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saltedpeppermintmocha · 3 years

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how sweet it is (to be loved by you) - todoroki x reader [chapter 2/8]

Summary:

You are the head baker and owner of a struggling bakery. When pro hero Creati comes in for a wedding cake, of course you accept.

As a business owner, you are excited about the boom in profits resulting from the publicity of working a hero wedding.

As a baker, you are ecstatic to work on an extravagant cake - your most ambitious one to date.

As a woman, you are terrified as you begin to grow feelings for the one person you REALLY cant: the groom.

NOTES: NO infidelity, NO cheating, NO divorce!

Chapter One

MATURE : MINORS DO NOT INTERACT // 18+

Four Months Before the Wedding

“Hello.”

His voice is deep and his words soft-spoken. He politely kicks his winter boots against the mat at the front door and takes another step into the bakery. The movement causes flakes of snow to detach from his hair and flutter to the ground around him. It’s almost magical, like a scene from a fairytale. Wow. You can’t help but stare.

The man is tall -more so than you’d thought from the rare interview you’ve seen of him- and impeccably well dressed. His expensive-looking navy coat is long and chic, somehow managing to fit both his smaller waist and powerful shoulders. It’s probably tailored. You idly think of your coat hanging in the back: an item you’ve had for about five years now that definitely looks its age. What wouldn’t you give to be one of these rich people that for some reason seem to be visiting your bakery recently.

That thought brings you back to reality. Right. Pro hero Shouto is in your bakery.

Why is he in your bakery?

It slowly dawns on you. Rich people. The wedding. “Oh, you must be here for the cake.”

“I am.” He nods, looking around the little front area. You feel a little self-conscious, hoping that everything he sees is up to his standards. “Forgive me, were you about to close?”

“No no!” You wave your hands as he turns to look at you. “It’s okay! This actually works better, we can discuss everything without being interrupted.” Walking over to the door, you flip the sign over to ‘closed’ and gesture towards the seating area. “Please take a seat. I’ll go grab my stuff and be right back.”

Turning on your heel, you head for the back room without another look back at the hero. Instead of going straight for your wedding binder and notebooks, you lean against the nearest wall and place your head in your hands.

Oh my god. Shouto Todoroki is the groom.

Somehow, this wedding is an even bigger deal than you thought. Obviously, any hero wedding became an important event, but you had thought (hoped, even) that maybe Creati was marrying a civilian or a lesser-ranked hero. The wedding would still be a big deal, but you were confident in your ability to handle it. Shouto Todoroki, a beloved hero in the top 15, is definitely not what you were expecting. This wedding is bound to be huge in a way that you definitely had not prepared for.

The hero profession is a solitary one. Pro heroes rarely date, and if they do it is a very secretive affair. It is extremely dangerous to date a hero and those brave enough to try become an instant target for villains. This target only gets bigger the higher the hero’s rank is, and most top heroes don’t even try.

Thinking about it, you can’t really think of any of the top 10 heroes other than Creati (apparently) who are in a relationship. Sure, there were rumors about the number six hero Deku and the number twenty-four hero Uravity, and Endeavor must have had someone if he has kids but-

Oh.

Oh no.

Oh no no no.

Todoroki is, well, a Todoroki . He is Endeavor’s son. The terrifying number one hero will probably be at this wedding. The number one hero will probably eat your cake. And if it’s both Todoroki and Yaoyorozu’s wedding, you can bet that a bunch of other big-name heroes will be there as well. Your vision swims as pressure pushes on your shoulders. How can you even begin to deliver a cake up to this caliber? You might be good, but you’re just one person.

You’re going to need to block off more days.

After what is probably a suspiciously long pause, you manage to calm yourself down enough to push off the wall to grab your binder and notebook. You pause before heading out to the front area, taking a deep breath to steel yourself before walking out.

Todoroki has found a small table near the window. He has partially turned away from you, face resting on his palm as he looks out to the snowy street. He has taken off his scarf and coat, both draped carefully over the back of his chair. How does he manage to look so elegant while doing something so normal?

You pinch your thigh. Stop it. You can’t think this way about him. You have to be professional. He is a client. He is a married man .

“Sorry for the wait!” You call out, heading over. He turns to look at you as you sit across from him, placing the binder and notebook on the table. You take this opportunity to introduce yourself properly. Up close, you find him even more handsome than before. Those dual-toned eyes are calm and watchful, and his sharp features have a symmetry to them that would not look out-of-place on a Vogue Japan photoshoot.

“Nice to meet you.” Todoroki gives a polite smile, shaking your hand when offered. It’s quite cold. “I believe Momo has already spoken to you about the general idea.”

“Yup!” You nod, taking the moment to open your notebook. “Unless things have changed, we’re still going for a five-tier cake.” Glancing up, you wait for him to nod before continuing. “What design are we thinking of?”

You look down, ready to write quick notes on whatever design has been chosen. This is the part you’ve been both excited for and dreading the most. Normally, you are extremely excited to get a design and to work to bring that design to life. You live for the expression you see on the client's face at their first look at the finished product. This time though...you’re nervous.

The design that is chosen will either make or break your next few months. If the design is easy and normal, you will be able to complete it on time with confidence. If the design is unusual and complicated, you honestly don’t know what you are going to do. This cake has to be perfect down to the smallest details, and you have to balance your time between the cake and running the store. Maybe you can hire another baker on a contract for help. Hmm.

After a few moments of no response, you look up. “I don’t know.” That normally blank face seems unsure. His mouth pulled into a small frown.

“You...don’t know.” You blink. That’s a bit weird. “Okay...I just thought that you would have a bit more input.” He is the groom, after all. You didn’t think Yaoyorozu was the kind of woman to insist that only she had input in these matters. Wait. Was that rude to say? You decide to push past it for now. “No matter, as long as we can get the full contract done for today I’ll be happy. I’ll need the design elements as soon as possible though if we want them to be completed on time. Some parts will probably need a lot of planning. Do we know the flavour or flavours yet?”

“No.”

You suck in a breath through your teeth. Calm, be calm. “ Okay. I’d like to set up a taste test of the top requested flavours, so that you can get an idea of how the cake will actually taste and make the final decisions. I’ll need to do that as soon as possible.”

“I understand.” He nods, a bit stiffly.

“Do you...have a date in mind?”

He gives you a surprised look, two-toned eyes flickering over you. “...for the wedding?”

You sit up straight. “No!” What the hell? Did he think you were propositioning the groom to his own wedding? “You obviously have a date for the wedding. For the taste test!”

“Oh.” He replies simply, not seeming to understand the absolute absurdity of his own question. “No, I will likely not be involved with that. I only came today as a favour.” A favour?

Todoroki takes note of your confused expression and explains. “They got held up by the villain attack.” Oh, that makes sense. Yaoyorozu must have gone to help the others. The U.A students tend to appear whenever possible to help each other out. You think it’s sweet that they have such a strong bond after graduation. You don’t really talk to anybody you went to school with anymore.

His explanation does give your meeting a bit more context. If Yaoyorozu is ‘in charge’ of the cake, and Todoroki did not expect to even be meeting you, you can’t really get too annoyed at him that he doesn’t have the answers. At least he showed up and didn’t leave you wondering if you’d been stood up by the heroes. In the end, you decide to table the question about the cake tasting date, but underline it in your notebook. You’ll need that, soon.

The rest of the meeting goes smoothly. The two of you go over the contract in as much detail as possible. While it is extremely unorthodox for you to leave blank spaces in your contracts, you are sort of forced to do so in the areas of flavors and design. In the end, the hero couple is paying over double the amount you would normally charge for the cake. You can’t imagine any crazy design or flavour going over that cost. Neither hero seems like the crazy type of client. You’ll be fine. Hopefully. If you’re wrong then...well...you’re kind of screwed. The publicity has to be worth it.

After only about an hour of discussion (you really don’t have too much to go over, with Todoroki knowing nothing about the design or flavours), the meeting is over. You close your notebook, stand up and offer a hand to shake to end the meeting. Todoroki stands, shaking your hand with his cooler one. He assures you that somebody will reach out to you soon about the needed elements. You hope you’re right.

“I am sorry that I kept you after hours.” He says as he gracefully slides on his coat, glancing outside. “I hope you don’t have too far to walk.”

You shake your head. “Don’t worry, I actually live upstairs.” Something flickers in his face that you can’t catch.

Then he nods. “I see.” He wraps his scarf around his head, somehow managing to look both cute and attractive. He heads towards the door, the bell chiming as he opens it. “Goodbye then.”

“Goodbye!” You smile and wave. “Be safe out there!”

You watch as he leaves, completely still until you can no longer see the red and white hair out the window. Letting out a deep breath, you sink back down into the chair.

Well, that sure was something.

----

You’re not sure exactly what prompted the suddenly quick response after so long of nothing, but some of the information you need comes the very next day.

It’s early morning. The store has just opened, you can hear the slight bustle of your loyal morning folk as they come to get their breakfast. Your morning worker -a young man named Tanaka who is almost scarily jolly in the morning- welcomes everyone with his juxtaposition of a voice: booming yet somehow soft.

You have been down at the bakery for hours now, getting the first round of bread, pastries, and other necessary items complete before opening. It’s a lot of work, but you can’t complain. At least you still have work. You have just finished a batch of your personal favourite, rosemary goat cheese croissants when your phone rings in your pocket.

Pulling your phone out of your pocket (the thing has been covered in flour before, it’ll be fine), you check the contact name.

[ Contact: C Manager ]

Your eyes widen, and you instantly accept the call. With one careful eye on your ovens, you walk over to a nearby wall and lean against it. “Hello?”

"Good morning.” The soft voice of Yaoyorozu chimes in on the other end. You straighten a bit, surprised to hear the hero directly. “My apologies for Shouto the other day. I understand he wasn’t too much help to you.”

“No no, it’s okay!” You gesture with your hands, realizing afterward that she obviously doesn’t see it. “He was really kind, and we still got some work done.”

“I see.” She hums thoughtfully on the other end of the phone. “Well, he did mention that you were getting stressed about certain elements of the cake. Is that correct?” Oh no. You hope she doesn’t think you’re being rude.

But she doesn’t sound annoyed or frustrated at you. If you had to guess, her tone sounded more amused than anything. You bite your lip before answering. “Ah, well...I don’t want to pressure anyone. I just need to get started on certain things or it won't be done in time.”

“Yes, I understand.” She responds. “I figure I can give you some of the design ideas now if that works?”

Oh, hell yes! “That would be wonderful!” You can’t help but smile. Finally. “Do you want to meet somewhere?”

“Unfortunately, no. I’m caught up in this-” She pauses as a loud sound comes through the phone. “ thing at the moment. Will you be amenable to me giving you the details over the phone?”

“Oh, yea! That’s okay.” You push off the wall and rush towards the office area, grabbing the newly named ‘Y&S Wedding’ binder with your flour-covered hands. It’s fine. You anchor the phone between your shoulder and your face and grab a pen with your other hand, opening the notebook to the ‘design’ page. “Okay, what do you got?”

The cake turns out to be pretty normal as far as wedding cakes go, which you are extremely thankful for considering everything. It is a five-tier cake, classic white with cascading pink flowers and green stems/leaves. That is...definitely doable. You can ace this. Thank god. Relief hits you hard in the chest as you write it down.

“Is there anything extra that either party would like to be added?” You ask, your tone dipping into complete professionalism as your mind has a mini-party at the relatively easy design. You doodle a happy face beside your notes.

“No, that is alright,” Yaoyorozu replies. “It was a struggle already to talk him down from some of the crazy cake designs he had in mind to something more...appropriate.” A pause. “Not that any of the ideas were bad per se, but I don’t think the wedding is the place for a giant All Might statue cake.”

Your mind-party screeches to a halt. What?!

“He...wanted an All Might cake?” You ask in disbelief. That doesn’t sound like Todoroki at all. Maybe it was a way to ‘get back’ at Endeavor? There have been plenty of rumors over the years about that relationship, but they team up enough now that most have been pushed to the side.

“Yes, well, he adores the man.” She says it with a fondness that seems almost inappropriate considering your current state.

You think of the calm prince-like man from the day before. Could he really be that big of a fanboy of a hero like All Might? It just doesn’t compute. They were so different. You really can’t picture it. Still, it’s not like you really know Todoroki. Maybe he has some secret obsession or something.

Somehow, you feel like you’ve gained some insider knowledge. The press would pay a good amount for something like this. Not that you ever would go to them, ew. Actually, would they even believe you if you did? It was so absurd.

You realize that you have disappeared into your own thoughts. A big no-no when on the phone with a client. You pull yourself back. “Thank you for the design! I will get to work right away. Do we have any idea when we can do a cake tasting? That is the last big milestone here.”

“I’m sorry.” She responds, sounding truly apologetic. “It’s...difficult between all of our busy schedules. I promise I will work to get something set up.”

Well, honestly that is all you can really ask for. You thank her for the information and her time. The two of you say your goodbyes, and hang up. For a moment you stare down at your notebook in surprise. This is not how you expected things to go. It’s early, and you have a lot to do today. You already can tell you will be partially distracted, your brain trying to figure out the specifics of the design.

You smile. In the end, finally, you have something you can work with.

------

1 Week Later

Ten minutes before closing (of course) , the bell above the door chimes. You can’t see who has walked in, your back to the door as you wipe down a table. You take a brief moment to close your eyes and breathe before turning around.

“Good evening!” Your customer service voice is normally on point -the stuff of legends really- but this time it becomes higher-pitched at the end.

Shouto Todoroki stands in your doorway. Again.

After the last meeting, you truly didn’t expect to see the man again until his wedding (maybe not even then). He didn’t seem to have any input in the cake decisions, nor did he seem to care about not having any input.

“Oh, hello again.” You smile, fighting to keep your voice steady as you shove the cloth in your apron pocket.

“Hello.” His mouth ticks up in a soft smile.

“Were we supposed to have a meeting today?” You ask, pulling your phone out of your pocket to look at the date. No, you don’t think there was a meeting scheduled. You see Todoroki shake his head in your peripheral vision. The hero politely kicks his shoes on the mat and takes a few more steps into the store. Heterochromatic eyes look around for a moment before catching on to something to your right.

“Then what can I do for you today?” You ask politely, following his line of vision to your display case. “Here for a snack?”

Those eyes look straight back at you. “I want to order another cake for the wedding.”

What?! Your heart plummets. Another cake?! This late?! When you’re already having trouble getting the specifics on the first one?!

Todoroki seems to notice your panicked expression, hands going up in a calming gesture. “Not a large cake, but one of those small specialized ones.”

Your panicked thoughts pause. Wait. “Do you mean… a groom's cake?” Please be a groom's cake. You can make a groom's cake.

He nods. “It’s a surprise.” A surprise? For Yaoyorozu?

“Uh, sure. I can do that.” You reply. “Hold on a sec.” Instead of going for your physical notebook in the back, you decide to simply bring up the note app on your phone. It’s not as professional, but it works in a pinch. “Is there a theme?”

“All Might.”

You blink slowly, mouth opening in surprise. All Might?!

The conversation with Yaoyorozu comes to the forefront of your mind. Is he...really just an All Might fanboy? That seems so wrong, somehow. You narrow your eyes at his blank expression, considering him.

“...you must really like him, huh?” You whisper.

Todoroki tilts his head a bit to the side, eyes narrowing in confusion. “He is a very good teacher.”

...is that enough to get an entire cake based off of the man?!

A long moment passes where you both stare at each other, neither seemingly sure of what to say. Eventually, as the professional you have to break the tension. “Well, okay. I can definitely do that. Groom's cakes tend to be relatively small and fun. What elements are you looking for?”

“I will leave that up to you.”

“Uh, are you sure?” That is a lot of power he is just handing you, especially when he seems to care so much about the retired number one hero.

“You are very highly recommended by the Uraraka’s.” Do the Uraraka’s know everybody?! “I don’t really...have an eye for design either way, and as the wedding gets closer I feel like I may become too busy.”

“That makes sense.” You mumble, writing down on your notebook app. Weddings are normally difficult things to plan, and you can’t imagine the amount of stuff necessary for a large hero one. If he wants you to design the smaller cake, you can do that. Your mind is already pulling together a few ideas. Similar to the large cake, you’ll need to make this one amazing. “What budget are you thinking?”

“Is 50,000¥ enough?”

Startled, you look up. 50,000¥ was a lot for a groom's cake. You want to tell him so but said groom is no longer in your line of vision. Glancing over to your right, you find the hero looking into your display case. He seems to care very little about the amount he just mentioned (ugh, rich people) so you simply say. “Um, yeah...that’s enough.”

You walk closer to the man, wondering why he seems so interested in the unsold pastries. “You are about to close, but there are so many left.” He looks up as you get closer. “How much longer will they last?”

Stopping to stand about a foot away from the man, you also look into the display and frown. “Oh...yeah, they are probably going to be thrown out, sadly.”

“Why?” At his soft voice, you glance over at the hero. Your eyes lock with two-toned ones.

“I try to sell the leftovers at half-off the next day, but they still barely sell.” You shrug. “I try to give as much as possible to the local shelters, but it isn’t always possible.” Looking outside at the hail coming down, you know you won't make it there today.

“Do you always make too much?”

“No.” You sigh, looking back at the sad, unbought pastries. “We used to be much busier, a year or so ago, but that chain bakery opened down the street and took a lot of my customers with it. Sometimes I still find myself baking as if it’s as busy as it was a year ago, just on habit really.”

There’s a long silence. Then, “I’ll buy them.”

Your eyes widen as your head swings towards the hero. “What, all of them?!”

“Yes.” He nods.

“No no no you don’t have to do that.” You find yourself saying, hands waving uselessly in front of you. “I wasn’t trying to pressure you or anything, it’s okay. You don’t have to-”

Todoroki shakes his head. “No, I want to.”

He looks straight at you, eyes telling you that he won’t back down from this. And well, you’re really not sure why you are refusing him. Maybe it’s the worry that he thinks of you like a charity. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

The next five or so minutes are spent with you packing up every last dessert and pastry into bags. Todoroki will need to use both arms to carry them, but the man doesn’t seem concerned. You are about to put the last rosemary goat cheese croissant away when he interrupts. “Wait, can you leave that one out?”

“Oh, sure.” You reply, placing it on a napkin as you close the paper bags on the counter with a piece of tape.

Todoroki reaches forward, his hand grabbing the croissant with one hand and bringing it to his mouth. One bite, and small parts of the flaky pastry flutter to the ground. You don’t mind, it makes you happy that the croissant lasts the entire day. Also, his wide-eyed expression is adorable.

He chews a bit more and swallows. “It’s good.”

“Thank you.” You smile. “You don’t have to say that, you know. I won't be offended or anything.” Okay, a bit of a lie. You adore those croissants.

“I’m not lying.” He insists, two-toned eyes staring straight at you. “It’s really good.”

His eyes are a bit more intense than normal. You look away, your cheeks warming a bit at the complimentary words. Shit, no. Married man. Nope. Not going there, even for a second. “Well, thank you.” You even your voice and continue packing the bags, keeping your eyes away from the man.

Once done, you carefully slide the bags across the counter towards him. “Here you go. Do you need help taking them anywhere?” Your professional voice is back.

Todoroki gives you a weird look, taking the bags in his hands. The croissant he was eating is mysteriously gone, although you notice a small crumb on his cheek. You look away. “No, I will be okay.” His deep voice echoes a bit in the small room.

After a brief moment, he walks towards the doorway. “Thank you for coming!” You call out, not moving from behind the counter. It’s safer here. “I’ll get started on the groom's cake right away! If I see you again, I’ll run my ideas by you.”

“I’ll come again.” Todoroki looks back with a small nod. “I hope you have a good night.”

The hero leaves as quickly as he appeared, disappearing out of sight only moments after he exits the bakery. If you had a chair behind you, you would sink down into it. As it is, you rest your hands against the counter in exhaustion.

These heroes were taking a lot out of you. Damn.

-------

2 Weeks Later

You stare up at the imposing building ahead of you, dread pooling in your stomach. The building itself was a hotel, tall and beautiful in architecture. That doesn’t matter too much though, you’re not exactly here for the hotel. No, you are here for the fancy-as-hell restaurant at the top: Eragawa.

Even the elevator to the restaurant is fancy. Luckily you are alone in it, so you are able to stare and judge your reflection in the mirrored walls without anyone seeing you. You frown, using your free hand to try and pat some of the flour off your shirt and organize your hair a bit. It doesn’t work, you already look extremely out of place.

It’s not like you wanted to be here at this fancy restaurant in your work slacks and shirt covered in various ingredients. The day had started normally, with you planning to spend your free time getting caught up on overdue paperwork. However, a text early in the morning ruined that plan.

[ Contact: C Manager ]

C Manager: Creati will meet you at Eragawa today at 7:30 p.m for the taste test.

Truthfully, you were starting to get a bit annoyed. The manager never asked your opinion, or even if you were free at the time they wanted you to be. They would always just make plans without you. You understood that Creati must have a really busy schedule right now, but damn . Still, it’s not like you could refuse. You had been waiting for this for a while now.

You: Okay. Thank you!

So, you had spent the rest of the day busier than ever. In between baking and managerial duties, you had to make a variety of cakes and icings in different flavours. Since you didn’t have any idea of where to start, you picked the most common flavours for her to try. It was... a lot to do on your own, and not for the first time did you wish you had some sort of assistant.

By the time you had everything ready to go, you had just enough time to make it to the restaurant. Knowing how impossible it had been trying to get this cake tasting appointment in the first place, you didn’t want to risk anything by being late. You had no time to shower or even change out of your work clothes. You simply grabbed the container of cakes, threw on your old coat, and ran out the door.

Now, though, you wonder if maybe it would have been better to be a bit late. The elevator door opens on the top floor, revealing a modern-looking restaurant in dark colours. You clutch at the handle of the container and look around. Wow. Nobody here looks like they would be caught dead in anything not a designer brand.

The hostess looks you over with a critical eye as you approach, but smiles and welcomes you nonetheless. “Good evening! Welcome to Eragawa, how can I help you today?”

“Um, hello.” You smile awkwardly back. Even the hostess is dressed nicer than you, damnit. “I’m with the Yaoyorozu group?”

The hostess blinks slowly at you. “Of course. Please wait here for a moment.” She turns to disappear into the back, another host taking up her post. You shuffle to the side of the waiting area and look around. The restaurant just screams ‘posh’ with its white tablecloth and candles and napkins folded into roses. You’d bet those glasses are made from actual crystal too. Damn.

The elevator door opens again as a group of well-dressed men and women walk in. You lean into the wall, trying to make yourself invisible to the other customers. It doesn’t work, and a woman in a fancy dress looks down her nose at you as she passes. The host takes them immediately to their table. Figures.

Eventually, the hostess you were talking to returns. “Please come this way.” You notice her smile is a bit larger this time as she leads you through the dining room. Quite a few patrons give you odd looks as you walk by, clearly not used to someone covered in powder walking through the area.

The hostess leads you past the dining room to a hallway in the back. You have just enough time to wonder if you are being taken out back like some sort of mafia movie before she stops at a door. She turns and opens it, bowing low as she gestures for you to go inside.

You walk through, eyes wide. Somehow, the private room is even more extravagant than the dining room. It’s dark and modern, like the rest of the restaurant, with giant windows overlooking the city. A beautiful crystal chandelier hangs from the tall ceiling. In the middle, two people sit at a round table. They look up as you enter.

