous afternoon, hoisting a bag full of vegetables and ingredients through your front door and nearly passing out at the weight of your groceries in your arms.

Wrapping up in the workshop and bidding your coworkers a temporary farewell with a promise to see them in a few hours, you stepped into the hallway and began walking to the elevator for all of three seconds before you heard your name being called in an all-too-recognizable voice.

Dynamight was coming in hot on your left and you felt that icy feeling crawl up your spine once more. I swear to god if Leo said something to him this soon, I’m jabbing a caliper up his ass. You met him halfway and took in his current outfit. He wasn’t dressed in his hero uniform, but rather a black compression shirt and a pair of charcoal grey sweatpants. He was wearing black combat boots, similar to his uniform’s, but missing the orange and green accent colors. Absolutely fucking foul of him to look that good, you thought, gripping the handle of your bag a little harder than usual before casting your eyes to meet his.

“You better be bringin’ a damn dish to the event tonight or I’m kicking yer fuckin’ ass,” he spat out, crimson eyes narrowing down at you. You let out a small sputter of surprise, shocked by the sudden confrontation before he continued. “Wanna see if your cooking skills are shit or not fer myself.”

Crossing your arms, you sent an equally simmering glare back, paired with a shit eating grin. “Same to you, Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight. I wanna see if you’re living up to the rumors or if people are just too scared to tell you your kitchen skills suck.” You bit back, shifting your gaze to his biceps once again before realizing and glancing back up, seemingly not being able to keep your grubby little eyes away from something so biteable. You just wanted to nip him once. It’s like a dog’s urge to go after a squirrel.

Your boss let out a scoff at your retort, getting closer to your face with a look that sent shivers through you. “Watch it. Told y’before, didn’t I? You’re gonna eat your fuckin’ words ten times over.” He was borderline sneering at you by this point. You really must have struck a nerve with him after word got out that fateful Monday, nearly a month ago now.

Letting out a sigh that sounded as if Dynamight was mildly inconveniencing you rather than being up in your face borderline threatening you, you dramatically turned your head away from him. “I sincerely hope your recipes can make up for the amount of empty threats that come out of your mouth. Didn’t take you as the type to hold a grudge against someone for simply being better than you.” You were absolutely feeding into it now, shocking yourself slightly with the words that were coming out of your mouth. Never in your life would you regularly try pissing off a hero with a deadly quirk, but something about Bakugou Katsuki made you want to push all his buttons and then some.

“S’not a damn grudge. I’m gonna prove to you that you’re talking out of your ass, sweetheart.” That pet name was absolutely not necessary, sending your heart into a spiral. Your eyes widened and you sputtered out a quick, “Wh— whatever, dude. I’ll be there and that’s final. Now move, I’ve got recipes to make.” You sidestepped your boss and muttered under your breath what a prick as you made your way back to the elevator, feeling a pair of ruby eyes burning a hole into your back before you heard a rough, “heard that, you brat.” You let out an exasperated noise just as the doors opened to the lift. “Screw off!” You hollered into the hall, not bothering to stick your head out and make sure Dynamight heard you. You knew he did, because he barked in laughter at your flustered actions.

You were absolutely not going to lose tonight. You were going to make sure of it.

ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ-

Arriving back home to your apartment, you quickly shed off your work bag and clothes, switching into a comfortable pair of sweatpants with your university’s logo running down the leg, partnered by some soft socks and a graphic t shirt that had been cut at the collar. You were about to be in your kitchen on your feet for the next two hours, which meant that you had to be comfortable as possible. You’d already hit the button on your speaker that sat on your kitchen island and pulled up your favorite playlist, gathering the pans out of the shelves by your feet and placing them in their designated spots.

You were ready for this. You pulled out the ingredients for the first recipe that would take the longest, which was the veggie pot pie. It would take around an hour and 10 minutes total, according to the recipe you frequented for making the dish.

The Sopa de Albóndigas would only take 35 minutes total, which meant you were looking decent on time. It was nearly 3 p.m., later than you wanted to be home due to your bitchboy boss deciding to seek you out right before you clocked out. Wait a minute, why did he seek me out? He definitely knew I was gonna come, especially since it’s my first year at the agency, you pondered this for a moment before snapping out of it and reminding yourself that now was not the time to play overthinker.

Your dessert that you were making had been a last minute decision. You had decided to bring two large New York cheesecakes along with you, on top of the main dishes you were currently making. You’d figured that a classic American dessert was a wise choice, but it meant taking a heinous amount of time to prepare it. You’d completed the both of them the previous night, pouring every wish to the Gods that it went well, as cheesecake was not an easy recipe, even for you.

They were both chilling in the fridge at the very moment, waiting to be taken to the party. You were incredibly grateful that you’d finished them before anything else because they took a whopping 8 hours minimum to make, a majority of the time being dedicated to the cakes having to rest in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours.

You had pulled out all your dry and wet ingredients for the crust of your pie and went to work mixing and kneading the dough until it was prepped and placed to the side. Next up was to saute your veggies in butter, allow them to soften, then came the flour, veggie stock and heavy cream.

After the filling had been mixed together and formed a thick, gravy-like consistency, you placed it on top of your crust that had been laid out in a comically large baking tray. Placing the second part of the crust on top, you threw it in the oven for around 35 minutes or until the crust became a flaky golden brown.

During this time, you prepped your ingredients for the Sopa de Albóndigas. You truly felt like Gordon Ramsey himself was blessing you as you dashed around your kitchen, making sure that your all-purpose wagon that you mainly used for groceries was prepared to carry your food to the agency.

All you had to do now was allow the soup to simmer, pull the pot pie out of the oven, and have enough time to wash your hair, style it, throw on makeup, and put on an outfit that was cute but wouldn’t be missed if you got it stained from food and drinks.

You fucking loved your life right now.

ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ-

You’d managed to shove everything into the wagon, including your prized cheesecakes, and pulled it all the way to the agency with no issues. You’d even realized you had finished everything with an extra 15 minutes to spare, which went to perfecting your eyeliner and screaming in the mirror when you fucked it up too hard and had to redo your whole eye.

You were dressed in a black and white gingham dress that was actually a romper. It was by far your favorite dress that you were willing to get a little dirty since the company you bought it from had incredible affordability with their clothing. You didn’t want to ruin it, but if it came to it, you could always purchase a new one.

You’d paired it with fleece-lined black leggings, a white blouse to go underneath the dress since it was sleeveless and far too cold for bare shoulders, and your favorite black boots.

A coworker in the technology department that you’d met with earlier in the day opened the door for you as she saw you approach the doors, letting out a whistle of shock. “My Gods, (Y/N)! I thought they were kidding when I heard you were bringing food!” You gave her a sheepish smile. She was an older woman that didn’t regularly participate in the office gossip, which meant she most likely had no idea about the words you spoke in terms of your cooking showdown with Dynamight.

Your coworker had pointed you in the direction of the serving table, where people were still placing their handmade and pre-packaged foods and drinks. The potluck was taking place on the first floor of the lobby since it had the most open area. They’d gone all out for decorations, pretty sage green and burnt orange decor filled throughout the building. There were rows of large tables set up on the far side of the room, making you smile in nostalgia.

It reminded you so much of the family get-togethers you had during the holidays growing up, with the white folding tables set up in your grandparents’ living room, with matching plastic folding chairs.

You approached a spot where you could set out your dishes and quickly scribbled their respective names and a short summary of ingredients on a namecard, accompanied by your name as the one who made it. You had reached into your wagon to pull out your desserts when you heard the coworkers back towards the entrance murmur in excitement.

“Hello Dynamight, sir! Welcome to the potluck!” You heard one guy speak out loud. You sat the cheesecakes in the dessert section with their namecards and pushed your wagon to a little area where people could put their bags. You breathed steadily, in and out, you repeated in your head. It was finally here: round one (and hopefully the last?) of your showdown with your boss.

You beelined it to find your team members before Dynamight could see you. It was still early on in the party, having only started 10 minutes ago, so you figured it would be nice to chat with them before the inevitable came and bitchboy Bakugou came to grab you. Spotting Kanako’s purple highlights among the crowd towards the left side of the building, you made your way over and a smile overtook your face as you heard Carl and Naomi shout your name in excitement.

Naomi flung herself at you before complimenting your outfit. “You look stunning! You’re making me feel bad for showing up in basically what I wear everyday.” You pinched her cheek playfully. “You look absolutely gorgeous no matter what you wear, Naomi. You all do, really. I’m jealous most times.” Carl had shown up in a nice pair of corduroy pants paired with a dark green button up, and Kanako was dressed in a beautiful deep purple dress that ended at her knees, matching her hair and hugging her figure nicely. Naomi was dressed in black slacks and a pastel pink blouse.

Your team dressed up nice, if you did say so yourself. You all conversed with one another, grabbing glasses of champagne and discussing an upcoming project that the city had requested of your department, citing that they were in desperate need of a new terrestrial map that depicted a rough draft of the new quirk incident-management building that was going to be built towards the end of the year. You were all anxious to take on the job due to the fact that the head of Musutafu’s Urban Planning division was not only an absolute nightmare to work with, but pretty misogynistic as well. He must have been kicking himself for having to bend his back and ask for your help, as literally 75 percent of your department was women. Carl was a girls girl by nomination, so you considered it 100 percent, but no one would get it like you and your team did.

As you had begun switching the topic and were discussing the apparent lovers quarrel between two of your coworkers in the call center department, you heard the tap of a mic. Looking at the front of the floor, you could see Atsuno awkwardly standing with the mic in his hand, like he’d been forced to give the introduction at the last second.

Behind him, Dynamight stood tall, his arms crossed over a very expensive and soft-looking orange sweater, with a pair of black slacks and dress shoes accompanying his outfit. Good gracious he’s dressed like a slut and I’m enjoying every moment of it like a freak. You just knew he probably smelled good too. Your stomach flipped in joy when you saw that Red Riot, Pinky, and the rest of Dynamight’s friend group had all shown up as well.

This bitch brought his friends, how sweet! You cooed internally, imagining that your boss was probably so unbelievably soft for his friends behind closed doors. You’d heard just how close each of them were from Eijiro during days that he was free to grab a coffee with you while you were in the city for an assignment.

Atsuno cleared his throat, beginning his little speech. “Welcome to the annual potluck that our agency has for the beginning of each year. We hope that you enjoy yourselves tonight and behave, with no incidents like the previous year, please,” your eyebrow shot up towards your team at the mention of such a thing. Kanako whispered in your ear that last year, a man from analytics had tackled a coworker from finance after he had assumed he was making moves on his girlfriend, only to find out that the finance guy was, indeed, gay, and also worked out a fuck ton. Analytics dude ended up getting suspended for a whopping 3 months after he got his shit rocked.

You nearly burst out laughing. Of course it had to happen in the agency that was run by a resident hothead. Apparently the attitude must rub off on his subordinates as well.

“—make sure that you meet new people, eat and drink to your heart’s content, and do your best at the games set up all around the floor. Here’s to a great rest of the year.” Atsuno raised a glass of champagne as you and everyone around you repeated the last sentence in unison, raising your own glasses. As everyone began to make their way to different areas around the room, you spotted an orange blob making its way to you out of the corner of your eye and steeled yourself. Now or never, you thought with a grimace.

You turned your body fully towards Dynamight as he stopped a few feet away from you, his signature frown on his face. Joined by him were Pinky, or Mina, as she had told you to call her after you were introduced to each other a year prior, and Eijiro, the one who had orchestrated the meeting. You turned your attention to the redhead as he smiled at you brightly with all his sharp teeth, calling out your name fondly. You slung your free arm around him in a hug. “I’m glad to see you here! Figured you wouldn’t wanna miss it, especially after what you said about Bakubro last month.”

Your mouth hung open as you fumbled for your words. “How in the world did you hear about that? I swear to god it’s reached everybody, I was drunk and in the privacy of my own home for crying out loud,” you pouted up at Eijiro. Mina let out a laugh as she hugged you next, her perfume reminding you of a candy shop along the coast.

“Bakugou was so flabbergasted someone had dared to challenge him that he told us after a briefing! Couldn’t stop pissing himself about it.” Her lips formed a mischievous grin as Bakugou brought his hand down on her head, shaking her back and forth. “Shut the fuck up. I didn’t do none of that shit,” he growled, the tips of his ears showing just the slightest bit of pink if you squinted hard enough.

You were smiling behind your glass before your boss turned his attention to you. “Don’t fuckin’ laugh at me, either. We still ain’t settled a damn thing.” You wanted to roll your eyes so hard that they’d spin like pinballs in a machine, but refrained from it and instead took a sip of champagne, your lip gloss lining the rim of the crystal drinkware. “We can settle it right now, if you’d like. My dishes are already on the table, Dynamight.” You made sure to repeat his hero name back to him in a sickly sweet voice, hoping to piss him off just a bit more.

Not even bothering to reply with words, Dynamight took you by the arm with an uncharacteristically gentle hold and marched you both off towards the self-serve tables. You heard the laughter of your boss’ friend group fade with the more steps you took away from them.

You grabbed two plates and handed one of them over to your boss, who grunted out a thanks before you served yourself your pot pie. “We‘ll have to pick up a bowl in a minute since my second dish is a soup.” You eyed the way Dynamight was scanning over the table with a scowl on his face before his gaze landed on your crock pot sitting among the others lined in a row.

“Didn’t strike you as a soup person,” he said as he handed you a fork from the tacky serving basket with plastic silverware. “thought you’d be the type to screw those recipes up.” You gawked at him and his audacity for the upteenth time since the start of the year.

You nudged him along as you both stood off to the side next to a small standing table that wasn’t too close to the large crowd of bustling people. It helped you hear each other better. “You really doubt my cooking abilities that much?” You asked, lowkey hurt by the assumption but masking it with a tone of indifference.

“Nah, just tend to assume since every fuckin’ person I’ve met in this agency says they can’t cook for shit.” You let out a laugh as you stabbed your fork into the crust of your food. “Understandable. Most people I know can do basic cooking, which isn’t a bad thing at all, but they’re too scared to try more complex recipes because they’re afraid of screwing up,” you stated between mouthfuls of food. “I keep telling them all that failing a recipe, no matter how simple, is quite literally the only way you’ll learn in the kitchen.”