Yaoyorozu’s eyes widen as she takes you in. You offer her a sheepish smile, before glancing at the other person. He looks at you with a carefully blank face, but you know he must be thinking something by the way those heterochromatic eyes flicker up and down over you.

Both of them are dressed beautifully. Yaoyorozu is in a gorgeous maroon dress and Todoroki in a light-blue button-down shirt and dark pants. They look properly dressed for this occasion.

Somehow, you feel even more embarrassed. Your cheeks warm a bit as you take a step into the room. “Um, hello.” You attempt a smile. “Sorry if I’m late, I just closed the bakery. Hello again, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki”

“Were you unable to get someone else to close the shop?” Yaoyorozu asks. If someone else were asking, you’d assume it was some sort of dig. Instead, she honestly just sounds concerned.

“I would if I could.” You reply, placing the cake carrier on the table. “Unfortunately, it’s just me.”

The two of them share a look that you can’t decipher. You just hope that you haven’t somehow embarrassed them. “Anyways,” You begin, trying to lighten the mood. “I come bearing the best gift of all, free cake!” Not much of a reaction there. Maybe a free cake to a rich person isn’t as great. Hm. “I’m actually glad that both of you could make it, this way we know for sure that the cake is up to your standards.”

Yaoyorozu looks at the carrier on the table. “Should we wait until after dinner?”

“Ah, I actually have food at home.” You lie, wringing your hands in your lap. There was no way you are staying here. It is too awkward. “If you like, I could leave it with you and head out? I won’t be able to stay though.”

“I see.” Todoroki replies, sharing another look with Yaoyorozu. “Then, shall we begin?”

The cake tasting goes...weirdly. While you have brought a wide variety of selection, the two come to a decision within the first three cakes. Their final decision doesn’t even come from one of your options but is rather a mix of a few they haven't tried yet. In the end, they decide on a vanilla cake with both a strawberry and matcha layer in the middle. They decide on it quickly, too.

“Do you want to try the samples I have?” You point to your cake options with strawberry and matcha. It’s a smart move. For all they know, you suck at these flavours.

However, Yaoyorozu simply shakes her head. “You are recommended by the Uraraka’s.” Her mouth ticks up as she looks over at Todoroki. “Plus, Shouto brought your desserts to the agency a few weeks ago. They were a resounding hit. I am confident in your abilities to pull this off.”

You turn to Todoroki, eyes wide. “You did?!”

He nods. Your mind blanks for a second at the implications. A bunch of heroes eating, and liking your desserts. That is really cool. Still, there is a very different matter at hand. “B-but those are pastries and desserts, not cakes.” You try to get them to see sense. The cakes are right in front of them, why are they messing about?

“It will be okay.” Yaoyorozu nods. “And, well, to be honest I do have another meeting I need to attend.”

Wait, what?

Didn’t they want to have dinner? Why is she leaving? You blink in confusion as the woman stands up. She looks over to Todoroki first, smiling, before turning to you.

“Good night you two.” She says kindly as she turns, walking out of the room with only the clicking of her heels audible. The door closes softly behind her. You stare at it for a moment, mind a whirlwind of confusion and disbelief.

“What just happened?” You turn back to look at Todoroki. The man is also wide-eyed, staring at the door. “Uh, are you okay?”

That seems to shake him out of it. Heterochromatic eyes shift to you. “Yes.” He nods. “We should also leave.” The hero stands up, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair. It’s the same long navy one you admired the first time you met him.

“Um, okay?” You reply, confused. Oh god, you hope you haven’t done something to somehow ruin their entire night. Dread curls in your stomach as you pack the cakes back up into the carrier

Todoroki leads the way back to the elevator. Yaoyorozu is no longer in sight, probably long gone by now. The staff seems as confused as you feel as you leave, sending odd looks to each other. Your stomach tightens a bit more.

It’s only when you reach the elevator that something clicks in your head. You were dining with two heroes, who both suddenly started acting weird. Really, there is only one explanation you can think of: there’s a villain nearby.

Your heart pounds heavily as you enter the elevator, clutching the carrier tighter in your hands. If there is a villain nearby, why didn’t the heroes evacuate the restaurant? Maybe it’s not safe. Maybe they have to wait for more heroes or a hero with the right quirk?

Despite having lived in Musutafu for most of your life, you’ve never been too close to a villain attack. You have always counted yourself lucky in that way, but maybe your luck is running out. You glance over to Todoroki at your side. The hero doesn’t look any particular way, that blank mask still on his face.

The two of you exit the elevator and head out of the hotel lobby. There is a distinct lack of heroes or police outside, which surprises you. Yaoyorozu must have called for someone, right?

Todoroki leads you across the street to the nearby sidewalk. “What do you need me to do?” You whisper as you finally come to a stop. “Do you want me to call the police?”

“The police?” He looks down at you, tilting his head slightly in confusion. Then his eyes narrow. “Is something wrong?”

Is something... not wrong? You look back up at the hotel, where everything seems completely normal. There is no screaming, no fighting, nothing. Oh.

As the panic subsides, another layer of embarrassment begins to creep in. Were you really freaking out over nothing??

“I-uh, thought that since we booked it out of there so fast, something had to be wrong.” You look away and try to explain, face warming. “Maybe like a villain or...something.”

“Ah.” He replies. “No, nothing like that.”

“Then...why did we leave?” You risk a glance back up. Todoroki is still looking down at you, expression once again soft.

“You were uncomfortable.” He replies simply.

You can’t even deny it. “So we left?”

“So we left.”

Well, damn. That’s sweet. “But...what about your dinner?”

He pauses, looking around. “Where do you want to go?"

“Uh, I have food-”

“Don't lie.” He interrupts, looking back at you. “You spent your whole day working and baking these cakes. You didn’t even have the time to change before coming here. There is no way you had time to make food.” That’s the most you’ve heard him say at once. Huh. And well, he’s right.

“I could have leftovers?” You attempt, knowing that you’ve been beaten. Your shoulders slump a bit as you consider arguing more. Who are you to be eating with a hero anyways? But...you are tired and hungry. All fight drains from your exhausted bones as you look up at him. You think about potential places as you look around. Honestly, you haven’t been to this part of town much (other than a few fancy dinner nights with your ex, but you don’t want to think about that). Todoroki waits patiently as you think.

“Well...I know one place.” You finally say. “But I’m not really sure if it’s your style.”

“It’s okay.” He shrugs. “I’m sure it's good if you like it.” Oh god. Why does he say those things? You hide your flushed face by walking away. The hero falls into step beside you, seemingly content to let you lead the way.

Walking with Todoroki at night is an ethereal experience. You know it will be a part of your dreams for years to come. Both of you are quiet, taking in the scenery as you walk. It’s cold through your thin jacket, and you shiver a bit at first. It’s a bit weird, but after a few moments, the temperature seems to rise. You put it down to scientific anomalies.

“There it is.” You point out a small stall half-hidden on the street. The two of you make your way over to the small. You keep one eye on the hero, ready to abort at the smallest sign of hesitation from the man. This is definitely not his usual scene.

When you are almost there, the man pauses. You turn, looking up to his face. “Todoroki?” The hero looks surprised, eyes wide and staring at the name of the stall.

“It’s perfect.” He responds, before starting to walk again. His pace is faster than normal, and you have to actually speed up to keep beside him.

As you finally make your way up to the soba stand, you call out. “Hey Haru!”

Haru -a middle-aged man with a bald head- looks up, smiling big when he sees you. “Hey! I haven’t seen ya sorry face ‘round here in a while. How’ve ya been? Come ‘ere to chat with this old man?” His eyes then catch on Todoroki. “Ah, I see.” His smile ticks up into a smirk.

Your own eyes widen. “No! It’s not what you think, Haru. We’re just here to eat.”

Haru doesn’t look like he believes you but lets it go. “Havin’ the usual then?” You nod. He turns to Todoroki. “And fer you?”

“Do you have cold soba?” The hero asks, taking a seat on the stool next to you.

“Hah! Do I have cold soba?” Haru replies sarcastically. “‘Course I do!”

“Haru makes the best soba on this side of the city.” You say, looking up at Todoroki. The hero looks down at you, and his expression makes you pause. His face is soft and kind, eyes glittering with delight. He smiles.

Your stomach flutters. You push it away and smile back.

#todoroki shouto x reader #todoroki shouto x you #todoroki shouto x y/n #todoroki x reader #shouto x reader #j writes #bnha fic #bnha fanfiction #reader-insert

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opalimagines · 2 years

Text

Request: could you do something with smart reader (kinda nerdy) who is dating Henry. I think the nerd/jock dynamic is sweet

Requested by anonymous

Reader: Neutral

Henry was far from being a true brainless jock, but there were some subjects that he just couldn't get a handle on. With his membership in the JSA, he had a lot on his plate so he did the bare minimum to pass his classes and stay in football. His uncle Sylvester, who he'd been living with since the summer before junior year, also didn't do much to encourage Henry in any endeavors besides being a superhero.

All of this came back to bite him in the ass when he failed his last chemistry exam, but luckily he had you. Henry was lucky to have you for so many reasons and he absolutely adored you, your brains were just a lifesaver to him in his predicament. You were at the top of your class, on par with Beth when it came to academics, and if anyone could help him, it was you.

Henry didn't even have to ask. When he brought up his failed exam, you offered your time to prepare him for his retake and he gratefully accepted. After you cheered him on at his football practice that day, he drove you home and came in for a study session.

The two of you sat on your bed with your textbooks and stacks of your own notes as well as a container of flashcards all spread out between you. You held his graded test in your hands and read over it, trying to figure out what specific things you needed to focus on. Meanwhile, Henry was smiling as he gazed at you sitting there with his letterman jacket draped over your shoulders and a look of pure concentration on your face.

It made him ill sometimes thinking of how he used to bully you and so many others, and how he'd been a major part of ruining Yolanda's life. But you had found it in your heart to give him a chance and being with you made him happier than he'd been in a long time. You were way cooler than any of the other jocks he used to spend most of his time with. He could happily listen to you rant all day about history or the newest book you'd finished. Those same jerks he always hung out with before teased him for dating a 'nerd' but he paid them no mind because he knew how great you were.

"Henry, is everything okay?"

Henry snapped out of his thoughts and saw that you were looking at him. His cheeks tinted pink at the realization that you had caught him staring. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" You laid the test down, forgetting about it in your concern for him. "If you're tired from practice we can always do this later. Your retake isn't for a few days."

"I'm sure, babe. You're just a little distracting is all."

"Hopefully not too distracting." You glanced down with a shy smile and picked up the flashcards. "Um, I made these flashcards to study for the test the first time around, so we'll start with them..."

Nearly a week later, you met Henry in the hall after his chemistry class so you could walk to lunch. You knew he was getting his graded test back that day, so you'd been feeling the nervous excitement. You grabbed his hand and noticed the stapled packet he held in the other. "How did you do?"

Without a word, Henry handed you the test and you saw the circled 'A' at the top. When you looked at him again, he had a proud grin on his face, one you couldn't help returning. "I knew you could do it!" You gave him a congratulatory kiss on the lips, not even caring if a teacher saw.

Once you broke the kiss, Henry had a deep blush on his face. "I couldn't have done it without your help."

"Well, I'm always happy to be your study buddy." You nodded your head in the direction of the lunch room. "Now let's go so we can tell the others how you totally nailed it."

The smile never left Henry's face as you walked down the hall together hand in hand, the jock and his favorite nerd.

#henry king jr imagine #henry king jr x reader #dc x reader #dc comics imagine #dc imagine #stargirl imagine #stargirl x reader #my fics**

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journalxxx · 3 years

Text

By Hook or by Crook (7)

“So! How does it look?” Toshinori asked, with a booming voice and his best hands-on-hips pose to kickstart the endeavor with a healthy dose of enthusiasm.

He wasn’t particularly successful.

“Daunting. Impossible. Like I’m gonna die of old age before I’m anywhere close to making a change.”

“A little optimism goes a long way, you know?”

“...I may not die before I’ve lugged away some of this.” Midoriya amended tentatively, scanning the extensive length of garbage-filled beach stretching before them. “And… what doesn’t kill me will make me stronger?”

“That’s the spirit!” Toshinori gave him a pat on the back, strong enough to make the boy stammer forwards. He walked around the back of the truck and started unloading the few supplies he’d brought.

“Wear these.” Toshinori threw him a pair of work gloves. He hoped he’d eyeballed the size right. “I trust you’re up to date with all your vaccines.”

“Uhm.”

“Hopefully no one’s dumping organic waste in here, but I’ll bring some traps if you see any rats. They won’t solve the problem, but it’s better than letting them scurry around freely.”

Midoriya’s eyes darted between the gloves and the beach with muted horror. “R-Rats?”

“Scared of rats?” Toshinori couldn’t help but tease. “Did I mention that I had to wade through the sewers for half an hour before finding you and the sludge villain the other day?”

Midoriya instantly looked mortified. “I-I’m sorry-”

“Not your fault! Don’t apologize!” Toshinori tossed his hands in the air. This kid desperately needed to learn the basic mechanics of humor. “I’m just saying that heroes can’t be squeamish! Rats come with the job, as well as a variety of nasty stuff and filth.”

“Right.” Midoriya followed him as Toshinori, cooler in one hand and bag of papers in the other, sat down on the last steps of the stairs. He picked an egg sandwich for himself and fished a folder out of the bag, opening it on his thighs and starting to read it.

It took him a few seconds to realize that Midoriya was still staring at him, as if awaiting further instructions.

“Well? Have at it!” Toshinori gestured widely at his new playground.

“Oh, uhm, okay.” The kid donned the gloves and took a single step towards the piles before pausing to look at Toshinori again. “I thought you wanted to ask me… stuff.”

“Yes, but I’m not sure you can handle working and talking at the same time without building up some stamina first.” Toshinori answered, eyeing the boy’s scrawny frame critically. “We’ll talk while you’ll be taking a break to catch a breather, which is probably going to happen sooner rather than later.”

“Oh… All right.” Midoriya turned away, his arms hanging limply from hunched shoulders as he muttered to himself. “...Where do I even start...?”

“From the small things. Working your way up to the heavier objects.” Toshinori explained patiently, then gave him a pointed look. “I get the feeling you’re procrastinating.”

The boy approached the closest stack… and did nothing. Was he ever going to stop waffling and get cracking? “Meanwhile, you’ll just, uh… do your own thing?”

“Surely you don’t need me to guide you through the elaborate process of moving objects from point A to point B, do you?” Maybe the kid detected the hint of annoyance in Toshinori’s voice, because he finally, finally set to grab the closest piece of junk- “...Oh. Okay, that’s not a great start.”

“What?” Midoriya stopped halfway through picking up what was probably the first electric fan ever invented, all the way back in the Iron Age. “I haven’t even done anything yet!”

“Bend your knees, not your back. Otherwise you’re going to- do you really not know this? Isn’t the correct way to lift weights Household Chores 101?”

“Oh, right, I know.” Midoriya rearranged his stance in a way that was less likely to earn him a slipped disk within the next two hours. “Do people really lift things like this though? It’s… a lot harder than the normal way.”

“For your legs, yes. For your back, no. You’ll thank me when you’ll be old enough to realize you aren’t made out of rubber.”

Toshinori munched slowly while he watched the kid carry his first loads to the truck. That act alone seemed to distract Midoriya to an amusing degree, his gaze often flicking to meet Toshinori’s eyes for just a moment before shooting back in front of him with blatant self-consciousness. Toshinori allowed the boy a few minutes of warm-up, just the time for him to finish his sandwich and sip a small cup of apple juice, before deciding to kick things into proper gear.

“Running from the truck to the heaps and vice versa would help you gain some endurance too, rather than leisurely strolling back and forth.” Toshinori commented as Midoriya walked past him.

The kid stopped in his tracks and regarded him with a mix of horror and aversion that vaguely reminded him of death-row inmates when faced with their executioners.

“What?” Toshinori went on, unperturbed. “Are you expecting to get fit without getting tired?”

“No, of course not-”

“Besides, you’ll need to keep a swift pace if you want to clear the whole beach before the admission exam.”

“Wha- All of it?! Before the…” Midoriya sputtered, arms wrapping more tightly around the broken chair he was holding as if that was supporting him instead of the other way around. “Y-You never said…”

“But of course! They don’t do things by half measures in U.A., so why should you?” Toshinori grinned. “Plus Ultra, am I right?”

Midoriya let out an incredulous chuckle. “You’re kidding, right? There’s no way I can do something like that...”

“Depends on how much elbow grease you’re willing to put into it.”

Midoriya’s expression shifted minutely as he caught onto Toshinori’s seriousness. “But… but that’s impossible! No matter how hard I work, I can’t- I can’t move stuff like that!” He griped, pointing at the wrecked husk of a van half-buried under a mound of assorted refuse. “Even if I do my best-”

“And pray tell, what’s your best?” Toshinori stood up and walked to the kid, ditching the whimsical demeanor. If playful cajoling wasn’t enough to stir him, maybe it was time to bust out the big guns. “What’s the heaviest you can lift? The fastest you can run? The hardest you can push yourself? When’s the last time you actually tried your very best, and how did it fall short?”

Toshinori was already well and truly spent for the day, but he let the provocation and drive in his words stoke the fire within him, and it flared. The Symbol of Peace broke out of his diminutive shell among dramatic wisps of steam, ready to bestow his wisdom more effectively than his rickety counterpart ever could.

“Do you know what’s the only way to gauge your limits? Reaching them. And the only way to get stronger?“ Toshinori held out his arm between them, and clenched his fist resolutely. He relished the sensation of unyielding muscles tensing and bulging under his skin, tangible proof of the truth of his assertions. “Gritting your teeth and smashing past them! Little by little, but constantly!”

Midoriya had only witnessed that transformation once, poorly and by accident, and it showed. The chair had slipped from his hands without him even noticing, and now lay forgotten at his feet on the bare sand. The kid was gawking at him with wide eyes and mouth agape, the very picture of spellbound rapture. It was far from an unfamiliar reaction from whoever was graced by the Symbol of Peace’s presence, and yet it was still flattering, every time.

“You’ll never improve if you keep dwelling on what you think you can do now. Focus on what you want to do next. Visualize it as a clear goal. Build an image out of it, and then carve it in reality. If you really want that van to move, then it will move. If you really want this beach to be clear, then it will be. But you have to put your back, sweat and heart into making it happen!”

All Might captivated his one-man audience with the usual effortlessness, boisterous showmanship and honest positivity deeply intertwined in a way that boggled his detractors’ minds, but that felt so natural and appropriate to Toshinori. He’d made an art out of it, down to the rumble of his voice and the firmness of his gestures and the levity of his attitude, the art of highlighting and displaying the very best parts of himself so that they could resonate louder, better, brighter.

“So what will it be, young Midoriya? Will you clean up this place within the next ten months or not?”

“Y-Yes. I will.” That had done the trick. It was obvious from the way Midoriya’s back straightened and his expression toughened. It was obvious from the spark kindled in his eyes, a reflection of Toshinori’s own passion, still lacking in heat but full of potential.

“Then you’d better get down to it!” The hero sealed the deal with a radiant smile and a thumbs up. “Time’s a-wastin’!”

“Yes, sir!” Midoriya picked up the chair and dashed towards the truck to unload it there, then he immediately bounced back down the stairs and towards the nearest heap of waste. Toshinori observed the boy’s next rounds with his unwavering smile and few approving nods that kept the kid a bit lighter on his feet.

How much easier it was for All Might to touch people’s hearts. How much easier to inspire, to reassure, to nurture. How much easier everything was for All Might, really. If only that shining beacon of hope wasn’t shackled by the whims of a withering body, how much richer society at large would be for it.

Toshinori let out a deep exhale that took more than just air out of him, and the flame settled down to a low glow. He couldn’t hold back a few wet coughs, and he promptly turned his shrunken back on Midoriya’s concerned glance to sit back on the cool steps.

Unfortunately, there was a lot more than motivation to strength training. Right off the bat, Toshinori could tell that Midoriya wasn’t going to last twenty full minutes of workout. He honestly didn’t know that an ostensibly healthy individual could reach the ripe age of fourteen with such poor body awareness. The boy had coordination and balance on par with a toddler’s: he stumbled on his feet, he tripped on sand, he nearly fell off the stairs twice before realizing that trying to climb them while his view was obstructed by the very items he was carrying might be a less than optimal solution. He seemed to be unaware of the existence of entire muscle groups, and Toshinori had to physically get up and mime movements for him to understand how to exert force more efficiently. Not to mention that he needed incessant needling lest his sprints quickly devolved into lax jogs.

This whole training thing was going to be… an interesting experience, Toshinori could already tell.

Exactly sixteen and a half minutes later, the boy all but collapsed on the stairs beside Toshinori, gasping for air and wiping his forehead on his sleeve.

“B-Break?” He pleaded, quite redundantly.

Toshinori took pity on his plight and pushed the cooler in his direction. “Have a drink.”

“Oh, thank you…” The lack of polite refusal made Toshinori suspect that Midoriya had forgotten to bring his own water.

“There’s sports drinks and fruit juice in there too. Save the snacks for after you’re finished, food and heavy workouts don’t always agree with each other.” Toshinori had packed food primarily for himself, expecting their after-school meeting to last long enough for him to slot in one or two meals in the meantime, but he had taken care of adding a few extras for the kid. A good idea, because the possibility of Midoriya face planting on the ground halfway through out of sheer exhaustion seemed more and more likely by the minute.

“Thank you, you didn’t have to…”

“I promised bribes, didn’t I?”

Midoriya flashed him the tiniest smile, and eagerly drank some water while Toshinori retrieved a small journal and a pen from the other bag. He skimmed through the list of preliminary topics he’d scribbled on the first page under Tsukauchi’s advice, wondering which one he should tackle first.

“All right.” Deciding to follow his instinct in spite of basic common sense, Toshinori decided to begin from the end. “These phone calls of yours. Give me an idea of what they’re like. The last one you had with your father was on April 1st, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me about it. Everything you talked about, as precisely as you can remember it.”

The good thing was that Midoriya’s memory was very accurate, and he was able to recall the whole conversation basically step by step. The less good thing was that said conversation was largely commonplace and unremarkable, consisting of very ordinary small talk and inquiries about school, grades, news, local events-

“Quirks?”

“Mh-hm.” The boy nodded. “We always end up talking about quirks, in one way or another. Quirks and heroes. It’s always been… a common interest.”

“Always, uh?”

“Yeah, we’ve been doing it since… forever, really. I’ve always found quirks fascinating, and he has lots of great insight to offer.”

“I can imagine...” Toshinori mumbled. Asking who had initiated that habit was probably pointless, it sounded like it had started too early in the boy’s life for him to remember - or even to understand if he had been deliberately led to develop that interest. Some intriguing nature-versus-nurture speculations could be made on the matter, but they weren’t likely to aid Tsukauchi’s case. “And in what way do you talk about them?”

“We… analyze them, discuss them. What is known for sure about a certain quirk, what can be deduced from footage and descriptions of its use, what its unmentioned limitations might be, how it could be further developed… You saw my notebook, right? Basically the kind of stuff that’s in there.”

“Wait.” Toshinori blinked. Could he have already stumbled into a treasure trove of All For One-certified information? “You mean that all that’s written in that notebook was dictated by your father?”