He let out a deep hum in response. For talking high and mighty just a few minutes ago, Dynamight seemed almost calm as his towering figure stood beside you. If you glanced around hard enough, you could catch the stares of some of your coworkers, filled with surprise and wonder. You assumed it was because of how uncommon it was to see an agency worker other than Atsuno or PR manager Ria interacting with him this much.

You understood the heavy intimidation that came with Dynamight and interacting with him, but you never felt frightened of him. He might be a top hero, but he was still a person. His fiery personality and inability to keep his mouth shut was still going strong, but his attitude had changed a lot since his high school days, according to Eijiro.

You took a look at him from your peripheral, noticing that he was staring down at you as well, sharp eyes seemingly taking in your figure. You quickly looked anywhere but towards him, eyes landing on your team a short ways away, engaged in what looked to be a game of uno at a table, a couple marketing department members surrounding them. You already knew they were probably all getting their asses handed to them by Kanako, who was a master at card games of any sort.

You’d found out the hard way one night when you had all experimented with a variety box of different card games at Kanako and Carl’s flat. She wiped the floor with each one of you, only losing twice the whole night (which also felt like it was on purpose for the sake of sparing your team’s feelings).

A small smile etched its way onto your face as you recalled the memory. “Your shit ain’t that bad. Needs more garlic powder.” You turned back to Dynamight once more, blinking a couple times to process what he’d just said before your smile was replaced with a frown.

“I’m fine competing with you but recommendations weren’t in the agreement.” You huffed. “Agreement don’t exist. I tell it like it is. Be thankful I even said something anyways.” He spoke, his tone full of irritation.

How rude, you thought helplessly. “Okay then, let’s see your shit next,” you grumbled, lowkey hip-checking him as you threw your plate and fork away. He let out a tch sound at your actions, but didn’t hurl an insult your way.

He handed you a new plate before steering you over to the pan he’d brought with him. Upon further inspection, it was his infamous mapo tofu. Unlike Carl and his unfortunate “fuck you” spice genes, you’d been able to build up a spice tolerance with the sheer amount of spicy food you ate and made over the years. You could only hope the hard work paid off if its as spicy as Carl was making it out to be. “Here.” Dynamight spooned some of it onto your plate as you let out a thanks to him.

Walking back to your previous spot together, you made sure to have a canned drink on the ready in the off chance that you couldn’t bear the spice. You picked one of the tofu pieces up with your chopsticks and placed it in your mouth.

Seconds passed.

Dynamight was staring down at you, analyzing you for any sort of reaction he could make fun of you for.

You swallowed, dabbed your mouth with your napkin, and stared back up at him. “You call this spicy?”

You so wished you’d had a camera on you the moment you registered the look on his face at your words. His eyebrow twitched first before he let out a loud, “What the fuck do you mean “you call this spicy?” Did you even fuckin’ eat the whole goddamn piece?” You wanted to laugh so bad but knew it would result in possibly getting the lights knocked out of you, so you refrained.

“Course I did, dickhead. Wanna watch me do it again?” You smirked at him as you proceeded to shove three pieces of tofu in your mouth at once. “It’s pretty good. I think you’d benefit from throwing in Carolina reaper flakes.” You knew you were pressing into his growing agitation but couldn’t help it.

His eyes did a quick glance at your lips as your tongue darted out to sweep some of the sauce back into your mouth before he looked away, a very deep scowl etched in on his face. “You’re fuckin’ crazy. Next time, I’m forcing you to eat a whole damn pepper and see how you handle it.”

You shot an eyebrow up at him with a suggestive smirk. “Next time? So you admit defeat, Dynamight?” Your whole body shuddered involuntarily at the glare he sent your way. “In your dreams, brat. You’re pissin’ me off with your kitchen ego.”

“MY kitchen ego? You’re the one that threw a tantrum when you heard the rumors that one of your subordinates was challenging you,” you argued back. “You’ve got a pisspoor attitude when it comes to someone stealing your thunder.”

You grabbed onto his sleeve after you finished your plate and tugged him along, ignoring his shout of “hey!” At your sudden tugging. Thrusting a bowl of your Sopa de Albóndigas into his hands, you fixed your own bowl of it and once again returned to your spot in the corner.

“Eat,” you said before you spooned the broth into your mouth, your eyes sparkling. You’d absolutely nailed it, making a mental note to send your old suitemate a message on instagram and thank her again for sharing her family recipe. “You’ll enjoy this one better since it’s a pleasant spice. Not everything has to burn going in and out.”

He grunted in response, silently eating out of his own bowl as you both returned to people watching once more. “Not bad. What’s the dish called?” The rumble of his voice, when not shouting or agitated, never failed to make your legs a little weak in the knees. God, please do ASMR when you retire, you pleaded mentally.

“Sopa de Albóndigas, it’s a recipe that’s seen in a lot of different cultures, but this one is Mexico’s version. Learned it from a friend in college.” Your face held another small smile at the memory. “Sappy motherfucker.” You let out a startled noise, glaring up into Dynamight’s eyes. “You’re a total asshole, I hope you know that.”

His wicked grin only grew. “You act like you don’t like it.” Your face felt like it was on fire as you whipped your head into the opposite direction, refusing to speak to him. This man is a fucking tease and he doesn’t even realize it. Your hands began to sweat a little, and not from the heat of the soup in your grasp.

“Let’s call it even this time,” you began after a couple minutes of slightly uncomfortable silence on both of your ends. “I think we both did a pretty good job. Next time we need to try making the same dish and see who did it better.”

Dynamight shook his head in agreement. “You don’t seem to be over this competition either.” You shrugged your shoulders in response. “It’s kinda fun. I like pissing you off.” You said with a smile.

“Bold words coming from someone who works for me.” He responded brashly. “Fire me and I’ll make sure you can’t use any of my maps ever again.” You said simply. Your boss rolled his eyes and moved to respond before getting interrupted by Naomi bouncing her way towards you.

“You’ve had your competition with Dynamight, come join us! Kanako wants to talk to you about your opinion on the new hero calendars that just came out,” she said excitedly as you let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m coming, one sec. Can you grab me a glass of champagne while you’re up and running?” You asked her as you put your finished bowl and spoon in the trash, Dynamight close behind you. “Yeah, no prob.” Naomi responded before walking towards the drink bar as you turned back to your boss.

“You heard the woman, duty calls,” you spoke with a lazy smile. “Thanks for making my first event with your agency so memorable. It was a lot of fun.” He gave you an unreadable expression before his neutral frown returned. “Don’t hafta thank me. Thank the others who were in charge of the whole thing.”

You let out a small laugh. “It’s your agency, though. So it’s still within your responsibility.” You waved to him as you walked off, but didn’t get far before turning back around, forgetting to mention something earlier.

“Oh yeah! I made New York style cheesecake. Help yourself if you want any!” You spoke before turning around again and trotting over to your team that cheered when you came into view. You could feel a pair of eyes burning into your back, but when you tried to sneak a glance behind you, Dynamight was already walking back to his friend group that called him over.

He’s such a fucking character, you thought fondly, before joining in on the conversation about pro hero Shouto’s photos in his calendar version, a picture that had you fanning your face dramatically because his abs were on full display for the month of April.

ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ-

That following work day, you had been in your office a whopping 35 minutes before Carl came running through the door, a wild look on his face. “What’s wrong with you? You look pale as hell,” you said with a frown, hopping up from your desk and walking up to him.

“Some fucking rookies in the PR department made a google form about voting for who’s dish was best between you and Dynamight from last night,” Carl spoke through gasps of air. Your body felt like it had frozen over again as you rubbed at your temples. “I— I ran here because Dynamight will probably get wind of it in a little while. He’s not in the office right now, but Atsuno is. And I guarantee you that he’s heard about it already. That man ends up telling Dynamight everything.”

You sighed before nodding your head. “Not surprised that happened, but I’m worried about his reaction to it. Maybe he won’t care too much about it? It really was just us talking to each other about it yesterday, we didn’t involve anyone else.” You pondered out loud as Carl sat in one of your visitor chairs.

“Yeah, you might get lucky. The guy’s probably got too much going on to be concerned about a stupid google form.” Carl mused.

After allowing him to catch his breath, you both walked into the workshop to begin on the city’s project, too busy focused on trying to add polygon layers into your software to remember the conversation about the PR department rookies that you’d had earlier.

It was right after lunch when your office phone rang. You jogged out of the workshop and reached the phone just in time before it got sent to voicemail. Picking it up, you didn’t even have enough time to get out a greeting before Dynamight’s voice came through the receiver.

“Wanna explain to me why there’s a google form about us floating around in my goddamn agency?”

You froze.

You were so fucked.

#pro hero katsuki x reader #pro hero bakugou x reader #bakugou katsuki x reader #katsuki bakugou x reader #bakugou x reader #katsuki x reader #bnha x reader #mha x reader #ross works

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cheeeerie · 1 year

Text

I hate summer I wanna go back to school SO BAD.

Ninjago College AU.

COLE!

He’s a Performing Arts Major with a Geology Minor :)

He doesn’t have many classes with the others, but he has had a couple classes with Nya since their minors have some overlap

Roommates with Jay, suitemates with Zane and Kai

Constantly getting in trouble for breaking quiet hours because he keeps listening to abba at 3 am

His dad is a dance professor. Cole tries desperately not to take any of his dad’s classes but he had to for his major eventually, he spends the entire time pretending he doesn’t know his dad while Lou is like “EVERYONE LOOK HOW TALENTED MY SON IS!”

Gets the most out of his meal plan. He’s in the dining hall three times a day.

Part time barista. Pretty good one too, but he keeps sleeping late and getting fired

KAI!

Sports Management Major with a Primary Education Minor

He has to take a lot of business classes for his major and he HATES all his business major classmates

He has classes with Lloyd, since his minor is Lloyd’s major

Roommates with Zane, suitemates with Cole and Jay

Every time there’s a health and safety check he sends Zane to the door to stall while he hurriedly hides all his lighters and candles. Never gets in trouble with the RA because Zane is great at stalling.

Takes FOREVER in the shower, Jay is always pounding on the door cause he has to pee. Kai repays him by banging on the walls when Jay and Cole are being way to loud in the middle of the night.

He coaches kids karate part time, plus whatever odd jobs he can find, since he’s paying for all of this himself

JAY!

Electrical Engineering Major, Digital Arts Minor

Has classes with Nya cause they’re both in engineering, plus he shares a minor with Pixal so they have a ton of class overlap.

Roommates with Cole, Suitemates with Zane and Kai

Cole and Jay have their beds bunked so Cole has room to dance and Jay has room for his gaming set-up. Jay streams, and very often Cole will just be practicing choreography in the background.

He doesn’t have a job, but he still has all the best stuff cause his parents send frequent care packages. They make sure to include goodies for everyone else too, though :)

Gets in trouble for having contraband CONSTANTLY. Do you know how many times this man has almost burned the entire dorm hall down in an electrical fire??? At least four times. Plus he’s always loudly playing video games during quiet hours.

lives on instant noodles, which he makes in his hot pot, which he is definitely not supposed to have

ZANE!

Computer Science Major with a Philosophy Minor

Has classes with Jay and Pixal because of the computer stuff, plus some classes with Lloyd because their minors have a lot of overlap.

Roommates with Kai, suitemates with Jay and Cole.

He has a lot of cooking supplies that he isn’t supposed to have, but he’s very careful so he doesn’t get caught.

Makes THE BEST dorm food, has the gang over for dinner pretty frequently.

Makes dean’s list basically every semester, man writes a hell of a paper

Sleeps like a rock, so Jay and Cole being loud all the time doesn’t bother him. He doesn’t even notice Kai banging on the walls and telling them to shut up.

He and Kai don’t bunk their beds, they each have their own side of the room. Zane’s side is very organized and well decorated. Kai’s side is a trash fire. Zane doesn’t touch the trash fire he just gently nudges is to Kai’s side of the room.

Whenever Kai stays the night somewhere else Zane washes Kai’s sheets. That is the only time Kai’s sheets get washed.

He has an on-campus job in the library

LLOYD!

Secondary Education Major with a double Minor in Psychology (because he’s traumatized) and theology (because his grandpa is god)

He’s actually still 17, he graduated early because he hated high school and wanted to be with his friends who are all older than him

He lives off campus in an apartment with his dad and step-dad, but the commute isn’t far and he stays the night at Kai and Zane’s dorm a lot

He has a lot of classes with Kai since they’re both in education, plus his theology minor and Zane’s philosophy minor have a lot of overlap so they have classes together too

He’s such an over achiever, he’s in the library studying day and night

He wanted to get a job but his dad said no because he already works too hard in school

He’s group baby. He once convinced the gang to take him with them to a party but they all just ended up baby sitting him the whole time. They ran a full investigation on every drink he was handed and stood behind him like body guards every time someone talked to him

NYA!

Mechanical Engineering Major, Coastal Environmental Science Minor

Roommates with Pixal, I haven’t decided if they have suitemates/who it would be

Her and Pixal’s room is decorated PERFECTLY.

She has a lot of classes with Jay, plus some with Cole because of their minors are both natural sciences. Her and Pixal have a ton of classes together because they have the same major

She has a pet fish in her dorm named Nyad :) Kai thinks that name is stupid

“You can’t name your pet after yourself” “I didn’t name her after myself I named her after Nyad” “who you’re named after” “…listen here you little shit—”

The boys stay the night at Nya and Pixal’s all the time, sometimes even all five of them at once, but they never get in trouble. Nya thinks it’s because she’s so sneaky.

It’s actually because Pixal writes most of the RA’s papers.

Nya is on the school’s swim team, but she hates it. She’d quit if she could, but she’s there on a swim scholarship and she can’t afford to pay for school herself.

PIXAL!