The kid almost choked on his next gulp of water, and shot Toshinori an almost offended look. “No! No, no, it’s all stuff I found out on my own! Well, almost all of it, there are some additions of his here and there, but… Uh, I’d say at least 90% of it is mine, and 10% of it is his… Actually, more like 95% and 5%-”

Well, that sounded less promising, but it was still a lead. “So he’s been basically teaching you how to conduct your own quirk analyses?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say teaching. I wish our school teachers were that engaging...” Midoriya let out a small sigh. “But I guess we do go about it a little like with school essays. Research, deadline, discussion and all that…”

“Pardon?”

“Well, every month we decide which heroes or quirks we’re going to talk about the next time - back in March we chose Hawks, Kido and Snatch for last month’s call, for example. During the rest of the month we gather information and draw our conclusions, and then we compare them during the next chat.”

“You’ve got quite the well-oiled routine going on there, haven’t you?”

“Actually, I think it’s just to give me a chance to make my own deductions with a clear head instead of on the fly.” Midoriya scratched said tousled head in embarrassment. “I bet he doesn’t even need to do any research, he’s always on the top of his game. I’ve never been able to, uh… one-up him, you know? He always knows what I’m driving at, and somehow he always brings my hypotheses two or three steps further than where I stop.”

Toshinori answered with a non-committal hum. No surprise there, the man was a living quirk storeroom complete with its own self-congratulatory, sentient database. “You don’t seem too bothered by it though.”

“Oh, I’m not. It’s not like he’s ever… disappointed or angry or anything, even if I don’t get stuff. He just enjoys chatting, I guess.” That he surely did, Toshinori grimly thought. Way too much. “And I do too. It’s kind of like a game. Or a challenge.”

“A challenge?”

“Yeah, uh… How can I explain…?” The boy drummed his fingers on the bottle as he collected his thoughts. “Okay, for example: one of the first things dad asked me about Hawks was what shape his wings are, and what I could deduce from that about his flight capabilities. Which was a trick question! I knew it as soon as I heard it, because I’d already figured out the real answer during my research.”

“Ah.” Toshinori blinked. “And… how is that a trick question, exactly?”

“Because Hawks doesn’t actually fly! Not like a bird, at least, so his wing shape doesn’t matter!” Midoriya beamed, and suddenly Toshinori realized that that was the first real, genuine, enthusiastic smile the boy had given him since they’d met. And, without exaggeration, not crying, panicking or grimacing made him look almost like an entirely different person. “He simply can’t! Humans can’t fly even if you stick a pair of wings to them, they’re just too heavy! Other heroes who can fly properly are mostly transformers, like Ryukyu - their whole bodies change when they shift, bone structure and all - but Hawks’ body is entirely human if you exclude his wings.”

Midoriya reached for his backpack and drew out the same charred notebook Toshinori had signed days earlier. An item so vital to the kid’s daily life that he always had it with him, apparently, even more essential than beverages during a workout session. A peculiar, if questionable, trait.

“What Hawks actually does isn’t flying, it’s levitating!” The kid held the notebook open before Toshinori’s eyes on a spread page dedicated to the hero in question. “He uses the second facet of his quirk, the telekinesis that allows him to control his feathers singularly! That also explains his incredible speed, which is completely unjustifiable if you only take into account normal bird flight aerodynamics. His propulsion is powered by his feathers - and each of them is quite speedy and powerful on its own, so it stands to reason that he would be lightning-fast when his wings contain so many of them pushing him in unison!”

Toshinori politely elected to wait for the onslaught of words to subside on its own, although he already suspected that it was a little like standing right under a waterfall and waiting for someone higher up to turn off the faucet.

“That said, that doesn’t explain everything about his quirk… For example, a single feather of his is capable of lifting and transporting an adult person, that has been extensively documented. Yet, he loses the ability to levitate relatively soon after dispatching too many of them - he becomes unable to float even when he still has at least several dozens of them attached to his body. We couldn’t figure out why that happens with the information we have. Maybe it’s harder for him to apply his power to himself, that is often the case for emitters. Maybe it messes with his proprioception, and he can’t control the feathers he hasn’t detached as finely as all the others…”

If there was one thing Toshinori was absolutely certain of at this point, it was that the kid wasn’t short on breath any more. “And this is the part you inferred on your own.”

“Yep! And dad agreed with all of it!” Midoriya’s smile grew even wider. It was astonishing how much it didn’t look like dad’s deranged, shark-like, nightmare-inducing sneer, and Toshinori could only send a quiet thanks to the heavens for that. “This is all guesswork though. Do you… by any chance, do you know if we were on the right track? I’d be really curious to know…”

“Ah, I can’t help you there, kid.” Toshinori felt suddenly on the spot. “I’m not acquainted with Hawks, nor do I know more about his quirk than the average person.”

“Oh, I thought… Since you’re both- I mean, I thought All Might may have met him during the billboard chart events, what with them both being in the top ten.”

“We passed by each other, yes, but we were never properly introduced. He wasn’t particularly interested in rubbing elbows with the old guard, I suppose.”

“Oh. Well, that’s his loss, for sure.” Midoriya, funnily enough, pouted. “Pity, I was wondering… Even if he doesn’t fly, he does flap his wings in a way that resembles a bird’s. I wonder if that’s intentional, to mislead opponents and prevent them from figuring out how he actually moves. Or maybe he does it subconsciously…”

“I’m afraid I really don��t know…” Toshinori had never met Hawks on the field either, it wasn’t common for accidents to require more than a single big-name hero to intervene these days. Especially if one of them was the number one, who often showed up first and invariably solved any incident in mere minutes-

Toshinori suddenly came back to himself and almost facepalmed in frustration. Why was he letting himself be interrogated about completely irrelevant hero trivia? He was the one asking questions! God, he was bad at this. “And your father had nothing to contribute about all this?”

“Not about this specifically, but he did raise a point I hadn’t considered.” Midoriya looked up at the sky, once again lost in his very wordy, very deep lucubrations. “Hawks has an astonishing control on his quirk. He can use his telekinesis to move hundreds of feathers at once, to sense his surroundings, he can even harden them and turn them into weapons. He made Fierce Wings into an incredibly versatile ability, and he’s so young too… And yet, there’s no record of him attending any hero school or training facility in Japan, nor abroad. He claims to be self-taught, but… admittedly, it is hard to believe. One would think he must have had some excellent education and tutoring to make it into the top ten when he was only eighteen…”

Toshinori didn’t reply. Midoriya looked back at him when the silence stretched, and whatever he spied on Toshinori’s face made him immediately backpedal. “I-I mean, it’s odd, but, uh… not suspicious per se, nor a sign of anything… weird or bad about him. There are many heroes who, ehr, prefer to keep their personal history private, especially geniuses, and that’s fine! They have all the right to! Same goes for their quirks, it makes total sense-”

Toshinori massaged his left temple slowly. Right, better just nip this topic in the bud before it got irredeemably out of hand.

He peered again at the notebook in Midoriya’s hands. So All For One had been imparting occasional, amicable quirk analysis lessons to the kid for a good decade, which sounded suspiciously like the kind of knowledge a potential underling or successor might use. On the other hand, Toshinori could think of a million other ways for the Symbol of Fear to instil skills in his son - all of them remarkably more efficient, safe, manageable and ruthless. The whole thing was contradictory in a way that didn’t sit right with Toshinori.

“Mind if I take another look at that?” Toshinori had been in a bit of a rush the first time round, and he’d only taken a cursory glance at the contents of Midoriya’s notes. But if there was a chance of those pages containing words uttered by All For One himself, a more thorough examination was in order.

“Not at all! But, uh…” Midoriya was fast to hand out the item, but his eagerness to assist was even faster to dampen. “Are you going to retain this as evidence too?”

“Mh, I don’t think that will be necessary...” Right, the poor kid’s house had probably been ransacked even further after Toshinori and Tsukauchi’s first pass. No wonder he was worried about losing this prized possession too. “But if it will be, I can make a copy of it for you to keep, so you won’t lose all your, uh, data.”

“Oh, thanks! That would be great!” The kid perked up instantly. He was so easy to please. “Although… I guess I should make a copy of it myself anyway. It’s already kind of… unrecoverable. I could detach the pages with All Might’s sign and preserve those separately, and just photocopy everything else…”

Toshinori’s imagination mercilessly supplied him with the picture of a new addition to Midoriya’s bedroom decor, his five-second poorly-made signature hung to a wall in an elegant frame. He repressed a groan, deliberately neglected to point out that he could simply provide as many new authentic signs as needed, and directed his attention back to the scorched edges of the notebook. “Right… What happened to this thing, anyway? Did someone put it in a toaster?”

Midoriya let out a totally not nervous chuckle as he wrung his hands in a totally not nervous fashion. “Oh, uhm... You know…” Toshinori didn’t, actually, but the kid didn’t elaborate either.

Well, he was allowed to have a modicum of privacy, still. Toshinori let the issue drop, and nudged the boy with his foot. “You seem well rested. Back to the trash you go.”

Midoriya shuffled to his feet less than enthusiastically, and resumed toiling away at his task. While still checking on him often, ready to poke and prod at the first hint of sluggishness, Toshinori browsed through the kid’s notebook. While the contents were indeed worthy of attention, they were scarce in quantity. It must be rather new, since less than a quarter of the pages had been filled. However, the promise of more material to be discovered made Toshinori withhold his judgement on the matter for the time being.

Once that was done, he continued his perusal of the few files Tsukauchi had already put together about the Midoriya case. Toshinori had practically begged his friend to let him have an active role, any active role in the case: he simply couldn’t bear to twiddle his thumbs until someone else kindly pointed him to All For One’s hideout for another overdue thrashing. He simply needed to be involved, or he’d probably start crawling up walls within a week.

Questioning the kid was pretty much the only suitable occupation for him, currently… Well, it was either that or questioning Mrs. Midoriya, and Toshinori was fairly sure that his brain would leak out of his ears if he heard any more details about All For One’s romantic escapades. He wasn’t exactly an expert when it came to investigative work, not by any stretch of the imagination, but he was going to spare no effort to earn some results. If that meant poring over reams of police reports in the hopes of spotting some helpful clue, so be it. At least it would keep him busy, and busy was good, especially in trying times.

He’d applied the same logic to Midoriya, in a sense. The boy seemed the kind of person who’d very easily overthink himself into a negative spiral, even in less dire circumstances than the messy family drama he’d found himself into. It would do him good to focus on a better future, rather than on his depressing present. Giving him a goal to set his sights on would keep him going more smoothly.

At first Toshinori had thought to motivate him towards his dream career, but it turned out that the boy’s strategy about the admission test was… nebulous at best. Not that he could truly blame him for it: fourteen-year-old Toshinori didn’t exactly have a multi-step plan towards becoming the Symbol of Peace either, one couldn’t help being somewhat scatterbrained at that age.

The illegal dumping site had been a serendipitous discovery, and cleaning it up was the perfect type of goal to incite the boy towards. It was very obvious and straightforward, and required no intricate planning: he simply needed to roll up his sleeves and buckle down. And the muscle he’d build while doing it would serve him well for heroic purposes too, so it was a win-win on all fronts. Not to mention that some good old physical exertion would help him sleep at night, which he was still struggling with, if the persistent bags under his eyes were of any indication. Toshinori dearly missed the times when that trick still worked on him too, when driving himself to the brink of exhaustion was a guaranteed one-way ticket to restful and regenerative dreamland. Nowadays, if he accumulated even a sliver of excessive fatigue, all he got was… well, fatigue. And a metric ton of unrelenting body pains and lasting debilitation.

The rest of the afternoon went by smoothly and unremarkably. Midoriya drudged through many rounds of garbage disposal with decreasing energy and verve, but that was to be expected. Toshinori collected more barely relevant and generally useless information, but that was to be expected too. They were both in for the long haul, there was no point in getting upset about it. Eventually the sun started to set, and Toshinori beckoned the boy back to him with a handwave.

“You have more of these?” Toshinori said, tapping his index on the big 13 on the cover of the notebook still on his lap.

“Uh, yeah.”

“Could you bring them with you next time?”

“All of them?” Midoriya seemed frazzled.

“If you still have them, yes. Would that be a problem?”

The boy scratched his head as his cheek reddened slightly. “N-No, not a problem, but some of them are really… I finished the first one when I was seven. They aren't just outdated, they’re… ehr, childish. Just doodles and misspelled ramblings.”

“Don’t worry, it’s not like I’ll be grading them.” Not yet, at least. Toshinori smirked at his own private joke. Maybe he should grade them, as a small practice run. “I just want to give a quick read to a few things here and there.”

“O-Okay…”

“Good. Well, I think we can call it a day.” Toshinori rummaged in his cooler to fetch a chocolate energy bar, and tossed it to the exhausted boy. “Catch.”

Despite the warning, Midoriya did not catch, and the snack bumped against his chest and fell to the ground with a sad clack. Reflexes were MIA too, apparently. What a rare specimen of a prospective hero Toshinori had crossed paths with.

“T-Thank you!” Midoriya immediately picked it up, unwrapped it and shoved it into his mouth as he hopped into the passenger seat of the truck. Whether it was real hunger or fear of passing as rude, Toshinori couldn’t tell.

The drive to Midoriya’s house was brief. The boy was too tired to chat - as if they hadn’t already had their fill for the day. When they arrived and Midoriya climbed out of the vehicle to be on his way, Toshinori finally addressed one last pressing issue.

“Tomorrow your father is going to call you.”

“Yeah.” The kid’s eyes dropped to the ground. Maybe Toshinori should have brought it up sooner. Way to end the meeting on a sour note.

“How are you going to handle that?”

“I’m not.” The boy shrugged. “Mom will tell him I just got my tonsils removed. It's… safer for now. I think.”

Toshinori nodded. “Let’s take a day off then. Even if you can’t speak, he might want to say something to you, and it would be strange for you not to be at home while recovering.”

“Okay.”

He looked so very small, and so very young like that, bathed in the warm hues of sunset, but with no real warmth to his eyes and demeanor. He was too small and too young to be dealing with this shit. No one was old or big enough to deal with any of All For One’s shit, really. Toshinori would have to make sure no one would have to ever again.

“Thank you for your help today. It’s very appreciated, believe me.” Toshinori offered, with his most sincere smile. “Feel free to text me or Tsukauchi if anything comes up, you should be able to reach at least one of us at any hour of day or night.”

“Okay. Thank you. Have a good evening.”

“You too, kid.” Toshinori watched him until the door of his house closed behind his back, then he drove off.

#my hero academia #boku no hero academia #deku #izuku midoriya #All Might #Toshinori Yagi

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citrus-himmel · 3 years

Text

Breakfast Endeavors ;;;

Nami finds the perfect opportunity to get Law back for something he'd done in the past and she enjoys every second of it...

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 2,162

Nami entered into the galley with a yawn, arms stretching high above her head. It was still fairly early, but the entire crew was up by this point, causing their typical ruckus. She normally liked sleeping in, but even with the women's sleeping quarters on the opposite side of the lawn deck, the noise her crew made had woke her up, much to her displeasure.

With a sigh and some strategic manoeuvring so she didn't get hit with food flung around by her Captain, she plopped down into her designated seat. Law was in his usual seat to her right, picking at his plate of breakfast. She gave him a small smile while she reached for the pitcher of orange juice and poured herself a glass. He returned it with a grunt, mouth currently full of food and eyes wandering around to make sure his breakfast was still safe from thieving, rubbery hands.

Chopper, Bepo and Robin were the only three not currently cramped within the galley, Nami noted. She'd seen Bepo on the lawn deck with Robin when she made her way over, enjoying her morning cup of tea. It was a smart place to be, much more peaceful than the chaos unfolding in front of her. Chopper was more than likely in the infirmary, one of the only other spots Sanji would allow him to eat, and he wouldn't let the little reindeer go hungry, no matter what.

Honestly, it was the perfect scenario for the plan she had cooked up while laying in bed the night before. With both residents who had an enhanced sense of smell out of the equation, Nami knew she had a higher chance of succeeding in her little revenge plot. A mischievous smirk unknowingly spread across her lips as she continued to pile her plate with food, excitement sparking at the prospect of what she was about to do.

It had been about a week since the shopping trip Nami had gone on where Law unexpectedly fucked her in the changing room and then left her to carry on like nothing happened. She could vividly remember the strange look she got from the shopkeeper when she emerged from behind the curtain—no doubt looking disheveled and flushed—and that was when she vowed she'd get revenge on the bastard. That revenge was just about to come to fruition, too.

Stabbing her fork into the pile of scrambled eggs on her plate, Nami tilted her head enough to watch Law's face, and when she caught his attention she quickly schooled her features into an expression of utter innocence. It instantly had Law on edge, she could see, golden eyes narrowing a fraction in suspicion.

❝ Yes, Nami-ya? ❞ he tightly asked after swallowing down the mouthful of rice he'd been chewing, one hand reaching forward for his mug of coffee.

Nami hummed at his question, focusing on meticulously chewing her eggs as she twirled her fork around in the air.

❝ Oh, nothing. ❞

Law's brow furrowed, but instead of questioning her further he simply shrugged and went about taking a drink of coffee, completely unaware of Nami's hand that had snuck under the table. He jerked when it landed on his thigh and she gave it a gentle, falsely reassuring squeeze. The gesture almost had him spilling his drink, only just managing to catch himself at the last second before the scalding liquid could slosh over the mug's rim. Wide eyes turned back in her direction, which she simply gave him her best shit eating grin, eyes glittering with mischief.

Serves you right, asshole.

Fingers gently traced along the muscles Nami could feel tensing up under the thick denim of Law's jeans, stopping at his knee before she curled her nails in and dragged. Even from where she was sitting she could hear the hitch in his throat. Good, maybe this was going to be a little easier than she'd first thought. Nami did a quick sweep of the table to make sure no one had caught on to what was going on between them. Of course not, Luffy currently the center of attention and hopefully he would be continue to keep that attention on him until she was done.

Focus back on her meal, Nami made sure to look as nonchalant as possible despite how she was now massaging the inside of Law's thigh, the underside of her wrist brushing up against his crotch every now and then from the angle. Maybe she was being a little meaner than necessary with the way she wrapped her lips around her fork, eyes darting over to watch Law's reactions every once in a while. She could feel how tense he was under her hand. Despite that, he was doing just as good of a job keeping a straight face, even if there was a slight twitch to his eyebrow, jaw a little too tight to be conveyed as a completely neutral expression.

If one looked close enough, or knew Law’s tells as well as she did, you could see the smoldering in those golden irises, promising punishment when this was all over. It had a thrill shooting up Nami's spine. Sure, this was payback for what he'd done to her, but this was their back and forth; always seeking to one-up the other whenever possible. Nami always looked forward to seeing exactly what Law would come up with next, even if at the time she would be annoyed with him, and she was sure he did the same.

Finally, Nami took a little pity on her lover—was it pity, really?—and firmly ground the heel of her palm against his slowly hardening cock, knowing the harsh line of his zipper would probably hurt a little bit, but she also knew that he liked the slight bite of pain. She watched in silence out of the corner of her eye as Law bit into his lip, muffling the barely there groan. His hips lifted from the chair to try and get more friction from her grinding, but she removed her hand quickly, tutting softly under her breath.

On the guise that she was just leaning in to say something to Law over the din of breakfast, Nami allowed her fork to drop to her plate. She pressed a gentle kiss to the sensitive skin just below the lobe of his ear, hair shielding the action from prying eyes. The temptation to take those gleaming gold hoops into her mouth was strong, but she managed to fight it off.

❝ Better be quiet, Torao. Don't want to catch the attention of my Captain, hm? ❞ Nami murmured against his skin, punctuating her statement with a firm squeeze of his cock through his jeans, relishing in the way he bucked forward with a growl.

The strain she was putting on him was clear on his face when she leaned away to sit back in her chair. He was openly glaring at her now, golden hues darkened with lust. Lips were pressed into a firm line and the tendons in his neck were a little more prominent than usual. It had pride swelling in her chest to be able to bring the Surgeon of Death to this state with just a few touches. Hopefully no one else noticed his struggle.

With a soft hum, Nami brought her hand up a little further to give a firm tug on his belt, making quick work of unbuckling and pulling the leather open, which was a feat in and of itself with only using one hand. The other had returned to grabbing her fork and shovelling more food into her mouth to keep their current activity as inconspicuous as possible.

As discreetly as she could manage, she continued undoing his pants, a grin coming to her lips at the sigh of relief that Law let out, his body visibly relaxing for a few seconds. It tensed right back up once she slipped her hand into his briefs and curled delicate fingers around his now fully hard erection, pulling it free from its confines. Lips parted on a wordless retort at being exposed to the cooler air of the galley, and before he could say anything that would reveal what was happening beneath the table, he quickly shoved another mouthful of onigiri in his mouth.

Giving his entire length a few experimental strokes, Nami soon got a decent rhythm going, wrist flicking just right when she got to the head of his cock, thumb swirling in the beads of precum that were already welling up from the slit. He was really enjoying this, wasn't he? Was the thought of being caught turning him on as much as it was her? If his bodily reactions were anything to go by, she could only assume so.

With every upstroke, she could feel his hips lifting from the chair to try and follow her hand, which he would quickly retreat back when she gave a threatening squeeze. She could just barely hear the strained noises emitting from his throat every time she rubbed at a particularly sensitive spot on his cock with her thumb, taking her time with tracing the prominent vein along the underside.

At one point he dropped one of his own hands under the table to encircle her's to try and speed things up, closing her fist more around his length to add more pressure. Nami complied for the most part, increasing her speed, and gripping his cock a little tighter when she passed over the base. She really wished she could use both hands, or her mouth to get him off. It would only add to his torture and that was exactly what she was going for. But if she was missing from the table at breakfast, suspicions would instantly arise. So this was going to have to do.

A rather audible groan had her tilting her head enough to really take Law in. He was clearly struggling with keeping himself under control now. Teeth were sunk deeply into his bottom lip, food completely forgotten on the plate in front of him, and his free hand was balled into a tight fist beside his coffee mug. He even had his eyes closed at this point, head tilted forward just enough to hide the upper portion of his face with his unruly hair. Must be close, then.

Checking to make sure they still hadn't drawn anyone's attention, Nami continued jerking him off, making it a point to squeeze where she knew he liked, and once again leaned forward to whisper in his ear. This time she indulged herself a little bit and nibbled on his earlobe just above where his earrings sat.

❝ Come on, Law. Let go for me, ❞ Nami whispered, following it up with a quiet, breathy groan of her own.

That was all it took. In the next moment Law's thighs tensed up, body visibly shuddering as his hips jerked wildly from his release. Feeling him come undone under her ministrations was exhilarating. His thick cum coating her fingers and dripping down onto his pants almost threw her over the edge as well and Nami hadn't even touched herself through this entire thing beyond clenching her thighs together. That was the type of hold he had on her and her body.

She sighed softly against the side of his neck before she leaned back, eyes fixating on the way his chest was heaving with his labored breaths. If anyone was paying attention now, they would no doubt have an idea of what just happened.

Law's face was flushed, sweat beading up along his forehead and sticking some strands of dark hair to his skin. He honestly looked fucked out, satisfied, and Nami loved it.

When he finally seemed to calm down, he opened his eyes and sent a dirty look in her direction, which she simply stuck her tongue out at him. Releasing his softening cock from her grip, she let him set himself straight as she wiped her hand off along the thigh of his jeans, much to Law's disgust. To really bring it home, Nami made sure to keep eye contact as she brought her hand up to lick off the remnants of his release from her index finger with a hum of approval, delighted to see that despite being spent, his pupils still dilated a fraction. She knew he had quite a bit of stamina, needed to with his Devil Fruit, so she could imagine he was already thinking of ways to get her back for this.

Quite satisfied with herself, Nami deliberately took her time with finishing up her meal. She washed it all down with a few long drinks of her juice before she finally stood up and walked away without another word, a smug expression crossing her features.

Little did they know, someone had caught on to what they'd just done, they just couldn't make an expression to show they had.

#one piece #cat burglar nami #trafalgar law #lawna #lawxnami #law x nami #some smutty goodness #🍊 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 ( nsfw. )#🍊 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬 ( smut. )#|| can't really tag it with normal tags without it getting blocked by dumblr #so this'll have to do #anyway #this was written in response to something rogue wrote... months ago #that never went beyond our little friend group #because i wasn't comfortable with my writing ability at the time #now #with some minor editting #i present it for all eyes to witness #enjoy ||

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anomander-dragnipurake · 3 years

Text

Gift for Bowser

“Are you sure about this?” Luigi asked with a raised eyebrow for probably the tenth time since Mario had brought the idea up.

“Of course I am,” Mario said with a casual grin as he pulled on his winter coat even though he wasn’t at all sure about this. Getting a Xmas gift for Bowser wasn’t something he’d ever done before even if he had considered it a few times, most often as a joke but this time it wasn’t. “He’s been really good lately, he deserves a reward.”

Ever since Bowser’s sole goal in kidnapping Peach was luring Mario to his castle for a rematch had been publicly outed and broadcasted everywhere, mocking him for his obsession, he’d kept low, showing no sign of himself anywhere in the Mushroom Kingdom. He hadn’t even participated in the karting Grand Prix this year which was rather unlike him. As a result of all this, it had been a while since Mario had last seen him which was nice but… weird.

“Yeah but… do you have to deliver it personally?” Luigi asked he followed Mario out to the car.

“Well it’s a bit too late to mail it.” It was Xmas Eve morning, the Lakitu mail service wasn’t running for obvious reasons.

Luigi frowned. “You bought it a week ago though. You could’ve mailed it then like I thought you were going to.”

Mario shrugged as he slid into the driver’s seat of his car. He’d waffled a lot on whether or not he’d wanted to send it even after buying it and had only decided firmly that he was going to do it last night after it was already too late to mail it. So he would drive down there, give it to Bowser, maybe exchange some words to see what was up with him, and then come back home to spend whatever was left of the day and tomorrow with friends and family.

“I’ll see you in a few hours bro, don’t worry,” he said, closing the door before Luigi could try to talk him out of it or protest any further. The annoyed look Luigi gave him as he backed out of the driveway made him feel kind of guilty but… whatever, Luigi would get over it. He was just worried and maybe had a right to be since Mario was going to see Bowser. But everything should be fine, even if things didn’t go well, Mario had never lost to Bowser before.

Unsurprisingly, surrounded by lava pools and active volcanoes, Bowser’s Kingdom was warm even in the dead of winter. Mario shed his jacket well before reaching the castle itself. It was nice though; he’d always preferred being hot over cold.

Unsure of what kind of welcome he’d get, he parked outside the castle walls, angling his car so it’d be pointed away. He doubted he’d need to make a fast getaway but it was better to be safe than sorry.

By some miracle the portcullis was down, allowing him to stride right into the castle grounds, giftbox in hand. He was stopped by a trio of goomba guards.

“Halt right there,” one of them said.

“Go no further,” another added.

“Or else,” the third finished.

When Mario did as they commanded they froze, turning a bit to exchange a three-way nervous look. They clearly hadn’t expected their order to be obeyed and had no idea what to do next.

“Uh… I come in peace,” Mario said, putting on a smile. “I have a gift for Bowser.” He gestured it with it.

There was a long silence before one of them spoke again. “Uh… you wait right here, we have important matters to discuss.” With that they scampered off a short distance and huddled in to mutter amongst themselves.

Assuming the doors were unlocked, Mario could stride right in. He wouldn’t though even if dealing with all this was a pain because it might be taken as a hostile move and he didn’t want that. So he waited for several minutes while the goombas discussed things. One eventually ran off into the castle.

“We sent word to Bowser that you’re here,” “so stay right here,” the other two goombas said as they returned to glare at Mario in a poor attempt at being intimidating.

Mario sighed, resigning himself to waiting. Luckily it was only a few short minutes before the goomba guard returned, huffing and puffing from the run.

“Lord Bowser has agreed to meet you in the throne room,” they said to Mario as they stepped aside to let him enter. “Hustle, he doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

Inside the castle was noticeably cooler than outside, still quite warm though. The way to the throne room from the main entrance was short but surprisingly bustling with goombas, shy guys, koopatroopas, and the other kinds of minions Bowser employed. Based off their muttering and the way they were all looking at Mario, news of him being here had already spread. Not surprising; back at Peach’s castle within minutes of an interesting person’s arrival every Toad living on the grounds knew of it, why wouldn’t it be the same here? Mario acted as if he here were unconcerned as he strode past them and into the throne room.

Bowser stood in the middle of the room and glared at Mario as he came in. “Why are you here?” he asked as soon as the door was shut and before Mario could try to say anything.

“I brought you a gift,” he replied as he strode closer, hiding his nervousness behind a mask of nonchalance.

“Why?”

“Xmas is tomorrow so Merry Xmas.” He smiled as he stopped right in front of Bowser, holding the gift towards him. He’d wrapped in shiny gold paper with a fancy bow on top and a big tag that read ‘to BOWSER’ on it.

Bowser leaned forward to give a it a good look but didn’t reach for it. “What is it?”

“You’ll have to open it to find out.” Mario had thought long and hard on what to get him before settling on a statue depicting a serpent like dragon wrapped around a crumbling stone tower. He’d known Bowser long enough to know he liked decorative items, especially if they had a dangerous feel to them.

“It’s a trap, isn’t it?” Bowser said taking a step back. “It’s probably a… cloud of poison gas or something, right? You’re trying to kill me.”

Mario shook his head to hold back a chuckle because that was just ridiculous. “No, it’s a gift I think you’ll you like. Take it.” He stepped forward, pushing it towards Bowser again.

After a long pause Bowser finally reached out to take it, giving Mario a skeptical look the whole time. He held it away from himself as he gave it a small shake as if he were afraid it might explode on him. “It’s… an Xmas gift?”

“Yep so you can’t open it until tomorrow. It’s safe though I promise.”

“Why did you feel the need to deliver it by hand then?”

“I uh… waited a bit too long to do my Xmas shopping and well I didn’t think it’d arrive in time so I decided to just bring it to you instead.”

Bowser grunted as he gave the box another shake. Hopefully he wouldn’t be too violent with it, though quite sturdy Bowser could probably break it even by accident. “Why get me a gift though? It doesn’t make sense.”

“There’s nothing wrong with spreading a little Xmas cheer around. Don’t worry about getting me anything in return either, I don’t except anything.”

“Good because I didn’t get you anything nor am I going to.”

Well Mario had been hoping for a bit more friendliness but he hadn’t really expected it so this was fine. “All right. It’s been good seeing you. Merry Xmas.” He gave Bowser a smile and a thumbs up before striding back towards the door. He didn’t let himself look back, choosing to trust Bowser not to do anything nefarious. And… he didn’t, Mario made it all the way to door without even a single comment from him.

As he started to pull it open Bowser muttered something behind him that sounded an awful lot like, “Merry Xmas.” He wasn’t entirely sure though so with a grin, he turned around.

“What was that?”

Bowser groaned, glaring off to the side. “I said ‘Merry Xmas’. … And uh… thanks for the gift or whatever, I guess. Now get out of here. I’m sure we both got better places to be then hovering around here and trying to have an awkward conversation.”

He was right so… Mario gave him one smile before leaving. That had gone surprisingly well all things considered, certainly better than he’d expected even if not as good as he’d hoped. Maybe Mario would endeavor to see him again for a proper chat later, it might even be fun.

#My writing #super mario bros #Bowsario #Christmas Fluff #1st day of Xmas

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concussed-to-pieces · 4 years

Text

Ezra Headcanon Reply

Okay so hopefully the cut works in this format, I sincerely apologize to anyone who may have read something they didn’t want to read or found triggering!

He's read every book. Every scrap of media he can get his hands on, really, his sessions lasting long into the night until his eyes have that gritty feeling from staring at a screen for too long.

It doesn't matter.

When your water breaks, he's gripped exclusively by a panicky instinct. Call the doctor? Of course, the number is on the cooler. Hospital? Yes, hospital. Transport? He has to. He has to.

His hand stays on your thigh during the transport, he helps you to count, tries to keep you calm but he feels like he's not getting enough air. What if something goes wrong? What if something happens to you?

Ezra knows he shouldn't think that, and he's definitely not about to voice such fears to you. You're in pain, you're wounded and it's terrible, it's like Inumon all over again but you're not stifling your noises this time and he can't fix this.

At some point during the hour-long drive, he realizes that he can't fall apart on you. He feels his heart rate calm, feels his back straighten. He's done things in his life that, in theory, have been leaps and bounds more dangerous than this. He doesn't have the luxury.

You're relying on him.

"Breathe for me, gentle soul, I know it hurts." Half-catering, half-commanding, he won't let this go south. "I'm right here with you."

After his realization it's a little easier. He's still in a dither, but he knows he'll manage it. He has to. You need him. You loved him enough to accept this burden and now he will move heaven and earth to make certain that this particular endeavor goes as creamy as humanly possible.

…

They at least let him be in the delivery room. Even if it is agony to witness before you're mercifully numbed with the cocktail slurry spooned into your mouth via the Pastors and the intravenous medication, he knows that whatever he's feeling is nothing compared to your own pain. You're moaning weakly, your muscles quivering from the prolonged toil of preparation and Kevva, Ezra aches to wrap you up in his arms, rock you through your contractions. He almost wishes he hadn't read so damn much about it all, because ignorance is bliss and he can't take the pain you're enduring away from you even with all his accursed reading.

All he can do is stroke your forehead, hold your hand, obligatory nitrile gloves squeaking from the feverish sweat on your skin. "I'll see you soon, with a new little one." He promises you softly, "I love you so very much. You've done so well. Rest now, gentle soul."

It's like strapping you into the pod that fateful night, the way your eyelids flutter closed. You're obviously exhausted, murmuring out some nonsense words to him before you entirely slip under the medication.

Ezra is not particularly squeamish about blood. His own or another's, it matters precious little. It's a bodily fluid, a necessary thing. He braces himself like he's skinning pearls all over again so that he doesn’t flinch, stays at your head and just walks you through the whole endeavor with soft, needlessly complex terminology. He knows you can't actually hear him, he knows you're thoroughly snowed and it's honestly a relief, because he can only imagine how hard you would fight to make him feel like you were fine.

He doesn't expect the baby to be so damn red, despite all the pictures he's seen. Angry and small and violently red, tiny mouth slung agape in a garbled cry of fury. I'm here and I'm immensely dissatisfied with this current arrangement!, they seem to announce.

Ezra feels his mouth twitch into an impossibly wide, incredulous smile. "They're beautiful." He says it aloud, even though you can't hear him and you won't remember.

Airways suctioned clear, body dried, thick, wild dark hair sticking up from their head in spikes and…

And there is a spot.

The nurse angles the child towards him and Ezra's breath seizes and he is weeping, almost blind with tears. The baby has a single blond tuft of hair at the crown of their delicate head, just to the side of their perfect little cowlick. A sunspot, like his own. A Mallen streak.

"Gentle soul, they are...they are immaculate. You've done so well." He praises you, certain that the nurse will have an absolute field day when she recounts this tale to her coworkers later. But he doesn't care.

He assists in resituating your gown so the baby can nurse while resting on your chest. He wants your skin to be the first thing they know in this world, your scent, your taste. His fingers shake when they graze the cap that the nurse has placed on the baby's head.

The little one is voracious and it makes him cry all over again, laughing through his tears when the doctor claps him on the shoulder and hands him a small packet of tissues.

"Congratulations. Welcome to the Sacred Hour." The other man says warmly. Ezra wants to hug him but he's relatively certain that would be a breach of some sort of sanitation protocol.

…

It's strange. Different and yet, not. Honestly, the hardest part of it all might be just leaving you alone. Ezra wants to help and he knows he's probably being annoying or clingy, but the grateful way you look at him when he manages to soothe the child into slumber with some rambling rhetoric about screamer-class ships never fails to make his heart leap.

He still does his best not to hover too badly, only offering to take over if he feels that you want him to. While many fathers of past years seemed more than content to let their wives handle the child-rearing, he is determined to avoid such a grievous error. These early days are all about proper distribution of manpower, food and sleep, and while the little one ensures that neither you nor he get much in the sleep department, Ezra is far too happy that you're both healthy to care.

The odd hours remind him a bit of being on a dig once more and he finds himself falling into old habits. Once, at three o'clock in the morning, you catch him in the kitchen absently pulling tiny pieces off of a banana like it's a bits ration bar while the baby sleeps and drools on his bare chest. You barely stifle your laughter in time and Ezra nearly chokes, but the two of you agree that maybe, maybe you would be a little more sane once the child's sleep schedule evened out.

Anglio is a bit miffed over the displacement that occurs, the shifting in his proverbial hierarchy, but Ezra is confident that after a few discussions they will come to an understanding. Turk is, naturally, unbothered about the whole scenario.

Life is not perfect, but after everything Ezra has endured, it hardly needs to be for him to feel content. And he's got a backlog of freshly-printed children's books to work through.

#ezra (prospect 2018)#ezra prospect #Ezra prospect headcanon #tw childbirth #ezra prospect imagine #Ask CTP Atlas

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dlamp-dictator · 4 years

Text

Quick Ramblings (Anime Edition)

Lately I’ve been watching a lot of older stuff along with some of my backlog from the last two-ish seasons. Nothing this season really clicked with me save for In/Spectre, and I’m waiting for more episodes of the dub to come out before watching it.

All in all this has been a rather quiet season in terms of anime, at least for me. I’ve been a lot more focused on updating fanfics and my original stories for the past two-ish months to really watch any anime that I couldn’t just binge. A few things in Spring has my interest, but that’s Spring...

Anyway... onto the anime Allen’s been watching these past few months.

I’m about half way through Cross Ange and I’m having a blast with it. It’s trashy, it’s riddled with fanservice, it’s premise is honestly stupid, and even the mech battles are a little lacking, but this is an show that knows it’s trashy and over the top, so I don’t have an issue with it.

For a quick summary, Cross Ange is about an Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi, a princess living in a peaceful kingdom of magic-users, at least until its revealed that she had no magical talent and was immediately shunned and exiled from the kingdom as a member of the magic-less Norma caste. Taken from her home and forced to train and work as a mech pilot to kill dragons, she grows into a cold killing machine, with only anger and revenge keeping her going. The story goes into depth about a conspiracy regarding the Dragons, Ange’s origins, and a few other things, but again, I’m at episode 13 at this point.

This is actually my second time watching this show, but stopped after episode 12 last time, mostly because something came up for me IRL and by the time I got back to Cross Ange I realized the dub was out and I was just waiting for that to wrap up. Speaking of, the Dub is pretty good, Ange sounds great, the voice actress being able to do spoiled princess and cold-hearted badass parts of her very well. And the rest of the cast sound good too with Hilda being my favorite, my favorite moments being the ‘on-the-next-episode’ segments, which are hilarious. To paraphrase one of them:

Ange: Hey, it’s been like 10 episodes since someone died, and we just became friends soooo...

Hilda: I don’t want to be friends with you anymore.

That aside, this show it just a fun romp. It’s trashy, it’s over the top, it takes itself almost too serious but not in a way that feels like they’re reaching. Like the seriousness only adds to the cheese of it all. I haven’t finished it yet, but if you want something fun and trashy to watch with your friends, this is definitely the perfect show for it.

Against my better judgement, I decided to look back at the original Fate/Stay Night anime. It’s been years since I’ve watched it and all I remember is a 3D-rendered dragon in a mid-2000s anime. And while that is bad, it shouldn’t be all there is to that anime. As of 10 episodes I can confidently say it’s... not... terrible. A lot of the complaints I remember hearing about this anime seem to be blown out of proportion, at least given the point of the anime I’m at. It’s got plenty of time to make me cringe even more than it has now, but that cringe mostly comes from me being a 26-year-old man watching anime that was probably a lot cooler to 13-year-old Allen that the 26-year-old Allen currently watching this now. For a mid-2000s shounen series, it’s okay. Not great, but okay.

This anime might get a Rambling in itself drafted up when I finish the Gacha Rambling, but for now I’ll just say I have two main issues with this anime: Shirou Emiya, and the World-building of the Fate universe. Shirou feels incompetent not due to how he behaves, but how the writers make him behave. The second issue... requires me to talk about Fate and its writers as a whole, but the short version is I wish Fate/Stay Night wasn’t originally a porn game. It’d make things a lot easier to explain and maneuver around if it wasn’t.

Also, I do prefer this English voice cast to Unlimited Blade Works. The UBW cast if fine, even great, but Sam Riegel as Shirou and Liam O’Brien as Archer is just too perfect a combination to beat.

Finally started watching Ascendance of a Bookworm, an isekai anime about a librarian being reincarnated as a frail, sickly girl. Her one goal being to write and curate books. The only issue being the world she reincarnated into has little in the way of mass-producing books, as neither the printing press or typewriting has been invented year, and paper is rather expensive. So she uses all sorts of schemes, ideas, and plots to try and get books made on some reasonable level, each time a failure, but each failure doing more good in the long term than she thinks.

This anime has a very mellow feel to it. Not something I watch for the plot, but just to see this cute anime girl finally make handmade paper and read a book. The stakes are really that high, the premise is rather simple, but... it’s comfy watch for me. I’m about 4 episodes in and I’m glad to hear we’re getting a second season of this show by the time I finish this first season. Can’t wait to watch more of it.

So Granblue Fantasy got an anime. Two seasons actually, but I only finished up the first one since that was the one that’s fully dubbed. The story revolves around Gran, a young skyfarer wanting to travel the world to see his father. Through this endeavor he gathers many allies and friends, along with a girl named Lyria who saves his life after they first meet. The story takes off from there in a sort of island-of-the-week format. There’s a few other girls like Lyria wanting to meet the other girl that might be tied to her past, or Gran and crew constantly running into the Evil Empire(tm) of this world, but it’s more episodic affair than anything else, each three-ish episodes covering a new island.

I like the anime for its action, but that’s really it. I feel like this was at a time before Gacha games got the more dark and surprisingly in-depth lore and story-writing that games like Girls Frontline and Arknights has, but that makes it more of a comfortable watch than anything. A feel-good anime, but nothing wrong with that.

Also, I can only imagine the amount of hype that happened in episode 12 where all the characters teamed up to take down Leviathan. I don’t even play Granblue Fantasy and I was getting hype when I saw Boxing Grandpa punching debris as projectiles to take out monster fish. This was a fun anime to watch, and I say that as someone who doesn’t play Granblue.

Last up, I’ve been watching BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense. It’s a fun anime about a young girl named Maple taking a tank build to it’s logical extremely. I won’t lie, I’m watching this because it’s not an isekai and has a pretty simple plot to follow. My favorite part of the anime is when the admins and game devs try to patch the game so Maple’s Tank meta won’t break the game in half... only for her to come up with some new nuttiness that makes her even scarier.

Imagine walking around a field, minding your own business, then you see this tiny shield girl riding a flying turtle while summoning acid rain to kill a mob of monsters without even moving. This woman is unstoppable and I love it.

But yeah, that’s it for anime. Next up, I’ll hopefully have the Gacha Rambling wrapped up by Monday. In the mean time, I’ve got work to prepare for.

#cross ange #fate stay night #ascendence of a bookworm #granblue fantasy #bofuri #your dictator is speaking

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athenagc94 · 4 years

Text

Gust and Piper Beginnings - Pt. 7

Here’s the next part of the story! Please enjoy!

I’m also posting the story here on AO3!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gust collapsed on the couch in the middle of the living room. He muffled his groans in one of the decorative pillows that Ginger had just embroidered earlier that month. It was light blue with pale pink flowers. She’d been so proud of how it turned out. Now, he was using it to smother himself. Ginger only spared him a glance as she turned the page of her book. “Rough day?” He grunted in response, basking in the cool fabric of the pillow. “I thought you were done helping at the Harbor? You guys caught up, didn’t you?”

“Oh, we did,” Gust rolled on his back, still cradling the pillow to his chest. “But I was helping Piper today.”

“Piper?” This seemed to catch her attention. She closed her book and set it off to the side, eyes on him. He tried not to squirm under her calculating expression. “That’s a surprise. Why were you helping her?”

“She needed help,” he shot her an unamused look, “why is my helping her a surprise?”

Ginger smirked. “No offense, but unless you’re assisting me, the word helpful doesn't normally apply to you.” Gust frowned. He couldn’t really argue with her. She was right. He only ever doted on Ginger. No one else warranted or deserved his attention, well until now. “So what did Piper need help with? You look ready to keel over.”

“Piper hurt her ankle.” Gust stifled a yawn and curled up against the arm of the chair. “She can’t walk on it, so I offered to help her so she could keep working over the next few days. I don’t know how she does it.”

He really didn’t. He was at her workshop at the crack of dawn and she put him straight to work. He never anticipated that Piper, laid back and fun loving, would be such a hardass when it came to her craft. She never showed it. He emptied and filled machines. Then she sent him out to gather raw material that she couldn’t go out and gather herself. He’d turned his nose up at the pickaxe she’d given him, but he soon realized that it was the only way to get any of the things she’d asked for. His arms were still aching and a part of him doubted he’d be able to lift them in the morning.

While he did that, she was still working on her long list of commissions at her desk. He had no idea how she managed to juggle gathering her own supplies and making things out of them too. He was exhausted and he’d only been working a day, but this was Piper’s reality. He only got away when he did because he had to come home and watch after Ginger. He couldn’t even fathom what would have happened if he’d stayed longer. One of the Civil Corps members may have had to tote his unconscious body back home.

“How did she hurt herself?”

Gust waved her off. “In the old WOW Industries or something. We bumped into each other while I was searching for hibiscus flowers and she offered to help.” Ginger only gave a solemn nod at that. She knew how important those flowers were. He clutched the pillow a little tighter to his chest, like it would stop his heart from pounding out of his chest. “I should have said something sooner, but she insisted on helping me. So, I decided to help her with her endeavors for the next few days. That’s all.”

“Is that all?” Ginger cocked her head to the side and a small smile flutter across her face. She looked at him with such a gentle expression. He didn’t know what it meant. It made him uncomfortable. “That’s very noble of you. I’m sure Piper is relieved to have your help while she’s injured.”

“I was barely any help.”

Ginger only chuckled. “Did she ask you to come back tomorrow?”

Gust shook his head and rolled onto his back. He watched the ceiling fan rotate lazily overhead. He traced the orbit with his eyes. “She didn’t have to,” he admitted after a moment, “I told her I would help her until her ankle was better and I plan on keeping that promise.”

“I like this new Gust.”