Mechanical Engineering Major, Digital Arts Minor

Nya’s roommate

She’s constantly making things to make everyone’s lives just a little easier

She’s like the princess of the tech/engineering department, every professor wants her as a TA soooo bad, both because of who her father is AND because she’s insanely talented

She’s surprisingly artistic. Well, it’s a surprise to her, no one else is surprised, they just expect her to be good at everything at this point. Makes some very pretty things in the design classes she has to take for digital arts

She doesn’t need the money (her father is seriously filthy rich) but she works at a mechanic shop part time for fun. Whatever money she makes she uses to buy things for the rest of the gang

President’s list

Fuck I accidentally hit the poll button and it won’t let me get rid of it ummm uhhh

#ninjago #lego ninjago #pixal borg #cole brookstone #zane julien #jay walker #nya smith #lloyd garmadon #kai smith #this isn’t very interesting is it #oh well posting anyway #ninjago au

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wafflesandkruge · 7 months

Text

the steep and thorny way to heaven (zoyalina)

Then she caught sight of someone across the room. Time seemed to freeze for one, perfect second and Alina’s vision tunneled. Zoya Nazyalensky was dressed in a shimmering white dress, her head tilted back in laughter as she lounged on a couch with her legs thrown over Nikolai’s lap. A crown of flowers rested on the dark waves of her hair. The flashing lights caught the glitter dusted on her cheekbones and bare shoulders until she seemed to glow. Alina’s fingers twitched as she imagined the way she’d paint Zoya. Phthalo blue for her eyes. Ivory black for her hair. Caput mortuum for her painted lips. She was a siren song in the dark, a perfect rock for Alina to dash her ship against. Or, a dark academia zoyalina au.

ao3

a/n: happy halloweekend! here's some dark academia zoyalina. if you've been wondering where i am, ya girl has two shiny new degrees and a job. i still write, but mostly just what @generalstarkov tells me to. CHECK OUT HER EDIT FOR THIS FIC HERE OR ELSE also, double release for lrpd for christmas if anyone's still waiting for that 🤞🏼

from what i can scrape together from my (beautifully hand scribbled) notes: alina and mal are new transfers to Morozova University after a scandal the previous year leads to the expansion of the scholarship program for underprivileged students to distract from it. zoya is also a scholarship recipient, though she normally hides it. the school's residence halls are all named after saints, and zoya, alina, genya, and tamar are all suitemates at Magda.

Heavy bass shook the floor in time with Alina’s splitting headache as her gaze slipped over lines of Keats. It was Halloween, and like any self-respecting elite university, that meant a party that would leave half the student body hungover for a week. Alina understood that part, she just didn’t get why the party had to be right under her. She had been planning on catching up while her suitemates were out and the place was finally quiet, but the universe seemed determined to make her fail her midterms. She flipped the page with more force than necessary and reached for the mug of coffee on her desk. It was empty. Damn.

As if on cue, her phone buzzed. Alina sighed and tossed her book onto the bed. Mal had been trying to convince her to go to the party for weeks and honestly, she was surprised he still hadn’t given up. She thumbed open the device.

Malt Shake: stop being a nerd

Malt Shake: u can study tmrw

Malt Shake: david’s here too u can stand awkwardly in the corner together

Alina snorted. A real selling point. Mal’s typing bubble appeared again.

Malt Shake: don’t take what ana kuya said too personally

As usual, he’d hit the nail on the head. Alina scowled as she switched her phone off. That was easy for Mal to say when everything was almost effortless for him. She had to work twice as hard just to keep up. Any less than that, and she could kiss her scholarship goodbye. She didn’t have a trust fund or family business to fall back on like most of the student body. All she had was herself and her wits. And Mal, when he wasn’t busy flirting with the entire student body of the university. Maybe his plan was to marry rich.

But still...she snuck a look at the clock mounted on the wall. It was nearing midnight, and she’d done nothing but catch up to her English readings all day. Maybe Mal was right. A little fun wouldn’t hurt.

A few moments later, she was creeping down the staircase that led to the common room on the ground floor. The music was deafening now, and mixed with the chatter and shouts of dozens of merrymakers, it was almost too much. Only the thought of the pleasant buzz of a drink kept her going as she pushed her way past a pair of zombies making out on the landing. The smell of cheap beer and sweat hung like a cloud over the crowded floor, the lights dimmed just enough that Alina had to squint to make out faces.

As if sensing her stare, Zoya turned her head and their eyes met. A smile curled on her lips, just a touch too sharp to be kind. Alina’s heart skipped a beat. Without looking away, Zoya leaned closer to Nikolai and whispered something into his ear, causing both of them to laugh. The tips of Alina’s ears burned. Even all the way by the staircase, she knew they were talking about her.

“Alina!” Alina tore her gaze away from the picture-perfect couple and the spell was broken. Whatever invisible force had been present released its hold and the clamor of the party came back in full force. She blinked and tried to find the source of the voice.

“Hey.” An arm wrapped around her shoulders as Mal materialized from the throng of moving bodies. He was dressed as a pirate with a low cut shirt that revealed much of his muscular chest and leather pants. A roguish grin completed the ensemble. Alina raised an eyebrow. Maybe he really was trying to marry rich.

“No costume?” Mal asked as began guiding her through the crowd. They parted for him like he was Moses. Alina looked down at her comfy sweater and jeans.

“Overworked scholarship student?” she suggested.

Mal chuckled. Alina snuck another look at her friend. A faint flush was visible on his cheeks, a sure sign he’d already had a few drinks.

“Give me a second,” Mal said as he deposited her by the drinks table in the kitchen. He disappeared into the common room again, and Alina retreated to a spot against the wall and tried not to think about how sticky the floor was. A few students milled around, pouring themselves drinks and chatting. Here, the music was muffled and she could finally hear herself think again.

Mal came back a moment later with a bear-ear headband which he slipped into her hair. He stepped back to admire his handiwork. “There. Clench your fist? Alina the aardvark.”

Alina rolled her eyes. “Not your best work, Malyen.”

“Forgive me, I’m drunk.” He poured some of what Alina recognized to be expensive gin into a plastic cup and pushed it into her hands. “For you, milady.”

“Thank you, kind sir.” Alina took a sip and made a face. “Is it just me, or does it taste worse the more expensive it is?”

“You can’t taste the notes of privilege and old money?” Mal teased as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders again. Alina let herself be dragged into the thick of the party. It had been this way since they were children—Mal was the one who made friends easily, Mal was the one who got invited to parties, Mal was the one who was loved by everyone. Alina was just his constant shadow. And she was fine with that. Happy, even.

But as they approached the cluster of couches where Zoya and Nikolai were still sitting, Alina wished she could have just an ounce of Mal’s charisma. Maybe then her suitemate wouldn’t treat her like she was unworthy of the air she breathed. She downed the rest of her drink in three big gulps for some liquid courage.

Mal pulled her down on a couch beside him, his arm lingering around her shoulder even as he started chatting animatedly to David seated on his other side. The chemistry major looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here, but Genya had probably personally invited him to the party she’d planned. Alina had never seen him say no to Genya for anything. Then again, not many people said no to Genya.

“Alina! We weren’t expecting you!” Genya exclaimed as she wandered over from a group of Elizaveta girls she’d been talking to. Alina mustered up a smile as the redhead slipped into the seat beside her. The wings of Genya’s fairy costume were digging into her arms, but she found herself not minding too much. Genya was by far the most tolerable of her suitemates.

“Best to keep your expectations of her low,” Zoya interjected, her tone bored. Their suitemate had moved closer to them and now only a few precious feet separated them, a distance that could have easily been bridged by a thrown drink. Alina contemplated it as she turned to Genya.

“How many drinks does it take for her to be pleasant?”

Genya gave a rueful smile. “More than we have on hand, I’m afraid. I’m glad you’re here, though! I was beginning to consider getting Tamar to haul a keg up to our suite so you could have some fun too…”

Alina nodded periodically to let Genya know she was listening, but let her eyes wander. Zoya had already lost interest in the two of them and had drifted back towards Nikolai. His hand was on her knee and her chin was on his shoulder as the two of them talked quietly. They really were a well balanced couple, Alina realized with a sharp pang in her chest. A study in contrasts. Two oppositely charged particles that couldn’t help but stick together.

“...Alina. Earth to Alina!” Genya snapped her fingers impatiently. Alina shook herself out of her thoughts and flashed her friend an apologetic smile.

“Sorry. You were saying?”

“I was saying, if Tamar and Nadia are—”

“Nikolai!” a booming voice interrupted. Dimitri, one of Nikolai’s rowing teammates approached. He wore nothing but a large white sheet twisted around his body in a sloppy toga. His gait was unsteady, a stupider than usual grin spread across his face. Alina shrunk back, wishing she could blend into the couch like a chameleon.

“Connors,” Nikolai greeted, though his smile looked forced. “What’s up?”

“Got something I need to ask you. Away from your little gold digger girlfriend, if you don’t mind.”

A silence fell across their group. Alina’s eyes darted towards her right. Nikolai’s smile had frozen across his face, but Zoya’s eyes were furious. She stood slowly, her heels almost putting her at Dimitri’s eye level. Alina was reminded of a snake coiling itself to strike. A sick feeling sprouted in Alina’s stomach like she was watching an impending car crash but she couldn’t look away.

“What did you say about me?” Zoya asked, her tone cold.

Dimitri laughed loudly, completely oblivious to Zoya’s anger. “It’s a joke, Nazyalensky. Come on, it’s funny.”

“You wouldn’t know funny if it bit you in the ass,” Zoya spat. “Then again, if you throw around some more of daddy’s money–”

Dimitri’s face darkened with rage, but Zoya continued, a familiar sneer curling her lips.

“–I’m sure everyone will find you hilarious.”

The music fell away and all Alina could see was Zoya’s cruel and beautiful face inches away from Dimitri’s, then he was raising his arm and Alina was surging out of her seat, Mal right behind her—

“That’s enough,” Nikolai said quietly, somehow already between the two of them, one hand around Zoya’s waist, the other holding Dimitri’s arm. “You’re drunk, Dimitri.”

There was a clarity to Dimitri’s eyes that suggested that wasn’t the entire truth. But still, he laughed, slapping Nikolai on the shoulder. “I’m wasted, bro. I’m gonna head back.”

As soon as Dimitri lumbered off, hopefully back to his dorm like he’d said, Zoya whirled on Nikolai.

“What the fuck was that?” she demanded.

It was obviously meant to be a private conversation. Alina fidgeted awkwardly, still half out of her seat. She was just glad the standoff had ended somewhat peacefully, though from the way Nikolai and Zoya were whisper-arguing, maybe the peace wouldn’t last long. Beside her, Mal settled back onto the couch, a breath leaving his lips as he began muttering about what an asshole Dimitri was.

“Leave it-”

“Don’t tell me-”

“Zo, please-”

“Just leave me alone,” Zoya hissed as she shoved his arm off of her and stormed off. Alina watched her crown of flowers disappear into the crowd, then turned back to Nikolai. He looked…disappointed. But not sad, and definitely not devastated that his girlfriend has just left him. How on earth could anyone be so casual about Zoya Nazyalensky?

Before she could think it through, Alina took off after Zoya.

---

“Ophelia.”

Zoya looked up sharply. Her eyes were rimmed in red, her makeup smudged. Her features were still drawn tightly in anger and Alina had to resist the urge to take a step back. Zoya was always beautiful, but now, she was devastating, a mosaic of broken glass and jagged edges that could cut just as much as it could mesmerize.

“What?”

“Ophelia. That’s your costume, right?” Alina took a step into the room, then froze expecting some kind of land mine to go off. Zoya’s room was off-limits. Zoya was off-limits. But the other girl only nodded slightly and took another swig from the bottle she was holding. Alina took that as an invitation to move further inside. Like its occupant, the room was meticulously put together. There wasn’t much in terms of personal effects, but everything else was neatly arranged in its place as if Zoya were expecting an inspection at any minute. Alina moved an open textbook from the bed and sat gingerly on the edge. Zoya was only an arms length away now, the unattainable brought close.

“I recognized it as soon as I saw you. I did a report on it before. The Heyser painting, that is.” Alina knew she was rambling at this point, but it was the only way she knew how to fill the yawning void between them. “Did you know—”

“There’s rue for you, and here’s some for me; we may call it herb of grace o’ Sundays,” Zoya recited with a sharp laugh. She lifted the bottle in a mock toast. “Here’s to an hour of rue.”

Alina was silent as she watched Zoya drink from the bottle again. She still didn’t know why she had decided to come in—did she think she could comfort Zoya? Zoya who seemed determined to ignore her existence when she wasn’t actively trying to get her to leave the school?

Zoya coughed, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Nikolai doesn’t get it, you know. That’s why he tried to stop me.”

Alina understood. More than anything, she understood. She folded her hands in her lap and nodded. Zoya took that as a sign to go on.

“He can afford to laugh off comments about himself, the rumors, no matter how bad. Because he has his money behind him. His family name. He’ll survive just about anything they can say about him. But me?” Zoya laughed again. “If I don’t respond, I’ll be a target. If I don’t respond, that makes what they say about me okay when it’s anything but.

“I fought tooth and nail to get here. I’m not going to let that bastard get away with saying stupid shit like that. And if Nikolai isn’t with me, then he’s part of the problem.”

Alina nodded slowly, the weight of Zoya’s words sinking in. “For all they make this place out to be, it’s full of idiots,” she said. “My first week here, one of my professors stopped class to ask me where I’m from because he said I ‘had an accent.’”

Zoya snorted. “You’re from Sacramento. You don’t have an accent.”

“That’s what I told him,” Alina said with a shrug. “He wouldn’t believe me.”

Zoya groaned and fell back against her pillows. “What an asshat.”

“Yeah.”

Zoya was silent, and for a moment, Alina thought she’d fallen asleep. Then she sprang up again, her blue eyes intense. And way too close. Alina’s eyes flicked down towards her lips. She wondered how it would feel to touch them, to lose herself in the feeling.

Bad Alina, she chastised herself. No drinking for you ever again.

“Girls like us....” Zoya began. She frowned and evidently decided to start over. “Girls like us have to stick together.”

Alina’s throat went dry. Zoya’s unfairly perfect face was still too close to hers, her breath ghosting across her lips. Her mind went blank.