He turned his attention back to Ginger, brow furrowed. “What?” Ginger folded her hands neatly in her lap and shrugged. It wasn’t an answer and that was mildly irritating for him. What was that supposed to mean? “I’m not a new Gust.”

“I disagree.” She stood up and tucked her book under the crook of her arm. “I thought something was different about you recently, but after tonight I think I now know what that is.” Gust straightened in his seat. What did she know? Before he could press, she was heading out of the room and towards the staircase. “I’ll let you get some rest. I’m sure it’ll be a long day tomorrow.”

Like that, he was left alone with his thoughts, which was a dangerous place for him to be. He had no idea what Ginger meant. How was he any different? He was still him. He didn’t feel any different. In fact, he felt very much the same and that’s what irritated him. Ginger had to be wrong. He was still Gust. Rude, crass, and standoffish. He found it very hard to believe that anyone would ever like this version of himself.

↢↢↢↣↣↣

“Have you eaten?”

Piper offered a mumbled response as she continued working on Minister Lee’s commission for a batch of new talismans. He wanted enough for the whole town, and she’d been working on them for over two hours. Before that, she’d been hard wiring a new desk lamp for Mei. The goggle marks were still embedded across the bridge of her nose. He doubted she’d taken any breaks between the projects.

This was his third day at the workshop and in that time he’d really seen how Piper operated. It was appalling to say the least. She never took breaks. She rarely stopped for meals. He’d taken it upon himself on more than one occasion to slip her a glass of water, just to remind her to drink something. Still, she worked diligently and she showed no signs of changing her ways. Honestly, he wondered how she’d survived this long without someone to force her to stop and take a breath.

“You need to eat.”

“I’ll order something from the Round Table.”

“Why waste the money? Don’t you have something around here?” He glanced around her workshop. There was a small kitchen in the corner. It had a stove, fridge, and a small sink, all of which looked like they went untouched. “I’ve seen the vegetable garden you keep out back. Don’t you keep any of the produce?”

“I do.” Her fingers worked deftly as they wrapped red cord around another engraved stone. It seemed like a mechanical response at this point, but still she didn’t look up from her work. “But I don't know how to cook. So I normally eat them raw.”

Gust blinked at her in disbelief. “You don’t know how to cook?” He massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed. This woman. If she didn’t know how to cook, how had she not shriveled away to nothing. She really was hopeless. “But you live alone? How have you survived this long?”

“The Round Table,” she tossed another talisman on the pile, “and the unadulterated kindness of Sophie and Emily. Without them, I might have starved.” She grabbed another piece of stone and began carving away at its surface. It’s like they were discussing the weather and not the fact that she wasted all her money on take out.

Gust shook his head at her. “No wonder you can’t afford that next plot of land, you’re wasting your gols on take out.” She only grunted in response, too engrossed in her work to really hear him. He clucked his tongue and made a beeline for the kitchen. He knelt down and opened the cooler box. Hopefully she had something he could work with. He was surprised to find it well-stocked. Meat and fish were neatly packaged on one shelf. No doubt boons from her adventures. She had an array of vegetables from her garden. There were even fresh eggs and milk, no doubt from Emily and Sophie. He rolled his eyes and started pulling ingredients from the fridge. Fine. If she refused to take care of herself, he’d do it for her.

He regarded the splay of ingredients on the counter. Blade fish, meat, palm jujube, and rock salt. He had been craving bacon fish rolls for a few weeks now, but he’d been too busy to find the time to make it. At least now he had an excuse. And he’d be feeding Piper in the process. Two birds with one stone. He swept his hair back into a ponytail and got straight to work.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m cooking.” Gust didn’t even look up from the frying pan as he laid out the thin strips of bacon. They sizzled softly and the smell of cooked meat was enough to make his mouth water. Normally, he didn’t have much of an appetite, but all the manual labor was making him hungrier than usual.

“Yeah, I can see that, but why?”

“Because it was obvious that you weren’t going to feed yourself.” He sniffed and sprinkled a little rock salt over the bacon. They only needed to be seared before he took them off and rolled them over the blade fish and palm jujube, so he had to keep his attention on the pan. “So I’m making us lunch. You’re going to stop working and we’re going to eat like civilized human beings.”

Piper snorted. “I’m not a child.”

Gust visibly bristled, but he kept his eyes trained on the sizzling pan. Don’t let the bacon burn. That’s all he needed to focus on. He didn’t need to indulge her. But of course, his mouth moved faster than his brain. “Well, then don’t act like one.” He sighed. This happened every time they spoke. “If you’re going to neglect to take care of yourself, someone’s gotta do it.”

Piper had stopped working now. She sat in her chair, knees tucked under her chin as she regarded Gust with pensive expression. “I’ve managed this long, haven’t I?”

Gust rolled his eyes. “Barely. I had no idea it was this bad.” He clucked his tongue and pulled the pan off the heat. “You don’t even know how to cook, ridiculous.” Piper chuckled and spun in her seat, but Gust failed to see the humor. These were fundamental building blocks of staying healthy, how could she just brush them off like they were nothing. It made his heart ache.

They didn’t speak as he busied himself with preparing the rest of the meal. Piper didn’t press and returned back to her work after a minute or two. A comfortable silence settled between them, it almost seemed natural. It was quick work, finishing up the bacon rolls, it was almost second nature for him. Cooking came easy to him. Much like painting, it was a form of creation. Gust always needed to be creating. It’s the only time he ever felt some sense of relief and purpose.

“Time for lunch.”

Neither said anything as they settled around her rickety kitchen table. The front of her coveralls were covered in stone dust, but Gust didn’t bother to comment. The bacon roll was good. It was such a simple recipe, but it always hit the spot every time he made it. Gust couldn’t ignore the way she watched him as he ate. The pensive expression was back as she nibbled at her lower lip. She barely touched her food.

“Are you going to eat or not?”

Piper regarded the plate in front of her, a soft flush blossoming across her cheeks. “I will, I will, but I have a question first.” He hummed around a mouth full of bacon fish roll. He couldn’t imagine a question so dire that she wouldn’t eat, but he stayed quiet. “Why were you looking for the hibiscus flowers?” Gust almost choked on his food. He swallowed thickly and it slid down his throat, settling in his stomach like lead. “Why was it so important that you find them?”

Gust considered her question. He stared down at his plate and the hunger he’d been feeling dissipated. He didn’t doubt that Piper knew about his mother’s death, but he doubted she knew how much her death had affected him. He could tell her, but then he’d be breaking down a wall he’d spent a long time building. He didn’t know if he could bear her condolences or Light forbid her pity. The pitying stares of the town had played a large role in his leaving in the first place. He didn’t want to endure that with Piper, of all people.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“No, no, Iー” he swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in his throat, “it was my mother’s favorite flower.” His voice was small, but firm. He fiddled absently with the watch on his wrist. “I try to gather them while they’re in season, so I can drop some off at her grave for her birthday.”

Piper’s expression softened. “That’s really sweet of you.” She reached across the table and took his hand. “As soon as my ankle is better, I’ll make sure you get those flowers. I promise.” She squeezed and he felt it in his chest. He tried to keep his breath even, but it was a struggle. “Thank you for sharing that with me.” Her fingers slipped away and Gust found himself wishing they hadn’t. He really liked the feeling of her hand in his.

She speared her fork into the fish roll and stuffed it into her mouth. Her eyes rolled back in her head and groaned. “Peach’s pants, this is amazing.”

And just like that, the topic was dropped. She didn’t pry into his affairs. She didn’t force him to talk about his feelings or offer empty condolences. She just let it be. He was so happy, he could have cried. Gust took a shaky breath and turned back to his meal. “Maybe I’ll make something for you again sometime.”

↢↢↢↣↣↣

Gust made her lunch the next day. He was only slightly embarrassed to admit that he’d spent his evening pouring over cooking books to find a recipe Piper might like. Ginger had noticed, but she’d been merciful enough not to comment on it. They were currently seated at her rickety kitchen table. Piper had become much more receptive to taking breaks with the promise of a home cooked meal. He’d settled on salmon fried rice today.

“What do you do for fun?” Piper arched an eyebrow at him as she chewed her food thoughtfully. She’d already devoured half of her plate, which Gust took as a good sign. “I feel like in the time we’ve known each other, you know a lot more about me than I know about you.”

Piper snorted. “And who’s fault is that?”

“Just answer the question.”

“Well, if you’re asking about my frivolous activities, I don’t have a whole lot of time to indulge in them these days,” Piper settled back in her seat, “but I did do boxing when I was back in Barnarock.” He must have done a poor job at hiding the surprise on his face because she took a few jabs at the air in front of her. “I was good too.” She added with a pointed look in his direction and Gust threw up his hands, relenting. He wasn’t sure why he was so surprised. Piper was pretty firmly built. When he’d carried her back to her workshop, he felt the firm contours of her upper arms.

“But you’re so even tempered?”

“And why do you think that is?” she asked with a crooked smile, “I take out my aggression on Sam when we meet up and spar.” She tapped her temple thoughtfully. “Can’t be losing your temper, if you know you get to kick someone’s ass three times a week.” She shrugged. “It’s therapeutic for me, I guess.”

Gust bit back a smile. “I knew you were able to handle yourself in a dangerous situation,” he gathered another mouthful of rice on his spoon, “but I would have never guessed that you were this well-equipped for the job.”

Piper sighed. “Well, to be honest, I didn’t think those dangerous situations would come with the job,” she cradled her cheek in the palm of her hand, “don’t let them know, but I feel like I’m often doing the Civil Corps job for them these days. Like, why is it always me, ya know? I never see Higgins getting trapped in a cave with ancient bloodthirsty AIs.” She laughed, but it sounded strained and Gust noticed immediately. “But whatever, I’m just glad people can turn to me in a crisis.”

Gust frowned at her. She seemed sincere enough. She prided herself on being dependable, but her usual nonchalance was missing, but he didn’t point it out. Piper didn’t pry into his business, he should extend the same courtesy. “My lips are sealed.” He mimicked the zipping of his lips and Piper laughed. This one sounded far more genuine and it made his heart flutter in his chest. It was worth the internal loathing. Light, that was so lame, he was becoming his father.

“Now, you have to answer my question though.” She leaned across the table and Gust found himself leaning closer as well. Where did you learn to cook? This is amazing.” She gestured to the plate in front of her. “You could give Django a run for his money if you wanted to.”

“I learned when I lived with my Master in Atara,” Gust said simply, “it was an enlightening experience.”

Piper ‘oo-ed’ teasingly as she took a sip of her red tea. He was beginning to think that red tea had replaced the blood in her veins, she drank it so often. “I feel like that’s just a nice way of saying she made you her bitch and had you do all the cooking.” Gust pursed his lips at her, but he made no attempt to correct her. There was nothing to correct. She smirked. “Yeah, I thought so. That tends to be the case with those apprenticeships, you do the bitchwork so your Master doesn’t have to, right?”

“I learned a lot from Vera during my time with her.”

“Well, obviously, look at you. You’re talented and successful,” She waved him off with a swipe of her hand. Gust wanted to argue, but she didn’t give him the chance as she continued, “I just know there’s a lot of hoops to jump through before you actually get to learn something, so more power to you. I consider myself a pretty patient person, but I wasn’t patient enough to deal with that kind of bullshit.”

Gust straightened in his seat. “Wait, did you study in Atara?”

“Study is a strong word,” she smirked around the rim of her glass, “but yes, I tried to gain an education in Atara, but I dropped out after a year or two. Not my proudest moment, but the scholarly life wasn’t exactly my calling.”

“What did you study?” He would have never guessed that she studied in Atara like him. Piper was unintelligent. Quite the opposite, she knew how to hold a conversation and Gust always enjoyed speaking with her. He could admit that to himself now. He enjoyed her company.

“Political science,” another sip of her drink, “I wanted to be on the committee for the Free Cities at one point. Settle conflicts. Help people. Maybe even stop our war with Duvos.” She shook her head. “In short, I was naive and a dumbass. I apprenticed with one of Atara’s political tycoons and realized pretty quickly why things weren’t getting better. No one wanted to put in the effort to make it better, so neither did I. I dropped out shortly thereafter.”

Gust blinked. Politics. Of all the degrees, she’d taken an interest in the field his father so desperately wanted him to study. He supposed irony was cruel like that. He gave her a thin smile. “That is surprising.” He leaned a little closer across the table and she didn’t shy away. He regarded her hands. They were covered in grease and the nails had been bitten down to the nail bed. The hands of a hard worker. “I figured you would have studied carpentry considering your skill set.”

Piper tugged sheepishly at a loose strand of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. “About that. I actually never considered carpentry before coming to Portia. This was kind of a worst case scenario for me and I was in a pretty desperate place when I made the decision.” Gust frowned at her. She never planned on coming to Portia. They were more alike than he’d thought. “Don’t get me wrong though, I don’t regret coming here now. I’m happier than I thought I’d be.”

Gust swallowed the bitter taste that had risen in his mouth. At least one of them was. “You are?”

Piper nodded and cradled her cheek in the palm of her hand. “There’s a lot of great people in this town, it makes it all worthwhile.” She reached forward and offered him an open palm, he took without a second thought. Grease stains aside, he liked the way her calloused hands felt under his finger tips. He’d found comfort in tracing them with his fingers. “And believe it or not you’re one of them.”

Gust snorted. “A lot of people would beg to differ.”

“Well, those people can pound sand,” Piper said with a shrug, “they don’t get to see the good sides of you.” She looked at him in earnest. It made Gust’s heart swell in his chest. He supposed she had a point. His good sides were often overshadowed by his shortcomings, but he was happy to hear someone had bothered to venture into the shadows to see them. He wasn’t sure if those good sides were worth the effort, but Piper seemed to think so. That was a small consolation at the very least.

He gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand. This time she didn’t let go. “Thank you Piper.”

#my time at portia #mtap #mtap gust #mtap ginger #mtap builder

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grither55 · 4 years

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The Princess and the Peasant - (An Azula Epic) - Chapter 6 - Breakfast with the Princess

Twenty-eight minutes later Elle stood before Azula’s seated form carefully balancing a tray as she set it down before her master.

Azula silently inspected the contents of her breakfast with a discerning eye while watching as her handmaid obediently set her food out for her.

The blonde’s smaller plate sat in the corner of the tray while golden eyes glanced over its contents.

She couldn’t help but notice that her servant’s plate was devoid of meat of any kind.

But she quickly shrugged it off while peering back at her loyal pet.

“Early once more. Good girl.” The princess stated strictly while watching her servant set down her food tray.

“I endeavor to please you Master Azula. Would you like for me to stand or kneel before you while you eat?” Elle answered sweetly while bowing with her waist bent before the seated princess.

“No. You may get a chair and sit beside me.” Azula spoke while grasping at her plate of food with her pet staring down at her in surprise.

“Are you certain master? I don’t mind waiting to eat. I understand that my princess comes first.” The blonde-haired girl spoke with a warm smile adorning her lips as she beamed back at the stoic woman.

The girl’s submissive words truly pleased Azula.

And yet all the same…she wanted to get to know her servant better.

“Are you questioning my will?” The princess demanded while narrowing her cold eyes as she delighted in how the small girl trembled.

“N-no Your Highness. I-I am just trying to be the best pet I can be.” Elle stuttered much to Azula’s delight while the woman glanced up at her smiling.

“Hm. Good girl indeed. Now do as you were ordered!” Azula commanded while watching as the younger girl scrambled for a chair.

She observed in amusement as the teenager dragged one of the spare chairs over before placing it beside her much taller throne.

There was little purpose for the arrangement of extra seating in her study.

But from time to time Ty Lee and Mai would accompany her to her study…

She never imagined that she would one day be allowing a servant to sit beside her.

“A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama for t-treating me well.” The blonde-haired girl mumbled as she timidly peered down at the extravagant tabletop.

“Don’t get too sentimental servant. I am simply maintaining this standard in order to continue to receive optimum service.” The princess replied while turning to peer down at her young companion with icy eyes.

“As you say master…would you like for me to fill your cup?” Elle requested softly while Azula gazed at her in grudging approval.

That was what she adored about this girl.

Even when she granted her privileges that no other servant has. Instead of slacking, Elle labored even harder than before.

“You may. But do not spill it.” Azula stated strictly while Elle poured orange juice from the jug into her glass.

“I am good at pouring princess. I won’t spill it!” The blonde-haired girl exclaimed while smiling tenderly at her master’s emotionless face.

"I will admit that you are well coordinated. Tell me more…about where you come from." The princess commented while taking a regal bite of her eggs.

"My…world?" Elle repeated with the barest loss of joy while gazing at Azula's stoic face.

The refined woman swallowed her food while glancing at her handmaid with understanding in her brilliant eyes.

"Your supposed world…not your brother." Azula answered sternly while finding herself frowning over her young handmaid's fear.

It was a bizarre feeling.

To be displeased over a peasant girl’s fear.

She just chalked it up to how revolting it would be for two siblings to share sexual relations.

“Oh! Well let’s see. We have many countries. More than four nations! Well…at least I heard that there used to be four nations…” The blonde-haired girl trailed off while holding a finger to her chin with the older girl listening in amusement.

“There once was, however that was long ago. Now the Air Nomads are no more.” The princess snorted with a cruel smile on her lips.

“We don’t have any benders that I know of. You see in my world…it’s not normal to have superhuman abilities of any kind.” Elle explained while cutting at her eggs with the princess turning to gaze at her.

“It sounds like a boring world then.” Azula spoke while finding herself bothered by the thought of being without her bending.

“No…it isn’t. It’s…just not a very happy place to be.” The young handmaid confessed with a reflective look in her eyes while her princess swallowed her food with an uncaring countenance.

“How sad…for your fellow peasants that is.” The princess snorted in a taunting voice while she watched her pretty handmaid begin to smile once more.

‘What a strange peasant. She’s already smiling again.’ Azula thought with her red lips pursing into a sophisticated scowl before turning away from the girl.

The woes of her handmaid’s homeland are none of her concern.

She just shook her head before taking another bite of her meal while her young servant began to do the same.

“But there are a few people that possess abnormal abilities. There is a woman…her name is Rieko. They call her the Winter Emperor you see. Because she can turn people into blocks of ice!” The blonde-haired girl announced in an animated voice while the older girl stared on with intrigued golden eyes.

“You just said that you don’t know if you have any benders. So how is she capable of freezing people in ice?” The princess asked in a suddenly piqued voice while setting her glass down.

This was an interesting development.

If she could make contact with this woman…perhaps they could forge an alliance to strengthen the Fire Nation.

“Beats me! I’m just a simple small-town girl with a crazy brother. I wouldn’t know any more than the average person. It is very well possible that I don’t even know what I am talking about!” Elle cried out before returning to her food with a naïve smile.

Once more Azula found herself sighing as she bit into her food shaking her head all the while.

It was rather obvious that Elle was a simple sort.

She shouldn’t have expected anything of great value from the soft-hearted girl.

“Believe me. I can tell.” Azula stated before swallowing her mouthful.

“We do have some cool stuff that your world doesn’t have! I’ve got a few things in my backpack that I could show you sometime.” The blonde-haired girl chirped while leaning in her chair as she gazed up at the woman with adoring eyes.

“Cool stuff? Like weapons of any kind?” The princess inquired with amusement lacing her voice while she dryly watched the girl shake her head.

Figures…

“Oh no! I don’t carry weapons of any kind on me. I believe in resolving all matters peaceably.” Elle replied while Azula pointedly peered down at her bruised cheek.

“Really? How’s that working for you so far?” Azula taunted while gesturing to her cheek while staring at the girl with harsh eyes.

“It’s rather hit or miss. But even so. I just try to get along with everyone. I’m not the sort to start trouble. I’m not much of a rebel!” The blonde-haired girl conversed while smiling from ear to ear at the older girl’s stony countenance.

“Believe me servant I can see that. But that is good I suppose. Rebels don’t live very long.” The princess remarked sagely while swallowing another mouthful.

‘This girl would have died if I would have left her on the streets…’ Azula thought with her lips pursed into a frown while watching her handmaid nibble on her eggs.

And most puzzling of all…why did such a thought irk her?

“While I don’t have any weapons. But I do have something much cooler. Want to hear what it is Your Highness?” Elle spoke while turning to the princess’s cold face with her bright amber eyes alit with joy.

“Not really. But I suppose you are going to tell me anyhow.” The princess sighed while pondering if the girl ever ceased babbling.

“I have a little gadget that plays lots of music! It’s small…very compact and it’s got all kinds of music on it.” The blonde-haired girl exclaimed while nodding proudly even as the girl turned to gaze at her with deadpan eyes.

“A music box? That’s what you want to show me?” Azula scoffed while regally swallowing another drink of her juice.

“It’s not a music box. It’s an MP3 player. It has…oh I don’t know…about two thousand songs on it.” Elle answered while smiling when her words brought about a gleam of interest in the royal’s eyes.

“Two thousand songs? How can one device hold that many songs?” The princess pondered while gazing at the girl with curious golden eyes.

What strange little handmaid she’s picked up…

“In my world, songs created by artists can be compressed into datafiles that are therein copied to your device of choice. Pretty neat huh?” The blonde-haired girl concluded as she gazed up at the woman’s intrigued face.

“As a novelty I suppose so…though a weapon of war would have been of a greater interest to me…” Azula trailed off while skillfully masking her interest in the music device.

“Would you like for me to show it to you later?” Elle asked hopefully while resting on her elbows with her crush eating her meal in a refined manner.

“Servant! I am a princess with a busy schedule. My country is in the middle of a war. I have no time for petty games.” The princess snapped coldly while gazing at her handmaid as the petite girl sunk in disappointment.

“S-sumimasen Azula-sama…” The blonde-haired girl mumbled while poking at her food with saddened eyes.

Azula said nothing in response as she cut into her meat while chewing it calmly as she tried to conceal her mild annoyance over the girl’s sulking behavior.

Thus far she has concluded that her handmaid was twenty times as cheerful as Ty Lee and unlike her acrobatic friend easily prone to bursting into tears.

“I…know you are a busy woman. I just wanted to show it to you. I don’t have a way to charge the battery…so after I turn it on once more…it will never turn on again. You’re a princess…and you’re also my friend. So…if I was going to show it to anyone…it would have been you.” Elle spoke in a softer voice while Azula gazed at her through the corner of her eye.

The girl’s words were strangely pleasing to hear…

Although she was rather taken aback to hear her handmaid call her friend.

“We’re friends?” The princess questioned sternly while glancing over at her servant’s saddened face.

“I…would like to be friends…with you Azula-sama.” The blonde-haired girl admitted while redness traveled down her cheeks peered down at her food.

“You’re a peasant…and I am a princess. Such a friendship would be frowned upon by many.” Azula commented coldly while drinking what remained of her juice.

“Oh….” Elle trailed off lamely with her spirits plummeting after those words.

“Which is why you had best keep this to yourself. I will allow you to show me your little toy later on.” The princess remarked while turning to gaze at the smaller girl’s now brightened face.

“I am friends with Master Azula!” The blonde-haired girl yelled out childishly while throwing her arms up in delight.

All the while cold eyes surveyed her in a puzzled manner almost as if her existence was an enigma to the princess.

“Keep your voice down!” Azula hissed while glaring at her exuberant handmaid musing that Ty Lee was sure to take a liking to her.

“I am so happy that we met!” Elle cried out before leaping over to embrace the stunned woman around her neck.