“Uhh…” she very eloquently supplied. Zoya didn’t seem to mind though, not as she blinked and narrowed her eyes as if seeing Alina for the very first time. She placed a freezing palm against Alina’s cheek. Alina thought she was going to die.

“You’re kind of pretty this close,” Zoya muttered. “Did you know that?”

“Thanks?” Alina squeaked. What else was she supposed to say when she was pretty sure this had to be an alternate universe where her craziest fantasies came true? Her eyes flicked downwards again, and Zoya didn’t miss it this time. Her lips curled into a smirk.

“My eyes are up here, Starkov.”

“Are they—mmgh.” Alina was cut off as Zoya finally bridged those last few inches between them and crashed their lips together. Her lips were as soft as Alina had imagined, and slightly sticky from the last stubborn traces of lipstick. Her hand curled around the back of Zoya’s neck to pull her closer. Her other hand was braced on the bed as Zoya pressed against her.

Jesus christ, she was kissing Zoya Nazyalensky. And part of her never wanted to stop.

Zoya kissed like someone greedy for more. Alina barely had time to breathe, to think, as Zoya leaned in and deepened the kiss. She tasted like bitter vodka and citrus, but Alina didn’t mind as she opened her mouth and breathed her in. Her skin was fire under Alina’s fingers and she was burning, burning, all the oxygen in the room gone. Zoya’s hand slipped under her sweater.

And all too soon, Alina was cold again, blinking hazily as Zoya sprang back, a look of panic in her eyes.

“Sorry.” Alina had never heard Zoya apologize before. Zoya refused to meet her eyes. “You should go.”

I’m dying, Alina thought as she stumbled out of Zoya’s room without another word. That’s the only explanation. I’m dying and this is my brain hallucinating to bring me comfort in my last moments.

She fell face-down onto her bed and willed herself to never wake up again.

#visit the ao3 link and read the notes if you want more details from this au #tgt #sab #writing #zoya #alina #zoyalina #nikolai #mal #my writing #the grisha trilogy #shadow and bone

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murdrdocs · 2 years

Text

anybody, everybody, scream! teaser

You get the first call on a Monday, around 2 in the afternoon.

You only remember because you’d just gotten back from your noon Econ class. It was a drag, and you always needed some sort of pick me up once you finished, usually in the form of whatever overpriced, extremely sweet drink you were using your food points on for the day.

The worn down toe of your dirtied converse had just stepped foot onto the creaky hardwood floors of your apartment when the phone rang. Your suitemates weren’t home, either in a class, out studying, or basking in the remnants of the sun that came with the beginning of Autumn.

Which left you to answer the phone.

Your bag was dropped by the door, which was where it usually ended up either way, and you rushed to the phone. You always did, running to answer the call, even though it usually wasn’t for you, or was just a telemarketer.

But the only reason you did so was because you were expecting someone. You were expecting Steve. Always.

It was 2 PM, on a Monday, therefore Steve would have known to not call you for another few hours, but you were expecting him either way. You couldn’t help it.

Your hand wrapped around the beige phone and lifted it to press the plastic to your ear.

“Hello?”

Silence.

So you tried again.

“Hello?...” you drug out the end, then waited for the other person to speak. You thought you heard breathing, but it was too faint to really tell. So you sighed and placed the phone back onto the hook, turning away to place your shoes by the door.

You and the other girls were mostly sure that something was wrong with your phone. This was a recurring problem; someone calling and no sound comes out on your end. You’d been meaning to contact someone about this, but truthfully you all were too busy––and a little lazy––to do anything about it. Besides, the problem seemed to fix itself by the next call.

You’re halfway across the empty living room when the phone rings again.

You sigh softly, a little upset about being interrupted once again, but there’s a pep in your step since you’re gonna be able to actually have a conversation this time around.

“Hello?”

“Hello?” The person on the other end asks. You smile a little, happy that your theory was proven.

The phone always fixed itself sooner or later.

“Hi. Did you just call? There’s a problem with our receiver.”

“Yeah, I did. I was wondering what was up with that. For a second I thought I was gonna have to get another phone,” the person––a man, you’re gonna deduce––laughs and you do too, instinctively twirling your finger around the cable cord.

“No, no. It’s just our problem,” another friendly laugh. “Who are you trying to reach?”

“Uh, a Heather Holloway. Is she there?”

“No, I’m sorry. You have the wrong number. Heather doesn’t live here.”

The person winces. “Yeah, I must have the wrong number. I’m sorry for wasting your time.” He laughs bashfully.

“It’s okay, happens all the time. You take care.”

“You too.”

And the receiver is back on the hook. Simple as that. You don’t think much of it at all, finally placing your shoes where they belonged and you’re pulling out a book with the intent of curling up on the armchair and reading for a while.

At the time, it was just a call, a human mistake made by someone looking for Heather.

But looking back on it just a week later, you realize that it’s nothing of the sort. It’s very sinister. And you can’t think about it too long without feeling like you’re gonna barf.

everybody scream, a stranger things Scream au, will be coming soon

#yeah it’s steve but guess what #….#it’s eddie too #GASPS #everybodyscream!#scream au #stranger things au #steve harrington x reader #eddie munson x reader #steve harrington x you #eddie munson x you #steve harrington smut #eddie munson smut

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saytrrose · 2 months

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Vent/Rant

I have no motivation to do my work and go to classes and I keep thinking about all the shit that’s happened this semester, how I lost all my friends except my roommate because one of them confessed and I didn’t like them back so they all picked sides and made me out to be a horrible person, how me and my roommate walked in on her old suitemate who had overdosed and we had to call the cops because we were quite literally staring at a dead body and we were the ones who found her, like I won’t get that image of all the details she looked like out of my head and how long she’d been there- and also my little sister now have fucking cancer LMFAO THATS GREAT yeah and I really want to be able to be a good content creator on here I know I could be better but I’ve just yet to finish the racing au sheets from like January and my art queue is LOADED. But I can’t take a break from social media because it’s the only thing that makes me happy hhh. God fuck there’s just so much I never want to do anything anymore and I wanna live, I’m not suicidal in the slightest but I feel like I’m going to go on academic probation because I’m also failing all my fucking classes and can’t manage them so I think my future is also royally fucked, I mean I could always try online college too idk but as of right now I think all my goals are ruined because I’m not academically good at all. I’ll probably end up not on top of online work or some shit too because I’m not medicated for my severe ADHD or mild autism idk I never have been either because my old psychiatrist said I didn’t need it. But I cant focus on anything at all for too long before I move on to something new or another idea I have and that applies to schoolwork ofc too. I just hhhhhhhhhggchhkkk and I love my ESA Pickles so much, I really do but I’ve lost motivation to just walk her outside so my roommate has been helping me do that a few times I really love her to death so much it’s such a basic thing but the thought of just leaving my dorm I dread idfk what I’ll do idk

#vent #ramble

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catnatch · 9 months

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okay so with all this au talk, the DnD college au is actually occupying most of my brain space. here's how it starts (LOTS more info under the cut):

Yosuke is a college first year and has had terrible luck doing the whole fresh start, make lots of friends (and get tons of babes) so far.... so while he doesn't like his suitemate Kubo too much, when Kubo wheedles him to join him for some dorm board game thing (so he doesn't look like too much like a creep going alone; and "it's not like YOU've got any plans on a Friday night, Hanamura") to get close to Yuki-chan- "and there are other hotties there!!" Yosuke doesn't protest TOO much. plus there's free food!

board game thing was actually a DnD session a couple of other first years are trying to put together. also in attendance are: Souji (the dm), Yukiko and Chie (they're already friends but don't know the rest of the group), Kanji, Naoto (Rise is there briefly (she's Naoto's girlfriend); she won't be joining but she wanted to steal Souji's cooking and catch up a little as she, Naoto and Souji are already friends- Naoto is the one to help convince Souji to put together this DnD recruitment, actually. Rise's very busy but she'll appear on occasion throughout the campaign when Souji begs her to play a dramatic bit parts for NPCs) and Ai just cos I feel like other people than the IT should join for a lil bit (she will make an excuse 20 minutes in "ohhhh something came up I'll be right back." she doesn't.) Mitsuo will not be returning after the first session after Yukiko flatly turns him down. Teddie is back home with Yosuke's parents since he's not college age yet and won't be a part of this at all, probably

first session is a little messy (the enthusiasm levels vary wildly among the players) but what hooks Yosuke and gets him to come back again is one of his off the wall ideas in combat actually worked and won them the battle and the dopamine he got from that is unmatched

what's the campaign look like: UHHHHHH i don't know but I have the vague idea it would somewhat mirror the events of p4- so instead of some world ending adventuring maybe the gang uncovers a serial murder plot? but more fantasy. and maybe the murderer's story is somehow tied to the NPC that Yosuke eventually falls in love with idk

the gang's characters!

Naoto already had their character planned out beforehand: an elf ranger ♂ (Souji had to talk them down from going into some super specific off-book combo to not scare off the newbies that hopefully would join). Yukiko, Chie, and Kanji had all actually read the recruitment flyer for this event so had a vague idea of their characters but haven't played a ttrpg before so just went with what appealed to them rather then how they play. Yukiko: tiefling warlock (and after she learned Naoto is x-gender she thought that sounded fun and made her character x-gender as well; Naoto thinks maybe they're being mocked but it's genuine on Yukiko's part). Chie: human monk ♀. Kanji: halfling cleric ♀. Yosuke had no idea what he was getting into so he's just going for what's Coolest. he considered being a super yolked warrior but nah... not even in make believe. But he could be an awesome stealthy ninja!! So he chooses rogue. as for race, he's not going to be an elf that's basically like being a fairy, right, and he's not... but he thinks they get cool bonus powers or something so he'll go with half-elf.

(Ai tried to be an elf princess but Souji gently maneuvered her to elf druid. Kubo went with the first things that caught his eye: dragonborn barbarian)

as for names, only Naoto came up with one already (Erawin <deeply into western high fantasy>); the rest of the gang workshops names at the table:

Yosuke: Jira (i'm not creative what do u want from me .)

Chie<sweating, desperately trying not to say her literal first thought > : her name is……uhhh… <gives up> Lee…

Yukiko just tries vague grunts to turn into a name (“Grgk!” “no” “Aaaht!” “no” “ERP!” “sounds like a belch” <yukiko laugh > “is that a name?? er- no” “Hrk!” “OKAY YES HRK YOU CAN BE HRK”)

Kanji: Usagi (it is for the reason you're thinking)

anyway the main meat of the au is an NPC appearing and then reoccurring throughout the campaign that Yosuke's character forms a natural rapport with... Souji picks up on this and fleshes out the NPC beyond what was a throw away background character. the gang try to do their DnD sessions every week for at least a couple hours, but it still takes them weeks and weeks to get through what Souji planned. since it's so gradual, Yosuke doesn't notice when their characters' banter turned from playful to outright flirtatious...

and he swears he's not like THAT but he can't help getting so genuinely upset when he dies* in Jira's arms and Yosuke can't separate character from person when he hears Souji's voice tells him before he dies that he- he loves--

*temporarily; I'm not a monster

#souyo hell! souyo hell!#blame ribbons (lovingly) for this #au posting

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legoshi-plz · 2 years

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Notice Me Part I

Pairing: Izuku Midoriya x Reader (eventually), Best Friend! Shinsou Hitoshi x Reader

Summary: College AU. Reader feels like she’s constantly overlooked/ ignored and she’s made her peace with that.

Warnings: Reader is coded as plus-size and non-Japanese (as a Black writer, I write with a Black reader in mind but the story can be read by anyone as skin and hair type are not mentioned at all.) Midoriya is Mixed (1/2, his father is Black) which isn’t a major plot point of the story but it’s mentioned like once. Also his hair is described as extremely curly + textured.

A/N: This is completely self indulgent. Please ignore if you don’t like or it offends you, this is literally just a lil treat for myself and the other black bnha girlies. Againf, it can be read by anyone though since technically anyone non-Japanese would be considered a foreigner.

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“You know, maybe you’d get to class on time if you didn’t tear your closet apart every morning,” Shinsou hummed from your doorway.

“How did you get here?” You were currently hoping on one foot trying to put your shoes on while not tripping over the piles of clothes you’d scattered on the floor.

“Your suitemate left the front door open. Now come on, I’m not letting you make me late.... again,” Shinsou turned as if he would leave without you but you knew he wouldn’t. If he was that anxious to get there on time, he would have never made the trek to get you in the first place.

“Right behind ya,” you mumbled grabbing your backpack and heading out the door.

Walking to class every morning with Shinsou was both a blessing and a curse. You were grateful he came by because it held you accountable for actually getting to your 8a.m. lecture however going anywhere with a guy as popular as Shinsou on campus could be... tiring, to say the least.

You had known Shinsou since you were in middle school where the two of you formed a quick and firm bond over the fact that you were both effectively ostracized from the rest of your schoolmates; Shinsou for his abnormal quick and you for being a foreigner. In all the time throughout middle school, people basically ignored you two, leaving you both in your own little world. However things changed drastically at U.A., at least for Shinsou they did.

When he finally joined your side in the Hero course, him being in class B while you remained in class A, Shinsou’s popularity skyrocketed. You saw him less than ever before as he was always training to perfect that muscular physique or with one of his many many admirers. He was one of the biggest players on campus and that title followed him well into his university years.

“Good Morning, Toshiii,” a voice called across campus. Shinsou waved in the poor girl’s general direction but never stopped walking forward.

“You do the homework last night?” Shinsou asked, nudging your side.

“Yeah, didn’t you? We got that assignment weeks ago.”

“You could say I’ve been a little... distracted lately,” Shinsou’s smirk told you everything you needed to know. That distraction was none other than his bustling social life with the opposite sex.

“I’ll send you the assignment. Pdf or Doc?” You sighed. Shinsou might be a little underprepared but he was still your best friend and you weren’t going to punish him for having a successful dating life.

“Doc please,” Shinsou hit you with that ridiculous ear to ear grin of his for when he got his way, which was pretty much all the time.

Class went by normal as ever but you couldn’t take your eyes off of one certain oblivious block of ice that sat exactly two rows down, three seats away from you. You were embarrassed that you had even counted.

During your third year at U.A., you interned at Endeavor’s hero agency with none other than the Half and Half prodigy himself. With his usual counterparts electing to seek out different agencies, it was just you and him working alongside each other for weeks and weeks. It was then you got to know him and realized how genuine he actually was. And funny and even considerate, in his own awkward way. It was there you fell for him and you’d been infatuated ever since.

Only he never saw you in that way. He never seemed to see anyone in that way. You had tried ingratiating your way into his friend group and though they were nice enough, you could never actually feel comfortable with any of them except for Midoriya. Midoriya knew to an extent what it was like to feel ‘different’ and he always made a huge effort to make you feel included in the group. If he noticed you weren’t talking much, he’d engage you in conversation, ask you questions, really listen to your answer and overall try to ease any awkward silences. He was a godsend and you were eternally grateful for his efforts but eventually you got the message that Todoroki would never notice you in that way and just stopped trying so hard.

“Something interesting about the back of Todoroki’s head?” Shinsou sneered beside you. He was the number one advocate for you to stop wasting your time on a lost cause like Shouto Todoroki. As your best friend, he always told you the cold, honest truth, no matter how much it hurt sometimes.

“Can’t a girl dream?” You sigh gazing back at the subject of your affection. As if sensing your eyes in their direction, Midoriya looked back from his seat besides Todoroki and locked eyes with you, giving an awkward wave that made you want to sink into the floor. You waved back slightly before turning to wallow in your own cringe.

After class ended, you stayed behind a bit to send Shinsou a few missing homework assignments and notes. As the two of you were exiting the class, you passed by Ochako, Iida, and Midoriya who seemed to be having quite the heated conversation. You were content to follow Shinsou’s lead and just walk past them when suddenly you heard a chipper voice call out to you.

“Y/N! You have great timing, you’re just who we need!” Ochako practically bounced over to you, her cheeks as pink as ever.

“Are you busy this Saturday? You wanna hang out with us?” She asked, her eyes wide. You were never really that close to Ochako in high school as she was always wrapped in other things (mainly her boyfriend Iida) but you didn’t dislike her by any means, which made you feel bad for wanting to decline her invitation.

“Um, why uh, why me?”

“We need an even number! So can you make it? Pretty please?” She was doing that thing where she had all of her fingertips pressed to one another and you knew you couldn’t say no to those big brown eyes.

“S-sure,” You looked over to your best friend who was observing the whole scene before him with a look of utter boredom. “Shinsou, you should come with us.”

“They need an even number, remember?” Shinsou rolled his eyes, while walking off. The two of you usually get breakfast after class so you hurried off after him.

“Okay, I’ll see you guys Saturday. Just text me the details,” you waved, rushing off.

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AN: Introductory chapter honestly, but hopefully the next one won’t be so dry!

#izuku midoria x reader #izuku midoriya x you #izuku Midoriya x black reader #Izuku Midoriya x poc! reader #bnha x black!reader #bnha x poc!reader #bnha x plus size reader

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halcyon-girls · 2 years

Note

Do you still take stellatrix fanfiction ideas?

Because I was thinking of an AU where Stella and Beatrix telling the Winx that they are dating. And it would be totally normal for them beeing in Stellas corner and tell Beatrix that she shouldn't dare to hurt Stella but I would love it when Beatrix would have someone in her corner too and having beside Stella someone who stand up for her and tell Stella she should also be careful. Especially Bloom because I love the Bloom and Beatrix scenes in the first season and really wissen that they would have do more with them. But if you don't want to use her it's totally fine.

I hope you have a nice day.

This one took a little longer. I really had fun with it! 😊

Beatrix and Stella had been dating for weeks and had yet to tell Stella’s suitemates of that fact. Beatrix wasn’t exactly excited, she was sure they all hated her and would do everything in her power to break them apart. However, there might be one fairy in that mix beyond Stella who wants Beatrix to be safe too.

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They’d been dating for a few weeks now. After many nights reminiscing over shared whiskey and stumbling words, Beatrix had listened and spoke in return as Stella asked her to be her girlfriend. Okay, so maybe she had asked, unable to deny how much she enjoyed Stella’s company any longer. When she thinks about it, a smile is brought to her face. Stella had leant in and all Beatrix could do was follow the princess’s lead and kiss her.

There was a final unspoken hurdle before they could officially claim to be a couple. Telling Stella’s little club of friends. It was easier said than done when Beatrix is relatively certain that every last one of them hated her a least a little, especially Bloom.

She tries to not dwell on that fact.

She leans against Stella’s side on a couch in her suite as they contemplate their next move. She grazes her fingers down Stella’s neck, admiring the little marks and freckles that kissed it. She slides her hand down further and rests it against Stella’s shoulder. In some ways, Beatrix finds the biggest hurdle of their relationship is her disbelief. How could Stella, a girl she’d terrorised only last term, suddenly become hers?

She must have been ruminating on it for a little too long, with her brow that bit more furrowed. Stella kisses the bridge of Beatrix’s nose, lingering for a moment before pulling away.

Stella runs her fingers through Beatrix’s hair when she pulls back, a playful smile on her face. ‘We could just walk in there and kiss, they’d be too surprised to be rude about it.’

Beatrix snorts, tilting her head to look up at Stella. ‘Until they remember they have fairy magic and collectively use it to remove me from the suite.’

Stella pauses her actions. ‘You’re exaggerating.’

Beatrix runs her hand along Stella’s jaw, stopping at her chin. ‘Am I?’

She watches as Stella’s expression turns contemplative. Stella tilts her head down with a pout before it quickly becomes a squinted grimace. ‘Perhaps you’re right.’

Beatrix knew she was right. She releases Stella’s chin and looks down at her lap. She’d hurt each of them in a different way. Some were not intentional on her part, like the situation with Dane and Terra but, she couldn’t deny that many of them were. She’d pushed Bloom to free Rosalind and she couldn’t exactly say that had landed them anywhere good. Rosalind was unpleasant to work with and uses Beatrix for little more than bookkeeping. She might as well have applied for a secretary position. Though, she supposes secretaries would know more than she did.

She would not be surprised if they all shouted at her and claimed she was manipulating Stella. Sometimes she wonders the same. She often paces, bites her lip and mutters over the thought that Stella was dating her for the wrong reasons. It was a foolish doubt driven by her regrets, but nevertheless, it lingered terribly.

She feels Stella’s hand on her chin, tilting her head upwards. ‘If you frown any further I fear it’ll get stuck that way.’

Beatrix wriggles her nose, letting her frown fall. ‘Would an unsightly appearance prevent me from visiting them?’

Stella laughs, and Beatrix, as always, watches in awe. It may just be Stella unconsciously using her light fairy magic, but every laugh that fell from her lips seemed to brighten the room.

Stella pulls her chin, drawing Beatrix in for a kiss. She allows herself to be led, much like their first time. It was nice to relinquish control every so often. To feel the way Stella’s lips would move, to sigh as she pressed a little harder against her. To groan when Stella’s wandering lips would trace her jaw before returning to their natural course. In moments like this, her doubts seemed needless. Stella kisses her at her own command, touches her at her own desire, and loves her with immeasurable certainty.

Beatrix pulls away, resting her forehead against Stella’s. ‘Very well, you have convinced me.’

Stella presses a kiss to her cheek. ‘Who said that was a kiss for convincing?’

Beatrix rolls her eyes at Stella’s teasing. She pecks Stella’s lips and pulls herself out of her arms as she rises from the couch she had gotten awfully comfortable on. ‘Come on, if we wait, I’ll probably just change my mind.’

Stella shakes her head with a smile, taking Beatrix’s hand. ‘I’d just find another way to convince you.’

Beatrix walks to her suite’s door, pulling Stella through before closing it behind them. ‘Yes, and I’m certain your lips would be used for lecturing, instead of the much more enjoyable alternative.’

Stella squeezes her hand, pulling Beatrix down the hall that led towards her own suite. ‘You’re not wrong. I had study cards prepared and everything.’

Beatrix pulls Stella to a stop, a few doors away from Stella’s suite. ‘You’re joking, right?’

Stella’s smile widens. ‘Turn back around and you’ll find out.’

As much as she enjoyed listening to Stella speak, she’s not sure she could listen to a lecture about how brilliant and loving each of her friends was. She’d rather do literally anything else. She’d read meaningless papers for Rosalind if it meant she wouldn’t have to hear something like, ‘Musa will come around, just make her a playlist,’ or something equally painful.

Beatrix pulls Stella towards her suite door and releases her hand, crossing her arms as she waits for Stella to announce them both.

Stella knocks on the door, despite having absolutely no need to. It fuels Beatrix’s worries. She feels her body tense and her hands involuntarily clench. Stella is quick to notice, wrapping her hand around Beatrix’s balled one.

‘You’ll do great,’ Stella whispers, pressing a kiss to Beatrix’s cheek and pulling away just as the door swings open.

‘Stella!’ Beatrix hears one of the girls, she assumes it is Terra, call out.

She knows it’s too late to turn around when Stella’s hand presses against the small of her back, pushing her into the suite.

‘Stella and,’ she hears Aisha speak, ‘Beatrix.’

Beatrix forces a smile on her face and offers a small wave to the group, wishing to be anywhere but here. She tries to count the number of times she’s made each of these girls’ lives hell and quickly runs out of fingers to count them on.

She presses closer to Stella’s side. ‘Hello.’

Stella slides her hand from Beatrix’s back to rest against her waist, pulling her completely to her side. ‘I, well, we, have an announcement to make.’

Most of them look confused, save Musa who, despite having no magic, sends Beatrix a knowing smile as she presses herself further against the back of the couch she was on.

Bloom shuffles on one of the other couches, resting her elbow on the armrest. ‘Well, we can’t wait all day. Give us the news!’

Flora leans against the wall, eyeing the two of them in curiosity. ‘I definitely want to know what all of this is.’

Stella’s grip tightens on Beatrix’s waist slightly, her eyes darting around the room as she seems to struggle for words. She opens her mouth but all that seems to come out is ‘Ah.’

Beatrix taps her shoulder, waving her finger so that she would lower her head. ‘We could always do it the way you suggested.’

Stella flushes, spluttering a little at Beatrix’s words, the tips of her ears taking on a red tinge. Perhaps it would be best to not do it in such a shocking way. She’d like Stella to survive the encounter.

Beatrix realises it's her that needs to announce it. This was not going to end well.

She takes a deep breath and pushes a smile onto her face. ‘Our announcement is,’ she pauses. She looks up at Stella for confirmation and receives a nod. ‘We’re together,’ she takes another breath. ‘Dating, that is.’

The uproar Beatrix had expected occurs. Yet, somehow, not in the way she had imagined. The room divides, muttering between each other before some sort of group decision is made.

It’s Aisha who speaks first. ‘We’re definitely not against it if it’s making the two of you happy. You both, well, you both deserve some happiness after everything that has happened.’

Terra speaks next, her eyes firmly fixed on Beatrix. ‘But if you hurt her at all, we’re coming for you.’

Beatrix swallows sharply at Terra’s words, only slightly soothed by Stella rubbing her thumb against her waist.

Flora offers a similar speech, having heard much of Beatrix’s escapades from her cousin, Terra. For better or worse, it made her painfully neutral to Beatrix. Good for when nothing was going wrong, terrible for when something does.

Musa gives her that same knowing smile but remains firmly on Stella’s side, the threat less sharp, but a threat nonetheless.

When it’s clear that Bloom is the remaining suitemate that Beatrix has to face, she considers leaving. The rest of them just had idle qualms about Beatrix. Bloom, however? She could write a book on her issues with Beatrix.

Beatrix stands slightly straighter and tilts her head up, preparing for Bloom’s onslaught.

Bloom smiles without malice, her gaze flicking over to Stella instead. ‘Hey, Stella?’

Stella finally speaks, the tension in her body starting to melt away. ‘Yes, Bloom?’

‘If you hurt her, you’ll be speaking to me.’

Beatrix feels her jaw slacken as she looks over at Bloom in disbelief. ‘Did I just hear you defending me?’

Bloom shifts her position on the couch, turning herself to face Stella and Beatrix fully. ‘Do you remember when I first started looking for Rosalind?’

Beatrix frowns. ‘I’m not sure I follow.’

Bloom reaches for a pillow, holding it against her chest as she continues. ‘You joked about me photo collaging at a party and asked how are we not friends.’

Beatrix hums. She did remember that. Afterwards, she lied about knowing of Rosalind and in one fell swoop completely ruined any chance to turn that question into anything more than an insult. ‘I am aware of that, yes.’

Bloom pats the pillow, letting it fall into her lap. ‘Well, I’m not blind, I’ve seen the way the two of you interact and,’ she grins, tapping two fingers to her lips. ‘Get a little more intimate.’

Beatrix listens to Stella clear her throat and takes pity on her girlfriend, rubbing her back.

Bloom continues her speech. ‘So, I figure as terrible as the Aster Dell visit was, as well as everything with Rosalind, you did help me start to understand both of those things and get some answers.’ She offers a small smile. ‘Basically, what I’m trying to say is that I want to understand you too.’

Beatrix feels the corner of her eyes prick with the beginning of tears. She squints her eyes and sniffs, now was really not the time to break down. She wanted to show them all a strong face. Show them that she was capable of caring for and loving Stella without reserve.

‘I-’ she huffs, ‘I would not be entirely opposed to trying to understand you and, uh,’ she gestures around the room. ‘The rest of you.’

Bloom grins widely and waves her over. ‘Join me.’

Beatrix may have been willing to accept the idea of Bloom caring slightly about her existence, but definitely not the idea that she willingly wants to sit next to her. She crosses her arms. ‘What’s the catch?’

Bloom pauses her waving. ‘Uhh,’ she looks down at the couch, ‘The couch actually sucks?’

She feels Stella nudge her with her elbow and she gives in. She walks across the room and drops down into the couch with an ‘Oof’. She looks down at the way she’d practically sunk into the chair. ‘You weren’t kidding.’

‘It’s a case of suite night gone wrong,’ Musa comments, stretching herself out on the not broken couch.

Beatrix shuffles herself over to the edge of the couch, haphazardly gripping the armrest.