The princess stiffened with her eyes agape in a comical display of disbelief almost as if she was having difficulty processing that one of her servants just hugged her.

Azula was so stricken by the action that she dropped her utensil while gazing back at Elle’s joyous face with bewildered golden eyes.

“Detach from my neck at once servant! Or I will punish you!” The princess called out while squirming in her seat with her palms lighting ablaze.

She glared at the petite girl embracing her neckline while gritting her teeth in annoyance.

She even considered burning her handmaid for her defiance.

Yet somehow, she was finding herself unable to raise a hand to the younger girl’s face.

“But you’re so huggable! I just want to hug you forever and ever!” The blonde-haired girl insisted while beaming up at her master’s scowling face.

“The feeling isn’t mutual. Now get off me!” Azula growled while pushing Elle off of her with her palm while glaring at the girl as she fell back into her seat.

Why she cancelled out her bending before shoving her handmaid off of her was yet another mystery.

And even stranger…the hug didn’t make her as furious as she claimed.

“I feel much better now. Don’t you? Hugs make everything better. Especially hugs with a princess.” Elle stated innocently while cheerily sipping her juice.

“No, I do not! Try that again and it will be your last!” The princess declared while glaring over at her cheery pet with cold eyes.

Then she returned to her meal while eating the remainder of her food with a trace of aggravation in her stern eyes.

‘Hm…perhaps I should have hugged her longer…she still looks angry…’ The blonde-haired girl thought while holding a finger to her lips.

“Refill my drink servant.” Azula ordered while pounding her fist on the tabletop in a demanding manner.

“Yes, Master Azula. Forever as you say.” Elle agreed while reaching over to pour more juice into the woman’s tall glass.

“Well…at least you’re well trained. For the most part.” The princess grumbled while chewing on her final bites with a frown still adorning her lips.

The blonde simply continued to peer over at the older girl’s lovely face while still touching her lip with her fingertip.

‘Azula-sama is so cute when she’s angry.’ Elle thought while smiling over at Azula’s brooding face while giggling softly under her breath.

Azula gazed over at her in a questioning manner but ultimately made no comment.

Then a short time later Elle stood with the dishes upon the tray while her master observed her from her throne.

“Go clean up those dishes servant.” Azula commanded while returning her focus to her war documents.

“Yes, Your Highness. What after that?” The blonde-haired girl stated while bowing carefully with the tray in hand.

“I have a great deal of work to do. But if you can keep silent…I will permit your company for a while longer.” The princess explained while turning to her bowing pet with strict golden eyes.

“Wakarimashita!” Elle exclaimed with a grin on her innocent face while bowing once more before the woman’s emotionless face.

Azula scanned Elle for the briefest of moments before waving the girl off as she watched the handmaid open the door and vanish soon after.

The door closed shut while she sighed heavily musing that the girl could be a real pain.

Yet even so…she was finding herself becoming fond of the girl despite her best efforts not to.

It wasn’t long after that Azula heard the door open and quietly close once again.

The princess idly peered over at her pet before blinking in bafflement when the girl dragged the chair back to its previous location.

And then much to her delight padded over before her booted feet and sat with her legs folded beneath her at the foot of her throne.

“The floor once more?” Azula questioned while gazing down at Elle’s petite form as the girl leaned against the foot of her throne.

“I prefer the floor. It’s closer to you master.” Elle answered while craning her neck to peer up at her looming master with worshipful eyes.

The princess’s lips curved into a gratified grin before reaching down to pat her pet’s head once again.

The small blonde blushed while melting beneath the woman’s authoritative palm in an almost puppylike manner.

“My…aren’t you a good pet.” Azula purred with approval lacing her voice while Elle leaned in to rest her face upon her thigh.

She quirked a brow while peering down at her pet with stern golden eyes but ultimately decided that she would allow her handmaid to rest her head upon her thigh.

“…I am Azula-sama’s pet.” The blonde-haired girl agreed tenderly while burrowing her face into the woman’s soft thigh.

“That you are. Now be a good girl while your master works. I have much work to do. I need silence from here on out.” The princess announced while turning to peer down at yet another page of the war document.

“Yes, Master Azula.” Elle mumbled softly while laying against the princess’s robed thigh while a hand remained resting in her hair.

And so, the teenager sat at Azula’s feet with the princess absentmindedly petting her here and there.

The petite blonde began to relax with her head laying upon the lovely thigh with her eyes quickly becoming heavy.

The handmaid yawned quietly while stern eyes occasionally glanced down at her in-between breaks from her workload.

If you asked Azula the girl was getting a little too comfortable.

And yet she found herself refraining from speaking any words of rebuke.

Nearly twenty minutes later Azula was surprised to hear the sound of gentle snoring coming from below.

The hardened princess glanced down at the handmaid surprised to see that the girl had fallen asleep with her face buried in her thigh.

The small girl was resting with her arms curled up awkwardly beneath her in the space of her seat unoccupied by her backside.

Elle continued to breath peacefully while Azula stared down at her with imposing golden eyes after recovering her composure.

“I don’t recall giving her permission to sleep…” The princess snorted while gazing down at her handmaid before trailing her fingers through her hair.

The blonde mumbled in response while yawning in her sleep before curling up closer to the older girl’s thigh.

“Azula-sama…” The blonde-haired girl murmured sweetly before resuming her snoring while her princess still gazed down at her from above.

‘Is she…dreaming of me?’ Azula pondered as she surveyed her slumbering servant with curiosity in her gaze.

The princess then returned her focus to her morning paperwork with her handmaid sleeping peacefully upon her shapely thigh.

She calmly flipped the page while quietly mulling over her war plans.

This should please her father…that she knew without a doubt.

And so Azula continued to go over the documents while finding herself strangely savoring the younger girl’s chosen sleeping area.

All was well in the mind of the Fire Nation Princess until the sound of knocking speedily straightened her in her seat.

“Who is it?” Azula called out while quickly gazing between the door and Elle’s dozing face.

“It’s me Azula. May I come in? Or are you busy?” Ty Lee asked from the other side while standing with her hands on her hips.

“…Just you?” The princess answered coldly while the acrobat blinked in confusion on the other end.

“Yes, it’s just me.” The brown-haired woman stated while shifting on her feet when a strange silence followed.

Azula stared down at Elle’s peaceful face with a frown on her lips before turning back to the door.

She may be able to hide her little hobby from her father but Ty Lee was bound to see her and Elle interact sooner or later…

“…I’ll come back later.” Ty Lee spoke while turning away with a noticeably glummer countenance.

Lately she has felt like her friendship with Azula was slipping…and she wasn’t sure what to do about it.

Or if anything could be done about it.

“You may come in. But shut the door behind you.” Azula sighed while turning to the opening door with callous golden eyes gazing upon her friend as she quietly stepped inside.

Just as soon as Ty Lee stepped inside the study she froze with her hand upon the door.

She gazed ahead with shocked brown-gray eyes to find herself gazing upon Azula with the blonde handmaid sleeping with her face upon her robed thigh.

It was such a stunning sight that she hadn’t even realized that she was gawking for far too long.

She may be friends with Azula but even she and Mai both know that there was an unspoken boundary that even they couldn’t cross.

There were just certain things that you do not do in her friends’ presence.

It was not wise to stare at Azula for too long.

Nor should a servant ever be so foolish as to fall asleep in Azula’s presence.

And yet here this girl was sleeping upon Azula!

When golden eyes took on a much more dangerous glint, she quickly shut the door behind her.

“Azula…” The brown-haired woman muttered in disbelief while trying to take her eyes off the baffling sight.

“If you tell anyone about this…” The princess trailed off in an even colder voice than usual with her eyes burning through her surprised friends’ skull.

It was such a terrifying tone that Ty Lee found herself gulping while speedily waving her hands before her in a placating show of reassurance.

“I won’t tell! I promise…I am just surprised. That’s all.” Ty Lee stated while stepping closer with her eyes occasionally glancing over at the girl cutely snoring on Azula.

“Try not to wake her up. She’s been babbling all morning.” Azula commented casually while Ty Lee seated herself in the corner of the room.

“I didn’t know that you listened to servants babble…” The brown-haired woman replied with a rising smile on her lips as she observed her friends scowling face.

“I don’t. I am training her to be the optimum personal servant. She must remain in my presence in order to ensure that she is shaped to my specifications.” The princess answered while gazing at her cheery friend from the corner of her eye.

“If you say so Azula…” Ty Lee giggled while smiling gently in relief to see that her friend could be kind after all.

If Azula is allowing the girl to sleep on her…

She couldn’t help but wonder…if she gave her a plate after they left.

She had thought that Azula’s answer the prior night was a resounding no.

Yet after seeing this….

“Just what are you implying?” Azula hissed while glaring between her friend and her snoring servant with icy eyes.

“It almost looks like…you’re being…nice?” The brown-haired woman suggested nervously while leaning back in her seat.

“Nice?” The princess sneered in a venomous voice that already had the acrobat regretting her words as she raised her palm to slap the younger girl awake.

“Azula!” Ty Lee exclaimed in a hushed voice while watching as her friends’ hand nearly impacted with the sleeping girl’s bruised cheek.

Azula’s palm halted before impacting with Elle’s face while the small girl continued to breath serenely while adorably nuzzling her thigh.

“Tch.” Azula grunted before reclining upon her throne while glaring down at the blonde’s snoring face.

“Do…you like this girl Azula?” The brown-haired woman pondered while hoping she wasn’t pressing too deeply.

“What do you mean like?” The princess asked icily while gazing over her shoulder at her childhood friend.

“There’s nothing wrong with feeling fondness for another person Azula…everything doesn’t have to involve cruelty.” Ty Lee explained while leaning on her elbows as she smiled at her unsocial friend.

“She’s a peasant Ty Lee. She is beneath me.” Azula insisted while glaring at her friend’s grinning face.

“Peasant…nobility…royalty. We’re all human. That doesn’t make her worth any less than us…she’s a nice girl. There aren’t many servants that would smile over kneeling on the floor while we eat for a whole hour. But I don’t recall her frowning even once.” The brown-haired woman responded while propping her legs up under her.

“That’s because she knows her place. Unlike the other peasants.” The princess stated while gazing back down at her slumbering pet.

“Is her place sleeping on your leg?” Ty Lee teased while trying not to giggle over Azula’s obvious interest in the younger girl.

“Her place is kneeling before me. She is my pet Ty Lee. A pet sleeps at her master’s feet.” Azula announced while gesturing down at the snoring girl while Ty Lee’s smile began to wane.

“Your pet Azula?” The brown-haired woman repeated while gazing between the two with disappointment in her eyes.

Just when it seemed like Azula was allowing a girl of a lower status to get closer to her she finds out it is only because she sees the girl as her human pet.

“You heard me Ty Lee. I have decided to keep this girl as my pet.” The princess declared while placing her hand atop the tiny girl’s head of soft hair.

“Oh…okay. Well at least you’re still being gentle with her…” Ty Lee sighed while shaking her head as she resumed playing with her braided hair.

“Well let’s hope for her sake that you keep your word. Because if you don’t…I’ll throw her back into the dirty alleyway that I found her in.” Azula informed in a warning voice while staring hard at her friends appalled expression.

“A-Azula that would be extremely cruel. Please don’t do that.” The brown-haired woman whispered while digesting the princess’s words.

Azula took this girl in from the streets.

She never imagined that Azula would ever bring a peasant in from the cold streets!

The last thing she wanted to see was for this poor girl to get thrown back out into a filthy alleyway.

“Then you had best remember that what you see now…and what you may see when we are in private…stays in private.” The princess replied while frowning over in her childhood friends direction.

“I get it Azula…I won’t tell a soul…may I ask what prompted you to take her in?” Ty Lee conversed gently while staring at Elle’s peaceful face.

That girl may the only person on the planet that could fall asleep on Azula and look so joyful about it!

“Ugh. She gave me a fire lily.” Azula grumbled as she gazed at the wall with an irate gleam in her eyes while Ty Lee’s eyes widened in realization.

The acrobat couldn’t believe that her brief suspicion had been right after all!

With the news just now sinking in she could only peer down at Elle’s mumbling face and then back up to Azula’s stoic visage as a smile began to climb onto her lips once more.

Even though her friend was claiming that the girl was her ‘pet’.

This added a whole new element to it!

It was…just adorable!

“Aww! That was so sweet of her! She must really like you Azula!” The brown-haired woman exclaimed with a beaming countenance.

“Of course, she does. She approached me to tell me that I am the most beautiful girl there is. I already knew that though…” The princess trailed off smugly while her friend just smiled in response to her hubris.

“And that’s why went out in the rainstorm.” Ty Lee spoke with a tender smile adorning her lips finding it relieving that Azula had goodness in her after all.

“Yes Ty Lee. I decided that she would make a good pet.” Azula commented with her hand still resting in the girl’s hair.

“Is…that what you told her?” The brown-haired woman asked while she scratched at her cheek finding her friends lack of social skills to be rather amusing.

“I told her that I was keeping her as my pet…she said and I quote, sure I’m the princess’s pet now.” The princess responded with a smirk forming on her smug lips.

“You know Azula…this girl must like you more than you know if she tolerates you calling her your pet…” Ty Lee trailed off while leaning back in her seat smiling even so.

It was cute in a strange fashion.

She could tell that Azula was already becoming rather possessive of this girl and she could also tell that Elle adored Azula.

“Please. She worships me.” Azula boasted while puffing out her chest while Ty Lee gazed at her sweatdropping over her inflated ego.

“Well I’m happy for you Azula…so what’s her name? It must be something other than pet.” The brown-haired woman inquired while still gazing down at the dozing teenager.

“Her name is Elle.” The princess admitted with the barest signs of fondness in her cold voice.

“Will Elle be hanging out with us from now on?” Ty Lee requested with a warm smile on her lips as she watched the girl mutter incoherently in her sleep.

“She will wait on us wherever we go yes.” Azula informed curtly while Ty Lee sighed heavily once more.

“…Can’t we just get to know her…you know without her slaving on us hand and foot?” The brown-haired woman asked while staring at her friend hopefully.

Homeless or not she knew damn well that any other commoner girl would run the opposite way if Azula approached her and declared that she was to be her pet.

The fact that this girl happily accepts such a role just proves how much she loves Azula.

“I am training her to be the ideal servant. This means that she must be ready to serve me at any moment. Be it day or night.” The princess insisted while her friend peered at her with an awkward smile.

“Well I look forward to getting to know her. I hope you don’t work her to death…it would be nice to have a new face on the team!” Ty Lee chimed while Azula glanced between her and Elle’s snoring face with deadpan eyes.

The two girls then listened closely when the small blonde began to mumble once more.

“Oh…Azula-sama…” Elle mumbled while adorably clinging to the older girl’s thigh as she sunk face first into Azula’s soft flesh.

The acrobat blinked while holding a hand over her mouth as she failed to withhold her giggles all the while the princess glared at her icily.

“Ty Lee…” Azula warned in a growling voice while still keeping her hand upon her pet’s snoring head.

“Azula that is so cute!” The brown-haired woman exclaimed while gaping at the girl’s adorable face.

“It is not cute.” The princess protested while grasping at her young handmaid’s head with a dominant hand.

“Oh, come on Azula. How is that not adorable? It’s cute and you know it.” Ty Lee declared while folding her arms over her bust while marveling over the dozing blonde’s lovable face.

“Perhaps…she is marginally adorable…but only slightly.” Azula stated callously while scowling over her friends amused laughter.

“If you say so Azula…just marginally adorable.” The brown-haired woman snickered while musing that the two would make a cute couple.

“Are you through with your interrogation? I’ll have you know that I have a strategic reason for keeping her around.” The princess retorted while glaring at her smiling childhood friend.

“Like what? So, you can have a girl that’s head over heels for you waiting on your every order?” Ty Lee answered while folding her arms over her bust with her friend scoffing in response.

"No, Ty Lee. It's because she claims that she's from another world." Azula confessed while resting her spare hand on her belly with her childhood companion gazing back in shock.

"What?" The brown-haired woman blurted in puzzlement after nearly falling from her chair while the royal gestured down to the teenager once more.

"She says that she is from another world. She doesn't know how she got here…or how to get back. She wandered the Fire Nation for a few weeks…before finding herself captivated by my beauty. She's been following me around trying to give me gifts ever since she laid eyes on me…" The princess trailed off in a spoiled manner.

"That's…that's amazing Azula. And so sweet at the same time!" Ty Lee quipped while smiling at Elle's resting face once more.

That had to be one of the sweetest tales she's ever heard.

This girl must be truly innocent…to be able to look past Azula's cruel streak.

Not to mention the courage that it took to approach Azula with a fire lily!

"Naturally…my primary purpose is to ensure that she doesn't fall into enemy hands. If her story is true. There is no telling what secrets she may hold…" Azula spoke seriously while Elle continued to snore softly upon her thigh.

“…Right.” The brown-haired woman laughed while peering at the blonde’s opened mouth as she stretched out on the princess’s thigh.

“Of course, this is only further validation of my magnetic charm.” The princess answered while her friend sighed once more.

“I think you might be letting this go to your head Azula.” Ty Lee replied as she shook her head almost fondly.

“She abandoned any desire to go home as soon as she laid eyes on me. She says she wouldn’t go home even if she could. She would rather serve me.” Azula boasted while her lips curved into a gratified smirk.

The words were a bit of a further shock to Ty Lee as she peered at the sleeping girl with surprised brown-gray eyes.

“Like I said Azula…she’s clearly a sweet girl. I…just hope you’ll keep being nice to her. It’s obvious that she likes you.” The brown-haired woman commented while gazing at the blonde’s face with kind eyes.

“Oh please. I’ve hardly overworked her. The only work she’s done thus far was eat breakfast with me.” The princess remarked while gazing down at the girl’s yawning face.

Ty Lee was just floored to hear that Azula had actually ate breakfast with a commoner.

It was…just astonishing.

Azula then glanced down at the girl’s groggy face while sternly observing as the smaller girl opened her sleepy little eyes.

The younger girl peered back up at her slowly yawning once more while her master grudgingly allowed her to remain upon her thigh.

All the while Ty Lee watched from the corner of the room while holding a hand to her mouth as she quietly gushed over the girl’s cuteness.

She could tell that Azula agreed with her…even if the princess wouldn’t say as such.

“…mhm…” Elle trailed off in mid yawn while Azula gazed down at her snorting in evident amusement.

“You are a brazen little peasant.” Azula remarked while glaring down at the drowsy girl as Elle propped her head against her thigh.

“…Is it still silent time master?” The blonde-haired girl pondered while blinking up at the woman’s looming body.

The acrobat quietly sighed while watching the two interact.

Why must Azula make the girl call her master? Isn’t princess enough?

“I wouldn’t be speaking to you if it was. Are you aware that you’ve been sleeping on my leg for an hour?” The princess questioned curtly with the small girl still recovering from her nap.

“Hm. Only an hour…may I go back to sleep now?” Elle asked innocently while Azula narrowed her eyes down at her.

That was when Ty Lee finally giggled as she observed the two’s adorable interactions.

“Oh…do we have company?” The blonde-haired girl mumbled while still peering up at her master’s scowling face.

“Hello! Did you sleep well?” Ty Lee greeted while watching Elle turn her head to finally notice her with widened amber eyes.

“No, you may not! My leg is not your pillow?” Azula snapped while staring down at Elle’s blushing face with hardened eyes.

“It’s not my fault that it’s so comfy…” Elle grumbled childishly with the woman peering down with an icy countenance.

“You must have some comfortable thighs Azula…” The brown-haired woman teased woman her friend glared at her through the corner of her eye.

“Straighten yourself at once! Naptime is over!” The princess barked while snapping her fingers as she observed in delight when the girl sprang up upon command.

“Yes, Master Azula! S-sorry!” The blonde-haired girl cried out while speedily removing herself from the woman’s lap.

“Kneel! I will not tolerate this disrespect.” Azula commanded while pointing down at her boots with smug golden eyes.

“Azula…” Ty Lee sighed heavily while Elle sank into a bow with her face pressing into her friend’s pantleg.

“Yes, Your Highness! How may I please you? Is there anything you would like me to get you?” Elle questioned while bowing with her face pushing into her master’s bootleg.

“Do you see that Ty Lee? Now this…is the ideal servant.” The princess purred with a smile on her lips as she turned from her frowning friend to peer down at her prostrated pet.

“I see it Azula…” The brown-haired woman stated while musing that she preferred her friend’s prior behavior to this.

“I-I am pleased that you think so princess…y-you know how much I strive to make you smile.” The blonde-haired girl stammered while remaining in her bow when the woman leaned down to pat her head.

“She’s a marvelous little pet. Isn’t she? No complaints…no frowns. Just joyful service.” Azula cooed in a possessive voice while petting the bowing girl’s head while her friend eyed her weirdly.

“Azula…why do you have to demean her like this? She gave you a fire lily…she’s a sweet girl.” Ty Lee muttered while suddenly regretting visiting her cruel friend.

“Demean her? Does it look like I am abusing her?” The princess retorted while gesturing down to the teenager’s prostrated body while she continued to trace her fingers through the blushing girl’s hair.

“Not physically…but…you are emotionally demeaning a girl that has been nothing but kind to you.” The brown-haired woman explained with her lips pursed into a frown.

“Nonsense Ty Lee. Tell me servant…are you happy being my pet?” Azula inquired while smiling as she patted Elle’s little head while the girl pressed her face into her boot.

“Very much so! I am the princess’s pet!” Elle chirped while giggling underneath her master’s petting hand.

Ty Lee simply blinked while musing that Elle must adore Azula so much that she is willing to be her friend’s pet just to be beside her.

It was both sad and adorable…in a twisted way though.

“That you are. And there you have it Ty Lee. She’s happy.” The princess declared while patting the girl’s little head before leaning back in her throne once more with her pet hugging her boot.

“If you say so Azula.” Ty Lee agreed while staring at Elle’s face while finding the puppylike behavior to a bit unnerving.

Why did Azula have to turn a girl who genuinely adored her into a human pet?

“Your lazy time is hereby over servant. I command you to stand and report to the palace kitchens for your days training. You will spend the next few hours memorizing my every want...and then you will be trained in housekeeping. You shall report to me in my chambers in three hours’ time. After you’ve cleaned my room…you will spend the remainder of the day waiting on me and my friends.” Azula announced in a tyrannical voice while Ty Lee just gazed at her in clear disapproval.

“I shall not displease you Azula-sama! This servant will make you smile.” The blonde-haired girl exclaimed while speedily standing before bowing at the waist before her master’s reclining form.

“One can only hope…now run along now.” The princess commented while waving the girl off while the blonde beamed back at her while scurrying for the doors.

“It was nice meeting you Elle!” The brown-haired woman called out as she leaned on the edge of her seat while watching the girl stop before the doors to return her smile.

“It was a pleasure to meet you as well Ty Lee! I will see you later Azula-sama! I’ll miss you!” Elle cheered as she waved at both girl’s while Azula gazed at she nodded briefly.

“Not as much as I’ll miss you.” Azula stated dryly while paying Ty Lee’s frown little mind as they watched Elle grin before shutting the doors behind her.

“Azula…isn’t that little a little extreme just for giving you a fire lily.” Ty Lee spoke softly while her friend turned with her smile waning.

“She is eager to please. I like to be pleased. I fail to see your point.” The princess answered while gazing back at her sighing friend.

“I know. I am just saying…that it would be nice to get to know Elle without her constantly having to scramble about on our every order.” The brown-haired girl explained while her friend arose from her throne.

“Ugh. If it will quiet your complaining. I’ll give her an hour break later today so you can chat with her. Happy?” Azula spoke with her arms folded over her breasts while Ty Lee sprang from her seat smiling much wider than before.

“Very much so! I already feel like she’s going to be a great friend! Her aura is very pink!” Ty Lee blurted while following after Azula who simply rolled her eyes in response.

“Yes Ty Lee. She is very pink.” The princess stated while she walked alongside her cheerful friend down the halls of the palace.

Sometime an hour later Elle knelt beside Lao while they continued to scrub the floors of the palace.

“So! What’s your name?” Elle conversed while gazing over at her fellow handmaid with happy amber eyes.

She was aware that the other staff thought she was crazy for being so happy to serve the princess.

But oh well!

“You got Chia in trouble the other day. She was thrown out because of you.” Lao answered calmly while turning to gaze at the cheery blonde with a calmer countenance.

“Azula-sama asked me a question. I answered truthfully. The princess was displeased over the change. I tried to tell Ms. Chia that Azula-sama would not approve…but she wouldn’t listen.” The blonde-haired girl explained while peering back at the puzzled girl.

The dark-haired girl gazed down at her scrubbing pad musing that the head handmaid had kind of set herself up for that.

It didn’t seem that the girl did it on purpose…but even so.

She didn’t seem to know when it was for her own good to be quiet.

“…Just don’t do anything to get me in trouble okay? I have to feed my family. Do you understand?” Lao inquired while gazing back at the blonde’s now nodding face.

“Wakarimashita.” Elle chirped while staring at Lao’s baffled face while the older girl sighed under her breath.

“My name is Lao.” The dark-haired handmaid muttered while resuming her scrubbing.

“And I am Elle!” The blonde-haired girl exclaimed proudly while humming as she continued to wipe down the floor.

“…Has anyone ever told you that you were strange?” Lao inquired pointedly while Elle turned to beam over at her.

“Mhm!” Elle answered with Lao gazing at her now comically with a bead of sweat dripping down her cheek.

“Right…” The dark-haired handmaid sighed before glumly returning to the miserable task at of cleaning the palace floors.

“Her Highness wants us to clean her room after this.” The blonde-haired girl chirped while the other handmaid gazed over with annoyance in her eyes that flew over her head.

“Joy….” Lao murmured while glaring down at the floor as she mused that the spoiled princess would do well to learn how to clean her own room.

Not that she would ever say that aloud though.

Her bitterness seemed once more lost on her more innocent minded companion as they continued about their days work.

Azula strode through the palace with Ty Lee and now Mai in tow whilst the weapons user listened to the acrobat explain about Elle.

“Did I just hear that right? We’re…going to hang out with a handmaid?” Mai asked dryly while Azula glared at her from over her shoulder.

“We are not ‘hanging’ out with her Mai. I am overseeing her training personally. Therefore, she must accompany me wherever I go so I can mold her to my liking.” Azula explained with her hands on her shapely hips while the other woman gazed at her oddly.

‘What is with Azula? Why the sudden interest in this handmaid?’ The markswoman thought while the acrobat continued to play with her braided hair.

“Azula! You said you were going to give her a break. Hasn’t she already spent several hours cleaning the palace floors?” Ty Lee pondered while gazing at her stern leader with pleading eyes.

“She is currently cleaning my chambers. She concluded with the floors an hour ago.” The princess replied in a controlling voice that took both girl’s aback.

“So…let me get this straight. She’s basically your…favorite …so she gets the privilege of doing more work than the rest?” Mai snorted while they strode through the long hallway.

“Correct Mai. This particular handmaid is my pet. As such she has the honor of serving me with her every breath.” Azula declared while approaching her chambers with both of her friends eying her oddly.

“Your pet?” The markswoman repeated dryly only for her words to be ignored by the princess.

“Azula…when she is concluded with her current task will you let her sit with us…she’s a really nice girl. I’d like to get to know her.” The brown-haired woman requested once more while her friend frowned as if it was too much to ask.

“Fine. I’ll permit her to have a break from cleaning. She can fill our drinks instead.” The princess stated strictly while both friends winced in unison.

“…That’s not a break Azula. A real break! Where we talk to her. You know…without having her scrambling about fulfilling order after order.” Ty Lee insisted with her arms folded over her breasts.

“What? You want me to not give her any orders for a whole hour?” Azula queried as if stunned while turning to her two friends sweatdropping faces.

“I do.” The brown-haired woman responded while smiling at her controlling friend as they neared the princess’s chambers.

“If I do. Will it end your complaining?” The princess inquired icily while turning to her grinning friend.

“Yep!” Ty Lee replied with her lips curving into a wide smile as she watched her friend stop with her hand on the doorknob of her chamber.

The acrobat paused behind Azula as they heard the sound of muttering voices asking if someone was okay followed by the sounds of heavy rasping for air.

“Are you alright Elle?” Lao asked in a worried voice while kneeling over the panting girl with a concerned look in her eyes.

When Azula heard those words, she felt a strange sensation of slight concern wash over her.

She couldn’t understand why but she did.

“I-I just need to catch my breath.” Elle stammered while she knelt with a hand over her chest with the other girl frowning down at her.

“You…look pale…” The dark-haired handmaid muttered before jumping in fright when the door abruptly opened to reveal the princess gazing down at them with her friends behind her.

“Is this social hour?” Azula sneered while ignoring Ty Lee’s stare of rebuke as they gazed down at Elle wheezing with Lao hovering over her.

“Azula! She’s not well! You’re overworking her!” The acrobat exclaimed with a trace of anger in her voice that took both of her friends aback.

It was just mind boggling to her that Azula thought this was how she should treat a girl who gave her a fire lily!

“Y-Your Highness she’s having trouble breathing. S-she needs to see a doctor.” Lao stuttered while Azula stared down at them with icy eyes before gazing to the small blonde’s white face.

“I’ll be the judge of what needs to be done. Now get out servant! Or you can be punished along with her!” The princess informed in a callous voice while narrowing her eyes as she watched the terrified handmaid shakily stand.

Ty Lee scowled at Azula’s back while Mai observed with her usual disinterest.

“Y-yes Your Highness! P-please go easy on her!” The dark-haired handmaid answered while scurrying past the monstrous woman as she gazed over her shoulder at the rasping girl.

And then she rushed out with disgust flashing in her eyes.

‘What a monster! She doesn’t even care about her own people. All she cares about is causing us as much misery as she possibly can!’ Lao thought while vanishing down the long hallway.

“Y-you’re not really going to punish her, are you?” Ty Lee inquired while Azula glared back at them over her shoulder before approaching the panting girl.

“S-sumimasen Azula-sama.” The blonde-haired girl exclaimed while the woman knelt over her with her hardened eyes surveying her pale face.

“What seems to be the problem servant?” Azula demanded while scowling down at her wheezing pet’s little face.

“I-I need my b-breather.” Elle stuttered to the puzzlement of the three women while the princess furrowed her brows in annoyance.

“Breather?” The princess snorted cruelly while rolling her eyes as the acrobat crouched beside her scowling at her in disapproval.

“Stop it Azula! She can’t breathe! She’s been nothing but nice to you! Why are you taunting her!” The brown-haired woman cried out with her friend’s eyes now burning through her skull.

All the while Mai stood silently observing the strange scene pondering why Azula even cared.

It wasn’t like Azula to give a damn about anyone but herself!

The gymnast placed her hand on the girl’s shaking back while sweat began to drip down her forehead already regretting backtalking the princess.

Luckily for her Azula seemed to let it slide in favor of gauging the girl’s condition.

“Where is your…breather servant?” Azula questioned to Mai’s amazement while Elle peered up at her smiling in a strained manner.

“M-my room master. M-may I?” The blonde-haired girl responded shakily while peering up at her master’s hardened eyes.

“Go get this medicine of yours. But afterwards…you and I are having a talk.” The princess grumbled while trying to conceal her concern while watching her servant stand with her childhood friend helping her up.

“A-arigatou gozaimasu Azula-sama.” Elle spoke while still attempting to bow before Azula while the woman stared back at her with a trace of approval in her eyes.

“Ugh! Don’t speak any further until you can breathe.” Azula snapped while waving her pet off while Ty Lee helped the red-faced girl walk.

“I’ll walk with her Azula.” Ty Lee announced while placing her arm around the shorter girl’s shoulder as she pulled Elle along under her wing.

The princess said nothing in response as she stood with her palms folded behind her back while watching her little handmaid peer back at her almost longingly.

What a well-behaved pet she mused.

Even when Elle couldn’t breath she still bowed before her.

“Come along now Elle.” The acrobat commented while tugging the smaller girl alongside her when the handmaid lingered to stare at her friend.

It was rather adorable just how much this girl adored Azula.

But she was concerned that the princess was going too far in taking advantage of the girl’s feelings.

“Y-yes Ty Lee. As you say.” The blonde-haired girl mumbled obediently while the woman grinned down at her.

“You’re too cute. Did you know that?” Ty Lee remarked as she peered down at the blushing girl while guiding her along underneath her armpit.

Azula observed their departure with callous golden eyes before sighing under her breathe.

She could practically feel Mai’s questioning gaze all over her face.

“Just a handmaid huh?” Mai taunted in a calm voice while almost smirking at Azula’s scowling face.

“Shut up Mai.” The princess hissed before striding out to follow her servant to her quarters.

The markswoman began to follow as well if only because it was something to relieve her boredom.

Around twenty minutes later Ty Lee stood patiently in Elle’s servant quarters while she watched the girl comically toss items about over her shoulder.

“I…thought it was here…or was it here?” Elle mumbled while her artbook fell off her bedside onto the floor.

The book flipped open on a random page that quickly caught the acrobat’s astonished eye.

Her mouth hung open in awe as she blinked to find herself peering down at a simply beautiful painting of Azula!

The young girl had painted Azula walking over a bridge with the sun setting in the background!

The title seemed to be in a curious foreign written language that she had never read before.

Azula-sama, walk.

“You…really like Azula…don’t you?” Ty Lee asked in a gentle voice while kneeling to close the book while Elle peered over her shoulder smiling bashfully.

“I-I cherish Master Azula more than anything or anyone else in this life.” The blonde-haired girl answered while still holding a hand over her chest.

“I can tell.” The brown-haired woman spoke softly as she seated herself beside the younger girl while placing a supportive hand on her new friend’s smaller back.

“I…can’t find it. Those girl’s must h-have taken it when they tried to steal my backpack.” Elle muttered while sinking back on her beside with Ty Lee now frowning down at her.

“What girl’s?” Ty Lee questioned with an edge to her usually kind voice while staring down at the petite girl.

“B-bullies in the city before Azula-sama took me in. They were teasing me and calling me panter when I was trying to take my medicine. They tried to take my pack from me…I got it back but…they must have stolen my medicine.” The blonde-haired girl explained in a worried voice while holding her hands to her forehead.

The acrobat gazed down at her new friend with a colder gleam in her eyes just when the princess opened the door with Mai at her back.

She could tell that Elle was as sweet as they come.

It was just despicable to steal her medicine of all things!

The door was then quietly shut while cold golden eyes briefly danced about her servant’s room.

“Well? Is the problem resolved?” Azula inquired aloofly while folding her arms over her breasts as she fixed the two girls with a stern stare.

“W-well my breathing calmed for the time being b-but…” Elle trailed off in a shameful voice while Ty Lee sat up beside her in an almost big sisterly manner.

“Some girl’s stole her medicine!” The brown-haired woman exclaimed while the princess stared on with her eyes twitching in annoyance.

“Is this a joke? Who in this palace would possibly be foolish enough to steal my handmaid’s medicine?” The princess snorted while her childhood friend glared up at her with angered eyes.

“Not in the palace Azula! Apparently bullies in the city before you brought her back.” Ty Lee stated while Azula glared down at Elle with increased aggravation in her eyes.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Azula snarled while slapping her hand over her face while Mai listened in slight amusement.

“S-sumimasen…” Elle trailed off lamely while the older girl’s arm remained over her shoulder all the while Ty Lee gazed up at Azula expectantly.

“No Ty Lee. The answer is no.” The princess scoffed while turning away form the other girl’s angry gaze.

“She gave you a fire lily and you won’t even help her retrieve her medicine?” The brown-haired woman demanded in a judgmental voice while the princess scowled down at them with narrowed eyes.

Mai turned to the younger girl with surprised eyes while noting the blonde’s slight flush before gazing at Azula’s stoic face.

It was just barely noticeable but to her amazement the princess was blushing!

“You expect the Princess of the Fire Nation…to go on a hunt for a peasant’s medicine?” Azula asked in a prideful voice while staring down at Elle’s ashamed expression.

“If you haven’t noticed Azula. This…peasant probably cares about you more than anyone else in this world. It just seems like it’s the least that you could do. Peasant or not…she’s our friend now!” Ty Lee insisted in a protective voice while patting the sulking girl’s back.

“You’re turning out to be a real pain in my ass. Do you know that?” The princess scoffed while stepping forward as she towered over her servant’s seated form.

“F-forgive me Master Azula…” The blonde-haired girl muttered pitifully while she sat underneath the acrobat’s guarding arm.

“Azula…please. She’s a real sweetheart. She thinks the world of you. That ought to earn her a place beside us.” The brown-haired woman pleaded in a softer voice while embracing the smaller girl under her arm.

Azula stood silent for a moment while her eyes swept over Elle’s sullen face before her gaze flickered down to the teenager’s closed artbook.

At long last she sighed heavily while turning back to her handmaid with her callous eyes softening just barely.

“We need to look out for her Azula. We need to stick up for her.” Ty Lee spoke sternly while Azula gazed down at her still sighing.

“Once more consider yourself fortunate…that I have taken a liking to you.” The princess stated finally while her words produced a smile from the acrobat.

“So…we’re going on a hunt for a handmaid’s medicine now?” Mai asked in a deadpan voice while standing behind Azula as they gazed down at Ty Lee holding Elle underneath her arm.

“Not just any handmaid Mai! She’s our friend!” The brown-haired woman cheered while smashing the blushing teenager into her bust.

“…Whatever.” The markswoman sighed while gazing down at the younger girl with mildly softer eyes than earlier.

“I will not permit a word of this to circulate beyond closed doors. I have a reputation to maintain…” Azula declared with her hands on her hips as she peered down at Elle while a smile slowly crept back onto her cheeks.

“A-arigatou gozaimasu…” Elle trailed off timidly with Ty Lee pulling her to her feet still holding her under her armpit.

“Remember Azula. She’s just marginally adorable!” Ty Lee chimed while planting her palm atop Elle’s head with Azula trying her hardest to glare down at the bashful girl.

“Shut up Ty Lee.” The princess snorted before observing sternly as her friend moved forward with her little handmaid in tow.

“Azula-sama?” The blonde-haired girl began nervously as she peered up at the callous woman.

“What now?” Azula asked strictly while peering down at Elle while Ty Lee continued to smile down at the girl warmly.

Then Elle stunned Mai and even Ty Lee when she leaped from the acrobat’s hold and latched onto the princess’s belly.

Azula’s face broke out with the twinges of an uncharacteristic blush while Elle buried her face in her upper belly.

The princess squirmed in protest while the smaller girl continued to embrace her lovingly all the while Ty Lee watched giggling in amusement.

“Servant! Release me at once!” Azula protested angrily while her two friends stifled their chuckles as she glared down at her pet.

“Azula-sama…thank you.” Elle spoke up happily while staring up into Azula’s reddened face.

“You…you are welcome now let me go!” The princess hissed while glaring over the girl’s head at her friend’s snickering faces.

“She hasn’t burned yet…perhaps the girl has the power to disable Azula’s bending by hug alone.” Mai taunted with the barest hint of humor in her deadpan voice.

Azula just glared back at her while still trying to push the smaller girl off of her.

“Ty Lee! She’s attacking me! Disable her at once!” Azula called out while her friend’s giggles still floated through the air.

“Definitely more than marginally adorable…” The brown-haired woman commented with her hands on her hips.

Finally, the princess pushed the handmaid off of her while scowling down at the blushing girl with dominant golden eyes.

“Let’s just get this over with…I have better things to do than chase bullies all day.” The princess sighed with her arms folded over her breasts.

“Wakarimashita…” The blonde-haired girl muttered beside her master while peering up with adoration in her innocent eyes.

Azula began to stride onward with Elle following eagerly at her heels with her little backpack on her shoulders and Ty Lee to the girl’s right.

Mai lagged behind in the rear all the while gazing at her leader with still taken aback eyes.

To think that Azula cared enough about this girl to go retrieve her medicine…it was just stunning.

“You’re a part of the team now Elle.” Ty Lee informed while placing her hand upon the shorter girl’s shoulder.

The princess glanced down at the younger girl’s timid face with her stern eyes reflecting her newfound possessive nature towards the girl.

“Yes…a part of Team Azula-sama.” Elle agreed happily while turning to smile at all three women before peering up at her stoic master.

“Fine. Ty Lee. She can be a part of the team…” Azula spoke while shrugging as she walked alongside Elle while the petite girl beamed up at her.

All the while one thought continued to play over and over in Elle’s mind.

She has finally found where she belonged.

Besides Azula-sama.

#azula #azula fanfiction #avatar the last airbender fanfiction #yuri #ty lee avatar #mai avatar #slow romance #fire nation

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densi-mber · 4 years

Text

Early Arrival

A/N: So...without giving too much away, this involves a baby being born. So if you’re a bit squeamish, read with caution.

***

“Kensi, I do not think this is a good idea,” Deeks repeated for what felt like the hundredth time.

“You’ve been saying that for the last three weeks,” Kensi replied, her tone slightly breathless yet still somehow able to convey her annoyance. She had insisted on carrying her own duffle along with some kitchen supplies from the truck to the Air BnB they’d rented near Mammoth. It was a cozy looking little place that supposedly came equipped with all the amenities they could ever want.

Deeks trailed slightly behind her, weighed down by a cooler, two more duffle bags, and a collection of miscellaneous crap. He would have gladly carried all of it if Kensi let him. She was being stubborn though and he was the last person to tell his extremely pregnant wife what to do.

“That’s because I still think this is a really terrible idea. You’re 38 weeks pregnant, we’re up in the mountains and my cell phone connection is already sketchy.”

Stopping in front of the front door, she looked over her shoulder, her expression all but settling the argument.

“Oh my god, nothing is going to happen. We’ve had these reservations for over a year. It’s a miracle that we didn’t have to cancel them for some reason so I am not going home.” She punctuated the statement by stabbing in the 6 digit code into the security system keypad.

Sighing, he followed Kensi through the door, eyeing the sky. It was a fairly warm day for December, there wasn’t a cloud in sight and the roads had been in good condition.

“I still don’t like it,” he muttered, hopefully low enough that Kensi wouldn’t be able to hear it.

***

A few hours later, Deeks was finally starting to relax. They’d turned on the electric fire in the living room and were sipping mugs of hot chocolate while they lounged on the floor.

“Ok, maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea,” he admitted, pressing a kiss to the top of Kensi’s head. She looked up at him, snuggling into his chest a little more.

“Mm, good,” she said contentedly. “You needed a break. Oof.” She quickly grabbed his hand and pressed it to the left side of her stomach. He grinned at the now familiar feeling of a tiny foot pushing back.

“So cool,” he muttered, not for the first time. Kensi smiled indulgently, but pointed out,

“It would be nice if your child didn’t feel the need to practice his football skills at all hours of the day. Mama needs her rest.”

“Then let me escort the lady to her bed,” Deeks said gallantly, placing an arm under her knees.

“Oh no, Baby,” Kensi protested. “You’ll hurt your back.” He ignored her and gathered her against his chest as he slowly got to his feet.

“All part of the Marty Deeks holiday service.” Kensi snorted and rolled her eyes, looping an arm around his neck while he started to ascend the small flight of stairs leading to the master bedroom.

“You are so ridiculous,” she said fondly. Her fingers brushed against his neck in a soft caress as she gazed up at him. “But I love you anyway.”

***

Deeks shivered and burrowed under the covers, scooching closer to Kensi. Her skin was blessedly warm in comparison to the chill of the room. She made a soft sound of protest before shifting back against him, bringing their mostly naked bodies together.

A shiver ran up his spine, not from the cold this time. Last night was the first time in a few weeks that they’d really had the opportunity to have sex without worrying about being interrupted. Or at least as much as they could with an 8 month baby bump between them. It turned out that pregnancy made sex a slightly more difficult, if not intriguing, endeavor.

“Ugh, why aren’t you sleeping?” Kensi asked groggily, blindly reaching out and brushing the side of his head by chance. Deeks pressed a kiss to her fingers before she hastily snaked her hand back under the covers.

“I got cold. You should go back to sleep.” The covers shifted and most of Kensi’s left eye appeared; from what he could tell she was frowning.

“I would, but your son keeps kicking me in the liver.” He held back a snort and started rubbing his hand over her back in a soothing rhythm.

“It’s a boy, huh? Yesterday it was a girl,” he pointed out. They’d been going back and forth on the gender for the last several months since they’d decided they wanted it to be a surprise. “And I didn’t realize you could feel your liver.”

“He’s acting more like you today. And believe me, I can definitely feel my liver. I’m pretty sure it’s covered in bruises.”

“I would say you’re being ridiculous,” Kensi narrowed her eyes dangerously and he quickly finished with, “but I’m smart enough to know that to do so would be suicidal.”

“Smart man,” Kensi said around a huge yawn. “What time is it?”

“I don’t know, but based on the light-crap!” Kensi jerked up at his sudden exclamation, automatically reaching for a nonexistent gun while clasping the other hand to her belly.

“What?” she demanded.

“The window’s covered in snow,” he said, pointing to said window as he climbed out of bed. The lower pane was covered with a thick coating of white let through only a small amount of light. Already, his mind was filling with images of a three foot snowdrifts and blizzard like conditions.

“The wind probably just blew it there,” Kensi said reasonably. “Come back to bed, Baby. I’m cold,” she wiggled her eyes ridiculously but Deeks couldn’t deny her. He crawled back under the covers, tugging Kensi towards him and began kissing a path down her neck.

Several pleasant hours later, Deeks wandered into the kitchen in search of food. They’d dozed off and on, enjoying the opportunity to just stay in bed without interruption. While Kensi showered, he planned to scrape together something for lunch.

They’d brought along some sandwich stuff and he was in the process of making two truly spectacular BLTs when Kensi called out, sounding weirdly hesitant.

“Hey Babe?”

“You want me to shave your legs again?” he shouted back. For some reason, Kensi found asking for help with that task particularly humiliating.

“No...I think my water broke.”

“Would you mind repeating that,” he requested calmly, sure he’d misheard.

“My water broke,” she said. His mind blanked for a moment and then he was running up the stairs. He found Kensi wrapped in a thick white towel, braced on the edge of the tub. She was breathing a little bit harder than normal and her cheeks were flushed. “Hey.” Her voice was casual but she winced slightly, her face scrunched up in pain.

“Oh my god, you’re in labor.” It was a ridiculous, obvious statement, but somehow his mind didn’t want to accept the fact.

“Pretty much.”