Her actions seem to stir Stella out of her reverie, a soft smile on her face as she watches their interactions. ‘So, you’re all like cool with this right? Beatrix and I together?’

Aisha nods, offering out her hand. ‘I might still have some issues, especially with everything from the past term, but, you know, we just want to see you happy, Stella. I want to see you happy. Queen Luna or anyone who says otherwise can be damned.’

Beatrix watches as Stella squeezes Aisha’s hand with a watery smile before turning to look at Beatrix. ‘Remember my original idea for this?’

Beatrix bites her lip to stop her smile as she shuffles out of her seat. ‘Perhaps. I may need some reminding.’ She had offered it originally, but chose not to act on it. However, now? She very much wanted to do so.

Stella holds out her hand and Beatrix is quick to grab it, allowing Stella to pull her close and rest her hand against Beatrix’s waist. She whispers, with her breath ghosting Beatrix’s ear. ‘Only because I want to.’

How could Beatrix deny such a request?

She slides a hand up Stella’s back, pressing it against her shoulder blade. ‘Go ahead, princess.’

That has Stella flushing and smiling widely as she leans down to press her lips against Beatrix’s. Beatrix ignores the way Stella’s suitemates cheer and laugh, with Bloom shouting about PDA in between her laughter. It was nice. She’d never had such a large group cheering for her before.

Stella pulls away, her eyes still fixed on Beatrix’s lips. She tucks a strand of hair behind Beatrix’s ears. ‘I love you.’

It was Beatrix’s turn to flush. It was not as if they hadn’t said those words before. There had been plenty of times, and Beatrix certainly remembered their first. They were walking idly around the grounds while the autumn leaves were falling. Beatrix had picked out a few from Stella’s hair as they’d walked. She hadn’t expected Stella to stop, reach for her hands and declare she loved her, but, it had made sense. More than anything, it had felt right.

She runs her spare hand down Stella’s cheek, resting it against her neck. ‘I love you too.’ It still felt right to say as it had the first time and every time since.

Musa makes a noise, breaking them apart. Beatrix removes her hand from Stella’s neck and shoulder, settling on holding her hand instead. They walk over to the broken couch and sit down. Stella seems to hardly mind the dip in it as Beatrix finds herself slipping into her lap.

Musa speaks. ‘You know, I’m suddenly infinitely more grateful that I don’t have my magic.’

Beatrix rolls her eyes. ‘Why?’

Musa shakes her head and points at Stella, who, Beatrix quickly realises, was making the room a little too bright, the lights flickering under her unconscious command.

Beatrix turns herself in Stella’s arms, an amused smile on her face. ‘You’re making the room brighter.’

Stella smiles, the corners of her eyes wrinkling. ‘Thank you.’

Beatrix can’t help but match that smile as she places two fingers on Stella’s chin and guides her eyes upwards. ‘While that is true, I also mean quite literally.’

Stella’s eyes widen as she takes a few deep breaths, the slowness of her breathing starting to reduce the brightness of the lights until it was nothing more than a gentle amber glow. ‘I’m sorry, I, uh, didn’t mean to almost destroy our suite’s lights.’

Terra laughs, ‘I’m with Musa on this one.’

Bloom chimes in, raising her hand, with Aisha and Flora quick to follow. ‘Same.’

Beatrix watches as Stella looks between them in obvious confusion and takes pity on her. ‘They mean they’re glad to not know what thoughts and emotions are racing around in there,’ she enunciates, pressing a finger to Stella’s forehead. ‘Especially with how they seem to cause some lighting issues.’

Stella clears her throat. ‘Well, when a girl likes another girl-’

Beatrix is first to laugh, a loud snort escaping her as she moves her finger to Stella’s lips silencing her with a shake of her head.

The rest of the suite join in, watching as Stella splutters through her explanation of how exactly Beatrix’s kiss resulted in a momentary light flickering event.

Beatrix and Stella stay with them all for a while, laughing as Stella shares how they started dating and how they managed to hide it for so long. Beatrix moves out of her lap and to her side, her shoulder brushing against Bloom’s as they watch Stella wave her arms around with each explanation, laughter and joy in her eyes.

Bloom leans over, her hand resting on Beatrix’s shoulder, she gestures for them to stand, moving to a small couch in the corner of the room. ‘You know, maybe I had you all wrong.’

Beatrix smirks as she sits back down, looking away from Bloom towards the centre of the room. ‘No, you definitely had me right. I was awful and cruel and thoroughly made all of your lives ever the more difficult.’

She hears Bloom make a humming sound. ‘I hear a ‘but’ in there.’

Beatrix clasps her hands together and places them in her lap. ‘But Stella helps me turn that into the past.’

Bloom nudges Beatrix with her leg and Beatrix turns, watching her lean back into the couch. ‘I think you’re doing pretty good.’ Bloom’s eyes flick over to Stella for a moment. ‘Besides, I meant what I said, if she hurts you, she’ll have to deal with me.’

Beatrix smiles, leaning back into the couch with Bloom and tilts her head to look at her better. ‘Protection from the most powerful fairy in Alfea? What a treat.’

Bloom pats her hand. ‘One of the most powerful. We’re in this together now.’

That much Beatrix can agree on. ‘For better or for worse.’

Bloom pouts, ‘Save your vows for your wedding.’

Beatrix blinks rapidly, processing Bloom’s words. ‘My… what?’

Bloom pats the top of Beatrix’s head, her pout turning into a grin. ‘For better or for worse? I think Stella would love to hear that.’

Beatrix huffs, reaching over to hit her hand against Bloom’s head in retaliation. The fire fairy is faster than her hand, slipping off the couch and running back to the center of the room. Stella is quick to reprimand her.

Beatrix chooses not to follow her, instead, she watches the way Stella interacts with her suitemates. They’re certainly not as unbearable as she’d imagined them to be.

She supposes a future with Stella means a future with them. With Bloom in her corner, she finds herself looking forward to the unknown instead of fearing it. She’d do this day a hundred times if it meant seeing Stella this happy.

Stella smiles brightly, the lights flickering as she calls Beatrix back to the group.

Make that a hundred and one.

#fate: the winx saga #stella of solaria #stella #beatrix daniels #beatrix #stella x beatrix #stellatrix #ftws #fate the winx saga #myfics

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across-violet-skies · 20 hours

Text

more Linked University AU!!!!

preview under the cut!!

Flora groaned, holding her head in her hands and rubbing her eyes. She had been studying for her finals for five– or was it six?– hours now, and it felt like no real progress was being made.

It wouldn’t suck so much if she wasn’t the only one struggling. Her suitemates seemed to be doing just fine– great, even. Flora just wasn’t on the same level, and that hurt. Her entire life, she had been an honors student, holding a consistent 4.0 GPA all through high school.

Now she was studying what she loved, and her grades were less than ideal.

…Okay, it wasn’t that bad. Flora had a B- in her plant biology class, and a B+ in her modern Hyrulean history class. Still, it bothered her, having been a straight-A student her entire life.

There was a knock at her bedroom door. Sighing, Flora pushed aside a couple papers, getting up to answer the door.

“Flora!” Riju grinned, eyes crinkling. “The school’s running a wellbeing event tonight where you get to plant your own bonsai trees! Do you want to go? It starts at seven.”

Flora grimaced, checking her phone. It was almost six. “...I don’t know… don’t you have finals to study for?”

“I already did. I’m all set for the week,” Riju replied, shrugging.

“Oh,” Flora said flatly. “Sorry. I’m busy. Have fun though.” She shut the door, squeezing her eyes shut with a soft sigh. She hated to turn Riju down, especially since the event was right up her alley, but she couldn’t afford to miss out on studying time.

Through the door, Flora could hear the booming voice of one of her other suitemates, Sidon.

“Wild! There’s an intramural volleyball game tonight in the gym, we should go!” He exclaimed. Even with a door separating her from the conversation, Flora could practically see Sidon’s grin as he spoke.

Wild’s answer was much quieter, but Flora could make out a “maybe next time” from the cook.

There was a pause before Sidon called for her. “Flora!” He started, walking closer to her door. “There’s an intramural volleyball game tonig-”

“Sorry, Si, I’m busy!” She interrupted, feeling the guilt pile up as she turned down her friends’ invitations to hang out. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to, but…

Flora sighed, glancing back at her desk. Studying was absolutely miserable. As much as she loved her botany minor, this plant biology class was sapping her strength. Her history classes were challenging too, but not quite on the same level. History just came easy for her!

…Well, most of the time, anyway. Right now, studying felt impossible, but Flora had already turned down both Riju and Sidon’s offers to hang out for the night. She really needed to be ready for finals next week, and that meant study, study, study. No matter how difficult it was, she couldn’t afford to fail her classes.

Flora sighed, grabbing the notebook on her desk. Her notes were mostly neat, but the ones from last class were nearly illegible with how frantic she had been trying to scribble everything down. She groaned, dropping the notebook on her desk and slumping into her chair. She put her head down, folding her arms to act as a makeshift pillow.

Flora exhaled, closing her eyes for a moment. She hated feeling incapable, but university brought out those negative thoughts quite often. It was just so easy to give in to imposter syndrome, especially if you’re surrounded by people doing well when you… aren’t.

-> read the rest on ao3!

#linked university #linked university au #linked universe au #linked universe #lu flora #lu wild #lu sidon #lu riju #linked universe fanfic #ao3 #riv writes

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keeperofthesunandmoon · 2 years

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How would Brant interact with his fellow keepers (MC, Marcela, and Dominic) if he was still alive? Would he try to be a mentor to them or would he just acknowledge them at events?

AU in which Brant is the survivor of the Delacroix Massacre instead of Sera

Brant marries Melanthe and is Marcela's father/step-father depending on who you believe. Very doting. Marcela is never discovered as a keeper by the public, but Brant trains her to control her powers.

MC is still discovered as a keeper thanks to Patil's intervention. Before the reveal Brant had no reason to interact with them since Sera isn't their suitemate. After the reveal he tries to mentor them and keep them from the worst of NMC politics, but he won't do too much that would antagonize the other major players because he doesn't want to draw scrutiny/have anyone realize Marcela is a keeper. If Lysander and Isabella are MC's parents he has more involvement in MC's life because of his friendship with them.

Dominic is still with Frostbite and never really has the chance to interact with Brant. Brant would take on a similar role with Dominic as MC if given the chance.

#brant #marcela #dominic #melanthe #seraphina #lysander #isabella

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islandfate · 8 months

Text

is it sad to say … i MIGHT cry over this show today. thanks to a little lost au plotting, i went ahead and took the initiative of writing down every major and interesting plot point in season one. and wow if that didn't bring back a shitload of nostalgia and emotions for this show. plus, listening to lost's soundtrack is like an absolute punch in the gut in the best way.

it's been a lost week ( and year ) for me, surprisingly enough. i rewatched seasons 2-5 back in april and wrote some stuff for ben, which is the first time i've really dabbled in his character since 2017. last week, i mentioned lost to a new buddy and she suggested we watch it together ( since she wants to see billiam's lost video essays ) and i said fuck yeah! so we're doing that tonight. and on tuesday, i think, i met up with some friends at lunch and mentioned lost. again. but! this guy we were sitting with knew about the show, enabling me to talk/rant about lost for what would usually be a little too long, but my rambling convinced my suitemate to start watching it, so i think that's a score! and now the lost au plotting just has me in my feels. i will seriously never forget how special watching lost is, how much it means to me, my first time discovering it ... and the great thing about starting this show when you're ten years old is that, every time you watch it, you understand something new. the love i have for my favorite characters grows even deeper. i grew up alongside these characters and their stories and relationships mean so much to me. i think the reason i've written so little lost fanfiction is because this show is like, the closest to perfect it gets in my eyes? of course, this show isn't actually perfect. but i can't see a way to write something interesting or new about these characters when they already do that.

honestly, though, me and lost are synonymous. we go hand in hand. it is my show and i will defend it till my last breath, misconstrued ending be damned. and aside from bjm, there has never been something in my life that has spoken to me this much. that has touched parts of my soul i didn't even know existed. i'm not a big cryer when it comes to movies or television, but lost is always a tearjerker. not even always in a sad way – it's often the reunions, the character relationships, the touching moments that make me cry. rose and bernard's reunion, two character i don't even care about, makes me cry ( and made my nine year old brother cry ). seeing michael say goodbye to walt in that flashback will never not make me sob. the raft launching and the music swelling in the background always makes me tear up. locke finding out his father conned him to steal his kidney makes me cry SO HARD. every time. desmond and penny reconnecting over the phone??? sawyer telling jack that he met his dad before the crash, and how proud christian was of his son? giving jack that final closure? ben crying over his daughter and saying that locke is "the only one that will have me" ?!? just rips my heart out and stomps on it. i could go on and on about the emotional moments in this show, but i think that's something so great about it. lost doesn't pull its punches when it comes to making you feel. once you get attached to these characters, you're in it. you are not coming out unscathed. ana lucia, i character i don't even like very much, made me fucking cry. because you can just feel her devastation in those flashbacks. they're all just so human, and yes, they're flawed as hell, but i love what they did with these characters. even jack, for as much as i despise him ( until season 6 of course ), i still think he's a great character. and they do a damn good job of making you love characters you should absolutely hate ( cough ben & michael ).

it's just not fair that no one watches this show anymore!! and if i have to be the person that spreads the word, then i'll do it. because i think it's genuinely worth watching. and there's not a moment that's gone by i regret spending time on lost, because it means that much to me. i've watched all six seasons every year since i was ten, sometimes watched it again that same year ( as 2023 is shaping up to be one of those years ), so i've seen this show fully through at least ten times. that's over a whole month of my life spent watching lost. 37 days. and it'll only grow, because i'm taking this show to the grave with me.

anyway. thanks for coming to my ted talk. more lost thoughts will be happening soon, i'm sure – especially after i watch the pilot episodes. expect many more rambles <3

#i've looked into the eye of this island ( thoughts )#will never get over this show actually #might be tearing up a little bit just THINKING abt it #lost. ily

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cheeeerie · 1 year

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Nya Pixal's dorme suit whatever it's called mates should be Vania and akita!! That would be fun!