“Ok, that’s fine. It’s fine. I’m just going to grab our stuff and we’ll drive to the hospital,” he said with forced calmness.

“Can you help me get dressed first?” she asked, her fingers clenched so tightly the knuckles were pale. Deeks helped her change sweatpants and a large shirt and then started grabbing a random collection of items to throw in the truck.

When he stepped out on the driveway, he skidded a few feet and nearly crashed into an inconveniently placed tree. The ground was covered in a sparkling sheet of ice. There was no way he could risk driving on it.

“The roads are too icy, I’m going to call an ambulance,” he told Kensi as he ran back inside and grabbed his phone.

“We don’t have time for that,” Kensi said in a strained voice.

“What do you mean we–” he started to say and then broke off as he saw Kensi was now braced against the kitchen counter and panting shallowly. “Kensi?”

“Yup.”

“Kensi, no. This isn’t what we planned for.”

“Well, I’m sorry but apparently this baby doesn’t care what we planned for. My contractions are already two minutes apart,” she snapped out, punctuating it with a moan.

“Ok, you’re right. Let’s get you somewhere more comfortable and then we’ll maybe get some blankets and hot water and totally not have a panic attack,” he said, placing a supportive hand on Kensi’s back and one under her arm. He started to head for the living room, the closest room, but Kensi shook her head and said,

“No, we’ll never get our security deposit back. The bathroom.”

“Oh my god, you are so ridiculous,” he muttered as they changed directions.

Once he had Kensi semi-comfortably reclined against a mound of pillows and blankets, started searching for scissors, clean towels and anything else his scattered brain could think of. When he had it all together, he paused just outside the bathroom door and promptly collapsed to his knees.

He hadn’t been joking with Kensi. He felt on the verge of an honest to god panic attack. He breathed in and out slowly, trying to slow his racing heart.

“Deeks?” Kensi called some time later. She sounded scared and he felt terrible for leaving her alone, even for a few minutes. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he pulled in several short breaths and walked back in.

“What’s wrong? Do you need anything? Are you thirsty?”

“I need you,” she whispered, reaching for his hand. He took it and crouched down beside her, brushing damp strands of hair back from her temple.

“Kensi. Baby, I have no idea what I’m doing,” he admitted.

“We took the classes and watched the delivery videos. And didn’t you read a book about delivering babies?”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting to actually have to do it,” Deeks retorted. “This is the kind of stuff that happens on sitcoms.”

“And to us apparently.” She let out a quiet moan, biting down on her lip. It spurred him back into action. However much he might want to deny it, this was really happening.

“Ok, we should probably get your pants off and see how dilated you are.”

“Now I really know you’re worried.” She paused to gasp, her hand squeezing his so tightly it hurt.

“Why?” he asked as he helped Kensi scooch out of her sweatpants.

“You didn’t make a dirty joke,” she answered and he snorted out a somewhat hysterical chuckle.

“How long between your contractions?”

“About a minute and a half.” She let out another strangled groan, her eyes squeezing shut as her belly heaved. “It feels like I need to push.” Gingerly, he pushed Kensi’s legs farther apart. Never in a million years had he imagined this happening.

“Holy crap, I think I can see the head!” he said in quiet awe. A sudden feeling of calm replaced his earlier panic and he squeezed Kensi’s hand again as she smiled at him hopefully.

“What’s it look like?”

“Um, dark. I can’t really tell yet.”

“Well, I think-aaah-I think you’ll get to see in-oh my god-in a minute. I really need to push,” Kensi said, her voice strained and higher pitched. She looked a little panicked now, her breath short and shallow.

“Ok, Baby, breathe with me. Deep breath in and then out, good. That’s perfect, Kensi,” he instructed. Kensi closed her eyes and focused on matching him breath for breath. After several minutes she seemed at least a little calmer.

“I can’t believe I’m about to give birth in a bathroom in the middle of the mountains,” she said.

“If you think about it though, this isn’t even one of the crazier things we done. We routinely jump out of exploding buildings, a crazy Russian guy try to kidnap me from our wedding and last year our Thanksgiving party included a Russian criminal, six Navy SEALs, and Hetty Lange. We’ve got this babe.”

“Great. Because I think this baby is ready to come out now.” She made an unearthly sound and bore down. Deeks hastily lifted her legs higher as she continued to push.

“Don’t push too hard,” Deeks instructed, recalling some salient bit of information from the recesses of his mind. “I’m going to count to five and then I want you to take a deep breath and stop pushing.” Kensi nodded again, not making any other noise than panting.

Far quicker than he thought possible, he could see the head was crowning.

“You’re doing so good, Baby. Just keep pushing. Ok, the head’s out, but I think the shoulders are stuck.”

“You need to turn the baby,” Kensi managed to say, her voice strained.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Deeks said, gingerly supporting the baby’s head with one hand while the other hesitated. He could almost hear Kensi’s eyes roll as she said between clenched teeth,

“Just do it.” Then she added more softly, “I trust you.”

Carefully, he turned the baby until one shoulder was free. He eased the second shoulder out and the rest of the body slipped into his trembling hands with surprising speed.

“Oh my god, it’s a girl, he whispered, staring down at the tiny human wriggling in his arms. She had a full head of dark brown hair that he guessed would be the same shade as Kensi’s. Even covered in pasty vernix and slime, with her eyes squeezed shut, she was beautiful. Carefully, he ran the tip of his pinky over her cheek. Kensi pushed herself up a few inches on shaky arms and asked,

“Deeks, is something wrong, I don’t hear anything?” At the sound of her voice, the baby’s eyes popped open and she let out a tiny wail.

“She’s perfect,” he answered, moving to Kensi’s side and gently laying the baby on her chest. “She’s absolutely perfect.”

“Oh, she’s so little,” Kensi breathed. “She’s so beautiful.” He was in awe as Kensi shifted their daughter towards her breast as though it was the most natural thing in the world. She looked entranced. His throat tightened suddenly with emotion, tears pricking at the back of his eyes.

She looked up at him and noticed the tears now slipping freely down his cheeks and reached for his hands.

“Don’t cry, Baby.” He scrubbed at his face and sucked in a shallow breath.

“I just can’t believe this is real.” He’d wanted this for so long, they both had, and now he was slightly afraid it was somehow a cruel dream. Kensi tilted her head and gave his hand a weak tug.

“Come here,” she whispered. “Hold us.” Deeks shucked his shirt off, easing behind Kensi. She leaned back against him, letting out a deep sigh of exhaustion. He rested his hand on the baby’s back, partially covering Kensi’s and pressed his lips to her temple. Kensi shivered and he yanked a clean towel off the towel bar, draped it over them all and then wrapped his free arm around Kensi.

He knew they’d have to get up soon, but for now he was content to sit there, basking in the snuggling sounds of their daughter as she slept.

“Love you, Kensi,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. She didn’t speak, but gave his hand a small squeeze.

For the moment, everything was perfect.

***

A/N: Please remember this is meant for entertainment purposes and not intended to be taken as completely medically accurate. The more gruesome bits will take place post-scene.

#Densi-mber 3.0 #Densi-mber 2019 #Densi-mber fanfiction #Densi #by ejzah

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needdl · 5 years

Text

One Spawn at a Time (Part One)

“The baby was due in T-minus four weeks- not that Tenten was going to let that slow her down.”

and YES this has been up FFN and AO3 for a while but in my defense: whatever

Part One Part Two

The light from the fire cast a warm glow over Neji’s features, softening them and gently casting the divets in his collarbone into shadow as Tenten nestled against his shoulder, clasping his hand in both of her own and tracing over his profile with her gaze. Hopefully Gai and Lee weren’t paying too close of attention to them, absorbed as they were in getting the chicken cooking over the campfire, because she knew her stare was undoubtedly sappy.

It couldn’t be helped- Neji had woken her from her (now daily) late afternoon nap with gentle kisses and soft touches, plus a snack, and she was feeling very fond of him at the moment.

And also very hungry. Hopefully dinner would be ready soon.

She knew Neji was still a little wary over camping right now, what with her due date being in a few weeks and all, but so far the experience had been nothing short of pleasant. Gai and Lee, normally very extreme in dragging Neji and Tenten into their exhausting physical activities, were more than happy to let Tenten stay in the hammock and read her book (aka nap) while they dragged Neji into white-water rafting or something.

It was a win-win, as far as Tenten was concerned, because she and Neji could go for walks in the mornings after breakfast while Lee and Gai did their own thing, then meet back up with them for lunch. Then they could all relax for a bit before the three men departed to go be manly in the woods (or something). Tenten would nap, wake up to eat a snack, and then be up and perky by the time they came back.

Today the three of them had gotten back a little early, but Neji had spent all the extra time cuddling her in their tent and getting her in a very agreeable and snuggly mood. She pretty much trailed him around the campsite after that, clinging to his arm.

Even when he was building up the fire, which probably was very annoying but he was smart enough not to say anything. Then he had to help her stand up from her awkward crouch on the ground.

Lee and Gai had volunteered to cook dinner, so Tenten immediately plastered herself against Neji’s side in Gai’s ugly two-person camping chair and hadn’t moved since. Every once in a while she tugged him down to kiss him. He seemed pretty all right with it, if his tiny smug smiles and gentle touches to her pregnant belly were anything to judge.

She was in such a good mood that she didn't even mind the touches, which normally made her roll her eyes and grouch a bit when anyone other than Neji did it.

(With Neji she bore it with more grace, given that he was like, the father of the baby and all that. Plus he knew she didn't much like it and limited his contact to non-invasive, short touches. Even so, she usually had to swallow her biting jibes- because Neji was sweet and thoughtful even though he was usually the unfair recipient of her bad moods and he deserved to feel their little spawn moving around if he wanted to.)

Neji wrapped his arm around her and brought his hand around to rest on the side of her tummy. She clasped her hand over his and held it there, smiling softly into the firelight as he dropped his head down to nuzzle her temple.

Lee studiously turned over a few pieces of chicken. “Almost ready!” He announced cheerfully. Gai, digging through the cooler in the car to get out the greens for their salad, cheered loudly in response. Tenten ignored them both, cupping Neji’s jaw in her hand and holding him in place while she kissed him thoroughly and admittedly, rather loudly.

“Please stop,” Lee said plaintively.

A week later (and one week closer to her due date), Tenten was feeling arguably the best she had felt for her entire pregnancy. Neji had helped her shave her legs that morning because she couldn’t reach them any more and he was the best husband in the world, plus a bunch of the baby clothes they’d ordered arrived and were waiting in a package on the doorstep when she got home from work.

She dragged it inside and ripped it open eagerly, then spent the next half an hour sitting in the foyer happily blubbering over the tiny socks and shirts and onesies and pants.

I’m going to have a baby, she thought joyfully to herself, and it’s going to be soft and fat and cute and my baby.

She paused to consider the mess around her, wiping at her eyes with the collar of her shirt. Neji would undoubtedly be anticipating opening the clothes just as much as she had, so she began to fold things back up and put them in the box for him to unveil. He probably wouldn’t cry as much as she had though.

She left the box on prominent display on the kitchen counter, then headed upstairs to change into maternity leggings and an oversized tee. (Bless maternity leggings, honestly.) It took her an embarrassing amount of time to get her maternity pantsuit off and the casual wear on, but hey, she was almost thirty-seven weeks pregnant. The whole “moving around” thing wasn’t easy.

She got back down to the kitchen to start on dinner and absently pulled her phone from her purse to find about ten billion texts from Neji checking to make sure she was home safely.

Oops. As she got closer to their due date Neji had gotten more and more tense about her safety, and it had become his norm to check on her at several key points throughout the day. If she didn’t respond promptly enough, she could practically feel his blood pressure rising.

Luckily he hadn’t called her yet, which always indicated peak worry. She sent a quick text confirming she was home, followed by ‘baby clothes came today! got distracted opening them. srry babe xoxo’

‘I see.’ He responded. ‘How do they look?’

‘so small and cute. it’s ridiculous.’

‘Well, babies are small and cute.’

‘omg u are truly a genius.’

‘Don’t be a smart ass.’

‘why? you gonna punish me? :3’

‘Don’t you make three-face at me.’

‘:3 :3 :3’

‘😑’

‘hehe ❤️❤️’

When no answer was forthcoming, she tucked her phone into the waistband of her leggings and moved into the kitchen to look at what food they had for dinner- but not before snagging a bag of chips and ripping it open as one of many early evening snacks.

After a moment spent contemplating their food options, Tenten started pulling out the things she needed to make xiao long bao. She’d cooked up the chicken-based (part of her always mourned the fact she couldn’t use fatty pork to make up a rich broth, but Neji didn’t eat red meat and she loved him so much that she would sacrifice it) soup broth the night before to use in the next few days, so now she just needed to make up the filling and her dough.

She made the filling first, with a chicken (sigh) and shrimp base. There was a moment that she spent looking at the Shaoxing wine and thinking longingly about having a cold beer on a hot day, but she overcame it and quickly used what she needed and put away the bottle. Better not to think of lost pastimes.

She was just about to start adding the hot water to her flour for the dough when she realized what an imminent mess she was about to make and paused to grab an apron.

Once upon a time, Tenten had one single dark navy apron that fit adequately and functioned well. Then she moved in with Neji, who was a disaster in the kitchen if his meals went beyond chopping up vegetables or using a rice cooker. They’d quickly learned that they needed several aprons, because they had to wash them quite a bit. (He was better at cooking now, thank goodness.)

Also, once upon a time Tenten hadn’t been pregnant and her aprons would go on and stay on with one quick loop and tie. Now it was a whole five minutes to get the damned thing on and tie it well enough to stay on.

The baby kicked at her ribs, seemingly catching her disgruntled train of thought and defiantly proving a point.

Making the dough was a labor-intensive and exhausting endeavor, and Tenten quickly immersed herself in kneading it into perfection.

She was concentrating so hard on the task that she didn’t even hear when Neji got home. He walked into the kitchen after she didn’t respond to his quiet greeting and froze, watching her rotund figure work at the dough.

After a moment, his eyes confirmed to him that yes, Tenten was barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen preparing dinner for her husband. Exactly the image she’d vehemently rejected in middle school and high school.

Tenten swore viciously in Mandarin at the dough. “WHY ARE YOU SO STICKY,” she demanded of it. The dough had no excuse for its behavior.

Neji’s soft chuckle caught Tenten’s attention, and she whirled around, startled. Upon seeing him standing there, her entire face lit up, and the resulting leap in his chest made it difficult for a few moments to concentrate on the excited speech she immediately launched in greeting.

He tuned in again in time to hear her say, “-and I’m just wrapping up with the dough and about to get the steamer ready, if you want to go get changed and then help me fold up the dumplings?”

“Very well. But first-” Neji set his briefcase on the counter and crossed over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss.

A few minutes later, he pulled away and met Tenten’s dazed eyes. “I’m home,” he told her.

She gazed up at him, looking starstruck, then let out a small, almost shy smile. “Welcome back.”

Another week closer to her due date- it was just a few days away now- and Tenten was over it.

She was ready to have an actual baby to hold and to coo over and to urp on her and to cry all night- she wanted all of it, especially if it meant no longer being pregnant.

She sprawled out on the bed and glared up at the ceiling, absolutely furious over the mere concept of getting up and dressed and breakfasted and going to work.

“Neji,” she said plaintively, “I’m ready to have this baby.”

There was a loud clattering noise from the bathroom, and Neji called sharply, “What?”

She jerked a little at the frantic tone in his voice, then realized what she had said. “Oh-” She half-attempted to roll over a bit to look at him, but gave up fast. “I don’t mean I’m in labor! Just tired of being pregnant. Didn’t mean to make it sound like that, sorry.”

She could hear Neji exhale in a gust. “Ah.”

They were both quiet again for a minute, as Neji went back to shaving and she went back to doing her best impression of a beached whale (at least, that’s what it seemed like to her. She couldn’t even see over the swell of her belly into the bathroom.)

Neji cleared his throat in the silence. “Maybe you should take ma-”

“Nope.” She called back promptly.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

“You were going to suggest, again, that I take an early maternity leave. I’m not taking maternity leave until I go into labor or a week after our due date.”

There was a soothing pitch to his voice when he next replied. “But wouldn’t it be easier? You hate sitting at your desk all day, you’d at least be able to get up and do other things-”

“I do laps around exhibits with the tour guides.”

“But you wouldn’t have to worry about going to work, you could just focus on resting up and prepping for the baby.”

It was tempting, and Tenten cupped her belly with her hand as she thought it over. There was a hopeful silence coming from the bathroom.

“Eh, nah,” Tenten decided. Neji let out a whoosh of air.

“Tennie-”

“Come over here and help me up,” she raised her arms in the air and flapped her hands at him.

He sighed again, and a few moments later she could see his head over the top of her tummy. He stopped at the end of the bed and frowned at her.

She let her hands fall down to rest at her sides on top of the bed covers. “Hey.”

“Hello.” He wasn’t wearing a shirt. Neither was she, actually.

After a few more seconds of staring at each other, Tenten got a crick in her neck from craning her head to see Neji. She let her skull thump back against the bed.

“So, you’re not going to help me up?”

“I like seeing you stuck on your back like a beetle.”

Tenten let out a loud, startled laugh. “What?!” Neji didn’t make jokes very often, and it always delighted her when he did.

She continued chortling as he smiled down at her, stepping closer to smooth his hand over the tight skin on her belly. He held out his other hand to her and she took it, allowing him to pull her into a sitting position.

She grinned up at him. “That was a good joke.”

“Thank you.”

Tenten leaned over and wrapped her arms around his waist, nestling her head against his stomach and humming happily as he put one arm over her shoulders and cradled her head in the other.

“I like you a lot,” she told him, her voice muffled by his skin.

“I like you too.”

“A lot?”

“Yes.”

“Cool.” She mused on it for a few moments, then said, “Then maybe we should get married and have a baby.”

She could hear the smile in his voice. “I’ll have to ask my wife if she’s okay with it.”

“She probably will be. She seems pretty cool. A total babe.”

His chuckle rumbled in his chest, and she fought back a shiver over the low pitch. “You have no idea,” he told her, smoothing a lock of hair over her back.

He pulled away a few moments later and she pouted. “You need to get ready for work,” he reminded her, looking regretful.

“Ugh, work.”

Neji raised his eyebrows and a keen look came over his eye. Tenten cut him off before he could say anything. “Just because I complain about it doesn’t mean I want to stay home!”

He sighed- he was always sighing, apparently he was too refined to roll his eyes- and was about to speak, so Tenten reached around him to grab his butt.

He choked off rather abruptly, eyes wide, and she grinned up at him. Her hands flexed as she dug her fingers in, enjoying herself immensely (Neji’s butt was unreal. And it was her goddamn right to touch her husband’s butt as much as her heart desired.) Neji stared blankly at the wall in front of him as his cheekbones pinked and Tenten gleefully kneaded away.

After a moment, she leaned over- both hands still gripping his ass- and mouthed at his abs. The muscles twitched, and when she glanced up at Neji’s face through her lashes he was clenching his jaw.

Slowly, she drew her hands around to his front and lightly scratched her nails down his abdomen. Just above the waistband of his slacks, she paused, fingers tracing along the edge, then pulled away.

Tenten stood up cheerfully. “Well, I guess I should get ready for work!” She walked into the bathroom and started closing it with great relish.

She caught a glimpse of Neji through the gap. He was standing still, back ramrod straight, and scowling at the wall.

Tenten grinned and closed the door with a sassy little snap.

The day of their due date, both Neji and Tenten spent their time in a haze, flurrying over any movements from the baby and staying up for the entire night “just in case.”

When dawn came and there hadn’t been a single contraction, they realized that maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea, because now they had to go to work. (And also what if the baby had actually come, or came the next day when they were sleep deprived? They had not thought that one through very well.)

Tenten just pitied anyone who had to interact with Neji that day, because the man got very grouchy without his beauty sleep.

Not that she was much better, but at least she had “imminent baby arrival” as an excuse.

Work was uneventful, which was a mixed blessing because it meant she didn’t have to do anything, but it also meant she didn’t have anything to do.

(It made sense and she’d fight anyone who said otherwise.)

Neji texted her constantly throughout the day, checking in on her and complaining about clients. They had a nice long phone conversation at lunch though, which perked up Tenten quite a bit and hopefully did the same for him.

Still, once quitting time rolled around and Tenten was faced with the option of leaving, she took it quite gleefully.

Rather than going straight home though, she took a little detour to Neji’s building in downtown Konoha and rode the elevator up to his office floor.

Udon looked up at her in slight surprise, but gave her a polite smile. “Hello, Huang-hakase.”

“Hi Udon-san. Tenten-san is fine,” she reminded him. “Is Neji busy right now?”

“Nope, he’s clear for the rest of the day.”

Tenten stopped to lean against the reception desk, propping one hand on her lower back. “Was he in a bad mood today?”

“Er-” Udon had the grace to look a little uncomfortable at gossiping about one of his coworkers, even if it was with said coworker’s wife. “Well, he wasn’t in a great mood, but it’s not like he took it out on anyone, really, except maybe Hatake-bucho, and he usually kind of deserves it...”

Tenten grinned. “Sounds about right. Is it okay if I head in, then?”

“Sure, Huang-ha- er, Tenten-san. Would you like me to notify him at all?”

“Nah, we’ll see how snippy he gets before he realizes it’s me.” She waved to Udon over her shoulder and waddled over to Neji’s office, knocking once before busting the door open.

He was sitting at his desk and scowling, eyes on the computer monitor and pen in hand over some documents. At the sound of the door opening his jaw clenched and he snapped, “What.”

She snorted and closed the door behind her. “So it was that kind of a day.”

He jerked his head up and stared at her in surprise. “Tenten.”

“Yep.” She crossed the room and grabbed one of the chairs in front of his desk, then swung it around to sit next to him. “Teach us to not adhere to our sleep schedule, huh?”

“An unfortunate time for such a realization, given that we are due for a baby any day now.”

She gave him a wry grin and leaned in to kiss him briefly. “Well, I got off a little early today and figured I’d stop by. How were your clients from hell?”

“I’ve had worse, but they were… quite obtuse.”

She leaned back in her chair, linking their fingers together and smiling up at him. “I’m all ears, love.”

Four days after their due date and they were all ready for the baby to be born, including said baby. It had been doing somersaults for a few days and kicking up a storm, and while Tenten loved her little dumpling she was ready for the dumpling not do that anymore while she was trying to sleep.

Her obstetrician had recommended sex as ye old standby for inducing labor, so they’d been having a fun time with that, at least.

In fact, they’d spent the entire weekend, uh, trying to induce labor.

But as Sunday drew to a close and there was still no baby in sight, Tenten’s frustration reached its all time high. She had a rage-filled crying session in her bath that night, furious over the fact that she was unwieldy and had swollen ankles and stretch marks and she couldn’t always hold it in completely when she had to use the bathroom and her boobs were sore and she got shooting pains up her back and she didn’t even fucking have her baby yet, the only reason she went through all of this in the first place.

Tenten scrubbed at her eyes, upset with herself for even succumbing to her frustrations. She could hear Neji quietly moving around in their bedroom outside the bathroom door and made an effort to be as silent as possible, not wanting to tip him off and worry him even more.

After a few minutes of calming down, she grabbed her body wash off the rim of the tub and soaped herself up, then rinsed off and started draining the tub. She did feel better now.

Tenten went into labor a little after 11:00PM that very night.

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