Tell me about the parents I wanna know the relation ships the gang have with their parents

That WOULD be fun!!

Also I know some other places do it differently so if anyone is confused: where I come from, your roommate is the person you share a bedroom with, but if your room is connected to someone else’s by a bathroom or a common room, that’s your suitemate, so that's what I mean when I say roommate or suite mate :)

Alright, the College AU Gang and their parents in order of how good/existant they are!

Nya and Kai have been in foster care since their parents died when Kai was 6 and Nya was 5. Neither of them remember their parents, and they never became particularly close to any if their foster parents until they moved in with Wu a whole ten years later. They lived with him for two years until they both graduated high school (Nya graduated early so she could stay with Kai) and moved out for college, and they still stay with him over breaks. That's actually how they met Lloyd, he's their foster cousins :)

Zane is the other orphan, he was raised by a single dad that died during his senior year of high school. He doesn’t talk about it very often but he thinks about it a lot. Pixal is the only one who knows much about it (she knew Dr. Julien growing up, he and Borg were work friends, and Zane and Pixal went to th same private prep school and were kind of childhood frenemies), so she's the only one Zane will talk to about it. The rest of them just know that he doesn't have parents anymore.

Pixal's relationship with her father is... strained. She never had an other parent so it was just the two of them growing up, and they were super close. They still talk and see each other all the time, but since she left the nest and started expanding her world view a bit, she's become kind of critical of his business practices and what exactly Borg Industry's values are. Whereas most of their conversations used to revolve around work, now both of them carefully don't mention it so that they don't end up in a screaming match. She also doesn't love being recognized as Borg's daughter all the time, she wants to be recognizedfor her own merits.

Cole is pretty close with his dad, but that’s kind of a recent development. His dad was a classic dance-parent growing up and put way too much pressure on him, which really intensified when Lilly died when Cole was in his early teens. Cole even quit dance for a year. However thanks to the magic of family therapy, Lou is now much more supportive and he and Cole are very close :) however Cole still gets super embarassed when he sees his dad on campus. Lou tries his best to give Cole is own space, but they have dinner together at least once a week.

Lloyd's parents divorced when he was a baby but he's still close with both of them. His mom is actually a professor too, though she is MUCH better at being professional about it than Lou is with Cole. Lloyd wasn't as close with his dad growing up, since he mostly stayed with his mom or with Wu when she was out of town, but he really enjoys living with his dad and step dad now, even though he is pretty eager to move on campus to be closer with his friends.

Jay is by far the closest with his parents, they call him every day. Ed and Edna are very supportive of everything he does and they absolutely ADORE all his friends, which is why they make sure they include goodies for them in their frequent care packages. Jay doesn't bring his friends home with him often, just because they live in a trailer and there's not really any space for six extra young adults, but Ed and Edna DO come to visit him at university and will take the entire gang out to dinner. If they call Jay while he's hanging out with the other's he'll put them on speaker so they can talk to whoever he's with, which means that they are always up to date on the goings on of the group.

TY FOR THE ASK!!!

#ninjago #lego ninjago #ninjago college au #pixal borg #cole brookstone #zane julien #jay walker #nya smith #kai smith

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sylphidine · 2 years

Text

[Fic] Call Signs, Chapter 22

Fandom: Deltarune

‘Verse: Human AU

Pairing: Swatch/Spamton [Swatchton]

Characters: Swatch Paletta, Spamton Addison, Eos Addison [Pink Addison], Ballew Addison [Blue Addison], Sienna Addison-Timothy [Orange Addison], Saffron Timothy-Addison [Yellow Addison], T.M. Tanner [Tasque Manager], Catechu Dyer [Swatchling], Indigo Dyer [Swatchling], GiGi McCray [Queen], Leroux Kaard [Rouxls Kaard], mentioned Mama Michelina [OC]. mentioned Papa Andy [OC], mentioned Coz Pitchiner [NDU]

Rating: Mature

Chapter title: Chaos Of The Bells, Part Two

Chapter summary: Some halls get decked, some preconceptions get wrecked, and thus the holiday season lurches on.

Author notes: No real warnings needed for this chapter, other than an alcohol mention [very brief]. No flashbacks this chapter, either. Can't say the same for the next few chapters [cue ominous incidental music].

______________________

January 3, 2022 - 8AM

T.M. 's phone played her “cool beats” text notification, giving her a much-needed reason to excuse herself from the nauseating sight of her mother fawning over her latest boyfriend at the breakfast table. At least this one kept his beard neatly trimmed and didn’t wear more eyeliner than T.M. herself did.

When she’d made it safely to her room, she flopped down on her bed and opened her messages. The newest was from her suitemate Regina McCray.

From: THEQUEENOFEVERYTHING

To: TABBYCAT

LOL You WIll Never Guess Who I Hooked Up With On New Years Eve

I’ll Give You One Guess He’s Tall And Goofy And Likes Puzzles. And Bonus Clue He Has A Cute Kid In Preschool

T.M. groaned and barely restrained herself from throwing the phone at the wall. She was fond of Leroux Kaard in her own way, and she did agree with GiGi that Leroux’s adopted son Lance was indeed very cute, although a bit hyper even for a four-year-old.

But Leroux with GiGi? GiGi the unstoppable, GiGi whose mouth ran five times faster than her brain, GiGi who had to be gently reminded that other people had feelings? GiGi who never took anything seriously until the absolute very last minute?

Poor ‘Roux. He was going to get his heart stomped on like a hapless civilian getting trampled by a mecha in a bad movie.

If this spun out into something more than a “wham bam thank you ma’am”, T.M. could count on her last semester at Inwood being very interesting.

In the cursed sense of may you live in interesting times kind of “interesting”.

December 30, 2021 - 2PM

Saffron was startled to see her water glass completely full again after she could have sworn she’d just drained it; she hadn’t even noticed the server until he was directly across from her, refilling her lunch companion’s water glass. She gathered herself to say, “Thank you… Lou?”

Lou smiled brilliantly at her and moved away. Swatch raised an eyebrow over the rims of those [ridiculous] tinted eyeglasses, as though surprised that she could be nice to a server.

“I met Sienna at an Athleta shop in Greenwich,” she found herself blurting out. “Of course an Addison would be shopping in Greenwich, and of course a Timothy from New Rochelle shouldn’t have any business there.”

Now both of Swatch’s eyebrows were raised, but he… they … didn’t reply. So Saffron kept talking.

“Sienna was just so… serene, so sweet. We were both looking at yoga pants, but our reasons were entirely different. I’m the fitness expert, the one who helps keep people’s bodies in shape; she works with minds and hearts. She was looking for something to wear to project an aura of peace… I was looking for something practical that my clients would get the most out of wearing while they exercised. She turned to me as we were looking at the same rack of stuff and asked me my opinion.”

She smiled ruefully, reminiscing, “ I probably came off as a bossy jerk.”

Swatch gave her a half-smile and an encouraging nod, so Saffron continued. “I can’t help it. I’m the oldest of eight kids and I’m used to needing to bark orders to kids who don’t listen. It was a real burst of sunshine to have someone listen to me for a change… somebody who wasn’t paying me for the privilege.”

She continued to describe how that chance encounter with SIenna led to their first date, and then more dates over the next few months, and finally to the first holiday she got to spend with the Addison family, where she met Sienna’s two older brothers and her younger brother.

“Have you SEEN that house, Swatch?”

“Not in person, but Spamton has described it.”

“Then you can understand why it was kind of confusing to imagine that as a place where SIenna could have grown up. But it’s the perfect setting for a spoiled brat, prep school trust fund kid like Gainsboro.”

The man across the table from Saffron leaned towards her and asked, “Why do you keep calling my partner by a name he doesn’t want to use?” The tone of voice was guarded, but Saffron could hear the implied disapproval, and she did her best not to bristle as she replied, “Because that’s what Sienna has always called him!”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Hmmm. Then I think she’s the only person who does, besides you.”

Defensive now, she tried to explain, remembering some of her and Sienna’s earlier conversations about their separate families. Saffron had given the bare bones description of the Timothy brood, but Sienna took sweet and shy pride in talking about her three brothers.

“It might sound weird, but… Her mom and dad told her, when they announced the pregnancy, that this baby was going to be Sienna’s baby, and she took that to heart. She adored him, spent all her time after school with him, even though the family had a live-in nanny. Sienna called him her little boy blue, after that famous painting.”

That got a fuller smile out of Swatch. Encouraged, she kept going, musing, “On our first date, Sienna told me that after her parents died and Eos and Ballew left school and changed their career paths to work at Addison Cybernetics, she was the only one around for the kid to talk to.”

Saffron reached for her glass and gulped more water. “I know she went too far in spoiling him,” she muttered, “ but Sienna wasn’t given any kind of blueprint. She spent all her time after school with her baby brother, when she could have been a normal teenager with her own stuff to do. She went to freakin’ community college instead of escaping from that… that mausoleum of a house, and going away to school like she wanted to… By the time she graduated, her two older brothers had sent Gainsboro away to that snobby academy, and her baby didn’t need her any more.”

She was horrified to feel herself getting choked up. She hadn’t realized just how much resentment she had harbored against her brother-in-law on her wife’s behalf over the years.

“Will you excuse me?” she said, rising slowly. “I’m just going to the restroom.” She did her best not to break into a run after leaving the table.

So that’s how it was, Swatch thought to themself while they waited for Saffron to return. Spamton’s sister-in-law had formed her own thoughts on Spamton through how Sienna viewed him.

Talk about unreliable narrators!

They doubted that they were going to get any kind of accurate answer to why Saffron disliked Spamton so heartily, when viewed through that kind of lens. And they had lost any kind of appetite they might have had for Arcobaleno’s famous gelato .

Saffron apparently had lost her own appetite as well, because when Swatch asked whether she wanted dessert, she just shook her head. Visibly clamping down on her emotions, the woman signaled to Lou for the check and refused to let Swatch chip in any more than a tip. [Which of course Swatch made sure was in excess of 25%.]

The two left the restaurant in awkward silence. Once outside though, after a mumbled inquiry as to whether Saffron could drop Swatch off anywhere and Swatch assured Saffron that it wasn’t necessary, using their new cane to gesture that they weren’t terribly far from home, Saffron dropped her bombshell.

“He called ME a gold digger, even when he was sleeping with that professor for money. Make sure he doesn’t pull a shakedown act on you.”

Swatch opened their mouth and shut it again rapidly, afraid that they looked like a stunned fish. Before they could come up with a response to that inflammatory statement, Saffron turned and walked away, heading to the parking lot with her head down.

They weren’t sure whether they’d gained a new relative, or had made a new enemy.

December 24, 2021 - 6AM

Eos Addison was feeling all of his forty-one years this particular Christmas Eve morning at dawn, standing alone in the kitchen with a rapidly cooling cup of coffee in his hands. The light snow that he had seen from his bedroom window in the middle of the night had tapered off, but the clouds were still hanging heavy and full of moisture in the air. A low-lying fog now lay over the grounds. The view beyond the French doors that led to the covered patio fit his mood… muzzy, yet unsettled.

His mind kept trying to find things he had forgotten to do before closing the Addison Cybernetics offices for the holiday week, but the circle wouldn’t complete itself. Nothing had been forgotten; Ballew wouldn’t have let anything be forgotten. Ballew never dropped any of the balls he was juggling, and especially not the ones he plucked out of Eos’s feeble grasp.

Anyone else would be thankful to be shedding work responsibilities in the season of cheer, but not him. He wanted to be handling business problems rather than dealing with the tattered wreck that his family had become.

His most excruciating failure lay asleep upstairs. At least this Christmas, his youngest brother was safely asleep under a roof, tucked between the softest microfiber sheets money could buy and covered with luxurious fleece blankets and a sinfully decadent duvet.

No thanks to any effort on his part.

He was going to ruin the day for everyone else if he persisted in letting this mood control him, Eos realized with a jolt. He physically and mentally gave himself a shake and strode out of the kitchen, making his way to the music room. If he were quiet enough, he could get an hour in on the baby grand before Gerard arrived and everyone else woke up.

He started with several warm-up exercises before losing himself in his beloved Bach concertos. He wandered his way through the first movement and halfway through the second movement of Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor before he noticed the shadow on the wall beside him. Without turning around or breaking off the music flowing through his fingers, thinking that it was Ballew, he murmured, “There’s room on the bench!”

Eos kept playing, completing the Adagio and segueing neatly into the final Allegro , stumbling only slightly over the keys when he realized that it was Spamton, not Ballew, who’d sat down next to him. He recovered quickly, giving a head tilt and a tentative smile at his youngest brother before finishing the concerto and placing his hands loosely on his lap. He turned himself on the bench to face Spamton and said, “Good morning! I wasn’t expecting you to be awake so early! DId you sleep okay?”

“Really well, thanks,” Spamton replied. “And - and you?”

“Mmmmm, not bad,” Eos found himself answering automatically, wanting so badly instead to shout and scream, No, my sleep was lousy. I keep thinking you’re dead and that I’m just imagining you alive. I’m so glad you’re here and I’m scared stiff that you’re not really here and I can’t tell the difference anymore between having waking nightmares and sleeping ones.

Instead, he asked, “Care to play some two-handed carols with me, like we used to do?”

Spamton blinked at his eldest brother, seemingly taken aback by the query, but he answered with what sounded like genuine happiness in his tone, “S-sure!”

They started together with the Coventry Carol, then worked their joint way through “It Came Upon The Midnight Clear”. Then Eos started picking the chords of “Masters In This Hall” with his left hand, an exaggerated frown on his face, while Spamton broke into an impish grin and played “Bring A Torch, Jeannette, Isabella” as counterpoint with his right hand, The brothers started pressing their respective keys harder and louder and moving closer together on the bench until their arms and hands crossed over one another onto opposite sides of the keyboard, like something out of a Looney Tunes cartoon. Eos broke character first and started to play “Chopsticks” with both hands, which sent Spamton into a fit of laughter.

“I’ve m-m-missed this so m-much,” he said. “Thank you, Eos.”

Eos looked down at the piano, fingers stilling on the keys, and muttered, “For the last few Christmases, I thought we’d never have the chance to do this again.” Then he snaked an arm around Spamton and pulled him into a half-hug, hoping his gesture would be enough, since he no longer trusted his voice.

His little brother just leaned into the hug and stayed silent.

Eos heard the ding of his phone’s alarm. reminding him that Gerard would be waiting to be let in to start cooking for the day. He squeezed Spamton one more time and dropped a kiss on the top of his hair before getting up and stretching. “I could use some coffee, how about you?”

And the magic moment was gone.

December 25, 2021 - 10AM

“Do you have room for two more, or is this gonna be a boys-only holiday?” a feminine voice chirped.

Ballew surged forward when he saw who was at the door. He grabbed Sienna in a bear hug, then released her and did the same to Saffron. He noticed the strained look on the latter’s face when he let go, but was distracted by Sienna tugging on his arm as she entered the foyer and practically dragging him down the hallway.

They both passed Eos and Spamton, who had been alerted by the doorbell. Spamton looked at Saffron standing alone on the threshold, as though she wasn’t sure she was welcome, and deliberately put on a cheerful expression. “Happy C-Christmas, Saffron. C-can I help bring - bring in your stuff?”

The corners of her lips twitched up in a smile that was as manufactured as his own, and she replied, “That would be just keen .” She turned abruptly and went back outside.

Eos put a hand on Spamton’s shoulder in silent support as they both followed Saffron to the car. “I detect some trouble in paradise,” he murmured.

Hmmmmmm.

His sister and his sister-in-law showing up before noon on Christmas Day, when the two of them had said they would be out of town until New Year’s?

Definitely trouble in paradise.

December 26, 2021 - 7PM

“I don’t want to keep repeating ‘I miss you’, but I do,” Spamton wrote in the Burning Questions Project journal. “Not even four months ago, I didn’t even know you existed, and now you are the most important person in my life.”

He knew it wasn’t a question, but he didn’t care about semantics at the moment.

“So the biggest question, out of all the burning questions, is why do I love you? And why the hell am I trying to put that into words, anyway?

“Well, front and center, I think the word ‘steadfast’ was invented for you. Oh, I know that most people think of that Hans Christian Andersen story when that word’s mentioned, but seriously, you are the epitome of that soldier with his unwavering tin heart and his absolute faith in his ballerina. You give all your mind, all your support, all of YOU in everything you do, even when it’s something negative. Like when you had first made up your mind about me being a stuck-up brat. Yeah, it wasn’t pleasant being despised, but you were firm in your convictions.

“So I learned to love you for your steadfastness. It made a real difference compared to all the other people in my life who only wanted to know what I could do for them.

“You’re good to your friends, good to your family, and you don’t put up with bullshit. Those are all lovable qualities in my eyes.”

Sitting back in the armchair in the study, he tapped his pen against his knee. Spamton was at a loss as to how to phrase that he thought Swatch was gorgeous without sounding shallow, as if he only cared about Swatch’s appearance.

But it was a plain fact that Swatch was easy on the eyes, and an absolute delight to hold, and to kiss, and to… and to do things to, things that made Swatch make utterly delicious noises…

Even though he was all alone in the room, Spamton got up quickly and hid his notebook under a cushion, feeling himself blushing to the tips of his ears.

That line of thinking was better to pursue when there wasn’t any chance of a sibling popping in to tease him. Particularly after the way last night had gone.

December 25, 2021 - late afternoon into evening

“Great idea, kiddo,” Ballew tossed over his shoulder as he stalked ahead of the rest of the family to get back to the house as fast as possible. He needed to get into dry clothing before he caught pneumonia. But he was smiling as he said it.

“S-s-sorry,” replied Spamton, not sounding sorry at all. “B-but it was fun! At least we got s-some exercise!”

“Playing Frisbee in the snow is fun,” Sienna interjected. “Playing Frisbee in sleet and fog is, ummmm, less fun.” But she too was smiling, as was Saffron; their arms were wrapped around each other’s waists and they both seemed a lot less tense than they’d been in the morning. When Spamton had suggested reviving the Addison tradition of working up an appetite before their big dinner, the two women had been the most enthusiastic, and the first to agree.

“You planning on introducing Swatch to this little custom, Spamton?” Ballew continued as Eos unlocked the door to the mudroom and the whole family shed their wet outerwear. He probably thought he was being subtle, but everyone’s heads turned to him.

Saffron’s eyebrows were raised, Sienna wore a confused look, and Eos asked, “Swatch? Was that who you brought as your date to the Blacks’ party?”

And that released a whole avalanche of questions and comments from Sienna and Saffron.

“Wait, my baby brother has a boyfriend? Since when?”

“Isn’t Swatch Spamton's roommate…”

“Oh my god, they’re roommates?”

“You’re dating again, Gainsboro? After what happened the last time?”

That last interjection was the last straw for Spamton.

“HOLD THE PHONE!” he yelled, then put one hand over his face and groaned. “L-look, can this w-wait until after dinner? I was going to t-talk to everybody about it. Really. I pr-promise I’m n-not hiding anything this - this time.”

Ballew shot Saffron one of his trademarked Evil Eye glances, the one that usually came out at boardroom meetings when he needed to quell talk of hostile takeovers. “I agree with Spamton. Let’s all calm down. This will keep until later. I want a hot shower and a hot meal, in that order, and I’m sure you all want the same.”

Sienna looked back at Ballew with nearly as sharp a look as he’d given her wife, but she let out a half-snort, half-sigh and conceded with a silent “OK” gesture.

“Agreed,” Eos chimed in. “But I definitely want to hear more about this ‘Swatch’ guy.”

“They’re n-not a ‘guy’. They’re a person. And they - they’re from Queens, and they’re twenty-one, and they’re sweet…” Spamton sputtered.

An hour and a half later, the five of them had demolished a huge meal, the entrees that Gerard had prepared yesterday being equally balanced between carnivore and vegetarian palettes. Dessert was tiramisu, and Eos cranked up the espresso maker and broke out the brandy, the Kahlua, and the Creme Yvette. No one seemed in a rush to move out of the dining room, and the atmosphere was more relaxed than it had been all day.

Which was why Spamton hated to ruin it, but that casual comment by Eos about Swatch being his date had set things in motion sooner than Spamton would have wanted. It couldn’t be helped; the deed was done, and Spamton would have to muddle through somehow. He was NOT going to disappear again, and he was going to be moving to a place where any and all of his siblings… yes, even Saffron… could find him and visit him whenever they liked.

If one were being technical, the only person’s APPROVAL that Spamton NEEDED for making a change in his residence was Ballew’s, due to Ballew’ responsibility for Spamton’s finances until he turned twenty-five and could administer his own trust. But he WANTED his family members to be reassured that he wasn’t just jumping into a cohabiting situation blindly.

Every head turned to him as he cleared his throat and started telling his siblings about Swatch Paletta, about the months they’d lived together in the dorm, how Swatch and he had gotten closer after Swatch’s accident, how Swatch needed to find a new place after losing their scholarship, and how he, Spamton, had been instrumental in finding that new place for Swatch.

“Swatch isn’t M-Mike, they never c-c-c-could be M-Mike…”

He trailed off after his stutter got to be too much for him to even string a sentence together. He bowed his head and looked at the “clouds” in his coffee, not wanting to see the looks on anyone’s faces, expecting to hear disappointment in their reactions, or worse, pitying “understanding” that poor little Gainsboro had latched onto another manipulator and needed to be protected from himself.

Eos spoke up first. “It sounds to me like Spamton and Swatch are making the decision to live together jointly. I mean, I can’t tell from meeting them first, but I don’t think this sounds like a power move on Swatch’s part.”

“But living together when it’s just them and you in a small house… it’s different than dorming with this guy and a couple of other roommates,” Sienna said. “If the relationship doesn’t work out, you’re stuck in a lease for six months, with no Housing Office to step in.”

Trust his sister to think of practicalities. But it seemed to Spamton that she was more accepting that this WAS a relationship than he’d expected her to be.

Ballew tapped a dessert spoon on the side of his brandy glass, and they all turned to him. “I’ve got the advantage over the rest of you since I’ve already met Swatch, and…” he held up his hand when the others looked like they were about to interrupt en masse , “AND we aren’t talking about someone who’s out to make Spamton into a puppet again. Literally or figuratively.”

“P-p-p-plus the house isn’t - isn’t that small,” Spamton interjected. “There’s p-p-plenty of room if we need space from one another.”

“My, that’s mature of you, Gainsboro. Well thought-out.” That was Saffron, and Spamton was taken aback. Her tone was no different than how she usually addressed him, but he had the sneaking suspicion that there was more than one level of conversation going on here. Was that comment meant for him, or for Sienna?

Sienna herself was unfazed by her wife’s statement and asked, “So when do we get to meet this paragon?”

“I’m n-n-not sure… let me ask them.”

Eos took the opportunity to stand up, saying in a silly British accent, “Right, let’s have a ding dong.” He looked conspiratorially at Spamton, who brightened considerably and started humming, “Ding dong merrily on high” as he too got up. The rest of the siblings looked puzzled until they realized that their eldest and their youngest brothers intended to serenade them in the music room.

“We haven’t sung Christmas carols together in YEARS,” Sienna whispered in Saffron’s ear as she followed the men out of the dining room. “You should hear Gainsboro… he’s got the voice of an angel. Or at least he used to.”

Saffron frowned slightly. “Seems to be a day for revisiting traditions. Hope you and I can invent some of our own.”

Sienna didn’t have an answer to that. She didn’t want to start that argument again.

January 16, 2022 -3PM

Spamton’s heart was pounding as Ballew expertly parked in front of the Tibbetts Avenue townhouse. Swatch’s Toyota was in the driveway, with T.M.’s Pontiac and an unfamiliar VW Bug parked right behind it.

This was really happening.

He got out almost before the car had actually stopped, and sprinted up the porch steps. Swatch opened the door an instant after Spamton rang the doorbell and swept him up in their arms in a hearty embrace, seeming not to notice or care that they had an audience both inside and outside the house.

Well, if Swatch wasn’t going to care, then neither was Spamton. He kissed along Swatch’s jaw, nestling his head into the crook of their neck for a few precious seconds, and then slid down Swatch’s body until he was back on his feet.

By that time Eos had pulled up behind Ballew’s car in the U-Haul and had parked, coming up the stairs. The porch was getting quite crowded, but Swatch took over, inviting Spamton’s brothers inside and handling the group introductions with their usual aplomb.

“You know my cousins, Indigo and Catechu,” they said as they led everyone into the kitchen, where the twins stood talking to T.M. and two other people. The tall girl in the black turtleneck, white pants and white snow boots turned out to be T.M. 's roommate GiGi, and the slender man with the silver cornrowed hair was Leroux.

Spamton resisted the urge to tell Swatch that he already knew Mister Wormyhead. No use endangering his DJ spot.

Eos and Ballew shook hands all around, and then T.M. started giving directions like a circus trainer. In less time than Spamton expected, his clothes and personal items had been moved into the downstairs bedroom [where Swatch’s clothes were already unpacked and put away], and his stereo equipment, his record collection, his books, and the desk with the bookshelf hutch from his bedroom at home were set up in one of the upstairs bedrooms.

Swatch mentioned in passing, during one of the trips upstairs and down, that they had already set up their studio in the other upstairs bedroom in the two weeks they’d been living there. They now deflected T.M. from “volunteering” to give a tour with one raised eyebrow. She pouted, but complied. Swatch beamed back at her like a benevolent emperor, and Spamton once again envied their camaraderie.

As if T.M.’s latest statement had been some sort of signal, GiGi announced that “We” were heading to dinner if anyone cared to join them. It was hard to tell whether the “We” meant the group at large, or if she was using the royal “We”, as T.M. said she sometimes did.

Catechu said, “Sorry, can’t make it, gonna catch up with Kendra.”

“Guess you’re stuck with me, then, Indo,” parried T.M. as she linked Indigo’s arm through hers.

Leroux said politely, “Verily nice to meeteth all of you,” as he followed GiGi out.

Spamton exchanged a look with both his brothers, who found an excuse to pull him into a corner to say their goodbyes, citing the forecast of possible bad weather. Ballew promised to text as soon as he got back to Purchase, and Eos nodded his agreement.

The twins each punched Spamton lightly in the arm. As they and T.M. took their leave, T.M. said, “Anyway, you’re missing the real reason why we needed all hands on deck to move you in today, Short Stuff.”

“Oh? Wh-what’s that?”

“What’s that, says the guy who only has eyes for the big beautiful Birdman in the kitchen. Go check out the OTHER big beauty in the living room.” On that cryptic note, the three departed.

Leaving Spamton and Swatch alone in the kitchen.

Swatch stood leaning their back on the edge of the kitchen sink, arms crossed over their chest, their posture entirely too casual.

They’re as nervous as I am , Spamton realized. He reached his arms out to Swatch, and they both met in the middle of the room, holding onto each other for dear life.

“I thought they’d n-never leave.”

“There’s a surprise for you waiting in the living room.”

“I don’t c-care, I haven’t hugged you in almost a m-m-month. A surprise c-can wait.”

“Mmmmm. I missed those starfish hugs of yours.”

“Well, there’s pl-plenty more where that one c-came from.”

“Mmmmmmmmmm.”

Spamton very reluctantly pulled himself out of Swatch’s arms and looked up into the other’s face. “Okay, I g-guess I can handle a surprise now.”

Swatch smiled down at him, eyes crinkling up at the corners. “Well, it’s actually a surprise for both of us, and I swear I had nothing to do with it. You’ll see. C’mon.” They held their big warm hand out; Spamton took it and laced their fingers together as they both left the kitchen.

Spamton had seen photos of the living room and remembered the loveseat and the recliner on one side of the room. He remembered the fireplace and he remembered the cushioned window seat.

He did NOT remember the upright piano.

“Surprise,” Swatch said in a soft voice. “Mrs. Anselmo had it in storage, and left me a note when I picked up the keys from her grandson. Her husband was the one who played, and she’s happy to know someone will play it now.”

#swatchton #swatchton au #sylph writes #deltarune fanfiction #fic: call signs

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